What's your Christmas tradition?

One of mine has become eating lasagna like I haven't all-year-round.

Not food photography-worthy

P.S. May you be surrounded by laughter and God's love this Christmas. I wish you all a very Merry-gayang Pasko! ☺

So, I'm alive! (Also: guilty pleasures post)

(Yes, I am still existing!) The world would end, a friend told me last night while we were having coffee, at 11 AM (London time), and when he looked at his phone's clock, London time was already around 30 minutes past 11 AM (London time.) The world didn't end. 

There is more to life.

The Mayans-predicted Apocalypse just became a good excuse to dress-up (I wore my new fave blazer to work and a striped t-shirt a former supervisor gave me-- and pants, of course), and to party-- in the office, we had a superhero-movie screening doomsday binge (we chomped junk food-- guilty!) /snacking party. 

What bade farewell though is my still-fave (judge me, now) Gossip Girl. Spoiler Alert: Gossip Girl is Dan Humphrey! I will miss/get nightmare of(guess which of which applies) Nate's handsomeness (and mascara-ed lashes), Chuck's DOM voice, Dan's annoying post-high school hair styles, Michelle Trachtenberg as Georgina Sparks (I love the first name, I will name my IVF, or adopted, baby either that or Georgiana), Serena's golden girl-worthy wardrobe, Blake Lively's scoff-and-roll-eyes -worthy Serena acting, Blair's witty punchlines, etc. Because the show has become a part my kidult-formative years. Seriously, judge me now! But that's why there is this thing we call guilty pleasure, right? 

I must say this: thank you, "greatest show of our time."

Xoxo

Wish List December Holidaze 2012

We all have our wants and needs and what-have-we. In my quite many failed blogs, I used to make wish lists but they do not come true -- heck! And yet I feel like it's obligatory to still make one; I do like list-making.

With 13 days to go till Christmas Day, I have randomly come up with 13 bullets of wants/wishes. Here they are:

1. My to-be-actually-tech-savvy list is here.

The traditional ones:

2. An analog note-taking device would always be appreciated.

3. Books!

• If you love witty women (like I do platonically). Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns) - Mindy Kaling

• To gain insights from the depths of the heart of the U.S. Vogue. Grace: A Memoir - Grace Coddington (Creative Director, Vogue U.S.)

• Relive the teenage dreams and be nostalgic, or just be the kids-at-heart that we are with Rookie Yearbook One - Edited by Tavi Gevinson

• For the fashion fan with an interest in stylish imagery, Vogue: The Editor's eye is a coffee-table book must-have. It's full of fashion history!

If only my ~trust fund~ or what remains in it can foot the books bill. All above are available in leading book stores, i.e. National BookStore.

Other books I won't mind getting:

Phaidon's The Art Book: The New Edition to compliment my newfound interest in art history.

Ivy Style, Alexander McQueen (The Life and The Legacy), Empress pf Fashion: The Life of Diana Vreeland, Stylists, the list goes on..

I know, I know, Nanay Socorro Ramos would be a lovely godmother to have.

4.  Okay.. National BookStore gift certificates.

For my worldly sense and sensibilities: 5. Monocle subscription. Because tt's majhalajay!

6. An H&M store in the Philippines. Please, Mr. Henry Sy or Don Jaime Zobel!

7.Some pieces in Opening Ceremony's Yoko Ono: Fashions for Men are haunting me.

Especially the trousers!

8. This should be more of a goal: find a more meaningful -- and better-paying -- job. My year 1 in insurance-financial services is fast approaching and I'm not 100% sure yet if I'd extend my work.

9. Success for all of my endeavors. For those of my kapamilyas as well.

10. A good watch: one oversized from Swatch, please.

11. Nothing beats getting handwritten letters from friends and family.

12. Looking forward to having some great food and bottles of good/bad alcohol on that special day.

13. Noche Buena groceries for our weaving community nanays.


Hear me out, Santa -- and generous citizens of the world!

My gratitude in advance!

All I (or you might) Want For Christmas Is From Samsung

(Disclaimer: This is not a paid post. How I wish it is, though!)

From the Oh-it's-nice-and-affordable props (I had heard from a friend) that the Galaxy Young caused to the Ooh-it's-functionally-cool-and-rad accolades that the Galaxy Note stirred (I instantly desired to have one upon seeing the ad on CNN), the Samsung Galaxy line-up has been all enticing.

I'm not tech-obsessed but if I were to get just one practical thing this Yuletide season, off the top of my anxious mind would have to be a Samsung mobile product.

1. Galaxy Camera.

This is the shizzle!: the Galaxy Camera is a "smartphone, tablet and a digicam." It's like my buddy 'instant' coffee, 3-in-1 -- 3 functions for the price of 1 (retails @ Php 23,000 ++).

Makes me drool! Perfect for my want need to upgrade my reliable Samsung compact camera.

2. Galaxy Note 10.1

Something for the tech-savvy and -sleek with the need to boost productivity as well as creativity.. the Samsung tablet with the S-pen technology, among other cool features.

Would be nice. So nice.

3. Galaxy Note II

The improved 'phablet' with S-pen is a game-changing of doing things (i.e. communicating and letting us be creative with every stroke.)

I really need the revolutionary S-pen in my life!

Hmmm, I'm partial to the Note 2. But as I've said, to have only one of the three would be just as pleasant, if not extra pleasant, than not getting any at all.

Getting one, if not two or all, would practically make a gadget newbie (and lover)'s Christmas become Merry, Smart.

From my tumblr

"Staying positive"

Pablo’s onslaught and Pacquiao’s defeat are sad, if not devastating; yet, at the risk of seeming like I don’t care — no, practically I care —, everything happens for some reason.

On the other hand, one thing to feel good in general about is our economic growth.

Life, for the rest of us, must go on

(tumblr.)

Mr. Kengkoy in good company with Manila-based compassionate friends

Our Team Leader's friends from Manila partnered with Mr. Kengkoy Backpacks to bring joy to the kids of the community-- a kilometer short to the 6-km Mayon danger zone in Daraga, Albay -- where our dear nanays live.

Helping hands: one group (where I belonged to) did the cooking [burning wood (wood-fired stove) for cooking, included -- we're cowboys and cowgirls / boy and girl scouts!] and the other group did the merry-making with youngsters.

Saw this one happy kiddo as I entered the outreach area

Future Goodwill Ambassadors to the U.N. :)

The loot!

Bonus: a trip to Cagsawa Ruins! Haven't been there since high school.

Majestic Mayon

Me with M.K. volunteer, Abby

Snacking en route to Pili/Naga

Unang tikim: Sinanpablo/San Pablo variety

Daraga's famous Malunggay Pandesal by Emong

P.S. Finally!: My own Kengkoy shirt

Last night

(Reposted from: tumblr)

Not once, but twice.
Is the question ”do you have a,

this euphemism instead, special someone?”

                                                                               confirming?

Question within a question, eh.

Analysis: Yes.
Meaning, I look as if

I have.

Look.

It’s Okay!
To borrow a movie title,
In Time.

Want, with an uppercase W

I chanced upon seeing all the menswear pieces (via GQ), and all the rest (via Fashionologie) of the clothing and accessories from Maison Martin Margiela (MMM)'s H&M collaboration collection which hits stores today.

MMM w/ H&M  on Polyvore

Happy Halloweenie!

Greetings from:  Yours Truly plus my dear partner-in-crime

Insta-Food*

Last night, I joined several officemates to celebrate the birthday of one of our Sirs from where I do my 8-hour grind.

Cake not from me: "Happy Birthday Bby, Q"

Local Scenery

If not for the long queue for box-office hit du jour This Guy's In Love With U Mare! last weekend, we won't have got cold feet to watch the movie which was being shown only in one of the four cinemas in SM Naga.

But alas, it was only until last Monday night that we (me-co-worker tandem) caught up the comedrama. That's exactly what the plot of the loosely No Other Woman-based parody is. For the most part of the exposition, the usual smile-smirk-chuckle-snicker-laugh- worthy antics and lines fit for a categorically comedy movie were naturally present; then, after an hour or so, there came in that point of the story with the dose of drama element, see also as: reality-kicking-in phase, among the characters of Vice Ganda, Toni Gonzaga and Luis Manzano.

At the end of the movie, I had to tell to my companion, (in Bikol-Filipino,) "I can say, the trailer alone could show anyone the whole Love Triangle Story and where it would most probably lead to."

Let's talk more *local* movies

I'm not left-handed but..

While the raket science is on the works, I have been doing a new work on the sideline.

Full disclosure: Some Saturdays ago, a good friend told me about a start up social enterprise to be relaunched. After which, I did a research (read: Google grind) and days later I messaged the team head (who I know from college). In short, I applied to be of help to this start-up. I wanted to do the marketing or the creative side of the biz . Minutes later, I got the good tidings: I am IN. Yet alas, I was assigned into vamping Product Design! Right then, there was a teeenie-weenie bit of setback that ensued. How will I "design" backpacks?

But after convincing myself more pre-orientation, a week ago, with the two persons taking care of the production side, to which I have become a welcome addition, the question now is, Who knew I would be "designing" backpacks? My imagination is good.

Really, with no track record of having tapped my "design skill", I couldn't believe that here I am into channeling my right side of the brain into knapsacks.

Hello there nights, since I have a day job, of putting ideas into paper by drawing/sketching/what-have-you!

Sigh

After reading this, I can now assume that I am so missing out on the "Perks" movie talks since it hasn't been shown yet in theaters locally (by that, meaning my current location: Naga City/Camarines Sur a.k.a. apparently the capital of the 2013 Mid-term Elections).

CC: SM Cinemas, SM City Naga

Raketeer On the Rise

Last August, a friend and I started a Polvoron venture -- I sell the polvs, as we hypocoristically call it, mostly in the office I'm working at (I have a day job) and to relatives for the dirt cheap price of Php 2.00/each only! Dirt cheap, right?!

Via: Not the same above-mentioned friend's Instagram

And now we are ready for more! I have always wanted to do this raket to fill in the void in this part of the country. But it wasn't feasible.. not yet: friend's family once owned a *hint!* pastries business but their panaderya-level ovens are now too scary to turn on and as for me, our lowly oven is somewhere in our dirty kitchen sitting to rust.

Enter friend's cousin who has interest in *hint, hint!* baking. So during the Peñafrancia Fiesta long weekend, there was a bake-off-like scene in friend's cousin's house, and boy, tastings commenced, my sweet taste buds and throat were already screaming "Stop this abuse!" Hehe.

Commence baby steps!

P.S. Happy October to y'all!

How timingly

Intentionally, I also wanted that this blog be a platform for me to put my two cents on relevant issues.

Because we all have our unique and possibly useful points of view, we maintain blogs, tweet our thoughts, Facebook post opinionated memes, [insert other freedom-of-expression actions done in the Web]. When the law takes effect on the 3rd of October, what will happen to us Social Media madlang people and to the good ol' Philippines which, as per NGO Freedom House, Freedom On The Net 2012 'FREE' status ranked 7th among the participating countries in the world and 1st in Asia? Could become only 'Partly Free'.

Here's the anti-cybercrime law and this is crazy

While the Cybercrime Prevention Act of 2012 serves a warning to those no-good Web lurkers, there are certain provisions that should be amended, if not declared null and void, such as the scary thing that presents to punish FB likes and Twitter RT's and even your old bashing/bullying/attacking-someone posts, among others being petitioned to the high court. (Be warned, check your archives, stat!)

In defence of the blogtroversial statute, it challenges us to become responsible, to *SHADDAP* when we have nothing constructive to say. And yet, as I see it, it's flawed still, very broad and has negative impacts.

Here's one urging the SC and the concerned lawmakers and netizens to create the necessary solutions. Amend RA 10175 ASAP.

Bottom line: we are still entitled to express ourselves, but more carefully now.

(Disclaimer: This is not, I assume, in any way, libelous.)

Today

Why am making an attempt to have an online diary?

I have started my adventures and misadventures with grammar, punctuation, among others, since college, when I tried to blog many times over due to the lure of making money out of it/them a la those now-famous bloggers. Had I persevered and not stopped, would I be one of those now-famous? Ha! Alas, for several times, I tried and then failed; though recently I have become a serial Tumblrer -- with (as of 12:29 PH time) only 94 followers .

Initially, I've come up two reasons why I have decided to start blogging.. for the nth time. Firstly, because I want to push to become real good in one of my pastimes which is "writing." My Tumblr blog is more like a visual board, which is also the reason why I signed up for Pinterest. Hone (that's the term) the written medium, in tradition of what eight years in the land of men-and-women-for-others has taught me, the Magis.

Secondly, because I want to share, naturellement, some pregnant bits of me, myself and I and to also let my voice be heard by a wider audience (than my circle of friends), like they care.

I, like everyone else, change. Oh me, oh my, Commitment.