Saturday, November 07, 2009

Everybody's Free

I woke up at 5AM the other day and heard Baz Luhrmann's Everybody Should Wear Sunscreen (which I have never heard of until then). I believe in serious soul-searching and this, resonated something heavy.

Lyrics to "Everybody is free to wear sunscreen"
by Baz Luhrman - vocals by Lee Perry

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97,

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term
benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or
reliable then my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice....now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, nevermind, you won't understand the power and
beauty of your youth until they've faded, but trust me in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of
yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous
you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.

Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra
equation by chewing bubblegum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind: the kind that blindsides
you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is
long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive; forget the insults. (if you succeed in doing this, tell me how).

Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people
I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year
olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of Calcium. Be kind to your knees -- you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll
divorce at 40; maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half
chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body: use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it; it's the
greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have no where to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions (even if you don't follow them).

Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents; you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings: they're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in
the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but what a precious few should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps
and geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you
were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.

Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old; and when you
do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children
respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse,
but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you are 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia;
dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal--wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and
recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me, on the sunscreen.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

BIG Spender!

The past few weeks have been pretty taxing physically and wallet-wise. I worked hard and shopped even harder (and partied a little bit on the side). I compensate for my sucky work schedule and inhumane workload by spending hard-earned cash, which is fair enough, if you ask me. This makes me happy, as long as I forget that I have a ghost for a savings account. Heh!

Friday, July 24, 2009

How NOT to make a Mongolian rice bowl

I was tired, as I usually am, after work the other day and decided to take a nap at the dorm. Woke up just in time for dinner and panicked as I found out, I don't have anything to eat yet (not having eaten lunch earlier in the day, you'd understand my reaction). I hurriedly got up and changed to go out to scavenge food for the night at nearby Rob.

Found out that the new Supermarket just opened and they have amazing kiosks there selling food for less than 70 pesos. Perfect for a girl on budget. Since the line for mongolian rice bowls was pretty long, I figured it must be good so I got in line as well. I made my rice bowl as I normally would, placed it next to the line of bowls waiting to be cooked and found out that people have a curious way of making rice bowls here.

How NOT to make a Mongolian rice bowl

Basically, they put the veggies first then top them with ginormous cups of rice then pack the rice to give more space to more rice and maybe a little bit more vegetables. Gotta love rice on this side of the planet!

Friday, April 03, 2009

Taft After Dark

I had a Tolstoy moment... or something like it.

I was walking along the College of Pharmacy Gate along Taft Ave around 9pm on a Thursday night. While waiting for an FX bound for Buendia, somewhere between the CP Gate and where the PGH incinerator had been a couple of years ago, a stranger, a stocky man in his early thirties called me. He looked like he could benefit much from a shower. His shirt, red and fraying, hung loosely to his muscular frame. His jeans were worn and faded, not as a fashion statement but something reminiscent of the power of laundry detergent. Darkness makes one judge too easily, and to me then, he pretty much looked like someone who would mug me and then run away with my money. Fine, call me judgmental.

I was standing in the curb waiting for my ride. He was coming towards me.

"Miss, Miss. Pwede bang makahingi ng limang pi...?".

I looked up and instantly, almost instinctively, I started to flee, even before he could finish what he was going to say. Never mind that I was fleeing to the middle of Taft where the probability of getting hit by an approaching vehicle albeit a slowly moving one (cars never get past 10kph on this side of the world) is close to a hundred. Fear must have taken over my face. As I was putting a foot out of the curb to make my escape, he walked past me, looked at me with a sneer and muttered almost apologetically

"Huwag ka nang tumakbo, kailangan ko lang kasi...".


I looked back at him. In my head I was trying to reason why someone would need 5 pesos, definite at that instant that he was going to hypnotize me then take my money. It's quite amazing how a lot of things could go through your head in a moment. I managed to let out an inappropriate "Hindi po..." but I was already reaching over my pockets for change. It was like my brain and body have completely gone auto-pilot. I was walking away, going for my pockets yet at the same time thinking that this might be a potential hold-up. At that point I was already doing a walk-a-thon in the opposite direction, relieved to have at last found my FX.

Then it hit me.I was overcome with guilt and the realization that I may have judged the man too easily, that whatever he needed five pesos for could be a matter of life and death. That he was desperate and merely asking for help. I was guilty for thinking, plainly put, that he was a hold-upper. He couldn't blame me for walking away. Anyone in that situation would have opted to run. We are socialized to believe and media leads us to think, that people who come up to you at night, in darkness or semi-darkness, is not a good thing. It was the wrong place and the wrong time.

I'm still bothered by the what-ifs though. So, sorry man, whoever you are, I was merely acting on impulse and if it offended you that I thought you'd rob me, I'm terribly sorry for judging. I wish in the end, you found your five peso.

There's something to be learned here, like a moral of the story... or something.

Thursday, March 26, 2009

The saddest Krispy Kreme in the world

It's flat and lonely...

Eating out

I am on a binging streak and I eat out almost on a daily basis. This has done nothing but create a huge burn hole in my wallet and cellulite around the most unfortunate places, especially if you happen to plan on getting on a skimpy swimsuit this summer.

Exhibit A: California Pizza Kitchen

Strawberry milkshake topped with lethal amounts of whipped cream


Kung Pao spaghetti made mildly spicy for me


Roasted garlic chicken pizza perfection

Exhibit B: MoMo

Lasagna topped with heart-stopping amounts of cheese


Lard on a plate: Ham and cheese omelet

Thursday, February 05, 2009

WWJW?

The question everyone has but is too afraid to ask- What Would Jesus Wear?
I had a kick out of these. Loved the disclaimer at the end. Note: These are actual pictures for a feature in New York Times, I think. And yeah, the Prince of Peace is digging the Tartan trend. Go click!

True Love is...

a Periodic Table of Elements duvet cover.

One craftsy woman made this clever duvet cover for her Chemistry Major boyfriend and posted the how-to's on the internet. Totally epic. Click here

Tuesday, January 27, 2009

In the mail today.

I got this from the mail today. Dad saw it after dinner neatly tucked between the grilles of our rusty gate. It was white, spotless almost glowing in contrast to the dark surroundings. I took it and felt it's thickness- one-paged. And at that moment, I felt the Universe smiling upon me.

This is it. My fate is sealed :D

Saturday, January 24, 2009

If you can't beat it...

Take pictures and draw funny faces on the little bastard.

I hate alopecia.