turning japanese

Hachigatsu aimashou!

2005-06-14T14:30:00.000-07:00

Three weeks of preparations are over, and tomorrow I'll be off to Osaka. I'm feeling drained even before I leave. It's because I've been so bogged down by lots of other stuff aside from the preparations for the actual trip. I made sure to bring only a minimum number of clothes so I won't overpack like last time (the memory that I actually brought a HUGE box of stuff, along with 2 large suitcases, during my first sojourn in Japan still makes me cringe. What was I thinking? Like they don't have sanitary napkins, cotton buds and contact lens fluid when they have entire malls devoted to dog and cat goodies?

Also, I have decided to bring only shirts in solid colors so I don't have to worry about mixing and matching. More importantly, they don't wrinkle easily, so minus the trouble of ironing. However, I've filled up a whole pouch with my bead bracelets, necklaces and bracelets so my everyday outfit won't look too plain. Buti nalang summer dun, no need for bulky jackets! Hello cutoffs, sandals and hats! I'm only bringing one pair of sandals, sneakers, and another pair for formal wear. We have to bring suits to wear during presentations and when we meet out professors for consultation. They're really formal, those Japanese.

Now that the packing's done, I'm starting to get nervous. My Japanese has slowly been deteriorating these last three years, to the point where I don't think I can string together a decent sentence that doesn't sound like something a seven year old would say. I'm badly out of practice, but I hope a few weeks at the institute will sort that out.

So, friends, I'll see you in August! I can't promise I'll update this thing regularly, but I'll share some photos nalang. :) Wish me luck!

Back from paradise

2005-06-09T13:08:00.000-07:00

Good golly I'm exhausted. Came from a FABULOUS weekend in El Nido with the folks, got bitten by dozens of mosquitoes, had buffet meals for three straight days, hiked up a forest on a cliff, kayaked like a fiend, snorkeled, and gave scuba diving a go, all in one of the most pristine and breathtaking places I have ever been to. And I'm immensely proud to say that yes, it is found in the Philippines. There's only two resorts operating in the area, both exclusive, so the number of tourists visiting is controlled. I honestly hope the government will continue to protect El Nido as well as it does now, because it would sadden and anger a lot of people if it suffers the same fate as Boracay. Honestly, after experiencing El Nido, I have absolutely no interest in going back to Bora. I've never been a party person anyway, and frankly speaking it holds very little appeal for me. We all made friends with the wonderful staff of Lagen Island resort. It was also a great surprise to know that my brother's friend Mitzi is the resident manager. Huwaaaw! :) At least may connect na kami para sa susunod naming trip! Hehe. Already Mama and I are talking about bringing her sisters and their families over there next year for the grand Javate reunion. Am sure my little cousins will love it. Yung photos next time nalang.

Funny anecdote: There was this delightful Spanish family on the island-hopping tours with us. Two of them were brother and sister, Carlos and Anna Barcel, who have a hacienda in Bacolod; their three elderly relatives from Spain were with them. (One of them was their aunt, who, despite being 80 years old and the mother of nine children, was in the pink of health and was such a good swimmer she didn't want to put on a life vest!) Anyway, they mentioned that they were related to the Lacson family of Bacolod. My mom remembered that my second cousin, Aina, married a Lacson who also came from Bacolod, and asked if they were related to him somehow. Well, it turns out that Carlos and Anna are the second cousins of Basti, which means MY second cousin married THEIR second cousin! Hahahaha. Aliw no??

*****
Right after El Nido I threw myself into preparations for my trip (which is in a week! A WEEK!) There simply aren't enough hours in a day to pack, shop for presents for friends, fine-tune my report, meet with people to say goodbye, see the dentist and doctor for check-ups, play with the dogs (I'm going to miss them so, even if I'll be away for just two months), watch Kelvin's gigs and Seinfeld on DVD with him, and spend time with my family. I wasn't even able to review Nihongo because of the lack of time, so I'm faced with the inevitability of being demoted to a less advanced class because of my lack of practice speaking, writing and reading. But I am so excited I could just piss in my pants :) Hopefully after this program ends, I'll be able to get into some translation work and a job at a Japanese company or something.

Episode 3 I want you so!

2005-05-24T15:22:00.000-07:00

Gusto ko nang manood ng Episode 3! Pero may paper pa ako para sa summer class ko. I'm writing about Aum Shinrikyo, the doomsday cult who was responsible for the sarin gas attack in Tokyo ten years ago. Ang bigat ng topic. Grabeng grabe. But I'm learning a lot. Imagine this: as part of advancing one's spiritual level, members were supposed to shell out loads of cash to drink their leader's blood, or concoctions made of his hair or beard clippings. WTF???

Would sure to love to sample this guy's used bath water.

Am so happy I got my new DVDs from the US. And Kelv lovingly handcarried home a dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts for me. (Those are now qualified to earn frequent flyer points). I'm in heaven. Wala talagang binatbat ang Gonuts Donuts/Hot Loops/etc. Yeah!

A lover, not a fighter

2005-05-20T15:33:00.000-07:00

Well, George is my favorite, but I love 'em all anyway. Thanks to Echo for the quiz!

What Beatle are you?

John Lennon

You enjoy poetry, painting & a fine wine. A lover not a fighter.

Click Here to Take This Quiz
Brought to you by YouThink.com quizzes and personality tests.

Kelv home tomorrow. Yay :)

Yo quiero bailar salsa con Diego Luna!

2005-05-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

Kelvin's been in the US for almost three weeks with his family. He didn't much want to go, because there's a lot of stuff that needs his attention ('worms, business, etc.) But since his parents wouldn't let him hear the end of it if he didn't go, he relented and, in fact, has been having quite a good time in L.A. Who wouldn't?? The cooler weather alone is enough of an incentive, not to mention great food, endless places to go to, and most importantly, stores and stores and MORE stores. I didn't want to miss an opportunity to do some retail therapy (even though I am not physically there :D), so I kept emailing him with my bilins --- mostly DVDs of Mexican films with my lust-objects Gael Garcia Bernal and Diego Luna in them, and stuff for dogs that you can't get here, like white grooming powder and durable frisbees. I've been bugging him to go to McDonald's and taste every milkshake flavor they have there. Gads I miss 'em so.

*****
Speaking of Diego Luna, watching Dirty Dancing Havana Nights is what convinced me to begin learning salsa. The movie was solid enough, but nothing to write home about, and in fact it was really just the dancing that made me watch it over and over. Well, that and seeing Diego dance salsa in his skinny suit. *swoon* I've been dancing ballroom since high school, but just the usual swing, cha-cha and boogie, and even did an Argentinian tango number for my 18th birthday. I loathed the idea of a cotillon de honor or whatever it is you call it, having been coerced into participating in several, so I resolved to spare my friends the dreary Saturday afternoon practices and instead had a D.I. choreograph a routine for just the two of us. That gem of a D.I. has simply vanished into thin air; last we heard from him was a few months after my birthday. Too bad, because I've been really keen to learn salsa seriously since my Peruvian friend brought me to a dance club in Tokyo. I joined a ballroom dance class for a little while, but didn't focus that much on salsa, so I'm hoping to pick it up again when I come back in August. Or maybe I'll meet some Latinos during my program who can teach me.

Maybe they'll look like this...

...or this... :)

*****
I've just finished making arrangements for my family's trip to El Nido in early June. My dad's been overworked, and we're all pretty much sick of the city, so we're going to have ourselves a little break. An introductory dive is bundled into the package, so I'm looking forward to that! I wish we could bring Joni though.

Beyond lateness

2005-05-17T19:10:00.000-07:00

Argh. Yes I know. Ages since the last post. *&@^%$# ang init kasi eh. The last few weeks have been spent trying to keep cool without using up too much electricity during the daytime (solution: hang out mostly in my grandmother's recently redecorated room, which is the coolest spot in the house any time of the day).

***
I might as well talk about our Bangkok trip last April. It was godawful hot, just as hot as Manila, but somehow you don't mind that much because there's so many things you can do. Our visit coincided with their New Year celebration, Songkhran, which is when people wait on the streets and splash each other with water. Yes, that does include complete strangers and foreigners. After we'd arrived in the afternoon, my brother and I decided to take a walk around our hotel block just to see what was around. Two or three kids were standing on the sidewalk, armed with water basins and pistols, and as we approached them their faces cracked into identical evil grins that did not bode well for us. We begged off by frantically pointing to ourselves and repeating, 'NO NO NO! FIRIPIN! FIRIPIN! NOT THAI!' The kids and the grownup they were with laughed hysterically and let us go, much to our relief - but only to meet another group of enthusiastic youngsters a block away. We only let ourselves get wet during our excursion at Patpong, the touristy red-light district and night market, which actually felt good as it was so warm.

Most of our time there was spent shopping (even Kuya, who is not an enthusiastic shopper)- at malls, roadside stalls, markets. We bought clothes, jewelry, gemstones, footwear, wrapping paper, placemats, silk pillowcases, dried fruit. They say even die-hard anti-consumerist types weaken in Bangkok. My mom and I don't even try to resist. One thing I noticed is that Thai people are immensely proud of their country and culture, and justifiably so. They are blessed with great natural resources, which they promote aggressively through tourism and locally made products. A great example is Harnn, which sells natural beauty products made from indigenous Thai herbs and plants. It's sort of like the Thai version of The Body Shop. I wound up buying their rice cream soap, sea salt body scrub (I swear my skin never felt as smooth as it did after I used it), and lavender and citrus room sprays. They've got stores in Europe, the US and lots of countries in Asia already (they sell Harnn stuff at PCX in Rockwell, in case anyone's interested). Now when's that going to happen to us??

I miss Bangkok. I miss Thai food (sweet-spicy-salty-healthy-heavenly!!!), Thai massages that make you forget your own name, the super-clean, quiet and efficient Skytrain, pon de rings at Mr. Donut, durian chips, Suan Lum night market and of course the mecca of bargains, smelly chaotic Chatuchak! (where I bought those hemp slippers I've been selling...sorry folks, sold out!) I do not miss Patpong, where my digicam was stolen on our very first night, however. I loved that camera - I've had it since my stay in Japan, and I took great care of it; never once dropped it or anything. I hope the culprit's toenails turn all crusty and black.

***
Nevertheless, the loss of my digicam can't put a damper on the fact that I'LL BE LEAVING FOR JAPAN AGAIN NEXT MONTH! :) I actually found out before I left for Bangkok, but was too lazy to sit down and write it The Japan Foundation is the most generous dispenser of scholarships and aid to people who are keen to learn about Japan (next to the Japanese government, of course), so you can imagine how coveted a grant from them is.

My program's just for two months (I didn't get the four month course, but that's okay; I'm satisfied), starting in June and ending in August, and it's an intensive language program for postgraduate students and researchers. Which means it's not just the usual grammar, kanji and conversation they teach; I'm also going to learn how to make surveys, conduct interviews and make presentations in Japanese. It's really practical and quite different from my old classes - and I'm excited to start :)

Aside from the round-trip airfare, we'll be staying at the institute in Osaka, with free meals, a small allowance every day, field trips to schools, museums, homestays...and even someone to clean up our rooms at the dorm! I had to reread that sentence before it dawned on me that there is actually a housekeeping service. I suppose they assume we'll be so busy with our research activities that we won't have time to clean up after ourselves, but honestly, if you can't change your own sheets or scrub your own bathroom, then you have no business being a graduate student!

I'll also get the chance to visit my Japanese and Filipino friends across Japan, some of whom I haven't seen for at least two years. Hopefully they will let me lodge with them, haha!

Kiseki na you na koi o hanasaide, kegasanaide

2005-04-28T01:10:00.000-07:00

Better hair days...
20kel.jpg'>

...and a more recent coiffure.

We've been told that we look alike ever since we met each other in college. Even though I am annoyed by the fact that from behind he looks like a girl due to his lack of visits to the barber, I wouldn't trade him for anything, or anyone.

Happy birthday :)

Two Funerals and a Wedding

2005-04-10T11:10:00.000-07:00

The whole of Europe has been in a frenzy the last two weeks, what with the death and funeral of Pope John Paul II and the wedding of Prince Charles to Camilla Parker Bowles, as well as the death of Prince Rainier of Monaco. As a local newspaper article said, "two funerals and a wedding" sounds like some movie gone wrong.

Seeing them finally get married made me remember my grandmother, who passed away two years ago. Lola Ching was keenly interested in Britain's present royal family, and devoured books and magazine articles on the subject - their weddings, engagements, offspring, extramarital affairs and scandals. She adored Diana and hated Charles and Camilla. No matter what the press said about Diana, Lola staunchly defended her and was immensely saddened when she died in 1997. And every chance she got, she aired her extensive and scathing views on Charles and Camilla ("'yung dalawang kabayo na 'yun!") I had to laugh as I watched the proceedings on CNN last night, imagining her sniffing and ranting about how "they deserved each other" and how "Diana must be spinning in her grave". I'm sure she's watching from where she is now and shaking her head disapprovingly. Oh well. They've wanted to be together for decades, even when Diana was still alive, and they are entitled to their own happiness.

----------
From doing nothing I suddenly find that I will be busy the entire summer, and even beyond that. Aside from my three units of grad school, I got a part-time job teaching Nihongo to the Filipino employees at a Japanese I.T. company near my place. My friend Karen, who's the current teacher, suggested I take over because she had other stuff to do. Considering that it's only twice a week, the pay is pretty good. I'm excited and nervous about teaching Nihongo, because it's my first time to teach a class of adults (the students are just my age). Karen said not to worry, they aren't total beginners so I don't have to start from scratch, and they genuinely enjoy the classes because it means two hours away from their desks and computer screens :) I'll be observing Karen's class for the first two weeks, and from the 25th I'll be on my own. *crosses fingers*

I will also be handling the daily art classes of the 4-5 year olds at CREATE, the preschool in Ortigas I taught at before I left for Japan. My old bosses are short of teachers this summer, so they asked if I could handle one of the classes. I jumped at the chance - because they're only an hour long each day, I don't have to prepare lesson plans, and making art projects with kids is always fun! AND I'm going to be paid. That one starts tomorrow.

----------
Joni has been in heat for a week. She seems a little out of it (as all women are prone to be when it's that time of the month), preferring to spend most of the day curled up under the couch in the maid's room, sleeping. Whenever she stands up there are droplets of blood on the floor, and the maids have to mop it up every hour or so. It would be nice if they sold dog diapers.

But then, look what they've come up with in dog-crazy Japan...

Meet Love, the ninja dog! She's a Welsh corgi who got chosen as the model for the ninja festival in Mie prefecture. Say it with me....aaaaawwwww!!!

Beating the heat (and boredom)

2005-04-02T20:12:00.000-08:00

It's been so hot that I haven't felt like blogging. The heat is so offensive that I don't even go out of the house if I can help it. At 5 pm, sometimes it's still as hot as 12 noon.

I've been enjoying my pre-summer class days while I can. After the 13th, I shall be sitting in an oven-like classroom again (unless my professor gets us an airconditioned room...please God!)

A quick list of Things I Have Been Doing the Last Two Weeks:

1. Clearing my desk and bookshelves and putting everything in boxes. The furniture's going to my cousin, so I have to get my stuff out of the way. I never knew I had such a huge collection of stationery and greeting cards. A lot of those will have to go.

2. Buying little things for my lola's old room, which we've renovated. Its walls are now a calming apple green, and it looks light and airy. That's where I spend most of the day watching DVDs. I got a nice white lamp and a candle set from the Regalong Pambahay outlet store along Pioneer (for those looking for reasonably-priced home decor, check it out! They have a 20% discount for cash purchases everyday) and sweet throw pillows from Our Home in Megamall.

3. Making yummy fruit shakes! I toss slices of mango, ice cubes, water, some milk, and light vanilla yogurt in a blender - and voila! Instant refreshment. It fills me up a lot as well. Great for breakfast or an afternoon snack, and healthy to boot! Will try strawberry and kiwifruit next.

4. Hanging out with the 'worms at their recording in Tandang Sora, and attending their gigs. The new songs are superb (and I can say that objectively). It's also been fun chatting with Shinji, the owner of Sound Creations studio, and talking about Filipino and Japanese culture. What's interesting is, because he's lived here for so long, he said that he thinks in Tagalog now, not Nihongo. He even dreams in Tagalog! Astig.

5. Making arrangements for our trip to Bangkok! Wooohoooo! Yes, we're going again, because my mom has another conference. This time, Kuya's coming along so it'll be even more fun! And we'll have someone to lug all our shopping bags for us ;) Weekend market, heeeeere we cooooooooome!!!

6. Watching Gael Garcia Bernal films. My aunt in the US sent us a copy of The Motorcycle Diaries, and we have The Crime of Father Amaro. Such excellent films...the last one made me think, "Dapat payagan nilang maging pari ang mga babae!"

7. Browsing Amazon and other sites for neat figurines! Kelvin just bought the four-piece Beatles Yellow Submarine set. Kakainggit!! We found out that it's half-price on Amazon now. How often do you see that? It would be a crime not to get them...so I'm getting two sets!

Come to Mama...

I think I'm going to take advantage of Moro's gym package for the summer - just P450 until May 31. What a steal! It's limited to off-peak hours though, 9am-2pm. Since I work out in the morning anyway, the sked's right for me. I've also resolved to use our pool more. Our electricity bill's usually at its highest during summer, so we have to look for other ways to cool off aside from having the aircon on full blast.

***

A friend of mine left for Japan on an all-expense paid exposure trip. Argh. I would love to be in her shoes now.

Summaaahhhh!

2005-03-20T10:45:00.000-08:00

Sem's over! Yeahhh!!!

I am so relieved to have all my requirements finished. Spent a whole five days at home last week, in front of the PC, tapping out my final term paper slowly and painfully. I discovered that the two very important interviews I thought I'd recorded were lost --- because I, um, didn't record them after all. Kaybobo. So I had to do without those interviews. It was a wrench losing them, but I made do without. I was also distracted by the construction people hard at work here at home, chipping off the top layer of cement on our terrace. It's going to be tiled, but before they can do that they had to chip off the old layers by hand. So it was thunk, thunk, thunk for six days from 8 am to 4 pm - just when I was working on my paper. It pretty much drove me mad. But hey, I got the whole paper done and handed it in last Friday, after obsessively checking for typos. Still, there's bound to be a few lurking somewhere in those 50+ pages --- when you've been working on a paper for so long you tend to skim over your own mistakes. But it's finished --- oh blessed relief!! My back and shoulders hurt from sitting in front of the PC for hours on end that I avoided it over the weekend.

My mom came home from the US last Monday. Thankfully she made it home all right even if she was by herself. She also got my bilins for me --- new makeup from Neutrogena! Yay! :) It's great having an aunt working in Johnson and Johnson - because of the discounts! And their new stuff is great. I've become partial to Neutrogena because my skin can't take products with heavy fragrances, and they are all unscented and hypoallergenic. Almost everything I use - from facial cleanser, toner, sunscreen, moisturizer, pressed powder etc. etc. - comes from them. I am a walking Neutrogena advertisement. Hehe.

I celebrated my end-of-sem by having a hot oil and my nails done; having a takeout dimsum for dinner with my parents (I never ever get tired of doing this); and meeting up with some fellow Japanofiles at UCC in Morato. Tristan, Carlo and Leo (the last one's a girl, btw) have all been to Japan, and we never get sick of reminiscing about convenience-store food, rush hour commutes, the endless bowing, freaky professors and our Japanese friends. And after that I dropped by the 'worms gig at Big Sky...I haven't seen them play since the year began! Mas matiyaga pang pumunta sa mga gig ang ibang fans nila. I can't stay long at places where there's a lot of secondhand smoke, because my eyes get dry and itchy, and I'm not a big fan of waiting for my favorite bands to play. Gusto ko eksakto lang yung dating ko, yung tumutugtog na sila, para wala nang antay-antay. You could call me impatient I guess :)

*****
I can't wait for April. There's news I'm expecting...hopefully it'll be good. I wasn't too evil last year, was I?

Adios Mario, Wazzup Nikko???

2005-03-14T14:05:00.000-08:00

AAAAAAAHHHHH NOOOOOO!!! SAY IT ISN'T SO!!!!!

I got this from someone's blog in the US:
--------------------------------------------------
MARIO VAZQUEZ DROPS OUT OF AMERICAN IDOL

NIKKO SMITH RETURNS TO THE COMPETITION AS MARIO VAZQUEZ WITHDRAWS

Smith Competes as Member of Top 12 Tuesday, March 15, on FOX

Recently eliminated semifinalist Nikko Smith has rejoined AMERICAN IDOL as Top 12 contestant Mario Vazquez has withdrawn from the competition for personal reasons. Smith was chosen to return because he received more votes than Travis Tucker during last week’s competition, when the men were reduced from 8 to 6 performers. He joins the competition immediately and will compete as a member of the Top 12.

(If you go to Idol, you'll see that Mario's face is gone and Nikko's in there.)
--------------------------------------------------
Why why why why why??!?!

And I was really rooting for him too!!! :( I thought he was a really good competitor against Anwar. I can practically hear the disappointed wails coming from the girls in the States now. Pano na yung "dog pound" niya? Nobody's got a clue yet as to what's going on, but a lot of people will really miss him. Ang drama naman nito!
Although it IS good they got Nikko back. He deserves to be in the 12. I think he'll do even better now that he was given a second chance.
I hope that Mario's fans will at least vote for someone else who deserves it. Not the so-called Greek god! I wonder how the judges are handling this...

Oh man. That news has really put me off doing my paper :(

Usapang AI

2005-03-12T23:20:00.000-08:00

Once again I've got American Idol fever. I haven't missed an episode (I think). Well, not since they narrowed it down to 24, at least. I feel the way a lot of people do --- that the guys seem to have a monopoly on the talent this time around. I mean, when you've got Anwar, Mario, Nikko (bless him, I can't believe they let him go so soon!) and Bo, who can pay attention to Janay (I hated her the minute I heard her sing!), Mikalah (uurgh, she is so annoying),
Amanda (ok, bem nga siya pero wala siya sa kalingkingan nina Latoya London dati) and Lindsey (cute but boring)? The only girls I like are Nadia and Carrie. But I still don't think they can beat the likes of Anwar or Mario. (Sana sila ang matirang top 2!)

Actually, Mario is my personal favorite but I'm rooting for Anwar as well. Anwar is obviously more skilled vocally, pero astig gumalaw si Mario! And, he looks like Wilmer Valderrama from That '70s Show. Don't believe me?

:)

Trivia: Wilmer Valderrama is of Venezuelan origin. Tapos yung name ng character niya na Fez actually stands for Foreign Exchange Zstudent, which is what he technically is. That's according to the people in charge of the show. Hahaha.

I hope they kick out Constantine soon. Medyo nagiging one-trick pony na siya. I don't think he'll last long. And I don't understand the hype surrounding him. I saw a forum that called him a Greek god. There is nothing god-like about his stubbly face, beer gut, or voice (which is the most important thing in this competition!).

The whole week was spent finishing one paper and starting another. Found time on Tuesday for a treatment. I've discovered a new salon that's much cheaper than David's and Hairbytes, in the Pasig area. I decided not to fight the natural wavy tendency of my hair any longer, and went with it instead. I was surprised and pleased with the result, and so was Kelvin, who actually liked it! Wavy is in, anyway :)

Thursday afternoon I was at Sound Creation Studio where the 'worms are recording. Ang saya! The place is owned by Shinji Tanaka, a Japanese who's been here for the last 15 years. He's recorded a lot of great Pinoy artists, like Joey Ayala. The studio's actually in his house in the Visayas Ave. area, and reaallly cozy with a large sofa, where everyone was hanging out. CD was there too, and Kerwin the 'worms manager, and Gab from Parokya (whom I met just that day and talked about figurine collecting with). Everyone was goading Shinji and me into speaking Nihongo. Dyahe si Shinji kasi ang tagal na daw niyang hindi nagsasalita. Hehe. Ang galing niyang mag-Tagalog kaya hindi na kailangang mag-Nihongo :) I've really missed the 'worms, especially since I haven't been to a gig of theirs since...uh...last year?

Shit, it's almost 12 and already I'm so sleepy. This paper will have to wait til tomorrow...

Yeahhh!!!

2005-03-08T10:30:00.000-08:00

Some good news....

I PASSED THE PROFICIENCY TEST!!! :oP

For those who don't know, the Nihongo Nouryokushiken is an exam administered yearly to measure people's Japanese language ability. There are four test levels of increasing difficulty, with 4 being the lowest and 1 being the highest. All tests are composed of listening, reading comprehension, grammar and vocabulary sections. Studying for it is no piece of cake, especially going from level 3 to 2 and 2 to 1. (If you pass level 1, you're supposed to be as good as a native Japanese. Even my former Nihongo teachers had to try at least twice before they passed --- it's that hard!) I actually had to hire someone to keep my nose to the books because I'd find other things to do while reviewing (I had papers to write at the same time). And yes, reading all that kanji did make my head spin. I remember thinking that I hoped I would pass, otherwise all of Toshi's (my tutor's) work would have been for nothing. Of course, if I failed I could take it again next year, but that means paying again.

But good thing I passed! It means I'm supposed to know around a thousand kanji, but I really beg to differ on that point. A lot of it's based on reading, not writing the characters (the most difficult skill to acquire); and you're not measured on your speaking ability at all, so a person could conceivably pass Level 1 and still be crap at speaking. Nevertheless, a Level 2 is a great thing to put on the resume :)

Yesterday was also the graduation of those holding minor degrees in Japanese Studies, and since I am a minor degree holder as well as an M.A. student in the same department, I was invited to attend. They gave out certificates for those who passed the test, too, by the head honcho of Japan Foundation himself, Mr. Uchiyama. I think I could forgive him and the rest of his company for not accepting the speech I entered for them in the contest (even though I worked my butt off for it!!!) Afterwards I gave the closing remarks. which was kind of embarrassing as I don't really enjoy speaking in public, but to my surprise I actually enjoyed it. Maybe because I was talking about Japan, and when it comes to that, I could never run out of things to say :)

I leave you with this lovely photo...

Hundreds and hundreds of hopeful young Japanese at the annual job-hunting race in Tokyo. They look like they're having fun, but finding jobs now is harder than ever. (Can I relate or what??)

Ang Init!!!

2005-02-23T13:45:00.000-08:00

The 'worms started recording their second album yesterday!!! Finally, after three years of waiting, it's finally happening. I've heard most of the new songs already, and I have to say they really rock. I won't divulge the details here, but I'm pretty sure that when it's released, it will be a hit. Everyone's impatient for it, especially me.

I just got home from the Asian Week conference in Ateneo where I presented a paper I wrote on Japanese educational policies. Stayed up til midnight doing the Powerpoint bit and was nervous as hell this morning (since it's the first time I ever presented a paper outside of class - even if it is just a small conference) but in fact everything went pretty smoothly. My friend Jera and I were grateful that we were the first ones to go, because people started filing out after the other presentors (to catch class, or because they just didn't want to stay?) Medyo sumakit ang ulo namin sa mga nagpresent na undergrad. They were just reading their papers verbatim and didn't even cut to the most important parts. There are other papers to be presented this afternoon, too, but I didn't feel like staying anymore, so I had my picture taken at Kodak (for resumes - I used them all up already) and went straight home for a nap in my nice cool bed :) It's been so hot lately.

Shit. I really hope some companies start contacting me soon. Sa tingin ko nabobobo na ako.

Operation "Manong"

2005-02-15T21:49:00.000-08:00

And just when I thought I'd escaped my birthday unscathed...

My friends are unbelievably sneaky. Instead of fixing a surprise for me on Tuesday, my real birthday, they arranged for it to be a good four days after. Under the guise of assembling at a friend's house and deciding where to have dinner from there, they let me walk through a dark spooky room and met me outside on the terrace with about 50 lit candles! Who was there? My great friends from college, high school friends I haven't seen in a while, and the main conspirators, Yumi, who's a teacher at IS Manila, Sheryl (who is probably my oldest friend ever - imagine, we knew each other since we were in our pastel preschool pajama uniforms!) and Kelvin!

Yumi and Sheryl, best friends and partners in mischief.

I must say, they enjoyed the expression on my face immensely...

They'd arranged everything - handwritten messages on the 25 candles (every one of which I had to blow out - paano na yan pag 50 na ako?!), great food, flowers, chocolate, and even a surprise visit by Kuya and guess what - the beagles! - who had fun sniffing around Sheryl's place and annoying her black labrador puppy, Jack.

Obviously Yumi and Kelvin did much of the planning - like how to get me to free up my Saturday night (answer: by pretending to need me as a translator for a Japanese student who couldn't speak English!), contacting people, and buying the food. I was especially surprised when they told me Kelvin did a lot of the work (hindi kasi mahilig sa mga surprise kaya hindi na ako umaasa, hehe!) That was a pretty marvelous evening - though it did leave me in shock for a little while!

Cheeky bastard! He never gave a clue.

I am simply humbled and thankful for friends and for love. :)

P.S. Why the title? Because Yumi, thinking I might accidentally chance upon her messages to Kelvin, asked him to change her name in his phonebook to "Manong" so I wouldn't suspect anything!

Not the Goal but the Going

2005-02-09T10:17:00.000-08:00

My birthday this year was really quiet. No surprises planned by my enterprising friends (which is a hundred percent fine by me, since I think I've got them all figured out already!) Instead I made breakfast for myself at home, and my mom gave me a dozen red roses from her and my dad. (I'm not a big fan of red roses, but these were lovely because the buds weren't quite open yet. I've never liked the fully bloomed ones.) Tita Marlie, Mayumi's mom, dropped by to give me their presents - killer homemade carrot cake and a scented pillow with Beatles and Zhang Ziyi pins stuck on it (sobra kong crush si Zhang Ziyi! I wanna BE her!!!) Had a hot oil treatment (goodbye dry hair!), manicure and pedicure, and a quick lunch at home before heading out to Taft Avenue to visit an NGO. I am way behind on my research project on Japanese-Filipino children (JFC), so I set up an interview with the NGO director even though it was my birthday and it was pretty far. Buti nalang hindi gaanong traffic. It was very productive; not only did she grant me an interview, but she also made me copies of research materials and lent me a VCD of their documentary. Cool! That's three days of work done in about 90 minutes :)

After that I went to Kelvin's house to hang out for a while and say hello to Keanu and Kenneth. Lucky kids, they had no class from Monday to Wednesday! Nakakamiss tuloy ang grade school, shet. He got ready and then we left to have an early dinner at Caffe Maestro in Makati. It's a real date place that doubles as an art gallery with really really good Italian food (we want to go back just for the tomato-based mushroom soup.) Kelv said that he had always wanted to try out that place with me, even when I was in Japan. It was nice having a quiet night out for a change, because here at home we are always distracted by the PC, piles of DVDs and two rowdy beagles (Joni's breeder, May, gave Kelvin one of her male beagles, Max, who's been our "boarder" for a week now). Once the 'worms new album comes out and once I find a job, we may not have as much time to hang out as before, so nights like those are precious.
He insisted on paying for our meal even though it was my birthday and I was supposed to be the one to treat! :)

It's funny how when we were kids, we always wanted stuff we didn't have for our birthdays, but when we get older, as our birthdays come along, we feel less like celebrating and instead become more thankful for what we already have. That's exactly what I felt yesterday.

Thanks so much to everyone who remembered and greeted me through SMS, email, Friendster, and even snail mail. Kahit yung mga nasa Japan at Hong Kong, bumati! (thanks Netvigator Mark, Tita Nonette and Yumi!)

* * *

I came upon this as I was reading an assignment for socio-anthro. The author quoted a passage from a book written by a Westerner (Oliver Statler) who went on a pilgrimage in Japan. Before the first leg of his journey, he was sent off by an abbott, who said to him:

" 'You will see all aspects of man, some pure, some impure. You should see both without misunderstanding.' Pure and impure: I have seen both aspects in myself. He also said, 'If you are earnest, you will to some degree be transformed.' This I know to be true. Yet of one thing I am certain: the transformation I yearn for is incomplete. I do not know whether I am any closer to enlightenment - I do not really expect to achieve it - but I know that the attempt is worth the effort. It is a striving, and that goes on. What is important is not the destination but the act of getting there, not the goal but the going." --- Oliver Statler, Japanese Pilgrimage

Funny how I should get the best advice I ever received on my birthday from an academic textbook :)

Shocking Japanese Headlines!

2005-02-01T21:07:00.000-08:00

One of my favorite things to do is read Japanese newspapers on the net, because they often carry weird, silly, and even ludicrous headlines. Here are today's top stories according to Mainichi Daily Shimbun:

Soccer star admits to attempted sexual assault of fan (medyo madalas na tayong makarinig nito. Si Michael Jackson kasi nagpauso e.)

Woman, infant boy found starved to death in Saitama apartment (Police concluded they must've died in early or mid-January - yet their bodies were discovered only this week. Kawawa naman.)

Woman sets fire to apartment block to avoid paying rent (this one really caught my attention, because whatever rent she was supposed to pay would be paltry compared to the damages she'd have to answer for after she burned down the building! Some people, really.)

* * *

It's the Philippine-Japan Festival once again! There's going to be the usual Eiga Sai, this time featuring the films of the master of Japanese cinema, Kurosawa-samahimself. For full details of this as well as info on the other Japan Foundation activities for February and March, do click here!

Stoof

2005-01-30T10:57:00.000-08:00

I got my Japanese History exam back yesterday. That was literally such a difficult test to write. It's been about four years since I actually wrote an essay exam with pen and paper - I've become so dependent on my PC. The most I ever write nowadays (with a pen and paper, at least) are bank slips and to-do lists. Anyway, I got a very satisfying 95 for that test, with my teacher's comment: Very organized and well thought out analysis! Thanks!!!

* * *

I'm also working hard on something I really should have done a long time ago. Don't want to let people know about it now, but I'd like to ask for your prayers that it will go well anyway :)

Shall We Dance?

2005-01-26T07:01:00.000-08:00

I've just finished watching Shall We Dance? on DVD - for the third time!! It's a Hollywood remake of the Japanese 1997 film. Not too many people have seen the original because it's not been available here yet, so they're more likely to see the Hollywood one, which starts showing on Feb. 2 and stars Richard Gere, J.Lo and Susan Sarandon. I have never seen J.Lo act and it is my honest opinion, after watching the film, that she just isn't meant for it. Am considering writing her to tell her she should stick to dancing, because that's what she's good at. (Her voice is nothing to write home about either.)

As someone who's always loved ballroom dancing, I fell in love with the film instantly. I'd have to say the dancing was better than the original, because Japanese people simply aren't known for their ability on the dance floor. On the other hand, the Japanese dance instructor was a lot more endearing than Jenny from the Block. Overall, I can't say which one's better, because I enjoyed them both. Richard Gere isn't my personal favorite but he managed to play the charmingly lost and awkward lawyer pretty well (plus he worked hard to get the dance steps right!) and Susan Sarandon is as reliable as ever.

Actually, I'd recommend watching both versions because there are some major (and I mean, major!) cultural differences that are just too obvious to ignore. May silbi rin pala yung pagiging Japanese studies major ;) Both are funny, warm and endearing - and, if you're a fan of dance like me, worth watching over and over for the fun dance sequences (especially the quick step! God, I really really want to learn it now. Does anyone know where I can take lessons?)

I also have a newfound respect for the waltz. Never went in for slow dances, but it's actually pretty difficult with all those minute, controlled movements. And all throughout, you have to smile like you're doing the easiest thing in the world. There's a joy in dancing that you can't find anywhere else, and there must be something wrong if you keep dancing and not feel as if you can do anything, everything.

Two

2005-01-23T21:15:00.000-08:00

From Manila...

...to Japan...

...and back again.

And so far, it's been pretty good :)

Birthday Shout-outs

2005-01-22T18:11:00.000-08:00

Today is the birthday of three people who are very special to me and Kelvin:

Keanu and Kenneth (who just turned 12 and are oblivious to the camera as they engage in a good round of wrestling on PS2)...

...and Jeline, who is in France right now studying for an economics exam, and whom we miss lots and lots.

Coincidence nalang talaga na magkapareho ng birthday ang mga kapatid namin. :) We love you guys!

* Birthday-Related Twenties Panic

2005-01-18T21:52:00.000-08:00

I've been up since 7 am. I'm no longer used to waking up early (I only did so today so I could accompany Sigma, my mom's friend from Bangladesh and our house guest for the week, at breakfast before she leaves for her meeting), and as a result I'm bleary-eyed and not in the best of moods. It's been pretty cold the past few days too, making it perfect for sleeping in.

I would have blogged earlier, but I've been staring into the monitor for a whole week (because of yet another vile essay made even more vile because it was such a hard topic which I've only just learned about --- postmodernism in Japan --- for graduate school) and I wanted to give my eyeballs a break.

I've been so restless the past few months, especially the last, although I didn't want to admit it to anyone except my folks and Kelvin. It's basically got to do with my classes - I'm not very happy with the way they're going, and I don't feel like I'm getting too much out of them. Too much reading at home, writing essays, not talking to anyone, and, I feel - not growing. My teachers don't meet us regularly, which is a tremendous waste because it is a criminal act to be paying what I am for my units, read like a fiend and not even discuss half of what I've learned when we do meet. My dad said professors at grad school are often like that - they leave you to do a lot of reading and learning by yourself - but my mom thinks my teachers are just lazy because in her time (which was a good 20 years ago) her teachers really took time to meet and discuss everything with them --- and their tuition fees at UP were much much lower than those at Ateneo!

Another thing - it's also struck me that in a few weeks I'll be 25, and I'm ashamed to admit that I've got next to no work experience whatsoever. It seems that the older one gets, the mere thought of an approaching birthday can send you into a panic, because everyone but you seems to be working out their life and making something out of it. And that is not a very good feeling.

I don't really consider my teaching in a preschool for a year as work, although it technically was. My friends have complained so many times about their corporate jobs, but the bottom line is you really do learn a lot in that kind of environment. And to be perfectly frank, I'm getting quite tired of sitting around at home all day reading thick textbooks on Japanese economy, politics etc. writing papers and not even discussing them with anyone, and not growing professionally. My old boss made an excellent point when we talked a few years ago about corporate jobs. She'd been a teacher since she graduated, never done anything else, and now co-owns a successful preschool. But she said if she could turn back time, she would have at least wanted to try a job in a real office, just to know what it was like. " 'Yang pagtuturo, kahit kailan naman pwede kang maging teacher eh. Pero yung mga kompanya, gusto nilang kunin yung mga bata, mga fresh grad. Eh ngayon hindi na ako pwede kasi lagpas 30 na ako at may sarili na akong preschool na inaasikaso. Kaya ikaw, dapat subukan mo man lang."

I understood her point then, but it's making even more sense to me now. I don't want to wake up five years from now and say, "Fuck, now I wish I'd tried that. Wonder why I didn't??" So I believe I really will give corporate work a try. People always say, when they pass up an opportunity, "Oh, I can always do that in the future." But the problem with the future, as some very very wise person said, is that it keeps turning into the present.

* Thanks to Bridget Jones for the very fitting title of this entry.

Post-Christmas update

2005-01-10T17:25:00.000-08:00

My head hurts from sleeping too much this afternoon. We woke up early to bring my grandmother to the airport, then my mom and I went to visit our friends from London who built a sweet little house in Santo Tomas, Laguna. It's supposed to be their vacation home and has a fantastic view of Mt. Makiling. I'd have appreciated it more if I wasn't so damned cranky (if there's anything that pisses me off it's lack of sleep - probably a result of being kept awake most nights by my obnoxious American neighbors in Tokyo, where apartment walls are annoyingly thin). But the air was great - crisp and clean, which is a luxury when you're living in a traffic-choked city like Metro Manila.

The rest of the holidays were pretty uneventful. My family and I (sans Jeline, who spent her holidays in London) stayed in Hong Kong for a couple of days enjoying the weather and paying daily visits to the huge HMV that's two minutes' walk from our hotel. That makes it easy to blissfully shop for those hard-to-find CDs and DVDs and dump your purchases in the hotel room before heading out for more. I should probably mention my dad's addiction to collecting DVDs, because it's a major reason why he keeps going back to HK. He's always been a big film buff, but when moves were introduced on DVD format he went crazy buying them. He gets mostly originals, but he buys from the people in Greenhills too (who doesn't?) After just four years, he's built up quite an impressive collection, probably one of the best in Metro Manila. He's got the usual Hollywood classics, and even entire series like A Complete History of Britain, Sherlock Holmes and The Sopranos. There was one year he bought so many discs, HMV had to close an entire counter just for him (!!!)

My personal favorite buy during our trip was the whole series of The Office which Ramon has been raving about, and Kelvin and I spent two whole days laughing our heads off. For those who haven't heard of it, it's a faux documentary about the everyday doings in a certain office, with a guy who thinks he's the world's funniest boss but nearly always says the wrong thing at the worst possible time. I have an even deeper respect for British sitcoms now - and just when I thought nothing could be as funny as Spaced :) Panalo talaga si Ricky Gervais!

Highlight of the Hong Kong trip: Seeing none other than WILLIAM HUNG himself having breakfast in the hotel cafe!!! I guess his parents are from Hong Kong and they came back for a visit. Did a double-take when I saw him not two meters away from me, helping himself to the buffet breakfast. When I got back to OUR table I hissed to my brother that William Hung was there with his parents. and he did a double take as well. We desperately wanted to get his autograph but we didn't want to bug the poor guy while he was eating, so we resolved to wait a bit. We finished our own breakfast, made a quick trip upstairs for my camera, and hung around the lobby hoping to see him --- but he'd left. Fuckadoodledoo. That would have been something worthwhile to post here :)

Christmas booty

2004-12-25T17:30:00.000-08:00

Just because I feel like it, I'm going to list down the stuff I received from people. I know times are pretty hard, and traffic everywhere has been terrible this month, so I was really touched that people took the time and effort to remember me. So here's my booty list:

1. Scented candles
2. "Chickie bank" (a porcelain coin bank in the shape of a chicken, with a Japanese-inspired flower design --- finally a place to put all the loose change I find in my bag at the end of each day)
3. Joss Stone CD (thanks, baby!)
4. Strawberry print tank top and boy's shorts
5. A thousand bucks in cash
6. Issey Miyake perfume, soap and body lotion
7. Earrings
8. Nail polish
9. A copy of Jonathan Livingston Seagull
10. Scented Body Shop soap
11. A whole tin of Bigelow darjeeling tea (my beverage of choice at breakfast...nothing beats that with milk and sugar!)
12. And last but not least...

My very own Joni T-shirt!

And as if that wasn't enough, everyone in my family got a Joni shirt as well, even the helpers! So here's a picture of the Joni Cult, La Vista Chapter:

It was the best surprise I've had in a while. My dad had taken some wonderful pictures of Joni at home, and used some of them to make a T-shirt for me. But he and my mom decided it would make a great gift for everyone, so they bought 30 plain shirts and did all the work themselves --- at home and in secret! I had no inkling at all of what they were up to. Galeng talaga. My parents are always the best when it comes to surprises, and Christmas this year was no exception. It was weird because they kept asking me over the last two weeks what I wanted for the holidays, and I said I didn't want anything, since they paid for my trips to Bangkok and Seoul, and we're going to Hong Kong on the 27th. It was just their way of finding out whether I wanted something even remotely related to their present. Haha. They are so devious that way.

I'm proud of myself for not pigging out too much since the holidays started. My secret: Since cookies, cakes, and all sorts of toothache-inducing goodies have been piling up here since the first week of December, I gathered them up to be sent as contributions to the Christmas parties of our village employees, rather than let them get moldy in some forgotten corner. Besides, just the thought of biting into yet another fudge-covered brownie is enough to make me sick.

Our dinner at home last night was excellent though. Paella, spaghetti with salciccia sauce, bacalao, garlic tilapia, and leg of lamb proudly prepared by me and my kuya. We spent the better part of the afternoon "massaging" the lamb with a mixture of crushed garlic, olive oil, tabasco and rosemary, then roasting it for 45 minutes on each side. Shiyet ang sarap ng lumabas, it was rosy and running with juice, and the flavor!!! --- ooh lala. Everyone wanted seconds and thirds, at siyempre ubos siya! Hehe. Achievement!

Yes isa na namang survey

2004-12-23T11:20:00.000-08:00

I'm supposed to resume reading two of the four books assigned to me over the Christmas break. But here I am, blogging away and ignoring Postwar Japan and Social Theory and Contemporary Japanese Society. My apologies, Dr. Clammer and Dr. Bailey.

Here's a survey, courtesy of my cousin, the RPG convert hehe :)

THREE NAMES YOU GO BY:
1 Jenny
2 Jenina
3 Ate

THREE SCREEN NAMES YOU HAVE HAD:
1 sulkygirl
2 radiosweetheart
3 kuzuryuusen

THREE THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1 I am very neat about my things - my desk, my papers, my closet, my makeup and my dog.
2 I can speak and write a third language pretty well, after three years of struggling with kanji.
3 I have reasonably good skin.

THREE THINGS YOU DON'T LIKE ABOUT YOURSELF:
1 I tend to get annoyed when things don't go according to plan.
2 I am forever comparing myself to other people.
3 I can never find a hair style that I am totally satisfied with.

THREE PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE:
1 Bad eyesight
2 A talent for writing and teaching
3 Music

THREE THINGS THAT SCARE YOU:
1 RATS
2 BIRDS!
3 Any one of my loved ones (family members, friends, boyfriend) getting into an accident or dying

THREE OF YOUR EVERYDAY ESSENTIALS:
1 Sleep!
2 Sunblock
3 Hugging and kissing Joni

THREE THINGS YOU ARE WEARING RIGHT NOW:
1 shirt
2 shorts
3 undies

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE BANDS/ARTISTS AT PRESENT:
1 Paul Weller
2 Joni Mitchell
3 Elvis Costello

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE SONGS AT PRESENT:
1 "Going Places" (Paul Weller)
2 "If She Wants Me" (Belle and Sebastian)
3 "Chelsea Morning" (Joni Mitchell)

THREE NEW THINGS YOU WANT TO TRY IN THE NEXT 12 MONTHS:
1 Hold a corporate job
2 Study Mandarin (sayang ang kanji nasimulan ko na eh)
3 Study koto

THREE THINGS YOU WANT IN A RELATIONSHIP:
1 Peace
2 Love
3 Understanding

TWO TRUTHS AND A LIE: (figure out which is which)
1 I sometimes feel like I'm the eldest kid in the family.
2 My mother met Donald Sutherland and Jane Fonda in the 1970s.
3 I danced with complete strangers in clubs in Japan.

THREE PHYSICAL THINGS ABOUT THE OPPOSITE SEX THAT APPEAL TO YOU:
1 Mouth/smile
2 Musical ability (for some reason I've always dated musicians)
3 Sense of humor

THREE THINGS YOU JUST CAN'T DO:
1 Do handstands
2 Give my dog away
3 Stop missing my grandmother

THREE OF YOUR FAVORITE HOBBIES:
1 Window shopping (and occasionally buying something)
2 Teasing my boyfriend
3 Blog-hopping!

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO REALLY BADLY RIGHT NOW:
1 Buy myself a Starbucks toffee nut latte
2 Clean my Kuya's and mom's study area hehe
3 Watch The Office!

THREE CAREERS YOU'RE CONSIDERING:
1 Teaching (doesn't everyone think of this at one point or another?)
2 Diplomatic career(I hope I can learn Chinese in addition to Japanese)
3 Running my own business

THREE PLACES YOU WANT TO GO ON VACATION:
1 China
2 Thailand
3 Japan always and forever

THREE KID'S NAMES:
1 Javier
2 Isaac
3 Yurika

THREE THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE:
1 Find and keep true love
2 Become famous haha
3 Meet Princess Masako of Japan and tell her I look up to her so much, and it was a shame she had to marry and give up what was poised to be a brilliant diplomatic career.

2004-12-22T22:10:00.000-08:00

After a decade of student activism, one revolution, two homes, three children, six dogs, and 32 years of marriage, they are still together, and that is something I am thankful for every single day. Happy Anniversary, Mama and Papa.

Christmas chaos

2004-12-17T13:25:00.000-08:00

My house has been a mess the past two weeks. Since my mom isn't as busy as she was before, she's done her Christmas shopping early and had her gifts delivered way ahead of time. Actually, she's been doing Christmas shopping since September, when we went to Bangkok, picking up odds and ends at tiangges and wherever. But at the last minute she remembers people she wants to give presents to, so she calls my uncle to order more of his homemade marinara sauce (his sideline). So nearly all our surfaces are piled with assorted gifts (pasta sauces, virgin coconut oil, canvas bags, Marks and Sparks toiletries, plastic jackstones), wrapping paper, gift bags, gift tags, fake flowers and other assorted stuff. Joni pokes her nose into everything, grabbing discarded ribbons and triumphantly returning to her "room" (the kitchen) with her prize.

I don't mind this colorful chaos in the least. While some might shake their heads at her kilometric-long Christmas list, neither she nor my dad think it's a waste of money, buying gifts for so many people. This year has been terribly difficult for her, health-wise and emotionally, and if it weren't for the support of her numerous loving friends, my mom wouldn't be as strong or optimistic as she is at this moment.
And I realize what a blessing it must be, to have so many people to thank and buy presents for at the end of the year.

* * *
We're back to watching 24 again, after a 6-month hiatus. Kelv and I waited for a clear copy of the third series to come out. Goddamn you, Nina Myers, why are you still there?? Give my darling Jack Bauer a break, you nasty evil androgynous lady.

Scenes from Korea

2004-12-12T10:44:00.000-08:00

Pardon the image overload, but these are overdue...

The indoor skating rink at Lotte World (Korea's biggest)

Paying homage to Buddha (can you tell that it's fake?)

Wax figure of the Emperor at the Lotte World Folk Museum

Food of the gods: Bulgogi! This was also my first decent meal on Korean soil.

We ate so many strawberries over there, I felt sick. And here is my mom buying more to bring back home!

No trip to Korea is complete without a sobering visit to the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) between the North and South. This is a monument depicting the South's hope for eventual reunification with the North.

Woke up, it was a Chelsea morning

2004-12-10T08:48:00.000-08:00

There is nothing like waking up leisurely at 7 in the morning, to a lovely day, fresh brewed coffee, and Joni Mitchell.

Wish her luck for the show in Alabang today!

For my grandmother

2004-12-07T17:54:00.000-08:00

Have been out of circulation for weeks now. I decided not to update because 1) nothing special is happening around here nowadays; 2)I was busy preparing for THE Japanese proficiency test (results out in March!!! Fuck!!!) If I pass even by just one measly point I will get happily drunk for at least a month.

I also had to wait for the arrival of our new PC. It's so sweet, I could cry :) Together with our DSL connection and bad-ass Epson scanner/printer/copier, it is just great. I'm grinning like a fool right now, I really am. It is just so neat having all those USB ports in front where one can easily reach them.

* * *

It was my Lola Ching's first death anniversary last Nov. 26. We had a family get-together two weeks ago, and I think a lot of the pain has eased. That's good, because I don't think she would have wanted us to be sad for too long. There are times, though, when I am hit with a wave of longing for my grandmother and all her fun and sweet ways, like leaving egg sandwiches on the dining table for me and Jeline (which she meticulously prepared herself) and calling us to her room to slip 100-peso bills in our hands. She was easy to take care of because she was so undemanding; she seldom asked for anything, and in fact left enough money to pay for her own hospitalization and funeral! She was married twice, brought up five smart, loving and successful children, and lived to see 12 grandchildren and seven great-grandchildren, who were her sources of endless joy. Even at 92, she was playing piano, meeting with friends who went as far back as high school, taking walks in the garden, keeping up with news and telenovelas and criticizing the deplorable state of politics in the country (which was one of her cynical passions, I might add). Lola also had the most amazing memory; she remembered in great detail the conversations of so many years ago --- who said what, who came from what region, who was married to whom, the suitors she had and how they all tried to woo her while she played the Ice Queen (as befitted the precious daughter of a senator!) One of my greatest regrets is that I never recorded even one of those marvelous conversations, and another is that between all those times I was surfing the Internet, writing useless emails, brooding over boys who didn't really care about me, and watching junk on TV, I could have spent more mornings, afternoons and evenings with her. I hate myself for that.

At dinner with Kelvin's family in Alba a few weeks ago, there was a trio with two guys on guitars and another on stand-up bass going around and serenading people. I asked them to play Saan Ka Man Naroroon, which was one of Lola's favorite kundiman and which was sung at her final service last year. So that was for her, and maybe for me too, come to think of it.

Pissed

2004-11-21T22:15:00.000-08:00

Perhaps to make up for not watching the 'worms play more often, I got to watch them two nights in a row - Friday at Gweilo's for Ciudad's 10th anniversary (congrats!) and Saturday at the Miriam High School fair.
I can't wait for the new album to come out, because the new songs are smart, tongue-in-cheek and very catchy (but then they've always been known for that). My personal favorite these days is Beer. I could listen to it all day (minus Jugs' "oohs" and "aahs" during the instrumental hahaha).

I got really pissed at the people in charge at the variety show, though. Apparently they had a dress code that prohibits tank tops; if you wear one you're supposed to have something to cover yourself up. I didn't know that even outsiders had to adhere to the dress code; in fact I didn't know there was a dress code at all. So while I was singing along to the 'worms with Ina and our friend Xander, this superbly sniffy-looking girl taps me on the shoulder and asks how come I'm not wearing a jacket. I was confused at first and asked why. "Bawal yang suot mo," she pointed out, as if I should have known THAT perfectly well. So I told her that: 1) I wasn't a student there (and that I'm 24 friggin' years old); 2) I didn't know there was a dress code in the first place; and 3) I didn't bring a jacket. She still looked pissed with me, and I was beginning to feel mutinous. She was probably just some student milking what little authority she had been given for the duration of the show, and no way was I going to get stepped on by someone like that. (Ah yes, those are my parents' genes working inside me. I tell you, being the daughter of former activists has its perks.) She left after a few seconds and I thought I was off the hook, but then a few minutes later she came back with a guy who looked every bit as disapproving as she did. THIS time I got pretty mad, because what the hell was so hard to understand?! Nobody at the entrance had told me what I was wearing wasn't allowed, so if they had to blame someone, it should be their half-attentive student volunteers at the front desk.
Besides, I highly doubted that my wearing a tank top would set off a riot, so they had nothing to worry about. When I went home I thanked my lucky stars that I had left high school and their numerous stupid and oppressive rules forever.

* * *
Coming home from Korea I realized just how much work is waiting for me. An entire book on Japanese history to read, my proficiency exam on December 5 (kanji characters keep haunting me), and a stack of readings for Research Strategies. Sigh. But I am looking forward to having the test over and done with, because it means I can finally start working part-time as a language tutor again. (Anyone interested in Nihongo lessons, you know where to reach me! :)

* * *
My dog has gained so much weight, I grunt when I have to carry her. But she's also mellowed down considerably, because she has that much extra weight to carry. Hahaha. I should take her to the gym with me.

Amnyeong Haseyo!

2004-11-13T02:59:00.000-08:00

That is HELLO in Korean. The only other phrase I have mastered is gamsa hamnida (thank you). People talk to me in Korean all the time, but once they know I'm Filipino they become like energetic kids eager to show off their English speaking skills.

Korea is COLD! The first day I was here the temperature was a comfortable 15 degrees; the second day it dropped to 8, and this morning it was -2!!! During our tour around the imperial palace I felt that my ears and nose were about to tear off from the cold. The temp rose slightly over the day so we were able to do shopping. I was immensely delighted to find that their products are as good as Japanese ones, and much cheaper besides.

The similarities between Korean and Japanese culture are so striking that sometimes I have to pinch myself, remembering that I'm in a different country. And not just any country, but one that was oppressed and conquered by the Japanese, so I have to be careful not to praise Japan too much and instead utter endless compliments about Korea. There is much to admire, so it's not hard at all.

There's always been enmity between Korea and Japan --- the latter conquered and occupied the former and made them go through some horrible things, and the bitterness only mellowed into a sort of grim determination not to let the other get ahead, be it in technology, economy, football, cuisine or English learning. I guess almost everyone reading this has encountered young Koreans on the street or in the mall. (Parang marami sila dito sa Katipunan area.) Our tour guide, a tall, quirky young guy named Jeffrey, said with a trace of bitterness in his voice that most of the palaces in Seoul are devoid of any treasures and are just reconstructions of the originals, because the Japanese took everything and burned the buildings down. (Of course he said this with a bunch of Japanese tourists beside our tour group --- they didn't understand anything anyway!)

I have been gorging on bulgogi, delicious Korean fruit (strawberries, oranges and musk melons are especially delicious), convenience store coffee drinks, and melt-in-your mouth bread every single day. I am going to have to do double duty at the gym when I get home.

Photos to follow!

Stuff

2004-11-06T22:40:00.000-08:00

I'm starting to enjoy going to the gym. I'm trying to reach my goal of three times a week. The first time I tried the new exercise program my trainer designed for me, my arms ached for two days, so it hurt like hell rolling out the dough when my uncle and I made pizza here at home. But after the pain subsided I was raring to go back. I love the Chin Assist and Dip Assist machine at Moro Lorenzo. How long it will take to see results (i.e. a more toned and leaner body) remains to be seen, and depends a lot on one's diet, I know. I tire of the way veggies are cooked here at home, and since my dad arrived from Japan, it's been hard to ignore the goodies he brought back (Japanese custard yumyumyum). But carrot juice has become a favorite of mine too, and is sweet even without adding sugar. If I could change one thing about myself, it would be my sweet tooth - I wish I didn't crave sweets so much.

My mom and I are off to Korea next week. She was invited by the Ministry of Gender Equality and they're paying for her flight and putting her up at a top hotel. And because she still has to have dialysis over there I'm coming along to look after her. Heehee. That's my second trip abroad this year. I'm told that Korea's actually a lot like Japan - modern, fast-paced, and with every convenience you can think of. I'm raring to visit its imperial palaces, watch martial arts demonstrations, eat tons of Korean barbecue (ugh, double time at the gym!), shop at their famous underground arcades, and sit down at dog cafes (yes, they do have them). I am NOT looking forward to being shoved by pushy Koreans on the street, however.

It's my Mommy's birthday today. Mommy isn't my real mom - she's my dad's sister, but she took care of me when I was small, and still does now, and basically treats me like the daughter she never had. While she will never reveal her true age (a running joke in the family), she always looks and acts young at heart. I guess that's what happens when you have a beautiful personality.

Happy birthday Mommy :)

Eight Days a Week

2004-10-24T22:49:00.000-07:00

Last week was the first official week of sembreak, and surprisingly, I didn't run out of ways to amuse myself.

Monday
Went to Seattle's Best in Katipunan and tried to project the image of the diligent student of a foreign language by burying my nose in my Nihongo textbooks. My vocabulary and knowledge of kanji are pitiful still; I kept looking things up in the dictionary because there were so many words and characters I either didn't understand because I'd never seen them before, or I'd seen them before and I simply forgot what they meant. But, I managed to get some things done over there. There are simply too many distractions at home that keep me from doing any real work (PC, my novels, the DVDs, my dog) so I decided on a change of atmosphere. I don't fancy their in-house music too much, though.

Tuesday
A great dinner at tita Marlie and Yumi's house, with two friends since preschool (!!!), Sheryl and Leo; Alfred, a friend from college; Sheryl's mom and sister from the US; and Kelvin. Everything tasted great; it always does when it's cooked by tita Marlie.

Wednesday
Review session with my tutor, Toshi, in Ortigas. Sometimes I feel sorry for him because I'm a lazy student and I forget kanji all the time. But he's incredibly patient with me.

In the afternoon my PC gave me the biggest panic of our life together: a creepy message Hard disk(s) not found had popped up. I called our technician at CD-Romania who suggested I bring it in right away. On the way to the shop I kept thinking fuckitfuckitfuckit because I had tons of work in there, college and grad school papers, some of which I have to submit for my next scholarship to Japan and I was supposed to burn them onto CDs the previous night. That ought to teach me a lesson not to leave things til the next day.

After an agonizing half-hour, the technician reassured me that my files were intact and there was nothing actually wrong with the hard disks, just that something needed tweaking inside. Whew!

Thursday
Seattle's Best again. I was there for almost three hours, I guess, when this Asian-looking guy (I thought he was Korean, actually) came up to me and asked if I was Japanese. I said no, and he confessed that curiosity got the better of him because I look Japanese yet was reading elementary Japanese textbooks. I told him I was studying for the proficiency test, so the matter was cleared up. He wanted to chat, though, so I asked him what he was doing in Manila. Apparently he's just traveling to improve his English. He already spent a year in Australia, which explains his superior English skills (superior to most Japanese, I mean) and other SEA countries. He picked the Philippines because "everyone can speak English". I wanted to add, "But not very well." Anyway, he was really nice and we exchanged numbers in case he ever dropped by Ateneo (he's staying in UP).

Kelvin and Juday picked me up at 4 and we all went to my house together. Juday is now one year old, same as Joni! We hung out for a while, had dinner (I made chicken teriyaki! My cooking skills are improving!) and then it was time to get ready for...

Beatles Night at 70s Bistro! *clap clap*

I always look forward to this, having been a Beatles fan since I saw the video for Ticket to Ride in grade 5. Every year I just grow to appreciate their music more. Only one band played that night, a special one made up of Chikoy Pura and Rey Abella of The Jerks (25 years na silang tumutugtog!), Francis Brew, Kevin Roy of Petron (haha), Aia of Imago, Ebe of Sugarfree, and Jazz and Kelv. They were the same band who played for the Converse launch a few months ago - and they played an amazing 43-song set!!! I could see the fatigue on their faces but they really kept it going. Their set included A Day in the Life, Strawberry Fields and a melt-in-your-seat rendition of Don't Let Me Down. Ina was right when she said Kevin Roy had this thing about him. He wouldn't sing lead vocals on Come Together, though ;) I spent the night with Ina, her boyfriend Mike, and their friends Dionne, Bobbi and Marc, and we all just enjoyed the music together. I was with Echo part of the evening too, and we agreed that though the band rocked, Beatles Night just wasn't the same without the itchyboys. Sana meron uli this year.

My dad also left for Japan today. I remember when I was a kid I used to ask him to get me Sanrio stuff - stationery, pencil cases, stickers, lunchboxes, the whole kit and caboodle of Hello Kitty's universe. But this time I asked him for chocolate finger biscuits, black sesame pudding mix, rice crackers and Kobe beef. My priorities have definitely changed.

Friday
Went back to the gym feeling guilty for not having showed up for more than two weeks and eating all kinds of snacks in that period of time (Magic Flakes french onion chives, black sesame pudding, and Selecta cheese ice cream were some of my favorites). I was pleased with my workout though, and my old trainer Jonski and I talked about upgrading my exercises next week. I might as well take advantage of the sembreak to burn some calories, not just ingest them.

That said, my mom, Kuya and I feasted on take-out from California Pizza Kitchen for dinner. In fairness we only gorged on vegetables, because they make very imaginative and tasty salads so we didn't mind not having a main course. And instead of sweets I had fruit for dessert. Before dinner, I decided to watch the first episode of the Star Wars trilogy since my dad got it on original DVD last week. Pakshet! Ang ganda! Special effects aside (because everyone knows they're brilliant anyway), the plot is mind-blowing. Weird na ngayon ko lang talaga na-appreciate no?

And after watching Episode IV I realized why Tim Bisley in Spaced was so pissed with Episode 1 and Jar-jar Binks.

Saturday
Another session with Toshi. I got stuck for about ten minutes on this question involving a graph and some statistics. Toshi kept explaining it to me patiently, and I just couldn't get the answer. Finally it dawned on me that I was looking at the wrong data. What an ass I am.

I met up with my mom at Furusato restaurant in Pasay for a yuuuummmmmyyy Japanese dinner. It is really nice chatting with my mom. When I was a teenager I didn't really appreciate her (do any teenagers fully appreciate their parents??) but now that I'm older I've learned to listen to her. Over edomame, salad, sashimi, tofu, and shabu-shabu we talked about all sorts of stuff: Joni, her work, Joni, her illness, Joni, my career plans, Joni. And we talked about the dog too.

We went on to CCP because we'd been invited to a special shamisen performance by the wildly popular father-son duo, Nitta Oyako, who hail from Hokkaido, Japan. A shamisen has three strings, is played with a large pick or bachi, and is likened to jazz because the style of playing leaves a lot of room for improvisation. It's been around for ages, but is becoming popular among younger generations. Nitta Oyako were in Manila for the first stop on their Asian tour. Hiroshi, the father, has been playing for 35 years and is one of the best shamisen players in Japan. His son, Masahiro, is 20 and has already released two CDs (!!!) and has been touring actively with his father.

Both were amazingly good. The first part of the program was traditional shamisen music as well as some of their own compositions, then for the second part the Makiling Ensemble performed as well. But best of all was when the Japanese players and the Makiling Ensemble performed together, with Masahiro dressed in Western clothes and playing the shamisen standing up. Aaaahhh he was so cool :) Afterwards we got to talk to them and I finally got to practice some Nihongo, which has been lying around in my brain, forgotten. I told them I'd been to Hokkaido, and they were surprised and pleased. Blast it, I didn't have my camera then. Here's what a shamisen looks like:

Sitting down...

...or standing up, Masahiro Nitta does it with class. See how he's holding the shamisen like a guitar? Whoever said it was just for kabuki plays?

To hear a sample of Masahiro's music, click here!

You Say It's Your Birthday...

2004-10-17T04:56:00.000-07:00

This is Joni, who is a year old today in human years but seven in dog years. We will celebrate her birthday by having ice cream together, but not chocolate because I heard it can kill dogs (this is according to a vet whose talk I attended before.) Here in these pictures she's doing the two things she loves to do: riding in the car....

....and sleeping!

This is us at the Furry Tales fashion show last weekend...

Happy birthday, precious little one :) Sana maging champion ka na para tumigil na kami sa kaka-force feed sa iyo!

Priceless!

2004-10-16T05:19:00.000-07:00

When's the next time we're gonna see this? Huh?? HUH??!?!?!?!

Singit, beybeh! Next time dapat SNN naman! ;o)

A Case of Joni

2004-10-04T23:41:00.000-07:00

Oh God. I'm in love with the music of Joni Mitchell. While rummaging around in our CD cabinet (meticulously arranged by my OC father) I chanced upon her album, Blue, and popped it into the CD player. Her first song, All I Want, has been going around in my head since last night, as well as A Case of You, which Jeline mentioned that she sang before. Now I want her to come home right this minute so she can sing it again cause I haven't heard her do so!

Joni circa 1972

I read in Joni's site that she recorded as many as 21 albums in the course of 30 years and had around 50 ways of tuning her guitar. She used to go out with David Crosby and Graham Nash of Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young (another one of my favorite folk-rock groups...60s at 70s naman nun so usong-uso yung "free love" haha), started smoking at age 9 (WTF??!?!?) and had a daughter whom she gave up for adoption in the '60s. And that so many artists were influenced by her, including the Indigo Girls, Judy Collins, Sarah McLachlan, James Taylor, Carole King, Madonna and our own Cynthia Alexander. I think a lot of people listen to her for the same reason I do --- she sings the truth so effortlessly and serenely. Kudos to Jeline for naming our dog after such a legend :)

Someday, I'm going to learn to play one of Joni Mitchell's songs with all those weirdo tunings, and sing it too. You wait and see :)

Joni on the cover of TIME, 1974.

ALL I WANT (from the album "Blue", 1971)

I am on a lonely road and I am traveling
traveling, traveling, traveling
Looking for something, what can it be
Oh I hate you some, I hate you some
I love you some
Oh I love you when I forget about me
I want to be strong I want to laugh along
I want to belong to living
Alive, alive, I want to get up and jive
I want to wreck my stockings in some juke box dive
Do you want - do you want - do you want
to dance with me baby
Do you want to take a chance
on maybe finding some sweet romance with me baby
Well, come on

*All I really really want our love to do
Is to bring out the best in me and in you too
all I really really want our love to do
is to bring out the best in me and in you
**I want to talk to you, I want to shampoo you
I want to renew you again and again
Applause, applause - Life is our cause
When I think of your kisses
my mind see-saws
Do you see - do you see - do you see
how you hurt me baby
so I hurt you too
then we both get so blue.

I am on a lonely road and I am traveling
looking for the key to set me free
***Oh the jealousy, the greed is the unraveling
It's the unraveling
and it undoes all the joy that could be
I want to have fun, I want to shine like the sun
I want to be the one that you want to see
I want to knit you a sweater
want to write you a love letter
I want to make you feel better
I want to make you feel free
Hmm, Hmm, Hmm, Hmm,
Want to make you feel free
I want to make you feel free.

* putang-inang lyrics yan.
** that is so cute!
*** ain't that the truth.

EIGA SAI 2004: A FESTIVAL OF JAPANESE CONTEMPORARY FILMS

2004-10-01T15:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, friends, it is EIGA SAI once again!

As usual, the line-up of films looks entertaining. I managed to snatch a peek at Waterboys when I was in Japan. From what I saw, it was pretty hilarious. Since then they've made it into a sitcom. I wish I could get copies.

Anyhoo, here's the sked and synopses of films of this year's Eiga Sai. It's sure to bring back a ton of memories. Di ba Kelv? ;)

WATERBOYS

Suzuki, a high school senior, is the last remaining member of the Tadani High School swim team. If no new members join the team this year, it will be cancelled altogether. Fortunately, a pretty teacher, Sakuma, is picked as the swim team’s new coach. After class, 30 young men gather at the poolside. Many of them, like Sato, who was forced to quit basketball because of an injury, want to join the team for reasons other than a love of the water. Despite the huge crowd, however, Sakuma wears a frown. She had dreamed of coaching a synchronized swimming team, an ambition that was shattered when she was assigned to work at a boy’s school. She announces to the students that she plans to teach them synchronized swimming in spite of their gender. Most of the young men flee instantly. When the daunt settles, only five students are left: Suzuki, Sato, Ohtu, Kanazawa, and Saotome. Hoping to cheer Sakuma up, they launch into a silly intention of Olympic style women’s synchronized swimming moves. An overjoyed Sakuma decides that the team will present a synchronized swimming performance at the school festival. The five members are taken aback…
CCP Theater: Oct. 2, 7pm
The Podium: Oct. 6, 2pm
SM Megamall: Oct. 8, 9, 10, 12 at 5pm

DON'T LOOK BACK

Akira and Koichi, ten year olds in the fifth grade of primary school, are best friends who always seem to get into trouble. They live in the outskirts of Tokyo. When the new term starts they found out that they have been placed in different classes. At first, this doesn’t really bother them. They consider it a minor obstacle to their deep friendship. But, as is often the case with separation, their relationship gradually begins to change. Akira became friends with Shun, a fatherless child who is very good at making plastic models. Meanwhile, Koichi starts hanging around with the newly transferred Samajima, and they start getting into mischief. One day, Akira is invited to Shun’s birthday party but prefers to go and play with Koichi. Akira feels guilty about neglecting Shun, but he is absorbed in his favorite new game, settling alight paper planes before throwing them. The boys have a wonderful time with this new and exciting game until Shun dies along with his mentally ill mother. Akira is shocked to his core by this devastating tragedy and he wants to be with his friend in his time of need. Unfortunately, Koichi is busy with petty crimes committed with Samajima. The two boys steal chickens from the school aviary, kill and then eat them. Akira feels Koichi has betrayed their life-long friendhip and they get into a big fight over it. In the end they forgive each other, but now they realize their relationship is different from what it was before. Several days later, Shun’s final picture is exhibited in a painting contest. The subject of the painting is two boys running together who look like Shun and Akira.
SM Megamall: Oct. 7, 9 and 11 at 2pm

THE TWILIGHT SAMURAI

Low ranking samurai Iguchi Seibei is a widower, barely supporting his two young children and old senile mother on his meager salary. Every evening at twilight, he goes directly home after work to take in other jobs, declining all offers of drinking and feasting with superiors and colleagues. His co-workers call him Twilight Seibei behind his back. One day, Seibei saves Tomoe, a childhood sweetheart, from her husbands’ violent blows. Taking notice of his swordsmanship, the superiors of his clan order him to assassinate a certain samurai. On the designated day of his mission, Seibei declares his feelings to Tomoe and then takes off. The adversary hiding in a mansion is a swordsman of considerable skill, and the match is not an easy one. But Seibei finally manages to defeat the samurai and returns home to where his two daughters, his mother and Tomoe await him.
CCP Theater: Oct. 3, 4pm
The Podium: Oct. 6, 8pm
SM Megamall: Oct. 7, 5pm / Oct. 9, 8pm / Oct. 12, 2pm

JUVENILE

It is the summer of the year 2000. 11-year-old Yusuke and his classmates are camping in the woods when suddenly they see a bright light streak over the treetops and into the woods. The boys take off into the woods towards the light. There in the ground, growing, they found a small round metallic object. Just as Yusuke reaches to touch the mysterious object up pops a set of eyes and the object says; “I am Tetra, I meet Yusuke.” Startled, Yusuke replies “You’re name is Tetra? Cool!” Tetra is kept from adult eyes in Yusuke’s closet. Tetra begins creating wonderful gadgets using “never-before-seen” technology. It would appear Tetra was designed with some ultra-high-tech artificial intelligence. But where did this Tetra come from and what’s his purpose? As a relationship grows between Yusuke and Tetra, these questions are slowly answered…
CCP Theater: Oct. 2, 4pm
The Podium: Oct. 6, 5pm
SM Megamall: Oct. 8 and 11, 8pm

GIVE IT ALL

Shikoku Island, the fourth largest island in the Japanese archipelago, Matsuyama, a historical, quiet town facing the serene inland sea. 1976, after the turmoil years of student demonstrations, there came a time of nihilism. The new generation was given the nickname “Age of Three Nothings” signifying “Giving nothing, caring for nothing, being moved by nothing.”

Etsuko (15) lives with her reticent father and hard-working fussy mother. They run a little dry-cleaning business. With them is Etsuko’s grandmother who looks after the house and her brilliant older sister who is leaving to attend a top college. Etsuko feels useless, with no role to play in the household. The irony is that even though she is far from being an excellent student, she still manages to get into the best local high school. The emptiness of this achievement only worsens her sense of futility.

One day she decides to runaway from home. Her family doesn’t flinch, assuming she just went out for a walk. Despondent and alone, even this gesture ignored, Etsuko stands on the seashore and stares out across the waves. In the distance, she catches sight of something; it’s a rowing team gliding through the water. At the moment something sparks inside her. She can’t get this image out of her mind and sets her heart on joining the rowing team at the new school. However, since she found out that it used to be a boys’ school, traditional attitudes persists; there is no rowing team for girls. In a solution to all her recent frustrations with life, she decides to do something about this. She bullies four other girls into forming a team. With their hearts not really in it however, their season ends in a humiliating defeat. Further burdened by the appearance of her childhood sweetheart on the boys’ team, she begins to flounder. An awkward relationship with her melancholic coach followed by an injury that bar her from sport, threatens to wreck Etsuko’s self-confidence. Just when it seems that she will have to give up all that she struggled for, she finds it in herself to continue. “Rowing is everything for me,” she says. By the second season, the girls have grown. With one voice they pull their oars through the water heading for their first victory.
CCP Theater: Oct.1, 4pm
SM Megamall: Oct. 7 and 12, 8pm / Oct. 10, 2pm

HUSH!

Winter – At 30, Naoya lives an openly gay life. He hangs out with friends at a lively bar, experiences love as a series of one-night stands, and supports it all by working in an eccentric pet shop that caters to the whims of animal lovers. He is happy, yet faintly dissatisfied. Katsuhiro is also 30, and also gay, but his life couldn’t be more different. He’s a research engineer at a lab, where he has concealed his homosexuality so effectively that Emi, a colleague, has fallen in love with him. Katsuhiro is too kind to reject her, but he feels trapped by his own dishonesty and confusion. Asako is nearing 30. She makes crown and bridges at a dental clinic where she holds herself aloof from the other employees. She’s in the habit of having sex with strangers without taking any precautions against pregnancy or venereal desease.

Spring – Naoya have found each other. As their tentative relationship grows, Katsuhiro’s inscrutability frustrates Naoya. Asako discovers that she has fibroid cysts. Her gynecologist cruelly suggests an unnecessary hysterectomy. In despair, she searches out her father who offers her no comfort. One rainy afternoon, Katsuhiro lends Asako his umbrella. When she returns it to him at work, she meets Emi. Emi invites Asako out for a meal and claims that Katsuhiro promised to marry her. Asako was astonished. It’s clear to her that the young man is gay. Within a few days, Asako is back at the Institute with a proposition for Katsuhiro. She wants him to give her a child. She tells him he has the eye of a father. Disturbed by his encounter with Asako, Katsuhiro tells Naoya about it. Naoya dismisses the notion of a gay man being a father, but the idea haunts Katsuhiro. After Asako’s fibroid surgery, she wakes up on the maternity ward surrounded by expectant mothers. She looks through the nursery window, her eyes filled with tears. She looks up and finds Katsuhiro beside her. They stand in silence, gazing at the babies.

Summer – Katsuhiro and Naoya have moved in together. Naoya’s florid, overbearing mother turns up for an unexpected heart to heart talk about his future. She urges him to affect atleast the semblance of heterosexuality, but he’s not interested. Afraid that Asako might ruin his relationship with Katsuhiro, Naoya takes her out to a gay bar, determined to discourage her. She challenges him, pointing out that they both recognize something wonderful in his boyfriend. Naoya subjects her to humiliation at the tongue of the resident queen. Coolly, Asako calls his bluff and he is forced to admire her strange determination. Katsuhiro visits his childhood home in Kyoto where his brother still lives with his wife and daughter. Sitting by an old well in the garden, the brothers recall the emotional hardhips of growing up with their alcoholic father. When Katsuhiro returns to Tokyo, he goes straight to find Naoya at work. Although Naoya has expected the relationship to end, it blossoms, and how there’s even room for Asako and her bizarre proposal. As their unconventional triangle develops, Naoya, Katsuhiro and Asako become comfortable with each other, sharing games, food and frienship. Emi tries to scuttle the threesome by sending a chronicle of Asako’s mental illness and promiscuity to Naoya’s mother and Katsuhiro’s brother and sister-in-law. Both sides converge on the men’s apartment where Katsuhiro’s sister-in-law hurls insults at Asako. Cornered, Asako fights back with fury. As Katsuhiro’s brother leaves, he gently acknowledges Katsuhiro’s homosexuality and wishes him well. Asako admits her deep loneliness and then disappears. The couple searches for her together, revealing their growing affection for the fierce, odd woman.

Autumn – Katsuhiro’s brother is killed in an accident. Katsuhiro’s childhood home is sold and demolished. Katsuhiro, Naoya and Asako visit the empty lot, and then walk by the river. Katsuhiro sinks to the ground weeping. Naoya and Asako stay beside him, comforting him in silence. Asako takes a new apartment and the three celebrate with a home-cooked meal. As they toast one another, Asako presents each man with a syringe, warning Naoya that an only child will be lonely. There’s a simple solution. After she’s had Katsuhiro’s baby, she’ll have Naoya’s.
CCP Theater: Oct. 1 and 3, 7pm
SM Megamall: Oct. 8, 2pm / Oct. 10, 8pm / Oct. 11, 5pm

Pensions and DSL

2004-09-22T17:51:00.000-07:00

Almost finished with my research paper on the Japanese pension system. It sounds like a boring topic (and for a while, it was) but after reading through 30+ newspaper articles I learned a lot and actually found it interesting. The gist of it is, more and more Japanese are getting older, but their population isn't growing, so there will be less people paying for the pensions of a growing elderly portion of society.

It's funny because fewer babies being born doesn't mean that people aren't having sex, it probably means their birth control is awfully good. (Don't you wish we were somewhat the same?) And that women are waking up to the reality that most Japanese men are staid, rigid and repressed, and that they could just choose to get a career than spend their lives married to some guy, cleaning their house or looking after his kids all day.

* * *

A PLDT guy just came over and installed broadband internet for us. It took him all of 15 minutes. Viva DSL! Kay bilis ng pagdownload. Hohoho.

Has anyone seen the Hang Ten ad?

2004-09-16T14:01:00.000-07:00

I had dinner in Greenhills last night with my best friends from college --- Ryce, Migs, Sandi, Ed and Terri, along with Prime, Tim and Kelv. Ryce is leaving for the US on Monday, to join her family. She'll only be there for a year. I'm glad of that. Too many people are leaving for good these days.

Later on Awit and Nori were able to join us. They're expecting their baby boy in a few weeks! I still find it hard to believe that one of my own set is going to be a mother, and is now thinking of nappies and milk formula and preschool and educational plans, while I find myself simply coasting through everyday life. And avoiding my term paper!

Dessert at Jack's Loft was dee-vine, and we spent most of our time there cackling about the huge Hang Ten ad that's in several places in Metro Manila. We speculated that the guy must be the owner's son; how else could he have gotten the job? Meanmeanmeanimsomean. :o)

Oh yeah, I haven't said anything about Baguio yet. Joni lost, having been struck by her usual nervousness at a show, but people commented on what a pretty dog she is. Concorde Hotel, owned by Michael Siy, is open to dogs so I had Joni in the room. She seemed to like the bed with its clean white sheets. It was nice and cold up there, and we bonded with other beagle owners, including Joni's breeders, May Felix and Elaine Ty. Those two are Joni's Mother Hens and constantly ask how she's doing, and encourage me to keep on joining dog shows. It's nice to have friends in the show ring.

2004-09-15T23:00:00.000-07:00

Bangkok's wonderfully clean, safe and bright subways. Of course they have just a few stations, but it's definitely a good start. They have the same maps, exit guides and automatic glass doors as Japan. Shiyeeeet.

2004-09-15T22:57:00.000-07:00

Sombat, the cooking instructor I took lessons from, in action.

2004-09-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

I just HAD to have my photo taken here. A jeans store with my name on it. Wahooo!

2004-09-15T22:45:00.000-07:00

A fine example of traditional Thai fruit carving. We gave this to my mom on the morning of her birthday. All those "roses" are made of pineapples!

2004-09-15T02:56:00.000-07:00

It may not look like much, but som tam --- spicy papaya salad --- is sheer gastronomic ecstasy!

Thailand on my mind

2004-09-15T02:35:00.000-07:00

Bangkok was a blast. Mama had her treatment for only two days, and was caught up in meetings at UN-ESCAP most of the time, so Mommy (she's my aunt, my dad's sister, so don't get confused) and I were left to shop to our heart's content. Apart from some oh-so-kupal taxi drivers who tried to charge us a set rate of 100 baht when the meter starts at 35 (and to reach our favorite mall it costs only 60), and wild gesticulations to make ourselves understood by the friendly-but-non-English-speaking Thais, we had a marvelous time. I'm starting to develop a real taste for Thai food, which we mostly bought from food courts of malls, not fancy restaurants. Until now I'm craving their spicy papaya salad (som tam), spicy prawn soup (tom yang gung) and pineapple fried rice. I had a private cooking class at Nipa Thai Restaurant in the Landmark Hotel, where I got to make those things, and my tongue is looking forward to tasting those oddly contrasting yet balanced flavors again.

I thought Japanese was a hard language to learn until I saw the Thai alphabet. All those weird curlicued figures look the same to me. But the language barrier sure doesn't stop the foreign tourists from pouring in. Mommy said she felt envious of Thailand's thriving tourist industry. Sure they're still a developing country; they've still got pollution, nail-biting traffic jams, a booming sex trade, scores of citizens still living in poverty (does that sound even vaguely familiar?). Sure they may not have the same standards of efficiency and cleanliness as the US, Japan or Singapore. Yet they have a train system that rivals that of Japan, a stronger currency than we have, and foreign investments constantly pouring in. In my whole week in Bangkok, I didn't see a single pile of garbage sitting in the street or a single street kid. All those signs of progress that seem to be missing here and make me even more fearful of our slow but terrifying slide into economic, political and social stagnation.

It's not that I think we're completely beyond progress. It's just that as a people, we have some serious hang-ups that we have to address before we see any real change.
We don't really look up to our President as a source of inspiration (no offense to GMA, because that's what I've noticed with past leaders and most of the other politicians as well). Thais have King Bhumibol, the reigning monarch, whom they respect and love as a father. He has no political functions, but he somehow can still keep politicians in line with his mere presence. More importantly, he unites the country. Here I've noticed it's every person for him or herself; there's hardly anything that binds us together, except perhaps our collective mistrust of the government. Another point is that Thais, while still struggling to communicate in English, are moving forward and leaving us Filipinos behind. Which means that simply being proficient in English is not a guarantee of progress. We all seem to be in the dark about our cultural identity: what makes one a Filipino? It seems that years of colonization and migration have muddled our perception of who we are, yet the same thing has happened to other countries but they still have their identities intact.

That being said, it has just dawned on me how difficult it is to run this country. For that, I have to hand it to GMA for just getting out of bed in the morning.

On another note...

A big hearty congrats to Ebe, Jal and Mitch of superband Sugarfree for launching their new album, Dramachine, at Off the Grill last Monday. Yeahhh! :)

And being back home means I have to catch up on all my kanji and do the stupid term paper due next week. :(

Daytripping

2004-09-01T20:44:00.000-07:00

This may be my last time to post for this week. Kelvin and I are leaving for Baguio on Friday together with our beagle breeder friends to enter our little ones in a dog show. The thing with dog shows in Manila is, in the beagle category there are so many entries that your chances for winning are fewer. Out-of-town shows, while inconvenient, are not as tense because of fewer entries, and your dog has a bigger chance of winning.

So, we're going, and it's Joni's first long trip. I hope she'll behave in the back seat (I got her a car harness to be sure), and not chew on the upholstery. We'll be there for the weekend, so I hope the weather is nice. It's about time we had a little break from Manila (although we're going up the mountain to another city). Baguio's not as nice as it was years ago, but they still have some pine trees, and there are parts in it where the air's still fresh.

And after Baguio, it'll be Bangkok for me!!! My mom, in spite of her end-stage renal disease (it means her kidneys aren't working right), is determined to keep on working, partly to quell rumors that she is on her deathbed and partly to fight boredom at home. It just so happens that her work will be taking her to Bangkok for a conference. Her friends from all over the world were dismayed to know that she's ill, so they're happy that she is well enough to join them when they have international gatherings like these. Her friend made arrangements for her to have her dialysis sessions at an English-speaking hospital, with instructions from her doctor here. Even then I would feel more secure if there's someone from the family with her during her treatments, so I volunteered to accompany her. I solemnly swear that I was only thinking of my mom's welfare, and not the fact that Bangkok is a shoppers' paradise as well as one of the best places on Earth to take a vacation when I offered to go. No, really.

I've just finished Nick Hornby's How to be Good. If you've ever been torn between quitting a relationship or staying in it, then it's for you. If not, then it is still a bloody good read.

First Spaced and now this! British humor is really something.

Spaced Out

2004-08-29T09:39:00.000-07:00

And so Jeline and GP left tonight, she at 7:40pm and he at 10. We had the most memorable send-off for them here at home, with the grilled prawns that GP goes crazy over (kaya daw niyang makaubos ng isang Orocan nun) and the most intimate, soulful and uplifting demonstration of choral music I've ever heard in my entire life. Maybe because it wasn't in front of a big audience, but just for two people who mean a lot to us and whom we are sending off joyfully, although a bit painfully. I'm sure they will do all of us proud. Jeline will be a full-fledged Parisienne while GP will be the next big thing in pop music. Incidentally, he'll be staying in Boston, which is where Next Stop Wonderland was shot. Another good excuse to visit, apart from their clam chowder and charming accents.

Before the party got started Jeline introduced the early birds to Spaced, which is the weirdest, most hilarious sitcom I've ever had the pleasure to watch. Unfortunately I don't think it'll ever be aired here, since it's got that sort of humor that leaves most people scratching their heads (British kasi e.)
It is so good I've been watching it nearly every day since last week (perfect during the rains...buti nalang hindi madamot si Kelv sa DVDs :) It's like the best-kept secret in television, at least on this side of the world, but even this British guy (bloke!) I knew in Japan said he'd never heard of it. Anyway, my friends were screaming with laughter while watching it, and I was too, because I love the series and I was glad it was a hit with them.

2004-08-28T10:03:00.000-07:00

These guys will give "Friends" a run for their money.

It's a rainy day and I am going to be a bum.

2004-08-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

Cannot believe I have slaved over a paper for the better part of five days, only to finish it this morning and find that the class I'm submitting it for has been cancelled due to the storm. Gyaaaahhh. It's kind of strange that I spent more time thinking up a workable topic than doing the actual writing. Of course, it became a whole lot easier when my wonderful dad sat me down and gave me some fantastic advice re: my paper. He's been my secret weapon in Dr. Arce's research strategies class. Papa was his student back in the 70s, when he was a graduate student himself, so you can imagine what an old fogey Arce is. I am not learning anything substantial from his lectures and spend the better part of my time in class watching the digits on my phone's clock change. That, and write lists of things I have to do on scratch paper.

Jeline is in the final stages of her preparations for France. She'll be leaving on Saturday, the same day as a dear friend of ours, GP (who is leaving for his own Great Adventure in a top-notch music school in the US), and the day before my Tita Pearl goes back to Canada. The house will be so empty then. Too depressing to even contemplate.

A rainy afternoon should be spent cuddling one's dog (which I have already done) and/or enjoying a freshly brewed cup of coffee while watching one of the best bloody sitcoms of all time. Which I am about to do! :) Thank you, love, you are very kind to lend it to me.

Buon appetito!

2004-08-23T23:21:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was pizza-making day at my house with the family. Tito Eric made the dough, rolled it out to its proper size, and put me and Kelvin in charge of arranging the toppings (tomato sauce, olive oil, tomatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, basil, tons of cheese, parma ham, pepperoni, olives) and we had the best time thinking up all sorts of combinations. It was god-awful hot, made worse with the oven on, and at the end of it all we were sweaty and exhausted, but everyone went home with full stomachs! (We got praise for the vegetarian version). That's one of our creations down there (not quite finished yet though).

Hello, Woody!

2004-08-15T12:35:00.000-07:00

I haven't been too diligent in going to the gym this week. Moro Lorenzo in Ateneo has a pretty good deal --- only P1,200 for a month's unlimited gym and aero. I haven't used it as often as I ought, which is typical of me. I'm not much for "vehement athletics", but I love this pencil case featured in Engrish...

And in other news, my Joni grabbed her first five points in the PCCI (Philippine Canine Club Inc.) competition yesterday!!! Wheee :) Fifteen points make your dog a champion, and 25 makes him/her a grand champion. Just 10 more, Joni-girl! Kelvin was sweet enough to baby-sit her at Mandaluyong Gym, where the dog show was, while I was at class. After the show, we went home for a bit and then made our way to Galleria to catch The Village. We both found the story absorbing, but there was something amiss with the film. It's a shame they let Joaquin Phoenix die. I think he's pretty hot.

Imagine Peace

2004-08-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

In honor of the "Imagine Peace" concert sponsored by Converse last night, here's something from my trip to Strawberry Fields in Central Park, NY exactly a year ago :)

The concert was a helluva lot of fun (I'm speaking for those who are die-hard Beatles fans like myself) until the so-called "Makati crowd" came in, accompanied by the "tugss-tugss-tugss" disco music I so hate. Home at around 1, which makes two nights in a row that I've been out late. Thursday night I spent at Conspiracy Cafe dancing samba with the Hairy Dawgs! Suuuuuper fun!!! :) My legs are sore as hell but it was worth it to see everyone dancing along to the beat. Wallflowers are not allowed in samba! :)

Busy day today, wil be running errands all around. And a report for tomorrow's Japanese Society class. I mentioned to Seeds and Jugs just how sick Japanese men can be --- many of them actually buy used panties from schoolgirls. I think, and this is where ikebana and tea ceremony come from???

Just for yuks

2004-08-10T16:29:00.000-07:00

DO visit Engrish. It is THE site for Japanized/Koreanized English that can be found on stationery, bags, chocolate wrappers, and other paraphernalia. They have daily Engrish specials, such as today's feature, a canned tea drink. The webmaster's comment? "We used to drink this at the YMCA..."

Plugging!

2004-08-09T20:21:00.000-07:00

Do you like samba? Then get your butts over to Conspiracy Cafe this Wednesday night and watch the Philippines' first bateria (samba percussion group), the HAIRY DAWGS perform! At siyempre, kelangan niyong sumayaw! Walang kwenta ang samba kung walang sumayaw! :) They are led by my bro, Inky, who's on the extreme right :)

2004-08-09T05:05:00.000-07:00

This is my Tita Rorie, whom my mom's been best friends with for almost 30 years. We surprised her for her 60th birthday yesterday, and what she's holding is my father's attempt at a highly original birthday greeting. It reads: "Happy SEXtieth birthday...Less is more!" That's a balloon, obviously, and two balls left over from our Christmas decorations. Neat, doncha tink?

2004-08-08T19:57:00.000-07:00

Joni flirting shamelessly with two boys (I always knew she was cheap).

2004-08-08T19:54:00.000-07:00

Kelv (carrying Joni), Awit and myself outside the guest house.

2004-08-08T19:52:00.000-07:00

Sandi, Ed, Terri and myself (along with Awit's sister Aleks and her yaya)

2004-08-08T19:51:00.000-07:00

Awit and Nori, the proud parents-to-be, upon arriving at the party (it was a surprise for her, see).

2004-08-08T19:50:00.000-07:00

Food, food, and more glorious food! (thank you, Causeway!)

2004-08-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

Ryce's art supplies for making the baby scrapbook, and rubber duckies for souvenirs :)

2004-08-08T19:47:00.000-07:00

We had a surprise baby shower for our friend Awit last Saturday, and these were our presents!

The times, they are a-changin'

2004-08-04T22:48:00.000-07:00

Several things have happened in the past few days that have literally made my head spin, not the least of which are the series of lectures I got from both my parents about my career (I was offered a part-time teaching post for next school year at the Japanese Studies Department of the Ateneo by my professor, Dr. Lydia Yu-Jose. It was totally out of the blue, and I was stunned because I didn't even apply or even express interest in doing so). Anyway, the reason for the lecture was that I was extremely hesitant about accepting the job, not being secure about my ability to teach, when I have so much to learn myself. My parents jumped on this, saying things like "Unless you take the first step, you'll never get anywhere", "Dapat hindi ka laging segurista", etc. etc. If I've heard it once, I've heard it a thousand times. I always get uncomfortable when they lecture me that way, and resentful towards them afterwards. Their advice makes a lot of good sense, though, so I'm attributing my lack of open-mindedness to youthful arrogance. I suppose teaching will be good for my self-confidence, at the very least, because despite appearances I am still very insecure.

I really hope they will not lecture me again though. Two days straight (both over breakfast, what a way to start the day) is just too much, and my ears are still ringing from their words (parang pag pumunta kang gig tapos kahit nakauwi ka na maingay pa rin).

Had a misunderstanding, got hurt, and was appeased. If you are reading this, you know I love you. (*swoon*)

Oops, time for class. And I just realized something: If I do take the job, that means I have to pay more attention to LYJ's lectures and not sneak looks at my phone during her class. Hahahaha.

It's Saturday night, and what am I doing?

2004-07-31T22:51:00.000-07:00

I had a Japanese lesson today with my tutor, Toshinori. He's a Japanese taking his M.A. in UP Diliman, and his major is Philippine studies. Why any foreigner would want to seriously study this godforsaken country truly mystifies me, but meeting people like him is inspiring. He's a cool-looking, friendly guy, with the dyed orangey-brown hair that most young Japanese can't live without.

Anyway, Toshi took me through a good round of kanji (characters) and tango [vocabulary] during our two hours together, to make up for our missed lesson last week. He's prepping me for the 2nd level of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test which I'm taking in December. I feel really guilty because since I got home from Japan, I haven't really been practicing all the stuff I learned. I improved so much when I was there, and now I find myself stumbling when I speak to Toshi or any Japanese person. I learned a lot of new words today, though, and I think if I really make a serious effort to study at least an hour every day [as I promised myself I'd do], I'll pass the test.

This has been sitting in my PC for a while, so I'm posting it now:

SIX THINGS THAT SCARE YOU
[1] Any member of my family, or my boyfriend, or any of my friends getting into an accident/getting seriously ill/dying.
[2] Not finding out what I want to do in life.
[3] Finding out that all I’ve done isn’t enough.
[4] Kris Aquino (that cheap wench!) running for senator or even president! Eep!
[5] Getting kidnapped and raped.
[6] Not making enough money for myself and my family.

SIX THINGS YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND
[1] Why people cheat on each other.
[2] Why Japanese find slurping their noodles perfectly acceptable, but frown upon blowing one's nose in public.
[3] Why Japanese men behave so impeccably in public, but buy schoolgirls’ used panties from vendos and the girls themselves. Eww eww ewww.
[4] Why FPJ even considered running for President.
[5] Why most chefs are men, when it’s women who usually do the cooking.
[6] Why Chinese people are so good at business (nakakainggit!)

SIX THINGS YOU'D LIKE TO LEARN
[1] Enough Japanese to be a professional translator/interpreter/comedian!
[2] A European language (maybe Spanish, since Jeline already knows French)
[3] All the neat ballroom dances (especially salsa)
[4] Koto
[5] A martial art (kendo looks seriously cool)
[6] Running a business and being good at it

SIX THINGS YOU'RE WEARING RIGHT NOW
[1] Shirt
[2] Shorts
[3] Undies siyempre
[4] Glasses
[5] Slippers (Islanders forever!!!)
[6] A ponytail

SIX THINGS ON YOUR DESK
[1] Sugarfree's new album, Dramachine [hi Ebe Jal and Mitch!]
[2] Notebooks
[3] My electronic Japanese dictionary
[4] Pens
[5] TONS of photos
[6] A clock that doesn't work

SIX THINGS YOU WANT TO DO BEFORE YOU DIE
[1] Perform with a band!
[2] Travel to my heart’s content
[3] Go to another Paul McCartney concert
[4] Get married
[5] Have kids (so my mom will shut up about wanting grandchildren)
[6] Become filthy rich!

SIX BAD THINGS ABOUT YOURSELF
[1] I am so insecure.
[2] I get prickly/jealous/defensive about some things.
[3] I am a notorious wet blanket when it comes to late-night gimmicks. What can I say, there’s nothing like staying at home, watching DVDs, playing with the dogs and pigging out!
[4] I tend to start things and not finish them.
[5] I bug people about lot of things (just ask my siblings...”Will you NOT smoke in the car?!”
[6] I change my mind, often at the last minute.

SIX PARTS OF YOUR HERITAGE
[1] Pinoy
[2] Bad eyesight (gotta save money for a laser eye treatment)
[3] Near-transparent skin, especially on my legs (my college blockmate cheerfully suggested I apply as an anatomy model, my veins are so prominent)
[4] Diabetes (scaaary!)
[5] Hypertension
[6] A streak of contrariness

SIX THINGS YOU LIKE ABOUT YOUR BODY
[1] My shoulders
[2] My skin (I try to take good care of it)
[3] The dimple on my right cheek (swerte daw yun)
[4] My long fingers (they're just like my grandma's)
[5] My lips (I think they're okay)
[6] My hands (A friend once said, "Working hands are beautiful hands", and I agree!)

SIX THINGS MOST PEOPLE DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOU
[1] I’m afraid of birds (especially after Alfred Hitchcock’s movie...I ran screaming from my room when a stray maya flew in during the night)
[2] I was named after Karl Marx’s wife.
[3] My parents were activists in Marcos’ time.
[4] A lot of people in my family were/are teachers.
[5] I've been to Brunei.
[6] I used to love to eat fish eyes, but I don't anymore.

SIX THINGS YOU SAY THE MOST
[1] Chiz
[2] Winner
[3] Gegi
[4] Ano ba??!?!
[5] Whatever...(usually said with eyes rolling towards the ceiling)
[6] Joooo-neeeee!

SIX PLACES YOU WANT TO GO
[1] Beijing
[2] Italy
[3] France (Jeline’s been making us all envious)
[4] Palawan
[5] Wisconsin (for my little cousins)
[6] Japan (duh!)

SIX NAMES YOU GO BY
[1] Jenny
[2] Jen
[3] Jenina (grade school and high school friends only, please!)
[4] ****
[5] ****
[6] **** (#4-6 are only known to certain people, and it shall stay that way!)

SIX WAYS TO PISS YOU OFF
[1] Forget important dates
[2] Make off-color comments/jokes (especially sexist ones)
[3] Make a mess (God help you if I catch you leaving your stuff on my desk…)
[4] Break promises
[5] Group mates who don't do their share of work (this was back in high school and college)
[6] No Internet connection!!!

SIX PEOPLE YOU WANT TO MEET
[1] George Harrison
[2] John Lennon (okay, so they're both dead)
[3] Jake Gyllenhaal *drool*
[4] Paul McCartney
[5] Ringo Starr
[6] J.K Rowling

SIX WAYS TO MAKE YOU SMILE
[1] Good music, especially Beatles songs
[2] Great food (especially Asian dishes!)
[3] Hearing jokes made by my boisterous uncles, Soulsearch, and the ‘worms
[4] Spending time with Kelvin and the dogs, watching DVDs and eating takeout at my house
[5] Anything that reminds me of Japan (mababaw lang ako!)
[6] Whenever Joni does anything funny/stupid/cute (which is all the time)

SIX THINGS THAT MAKE YOU CRY
[1] Sad movies
[2] Sad songs
[3] Sad stories
[4] Sad dogs
[5] Sad babies
[6] Soggy broccoli (kawawa sila tingnan e)

SIX PEOPLE YOU CARE ABOUT A LOT
[1] Mama
[2] Papa
[3] Kuya
[4] Jeline
[5] Kelvin
[6] All my relatives and friends (haha safe answer!)

Ang sarap kumain.

2004-07-28T08:53:00.000-07:00

Dinner at Gloria Maris Greenhills last night was delicious. Asian food in general is a rich tapestry of taste, texture and color. There are few types of cuisine I like better, and one of my goals is to be able to cook up Thai, Japanese, Chinese and Korean dishes at home. Tita Marlie, dear Yumi-tan's mom, gave me a pretty good start though.

After dinner it was off to Meralco Theater to watch The Bourne Supremacy, which I hardly understood because the sound system was crappy. The place was meant for concerts, plays and the like, not for movie premieres. Mostly I wanted to go home, watch DVDs, and eat sweets. It was sponsored by a UP fraternity and sorority who call themselves the Fighting 69's, because they graduated in 1969. It makes me wonder if my college friends and I will be able to keep in touch after 35 years. I sure hope so.

I'm off to the gym, which I wasn't able to do in the psat week because I was sick.

Feed ME, Ted Allen!!!

2004-07-27T12:41:00.000-07:00

Ha. Ahahahahaha.

Ted: Food & Wine Connoisseur

Which Member from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy is your type?
brought to you by Quizilla

I'm sorry, pero siya yung crush ko sa lima. Most girls are crazy about Kyan, I know, but I find Ted really suave. Maybe because he's the most low-key of the bunch. I love what he wears on every episode, and I love his voice. And gawd, he can cook! I wouldn't mind being wrapped in banana leaves by him. And speaking of banana leaves, I had to laugh when I saw Ted taking out banana leaves from a plastic bag to use in the dish he was demonstrating. Apparently, they sell that stuff in supermarkets in the US, while we can get them right off the tree here.

2004-07-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to our dear dear friend GP. He's finally leaving to pursue his dream of studying at the Berklee School of Music in the US. That's him on the extreme left. WE LOVE YOU GP! We don't have to wait to say we're proud to know you, 'cause we already are :)

Queer Eye for the Straight and Horny

2004-07-25T23:00:00.000-07:00

Why, oh why, do they have to be gay??? Even as queer people men get all the breaks.

2004-07-25T06:20:00.000-07:00

Show time!

Isn't she lovely

2004-07-25T04:58:00.000-07:00

This is Joni, the reason why everyone looks forward to going home at the end of the day.

Joni turned nine months this July. I'd been wanting a beagle since last year, and so for my birthday in Feb, Kelvin, Jeline and Kuya all clubbed together and got her for me. On the day they brought her home, I was snot-nosed and miserable due to an awful cold, but Joni changed all that. Okay, I was still snot-nosed, but she brought me the kind of joy I'd never, ever experienced before. She used to be this meek little thing who peed out of nervousness every time someone new approached her, but now she's a cheeky little bitch who jumps all over the furniture, gnaws at my slippers, steals my mom's breakfast and hides my dad's socks in the garden. And greets everyone with frantic wags of her tail when they get home. :)

Hello again, world

2004-07-25T03:18:00.000-07:00

Yes, I have decided to blog again. To hell with Japanese Politics papers that need to be written by Friday!

My aunt and grandma are both here from abroad (Canada and the US) and will be staying til the end of August. It's nice to have houseguests, especially when it's one of my mom's sisters (I love them all). Tita Pearl works with Filipino migrants in Canada, as a liaison officer. She helps them get adjusted to life in Winnipeg, Manitoba (where the average temp in winter is -50 degrees). Tita Pearl is my mom's eldest sister who used to wear huge sunglasses, platform shoes and clothes with far-out prints on them in the 60s and 70s. I think Jeline sort of took after her. No one would believe she's over 50, not with her disposition. Everyone just feels better when she's around -- she's just so patient and jolly. Lola is 85, forgetful and rather hard of hearing, and because of that she's not exactly sociable. She's the kind of grandma who doesn't talk much but always gives you something to eat, like chocolate candies that are nearly melted from her hand. They're here to visit my mom to make sure she's OK (she's got end-stage kidney failure) and to give Tita Luz a break from Lola-sitting.

We had a huge laugh last night when Kelvin came over to pick me up. We were playing with Joni while they (Jeline, Tita Pearl, Lola) looked on. We went inside for a drink and I heard Lola ask Jeline, loudly, "Sino yun?? Yung doktor ng aso?" And Jeline answered just as loudly, "Hindi, boyfriend ni Ate yun! Boyfriend! Syota!! Nobyo!!!" And Lola paused, and asked, "Alam ba ng Papa niya??"

Last night was spent having dinner with Kelvin and his family in Soho/Cafe Juanita in Kapitolyo.
Kelvin's parents are awfully nice, and the twins, Keanu and Kenneth, are always a stitch. A meal with those two is never boring, and makes you wonder if you were that smart-alecky when you were 11. Kenneth keeps insisting that he is JK Rowling and that he knows how books 6 and 7 are going to end. I asked that if he was Rowling, then why was it taking him forever to finish reading The Chamber of Secrets? It's fun to listen to them weasle their way out of each other's verbal traps. They look like mini-versions of Tito Felix, while Kelvin doesn't look anything like his folks.

Time to see how the family likes the chicken fajitas I made for dinner. Ta-ta.