Jay Leno -- Prank Photobooth

you guys HAVE to watch this...

may pinoy dito: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4PiPPAJuKBg&feature=related

this is another one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sW1cKe3H7h4

enjoy!

Admirable

A conversation I want to share.. please read the word admirable as it how it is spelled.

J: that's very ad-mee-rable...
D: ad-mee-rable tlaga ah. its "admire-able".
S: isnt it ad-me-rable?

J is quiet since he made the mistake and is trying to escape the end of the conversation.

D: its admire-able bec you're admiring something. if you say it like ad-me-rable then the root word is admiral.

S: .........................

http://www.merriam-webster.com/cgi-bin/audio.pl?admira01=admirable

For Laughs

Found these too funny to not share...

On this week's menu...

I got this in our email just now and just had to share. Every Thursday, the company provides lunch for the staff and we get emails on what the menu is at the start of the week. I took a part of the email (the body, essentially) and posted here... Enjoy.


Subject: Thursday's Menu - BYOL

Hi Everyone:

I scream, You scream, We all scream for Ice Cream.

July is National Ice Cream Month (http://www.idfa.org/facts/icmonth/page1.cfm)

On Thursday, Communispace will recognize this important month by having Ice Cream for lunch.

Beginning at 12:15 p.m., JP Licks (http://www.jplicks.com/) will be here to help us “scoop up” the celebration with “Make Your Own Sundae”

So this Thursday, you provide your own lunch and we will provide dessert.

There will be three kinds of ice cream, one frozen yogurt flavor, hot fudge, strawberries, whipped cream, nuts, and a few other surprises to top off your sundae.

Thanks to the Culture Committee for the idea and also for organizing this week’s “lunch.”

See you Thursday!

Apartment Hunting

"Umm... No, I won't be renewing my lease for another year."

With these fateful words, I realized that I will be homeless by the end of August and would therefore need to look for another place to stay. My factors for renting a place:
1. Ideally offers month to month rent -- since I might be going home after a month or two...
2. Price range is less than $1000 -- my rent now is too expensive... and that's just rent. Wala pang utilities, cable and mobile. Especially since I'll be out of school by end of August, it seems ridiculous to pay so much if I won't be doing anything.
3. Studio sana but willing to share space -- Not too sure how I feel about roommates. I decided that if I absolutely must, I draw the line at having one or two roommates. Why? Because more often than not, apartments have only one bathroom which means you have to share and CLEAN other people's icky-ness. AND who likes living with strangers?! I think... that would be weird.
4. Location -- place where I live right now is so convenient and is really in a great location (hence the expensive rent). I don't have to look over my shoulder when I walk home, grocery is walking distance, the Charles River is a block away, and getting to public transportation is like 5 mins walk. And it's pretty here. Since I want to pay less, I'll have to look into moving away from this place... I might even have to live near Boston University or Boston College... which means old apartments that students have used. Which equates to run down and worn out. Oh well. We'll see. Also, I consider whether it's near a T stop (i.e., subway) or if there are nearby convenient stores/ grocery. Sucks to have to ride the train just to do your groceries.

I started looking on Craigslist for possible apartments... taking a look at two of them today. Went to an open house yesterday for studios near my current area. Price range was within my limit but the units were so small. Like, one third of my room in Manila-- comes with a bathroom and kitchenette (two burner stove and mini ref)-- and rent is at $1095. I mean, really?? I am NOT that desperate to stay in this neighborhood. I really felt claustrophobic too. Hoping that the ones I see today (which are cheaper and bigger but farther away). Will take pictures and share them with you guys! haha.

Website: Ethos

Beautiful faces make ordinary clothes look a whole lot better. Take a peek and master the "faraway" look. hehe

http://ethosclothing.multiply.com/photos/album/13/LOOKBOOK_2009

Reading once again

I decided to put my Barnes/ Noble membership to use and ordered a couple of books from their site. I also wanted to see what was available in our student library. Here's what's on my reading list:

Emerson Library:
1. Garlic and Sapphires -- the secret life of a critic in disguise - Ruth Reichl
--- I was actually looking for Kitchen Confidential by Anthony Bourdain and stumbled upon this instead. Interesting and fun so far. She's the food critic for the NY Times and shares how she creates disguises for when she eats out. She also includes some of the reviews she's written and the story behind them.

2. Everything is Illuminated - Jonathan Foer
--- Heard good things about this and thought to give it a go... It's a movie now with Elijah Wood playing the lead.

B&N
1. Middle Place - Kelly Corrigan
2. Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman
3. The Lightning Thief - Rick Riordan

-- The last two are under children's books or young adults, I think.

Am also on the waiting list for My Sister's Keeper at the Boston Public Library... I am number 60 on the list BUT they have around 40 copies of the book daw so it shouldn't take long before it gets to me. At least that's what I hope.

Once I finish these, I think I will get Still Alice by Lisa Genova --- sounds like a sad story; it's about a woman who chronicles her descent into having Alzheimer's Disease. Fiction though.

What have you guys been reading?

And there's the Rub

... between my thighs and jeans. eeek. haha. It took three days for the calories to settle in and finally show itself. Juice ko, all that deprivation (July 17 and 19) did not help at all. All it did was confuse my stomach. Hay nako buko.

p.s. Has anyone seen the poster for the movie Orphanage along Edsa? It's the creepiest thing in the world! I swear, everytime I pass thru it, my heart gives a little scream!  

Dear Friend

Dear Friend,

I am left speechless at the heartbreak that you are going thru. I think that there are times when no explanation can justify a situation. I hesitate to send this to you because I know that you have come to question God's presence in this universe.  But I hope that you when you pass by this entry, you'll find comfort in these words:

At times, all of us will have people who leave our lives. They may not be bad people. It's just that the season for that relationship is over. We may not understand it, but God knows what He's doing.  

When somebody leaves your life, or a relationship is over - whether it is a business partner, a friend, a neighbor or a co-worker, don't get upset. Don't try to talk them into staying. Let God do the new thing. Understand that your destiny is not tied to the people who walk away from you.

When God is finished with something, there's no amount of glue that can hold it together. You might as well let it go and get ready fro something new that God wants to do in and through your life.

-Joel Osteen

Love, 

M

Better flight

Philadelphia airport
7.30AM

I left SF this evening and got on the red eye flight back to Boston. The flight was uber full and the plane's configuration had three columns of three row seats. My seat was in the middle, near the window. Since my flight going to SF wasn't the best in the world (ie two kids kept running up and down the aisle and every time the dad would stop the son, he'd shout and scream-- needless to say, I was unable to sleep and that was a 6am flight) I really hoped that this flight would be better...
I got to my seat and was beside a kid. He seemed to be 13 or 14, blond, blue eyed and had a slight awkwardness that comes with being an adolescent. We were both reading and it was announced that the in-flight movie would be Monsters Vs Aliens. Not the most exciting thing to watch. Needless to say-- about halfway through the thing, I started nodding off, my head lolling to his space and I would wake because of the falling motion. I tried fixing position a bit to sleep and tried to recline my seat but I couldn't do either. I was stuck at the upright position and it seemed I had nowhere to comfortably place my head to sleep. HASSLE. I guess the kid must have noticed because... he offered his window seat to me so that I can lean my head by the window. I accepted and we switched seats-- hard to do in a cramped space-- and I found myself trying to find a spot for my head by the window. It still wasn't easy but at least my head won't be invading anyone's space anymore. The kid was now stuck in the middle seat with two girls on either side trying to sleep. I guess he didn't want to disturb us 'cause I saw him trying to read by the light of either his ipod or a small flashlight.
So, while I was still unable to get a goodnight's rest, I was able to sleep for a bit and was happy that even if there were kids on the plane, they were well behaved and quiet this time around. Am waiting for my 9.30aAM flight to Boston and I cannot wait to go home and SLEEEEEEEEEP. Another thing I'm grateful for right now-- free wifi! Whee! Too bad I left my laptop adaptor in my bag which I checked-in. Haha.

Food Diary: July 16, 2009

I started the day with a healthy breakfast, oatmeal and coffee. I am off to a great start! However, by mid morning, I felt the familiar pangs of hunger which led me to eating pomelos for merienda. Still on the right track!  Note that I had to force myself to eat the fruit, as my law professor just told me the night before that I seemed to have gained weight. By noon, I couldn't wait to get my hands on my Savory (the chicken) lunch pack. This meal which I usually don't get to finish, vanished in ten minutes flat. Thought bubble: what is happening to me?!?  While working,  I tried to drown my hunger with green tea, but it seemed to just fuel my appetite for more food. So by 4pm, or as we fondly call it in the office "crossover time" (translation: panglipas gutom until dinner), I gave in to the ginataang mais and turon which were calling my name. Thought bubble no.2: I am not having dinner anymore! As I got home, my taste buds seem to be craving for something salty so I munched on kettle chips, reasoning that I won't have dinner anyway. But of course, I couldn't say no to the macaroni and cheese waiting by the dinner table. As I was on the path of eating everything on sight, I simply had to have those chocolate crisps for dessert.  This wouldn't be so bad if I just had a little of this and a little of that the whole day. but noooo I had to have the whole thing of everything. heehee. So there, heres to hoping that i can still button my jeans later!

Closing Cycles

Closing Cycles
by Paolo Coelho

One always has to know when a stage comes to an end.
If we insist on staying longer than the necessary time, we lose the happiness
and the meaning of the other stages we have to go through.

Closing cycles, shutting doors, ending chapters whatever
name we give it, what matters is to leave in the past the moments of life that
have finished. Did you lose your job? Has a loving relationship come to an end?
Did you leave your parents' house? Gone to live abroad? Has a long-lasting
friendship ended all of a sudden?

You can spend a long time wondering why this has happened.
You can tell yourself you won't take another step until you find out why
certain things that were so important and so solid in your life have turned
into dust, just like that.

But such an attitude will be awfully stressing for everyone
involved: your parents, your husband or wife, your friends, your children, your
sister, everyone will be finishing chapters, turning over new leaves, getting
on with life, and they will all feel bad seeing you at a standstill.

None of us can be in the present and the past at the same
time, not even when we try to understand the things that happen to us. What has
passed will not return: we cannot for ever be children, late adolescents, sons
that feel guilt or rancor towards our parents, lovers who day and night relive
an affair with someone who has gone away and has not the least intention of
coming back.

Things pass, and the best we can do is to let them really
go away. That is why it is so important (however painful it maybe!) to destroy
souvenirs, move, give lots of things away to orphanages, sell or donate the
books you have at home. Everything in this visible world is a manifestation of
the invisible world, of what is going on in our hearts and getting rid of
certain memories also means making some room for other memories to take their
place.

Let things go. Release them. Detach yourself from them.
Nobody plays this life with marked cards, so sometimes we win and sometimes we
lose. Do not expect anything in return; do not expect your efforts to be
appreciated, your genius to be discovered, and your love to be understood. Stop
turning on your emotional television to watch the same program over and over
again, the one that shows how much you suffered from a certain loss: that is
only poisoning you, nothing else.

Nothing is more dangerous than not accepting love
relationships that are broken off, work that is promised but there is no
starting date, and decisions that are always put off waiting for the ideal
moment. Before a new chapter is begun, the old one has to be finished: tell
yourself that what has passed will never come back. Remember that there was a
time when you could live without that thing or that person. Nothing is
irreplaceable. A
habit is not a need . This may sound so obvious,
it may even be difficult, but it is very important.

Closing cycles. Not
because of pride, incapacity or arrogance, but simply because that no longer
fits your life. Shut the door, change the record, clean the house, and shake
off the dust. Stop being who you were, and change into who you are.


"Live as if you were to die tomorrow.
Learn as if you were to live forever."

Optimists Creed

I Promise Myself
To be so strong that nothing can disturb my peace of mind.
To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person I meet.
To make all my friends feel that there is something worthwhile in them.
To look at the sunny side of everything and make my optimism come true.
To think only of the best, work only for the best
and to expect only the best.
To be just as enthusiastic about the success of
others as I am about my own.
To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to the
greater achievements of the future.
To wear a cheerful expression at all times and give a smile
to every living creature I meet.
To give so much time to improving myself that I
have no time to criticize others.
To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear
and too happy to permit the presence of trouble.
To think well of myself and to proclaim this fact to the world,
not in loud word, but in great deeds.
To live in the faith that the whole world is on my side,
so long as I am true to the best that is in me.

Up, up, and away...

... to San Francisco!

I'm leaving for San Fo in 2 hrs. and everytime I go away (as if madalas diba) I always want to make sure the apartment is nice and clean. So tonight, after packing I started to put things back where they should be and started wiping up dusty corners. I also did the dishes, threw out the remaining produce I had in the ref-- broccoli that was starting to reek. ew. sayang. -- and cleaned my counter with disinfectant wipes.
When I leave for the airport, I'll have to drop off my rent check at the mailbox and throw my trash.

I think I have everything I need... so now, I will try to take a nap before leaving. Haha. Will have to call a cab pa pala. Hope I get to sleep on the plane!

Table Top: Apartment 1B

Located in a building in Makati is this little restaurant called Apartment 1B. Liked the decor, interior and loved the seats i specifically reserved. It actually felt like I was in the sala of a friend. The only flaw to its quaint feel was that the table behind me were as noisy as a bunch of teenagers after a rock concert. The woman's laugh sounded like a hayena crying in pain.

We ordered the samosas.. YUMM!

The steak with fries was normal. Nothing spectacular, as expected because it isn't a steakhouse.

The meatloaf was normal.

The prawns were big but the cucumber mixed in with the pasta did not do it for me. It just made the pasta itself feel too crunchy.

We tried 3 desserts.

The Apple crumble was too hot, the ice cream on top felt warm.

The Cheesecake was so so.

The Panacotta was the best of the 3.

I guess it has a homey feel to it because it also serves homey food. Everything was just okay.
All in all I give Apartment 1B 7 *s. Just a passing grade.
There's nothing to complain about but nothing to rave about either.
I let this one pass because the samosas were great.

Table Top: Charlie's

How do I start? Charlie's famous Angus burger. Everyone's talking about it. Expect to see alot of people there when you go during dinner time. Its literally beside a carshop that goes on fixing cars thru the night. It's noisy and dirty outside, crowded and plain inside. If I sound like i'm complaining... It's only about the ambiance. Going on to the more important stuff, the FOOD. I loved it. It fulfilled expectations and then some.


Loved the Burger.
Loved the price. 175Php with Fresh cut fries.

Loved the menu.

Loved the fries.

Loved the hotdog.
Loved it all! Who cares about the noise. Who cares abt the heat if your seated outside. Who cares about anything when you have the huge ass burger in your hands and the juice from it is oozing down your palms.

The only complaint I heard that night was that the burger was too mashed up. It didnt hold up well as you were eating it. But all in all a good experience.

I give Charlie's a total of
9 *s for the awesome burger and value for your money.
(and the rest don't matter.)

I Wonder What's Inside

Saw this truck while i was in the car... along edsa.

Neck Deep

These past two weeks have been a roller coaster ride in the office. But nothing preoccupies your mind better than work and more work. So I'm not complaining.

Today, I am neck deep in documents, with three paper cuts to prove it. I can't wait to reward myself with a wagyu burjer (haha). Set the date girls! 

Michael Jackson

I think it's time one of us wrote about Michael Jackson. I didn't realize until now, (1 wk after his death) that I wasn't much of a fan after all. I did NOT cry. I did NOT start to play his songs repeatedly. I did NOT search in youtube for his videos. I did NOT turn on the TV to watch tributes to him. So maybe i'm not the best person to write this but let me try.

There isn't anybody alive on this earth whose life has not been touched by him. I don't mean touched in an under the covers, underage kind of way (hehe. I needed to say that.) I'm sure that every human being on this earth has heard 1 of his songs. Maybe thats why it's such a big deal that he passed away. Michael Jackson is dead. It took me a few hours to realize what that meant and i went on with my day. Hubby said to me, maybe bec you weren't a big fan. I always thought i was.

rewind to more than 10years ago...
I sit on the floor of my room. I play the cd again and record the song into my casette tape. I just have to have it in both my walkman and discman. The cd is michael jackson, Dangerous.

I walk in the mall with my dad and ask him to pls buy me a cd even if its double disc and super duper expensive. It's michael jackson's History.

My grandmom is walking towards the house. I dont want to talk to her so I turn on the music i think will drive her away. It's Black or White.

I watch MTV, waiting in the dark for my favorite video, You Are Not Alone. I am amazed at how white this guy is. I feel reassured that I am not alone, because he IS here with me.

He comes to the Philippines for his concert, I try in vain to ask if I can go and watch. Of course i couldn't. The tickets were 10,000php. You might as well have priced them at 1 million because at that age, those two numbers were just as far away from my allowance as possible. The night of the concert, i turn off the lights in my room and I play my cds. I hold a flashlight in the air and i wave it. I close my eyes and pretend i was there.

In school, i take off my shoes and try to dance the moonwalk.

Present...
Maybe im not a big fan, i dont wear white socks with bitin pants. I dont wear gloves. I dont have curly stringy hair. I dont grab my crotch. But his songs do echo in my head... his lyrics i know i've used... his dance moves im SURE i've tried to copy. And I know for certain that his music will really live on forever. So, here's to the King of Pop, the man in the mirror, the guy who's both black and white, mr. hoo hoo hee hee, Michael Jackson thank you for being there. You will be missed.

Over Worked

What work does to a genius... was chatting with her and this it how it went...

me: we have to eat in lusso din. wagyu burger!
Jeanius: where's that apala?
me: gb5. beside myrons ata eh
Jeanius: ohhhhh the really know one! haven't noticed it yet
me: yan na ang plans ah
me: the really KNOW ONE??
me: OMG
Jeanius: i can't even explain why ganyan hahaha

25 songs

Sometime ago I said I would do this... and so, here I am, about to write up my own list of 25 songs :) I guess these are just some of the songs that have memories/ emotions attached to them or sometimes I just really like the music & lyrics-- which is what makes them stand out...

1. Welcome to the Jungle - Guns and Roses
2. Any Lucky Penny - Nikki Hassman
3. Details in the Fabric - Jason Mraz
4. Fire and Rain - James Taylor
5. Ocean Drive - Lighthouse Family
6. Better Together - Jack Johnson
7. Ang Aking Awitin - Bong Gabriel
8. #41 - Dave Matthews Band
9. Ants Marching - Dave Matthews Band
10. Clair de Lune - Debussy
11. Flying Away - Moony
12. Anything by Chicane
13. Most of U2
14. Most of Coldplay
15. Most of Kaskade
16. Do What You Have To D0 - Sarah Mclachlan
17. Hold On - Sarah Mclachlan
18. Good Enough - Sarah Mclachlan
19. All I Want - Toad the Wet Sprocket
18. Let Me In - Mike Francis
20. Tonight Tonight - Smashing Pumpkins
21. Here Comes the Sun - Beatles
22. Stay - Dave Matthews Band
23. You Are The Universe - Brand New Heavies
24. Spinning Mary - Sugar Ray or Brian Eno
25. Sorry - Maria Mena