[Project 297] Week 26

08.30.10
Day 174: Medical Cliché

Theme: Health Is Wealth.
Getting sick can be very expensive. The cost of a check-up plus the cost of medicines plus the cost of hospitalization... You do the math. To a common Juan, these expenses can be quite daunting. So what can Juan do? Simple. Live a healthy lifestyle. Throw away the bad habits like smoking and drinking. Eat right. Exercise regularly. Drink 8 glasses of water a day. And don't forget the vitamins. As the cliché goes, prevention is better than cure. And it's a lot cheaper too. :)

08.31.10
Day 175: Masarap Inumin Lasang Ovaltine

Theme: Health Is Wealth.
"Great things start from small beginnings..."
For breakfast, I had a bowl of banana with nuts and Milo, Stresstabs, Centrum and Cecon. I call this the breakfast of champions. Hehe. Milo everyday, everyday oh-kay. Wait, I think I mixed that up. Nyaha.

09.01.10
Day 176: Rain, Rain, Go Away!

Been raining hard for three nights now. Traffic was choked in many places. It took us 3 hours from Makati to Marikina. ARGH. Kumikitid ba ang kalsada kapag umuulan?! Wehe.

09.02.10
Day 177: Sunshine Buddy

While I was busy doing some overtime work, Franz was busy playing some time-killer games at Timezone. And he was finally able to win this cute solar-powered orange guy from the Prize Cube! Cuteness! Hehe. :)

09.03.10
Day 178: It's so FLUFFFYYY!!!

After months of anticipation, I finally got to watch Despicable Me. It was a cute kiddie movie. There were times though that I almost fell asleep and I have to thank Agnes for keeping me awake. Hehe. I swear, she is the most adorable little girl, EVER! My eyes are totally glued on her every time she's on screen. Watching every twitch of her face, every look in her eyes, every sound she makes... God, I'd adopt her if she were real! She's soooo cute, I'm gonna die! Hehe. The minions were pretty entertaining too. Annoying at times, yes, but mostly entertaining. I wonder who's voicing them. Hehe.

09.04.10
Day 179: These Three Remain

Went to visit Drew with Meds and JM. It was really heart-breaking to see him in such a critical condition. Very far from his usual fun, lively and happy self. His mom told us that he fell into a coma last night. When one of the doctors arrived to check on Drew, her mom broke into tears. And that's something I could hardly bear. Felt a surge of emotions run through me. Feelings of sadness, of pity, of disappointment, of anger. It's just that, his family needs all the help they can get right now and I felt that they're not getting enough help. I dunno, I guess God is yet to touch other people's hearts. The doctor talked to the mom outside the ward. He told her that Drew's condition isn't getting any better and that they just have to wait. I couldn't even begin to imagine how painful that was for her, to hear those words from the doctor's mouth. When even the doctors have given up, I wanna believe that these three remain: Faith, Hope and Love. Faith, not in what the doctor just said, not in what we will to happen, but faith in His plans for Drew and his life.

Dear God, I'm lifting Drew up to You right now. Please lay Your healing hands on him. I also pray for his family, especially for his mom. Please give them the strength that they need and may they find comfort in Your presence.

Drew, hang tough. May lakad pa tayo diba? At sabi mo may ikkwento ka pa samen ni Meds..

09.05.10
Day 180: Orange You Glad?

Theme: Health Is Wealth.
So far, I've been successful at staying away from soda. With the exception of a regular Coke Zero I had last weekend for lunch. Screw fast food chains that don't offer an alternative to softdrinks other than water. Hehe. Nweiz, bought this bottle of orange juice from the supermarket. That's 10 freshly squeezed oranges in a bottle! I know I couldn't eat that much in one sitting. And boy am I glad I could just drink it. :)

[Project 297] Week 25

08.23.10
Day 167: Shades Of Grey

Theme: Black And White.
I know a handful of people who find it difficult to distinguish certain hues of red from green and brown from red. But I never thought that there is such a thing as Monochromacy or total color blindness. It is a rare condition in which a person sees everything in black and white and shades of grey. Imagine living in a colorful world without the ability to see color. To never see and to never ever know how blue the sky is, or how golden the sunset is, or how mesmerizing the rainbow is. That no matter how many bowls of sinabawang gulay they eat, life would remain colorless.

08.24.10
Day 168: Plane Crazy

Theme: Black And White.
Contrary to popular belief, Steamboat Willie isn't Mickey's debut cartoon appearance. The silent version of Plane Crazy was first released on May 15, 1928, six months before the release of Steamboat Willie. But because the latter created so much buzz as the first animation with synchronized sound, it is the film that made Mickey into the famous mouse that he is now and is considered to be his first film.

08.25.10
Day 169: Bitter Sweet

Theme: Black And White.
Some like it bitter. Others like it milky and sweet. I love it any way I can get it. Hehe.

08.26.10
Day 170: Life In Monochrome

Theme: Black And White.
When I was a kid, all those old photographs and old films made me think that the world used to exist in black and white. Until a bag of Nips colored all the flowers and painted the trees and made a choco rainbow... NIPS! NIPS! Nyaha.

08.27.10
Day 171: Let The Games Begin

After hearing so much about The Hunger Games from Derick, I decided to grab my own copy. Now I can't wait to crack open the book and join Katniss Everdeen as she struggles to survive in a sick game of kill-or-be-killed.

08.28.10
Day 172: Bloooduh!

Theme: Black And White.
One! One puting puto! Hahahahaha! Two! Two puting puto! Hahahahaha! Puto at dinuguan - satisfying the Count Dracula Alice Cullen in me. Hihi. =P~

08.29.10
Day 173: Flip Flap

After countless Powercard swipes and numerous failed attempts, we were finally able to bag a Flip Flap from the Prize Cube machine in Timezone! Woot woot! :)

[Project 297] Week 24

08.16.10
Day 160: Who's Killing Who?

Theme: Killing Time.
Some people smoke to kill time. While smoking is slowly killing them too.

08.17.10
Day 161: Checkmate

Theme: Killing Time.
Saw these men playing a game of chess along a street in Mandaluyong. Honestly, I'm no big fan of games that require more mind than might. If I were to play a game, I prefer something that will require me to move, something that will make me sweat. Like basketball. Hehe. But I really admire people who can play chess and play the game well. Even more so, the onlookers who could patiently watch every move, every idle gesture for hours and hours without getting bored.

08.18.10
Day 162: Killed The Enemy

Theme: Killing Time.
They say Time is our worst enemy. So I did us all a favor and killed it. Just a literal take on this week's theme. Hehe.

08.19.10
Day 163: ImagineNation

Theme: Killing Time.
Reading books and watching movies are two of my favorite ways to kill time. Both offer a momentary escape from reality. Both could transport me to different places. Different worlds, even. Both allow me to meet new characters and eventually get to know them like they were real people. I hear their laughter and share their joy. I feel their pain and share their tears too. The only difference is that reading leaves room for imagination. I translate words into scenes. I imagine how the characters look like, the setting, the sounds, the smell. Movies, on the other hand, do not leave much to the imagination. It is entertainment served on a silver platter - background music, special effects and all. And I admit that I am now more a couch potato than I am a bookworm. Hence the rusty imagination.

08.20.10
Day 164: What The--?!

Theme: Killing Time.
I sometimes read car plates to pass time. Especially when traffic is heavy. And I find it interesting when I spot car plates that read WTFxxx, LOLxxx, RIPxxx or any other three-letter acronym. Wala lang. Hehe.

08.21.10
Day 165: Time For Fun

Theme: Killing Time.
When there's a lot of time to kill and a couple of hundreds to burn, Timezone is the place to be! Haha.

08.22.10
Day 166: Cheap Thrills

Theme: Killing Time.
Most people kill time at the mall. It's where we go shopping, it's where we dine, and it's where we catch the latest flick. But going to the mall doesn't always have to burn a hole in our pockets. No budget for a new pair of shoes? Go window shopping. No extra money for a snack? Go to the supermarket and fall in line for free tastes. Movie ticket too expensive? Go people watching! Love or hate their fashion sense! That's what I do. Hehe.

[Project 297] Week 23

08.09.10
Day 153: Numero Romano

Theme: Numb3rs.
I remember enjoying Math during my early years as a student. I could count, I could add, I could do long divisions. Getting the common denominator was a piece of cake. And so was solving ratio and proportion problems. The Letters slowly crept into my world of numbers and I welcomed it with open arms. V is 5, X is 10, C is 100, MCMLXXXV is 1985. Sure, why not?

But the Letters wanted more. They wanted more attention and they wanted their presence felt. They started spending more time with the Numbers and were always found together in a single equation. I've no problem with them hitting it. But when they kept losing their values and bugging me to find it for them, that's when I lost my cool. 2x + ix + 3y + iy = 12 + 5i. Find the value of x and y. Ugh, fuck it.

08.10.10
Day 154: The Square Root of 1089 is 33.

Theme: Numb3rs.
Was finally able to set foot on our building's 33rd floor. After doing some speed test, TD Albert <./TD> (Sorry, couldn't control my impulse to close that TD tag. Hehe.) treated me and Rose to a sashaaaal snack at the Tower Club. The food costs an arm and a leg. No, make that two legs. Hehe. Albert ordered some fries, fish and chips, and a clubhouse sandwich, which also had fries on the side. No rice for lunch and a feast of fries for merienda! Haha. Wasak. Thanks TD Albert! <./TD>

08.11.10
Day 155: Roses Are Red, Violets Are Blue. Fuck You, Whore!

Theme: Numb3rs.
(500) Days of Summer is not a love story. It is a story about love. And it easily earned a spot on my "Favorite Movies of All Time" list, with its beautiful cinematography, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, unique storytelling, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, snappy dialogues, Joseph Gordon-Levitt and lovely soundtrack. Oh, and did I mention the cuteness that is Joseph Gordon-Levitt as one of the reasons why I so love this film?!

08.12.10
Day 156: On Sale

Theme: Numb3rs.
When prices are cut down to almost half the original tag, bring out your cash and go shopping! :)

08.13.10
Day 157: Friday The 13th

Theme: Numb3rs.
Today's Friday the 13th. So what? Thirteen is just a number and today is just another Friday. No bad luck, no bad things happening, no nothing. Tomorrow it's gonna be Saturday the 14th. Now that's scary. Haha.

08.14.10
Day 158: Hyuk Pil

Hyuk Pil is an ancient form of letter art from Korea. The art originated from China as Long Feng Zhi and was adopted by the Koreans, branding it with their own style and representation.

Ran across these two Korean Hyuk Pil artists in Megamall. We first watched them do their thing. Every brush stroke turned a bunch of letters into beautiful art! At first I was a bit hesitant to shell out 300 pesos for it. But on second thought... Hehe. In less than 3 minutes, we had our names written on a piece of paper adorned with plants, birds, butterflies and sunsets. Very impressive!

08.15.10
Day 159: The Mark Of The Beast

Theme: Numb3rs.
"He was given power to give breath to the image of the first beast, so that it could speak and cause all who refused to worship the image to be killed. He also forced everyone, small and great, rich and poor, free and slave, to receive a mark on his right hand or on his forehead, so that no one could buy or sell unless he had the mark, which is the name of the beast or the number of his name. This calls for wisdom. If anyone has insight, let him calculate the number of the beast, for it is man's number. His number is 666."
~Revelation 13:15-18

[Project 297] Week 22

08.02.10
Day 146: Crumpled Cube

Theme: Quote-ography.
"The more difficult something is, the more rewarding it is in the end."
~Edward Bloom (Big Fish)

08.03.10
Day 147: Crossing The Line

Theme: Quote-ography.
"No matter what they tell you, you don't have to stay within the lines."
~Molly Mahoney (Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporium)

08.04.10
Day 148: Raise Your Fist

Theme: Quote-ography.
"It is the eternal right of every man to raise his fist against his fate."
~Daniel Webster (The Devil & Daniel Webster)

08.05.10
Day 149: El Despertar Turns Six

Happy 6th birthday, my dear blog! Thanks for accepting anything and everything I had to say, even if at times I didn't make sense. Now blow your candle and make a wish! Happy birthday! ^_^

08.06.10
Day 150: From Bud To Blossom

Theme: Quote-ography.
"The day came when the risk it took to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom."
~Anaïs Nin

08.07.10
Day 151: The Eye

Theme: Quote-ography.
"Sight is about what lies right in front of us. Vision is what lies ahead."
~Johnny Whitefeather (Imagine That)

08.08.10
Day 152: A Thousand Deaths

Theme: Quote-ography.
"Every man dies but not every man really lives."
~William Wallace (Braveheart)

[Project 297] Week 21

07.26.10
Day 139: Totem

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Red.
Watched Inception last Friday and it was really an excellent mind-boggling movie. While it left so much to think about and talk about, this entry won't be a review nor a discussion of the movie's plot, or what I understood of it at least.

I was a looking through a stack of photographs. Baby pictures of me with my parents, me with my grandparents, me with people I could barely recall. And then a familiar voice pulled me out of the scene.

Woke up in the living room of our old house. It was 4am in the morning. My mom was preparing breakfast. Dino was all geared up for an outing. Mico's school service arrived but he wasn't home and nobody seemed to notice. We all fell silent for a minute. Waiting. For what exactly, I don't know. But we waited still. Mico arrived home from God-knows-where. He looked wasted. His hair was long and messy and he had this blonde highlights. And he looked a lot thinner. (Yeah, I just had to mention that. Hehe.) My mom asked him where he had been but he did not respond. Told him to prepare for school but he told us he wasn't going.

I was jolted awake and once again I found myself in the living room. It no longer felt like a dream. I thought I was out of my dream world. Until I saw my lola and my already dead lolo outside our house. Didn't actually saw their faces but I knew it was them. I was suddenly aware. I started counting the levels of my dreams and I counted four. Tried to notice any weird projections. Who is the Extractor? Who is the Architect? Am I looking at my projection of my mom or is she the Forger? I wanted to wake up. I closed my eyes really tight, tried to snap back to reality. But no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't do it. So I called my mom. I told her that I was dreaming and that she had to wake me up. My mom looked at me crazy. I told her that it's July 2010 and she told me that it's only December 28, 1938. I asked her to stick a knife on me. I begged my mom to kill me. She was worried about how I was acting. I told her that it was the only way I could jump back to the real world. She shook me so hard I thought my neck was gonna snap. Or maybe it did. And I was finally awake.

In my dream, I counted four levels. Now I could only remember three. I wonder, is this really my mom asking me if I'm reporting for work today? Am I really typing this on my computer at 6:30 in the morning? Is this my reality? Or am I stuck in a limbo? Without a totem, without a touchstone to the real world, how am I to know?

07.27.10
Day 140: Many Mini Magnet Mo

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Orange.
Midori magnet sets are cute miniature magnets from Japan. I remember back in Tsukiden, this is what most of us want as pasalubong. Almost every CPU is decorated with these little but powerful magnets. And we wonder why our computers crash. Hehe.

07.28.10
Day 141: D'Oh!

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Yellow.
The Simpsons is my second favorite cartoon series. Next to South Park, of course. Hehe. Homer isn't my favorite Simpson. But he never fails to crack me up with his funny and often stupid lines.

Homer: "I'm normally not a praying man, but if you're up there, please save me Superman."

07.29.10
Day 142: Go Green

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Green.
Greenpeace exists because this fragile earth deserves a voice. It needs solutions. It needs change. It needs action.

07.30.10
Day 143: Back Stitch

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Blue.
A nice back pocket embroidery is a must-have whenever I buy a pair of jeans. :)

07.31.10
Day 144: Identity Crisis

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Indigo.
So many questions in life that I still don't have the answers to. Questions like, "What is my purpose in life?", "Am I shaped by destiny or am I the shaper of my destiny?", "What came first, the chicken or the egg?", blah-bity-bloo-blah. But among all these, there's this one question that's been nagging me and causing me countless sleepless nights...

"What the @#$% is Grimace?"

I mean, really. In McDonaldLand, we have a clown, a thief who steals burgers, a giant bird, and a pair of pom-poms-looking "fry guys". But what the @#$% is Grimace? An Ube McFlurry? A purple Chicken McNugget? Or a grape-flavored extra rice? What the fudge??!! Haha.

08.01.10
Day 145: Lone Bloom

Theme: Roy G. Biv - Violet.
Destined to bloom alone in a sea of green.

[Project 297] Week 20

07.19.10
Day 132: Black And White And Blue

Theme: Bluer Than Blue.
That's Franz wearing his favorite color! If my memory serves me right, I think we bought this shirt at SM Pampanga while waiting for the Hot Air Balloon Night Glow last February 13. ^_^

07.20.10
Day 133: Keep Refrigerated

Squash-flavored ice candy! My mom used to make these when we were kids. Perhaps it was her sneaky way to get us to eat vegetables. Hehe. Call it weird, call it yucky, call it whatever you want, but I swear it actually tastes really good and it's healthy! And that rarely goes hand in hand. =P~

07.21.10
Day 134: Two Years

Franz and I decided to celebrate our 2nd year at Tagaytay. It was a last minute decision to take a leave from work and go on a road trip instead.

Left our house at around 10:30am. Arrived at Tagaytay just in time for lunch. Grabbed a bite at Josephine Restaurant. We were about to finish our plates when the rain decided to pay a rather heavy visit. Our plans of going to the Picnic Grove, Flower Farm, and Sonya's Garden got washed-up. Huhu. With no signs of the rain letting up, we thought of heading back to Manila. But no, we did not drive for 2 hours just to have lunch. We won't let the rain... well, rain on our parade. Hehe.

Went to the People's Park in the Sky, the late President Marcos' unfinished mansion. It was a creepy-looking building riddled with leaks, rusty pipes and molds. I don't think it's even worth the Php15 entrance fee. On second thought, had it not been raining, it could make a perfect setting for a photo shoot. Nweiz, after snapping some shots around the building, we decided to call it a day.

We kinda got lost on our way home and decided to just follow the buses going to Manila. We ended up driving through Cavite - from Silang, to Dasmariñas, to Imus, to Bacoor. Haha. We really don't mind the road trip, but the traffic was horrible! Lesson learned: Do not go on a road trip without a map. Hehe.

Happy 2nd year anniversary, Furanzu! May we always be. :*

07.22.10
Day 135: Water Spill

I accidentally spilled some water on my lap while we were having lunch. Got really excited when I saw the form that it took. For me it looked like a girl on a pony tail riding the waves. Others saw a person playing badminton, doing a serve. What do you see?

07.23.10
Day 136: Brazil

Theme: Bluer Than Blue.
Viva Brasil! Viva Kaká! ^_^

07.24.10
Day 137: Got Milk?

Theme: Bluer Than Blue.
Twist it, lick it, dunk it. Just like a professional basketball player. :)

07.25.10
Day 138: Blue Sky

Theme: Bluer Than Blue.

"No one else has ever shown me how
To see the world the way I see it now
Oh I, I never saw blue like that before."
--- Never Saw Blue Like That, Shawn Colvin

[Project 297] Week 19

07.12.10
Day 125: I Can't Be

Theme: Imperfection.
And I quote myself, "I am far from perfect. I could spend an entire day counting the many mistakes that I have done and the many sins that I have committed, both in knowledge and in ignorance. But for every wrong step that I took, I learned. More than I could have any other way."

Original post: Perfect Mistake.

07.13.10
Day 126: Kahel

Theme: Imperfection.
It's easy to go unnoticed in a crowd where everyone looks the same. And it is those little imperfections that make you stand out.

07.14.10
Day 127: Make Me

Theme: Imperfection.
It is my imperfections that make me human. It is my imperfections that make me, ME.

07.15.10
Day 128: Manila Mania

Theme: Imperfection.
A signage that was probably brought down by typhoon Basyang's strong winds.

07.16.10
Day 129: Beauty Fades

Theme: Imperfection.
No matter how beautiful a flower is, it will eventually fade, wither and die. Just like you and me.

07.17.10
Day 130: Doodles On My Shoes

Thanks to Martin and Roxanne for this cute pair of shoes filled with the things I love! Want your own pair? Contact the Man In Pink. ^_^

07.18.10
Day 131: Torn

Theme: Imperfection.
My favorite pair of shorts. Stylishly faded and torn. :)