Not-so-Mental Snapshots 0727 - Hale at SM Southmall

This time, these are real pictures.

• Cae and I have waited long enough for Hale's SM Southmall gig (nag-ipon pa ng P299 si Cae to buy her 3rd Above, Over & Beyond CD). 


• Hale's SM mini-concerts would usually start around 6pm, but Southmall's Event Center was smaller so it was easy for Halers to fill it up.


• We saw Champ arriving with his sister Cher and mom.


• Later, Champ's mom joined the audience. I greeted her and she responded by offering her cheek. "Si Daddy po? I asked and she said, "Hindi na sumama."


• To my delight, Champ greeted me again while onstage, "Tita!"


• During the CD signing, Anna asked me, "Pang-ilan ninyo na yan, Tita?" She laughed when I said "Pangatlo na." Natawa din si Roll.


• Sheldon and Omnie have both slimmed down. Courtesy of Gold's Gym???


• New haircut for Roll.


• And kisses for and from Champ. That's me behind Cae and Champ. Paningit!

We love HALE!!!

• Afterwards, we had pepperoni pizza at Joey's, and Cae had brownie a la mode for dessert.


• While at Joey's, we were listening to a nearby concert. The group was singing mostly Beatles' tunes. Niloko namin si Alex, "Daddy, picture-an ka namin, dali."

Caehl's Latest Pics

Ayaw magpagupit.

Mental Snapshots 0724

• Joy and I went out for lunch, had shawarma and tokneneng (boiled quail eggs coated with orange-tinted batter then fried and eaten with sweet chili sauce or spicy vinegar). Hindi pa nagkasya, nag-kwek kwek (the boiled chicken egg version) pa siya.


• Passed by my derma’s clinic and had my hand checked up. Ok na daw but I still had to continue using the prescribed creams. Hindi na ko siningil ni Doc. From him, I learned that:




• clobetasol propionate is for inflammation; and


• ketoconazole is for fungal infections.


• I think I have to explain it further lest people think I’m kadiri.


• Several months ago, I had to do the laundry when our maid resigned. Red spots or irritations started to appear on my right hand, actually on my ring finger. Then they began to affect my middle finger and finally my index finger. Sometimes they would disappear, and then they would appear again. I just let them be, thinking that they would go way someday. Funny but my left hand was spared. Funny because you can’t do the laundry with one hand, can you? So if I was allergic to detergent powder, then they should have victimized both hands. But come to think of it, kawawa naman ako kung parehong kamay. Para pa naming pang-anak mayaman ang kamay ko.


• Doc advised me against using/being exposed to any detergent or dish washing liquid from then on. He was concerned, "Eh pano po yun, sino na ang gagawa?" When I replied that I have a maid already, he added, "Ah, masipag lang ho kayo talaga." Talaga!

Mental Snapshots 0726

Note: I will post my MS 0725 later. I left my file in the office.

• 3am: Alex departs for Mauban, Quezon.
• 9am: Hatid si Cae who will meet up with her teacher in TLE and classmates. They will go to Manila to purchase some project materials, the money for which has been with Cae for quite sometime. The money (and its safety) has been a concern because it’s quite a large amount and she used to bring it everyday to school. Until we decided she’d leave it in the house and would only bring it if it’s required by the teacher. Sinuportahan naman kami ng adviser niya.
• So ayun, meeting place was Jollibee Pacita. When we arrived, she said, ayun yung naka-yellow. I thought the guy was her classmate. It turned out he was the TLE teacher. Aba, ampogi pala ni Sir. Ang bata pa. But then, I consider anyone below my age as “bata” anyway.
• Then I had a ham-and-cheese omelet breakfast at Tropical Hut, just beside the supermarket. The omelet went well with a cup of coffee and a glass of pineapple juice. Hay, this is the life.
• It’s my 2^nd week to do grocery-shopping alone (Alex was also in Mauban last week). We usually do this together on Saturday mornings, mostly in SM Muntinlupa and Shopwise Festival Mall. It has become our Alex-Pam bonding time. It's nice to be alone even for two hours and have lunch together - something we don’t have or do on weekdays when we’re both busy and stressed out because of work. There was a Saturday when we suddenly thought of watching a movie (I think it was Hancock) after having lunch at the food court. Ang lamig tuloy sa loob kasi naka-pambahay lang kami. Minsan mabuti pa yung biglaan na ganun.
• But sometimes, ok lang mag-isa kasi pag kasama si Alex (at ung dalawang makulit), lumalaki ang grocery expenses ko. Dami kasing extra-curricular sa cart na wala sa listahan ko. Hmm, siguro, may built-in invisible magnet yung mga shopping carts ni Henry Sy at ng mga Tantoco. What do you think?
• In Mightee Mart, I couldn’t find the mami noodles I prefer so I made a quick dash to the wet market. I happen to pass by a toy kiosk and found a set of cars for Caehl. Yabang ko pa, then I suddenly asked Ate Tindera, “May pera ba ko?” Eh bakit siya ang tinanong ko. Buti na lang, out of my P2,000 grocery money, may sukli akong P200. Eh P180 yung toy, mawawalan ako ng tricycle fare. Buti na lang, I was able to haggle with her and had it at P150. Ang cute naman kasi, eh (asus, humirit pa).
  
• When I got home, Caehl was half-sleeping. Mamaya ko na lang ibibigay, pag gising na. Hope he likes it. 

Mental Snapshots - An Introduction

Sometimes there are so many things happening in a single day, some are trivial and some are worth recollecting when you’re about to pray and sleep at night. The happenings during the day make me laugh, smile, or frown. Sometimes, from them, I learn valuable lessons. Sometimes they are so senseless, but nevertheless are enough to make my day. Sometimes I could hardly contain my excitement that I would text my husband or my siblings or friends right away, to share the experience. Sometimes they seem so blog-worthy (at least for me) but alas, I wish I always have the time (and the Internet) to do it.

I’ve become a forgetful person (thanks to anesthesia) that sometimes, I want to put all those happenings and emotions and thoughts in a bottle, and write them down when I find the time (like now).  So I decided to come up with this to capture them somehow – and laugh, cry, or frown again and again.

 
July 23, 2008

• On my way to the office, it was quiet inside the van, as most of us were starting to doze off. Suddenly, the driver stepped on the brakes. I shouted, “Ay!!!” Shucks, ako lang ang nagreact at ako lang ang maingay. I said “Sorry” to my katabi and parang to everyone na din. But nobody was paying attention. Hmp, sayang lang sorry ko. Wala namang pumansin.
• The first day of our new boss – the big boss of Sales. He went straight to our floor (where he is temporarily based) and fortunately, he was greeted by one of our department heads. He proceeded to his room, and someone shouted, “Joh, ihatid mo naman si Sir.” So, takbo naman si Ms. Joh. Afterwards, our HR VP was rushing, too. “Ano ba yan, sabi ko sa guards, sa akin muna papuntahin. Hahahahahaha.” Don’t worry, that’s how she really laughs. It's contagious, mind you. But you end up laughing at her, not with her. Pero mabait naman si Ma'am.
• I found out later the bosses were giving a despedida dinner to our former big boss. And guess what, the dinner is free, courtesy of the cash prize Abi and I won in the Blazing Race. And I wasn’t even invited to the dinner. Sana masarap yung kinain nila.
• Preparing to go home, I took off my gold-and-brown high-heeled shoes. Putting them inside a plastic bag, I muttered, “Nag-heels pa naman ako. Akala ko i-introduce tayo kay Sir. Hindi pala.” Natawa tuloy sila. You see, I rarely wear heels in the office. It was supposed to be a special day. So I went home in my gold Crocs Prima.
• Inside the van, there was only me inside and a guy at the front seat. A woman opened the door and said, “Wala pang laman.” Inirapan ko nga, ano kaya kami? Loko siya.
• I love this Trebuchet font and I started to use them in all my correspondences. Cute di ba?
• I forgot to buy ballpens for Cae. Magagalit yun. Buti na lang, meron sa tindahan sa kanto. 5pesos lang.
• When Alex comes home, ikukuwento ko nga lahat ito.

The Dark Knight

Rating:	★★★★
Category:	Movies
Genre:	Action & Adventure

Are you in Heath?

Disclaimer: I am not a movie critic and I don’t know the scientific way of reviewing a film. Ergo, this is not a film review.

Synopsis courtesy of IMDb: Bruce Wayne/Batman (Christian Bale) continues to eliminate crime in Gotham City with the help of Lt. Jim Gordon (Gary Oldman) and District Attorney Harvey Dent (Aaron Eckhart). The Dark Knight wants to finally get rid of organized crime for good and be free of their corruption. Batman soon finds that a new psychopathic mastermind known as the Joker (Heath Ledger) has taken over organized crime. After the fall of Carmine Falcone, the remaining crime bosses try to pick up the pieces. However, the Joker is killing them off one by one. The Joker's plan is to terrify the citizens and throw the city into chaos, and then kill Batman. Batman takes the fight with the Joker personal, which makes him confront his own beliefs. The Joker is the most dangerous criminal that Batman has encountered, and he will need all his strength and vigilance to defeat him.


If Gotham City were real, I wouldn’t want to live there. Crimes happen in a blink of an eye, banks are robbed by clowns in broad daylight, terrorists are your friendly neighbors, and lives are taken in a snap.

The movie features a strong cast, with Christian Bale as Batman, Michael Caine, Aaron Eckhart, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Gary Oldman and Morgan Freeman. Bale is so far the only Batman I can put up with (I don’t really care much for ex-Bruce Waynes Keaton, Kilmer and Clooney).

We’ve all read how critics rave over the performance of the late Heath Ledger, with many of them pushing for an Oscar nomination. “Ledger offers perfect pitch, perfect tone, his Joker hits all the right notes,” said Sam Rubin, an LA entertainment correspondent.

Another also said that his performance here is even better than his Brokeback Mountain role for which he was nominated for an Oscar. I so totally agree. I watched BM and his Ennis Del Mar portrayal was truly breath-taking. He wasn’t just Ennis, he breathes Ennis.

I read in a Dark Knight review that perhaps, it helped that Ledger was hidden behind make-up so we can focus on the character and forget (even for a while) the actor’s fate.

In the latter part of the movie, while suspended upside down from a rope, the Joker smiles and tells Batman: "I think you and I are destined to do this forever." For Joker, yes, but unfortunately not for Heath.

Some Joker scenes to watch out for: the “disappearing pencil”, a psycho-terrorist walking away in a nurse uniform, and a silent shot of him aboard a police car, hair blown by the wind.

Directed by Christopher Nolan.
Now Showing in your favorite theaters.
Catch the “Dark Night”, chase him if you can.

Pick Pics

wala lang, just a compilation of latest pics taken

Chef Rob Gets Married

My favorite chef, Chef Rob Pengson finally tied the knot with Chef Sunshine (or Ana Christina Yuchengco Puey, granddaughter of Alfonso T. Yuchengco) last Saturday July 5 at the National Shrine of the Sacred Heart (San Antonio Village, Makati City).

The Squids

From left, Azalea, Piya, me and Kuya