on burgers and sandwiches

on our way back after the trip to the minizoo in tagaytay, we took a stop at mushroomburger tagaytay. it was a rather hurried stop because we wanted to be home before it was dark, so we ordered to go.

mushroomburger is an easy spot along the national highway in tagaytay. a few blocks from mc donald's and a several other mainstream fast food chains and restaurants.

mcdo tagaytay

i intended to take pictures of the burgers and sandwiches we ordered. unfortunately, we got a flat tire a few metres from the store and we had to eat our sandwiches along the road with the hazard sign flashing and some helpful strangers helping us out with the flat tire.and, as much as we wanted to be home before dark, well, there are things we try to avoid but still happen.

i ordered the sandwich instead of the burger. it was an entirely non-meat sandwich, and surprisingly, i enjoyed it. my younger cousins enjoyed it too, they had the mushroomburger with cheese (this one had beef patties). the sandwich was quite filling, i only ate an apple and dalandan for dinner that night and a full load of coffee and tea.

according to a friend, mushroomburger has another branch in quezon city, for some, it's the experience in tagaytay that makes the big difference. in any case, i would like to try their spaghetti next time to see if it perks up my appetite again.

moonlighting halloween

see more pictures in this album

are we a nation of fools?

the height of farce in filipino politics

Glorietta bombing a mistake, not an accident - INQUIRER.net

http://opinion.inquirer.net/inquireropinion/columns/view_article.php?article_id=96355#

by Neal Cruz, As I See It

horror stories

i am supposed to be breaking my back ghost-writing for the next three weeks, but i have my reasons for not doing that now. in a week, it'll be november and that means i'll have less time to finish that writing assignment, but i'm cool, well, trying to be cool (believe me, i just got reborn.)

september, october, november, december...

before christmas, there is undas, the closest we have as a filipino equivalent for halloween. a twin bill holiday very much anticipated by the working population, it'll be a long weekend for everyone (all saints' day and all souls' day falling on a thursday and a friday). many folks will be going home to their provinces to visit their beloved departed. it is also around this time that we hear a loads of spooky stories. horror movie marathons are aired in every movie channel, local talk shows and documentary programs feature the supernatural.


i remember the magandang gabi bayan episodes for undas. we always saw it at home together. and we'd ask somebody to wait on us to go to the bathroom afterwards. of all the horror stories, i am most afraid of spirits possessing living bodies. i can dance with the idea of having kapres and dwendes but not when it's about evil spirits. which is why one of the scariest local horror films for me (which i think my sister and i share) is patayin sa sindak si barabara. as for the international horror films, there are several which make the list:

1. sixth sense (hands down)
2. the eye
3. shutter (i think this film was quite absurd, but it still gives me goosebumps especially when i think of my scoliosis and the thought that a spirit is actually sitting on my back, causing my spine to curve, hehe)

i can't remember other films but scenes i am most scared of are those where the main character washes his face (thus closing his eyes) and finds a floating gory face inches from his own when he opens his eyes, with matching quiet, eerie mood in the background. there is a similar scene where the girl covers herself with the sheets only to find the spirit she was hiding from right under the covers! waaah!

among the popular ghost stories, the most terrifying is the one where the spirit mocks you while praying. it's like being robbed of your last defense.

but then there are the real horror stories. if you want to hear them, you need not go too far. the really horrifying stories are the ones we immerse ourselves in our ordinary days. especially when you call yourself a filipino. perhaps you get the drift.

the exorcism of emily rose will be featured on hbo at 11 tonight. my mother is looking forward to watching it together later.

i am not.

24 summers wishlist

noong ako ay naging beinte kwatro, sabi ko, sana, katumbas ng bawat isang taon na inilagi ko sa mundo mula noong 1983, mabigyan ng katuparan ang isa sa aking mga kahilingan. dahil marunong akong magbilang, at one ikwals one, meron akong dalawmput apat na kahilingan na matutupad. tutal, malapit na rin naman magpasko. baka mayroon pang bonus.

noon hindi pa ako isang nilalalang na labis na abala sa mga bagay-bagay na inaakala ng karamihan na importante, naglilista ako taon-taon ng mga kahilingan ko para sa isang taon. nilalaman ng sulatin ang mga kahilingan ko para sa sarili ko, sa mga mahala ko sa buhay, maging para doon sa medyo may nagawang hindi maganda sa akin (naisip kong mas madali itong gawin noon kay sa kapag tumanda ka na, bakit kaya?). hindi ko na alam kung bakit ako nahinto sa paggawa ng listahan na ito.

ngunit ngayon, pagkatapos ang hayatus na mahigit dalawang taon, nagbabalik ang aking wishlist.kakailanganin kong itago sa ibang pangalan o simbolo ang mga kaugnay na tao sa listahang ito. ganunpaman, alam kong magiging epektibo o mabisa pa rin ang powers ng wishlist ko.

1. mabuting kalusugan ng lahat ng taong pinapahalgahan ko
2. patuloy na mapahalagahan ang pamilya
   
3. payapang isipan at kaligayahan
   
4. para kay A, B, C (at sa mga gusto pang magpadagdag sa listahan). hindi ako kabilang dito, isinuko ko na ang slot ko para sa iba, hehe. (i-PM ako kung gusto malaman kung kasali kayo dito hehe)
   
5. wasto at mabuting mga pagdedesisyon sa buhay
6. masasayang panahon kasama ang mga taong mahahalaga sa akin
7. maraming pagkakataong magawa ang mga bagay na nakapagpapasiya sa akin at sa aking kapwa (tunog panatang makabayan na, hehe)
8. proteksyon laban sa masasamang elemento
   
9. maraming magagandang surpresa sa buhay
10. pag-unlad sa kaisipan at paggawa
11. pambili ng mga"kailangang" gadyets
12. makapagtipid ng luha
    
13. makapag-ipon ng masasayang alaala
14. bawasan ang masamang emosyon na nakakapanghina
15. matutong magbigay ng genuine na papuri sa mabuting gawa ng iba
16. mahabang inuman ng kape ng wala nang panginginig
17. magkaroon ng oras para sa pagpapaphinga at pagbabasa
18. mapangalagaan ang mga tunay na kaibigan
19. makagawa ng isang bagay na hindi pa man nagagawa
20. bawasan ang pagiging masalita, bagkus ay matutong makinig sa sasabihin ng iba
21. magpatawa ng mga nalulungkot (pati na ang sarili)
22. huwag baliwalain ang mga nakikitang mali sa paligid
23. maging cool at steady lang
24. pagtibayin ang spiritwalidad

mistulang new year's resolution ang ilan sa nakasulat sa aking wishlist. kasama syempre sa mga kahilingang ito ang kahilingan na matupad sila. hehe. sa lahat ng taong bumuo at naging bahagi ng aking beinte kwatro, salamat at mahal ko kayo maligayang beinte kwatro sa akin

losing weight

there is diet. exercise and diet. exercise. pills. slimming tea. fat-burning concoctions.then there's liposuction. a pool of consumer products and services target the weight-obsessed market. although i refuse to be labelled weight-obsessed, i'm keen on keeping my weight down, largely because, ang hirap buhatin ng sarili ko, .

my appetite is not what you would consider humongous, i seldom get second-helpings, only when mama cooks her famous adobo, hehe, it's bad for the control-you-appetite-scheme when she cooks it every week, no one can resist her adobo, otherwise, you can eat it all the days of your life, hehe. my metabolism seems to be the problem. i burn the calories slowly. i lack physical activity, and although i dissent that my dislike for sleeping has anything to do with my slow metabolism, my mother tells me, it can affect my metabolic activities too.

bmi-wise (body mass index), i still have the normal weight. but then i miss feeling lightweight. i seem to have advanced several divisions from lightweight faster than i thought. may be it comes with age, and i don't even have skinny genes on my side . while i am at it, support groups are very much welcome.

what's all the fuss with losing weight? it is not really about conforming to the common social standard that to be thin/slim is beautiful. (remember the dove campaign for real beauty? ) besides, i am the last person who would concern herself with beauty matters. I am after feeling good, more than looking wow! hehe.

simultaneous with physically losing weight, i have a lot to work on another kind of losing weight. it's time for an emotional makeover. i have scheduled an indefinite period of emotional detox program, free from useless worries and embrace freedom with a much needed release from frustrations. between these two kinds of weight-loss, the latter would certainly give me the feeling wow! i have always wanted. again, support groups are always welcome.

nick hornby's polysyllabic spree

polysyllabic spree is a collection of nick hornby's column in "the believer", a literary magazine which also features other artforms. a kind friend lent me her copy for my birthday (it was so sweet of her to have me read her book before she did, hehe), no, this book is mine. :p
in his columns, hornby writes about the books he bought, read, did not finish, and those which he intends to read and finish. his words are appealing in a way that he makes it really comfortable, whatever it is he had to say. he tackles why we even read the books we read, or why we choose the books we read; and why we end up having all these books over the years-- while some remain unopened others are re-read over time. i am not yet done reading the book because i wanted to take my time hehe (savoring the marrow so to speak). for those who are looking for good reads, you might actually find them here (the column itself and the books he mentions in his columns). it could be the best 278-page book catalogue you can get. ;)

cat's cradle

the cat in the picture is a stray cat at the zoo (when my mother saw this picture, she thought cats were now also caged in zoos, on display, that thought gave us a laugh). cat's cradle is a game kids play just about anywhere especially during break time and on their way home on board their school buses. if my memory serves me well, it was even part of the intro of the maskman tv series in the late '80s. the game is played in pairs with the objective of forming a cat's cradle after alternately passing a piece of string tied at the ends (forming a circle) from your hand to that of your friend's. it's amazing how we can be happy playing these games when we were kids. for those who'd love to try it again, for one nostalgic reason or another, here's how to do cat's cradle.

let that be enough (by switchfoot)

Wish I had what I needed

To be on my own

'Cause I feel so defeated
And I'm feeling alone
And it all seem so helpless
And I have no plans
I'm a plane in the sunset
With nowhere to land

And all I see
it could never make me happy
and my sand castles spend their time collapsing

chorus:
Let me know that you hear me
Let me know your touch
Let me know that you love me
Let that be enough

It's my birthday tomorrow
No one here could know
I was born this Thursday
22 years ago
And I feel stuck watching history repeating
Yeah who am I just a kid who knows he's needy.

Let me know that you hear me
Let me know your touch
Let me know that you love me
Let that be enough