Groge! (beer, thai food, movies and basketball)

and that's my weekend, a merry mixture of almost everything.

friday: the end-of-term party for the school.

we trooped to Pier One in Pasong Tamo extension (there is one in Fort Bonifacio, why we're in this branch is beyond me, so don't ask hehe). as usual, beer was served before anything else (the barrel of draft beer reminds me of my drinking sessions with friends a couple of years back wherein we can go one-barrel-per-person-drink-till-you-drop spree, but now, i can no longer do that, mahina na ko sa inom). it was a fun night of booze (more beer!) and games (give it to the Japanese teachers for the clever games of guess-if-it-is-ten-seconds-already or move peanuts from one plate to another using a CHOPSTICK or draw Frankenstein in five seconds or arm wrestling) and foods.

the food combination i thought was weird, imagine eating fried garlic rice with sisig, blue marlin and sinigang na hipon WITH PIZZA on the side, or drinking beer alongside buko juice??? hahaha, or while we are eating our dessert (leche flan that i think needs more milk and less of the syrup), we were served with steamed kangkong??? how's that for an experience? we just laugh at it, maybe the person in-charge with the party wanted to try everything on the menu or maybe, just maybe, do not know what food goes with.

groge with too much booze, i arrived at the house 12 midnight and ten minutes later, off to dreamland.

saturday: hataw na!

i woke up at 8 am (for a hectic saturday, this is late), prepared and eat a hotsilog breakfast and remember the leche flan with kangkong combo hehehe. at 8:30 am, neighbors can hear me shouting, er, singing with Sandwich 4-track Mind cd while doing the laundry.

one hour later, i went to my little garden and the growing grass stared at me, i stared back, nakipagtitigan sila, tingininginiiiiiiing, i surrendered and went inside the house and forget about them (i'll cut the grass next week, promise). i took a shower instead, got dressed and by 10:15 as i was about to lock the door, lyn texted "paalis ka na ba? :)"

more than an hour later, as the contestant in Game KNB just won P100,000 and was given the chance to defend his title and another shot at P1M on monday (today), i arrived at lyn's apartment with them busy either with tv, harry potter or the laundry. we didn't stay long as she'll be going to the province and i'll accompany her to the terminal. we went out for lunch and since both of us are craving for something thai (di kami obvious na mahilig sa thai food no? hehe), our hungry stomach lead us back to Som's Diner.

we agreed that, except for tom yum soup, we'll try something else (so wala munang chicken pandan at pad thai). and these are what we had for lunch:

chicken ginger (this is good, not really spicy, and i thought they should lessen the sabaw)

a chopsuey look-a-like that goes by the name phad pad raw meat (but no meat, and swear, chopsuey sya pero sabi ng server di daw hehehe, at medyo mapait)

the ever delicious and fave, tom yum soup.

we just settled for garlic rice and 12 oz coke each, and the damage? P487.00 with take out that is good for another meal. sulit ito!

(Som's Authentic Thai Cuisine is along Reposo St, near St. Andrew's church in Kalayaan Ave, Makati).

at exactly 1:30 pm, we flagged down a taxi and off we go to the bus terminal, and we're thankful di kami na-traffic going to Avenida. at wala ring masyadong tao sa terminal kaya madaling nakasakay si lyn. i stayed with lyn until the bus driver shouted that they're leaving (bumaba na raw kasi ako ng bus hehe). i went down the bus and rush to the lrt for the part two of my hataw sabado.

hataw na part two

in 20 minutes, i am already inside the CCP compound, and it was crowded with Cinemalaya loyalists, andaming tao! i went directly to the Box office to get a ticket for three movies which will be shown at least 30 minutes after the other.

me: miss, isang Pisay, yung 3 pm
tiketera: sir, sold out na po!
me: ha?! uh, Kadin na lang, yung 6:15
tiketera: sir, sold out na rin po!
me: ay patay, ano ba yan!
tiketera: sir, baka gusto nyo me available pa pong screening ng Pisay mamyang 6:15
me: sige, yun na lang, saka yung 9 pm screening ng Tukso.
tiketera: okey sir. (then she smiles)

as i secured my tickets and walked around the CCP lobby wondering what to do with the next four hours, someone tap my shoulder, it's manny! he's with the line producer of Kadin and he asked me what i'll be watching and i told him what had just happened. the very generous guy that he is, he offered me the use of his festival pass (unlimited access to ALL the films, both short and full length), and exchange my 6:15 ticket for another movie he'll watch for 3 pm so that i can also catch the 3 pm Pisay and maxie, the line producer, gave me a complimentary ticket for 6:15 Kadin! coolness!!

and my luck continues, as i was able to sell my ticket to a student in no time! yahoo! and i got manny's ticket and the festival pass and before i can say swerte mo zherwin, the usher is leading me to a seat inside the cinema for pisay! ayos mga erp! the movie is good, makes you miss high school, and it was an intelligent one, kasing talino ng mga estudyante ng phil science high school.

after two hours (lyn's home already), manny and i meet again and i returned to him the pass, chat a little and we parted again for another set of screenings, i'll go for Kadin while him for short films. Kadin was shot in BAtanes, and the cinematography was amazing! ang ganda-ganda ng framings ng mga shot, mas lalo kong gustong-gustong pumunta ng batanes, and all the actors are natives of Batanes, galing! i congratulated maxie for good choice of actors and i also met the director. ang galing nila.

the third movie was Tukso, a mystery-who-dunnit-kind of movie, i go for this instead of Tribu (the winner for best film) and Endo (best editing) because of Irma Adlawan (the Queen of indies), though i thought it would be better had they made its pacing faster, the movie is also okey, but i enjoyed more pisay and kadin.

maybe i'll do a separate review the above films, or maybe not, hehehe, but for now, i think it's enough to say that my movie marathon was a good experience, addict pa rin pala ako hehe.

groge with visuals still etched in my mind, i arrived at past midnight again, and ten minutes later, off to dreamland.

sunday: fiba asia

i woke up at 9 am, got a pandesal for breakfast, look at my little garden again, astig na'ng mga damong to ah but then again, i turned around and forget about them, again (next week na nga di ba? hehe). i catched the replay of RP vs Iran game, and i was saddened that even with the heroics of kirby raymundo and jimmy alapag, we lost, because of our players' dismal shooting (click here for more details) and the unnecessary technical foul on coach chot reyes when Iran was just ahead by 1. arrrggh!

nanlalambot because of the sad news (we need at least two wins to get into the quarterfinals, and our next opponent is china, the defending champion, and jordan, so parang medyo goodbye Olympic dreams), i prepared my lunch and set my alarm clock at 5 pm, the sked of RP vs China game.

the rest of the afternoon, tulog si zherwin.

and the game came. all the time, kinakabahan ako, lalo na nung lumamang ng 13 points ang china, to ease the pounding on my chest, nanuod muna ako ng the Buzz at Showbiz Central hehehe, at naku, si angel locsin pa rin pala ang pinag-uusapan (grabe, she earned P62 million from GMA 7 tapos iniwan pa rin nya? me tsismis kasi triple daw offer ng ABSCBN? hehe)

balik sa game, nakahabol tayo! jimmy alapag is working like a horse, he is penetrating the paint even if 6'8 ang nakaabang sa kanya. antindi ng puso ng batang ito! the last two minutes of the game was like the longest two minutes, gusto ko nang matapos kasi lamang na tayo!!! at any moment pwedeng bumalik ang china! diyos ko, diyos ko!

and for the first time in 22 years, RP won over China, 79-74! yipppeee! (trivia: the last time RP won over China was in 1985 on our way to win the ABC Tournament title, hmm, maybe the same thing will happen this year? i am hoping).

later tonight, it's RP vs. Jordan, kaya dapat by 7 pm nasa bahay nako.

GO PHILIPPINES!

and i hope di tayo ma-groge tonight!

GO PINOYS!

how was your weekend?

UPDATE: RP lost to Jordan, 76-84. it was sad but the players tried their best, kahit injured na sila, they still played with their hearts. ganyan talaga ang basketball, bilog ang bola but despite the loss, and another olympic dream shattered, i believe we are in the right direction, konti pa, babalik tayo. we have the best point guards in asia but we need big men, asi is already 34, menk is on his 30's, too. and to be more familiar with Fiba rules, maybe the PBA Board can change some rules to adopt some from FIBA? like goaltending o di kaya yung shades ng paint, andaming pwedeng i-adopt and im sure alam yun ng board.

expect a lot of fingerpointing from all over, pero sana maisip din ng mga maninisi: ano ba nagawa nila sa philippine basketball?

eto not fingerpointing ha, pero konting tanong lang: why does coach chot choose renren ritualo over last year's MVP James Yap?

Budget 101

the other day, while i was browsing the Business/Money section of the Inquirer, an article about budgeting caught my eye.

a reader posted a question about the topic, and it says:

"I know that a budget is important to better handle your money. However, no matter how much I work on my budget, I always end up going over it. Is it because my salary is too small? I don’t know what to do. How can I have a budget that works with my small salary?"

tut-tut. sounds familiar no? like the reader is asking in behalf of all of us.

the article listed tips on how to work on your budget (you can read them here), and i agree with them that visualizing and listing down all (and i mean ALL) your expenses can really help you work it out with the little money you're getting every payday. the above article also reminds me of a decision i made a few years back.

you see, four years ago, during my pre-amortization days, i already have a budget, i.e. budget for gimiks, budget for movies, budget for things that are not really important (like cd's, magazines and some more magazines *wink wink*). when the realization came that life is not all about gimiks (that's slang for going out/barhopping) and i need to have a concrete foundation for the future, that's the time i gave budgeting a serious thought, and this time, priorities should be read as priorities (okey, so separate the "needs" from "wants").

when i listed down my daily and other petty expenses, nanlaki mata ko that i am spending so much on movies (like almost P500 a week), transportation (taxi araw-araw?) and eating out. if i want to pursue my plan of getting a house of my own, unabated spending like these should be controlled, if not eliminated.

at first, it was hard. and i mean really hard. it's like having a withdrawal syndrome, or like having yummy food on your plate but you're not allowed to touch it, much more eat it. i am depriving myself of an almost daily dose of watching movie/s, the comfort of taxi ride, i thought i was being hard on myself. but, as our parents would always tell us, roads to your dreams are never easy, kasama ang sakripisyo dyan.

and sacrifice i did.

i learned how to control my movie watching habit, taxi is now only an option when i am in a hurry. eating out? still do that, but you can eat out without spending so much, i am spending for the food not for the ambiance, and besides, andaming pwedeng idiscover na murang kainan. in other words, i learned how to be practical with life.

the complete turnaround was a good decision, i was able to go with my plan and slowly i am reaping the fruits of my little sacrifice. if i didn't do this, i don't know if i can buy some things for the house, or for myself or if i can have savings at all (well, i still don't have, but at least i am seeing where my supposedly savings are going).

the road is not really that well-paved, there are some bumps here and there, i took those bumps as a sign to slow down and eventually they will pass and off you go running again.

the payday is nearing again, do i hear complains that you won't have enough to save? baka naman you are really spending so much on something not needed. cmon, sit and list down your expenses and compared them with the amount you are getting, and oh, that starbucks coffee is really expensive, try something else. :)

i am not an expert on this, i just write based on experience (and pains).

how about you?

My 100th (plus five), second of two parts

technically, this is my 101st post, but since this is the part two of my 100th, it is still somehow the 100th, or something. basta. :)

this is regarding the plus five, and this post has been waiting for more than a month already and i thought it's better to post it as my 100th (as a milestone) or the 101st to usher the next 100. whatever the reason (or the excuse? hehehe), this is it.

it was june 4, lady cess posted her answers on the hot seat questions and even with the warning that she'll be asking tough questions and those who will join the tag will regret doing so, i asked to be interviewed (at yari ako dito hehe).

so here they are:

1. Do you now have a real dog? If you don't have one yet, what's preventing you from getting one?

I still don't have, but in Quezon, we already have. Right now, i cannot get a dog of my own because since I am (still) living alone, no one will be left to take care of him/her if am at work.

I believe owning a dog is not as simple as getting one, it also entails responsibility. One should not only be a pet owner, but more importantly, a responsible pet owner (those two are worlds apart, and i want to be the latter). I think my situation right now is not very ideal, it would be very unfair for the dog.

2. You said you can write a love letter in a flash. Write a short love letter for your special girl. Content should be about your appreciation for a sweet gesture she has done for you just recently.

Now, this is tough. Love letter (and in a flash pa ha) is something i haven't done for the last 15 years! do i still have my mojo when it comes to love letter as i claimed to have back in high school? do i still know the works or mine were just plain corny? (corny, corny!) i don't know, but let me try. (okey, inhale...exhale...inhale...)

hi honey,

six years ago, you told me you don't want to enter into a relationship because you don't want a complicated life, but now, you told me you regret saying those because, as complicated as it may, the six years that we had was worth all the complications.

i may not be the most ideal boyfriend, but you always makes me feel like i am one. i may have a lot of imperfections but you've always been forgiving for those. kapag nagsusungit ako, you told me not to, kasi sabi mo lalong pumapangit ako (hehehe). i like it when you make face, kapag nagpapa-cute ka o di kaya pag namimilog yung mga mata mo.

you've always been so supportive and appreciative, and one time, sa wakas, you've praised my cooking! i know you're not really a fan of my cooking, but when you say "it's good", that was something. and when i said "pwede nang mag-asawa?" you just smiled. :)

the six years that we had was such an amazing six years of knowing and loving each other, and i'll never get tired of discovering more and falling in love more as days go by. and when that time comes that i'll hold your hand forever, i'll be the happiest, and you know that.

i love you.

okey, can i exhale now? whew!

3. Name one thing that you did for your girl that is so unlike you but you did it anyway mainly because you are impulsive.

Ok, mababaw lang ito, but it's so not me.

A couple of weeks ago, i went with lyn in Watson's for her kikay stuffs. after she did her thing (and me carrying the stuffs) and while passing the perfume section on our way out, I spotted the Paris Hilton travelling bag that she has been eyeing since she saw it first (and almost bought it) in Cinderella a couple more weeks back but i prevented her from getting it as i thought it was not practical, but this time, in a 360 degree-like turn of event, I even talked to the salesperson and inquire about it! Just like in Cinderella, the bag comes free if you bought two 100 ml Paris Hilton perfume or any other perfume from the same company. She was really giggling with excitement and really into buying it but she was also thinking what she'll do with two perfumes (make that two expensive perfumes!!). So i butt in the sales talk and dared the salesperson that if he can show us a perfume for men that can be combined with the Paris Hilton perfume, we'll get it. At the back of my mind, kalmado ako "huh, tingnan natin!". and as always, i was wrong!

at heto, the salesperson came back with TWO bottles of Perry Ellis (black and blue) and ONE bottle of Paris hilton for men. patay! lyn was grinning and she said "oh, pili ka na hehe". sus!

the hugo boss fanatic in me was trapped with either a perry ellis or a paris hilton as the only way out. i didn't like the paris hilton as it was so...paris hilton! i just settle in with the perry ellis blue as it's what i like best among the three (but hugo boss motion is still the bomb).

we split the bill but i ended up paying more as my perfume was more expensive than hers (even with the 40% discount!) and she get the free bag! i kid her that i'll borrow the bag on our next trek (and drag it along the rocky/muddy trails hehehe), sabi nya "subukan mo!" hehehe, oh well, like i wanted to be caught with a paris hilton bag! utang na loob! :D

another impulsive/budget-breaking expense, but at least, she's happy. :)

4. Among the far-flung places you just visited, which one do you like the least? Why?

Baguio. Don't get me wrong, the city of pines is such a cool place, but the traffic and pollution make you feel that you're still in Manila. It was no longer the same baguio that i saw the first time 19 years ago, when the fog is really a fog and not smog, when pine trees still smell like pine trees, when mines view park is still breathtaking (now, andami nang bahay) or when ukay-ukay is not yet the major attraction. Baguio is a classic example of too much urbanization/commercialization over preserving the heritage (oh, manila is on top of the list don't worry) and in the process, losing its once enchanting charm. i last heard that people of baguio are now starting to fight further concretization (my own word) of the summer capital of the philippines.

sana di sya maging extension ng manila and i also hope Sagada won't suffer the same fate.

5. An easy one. Describe the Zherwin we can expect to see 5 years from now.

In five years (uhm, maybe earlier than five years? hehe), a family man.

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and it's done!

i know, i posted this late and most of you already had a share or two of being interviewed, but if you still want some not really brain-twisting questions, i can give you some, but follow the rules:

Interview rules:
1. Leave me a comment saying "Interview me".
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someone else in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask them five questions.

:D

My 100th (plus five), first of two parts

This is my 100th post. yihaa!

it was October 17, 2006 (almost nine months ago) when i had my first post, and it was October 19 when i got the first comment on my third post. the first few weeks i was just blog-testing, and i really do not have a grip on what i am doing, i only wanted to return to writing and i felt i needed some practice for me to get back in shape (as if, hehe) and then, you can see me posting about the Philippine Idol and Amazing Race 10 (and even britney spears hehe) and by that time i am not sure where my blogging is going or if my purpose of going back to writing is being achieved by those not really impressive posts. oh well...

but it's a different thing when the New Year comes, enter the 2nd World Pyro Olympics.

my interest in blogging reached a new high when the realization came that i can learn a lot from fellow bloggers, especially about photography, and that i can post all the photographs i've taken without anyone complaining (so far, wala pa namang nagrereklamo hehehe). my first take on fireworks i thought was good, and then i saw some bloggers' shots, ewww, i was ashamed of even posting mine! hehehe. i searched the net on how to improve my works, and it gave me a LOT of how/what-to-do's. wow. and compared with the previously-unoriented shots, the results of my next two days of shooting were more than satisfactory. see them here and here.

february was the turning point. ahem. i posted about the pba, some pictures, the World Light Expo, more pictures and it was also the time that i started ranting and ranting and began liking what i am doing (hmm, reklamador?). and more importantly, i visited more blogs regularly and actually leave a comment on their posts. it was sngl's that i regularly visit (somehow i can relate to his rantings hehe) and then there was verns who's very articulate and very funny at the same time, then there were abaniko (ang galing na photographer nito), the pride of catanduanes belle, leah (straight from canada), the super duper busy but macau-bound hazel, the sapatero by day and ninja by night mon at nataranta na ako sa biglang pagpick-up ng traffic! i really like what i am seeing, i like the interactions, the comments were all inspiring! and before i knew it, nadagdagan na ng nadagdagan ang blogfriends ko. :)

i didn't realize that it's going to be this fun, i continue posting more rantings, more pictures, more travels, more pictures and get this, meeting some blogfriends is even more exciting. and oh, more blogfriends on my blogroll: the superwriter toe, the law school-bound rhodora, super mom sexy mom, the scientist from japan (hai) kathy, fellow lea salonga fan gina, jhoanne (who's on hiatus), stay at home mom (at me utang pa kong post sa kanya hehe) lady cess, fellow flickrista koolitz, book lover lazarus, the new kuwait resident fingertalks, the manilenya in canada melai, the transformer fanatic and photographer watson, the pride of davao tina, kababayan and movie reviewer manny, a toronto resident ey, backpacker and fellow caviteño owen, photographers/travellers ferdz and lino, great teacher bugsybee, UP jogger atticus, cebu bai intsik, photojournalist sidney and some celebrities/probloggers/great writers/awesome photographers from anton to yuga, from jim paredes to noemi, from bo sanchez to howie severino and jove francisco, from lori to elber to markku, from former officemate ate dins and even to pinoy rickey. :)

whew! andami nun!

not so long ago, i thought my blogging would be over, good thing, i was wrong. and look, i am now on my 100th!

to be continued...

minsan, pumasok ako sa isang kwartong puno ng tao...
ayun...
kinabukasan, nauso ang fans club!

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minsan, may nanaginip tungkol sa akin...
yun na...
nauso ang dream boy!

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minsan, naging baby ka,
ayun...
nauso ang tiyanak! (peace po hehe)

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dad: anak, ibili mo nga ako ng softdrinks
anak: coke o pepsi?
dad: coke
anak: diet o regular?
dad: regular
anak: bote o in can?
dad: bote
anak: 8 oz o litro?
dad: anak ng... tubig na lang nga!
anak: natural o mineral?
dad: mineral
anak: malamig o hindi?
dad: hampasin kaya kita ng walis?!?
anak: tambo o tingting?
dad: animal ka!!!!
anak: baka o baboy??
dad: layas!!!
anak: ngayon ba o bukas?
dad: ngayon na!!
anak: hatid mo ko o hindi?
dad: papatayin kita!!!
anak: sasaksakin mo o babarilin?
dad: babarilin
anak: sa ulo o sa tiyan?
dad: PESTE!!!

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anak: ipis o daga??
dad: (nagtatakbo palabas ng bahay) AHHHHHHH

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Scary!

this is not about my blog-life's near death experience, not even about jinggoy estrada's presidential ambition or your phone turning into a decepticon robot.

this is about images in some pictures that were not meant to be there but they're there. i am talking about ORBS.

"Orbs are believed (by many) to be ghosts in the form of balls of light. They are life forms that travel in groups and are believed to be the human soul or life force of those that once inhabited a physical body here on earth. Psychics claim to talk to them on a regular basis, and ghost hunters encounter them quite frequently. It is said that they are those spirits that have willingly stayed behind because they feel bound to their previous life or previous location for whatever reason. Because of this obsession they tend to become similar to a psychotic human beings. It should be said that the majority of us when we die proceed gladly and willingly to the next level of existence after saying our quiet good-byes, which means we're off to the spirit world. Then again, as stated, a select few elect to stay behind because of a refusal to move on. Apparently the longer they stay behind, the harder it is to find their way to the next level, which again, is the spirit world."

click here for the rest of the article.

due to the advancement of digital photography, more and more of these things are being recorded. i am seeing them in some of my shots but i don't really mind them as i thought they were just reflection of raindrops or maybe a dust or just some developing errors, i don't even have the slightest idea that these things have a name! it was only recently that i learned they're orbs, and it takes a midnight text message from a friend who's freaking out because of the images she had seen in some of our pictures in Anawangin.

anyhow, below are some of the pictures where orbs or whatever they are were clearly seen and/or captured.

this was the first picture where i've seen the unexplainable white cloud-like image (right side), but clearly it's not a cloud, not even a bird (taken in anilao)

full moon in boracay? no, and can you see the smilie-like face? the orb has a face.
here, they looked like the planet saturn (center, upper part), and if your going to edit the picture, put a little light on the background, more orbs will appear. scary!
the white dots-like images on the upper part were all orbs. are they spirit of the dead or just pigment of my camera's imagination?
it's only at the entrance of the sumaguing cave, but the brownish yellow smilie on the upper right side is offering it's welcome smile and presence. i have a lot inside the cave but this one is the clearest.

and this is the shot that makes my friend freaked out (no, not the shirtless men hahaha). i didn't take this shot (as i was out swimming against giant waves), it was raining so maybe the white dots/circles are just mere reflection of the raindrops from the camera's flash, but look at that shiny little bottle-shaped thing at the back of the last person to the right (and near the branch of the tree), what is it?

i cropped the picture and fill in a little light, and this is how it looked like. boooo.

i leave it all up to you whether you'll believe the pictures or not.

got a similar experience with some of your pictures? or maybe scarier?