B-E-A-UTIFUL

The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore from Moonbot Studios on Vimeo.

This made me tear up more than I expected. After reading the synopsis, I knew my tear ducts were going to be put to test once again. I just didn't realize I'd be reaching for the nearest Joy tissue roll (I ran out of facial tissues, okay?) because my fingers just couldn't cut it and my mom was around and she would've reprimanded me if I used my shirt collar to wipe away the tears. :))))

I wrote before that, as much as I love my Kindle, nothing beats the feeling of holding an actual book in your hands. It's the best love affair you can ever have, methinks---an affair with books, a romance with the letters.

Anyhoo, the embedded media above is just another "Awww" video----something for the book lovers out there.  But if you're too cool for that then, please, don't let me waste your time. Go back to your mobile apps, yo.

A Sort of Movie Review

The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo.  Otherwise known as That Awkward Moment When You're Watching A Movie With Your Mom & Sister And Not Just One But Two Sex Scenes Show Up On Screen.

I share the sentiment of one of my Facebook friends who commented about this movie with the question of "Was the nudity necessary?" Hahahaha. SRSLY. I think the love scenes didn't serve any purpose, artistic or otherwise. I guess, in a way, it succeeded in portraying Rooney Mara's body as one which resembles that of an alien's. I still can't believe she's the same girl who played Erika Albright in "Social Networking".  Alien surfboard body type or not, Mara deserved that Oscar nomination---a stunning portrayal of Lisbeth Salander alongside an equally impressive Daniel Craig.

I bumped off The Warrior for this movie, by the way. Incomparable genres, I know. But I caught a few scenes of the Warrior and I have a strong feeling I'm gonna be writing a real movie review soon. I could be wrong though... with this feeling and all. To quote Lisbeth, "I'm not good with feelings." JK.

Anyway, The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a movie that I'd label "okay". I could have gone without seeing it and not bawl my eyes out for missing it.  Interesting plot, of course.  It won't leave you gripping the edge of your seats, heart pounding. Not exactly a "can barely handle the taut suspense kind of movie" quality.  But it will stimulate your inquisitive minds, provoke you to hazard guesses, make you wish you were a writer/researcher too, that kind of thing.

I haven't read the trilogy although I've saved it in my Kindle.  I can say, however, that Stieg Larsson's posthumous success is well-deserved just basing it off the film.  I also found the background story interesting: what prompted Larsson to pursue this particular storyline and whom he based his characters on.  But divulging that sort of information will spoil the movie so... for now, Google is your friend. :)




P.S.
In other news, Kiefer Sutherland's new TV Series "Touch" looks promising. I enjoyed the pilot episode, reminds me a bit of Bruce Willis's "Mercury Rising". Check it out, loves. :)

My Almost Fiance ;))

Istanbul 2010

Think of this blog entry as one with a sense that travels the same orbit as "My Cactus Heart". Hahahaha. =P  I was looking for some photos from my Istanbul trip for some writing inspiration and I realized I failed to upload one particular photo (or two, actually)---but we'll get to that later. ;-)

At the Ruins of Ephesus.

Lunch with our tour guide, Mete, at the Konyali Restaurant. Captivating view of the Bosphorus river.

Apart from the rich culture, historic mosques, and breathtaking scenery, Istanbul has an abundance of warm locals and *ehem* gorgeous boys people.  Whether you're buying ice cream at the pier or just riding a cab, you'll find yourself face to face with guys who look like Hollywood actors. Our Filipino tour guide also mentioned that the ironic thing in Istanbul is that the low-paid workers are more handsome than the business suit-clad executives! Haha. Taxi drivers, store owners, waiters---they all look like long lost brothers of Johnny Depp.  The big bosses all seem to look old, uninteresting, boring, and just plain unattractive. =P

But never mind the unattractive guys! I remember saying back then to my co-tourists that if I ever get my heart broken again and I need to move on really quickly, I will fly back to Istanbul! Sobrang haba lang ng hair ko dun! Literally and figuratively. Hahahahaha. :))))  For some reason, Turkish boys are instantly attracted to fair skinned Asian girls. A fellow tourist, a Chinese reporter from HK, lost count of the number of guys who hit on her and asked her out one night when she went bar-hopping. But since I didn't tag along when they went out partying, my encounters with le boys were limited to whenever we went out souvenir shopping.  It was flattering---one minute you have a Zac Efron lookalike smiling at you and following you around the pier (come to think of it, this was a bit stalker-freaky) and the next minute you have a Chris O'Donnell doppelganger giving you a friendship bracelet and asking for your email address. 

But nothing beats an encounter with an Orlando Bloom lookalike at the bazaar.  It was our last night in Istanbul and we were flying back to Manila a few hours later.  We were given the go signal to shop so me and two other girls explored a section of the bazaar.  One textile store caught our attention, mainly because the owner kept calling us. Hahahaha. Apart from trying to sell us some scarves and pashmina, the owner told me that his cousin wants to marry me. Hahahahaha. Partida pa yon ha. I was super tired and Haggardo Versoza na! =P

When the girls and I checked out the cousin, we just looked at each other and said, "Mygosh, he's Orlando Bloom!" Hahahahahaha.

The pictures below don't do him justice. He's a lot more handsome in person. :)))) He also looked a lot younger! While his cousin was yapping about how Orlando (I forgot his real name!) was going to make me happy in... a lot of ways... this boy was just staring at me and smiling and looking very much like the boy next door that you can bring home to your mom. He didn't speak English so he was just smiling the whole time and nodding. I don't know if he understood that his cousin was practically selling him to me. Hahaha.

I don't know why he and his cousin went straight on to a marriage proposal. I highly doubt if it was customary in Istanbul to propose to Asian tourists. =P  So when he spoke to me in Turkish and his cousin still blabbered about getting married, I asked: "Isn't he underage???" Hahahahah. It's not that I considered his marriage proposal, duh, he just really looked like he was a child worker. :)))) His cousin told him to get something in Turkish and he returned seconds later with his driver's license. It said he was born in 1984! Even though it had his picture and the numbers were clearer than daylight, I still couldn't believe it. He was the youngest-looking 26 yearold evarrrr.

Sadly, though, I had to turn down his marriage proposal. I dunno. We only just met, after all. I need more than ten minutes to scrutinize a husband material. ;)))))) And he didn't speak a word of English. I dunno about you guys, but I think there has to be more to marriage than staring at each other, smiling cheesily, and trading 100% pashmina. =P

Hey, Stranger!

In my previous post, I said I'd write about "the consequences of deadma (also known as, the theory of regrettable results), and the detrimental deadma which only leads to an inevitable relapse (and which later leads to the realization that, “If you miss him forever, then you'll forever be a 'miss'”  Or, the logic behind the necessity to graduate with a Deadma Degree and enrolling in a post-graduate course:  Moving On)..."

But after reading Tony Perez's "A Filipino Werewolf in Quezon City: An Author's Notebook" (which I totally adore, btw.  I'd take this book with me if I get stranded somewhere with TJ Trinidad), I was suddenly possessed by the spirit of brevity and mild profanity and... all I ever really want to say in this sequel is that...

If you do not develop a healthy sense of self-respect and consequently fail to master the art of deadma, you will find yourself mastering, instead, the art of bullshit.

And bullshit, my friends, is - to borrow Professor Snape's terms - a "subtle science and exact art."  Good luck getting lost in that.

Who writes these things??!

Apparently, I do.

Or did. Six years ago. O_O  I finally "cleaned up" my Multiply account. And all the youngsters in the room are like, "Multiply? What izzz that? We're all Tumblr, y'all!" :))))

So old school.  My Multiply banner.

Even though I have vowed to stick to Facebook and Blogspot, I couldn't bring myself to delete my Multiply account. I have blog entries dating back to 2006 there.  The italicized excerpt above was one of those blog entries.  I was going through my MediaLocker and I found this series of essays that got me asking "Who wrote this?!" and "Where is TJ Trinidad now?"

I'm not going to let you in on what (or actually, who) inspired those essays. Primarily because he's a good friend of mine now and he has successfully transitioned from being a former infatuation to a current lamp shade (a.k.a. forever-in-the-friend-zone slash I-don't-remember-why-I-liked-you-that-way category).  And well, he told me last week that he reads my blog. Hahahahahahahaha. =P

Reading my blogs from 2006 - 2007 got me thinking:  was I a different writer then? Did I mature with my craft and style? There were some essays that I don't even remember writing.  There were some stories that I have long forgotten, but because of how they were written, I started to remember them again. And then Joey Albert's/Lea Salonga's classic song started to play in the background. (Ten points if you can guess what the song is hahahaha). =P

My writing style six years ago is so different from that of today's. The difference is more apparent in my other entries, but they're not something I would want to post here.  To protect the innocent, otherwise known as saving a friendship from reaching a critically awkward level mainly caused by an ancient, now nonexistent, crush, I shall not give you the cute and funny details of that particular time in my life.  I can tell you, though, that back then---it wasn't something I could call "cute and funny".  But whoever came up with the saying that "Someday, you'll look back at this and laugh." should really be applauded.  :)

I don't know if I wrote differently because I was in both creative writing classes and law school back then.  Detrimental deadma sounds like something that would come out of my mouth during a random conversation with a law student. Haha.  Along with reckless imprudence resulting to a broken heart.  All that cheese. I used so many big words and made so many substantial references. I wrote longer blog entries (yes, far longer than the novels I post here).  I guess being infatuated made me eloquent. I wrote so many emotionally-charged yet cleverly-written pieces.

Now my blog entries are filled with "hahahahaha" and smileys and slight allusions to the past and careful mentions of characters in my life that now belong to a closed book.  I may have cursed once or twice in my previous blogs. I sounded too brave, if not angry.  The blog entries sound almost academic. Over the years, I have shifted towards writing in simpler terms, using smaller words, expressing myself in ways that are easier to relate with.  I've dropped the legal jargon, the analogies, the metaphors, and my signature word play (paging Candy!). I guess falling in love has made me stupid softened me a bit. Simplified me----it has made my life complicated but it also simplified me. If that even makes sense. :)))))))

I think the circa 2006 - 2007 Cherie is still here. She just exercises discernment over what pieces to write and what stories to share---and how best to share it.  But the present Cherie would still like to commend the angst-ridden-yet-fiery-spirited writer of 2006.

Dear old me, you seem like a totally different person yet the I can identify the passion that's never left you. Six years from now, you will realize that you are right. However, you did not master the art of deadma.  You didn't master the art of bullshit, either. You mastered the art of dealing with bullshit and this has somewhat softened your character---made you write more subtly, gently.  But how gentle and soft (and "hahahaha") your writing has become is indirectly proportional to how tough your heart and mind has gotten.  Your words are kinder but stronger.

And cheesier.

Definitely cheesier.

War Zone

Today, my sister came up to me and asked if I've seen the movie "The Warrior". Now, I immediately recalled having seen a film of the same title back in Chicago. I wasn't sure, though, so I asked her what was it about. "You watch MMA, right?" she asked me.

Mixed martial arts. Hmmm. I tried to remember scenes from the movie, well there was only kung fu in there... "Are you sure it's about MMA?" I told her, "Because in that movie there's this girl with the mismatched eye color who dated Orlando Bloom. And there was a baby who was always smiling."

At this point, my sister gave me the "Eh?!?! You got it wrong!" look. I hate that look, by the way. Hahaha. I retaliated with my Anti-I-just-Failed-Didn't-I Look. This is the same look I give Google when I misspell something and the said search engine taunts me with a "Did you mean . . ."

Anyhoo... apparently, I wasn't talking about the movie "The Warrior".  I was talking about...

You guys, it was REALLY close, okay? This is something the universe can pardon and something I can forgive myself for. Hahahahaha!

I haven't seen "The Warrior" but my sister swears by it. The last movie recommendation she made was Real Steel and it was made of pure effing win.  I'm guessing "The Warrior" won't disappoint either. I heard Nick Nolte got a nomination for it, too.  Sooooo, Warrior, you and me---tomorrow.  I'll bring some bibingka and double dutch ice cream.  (Because popcorn and hotdogs are so 2011).

Kung Hei Fat Choi!

Photos are from my 2009 Macau and Hong Kong trip so don't be alarmed thinking that I lost 30 20 pounds in just a week. =P The year 2009 didn't start out that well and I guess it showed on my skeletal system. Hahaha. I can't even all it a body! Nevarrrrr again. Thank you to Lord Stow's egg tarts for fattening me upppp and changing the next three years.  :) Actually, my weight picked up really quickly that year naman. When I went back to Hong Kong in December '09, I already got my chubby cheeks back.

I went from being a skeletal system...

January 2009

To a solar system...

December 2009

Why the solar system?? Coz I was shining brightly like the sun. HAHAHAHA. I'm cheesy when I'm happy. Sue me. =P

December 2009

I feel like going back to Macau.  I wasn't satisfied with how the singer serenaded us at the gondola ride. Haha. And, of course, Hong Kong, too. I don't think anyone can get enough of Hong Kong. :) Their culture is something I really appreciate and admire. Of course, there's the happiest place on earth. And ohhhh the food! And the shopping districts! :P It would be so awesome to go back. :)

* * *

Fast forward to the present! I did some research and reading on Chinese astrology forecasts, of course. ;-)  I always find it interesting to know what astrologers have to say about the year ahead.  Yes, predictions are predictions---some come true, some don't. But the fact remains that they're interesting to read. And I'm not just saying that coz the Boar people are gonna be lucky this year. ;-)

I dunno about you guys, but I wore red on CNY. Remixed my dress and all that. I skipped the jumping-to-get-taller part, though. I think that only works on the regular new year. And even then----highly questionable, folks, highly questionable.

Happy Lunar New Year!

May the year of the water dragon bring all of us more love, prosperity, laughter, good health, and luck. :) 

Viva La Video Loca

Yes, I combined song titles from Coldplay and Ricky Martin and inserted the blog topic in there. Ten points to Gryffindor! ;)

I've been playing Tetris Battle on Facebook for exactly a week. And I am quite proud that I reached my goal---which is to hit the same level as my cousin Nikki. Hahahaha. I got addicted to the game, actually. Been playing everyday! Even during the fiesta celebration, I sneaked into the bedroom and played for a good half an hour before coming down to welcome guests and re-fill the serving plates. ^_^  I've gotten my other friends and sisters to play the game too. And, I was quite surprised to see on my news feed earlier that my mom has been playing too. Hahahah. But I think that's just my sister accidentally logging on to the game at my mom's computer.

Anyhoo...

Five thousand Tetris coins, Rank 17 at Level 20 (Nikki is at Level 19, Rank 28). Do you guys see that infinity sign at my energy bar? That means REVENGE. Revenge of the geeks! Hahaha. Kidding! I was able to save up enough Tetris Cash (upon Nikki's advice) and bought myself a day's worth of unlimited games! W00t! I switched to my glasses because it felt like my contact lenses were drying up. I spent the entire day just playing because if I didn't... it would be soooo sayang naman! I badger people on my Facebook list for energy and now that I have an unlimited supply for 24 hours, I was just gonna slack on the game? I think not. =P 

I know Ana Viajera will understand completely because she's a video game junkie. Haha! Priorities, right, Candy? =P

I haven't been this "devoted" to a game since TripleJack Poker.  And before that, Governor of Poker. And before that, there was "Cradle of Rome". Oh, but let us not forget the epic, "Plants versus Zombies". Yes, I had an "Angry Birds" phase too. But I don't think I ever finished it. Hahahaha. But way way way before all those, I was Aya Brea.

I had a number of online accounts and email addresses with that nickname. Of course, they're all defunct by now. But I loved this character. And I loved her name! She was so badass.

Can I just say that it's sooooo frakking hard to find a photo of Aya Brea that's rated GP??? What is wrong with you, Google? The last time I played Parasite Eve, Aya ALWAYS had her clothes on! Now, if you Googled her, stuff... show up! And I remember clearly that none of those photos were ever in the game. O_O

Parasite Eve is my biggest video game frustration.  Why? Because after playing so many levels, killing the most gruesome of enemies, I reached the final stage and accidentally saved it at a point in the game where I can't go back to the ammo source.  Like, of course I'd be battling the big boss and I'd be dying (yeah, yeah, so I sucked) and I'd have to reload the game from the memory card---only, I'd always be playing from the point where I only have a few ammo and there's no way to go further back. I didn't lose hope, though. I just kept playing and playing. Probably for months. I still couldn't beat the boss. Hahahaha. I never lost hope, but we lost the PS2 because it broke. :)))))))))

It was heartbreaking. I never got to finish it. I never got to prove myself! Tsk. :(  I mean, yeah I was proud of my accomplishments in the realms of Harry Potter (duh!) and Crash Bandicoot (Thank you, Super Mario, for all the training!) and I was almost unbeatable in Scrabble, but Parasite Eve was the only kickass RPG that I thought I was brave enough to play. As much as I wanted to be Jill or Claire or Lara, I resorted to just watching my brother and sister play Resident Evil and Tomb Raider respectively.  My brother was really good at it that it was like watching a movie.  He would play for hours and I'd enjoy all the action scenes, the puzzles, the suspense segments. Resident Evil is a classic.  Silent Hill, on the other hand, is my Sixth Sense of video games.  The Sixth Sense is a movie that, although came with a huge impact, I can never watch again. At least, not voluntarily. Silent Hill is like that. Just typing the title gives me the creeps. Hahahah. :)))))

Maybe that's why I'm drawn to video games like Tetris nowadays---because these are games that don't come with stages. You get to level up, yes. But there are no big bosses to annihilate and no princesses to save. I go for the games that won't take up much of my time. Yung days lang ang demand sa playtime, hindi na months. Hahahaha.  Games that you can finish anytime, games that you don't really need a console for (I still feel really bad for wasting all that electricity on Parasite Eve! LOL). Games that are, well, easy. :P  But I miss the challenge of Parasite Eve. I haven't really gotten over it. I think, maybe someday, I have to get that out of the way. Put it on my bucket list. I have to play it---this time from the beginning and see to it that I finish the game (without cheatcc.com, of course, hahahahah!).

Until then... friends, please send me some Tetris energy? :))))))))))

Fiesta Fun!

Mi familia didn't decide to hold a feast until about two days before the big day itself. But since it was our first fiesta at the new house, we figured it was just fitting that we join the city-wide celebration. I volunteered to cook! Yehessss.  Chef del Rio in da hawz! I didn't cook everything, of course. I'd like to think that Babe: Pig in the City just miraculously popped into our dining area. I didn't cook the pastel either. But the rest---well, hmmmm, these little, chubby fingers worked their magic!

And speaking of magic... since I cooked---I put my secret ingredient on everything! Magic Sarap! Magic Sarap makes everything tasty! Seriously! So I put it on everything---the chicken, morcon, the fruit salad...

It was very tiring, though.  :( I told my family, next year catered na lang because I was soooooo exhausted!! It wasn't easy mixing, mashing, frying, preparing, eating, and....

belting out high notes when it was videoke time. Tee-hee! At first, I was afraid... I was petrifieeeeeed...

Just a thought.

Juno's dad says, "...the best thing you can do is find a person who loves you for exactly what you are. Good mood, bad mood, ugly, pretty, handsome, what have you, the right person is still going to think the sun shines out your ass. That's the kind of person that's worth sticking with."

I think it'll be awesome if that person thought the moon came out at the same time too---it could be a total eclipse of the ass. =)

Turn around, briiiight ass eyes.....

Say Cheese!

I was browsing through my new layout, hitting the 'older posts' link every two seconds, and I realized my blog entries lately have been image heavy. If a picture says a thousand words, then man, this blog is a frakking (endless) saga.  So, I figured that today, I'll revert to good ol' cheriefications.  I haven't forgotten about my Mulan moment. Or the Thanksgiving tribute. Or my (real) Christmas wishlist. Or the mandatory year end post. Or my ridiculous outfit photos backlog. What can I say. When it comes to backlogs, I am an overachiever! :P

I initially wanted to label this post "Happily Emo After", but I didn't want to be negative. Puhleeez. Emo is so 2009. Hahahahaha. But a fair warning, this post IS rather cheesy (Hence the title! :P).  But just because it's cheesy doesn't mean it's not true. And as Kara Dioguardi once sang, "I only said it coz I mean it. I only mean it coz it's trooooooooooh".

So yeah. I finally "made it through the lonely". (I love love love how poetic those lyrics are). It wasn't easy and it wasn't quick. (Quite long, actually! Hahahaha). But I'm here and it's all that matters. (POW! You didn't see that Cheese-and-Cliche combo coming, did ya? :P)

You know, there was a time when I felt like someone just ripped my chest open ever so slowly with a tiny and rusty Gillette blade.  Then, with the powerful fist of Manny Pacquiao, my heart was punched upwards, downwards, sideways, inside and out. And believe me, my heart didn't have any practice. Didn't know how to parry jabs. Although it kept beating, it also kept getting beaten.

Photo Credit: Guide to Love

And so for over three years, my heart was mangled and battered.  I felt that it was black and blue and all things ugly.  My heart was crushed. (Not to pieces naman. That will only happen if John Lloyd Cruz proposes to me then leaves me waiting at the altar ala My Amnesia Girl.)  It was crushed and horribly broken that if someone saw my heart, they'd probably think "Is that still a heart??"

Sadly, like most stories, the scars that that my heart has gotten will not disappear.  They will heal (most of the scars are healed na, but JLC rekindled his romance with Shaina so there's a new scar now...).  My heart will always bear these wounds.  Scars and stitches = stories and lessons. (POW! Again! Another cheesy cliched combo! =P)

My heart has been deformed, I guess.  It's been discolored. It's been put through so many bullshit trials, that it's not the same anymore. At least, not in form.

Last night, I read a poem which said:

Sorrows come
To stretch out spaces in the heart for joy

Well, my heart has been sooooooo stretched. It's been sooooo broken. It's been sooo deformed.  It's been so disfigured that my heart is now shaped like this:

If I ever get transformed into an emoticon, this is exactly how I'd look: huge cheeks and toothy grin. And yes, round and yellow too. :P

PHOTOGRAPHY: Pizza Cry

Y U GIVE ME JUST ONE SLICE? :(

This beautiful baby girl is Reagan. I have to say that she's the cutest pie-eater out there---tear stains, sauce, and drool be damned. Cuteness prevails! =)

Impeachment. Not Fun In The Philippines.

Photo Credit: Southern Leyte Times

And so it begins.

I thought about staying tuned in to ANC, but they. are. so.  biased. 

As much as I believe CJ Corona merits an acquittal, I don't think he'll win.  Prior to the actual impeachment trial, he has already been subjected to a trial by publicity.  I am afraid that this is another incident that I can chalk up to "reasons why I am losing faith in the legal system".  This impeachment trial is just for show.  PNoy will get what he wants.  I am hoping against hope, however, that I am wrong.

Tatay Nick

January 15th marks the 90th birthday of my grandfather, Tatay Nick. I can only imagine the stories and the lessons he would have shared with me if he were still alive. He has inspired a lot of my work for both poetry and prose. Tatay Nick is a remarkable man, and it's really taking a lot of self restraint not to fill this blog space with amazing stories about him.  You see, I want to write a book about him someday. I had a poem published in the Philippine Panorama a few years back, and I think---in a few years, Tatay Nick can inspire me to get published again, this time in prose.


He was a guerilla veteran.  History homework was awesome---only because Tatay Nick supplied some facts.  He said there was a time when he wore a Japanese officer's uniform and marched on the street, raising his hand in salute to the other officers. They all thought he was Japanese too because of his fair skin and his eyes. I couldn't forget that story. I saw it happen very clearly in my mind.  

Once, however, when I was a little girl, I asked him if he's ever shot someone.  He said, "Yes! Of course!" My grandmother scoffed, interrupting our conversation. "Suuuus! A chicken! That's the only thing he's ever shot!"

I don't know if he ever really shot anyone or anything other than a chicken.  But it doesn't matter. To me, he's a brave solider (figuratively and literally).  He fought a lung disease FOR YEARS. He never once showed us he was weak or that he wasn't feeling well. He always had a smile on his face. And every time you asked him for a favor, no matter what it was (I bet if I asked him now if he could help me marry John Lloyd Cruz, he'll say the same thing), he'll say "Areglado!" in this really vibrant, okay-let's-go-NOW manner. I really miss that. =')

He's the best driver I know. If I can drive half as well as my Tatay Nick, I'll consider myself a professional and march up to LTO and demand for a red-cased license! I will also stop cursing frowning at the trike and jeepney drivers who never follow traffic rules.  

I found my old blog today, Tatay Nick. And I wrote there that when I was younger, I prayed to God that He wouldn't take you because I didn't want to cry forever.  I don't cry every day, but you know what---it still hurts. It's hard to blog about you and not cry because I miss you beyond words. You've shown me love that I don't think I can find anywhere---devotion that I don't think will ever exist again.  There are so many things I want to share with you, and I know that you'll be happiest for and proudest of me.  I know you're with Inay Maxi, so I know that you're very happy. I'm happy about that---but I'm always gonna be sad that you're not here to watch me grow older, to see me succeed, to see me with my road rage, to watch me live my dreams.  It will always hurt that you're no longer around, Tatay. It will hurt until I see you again... although, of course, I don't think I should go there soon... nor should you visit me while I'm awake because I WILL end up dead. You know how much of a scaredy cat I am! You're welcome in my dreams, though... And you're always going to be in my memory.  And you know just how good my memory is. ;-)  I love you.

PHOTOGRAPHY: Binondo Girls

I miss you, girls. =')

There was a week during holiday break when we spent our afternoons watching My Binondo Girl. Erika and EJ have taken up characters. Erika was Jade, EJ was Amber. I was Amethyst. Hahahaha. Had I known Amber was gonna die, I never would have agreed to it! =P

It's the final week of the said teleserye and I gotta say, I wish the kids were with me to watch the finale. :') 

And to all...

... a good night. :)

Happy weekend, loves!

Magical Me!

Initially, this was just going to be a funny interlude.  A good friend of mine, DJ Joseph of 99.1 SpiritFM, has a knack for turning my otherwise boring wall photos into manips and colorful parodies.  Apart from being a disc jock, DJ Joseph is also into graphic design/creative services (PixMagic).  If you live in Lipa or Batangas, you've probably seen some of his work on local TV.  :) So---back to the supposed interlude---DJ Joseph made a few "posters" inspired by cheriecity. And I thought I'd share it here.

Up to now, I've left the "About Cheriecity" page of my style blog blank.  I'm still wondering if I should update it now or wait until the blog's first anniversary.  But seeing DJ Joseph's interpretation of the blog name was pretty cool.  You see, when Ana Viajera and I were discussing blog names, she instantly liked "cheriecity" because it reminded her of her favorite TV series. :)  And although I wanted to reflect my "city style" (that explains the blogpost URL), I also wanted a wordplay on cherie plus felicity.  It's my city style blog and it brings me joy.  And so: cheriecity.  (Come to think of it, this paragraph would already make for a good "About" content, but I think I'll wait some more.  There's a lot to be explored and more words to be written).

Now, since I've already posted three of DJ Joseph's artworks, I might as well post the other photo parodies he's done in the past! :)

 

 Previously a photo taken during a yogurt date with friends. Now, a tourism ad! :P

 

A "stolen" photo taken in Turkey became a Globe ad. Good thing I really am a Globe user. :))

 

Had a pictorial after the office ID at Ayala Triangle---then became a Kapamilya Teleserye star! 

 

Something for cheriecity's old look. :)

 

A pout meant for my nieces got me into Mickey D's ad. Hahaha. But it's true! I just want some fries. And coke float. :)

But out of these photos/manips that DJ Joseph has done, these two remain my ultimate favorites:

 

These photos are prophetic. The next, REAL photo is gonna be me in my wedding dress right next to Mr. John Lloyd Cruz. :)

Kthxbai!

P.S.
Thanks to DJ Joseph/PixMagic for showing me different sides of well.. me! :P

¡Hola

So, my mom's been looking for some language classes that she can take on weekends. Iden and I talked about joining. At first, we wanted to take up French (because it's sexxeeeh!) but then, Spanish seemed like an easier route.  Iden said it would be cool if we just met up somewhere and started talking nonsense in Spanish. Hahaha.

We practiced a bit and texted each other in Espanyol.  I know a few Spanish words and lines (my last name is del Rio, I think I should know what that means at least! Hahahahah!) and I remember going to Navy Pier one time with my family. My nieces and I pigged out at McDonald's and there were two Spanish-speaking girls beside us. They smiled and so I spoke to them with my very limited Spanish vocabulary. Of course, this totally blew my nieces away. They thought I was the most awesome Aunt everrrrrr! Yo, world, our Tita Chebong speaks Spanish and her hips don't lie yeaaaaaah... I kid, I kid. But I'm serious about my nieces thinking I'm cool. =P

Later on, my nieces asked me where I learned how to speak Spanish. I told them the truth: Dora The Explorer. ;-)

* * *

And since my mom's name is Corazon and she'll be taking up Spanish lessons, I guess I should start calling her Cora The Explorer!

Vamonos!

Legal Friends

 

Haven't seen my college friends in over a year. And I have to say that my reunions so far have been awesome! Awesome enough to distract me from going to Manila solely for the purpose of stalking Jeremy Renner and Edward Norton.

Iden and I spent HOURS talking that when I went home, I kinda lost my voice na. Hahahaha. So many corny jokes!  How come I never heard of the alarm clock joke before???

Alarm clock ka ba?

Kasi umaga pa lang gusto na kitang patayin eh!

I also don't understand why I laughed so hard about it. Hahahaha. See, I'm still laughing now. Thanks again for everything, Moony! :)

No Place Like Home

It REALLY is more fun in the Philippines. So I say quit the bashing and if you don't think it's more fun here in the Philippines, then pack your bags and go to Pluto.

25 Things That Are More Fun In The Philippines

Very cool.  But you know what's cooler?  Ivan' Guerrero's "More Fun In The Philippines... for Geeks!" :)

Check out his entire album. It's made of pure win!

Really, Planner, Really?

There's something terribly wrong with this picture.

I love my Figaro planner---primarily because I got it in less than two weeks and a day before the promo ended. Figaro planner > Starbucks fad. Sadly, though, while I was marking off some dates and updating my schedule, I noticed something very wrong on the January page.

I feel like my Figaro planner is taunting me.

For someone who doesn't really celebrate the occasion, having one Valentine's Day on the calendar/planner is already annoying.  And to have not one but TWO Valentine's Days marked on my 2012 planner? What are you trying to tell me, planner? Seriously. Hahahaha. I actually hurried to check if all the 14th of the other months were marked V-day too. :P  January and February lang naman. :))




P.S.
Putting the disclaimer at the end of the entry instead---it's not that I don't believe in Valentine's Day. I just think that you don't have to wait until February 14th to make someone feel loved and special. :) Birthdays, ordinary weekends, sunny Fridays, or rainy Mondays are enough reason for me to buy/make someone a gift, write love letters and poetry, or just do something totally random but special to make them feel important. Love should be celebrated any day of the year---every day, for that matter.

So, Figaro, next year, I guess you can mark all the days in my planner as Valentine's Day. =P

Crossing

 

We come upon many bridges in our lives. Some we are eager to cross, others we are afraid to even lay eyes on. But I take comfort in the fact that in either side of the bridge, God is there for me. ♥

Frances Ridley Havergal says, "Never mind if you think you are unable to take another step, for either He will strengthen you to make you able, or He will call a sudden halt, and you will not have to take it at all." Happy Sunday, everyone! =)

Boxing Blues

Why didn't I watch this movie sooner? Like, when it came out? I'm still reeling from Real Steel's post-screening effects.  I want a sequel. If they can create a sequel for the horrible "Clash of the Titans", there has to be some sequel for an amazing movie like Real Steel.

I'm not gonna write a movie review----if I did, it's just gonna be made up of "SO AWESOME. MUST WATCH. BUY DVD/BLU-RAY. NOW."

Robot and boxing movies make me cry. If I suddenly got sucked into an episode of "How I Met Your Mother" and they made me sit through a fight of "Robots versus Wrestlers", I'd probably be crying my eyes out. Hahahaha. I do watch boxing matches, but I'm only brave when my fighter is winning. If he's getting beaten up, expect me to cry.  During PacMan's last fight, I quietly hid behind a pillow and secretly shed a tear. Hahahaha. A lonesome tear also made its way down to my cheek when PacMan was pronounced the winner. =P

Robot movies. Well, the irony about these films is that usually, the robots are so rugged, tough, massive, and strong but the plot lines always border on emotional---more emotional than the humans portrayed therein.  Everytime "Bicentennial Man" is showing on cable, I make it a point to watch it.  There are so many great lines/dialogues from that movie.  Is there anyone out there who loves that movie as much as I do? Please raise your hands and let's be friends, coz I don't know anyone else. Hahahaha.

Boxing movies.  I come from the country of Manny Pacquiao and Onyok Velasco. How can I not appreciate boxing? And movies about it? The first movie I ever cried over was "The Champ". I don't remember if I've ever blogged about this, but I remember watching it when I was a kid and trying not to cry. I didn't want to cry in front of my family. So I went to the comfort room during commercial break and cried the same way I did over my first breakup many years later. Hahahahahaha. Stifled sobs. A river of tears. Chest tightening. Heart-wrenching.  And ugly. =P

And so, with Real Steel---we combine robots and boxing. You can guess what happened to my tear ducts. I felt more moved by Real Steel than by The Notebook. I didn't even cry over The Notebook. Sorry, fellow ladies! ^_^

My sister was the one who kept saying that we should watch Real Steel because it was goooooooooood. So me, my mom, and my sisters all sat down a few hours ago to watch it. It was a great rec. The movie did not disappoint. SO AWESOME. MUST WATCH. BUY DVD/BLU-RAY. NOW. =P


P.S.
Keep a box of Kleenex just in case. =P

Fake-Man

Since Pacman was once again on the news (and in an attempt to distract myself from the fact that Jeremy Renner is only an hour away from me right now), here's a blog post on the People's Champ. :)

Actually, just a photo collage. =P

Photos taken during the opening of the Team Pacquiao store in Robinson's Galleria way back in 2010. If the Facebook Timeline was already existing back then, this would have qualified as a "life event". :P

Anyhoo, I blogged previously about shopping for toys. When we were at the toy store, I found this:

 

 Now I know why there has to be a name written on the waistband.  =/