Y.C.M.L.

I know it’s way too premature to gush, but am REALLY overly excited and looking forward to watching the sequel to A Very Special Love, starring none other than my ultimate crush Papa Lloydie and Sarah G. – You Changed My Life. Promotion photos have been lurking about the net, so I grabbed one to share it with whoever shares the same sentiment with me…

Wala lang... am such a big fan!!! :P

Between Lovers And Friends

I'd rather not.

I was enjoying my strawberry gelato with a friend yesterday, and somehow the topic of conversation geared towards that of friends and lovers. Now this particular friend of mine is somewhat of the so-called ladies’ man. When I asked him on why he couldn't seem to bring himself to date one of his MANY lady friends, he enumerated several factors which he considers; bottom line: he'd rather not. One main reason he had in mind is that he's afraid to lose the friendship. "But some of the best love stories started out with friendship...”

The conversation reminded of a guy I've been good friends with since freshman year in college. He and I immediately hit it off as really good friends - we were bound to be classmates since senior year (Ours was a block section, you see.), we both live in Cavite, he was also an only child like me, we had the same circle of friends, and everyone else were saying bagay daw kami. After a few months since knowing him, I developed this huge crush on the dude, but opted to remain silent about it. Besides, he was making the moves on one of my close girlfriends so I just kept my little secret all to myself. Of course, that time it hurt like hell to see them together during lunch and vacant hours. Still I remained steadfast on being a good friend to both. A couple of years passed (And so did my feelings for the guy.) and it was senior year. For some reason it didn't work out for my girlfriend and the guy, then he had another girlfriend but eventually broke up after two years. I couldn't exactly pinpoint when and how, but somehow he and I got closer than we were ever before during the four years that we've been good friends. And so the inevitable happened - he confessed that he had fallen for me and pursued me, flowers and all. We eventually became a couple, and all our blockmates could say was "Sabi ko na nga ba dyan din yan papunta eh...” To cut the story short, while ours didn't last very long and didn't work out like we expected, I’ll always remember him as one of the sweetest guys I’ve met in this lifetime. I still have with me all the letters and memento he gave me from way back and every bit of it makes me smile with nostalgia. He's married now and has a beautiful little girl of his own. True, I've hurt him and for a while I was afraid that the hurt would consume the friendship we had. Still, it survived even through the years. We haven't seen each other for a couple of years now, but I know that if I ever bump into him one of these days, I’ll smile at seeing a good friend who I’ve missed dearly.

Moral of the story? Well, I guess friendship does not have to end where love between two people begins. I told a friend one night out of pure realization that if someone is to come along for me (In God's own time, of course.), I would want that person to be someone with whom I can be my 101% self - never needing to change who I really am, only wanting to be a much better version of me; a friend. After all, friendship is that which remains true when all else fail in spite of.

For The Love of Sonja (And Everything Else For The Day)

As the ending credits for the third installment of the Underworld trilogy – Underworld: Rise of the Lycans – started rolling, I can’t help but feel a bit sad, having resigned to the fact that this might very well be the last time I’ll be catching my most favorite vampire-werewolf movie of all time in the big screen. From that very first Underworld flick that starred the sultry Kate Beckinsale some five or six years ago, I fell in-love with everything that has been encapsulated in the entire saga – hardcore combat scenes, how the folklore about centuries-old feud between the species of vampires and werewolves was adapted into a motion picture, heart-pounding musical scoring and, yes, Kate in her super body-fitting black leather combat suit. But the third installment was a bit different – it’s a time warp into the very beginning on how the war between the two species under Corvinus’ bloodline came into full circle, all because of a Lycan’s love for a vampire, Sonja. (Hmmm… I love that name!) Of course, nothing of this sort ends quite happily; it was most expected that theirs was fated to end tragically else the war would not have consumed at all.

Underworld Trilogy

*Sigh*

Need I say how I would rate the movie? Obviously, it has got to be a five-star as far as I’m concerned. My mom’s got a different opinion, by the way; she’s not too much a fan of these types of movies. Still, her very word about the movie was, “Astig.” (Yes, that was my mom talking.) Also, she was much more looking forward to the Piolo Pascual flick that we were gonna watch that same day. (Mom’s a HUGE Piolo Pascual fan, by the way.) In-between movies, we had light snack at Kenny Rogers. Mom just ordered for a tuna melt sandwich combo (with fries and drink) while I had the all-vegetable salad with Italian dressing plus a large serving of corn and carrots with muffin on the side.

L-R: Tuna melt Combo; Mom taking in a BIG bite; all-veggie salad w/ Italian dressing

So how was the Piolo flick? It was pretty good, not to mention the breathtaking scenery of Bukidnon that was very much a huge part of the movie. Still, I think the Lloydie – Sarah G. tandem has got tons more kilig than this one, though. Also, it would have helped more if the Aussie guy was a bit younger and more, should I say, suave than the one they got to play the role in the movie. As for the controversial love scene between Angel and Piolo, it was nonetheless done in good taste.

We got home pretty early, which did me good since my emotional state is a lot less ok these days. But to tell you all about it would have to wait in another post or two. For now, let me just say…

Gong Xi Fa Cai!

To Fish Or Not To Fish

"Fishing ka noh?"

Of course, who would want to be caught dead fishing for answers? So the only logical reply to the question is

"Hindi noh!"

Yeah, sure.

Curiosity has always been an innate characteristic in both sexes that could have sprung out of innocent interest or, in most cases, out of that personal need to somehow purge the truth while reading between the lines. To be more specific, there is a solid line that divides the argument "I want to know." from "I need to know." The first argument exudes plain interest - something that might have caught one's fancy and that knowing whatever's up oddly brings that feeling of being "in-the-know"; the latter is obviously similar to that so-called "tip of the iceberg" - there seems to be something that could be hanging in the balance and knowing the real score might be a determinant to a particular outcome.

I believe that just like flirting, fishing is an art and requires certain know-how's lest you want to save yourself the shame of wearing that burning curiosity up in your sleeve. Two important keywords: SUBTLE and CASUAL. The subtlest questions laid in the most casual manner could very well work to your advantage. Problem is, it's never easy knowing which ones are the right questions to ask. So I guess one quick fix is to ask away without seeming too prodding, and NEVER ever let your emotion betray you. In other words, act cooly and then do all the contemplating later. Oh and in this case, beating around the bush could work best for anyone.

So who does it better between the two sexes? I'd have to admit that men seemed to have mastered the art of fishing since Eden's gates closed on Adam and Eve. Damn, they're so good at it! And yet, men are still THE most clueless people on the face of the planet. Ironic!

On a more personal note, I think it’s better to be more direct and honest rather than fish for answers, especially from guys. I don’t know, but it seems they’re keen enough to know when any woman is fishing for answers. Male instinct, I guess. *Sigh* And so, ladies out there might as well get it off their minds as straightforward as possible. As for me, I’m never really quite good at fishing; I’m very easily caught red-handed. Plus I think a more straightforward and honest convos prevent false assumptions that could make things a little more out of hand. Trust me, nobody wants that to happen.

Screensaver Mode Now Shutting Down

So how was the first workweek of the year so far? Well, I’m still breathing, am I?

Kidding.

Seriously?

Oh-kay… let’s just say that while my social calendar have been a ho-hum still, it had been a fruitful week, though – fruitful in such a way that I unwittingly learned a good deal about some of the people around me, caught up with a girlfriend over coffee and gossip before she embark on a much-awaited South East Asian cruise as part of her company’s teambuilding program (Cassey gurl, you better make up your mind on that DSLR thing, SERIOUSLY!), and… that’s pretty much it, actually.

*Sigh*

Admittedly, the previous week’s been rather a slow one, plus I haven’t had enough effort to work out in the gym as much as I would during any other week, and I haven’t really gotten over all the eating since the last time I binged on food during the long holidays past. But hopefully this week I’ll get over my so-called screensaver mode and get my focus into action. Work is starting to feel like a pair of hungry scissors munching on my slack time, but it’s ok – I’ve had more slack time than I’d hoped for during last year’s Christmas break. I’m still too lazy to post some pictures from last year, though; I promise myself I’d get it done by the week’s end. I guess this is the point where I can finally say, “Back to normal…”

Resolutions, Promises, and Hope Anew

Wow! It’s the first day of 2009 and here I am typing away my very first entry for the year. Seems like only yesterday when I harboured that joyful anticipation for the dawn of 2008; here I am yet again, looking forward – and still partly excited – as to what 2009 will bring forth. But first, it’s no good looking forward to what lies ahead without having a last glance at 2008 that was.

The last 365 days has been full of revelations and realizations, that’s why I fondly call 2008 as my Year of Realizations – realizations over the things that I really deserve and what I have to give in return to be truly happy; the people who have walked in and out of my life, and how some unfortunate events could actually shed light to their true colors and intent; that it’s never enough to wanna do something and achieve a particular goal – you have to get off that freakin’ couch and actually DO something; that I could actually get out of my comfort zone and up the ante in managing my career; that there are some things far more important than wheels and blings when it comes to truly knowing a person of the opposite sex; that I am very lucky to have belonged to the family I am with now; that I have been blessed with so much to be thankful for. I guess has been a VERY GOOD year after all.

Ahh, yes! The spirit of new-ness is in the air. It’s as comforting as the aroma of paper when you open a new book for the first time; a new leaf. A new chapter. As for resolutions, well, I haven’t really any in particular lest I’d fail to keep it as early as the first quarter of the coming year. Besides, it’s that part of me which I usually keep to myself – a bit too personal, if I may say. But let me share to all of you this much – from now on, I’m looking at life from a more serious perspective. The lessons learned during the previous year have taught me that there are far more to life and in the future than to waste my time on trivialities of youth. (Ang lalim ba? Haha!) Let’s just put it this way: 2009 is going to be the year when I really start thinking about the future and actually doing something to realize my long-term plans. But that doesn’t mean I’m not gonna cut myself some slack. I’m gonna take it one step at a time, but each step will be a stride. I’m gonna need all the luck I could get, but I’m hopeful as I have been when 2008 dawned on the world exactly a year ago. After all, hope is one good, if not the best, reason to live for.

Happy New Year everyone!