Monday, May 30, 2005
Why We Tell The StoryBlessed day! Ate, Bam, Mikey, Mars, Shobe and I watched "Once On This Island" at the RCBC Theatre yesterday.
Looking back at the story, Bam and I arrived at certain thoughts that never occurred to us before. Andrea is not the antagonist in the story, in fact, she was being very kind when she told Ti Moune the truth, that she and Daniel were intended to each other since birth. Daniel was the one acting like a jerk, leading Ti Moune to believe that they can be together when they really can never be. And then there were the gods. Ti Moune would never have been in that mess had the gods not toyed with them, providing them with a venue and an opportunity to meet. Then again, the gods would not have given Ti Moune what she wanted had she not asked for the gods to hear her prayer. So perhaps it all stems down to Ti Moune's plea. As the saying goes, "Be careful what you wish for or you might just get it." But if none of all these happened, then we would not have a story to tell.
Current LSS: Why We Tell The Story - Once On This Island
Thursday, May 26, 2005
Bo Bice Rocks!In the three years that I've been watching American Idol (I didn't watch the first), never have I been so captivated by any contestant as Bo Bice. Sure, Carrie Underwood might have won and to be honest she was really good - a true performer who knows how to keep her audience wanting more - but BO BICE ROCKS!!!
So it's true that a fantastic voice and astounding stage presence encompass hair that needs a trim, maybe even a hot oil, and a bearded face that doesn't suit my taste. But what the heck! Bo was great! Bo was hot! Bo IS my American Idol!
Pictures taken from American Idol: Bo Rocks!
Current LSS: Vehicle - Bo Bice
Wednesday, May 25, 2005
Macie ShortcakeHere are some of the lomo pics I took at Macie party. To see more, go to http://asucachan.multiply.com/photos.
Gymboree
Cake blowing time - Monet style
Monday, May 23, 2005
Macie's 1st Birthday PartyWow! Macie's party was really fun, especially for the Titas who absolutely adore their absolutely adorable niece.
The food was great. Aside from the real food there was Buy the Bucket, Big Chill, F.I.C., Corndog, and Krispy Krepe all under one roof.
Then there was a magic show with a levitating girl. I've seen that done on TV lots of times but never did I think that I'd see it done right in front of me... and I'm still puzzling over how it was done. Ang galeng! Then Ate Pebs was even "chosen as a volunteer" to "chop" off the hand of Shobe. Of course, it was trick, and she should actually have seen before hand how it would've been done, but she screamed on stage more than the kids in the audience did. Cute talaga ni Ate!
Then Regina kept winning prizes in all the games so that she started giving her prizes to Macie sa sobrang dami. Galeng talaga ni Ate Regina!
And after everyone left, while all the grown-ups were fixing up, Tita Caren, Tita Bam, and Tita Mars ran around with Macie while she played with the ball and the balloons.
Current LSS: "Come on everybody let's sing-a-long, sing-a-long, sing-a-long..."
Thursday, May 19, 2005
Revenge of the SithAfter days of getting over my muscle spasms from the accident, I've finally recovered. I've begun to drive again and sleep peacefully. I'm even beginning to curse reckless drivers who overtake from the right again.
To start the beginning of the end of an emotionally stressful week, we watched Star Wars Episode 3 last night - the very first showing that was simulcast with the rest of the world. I found it galeng. And although I already knew what was going to happen I didn't know how they would show it. But as a whole, of the first 3 episodes, I prefer the 2nd. This one was just so sad: how Anakin became evil; how heartbroken Padme was; how many jedis were lost; more importantly, how frustrated Obi Wan must have felt. All these make me want to watch Episodes 4 to 6 all over again just to see the happy ending.
Just some thoughts. How can Yoda, who walks with a cane, do all those acrobatic twists and turns? How can such good looking parents as Anakin and Padme have such, um, "boring" looking children?
Current LSS: You Were Meant For Me - Jewel
Tuesday, May 17, 2005
I LIVE To TellOn Sunday, May 15, 2005, Bam, Mars, Mikey, and I experienced the worst car accident we've ever been in. I've never been so scared in my entire life. It's like those movies; they show a scene from the point of view of the actors inside the car when they get hit. That, we realized, is no exaggeration.
We were about to enter the gate of Blue Wave along he Diosdado Macapagal Highway when we suddenly heard the screeching of tires of a speeding taxi, then bamm! According to ALL the witnesses, this is what happened: The taxi was still at least 20 meters away. But he was running too fast (above the speed limit as it says so in the police statement), probably also hoping that when he reached that area we would have already made it inside the parking lot. Stupid guy tried to overtake us from the right side so he hit our right rear and the car made a close to 60 degree turn. Some cars even stopped to tell the police that the taxi had been speeding since Gil Puyat and had tried overtaking them from the right. Isn't it common sense that you overtake from the left? Plus he had all the space in the world to avoid us. Why didn't he?
It was worse inside the car. The screech we heard was long. When the car turned, it was even worse. According to the guard, we could have tipped over. I'm just really thankful that in those few seconds where we sort-of blacked out, Mars said I still held on to the steering wheel to control the car... and we all survived.
The wreck was bad. Mars received the full impact but thank God she's ok. Thank God Bam and Mikey are also ok. We have a few minor bruises and body pains but the doctors and our x-rays say they're normal. The car, however, was wrecked. I couldn't help but cry because of all the mixed emotions. I believe, as someone who rarely cries, I've cried my fill for 2005.
It's a life-changing experience for me... for all of us. As the four of us friends were discussing, life is too short to be anything but happy; no matter what happens our family will always be there to support us and we should be thankful for that; and with everyone else telling us about everything else worse that could have happened, we must have a greater purpose in life to have survived such an accident.
To all those reading this, please do not breathe a word of anything I have just said to any of the Chan Titas, and especially not to YAYA LALLY.
Oh, and as for the driver of the taxi, the company employing him is paying for all the expenses incurred because the truth is, had anything happened to any of us, it would have been jail on the spot for him.
For the record, this is the second time a trip of ours to Blue Wave has been postponed for this reason or another. My suggestion, if you're all girls, DO NOT GO TO BLUE WAVE!
Current LSS: I Live to Tell - Madonna
Monday, May 09, 2005
Sunny and Super at Avilon ZooAfter putting the Sunday Club outings to a halt for a week, we resumed with a bang last Saturday. A bigger group this time (Kuya Dondi, Kuya Ronnie, Ate Boom, Regina, Bam and I), we went to Avilon Zoo at Montalban, Rizal.
The ride going there was not very long. Just an hour without the traffic. Upon arrival, you pay an entrance and tour fee of P200, which motherly Ate Boom treated us all to. Since we arrived there at 12:00 we had lunch at their snack pavilion. You can buy food there (pretty reasonable prices for food that tastes ok) or opt to bring your own. The place is clean, so are the bathrooms.
At 1:00 we joined a two-hour walking tour of the whole zoo. We saw different kinds of birds, turtles, snakes, crocodiles. We saw a kind of bear called the sun bear that's from the family of Winnie the Pooh. We saw 3 shetland ponies, one you can pet. We got to carry an eagle, an owl, this other bird that looks snowy - don't know what it was. We saw a leopard trying to hunt for prey, an urangutan that appeared with Kuya Ronnie's hands through the glass and another kind of monkey that copied his head movements. We saw some really cute and chubby gerbils, a peacock with its huge white tail spread open trying to attract its mate, some kind of carnivorous fish that went wild when Kuya Dondi threw the raw chicken pieces inside, and we actually witnessed two tigers mating.
Check out some of the pics I took.
It's a bobcat. Cute!
See the leopard hunt for its prey.
Swimming ducks... maybe eating.
Current LSS: Grazing the Grass - Raven
Friday, May 06, 2005
Bangkok LomoLately, I've been into Lomography. And since I still feel fresh from Bangkok, here are some of the pics I took.
From the SuperSampler Camera:
See more of my lomos at http://www.lomohomes.com/asucachan or at http://asucachan.multiply.com.
From the ColorSplash Camera:
Long exposure with yellow flash to distort the surroundings. This is the Chao Phaya River from the garden of Peninsula Bangkok.
Current LSS: "I left my heart in...(Bangkok, Thailand)."
Wednesday, May 04, 2005
"I left my heart in... [Bangkok, Thailand]"
Of all Bangkok trips methinks this one was best. We were only a few, all girls, two to a bathroom, less stress, no hassle except for traffic worse than Manila, went shopping, shopping, shopping, and ate in all the best restaurants - thanks all to Mama Vicky.
It was hot... make that extremely hot and dry compared to humid Manila, but it was a very enjoyable stay nonetheless.
The shopping was great. Except for Bobae where pickpockets are now the "in-thing" (Tita Azon's bag was slashed - curse that stupid lady), we went to markets like the indispensable Chatuchak, and Pratunam where I bought 4 shirts and spent not a single cent, thanks again to Mama Vicky. We went to high end shopping centers like Emporium (love that place just for Kinokuniya Bookstore), Central in Silom, Narai Phand, and River City, and Soi 93 where the Jim Thompson outlet is located. Then there's my ultimate favorite mall in Bangkok - Mahboon Krong (MBK)!
The eating was also fantastic. Although I really love the Thai Barbecue places of MBK and River City, the best eats were those at the Chinese Restaurant at Peninsula, this restaurant far away where a new friend of my titas took us for authentic Thai food, and the Celadon of Sukhothai hotel. I've actually learned to eat Thai food the way Thais do that I find the curry we cook at home not spicy.
We also made new friends in that trip. Aside from a lot of sales ladies remembering us from last November I met this guy named Wasin and a girl named Onn, both from the Lomographic Embassy of Bangkok. They're very nice people who speak normal English, who delivered my lomo camera to the hotel and showed me some of the pictures they took on the same kind of camera. We also met that woman who took us to the restaurant far away. Her name is Mrs. Noi. She's a very nice lady who owns this jewelry store - I feel like I already have a Thai blood relative. Plus she has this nephew named Art who's the cutest, cleanest, most polite Thai guy we've ever met. It's just too bad that he has a girlfriend and doesn't speak very good English so I can't talk to him that well, except that we share a common love for turtles. He also has a cousin named Golf. Cool names they have there!
What I wrote here doesn't really do justice to the trip, so til next time again when my lomos get developed and I can upload it here. Good God, I'm starting to speak like a Thai.
Sawasdee ka!
Current LSS:
Tikitikitimbownosinimbowhoipoiboskiekoipondohikiponponnikinoniadamkoi!