What am I wearing? Find out what my vested interests are.

My brother and I have limitless ways to keep ourselves preoccupied. We play the same games, like the same movies, and listen to similar genres of music.

When we get bored (as there isn’t much to do in our quiet rural neighborhood), we visit the nearest mall. Our mall is small and cozy, with not nearly enough stores to keep us both amused. However, we always find a way to make mundane chores more amusing.

For example, my brother takes pictures of me whenever I’m in some kind of trouble. His camera phone is always ready for a disaster photo shoot. If I get my shoes stuck in a gutter, or if I can’t find the keys to the car, he makes it a point to capture my moment of weakness on film – and we laugh about it later. :D

Can’t find the keys to the car – and Adrian is there to immortalize my fumbling. ;p

Life will be quite boring without my brother’s teasing. We’re the only two siblings in the family and, given our 13 year gap, we are lucky to be this close. Now, if only we had a little sister. Haha!

Everyone owns a cellphone. I’ve had one since ten years ago. Although I’m not hooked to my cellphone 24-7 (do I smell denial?), I don’t think I can function efficiently without one.

Do you love wearing monochrome? Guess what I’m wearing!

I need my phone because of my line of work. I’m always on the go, always trying to contact someone ASAP, always being paged.

I’ve always been a Nokia user because it’s idiot-friendly, perfect for the likes of me. Some of my friends say Nokia phones aren’t half as sturdy as other brands, but I don’t think I have the time to reorient myself to a new user interface. Well, if someone actually gives me a brand new LG or Samsung phone, then that’s a different story. ;p

Do my clothes look familiar? Does the phrase muted red sound familiar?

Bayo shirt
Tango knit sweater
Mango satin shorts
silver chain bracelet
black coconut shell bracelet
Onyx silver earrings

Yes, I have a reason for holding on to my cellphone. Can you live without a cellphone?

Mango denim vest
Freeway shirt
Bayo shorts
Havaianas flip-flops
beige and white patent leather bag

Wanna know the story behind me and my never-ending rummaging? Find out why getting lost in my bag equals fun with Adrian.

Tango minidress
Black & coral bangles

I’m one of those people who simply needs to live life with a cellphone. Can you live without a cellphone?

My friend asked me to listen to a few tracks by a new band, Rendezvous. Because I find music hard to resist, I knew I had to look for my trusty earphones again.

I asked my friend, “What kind of music do they play?”

She answered, “Electronica.”

Rendezvous = Electropop + Reality.

Immediately, I remember watching The Saint (starring Val Kilmer), with a few songs by Chemical Brothers making a comeback in my head. I thought I knew what to expect.

Expectations, shmectations. I would not have thought I was listening to electropop when I listened to Rendezvous’ song, Incognito. It was refreshingly different but still true to its mother genre.

Rendezvous: Hagai Izenberg and Itai Simon

I was instantly converted. Hail Hagai Izenberg and Itai Simon for molding veritable tunes!

Rendezvous obviously made music that could not be placed under just one classification. I heard instrumental music, jazz, pop, and even blues in just a single song. If I were to make a genre for them, I would say their songs belong under Progressive ElectroPop.

But then again, that’s just me. After listening to So What, I would have been glad to receive a free song download – but Christmas has come and gone, so instead of making a wish, maybe I should buy their debut album instead. (When does Rendezvous’ first album come out? When, when???)

Cluttered thoughts and busy minds need a little music for inspiration-slash-escape now and again. With Rendezvous just around the corner, we won’t have to look far.

I’ve proven once and for all that technology hates me. Here’s proof that supports my theory:

• My trusty laptop, just a few months old, suddenly developed the propensity to hang about three seconds after being turned on. In other words, it has rendered itself useless. It’s officially the second laptop that died on me.
• A few months ago, my new Nokia phone suddenly stopped functioning. It keeps scrolling down on its own, the possessed thing. I asked the service crew what went wrong and they told me the main board got fried. I thought it was because of bad handling but they said it wasn’t, and that “these things just happen.”
• This Christmas, I went home to spend time with my family. A day after I arrived, my television fizzled, died, and wouldn’t turn on anymore. How thoughtful of my TV to wait for me before it decided to bog down!
• 
  As if to make my point for me (and add insult to injury), a blackout ensues as I am typing this post. Grr.

I would looove to boycott technology after it has betrayed me so many times this year but I simply can’t. Darn!

Next year better be a good year, tech-wise. I hope the tech goblins go away soon… :(

I was shocked to hear that our entire family in Calasiao has been under water for weeks during the whole Ondoy and Peping fiasco! My relatives had to camp under one roof because everybody else’s houses were under water.

The trees still show how high the flood waters went. It reached up to the second floor of my relatives’ houses so they had to stay with my uncle who had a third story stockroom. Here, the tree shows how the flood waters have gone above the cement wall:

My mom then made it a personal mission to come back on Christmas to give food and other goodies to the folks who need it. It’s her way of saying, “Merry Christmas!


My relatives told me that they could see rats and cats coexisting together, staying huddled for warmth on rooftops. I had to laugh amidst the circumstances!


This is my Lola’s house. As you can see, we came from very humble beginnings. I’m quite proud of how my family has fought through hardships, not letting financial problems get in the way of our dreams:

In my Lola’s house, my mom’s achievements are hung with pride:

This is part of the list that my Mom used to help her keep track of who she’s given relief goods to:

Wow, my family in action! They’re giving relief goods – plus cash! – to flood victims in Pandayan, an area neglected by the government during their attempt to reach out while Ondoy and Peping were still in their peak:

    

This was what remained of the relief goods we gave to the small neighborhood of Pandayan in Calasiao, Pangasinan. All the goods we brought were gone, except for two lonely plastic bags:

What a fruitful day! Hopefully, we get to do more for others in the future. I was late for Christmas, but it all panned out in the end. :)

I’m a fan of everything bitter: coffee, dark chocolate, and ampalaya! For lunch, I had gisadong ampalaya with egg and shrimp. The recipe is posted in http://filipinofoodfeast.blogspot.com, a blog that features authentic Filipino recipes. Superb!

They say that eating something bitter makes other food taste sweeter. In fact, even water tastes sweet! How I wish I could eat leche flan for dessert though… My, I’m drooling!

My mom told me that one of our dogs kept howling, day in and day out. Because some members of my family were very superstitious, they got rid of the dog (and I was livid when I heard of this).

Now, another dog keeps howling outside my window! I keep shushing it every night because I don’t want it to share the fate of its previous companion; unfortunately, it just won’t quit!

I never even knew that howling was linked to bad luck or omens. Is this a Filipino thing or something a little more global?

I wonder why the dogs keep howling. Will do research on it once I have enough time.

Finally, I’m home! Our house looks different everytime I come home. The roof color changes, new bushes are planted, the front yard also changes somehow. Now, our front yard has been cemented (again) to prepare for any floods that might come. Better safe than sorry!

Our Christmas tree. I love the colors! I have no idea if this tree was the one we had last year. That’s how long I’ve been gone from home!

My piano is still alive! After all these years, it’s still there. I first had it when I was about 8 or 9. It still sounds amazingly in tune.

It’s good to be home again. I can catch up with my brother and spend more time with my parents and relatives. Belated Merry Christmas!

A day after we arrive, my Mom and I gave relief goods to Ondoy victims in Calasiao.

Never again shall I go home right after Christmas! I usually take the bus going home and the queue is just tooooo long! The people at the front of the queue look like little ants to me!
There really should be a better way to commute home during the holidays. Perhaps a train that connects the city to other areas of Luzon would be nice (attention, whoever wins the presidential elections!!!).

But when I got home, I saw that things have changed… See how my late Christmas at home went.

I’ve been spending a lot of time with Winky, my boyfriend’s sister’s blind cat (whew, that’s a mouthful!). She seems to love plastic bags!

Because she looked so at home inside the plastic bag, I fashioned a plastic kitty house for her. I just laid down a comfortable towel inside the sturdy plastic bag and threw in Winky’s favorite stuffed toy (a duck). She loves napping and playing inside it. Could it be the feline version of children playing house?

Got myself a pair of ankle boots! I’ll probably wear them only once a year, but I don’t care. They’re comfortable and pretty. I’m hoping to get more shoes by New Year – I’m crossing my fingers!