"The true New Yorker secretly believes that people living anywhere else have to be, in some sense, kidding."

-John Updike

A few days ago, I thought I had surrendered to the fact that I have lost my chance to live in a dream. When I was walking around the city a few days ago, getting lost , looking up and around at the buildings and the people breezing past me, it was then that I admitted to myself, how in love I am with New York. Before my arrival, I was so afraid of this place. The idea of this city scared the bejeezus out of me and I never even considered living here. Well, I'm here now and its honestly quite difficult not to be blown away by the romance this place brings. The air, the sights, the sounds, all work together to bring you in and lull you into a state of drunken euphoria. It's like something in the air is whispering to you, telling you it's not too late. It took a virtual slap from Louiie to get me to finally make my decision, but I may have already decided on it even before we had our little chat. I'm so excited. I can't wait to start.

Manresa high school batch '98 just had their 10 year high school reunion last night and I'm sooooo jealous I was unable to go. It looked like a helluva lot of fun!

To those who are interested, you can swim through Ging's 400+ photos here.

I have many, many things I would like to say. Things that I need help in understanding and wished I had someone to help me clarify things and offer better encouragement and perspective. I have been trying to figure out who to talk to about them since skepticism and judgement are the last things I would like to go up against right now. It's been very hard for me to make a decision as to what course of action I'm supposed to take next. I know what I want. I can see it in my head, I can feel it, taste it. It's there and I can take it. The only problem is I keep double checking myself and questioning whether I want it badly enough to sacrifice some things that are equally important. If there's anything I would wish for myself right now, it would be for clarity...and a friendly push in the right direction. I wish someone else can make this decision for me. I can't do it. It's too difficult. I've been letting fate live my life for a while now and I'm afraid I've lost all ability to do things for myself. Ugh. I feel paralyzed and unable to propel myself forward. This no longer has anything to do with the failure of a certain something. Honestly, I'm surprised by my own capacity to "get over it." Whatever issues that have me all muddled up the past few months now have more to do with my own reservations as to where and what I want to do with my life now. The slate has been wiped clean (well, sort of) and there's a fork up ahead. What path am I supposed to take?! That's a real question, people. Someone please tell me what to do!

I hate having this compulsion to always please people. In the back of my head, I need people to agree with whatever decisions I make. I need them (you) to all think I'm making the right decision, and support me. I can foresee a lot of tongues wagging if I end up going with what I want, and I wish it wasn't so. I wish I didn't care. I wish I wasn't so paranoid. I wish I was more courageous. I wish I was a lot of things. I'm such a coward. I speak of so many things and put up this facade of what I'd like people to see me as. But honestly, I'm not even a fraction of what people perceive me to be. If only I was 21 again, so that I can have an excuse for all this confusion and having no real direction in life. But I'm no longer "young" and therefore am expected to at least have a plan. Heck, it's not even just other people. I myself doubt my ability to follow through with my own desires. I dream of so many things, but in the back of my head I've always convinced myself that my dreams are way bigger than me. You don't have to say it, I know I have a ton of issues and I know I need to work them out on my own.

***chat interruption***

Okay, Louiie just threw a mouthful at me. She yelled and she cursed and she virtually yanked my hair in an attempt to wake me up. I didn't expect it to come from her but I'm very glad it did. THANK YOU.

I wish I have a better conclusion to this depressing post. I have called for help now and I'm fortunate to have a local helping hand. Hehe. Wish me luck?

I'm in LOVE Gael Garcia Bernal.

You can read about the film here.

Trivia: This was the movie Michelle Williams was filming and had to temporarily put on hold because she learned of Heath Ledger's death.

It was my first real Thanksgiving dinner. Being Filipinos, my family doesn't really celebrate this american holiday, but my aunt was set on making me experience a typical thanksgiving meal. We bought the 12 lb turkey the day before and did a bit of last minute shopping on the morning of the 27th. I originally planned on waking up at the crack of dawn and head out to the city to catch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade live. Unfortunately, I failed to wake up on time and we watched the parade on NBC instead. The parade looked lovely and it would have been a great photo op if I had made it. Charice Pempengco was invited to participate and she sang a Celine Dion song (of course). Niki had called me early in the morning around 5am since she was with Ella and Andy in Dubai. I was groggy and sleepy but was very happy to hear a familiar voice again. Ella has resigned from the cruise ship and will be heading back to Manila. She has plans on flying to Illinois as soon as Andy has made the proper arrangements for them.

Preparations for dinner was chaotic! The turkey took 4-5 hours in the oven and Nana and Tita Chon made sure that it wouldn't burn or dry out and kept basting every 30 minutes. I set the dining table and tried to make everything look as festive as possible. We each took turns cooking our assigned dishes since the kitchen can only accomodate 2 people at a time. We had a great big feast! Aside from the turkey, we had pumpkin soup, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, mushroom and green bean casserole, corn and carrot nibblets, turkey stuffing and cornbread. Our dessert selection consisted of apple pie, belgian chocolate cheesecake, mudslide brownies and muffins (chocolate chip, blueberry and chocolate). Needless to say, we had a ton of leftover.

Omar and I were official photographers for the night and I taught him how to work the speedlight. All photos from last night can be seen here. Preview photos and video below:



Pardon my video. There's something wrong with my copy of iMovie. It won't allow me to add transitions, or text and keeps hanging.

Today, Nana and Tito Ans headed back to Syracuse (it's been decided that I won't be moving with them just yet, hooray!). Omar had a playdate with his friend Steven and the rest had work. I was left alone in the house and took the time to clean house! With Tito Ans and Nana in the house the past two weeks, the house was left in a mess! I laundered sheets and clothes and vacuumed everything from the floors to the couch! I tried to dust as much as I could and wipe everything down. It was exhausting but I loved it!

My aunt in the UK, Tita Baben , has bought herself a Flip Video! I look forward to seeing videos from the UK! Hooray!

I refused to spend my last free day in New York indoors so I went out. I had no planned destination but wanted to pass by the Adorama Camera store on W 18th st. I rode the N express by mistake and missed my stop. I got off Union Square and saw there was a Holiday Market at the park. I walked around and browsed through the stalls. I bought two flower broaches and a lined bonnet for Syracuse. Upstate is covered with inches of snow and I can't even begin to wonder how I'm to survive it. The restaurant Rann works at was a few blocks east so I decided to pay him a visit. I made a slight detour to Barnes and Noble to purchase The Graveyard Book. From there, I walked in the wrong direction three times and doubling back repeatedly until I found the right street. I still keep getting confused with uptown, downtown, east side and westside. It looks simple enough in a map but its entirely different when you're in the city. I checked out a vintage store and checked out their awesome selection of boots and coats. I bought nothing since I still have no definite plans of staying here. Rann works in a Vegan restaurant in the east village. I sat inside and he handed me tea and a plate of chocolate-coconut tofu pie (yes! tofu pie!) followed by a cold glass of chocolate milk. How was the pie? Well, let me just say that I pity the vegan community if that is their version of a cheesecake. It was not bad, but not great either.

I spent the next couple of hours listening to Rann and allowing him to revive my belief in the American dream. I may not be any less confused than I was yesterday, but at least I feel lighter. My options look more hopeful now, all I have to do is make the decision to jump (again!). I then started to wonder why I was so ready to jump off a cliff and risk everything for the sake of someone else but find it difficult to do so for my own sake. I think that realization alone helped tip the scales in favor of venturing into the dark side. No final decisions yet. I'm giving Syracuse a shot. We'll see from there.

Answer the tag.

Ok, before I even start, can I just rant about my trip to the theater?

So I finally decided to go out and see a movie. I've never been to the theater here in Astoria so I had to map out my bus route online and try to remember where I had to go. I walked a few blocks out to the bus stop google maps told me to go to. I got to the corner and saw no bus stop. I walked up and down both sides of the street and saw no sign. I figured I read the directions wrong and walked back to the apartment to check again. I wasn't wrong, it insisted on the corner with no bus stop. So I traced the bus route and decided to walk to a different stop on the route a few blocks further down. I stood there for 30 minutes in the windy cold. It felt like forever. My original plan was to see the 3:35 showing and originally left the apartment at 2:45. I ended up watching the 5:15!!!

What did I see?

TWILIGHT.

Okay. So when I finished the book, I wanted to write a post here retracting my initial review of the book. Why? Well, because I was so disappointed. I know I said I loved it the first time I mentioned it but I had only read halfway and was so hyped up by the moments leading up to the first time they kissed. The rest of it was like a dragged on extension of the first half. Bella keeps tripping while drooling over Edward as he repeatedly tries to save her from herself. Even the final scene was dull and blaah. The book left me with little to no desire to go out and buy the next one. I will spend my money on Neil Gaiman's The Graveyard Book instead.

So was the movie any better for me?

NO. I was already deliberating whether to spend my $10 on this or on Quantum of Solace but finally opted to give the movie version a chance. I saw the trailer and it didn't leave me scrambling for the door on it's opening day. It had its little kilig moments but honestly, the movie I played in my head while reading the book was way better. It lacked real substance and I feel people who've never read the book will leave feeling unsatisfied. It was predictable (not in the way because I've read the book) and the acting was HORRIBLE. Ugh. I was squirming in my seat most of the time and had the same uncomfortable expression I had when I saw Anakin and Padme roll around the fields in Attack of the Clones. Come on people. Seriously, kilig factor aside, it was a terrible movie.

The only thing I loved about Twilight is the awesome photography for the movie posters. Hehe.

People who are calling it the next Harry Potter need to be shot dead. COME ON! It is so NOT! JK Rowling invented an entirely different WORLD! Twilight was a modern day fantasy Jane Austen knock off.

Syracuse is to New York as
Forks is to Seattle.

Get it?

Well, I'm moving to Syracuse on Friday.
*groan*

I'm sacrificing my wants for the greater good...hopefully that's what it is.

My grandmother, in an effort to not let the vegetables we bought last night rot, has sliced and boiled everything, packed them in ziploc bags and stashed them in the fridge. There goes the fresh vegetables.

Tatawa nalang ako.

Finally got a decent copy of One Crazy Summer and I just finished watching it tonight. The last time I probably saw this movie was when our betamax player stopped working. This was one of my all time favorite movies growing up in the 80s and is probably the reason why John Cusack was my first ever hollywood crush. I've never grown out of it since he never seems to age (for me, anyway). It's not an awesome movie but I enjoyed watching it so much mainly because of nostalgia. Consider it 1986's version of a teen summer flick, our batch's version would be the likes of Roadtrip or American Pie, except without all the sex.

Never heard of it?

Clip you can see here (watch it!)
In case you were wondering, yes, that was Demi Moore.

This makes me both smile and sad...
Owee: grace, ja and i are going to start a "come home kari" campaign. there's a world outside pic co in the phils, ya know?

I think I can be confident in mentioning that Jammi would be more than happy to join their club.

I don't know what the plan is yet guys. I have less than two months left in my stay here. I'm still trying to figure things out. If things don't pan out then yeah, I will be coming home. If that is my fate, then Grace, ihanda mo na ticket natin sa Batanes. AJ, i-order mo na yung lechon. I just found out they turned my old room into an office. Sinong pwedeng magpa-squatter sakin? Hahaha!

Woke up as early as 8am and checked my stream of messages. I was meeting Baby and Bing in Times Square at noon but my mom called and we spent an hour chatting on the phone. I got to lunch close to 1pm and we stuffed ourselves with pasta, breads and salad. We were so full so we spent the rest of the day walking around. We walked to Bryant Park to supposedly take photos but there weren't enough good spots for it so we walked several blocks up to MOMA. Every Fridays at a certain time in the afternoon, the museum gives away free passes. There was a loooong line that snaked around the corner and out to the other side of the block. The museum boasts a very large collection and I saw art I loved...

Klimt

Dali

and of course there were a lot of the ones I don't understand...

We wanted to grab coffee after the museum but after walking several blocks and no coffee house in sight, we decided to call it a night. Night had fallen and the wind chill was unforgiving.


I got home and enjoyed the puchero Nana made for me. Tita Chon wasn't home since she worked the nightshift at the hospital on weekends but she did buy a cake for me.

photos from the day can be viewed here.

Omey had waaay too much sugar after 5 donuts and a bowl of whipped cream (yeah, just whipped cream!)

This video was shot several days ago but I was too lazy to load it up. Armed with a tripod and a couple of swords, Omey and I shot a sword fight on the building's grounds. If neighbors were looking outside their apartment windows, they would see an oversized nut battling a child. The video is badly cut and edited because I'm too lazy to load it up on iMovie. Hehe.

My colds are getting worse. I've already finished half a gallon of orange juice and chugged down cough syrup. This is not cool.

The cold has caused my scalp to dry up and my dandruff shampoo smells like bug spray. Lather, rinse, repeat. Ugh.

I haven't had the time or desire to write anything lately since I've been so engrossed with reading Twilight. I see now what all the hype is about. I can't remember the last time a book made me giggle and clap my hands while grinning like a highschool dweeb....at 3am! I don't know how they can manage to squeeze in all that emotion into a movie though. The courtship between the main characters was long but crucial to leading readers to a frenzy once they finally kissed halfway through the book. Movies are always so trimmed down and I'm not sure the movie will do it any justice. I suppose I will have to watch and find out.

I'm only halfway through but I already know the series has earned a spot in my small collection. I'm not a big reader really and I mostly read books based on recommendation and hype but I do enjoy the ones I bother picking up. So excuse me while I nurse my annoying cold and continue reading. I have nothing interesting to say here anyway. :)

I wuvwuv my Omey

The main purpose of our visit to Delaware was to check my aunt's house in Camden and make sure it was in okay condition. It was a lovely home with a sprawling lawn and a swing set on the back. The town of Camden itself was, well, very boring. We didn't do much apart from doing 6 batches of laundry and my trip to Seaford with Tito Ans. To those who haven't seen it yet, I posted the photos I took on Sunday here.

My uncle has been a cowboy for as long as I can remember. Minus the gun belt, that is how he dresses on a normal day. As a child, I pranced around in his cowboy boots just as much as I did in my mother's heels. He filled in for all the fatherly duties and taught me to ride a bike (as early as 3 years old, I could ride without training wheels), ride a horse, drive at 13 yrs old and shoot a gun as soon as I could hold one up with both hands. He was also responsible for my later love of San Francisco, having taken me and my sister on countless trips around Golden Gate Park, taking 4-5 mile bike rides and playing football on the fields.

I drove all the way back to New York from Delaware. It took a little over three hours but I spent most of the time enjoying the drive on cruise control.

It was open class day today in Omar's school. For an hour, parents get to sit in their child's class and observe them in school. Me and Tita Chon sat in for 30 minutes as Omar tried his best to make pasikat for us. Looking at his classmates, I noticed that he's quite big for his age. Me and tita chon looked around the room and the student's works that were up on the walls. I had to laugh when I saw what was written under Omar's ambition: an ice cream man. Hahahaha!

I'm suffering a cold and cough for the 2nd time in two weeks. In the weekend I was away, the temperature in NY has dropped from the 50s to 30s. It's currently 37 degrees out right now. Weather report says the city will be in the lower 40s for the rest of the week.


I wish I had more to say here but nothing fantastic has happened since my last boring post. I tok more photos of Omar btw, and he took more photos of me. You can see them here.

I'll be out for the weekend. My uncle and grandmother arrived from Syracuse last night and the three of us are leaving for Dover, Delaware later this afternoon. We have to check out my other aunt's house and make sure the heat is on and the house is ready to be alone for winter. My uncle also will be joining a target shooting at some gun club in Delaware on Sunday and he wants me to take photos/video.

There will most probably be no internet connection or wifi in the house so I'll be away until Monday. Be good kids okay?

I got nothing. Just blah complaints.

On Deb and Anton in Dexter.
eeeeyyyyuuuuck!

On Dexter.
Where's my murdering psychopath?? I miss the murders! He needs to start using his chainsaw again soon or I'm going to lose interest. KILL MIGUEL PRADO DAMMIT!

On Lipstick Jungle being cancelled by NBC.
Just when I was starting to enjoy that crappy show...

On Fringe...
I hate how JJ Abrams feeds on the curiosity of people like me. I can't stop watching that mediocre show. Olivia Dunham needs more facial expressions. She looks like a robot.

On Jenny Humphrey.
I want to slap that bitch so hard. Ugh.

On Prison Break.
They're no longer in prison! And...I don't know why I failed to notice that Wentworth Miller stopped being hot.

On watching too many TV shows.
I miss having friends that give me a reason to get out of the house. I've been holed up indoors for too long. I never have a reason to enjoy the day.

On hearing/reading girls address each other as "sis"
Makes my skin crawl and go uuuuugggghhhrrrrrlllll! &^$#%@*)#*@!!!!

On seeing mediocre photographers charge money for horrible work.
a. Geezuz people can't you see they SUCK?!?!
b. Stop calling yourselves photographers dammit!

On seeing how Omar is getting very attached to me.
Makes me want to cry knowing there's a chance I can't stay.

On knowing a lot of money is needed for me to stay and seeing that a lot of people are gathering all their energy and resources to help me.
Makes me feel like a great, big imposition and the more I tend to withdraw and surrender to despair when I know I shouldn't. I can't help it. I feel like an effing burden. Maybe I should give up and go home. UGH.

On being an insomniac.
At first I thought it was my moving-to-the-eastcoast-jetlag but now I think I've reverted back to my being an insomniac. Being a bum is no longer fun.

On friends.
I miss you guys. More than I can even begin to explain right now. There's no one to call. No one to hang out with. No one to laugh with. I feel so ungrateful to the people who've gone out of their way to make me feel welcome and comfortable. It's just that I've only just realized that it's these friends who have given me a reason to move forward in the 18 months I was in Manila. I underestimated how much of a factor they were to my survival.

I'm starting to ask myself which one is more important: a good life, or a comfortable life? Having both is not in my near future. I need to choose. I think it's evident to me now, that I will need to sacrifice a lot to attain the life I so desire. It's so easy to slink back to the comforts of home, to the familiar, even if my future there is muddled and gray. Choosing would be so easy if only my mind and body weren't repeatedly screaming "It wasn't supposed to be like this!!!!" It's so easy to blame others for your troubles rather than take charge of your own fate and follow your own advice. So many things are easier said than done. I've been saying a lot of things lately and I've managed to convince everyone. All except myself.

Geezuz why is this so hard?

I've been on craiglist applying for whatever job I'm qualified for. Am a little desperate for a little dinero that I've also applied to a couple of posters who are looking for lifestyle models. Haha! They required headshots and I've only just realized that I don't have enough photos of me. None of the ones I have are fit to be submitted as a headshot! Can someone take my headshot please? Like, now na. Hehe. Sana pansinin ako diba? The first one I applied for weeks ago was for the product [RED] campaign but I submitted too late and the shoot was already happening. Pfft. Sayang yon. Their ad specifically asked for average people and not models. Hindi ako model pero kelangan na talaga ng pera.

Ana and I had lunch at this peruvian place on 7th Ave. They had good, cheap lunches ($6 quarter chicken, rice and beans) but their chicken can't compare to the ones at Pio Pio here in Astoria. She dropped me off at Beacon's closet where I spent a good, long time rummaging through rack and racks of 2nd-hand clothes. I scored a pair of black open toe flats, a good black Diesel sweater and an original Penguin FEDORA! Yahew! I looked it up online and my fedora retails for $48. I bought it for $7.95! SCORE!!!

mine looks like this but in dark grey

There was so man others I wanted but I was in no position to splurge. I bought the shoes to replace my ratty old black flats and I needed the sweater because I don't have a lot of those with me. Yung fedora lang yung arte ko, but I looked so cool in it, that I had to have it.

The commute back to Queens was quick. I got home and waited for Tita Chon, Tito Mo and Omar to get back from the grocery. Tito Mo made burgers and fries for dinner and I scarfed it down like a hungry hippo. I'll start reading Twilight tonight, unless I find a better way to waste the rest of the night.

Rann has been awesomely pimping my services out and I have two possible jobs lined up. They may not pay big but every little bit I can add to my portfolio is of great help. Tita Chon also said I may have a possible family shoot on Sunday for her friend. Here's to hoping it all pushes through. Omar doesn't have school tomorrow since it's Veteran's Day or something like that. I will do laundry and maybe take him to the park again. I need to do more walking.

MORE HAPPY PEOPLE GETTING HITCHED!
My friends Lissa and Jun are getting married on their 10th year anniversary. Visit http://jun20lissa.weddingannouncer.com to see their wedding plans. Read the About Us portion, natawa ako dun ah. Sign their guestbook and wish them luck! They've been together for 10 years and will be together for the rest of their lives! If that's not something to hope for, I don't know what is.

Despite yesterday's bad weather, we were blessed with sun and blue skies today. Was unable to go to Beacon's Closet as originally intended since I spent most of my time walking through 7th Ave in Park Slope and taking photos in Prospect Park. I was supposed to take the bus to Barnes and Noble to buy my copy of Twilight but it was such a great day that I decided to walk 10 blocks to the bookstore. I had a late brunch at a small diner-cafe on 9th st (3 more blocks down) and decided to roam around the park two blocks west of 7th Ave. It was a lovely day with families playing with their kids, friends playing frisbee, baseball , soccer and other games. There were a lot of people just lying on the grass so I chose a spot and joined them. I browsed through my magazine until I got a message from Rann to come over to their apartment for wine. I walked further down to 14th st where he and his wife Olivea lived. By this time, I had already walked over 20 blocks, not including the time I spent roaming around the park. Mind you, Prospect Park is Brooklyn's version of Manhattan's Central Park. Not as large but just as beautiful. When I got to their place, I was only too glad to sit down and enjoy some tea since my fingers have gotten so numb from the cold. They've been so numb a lot lately that I've been coming home with little knicks and scratches on my fingers without knowing how I got them.

I had a great time chatting with another old friend. He, of course, didn't hesitate to start his long ass speech on why I should stay in New York and not even consider going back to Manila. They live in a small but very nice apartment and the location couldn't be better. The apartment is very close to the subway and bus station and they even have a view of the Manhattan skyline from their window!

Brooklyn is beautifully lined with rows upon rows of Brownstone Houses.

All photos from today can be viewed individually here.

Also, I saw another actor-comedian today but I don't know his name. I've been racking my brain trying to remember where I saw him before. He's not a big name star, just a dude in a supporting role somewhere. Trying to remember this is going to kill me all night.

The only downer of the day was when I opened my inbox and saw this:

"Dear Catherine,

Thank you for your application for our Sales Executive role. Although your skills and experience are impressive, you have unfortunately been unsuccessful.

All the best for your future endeavors."

I don't know whether to be sad or to laugh at how blunt the email was..."unfortunately been unsuccessful." Hahaha!

Yes. Did not do what I originally planned today. I hope to have better luck tomorrow. I'm not in museum mode today so I may not go to the Brooklyn Museum. I might buy Twilight at Barnes and Noble and read in Prospect Park. Gasps fill the air! "You have NOT read Twilight?!?" No I haven't. I'm sure I'll love it. It took me until the 5th Harry Potter to come out before I started reading it. Why did it take me this long to start reading? I dunno. I just wasn't feeling it and I didn't want to start a book I didn't plan on finishing. Despite my unemployment, I never did have the luxury of time to sit down and read a book. I haven't even started reading my copy of Wicked which Chriselle gave me as a going away present. I decided to read Twilight now because the movie is coming out in two weeks and I want to read it before then.

I had my first NY Bagel today. I've been hearing all this hype about New York making the best bagels in the world and it was, well...a BAGEL. I dunno. Maybe I'm supposed to try the ones in Manhattan, rather than in Brooklyn. They were alright. I had mine like I always do: Onion bagel with cream cheese and tomato. It was good. Just not worth the hype, not yet anyway.

Ana took me to this thrift store on Park Slope called Beacon's Closet. From the moment I walked in, I knew it was a place where I'd need a whole day in. I didn't want to go around too much because I wasn't in "shopping mode," meaning I'm not dressed in clothes that I can easily take off and I had way too much stuff in my bag to lug around while rummaging through racks. I will go back there tomorrow. I found a couple of amazing dresses and tops I want to try out. I hope they're still there tomorrow. I did buy one thing though. I found this really cool chunky ring that I had to have right then and there.

Ana and Poy's apartment:

Please excuse the mess. It's not theirs, its mine. The air bed against the wall is where I slept. The pillows on the dining table are mine. The bags by the coffee table are my kalat.

Ana in the kitchen checking on the spaghetti sauce.

The stuff hanging on the back of the chair are mine too. :(

Ana is designing a line of women's golf apparel which she will release on Fall 2009. She has a website at http://www.anadivinagracia.com which has nothing yet. On the right side of the photo are some of her designs and on the left by the window are her and Poy's golf clubs. They are die hard golfers (I don't get it) and are actually thinking of moving to California just so they can play gold all year round.

Also, do you notice the stripes on the wall? That's not wallpaper. Ana used masking tape around the surrounding walls supposedly to paint over but she ended up keeping it. You won't notice it unless you stare close. haha!

We stayed in the rest of the day and Poy made pasta. They also let me try their favorite cake called Red Velvet which we bought earlier from Cake Man Raven. It's a chocolate cake that's red with cream cheese frosting. It is one of the best cakes I have ever tried! At $6 a slice, it better be good!

They also have their own baby who's just under a year old. Meet their corgi, Taco. He's so very cute and playful. Watch him on the video below.

Taco and his new bandana.

Currently chatting with my very, very, very old (my very first ever in nursery school actually) friend Candice, who calls herself Candy now. It's 2am and we're chatting and laughing about the countless times she slept over at my house when we were 13 and spent the entire night taping Jonathan Brandis and Joey Lawrence posters on my entire wall. And all the guys we stalked in highschool. Haha! Such great times. I miss her so much I wish I can fly to Sydney to see her. Sigh...Anyway, I sleep soon..long walking day tomorrow!

Staying with my cousin Ana and her husband Poy for the weekend. They took me to Cheryl's Global Soul for dinner where I had amazing grilled salmon on a bed of herb corn and potatoes. Brooklyn gave me an interesting welcome tonight through the form of a shoot out. Haha! Apparently, while we were having dinner, there was a bit of a shooting that happened at the bar next to the restaurant. A police car pulled up front and couple of undercover cops came in to the resto to question the wait staff and the customers by the front window if they saw anything. Oh weeelll.....

Tomorrow, I'll walk through Prospect park and maybe check out the Brooklyn Museum and the Botanic Gardens. Ana lent me a book (see photo) and a map to browse through. She happily pointed out that she lives in a neighborhood that's next to Park Slope where stars like Jennifer Connelly, Paul Bettany, Maggie Gyllenhaal, Peter Sarsgaard and Steve Buscemi live. I've done a bit of celeb stalking before I came here too and found that Michelle Williams lives closeby as well. Hehehe. I'm not expecting to see these people around, hello! But it's a nice thought anyway.

Hopefully I get to spew out awesome photos in this leg of my New York excursion. I was browsing through the book a little and saw how to get to Coney Island. I want to go ride the Wonder Wheel and the rollercoaster! But, it would be horrible to wander the boardwalk alone. Anyone want to come with me? Not having friends around here suck, specially New York being such an awesome place.

My share in Bill's story in Project7Days is up today. I had to cram last night since I totally forgot it was my turn. Last week, Louiie gave me a premise that might have obviously forced me to go autobiographical. I had to resist it to stop the post from being boring. No one wants to hear about Bill's adventures in New York. You people hear enough of mine right here.

I may have just constructed one of the most heartfelt it's-not-you-it's-me break-up letters. Haha! It may make sense to some and may be bullsh!t to others. It's creepy how words can sound sincere, yet be fabricated. I may have grabbed lines and ideas from my own break-ups. Words I've heard, words I've said, my break-up or someone else's. I had to get a bit of it from somewhere real right? FYI: Someone did read me Tonight, I can write during a break-up. Back then, I loathed his hypocrisy. Then years after I realized what he was trying to say, and that's where I got the inspiration for my post.

Well I hope you like it. Owee will be up next before Paul ties them all in. I don't know what our next cycle will be like. Jammi, care to volunteer to think of a scheme?

Aaahh...

Dawn of a new era. Weather reports say rain is coming as if to clean the city of all bad karma. I'm still on Barack-high reading online headlines about yesterday's events from the moment I woke up. One thing does bother me though, along with yesterday's poll results, came the news that Californians have voted YES to Prop 8 which puts the recent marriage of thousands of same-sex couples in danger of being revoked. I don't understand how this happened..and in California of all places! I've always assumed that the citizens of this state were open-minded about these things. But to come together and deliberately eliminate any person's choice to marry whomever they choose is atrocious. Everyone goes on and on about animal rights and all that jazz whatever happened to freedom of choice? Disgusting, ugh.

On to other things...

Tomorrow, I will go in the city. I don't know what I will do but I will get off my million dollar ass and do something. Someone just reminded me that New York is too great to waste one's time being indoors. Sigh...

This is the video that should have accompanied yesterday's park post.

Ugh. I hate how Vimeo randomly picks the poster frames for your videos and it just happen to choose my most unflattering shot. Crap.

I like the part where Omar slides down while saying "I slide down like the little kid I am..." That part where he was on the swing and he suddenly goes "Ohmygod!!!" was because while I pushing him on the swing, a boy ran in front of his swing so close that Omar almost kicked him on the head.

(Omar just corrected me after seeing the video, he actually said, "I slide down like the little pig I am.." hahahaha)

Obama wins US presidential elections!!!

I can't even begin to describe how happy I am. Tito Mo has been sitting in front of the TV watching CNN and he just called me in to see the projections. Obama has gone past a landslide victory gaining enough electoral votes to win this race. Read CNN for updated news!

This is so historical I want to cry. I want to remain in the US even more now! I am sooooooooo happppyyyyy!!!!

Omar and I spent election day in a park nearby where he spent his time playing frisbee, football and hanging with the kiddies in the playground while I stole glances with a hot dad/brother/whatever who was watching this funny little boy. Hahaha! So totally hot, I tell you. He kept doing pull-ups by the monkey bars and would hang around where I was (dorky but very very cute!) Eneeweey....I had no makeup on and was dressed in frumpy clothes so I couldn't channel my inner "Chriselle" and say hello. I just smiled. Hoohah!


Photos here. I LOVE NY. This city makes me want to keep taking photos.

I wish Jammi were here. I need her to read (tarot) for me again. I need to have insight as to where I am and what to expect. I opened my tarot deck and tried to read for myself today. I haven't learned much except for the major arcana cards and I haven't opened my deck since I got to the US. I've been too scared to ask a question since it answered me so vividly the last time. I know this all sounds cuckoo for non-believers. I used to be one I swear but Jammi converted me. My grandmother read tarot cards too. She learned it from a gypsy that used to work for her when she lived in Caracas. She read for me once and everything she said came true. Back then, I figured it was coincidence but I've opened my mind to the radical possibility that it may not all be bullsh!t. Besides, Jammi hasn't told me anything that was untrue.

Anyway, so I took the deck that's been sitting untouched for months. I asked my question, shuffled and dealt myself five cards. I got The Hanged Man, The Devil, Strength, Moon and The Tower. What was my question? Well, only Jammi will have an idea as to what it was. It was that thing I couldn't stop thinking about Jamm. The one I can't get out of my head? The cards may not have told me anything I don't already know but the significance of The Tower card got me curious. The tower represents sudden change, either for the good or the bad. I'm supposed to expect a sharp 180 degree turn soon. I sincerely hope it's for the good because I'm not up for any more bad news. On the other hand, something good may finally come up after the rut I've been in.

Off topic insert:
Forgive me but I really, really, REALLY want to see this.

I saw an old episode of No Reservations in Bali last night and it was there that Tony Bourdain swore was the place that made the best pig ever. I start wondering how his Cebu adventures went. I knew he was supposed to be in Cebu last week to try the only kind of lechon I personally crave for. People who know me know I'm not a hug fan of pork (unless its all lean meat) but Cebu's lechon is absolutely TO DIE FOR. Best eaten with hands, no rice and absolutely NO MANG TOMAS. It is simply the best lechon EVER. Caryl was gracious enough to provide me with a link to a blog detailing his adventures in Cebu. I seriously hope Tony meant it when he wrote this down. I'd be so proud to be part of the country whose roast pig trumps Bali's in Bourdain's list.

Nangati ang pwet ng pamilyang Elabdouni at namasyal. Tito Mo, Tita Chon, Omar and I hopped in the car with no destination in mind. Tita Chon simply wanted to go somewhere where the fall leaves were nicer for photos. We took the Triborough bridge and ended up driving through the towns of Connecticut and upstate New York. We drove past ginormous houses and drooled at their sprawling lawns with their own little ponds and fountains. We couldn't stop to take photos of the houses since it was the kind of neighborhood where they'd probably suspect you were up to no good if you lingered around taking photos of their front doors and lawns. Living in houses similar to those ones by the lake has been my dream since I was 13. They will forever be a dream.

The feel of autumn is much more visible upstate than in the city. The trees look lovely and the roads and nearby woods are covered with an assortment of yellow, red, orange and purple. We started taking photos late during the day and night began to fall. I tried to take as much as I could and not having a tripod didn't help with the lack of available light.

Ang gagaling namin umarte. Kunwari hindi naninigas ang mga buto namin sa lamig.

It was also very much colder out here and I wasn't appropriately dressed for the cold. I tried to take as many photos during the night despite having stiff knuckles.

I love how this shot was taken. By this time, it was already very dark and I was already shooting at ISO1600 and had to meter at the darkest area. The first few shots were drab and no reflections could be seen on the water. Then Tito Mo did something ingenious and turned the car's headlights on full and directed it at the scene which lit the water, the far off bushes plus highlighted the ducks on the water!

We had dinner at a Friendly's nearby and it was hilarious how Tita Chon was so fascinated by the restaurant, the food and the menu. I couldn't understand why she was so amused by it at first until I realized why. You see, restaurants like Chili's, Applebee's, Red Lobster, Cheesecake Factory and IHOP which are in abundance in California, are sparsely seen here. Our neighborhood is full of specialty restaurants that cater to different cuisines depending on the area. This is also one of the reasons why I love this place. We never go out and eat in places like Chili's. My father-in-law loved Chili's and I count how many number of times he took us there for dinner. Hahahaha!

I took a short nap in the car after dinner thinking we were on our way home. I woke up a while later to find out that Tito Mo took another detour and took us to New Jersey! We drove by the Hudson River coastline and picked the best spot to take my first ever photo of the NY Skyline. We were pretty high up and the wind was fierce and cold but we still managed to take a few goofy shots at Omar's request.

this image is better viewed at a larger size so *click*

We took the Lincoln tunnel to Manhattan and crossed through midtown going home.

I've been too lazy to download clips from my Flip the past several weeks so I'm dumping most of them here now.

Halloween Parade:


HodgePodge of clips from the last couple of weeks: