New Online Home! :)

Diary of a Whiny Kid II

Peeps! I'm moving and I guess this is really it. Though I still have no idea  what will happen to this blog of mine. I'd like to introduce to you my new home.

It's not entirely fixed yet, a little more tweaking and some personal banner and theme and I guess I'm good to go.

Thank you for being with me. Seriously, it's been awesome knowing that as I checked my RSS there are actually subscribers who follow the things I write.

I hope you guys join me as I make new memories in my new online home.

Au Revoir! :)

Press Events 1st week

If you haven't heard of someone dying because of over-attending press events, then I might just be the first one to have such case.

Posting an entry about the events I joined in later.

One of which is the prestigious Gawad Urian Awards night where I saw Coco Martin. Yeeehaaww! :)

The monster called brevity and news writing

If anything is to be said about entertainment writing, the words ludicrous and sensationalized would definitely pop at the top of the list.

Which is actually why way back in college and shortly after I obtained my degree, I had a strong aversion  very little penchant towards entertainment writing. For firm two reasons:

1. I could care less what's going on in the pretentious world of show business
2. Some things are far important than Kris Aquino tweeting that Baby James got a fucking haircut or Marian Rivera lashes another celebrity with her inherent crassness.

As I write, I feel the weakness and the fright taking over me. Since I began writing for entertainment, I cannot help but feel my writing insecurity gradually swallowing its way to my diminutive 'writing' self confidence.

To say that my entertainment writing experience has been absolutely smooth sailing would be gravely fictitious. My preconceived notions were both challenged and changed as I came in. It wasn't just entertainment writing whereby the reporting of exaggerated situations and weaving inaccurate stories and blind items is a must. MB entertainment online's writing is altogether different from how I presumed entertainment writing to be.

Where other prefer to K.I.S.S or Keep It Short and Simple, I write relentlessly. Throwing every word I know, squeezing every bit of detail and lengthening a paragraph as if by doing so I could pay my bills.

I know and you know that when you're a writer you ought to stick to the KISS rule for your reader's sake. But if you are like me who prefers to be stupendously detailed bordering to nonsensically verbose, this would be a back-breaking if not impossible task.

But you see, my editor wanted me to revert to the basics of news writing. And that is of course, brevity. Economy of words and blah. Why the hell do we need to economize words? Is there an existing crisis in the writing world apart from the issues of writer's sparse salaries?

The space. The writing space they say is precious. Right.

News writing is not my forte. It never was and I guess it never will. That is among the numerous yet topmost facts about myself that I have had come to terms with for so long.

Writing a catchy lead, keeping the WH questions intact, staying with the 25-word-per-paragraph limit and so on and so forth. I had to learn them. Again.

Too often adults quip that out of a whole, only 1/4 of what we learned from school would be handy for us soon as we get our jobs. A concept that I remembered by heart. The same reason why I flushed news writing out of system. Not terrifically everything, but those nitty-gritty which I rather deemed as a waste of brain space. I have my own brain space economizing, you see.

Now my emotions are confused. I'm in a middle of crossroads. I'm fumbling with my news writing skills, not really sucky, but fumbling. And I am scared shit and hell excited to relearn news writing but the swelling confusion isn't helping. I knew there really was no option for me, just one path to take whereby I will surely learn. And thinking about it, most importantly, that is what matters. That I learn.

Nothing that is valuable is ever easy to obtain they say. If I wanted that precious knowledge I better be ready for the trials and work my way through every hindrance of deadlines, fuming editor and personal dissatisfaction.

FIGHT!

Dear Mama

No amount of words can describe how cool, forgiving, kindhearted, supportive, inane, sympathetic, attentive, amusing, understanding, valuable and dear you are to all of us. Thank you for the love and the words of wisdom which I will surely pass on to my kids. Thank you also for letting me live and learn the harsh reality we call life. If not for your unconventional yet effective ways of raising us, we would not have been as open-minded and ready as we are right now for what the world has to throw upon us.

You are certainly nothing short of awesome!

Happy Mother's Day!!! WE <3 YOU to bits, forever and ever!!!

Bohol 2008

Mother's Day 2010

Now let's get into our eating and to watching Manny Pacquiao's fight :D

Baguio fever!

Thinking about my clammy hands and the beads of perspiration forming on my forehead, I know I needed to cool down. Thank God for aircon! In a bit, I'll be sleeping my way to lala land in my parent's room where we've been camping every weekend for the aircon. hihi

Anyway, some aeons ago I promised to post photos of what I now deem as my peerless Baguio trip EVER. I could think of bajillions of reasons right now but the truth is-- the trip was the finest simply because we had three nutty boys tagging along with our already bonkers of a wedding magazine team.

What more can you ask for when you're given that once in a lifetime chance of staying at The Manor with Chef Billy's ever-so-awesome cooking to top it all off?

At that time, all I could think of was never to go back in Manila. Not to be back to the agonizing complications in the city. Then again who I am fooling? It was a work trip, and so eventually after three nippy days in the cozy hotel, two days of drinking and one day of shooting I found my way going down the same road we came from and heading back to he gripping reality as if no amount of relaxation came to pass in the earlier days.

Best part though, as always, were the memories. There was foie gras, lamb chops, shrimps, strawberries, chilly weather, the best bread in town made by the hottest and most approachable chef there is and perfect company.

I had to jump into the bandwagon. Practically everyone at the lobby was  sterring their way to him. So why not right?

Chef Billy of The Manor and Mangored's Randall

I effin' swear that's foie gras!!

hater twin sister Vida with the Mangored boys

As I finish up this entry, I keep my fingers and everything that's crossable, crossed that I'd be able to blog (hopefully tomorrow) about my last Cebu trip where the only thing I did with Ate Kit was eat and relax or my semi-outing with yell friends. :D

For now I'm signing off.

TATA! :)

Hello followers!

Over the couple of months that I've lurked, posted, reblogged and liked things on Tumblr I was able to reach 102 followers today. HURRAY!! 

Not that it can change the world or it has so much gravity that it can reshape our history but I'm just so glad that 102 folks think that my blog is worth following. It's not too much compared to my officemate's 22k followers but I'm quite satisfied with it. :) Considering that my posts were pretty off my track and somewhat teeny bopper-ish, I get a few likes and reblogs every now and then and that is what matters. 

Meanwhile, my blog, where I increasingly spill my unsaid thoughts has gained another follower. Yay! From 21, my followers now rose to 22. LOL  at least I have readers who think that my blog isn't some crappy site with negligible posts. :) 

In other news, I've noticed an innovation in blogspot's interface. So to my dear blogspot user friends out there, the admin just added a new feature from which we could see and indicate our locations. I don't know what's the need for such but I think it gives a little bragging rights to people who are trotting the globe while writing their posts. Whoever they are. However, it would have been better if it was GPS-configured making it quite authentic as opposed to its current setup wherein you just need to type your location. Oh well, this is just me thinking aloud.

Appreciation Wall

It's a little fuzzy and tauntingly grainy but that's basically my appreciation wall.

From the name itself, it's the very wall where I put photos of men who I do appreciate. It's not like you're expecting a ridiculously profound explanation to why is it called such right?

So how did it start?

Since I got in at Wedding Essentials I got this PC with a huge and empty cork board which then only has a rotting poster of the series, Heroes. Soon as I got the green light from my boss that the board was already mine, I stripped all the unsystematically sprinkled papers on the board. 

A couple of days later, I was already decide what to actually put on it. It was too gigantic and I would be to vain for it to sport photo collages of myself and the people I care for. So, I thought, maybe a little inspiration from the Hollywood actors would do me more good. And you're now staring at the by-product of my continuous printing and discovery of different leading men who, at the very least, made me giggle and wish for the impossible of having them as my husband while seeing their films/series.

There are several Zachary Levi photos from the series Chuck, obviously, my favorite series of all. ScarJo's ex hubby Ryan Reynolds, the phenomenal Zac Efron, Peter Facinelli of Twilight, Chace Crawford of Gossip Girl, Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Henry Cavill of The Tudors. Posh Spice's hotstuff hubby David Beckham, Batman star Christian Bale and the unseen photos of 007 star Pierce Brosnan, 127 hours superstar James Franco, Chuck's Ryan Mcpartlin, Brandon Routh and Matthew Bomer. Gossip Girl's Ed Westwick, Mission Impossible dude Tom Cruise, Prisonbreak's Wenthworth Miller, A Cinderella Story's Chad Michael Murray and the ones I've recently added: Johnny Depp, Orlando Bloom, Channing Tatum, Jude Law, Oliver Cohen-Jackson, Keannu Reeves, Shia Labeaouf, James McAvoy and Maroon 5's Adam Levine.  

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

If you have noticed in my entries before, I have this rather odd habit of hoarding books and reading them a year or two afterwards.

Same case went for Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. My copy I was able to procure around mid 2009 and it was just some weeks ago when I settled to line it up for my April must-finish book.

First few chapters and I'm already captivated by the story. I almost forgot how good Harry Potter books were since it has been years since I finished half blood prince.

The thing about Harry potter is that has always been so magical yet real. A fantasy melded into the lives of absolutely relatable characters. People who have been once good and bad, people who have been once arrogant and who eventually recognized the good in being selfless, people who have had stories behind who they are right now. And people willing to stand up and lose themselves for what their heart strongly believes in-- may it be friendship, freedom, forgiveness, family, sacrifice, goodness, love or loyalty.

There was too much story in Deathly Hallows that it seems only fitting that it was split into two rather than crammed into one insufficient two-hour film.

What I particularly loved about this seventh book was the fact that everything that needs some shedding of light has been subjected to the spotlight. All questions have been answered, true allegiances were defined, elusive background stories have been told and characters sprang larger than they were in the past books. While critics continuously question the values imbibed by the whole series, I personally sensed that every story was punctuated by lessons that were at best relevant in real life.

Once and for all it hit me. Why it was called an “epic ending” to a legendary series. And why in all departments fans of HP rally for support that it was way better than Twilight. Because not only was this book most gripping, conspiracy-strewn and mystery-infused, but it also brims with varying emotions that do not only touch on you as someone who seeks a rectifying conclusion to the tale but as someone who has been alongside Harry all-through his years of battling for his freedom from Voldemort.

Every story, every spell, every duel, confrontation, revelation, lies and secrets all contribute to the entire picture that is nothing short of perfection. I will miss you Harry Potter. Forever.

Last day

Very up in the air-ish shot of Suvarnabhumi airport, I loved that film by the way.

This photo officially concludes my week-long indulgence in Thailand. Awww. :(

Apart from bullying Marky before we left, we barely did nothing productive during Crae and I's last day. Nothing riveting happened but rather something maddening casted shadow over the thrills of the getaway. For the second time around I was, 'left behind' during our shopping spree. Now who would love that? I certainly hated it!

In the midst of the stinging left portion of my body and the second-scour of the Platinum mall I got tired and walked slower than usual, and before I knew it the two (Crae and Marky) were out of sight. Looking for them in a six-floor mall with smarting feet and back is not what I signed up for, but I did nonetheless -- to no avail.

With less than a hundred baht in my wallet I made up my mind to give looking for them a rest and just head back to the hotel and lie down. It ain't easy being nettled and upset while thinking of back pains you know. Couple of hours later, soon as Marky popped the key to the slot, he went storming for me inside and swamped me with question after question on what happened and why did I took off the mall as he took a shot to explaining how they went around to look for me. Course I didn't bother listening, that's the usual me. I was in the mood to be sensitive bordering to PMS-y while were there and it didn't help that those things actually came to pass.

I gave him one piercing look and got on to one of my most favorite forms of torture: silent treatment. But it didn't last that long though, as we grabbed our last BKK dinner together after a couple of minutes, the usual energy and hype we share went on. That's the good thing about having such crazy friends, you fight, you talk and then you party and in our case, we ate and laughed the night away.

Originally, the trip was designed to be purely professional but you see having them made the whole stay less stressful and more exciting at the same time. There were those instances when it actually felt like we're just three friends who went on an impetuous adventure abroad. A good first, I can say. Quite memorable to jumpstart my seemingly-endless thirst to experience the delight of traveling overseas.

Although I couldn't be anymore but grateful to my boss, most especially, for bringing me to Bangkok. I guess it would be more important to thank these people not only for being the coolest of the cool colleagues, but for giving me the chance to join your company. The trip was awesome. The people were awesome. WE is undeniably, AWESOME!!! :)

PS. While flying back to Manila it came to me that I shouldn't, for the life of me, miss the chance of traveling again on June. So, June 1-5 guys is officially on!

BKK Vacay :)

Friday has been all work and no play which is why we entirely dedicated our Saturday into rewarding ourselves. A little sightseeing at the Siam@Siam Design Hotel, a dazzle of retail therapy at Chatuchak weekend market and Platinum mall and some good 'ol rejuvenation from the award-winning wellness center, Rarinjinda Spa.

This is how you spell vacation, point by point. :)

Colds and Khaosan

Body status: teetering between catching a fever or catching a fever.

Because colds came in a little earlier than anticipated. After being drenched to chilled water that people from Khaosan splashed on me throughout the afternoon, I can actually understand if my body decides to give in. No hard feelings.

However, tomorrow's gonna be a work day and the last thing I want is to get sick and not be able to beat my deadlines. And frankly speaking, to just be hotel-bound and not be able to join them in celebrating the last day of Songkran. That part has been said to be grand and I won't dare miss it for the world!

So let me tell all of you how our day went.

Since today was a non-working holiday for the whole of Bangkok, we opted to move our shoot day tomorrow and take this time off to roam around the city in search of a similarly 'frisky' Songkran vibe to the one happeningnear our hotel. However, just so we could clear things first before another day of leisure, we got up really early and took off to the flower market for "flower shopping" no less, with my nanay event stylist Badang Rueda. Soon as we got back we all had our breakfast and mandatory chatting, afterwards, Crae and I went back to bed as our eyes literally shuts out by themselves.

Around 2pm in the aftie (BKK time) as planned, we headed to Khaosan foolishly unprepared, for what is an altogether wilder rendition of Songkran-splashing and talcum-rubbing. When I say wild, I mean hose, sprinkler, fire trucks and 'bucket-tossing-locals-from-the-second-floor-of-their-homes' sloshing.

In the words of Ms. Marbs, it was a while ago that "we abandoned hope and surrendered to the enemy" that is the Thais who infinitely sprinkle water to everyone as if it was part of the codes applied by their King. :D While the original intention is just to have a back-packers lunch, we ended up eating our way around Khaosan with nothing, as in literally NOTHING, in our body was spared from the wrath of Songkran sloshers.

Now I do believe how Thailand is a street food capital as everywhere you look there are certainly stalls selling either grilled barbecues, sauteed vegetables with egg and noodles either stir-fried or served with a soup. Much as we wanted to snack on and try everything, we were limited to only a handful of goodies. There's grilled sausages (10 baht), chicken balls (10 baht), pad thai (30 baht), pork satay (10 baht), rice-filled longaniza with ham (20 baht), potato spiral (20 baht) and more pork satay (10 baht).

Following this half-day soaking in the water, street-partying, gluttony and good times our feet lead us to MBK, wherein we gorged on rice bowls and gyoza for dinner in the tune of 100 baht (or less) per person. First look at MBK and I already knew that it somehow resembles a mall that we have in Manila, believe it or not, it's as tiangge-filled yet classy like Greenhills' Vira Mall.

So yeah, I guess that's about how our day went. Hoping for a less stressful and more thrilling Songkran 2011 closing celebration tomorrow. :)

flower market

Crae and I were very sleepy while Nay Badang's playing child left in a candy store at the flower market.

Monks walking around for donations

Dusit Thani BKK's lobby 

First stop

Pad thai and Nanay B 

Yeah, I'm glad I was the one taking photos. haha Just look how wet they were. I 'm pretty sure I was twice as drenched as all of them.

cheap potato spirals

MBK mall

Cebu, always a surprise

Got back in Manila about two hours ago and I surprisingly slept during the whole flight, which was a first because I normally read while we're flying. The first minutes after we took off, there's still the presence of mind to read a couple of pages of Deathly Hallows but after that, I felt my eyes getting heavier by the second as my head began to spin uncontrollably from the lack of sleep, that, I just had to give in. 

While I enjoyed last night's party, being hung-over is an absolute bitch! This morning I woke up awfully hung over, weak and woozy with all the booze that Mommy Deb obliged me to down. Here's the proof. Myself flushing scarlet with my ever dearest Ate Kit who got cut out of the picture, unintentionally.

   I can't barely remember the last time I've partied and got drunk as much as I did last night. It was rather liberating and de-stressing, not to mention, so very fun having to let your guard down and just lose yourself with friends who are of the same pace as you are. 

I would love to go back to the penthouse and do a lot of the recently choreographed kitten zapata dance move by my bunnycup Jeffy of Rock Paper Scissors, with the aide of the ever trusty, vodka. :D

If it's spontaneity and unmistakable fun you're after, my last three days in the Cebu could probably rank number 1 and make others pale next to it. Being with people who make you feel at home was just so cool. Thanks to Marriott Cebu City for taking good care of Ate Kit and I and to the creme de la creme of Cebu's wedding suppliers who stripped off their class, risked their career and reputation just so they could let us experience how Cebuanos party. The warm welcome and the evident love for WE is just too powerful that they had to extend it to us, the ones behind it. We are eternally grateful to Cebuanos who continue to see us as a guide not merely for Manileno's but for other people as well, no matter what region you belong to. I love WE!!! :)

Could this really be true? We've been apart for just a few hours but I already miss my folks, I just hate it when my separation anxiety kicks in for I end up regretting having gone back to Manila in the first place. :(

Oh well, after last night I have more reason to love and to yearn to go back to Cebu this May. 

PS. Will be leaving again this Wednesday, so much to do yet so little time. :| But of course whod would dare say no to such a generous offer? 

Lost and found by J*Mags

The lengths this wedding industry pilar went through just to learn who wrote the piece about his videofest leaves me in utter astonishment. Read the article here.

No amount of words could describe how overwhelming this encounter was. He must have really, inexplicably appreciated the article. 

From the bottom of my heart, thank you, so very much Jason Magbanua for giving my writing the kind of commendation it needs. Seeing how I can actually affect someone this great with my work inspires me to further up my ante on writing. Again, thank you. 

Anyway, I am Cebu-bound again later with Ate Kit. Will be posting tidbits of the bridal fair if it's possible.

Toodles!

Mr. Maaanedyer's treat

Been playing this clip from Spongebob Squarepants the movie ad nauseum for my Dad, because he got promoted. Trololol

Catch the clip HERE

When those rare moments of self-appreciation are necessary, I sit and ponder what am I really good at and I end up thoughtless, perplexed and almost hopeless. But then I always recall how I have mastered terrorizing my Dad and it's just so much fun that it leaves me laughing at my dexterity every single time. :D because I'm an obnoxious daughter like that peeps, suck it up. HAHA

So anyway earlier this week, upon Daddy's announcement of his promotion as Senior Assistant Manager (see how the clip is just so fitting? In the film, Spongey was also vying for the managerial post.) Mum asked if I had any recommendations as to where we could grab the traditional after-mass Sunday dine-out. As if coursing naturally in my head, I, without second thought, uttered KANIN CLUB!!

I've been wanting to try their Crispy Dinuguan since I first heard of it. And just by recommending it that day, the satisfaction washed through me as if I've already munched on the crunchiness of the meat. yum! Fast forward to the lunch we had earlier, I was literally having some sort of epiphany. Starting from the gigantic glass of green tea which by the way is house blend and not the powdered ones, I was literally jumping on and off my seat out of joy.

Lemon tea

Green tea

Salmon Belly Sinigang sa Miso

Salt and Pepper squid

Tinapa Rice

Tinapa Rice with Bagoong Rice

Pork Barbecue

Behold, the much savored Crispy Dinuguan

After what to me was a quick lunch at Kanin Club we headed to National Bookstore for another of my retail therapy = book shopping. :)

These were my recent haul: Wicked, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, When Darkness Falls and Last Call.

I can't exactly remember when I last had Razon's halo-halo, good thing my sister suggested we have it for dessert and it was just as good as the first time I tried it. :)

*Photo credit goes to me, save for the second and the group photo which were my sister's and my dad's, respectively. :)