I just saw the 2 minute plus trailer of Pirates of the Caribbean: At World's End and man... I'm hooked! It's simply fantastic and I can't wait. Check this youtube entry. Better yet, here's the official site.
21 March 2007
07 March 2007
Intimations of Mortality redux
Without dwelling too much on the what should be and might be's, I hopped on a decrepit bus off to Baguio, right after attending a media conference in Holiday Inn @ Clark Pampanga. The bus left Dau around 930pm that Saturday night. Five hours later, I arrived in Baguio and I was simply the happiest person on earth.
The air was as fresh and as cold as I wanted it to be and the city was just as... well, sleepy and quiet as I expected it to be. I just didn't expect many people to still mill around Session Road at that hour, mostly the young ones.
Without any sense of urgency, I spent the next two hours in finding a suitable lodging. But being the height of the festival, naturally all the rooms were booked, even the sleazy ones in the City's nooks and crannies (don't ask me how I knew that). But nothing daunted me --- I was even prepared to sleep on Session Road, like the many I saw that dawn, never mind the cold.
A kindly taxi driver, among Baguio's truly gentle souls, helped me find some place to stay but in the end I contented myself in bunking on a 5-in-a-room dormitory at Baden Powell. Before managing to sleep around 430am, I made a mental note to wake up a few hours later to catch the Flower Festival parade...
Unfortunately, the flesh was weak (and tired from all the travelling) --- I woke up late at 1030am, hurriedly dressed, ate the Baden Powell's free but uninspired breakfast and hurried off to Session Road a few meters away to catch the parade.
I did manage to catch its last 30 minutes though, but the best parts were all gone already. Still, this did not stop me from sporting a crazy grin while walking around my favorite Session road, which just disappeared in a sea of people.
I managed to find a suitable transient room (with my own bathroom and cable tv at that) within walking distance to the city center. I savored the cold water of my first Baguio bath and soon after was off to hang out and pound away on my trusty laptop and finish my writing backlogs.
In Baguio, there are several places for me to stay while working on my stories, articles or simply just pouring out my mind --- the Figaro @ the Filling Station @ the Camp John Hay's entrance, the Starbucks at the Camp's Baguio Country Club end, the Figaro at SM Baguio's 4th level, @ the Tamawan Village, @ the Zola Cafe @ Session Road and my old time favorite, @ Cafe by the Ruins.
But hanging out in the places I mentioned do not come cheap though... But then again, no place is cheap anymore these days, especially in Baguio during Panagbenga.
Still I had a good time, was able to write a lot of stuff and caught up on my cable viewing too. I was extremely happy to catch Hotel Rwanda on HBO and watch the underrated but superb Don Cheadle.
So I just spent my time in Baguio doing simple things --- I wrote a lot, walked a lot, slept a lot and watched cable tv a lot. Surprisingly, I had a mild appetite --- I contented myself in eating street fare I would normally shun in Metro Manila, like my favorite one day old chick (3 pieces for 18 pesos, deep-fried with their bile taken out) at the Burnham Park area. I also attempted to check out the Mabuhay wag-wagan area but simply gave up after an hour --- I never did have the patience to do ukay-ukay shopping.
What I did not fail to do while in Baguio though was to have coffee at every imaginable cafe and surf the internet at ridiculously low rates --- part of the city's discount giving spree due to the festival.
I especially tried to cram a lot of mundane activities as the time for me to leave the city came near. Eventually, I reluctantly left at a very late 230am on Tuesday morning, with my class obligations to start 8 hours away, with a 6hour trip to make and two more to get to school.
Oh well, what's the use in living if you can't feel you're alive, right?
The air was as fresh and as cold as I wanted it to be and the city was just as... well, sleepy and quiet as I expected it to be. I just didn't expect many people to still mill around Session Road at that hour, mostly the young ones.
Without any sense of urgency, I spent the next two hours in finding a suitable lodging. But being the height of the festival, naturally all the rooms were booked, even the sleazy ones in the City's nooks and crannies (don't ask me how I knew that). But nothing daunted me --- I was even prepared to sleep on Session Road, like the many I saw that dawn, never mind the cold.
A kindly taxi driver, among Baguio's truly gentle souls, helped me find some place to stay but in the end I contented myself in bunking on a 5-in-a-room dormitory at Baden Powell. Before managing to sleep around 430am, I made a mental note to wake up a few hours later to catch the Flower Festival parade...
Unfortunately, the flesh was weak (and tired from all the travelling) --- I woke up late at 1030am, hurriedly dressed, ate the Baden Powell's free but uninspired breakfast and hurried off to Session Road a few meters away to catch the parade.
I did manage to catch its last 30 minutes though, but the best parts were all gone already. Still, this did not stop me from sporting a crazy grin while walking around my favorite Session road, which just disappeared in a sea of people.
I managed to find a suitable transient room (with my own bathroom and cable tv at that) within walking distance to the city center. I savored the cold water of my first Baguio bath and soon after was off to hang out and pound away on my trusty laptop and finish my writing backlogs.
In Baguio, there are several places for me to stay while working on my stories, articles or simply just pouring out my mind --- the Figaro @ the Filling Station @ the Camp John Hay's entrance, the Starbucks at the Camp's Baguio Country Club end, the Figaro at SM Baguio's 4th level, @ the Tamawan Village, @ the Zola Cafe @ Session Road and my old time favorite, @ Cafe by the Ruins.
But hanging out in the places I mentioned do not come cheap though... But then again, no place is cheap anymore these days, especially in Baguio during Panagbenga.
Still I had a good time, was able to write a lot of stuff and caught up on my cable viewing too. I was extremely happy to catch Hotel Rwanda on HBO and watch the underrated but superb Don Cheadle.
So I just spent my time in Baguio doing simple things --- I wrote a lot, walked a lot, slept a lot and watched cable tv a lot. Surprisingly, I had a mild appetite --- I contented myself in eating street fare I would normally shun in Metro Manila, like my favorite one day old chick (3 pieces for 18 pesos, deep-fried with their bile taken out) at the Burnham Park area. I also attempted to check out the Mabuhay wag-wagan area but simply gave up after an hour --- I never did have the patience to do ukay-ukay shopping.
What I did not fail to do while in Baguio though was to have coffee at every imaginable cafe and surf the internet at ridiculously low rates --- part of the city's discount giving spree due to the festival.
I especially tried to cram a lot of mundane activities as the time for me to leave the city came near. Eventually, I reluctantly left at a very late 230am on Tuesday morning, with my class obligations to start 8 hours away, with a 6hour trip to make and two more to get to school.
Oh well, what's the use in living if you can't feel you're alive, right?
06 March 2007
Intimations of Mortality
If you were given only one day more to live, what will you do?
Me? I would simply roam the streets of my favorite mountain city --- Baguio.
I did just that, as if it was my last day on Earth. And yes, I was alone at a time when the Panagbenga or Flower Festival was in full bloom. What better way to hide my isolation in a sea of people?
Me? I would simply roam the streets of my favorite mountain city --- Baguio.
I did just that, as if it was my last day on Earth. And yes, I was alone at a time when the Panagbenga or Flower Festival was in full bloom. What better way to hide my isolation in a sea of people?
02 March 2007
Retreat to Mountain City
Just when I thought my sanity would leave me, I went up to my favorite retreat place, the mountain city of Baguio. And what good timing it was as the Panagbenga or Flower Festival was in progress. I still had two days remaining for last year's VL so I cashed it in by going up after my two day media conference in Clark Pampanga.
The full story of my retreat and adventures on my next post. Meanwhile, here are some pictures of that memorable time.
Crunch time
It seems like I am always catching up on something whose deadline was like ages ago. And now I've run out of excuses not to do the things I've put off for so long. And so slowly but surely, I'm reclaiming my life by finishing important tasks, personal and professional. I only hope that it's not too late for me though. But in case I get penalized for defaulting on my deadlines, I guess it only serves me right...
14 February 2007
Movin' on
Serving as inspiration lately for me is this simple song by who for me should have been last year's American Idol - the incomparable Elliot Yamin (watch out for his first CD soon to come out next month - this is the awesome first single, Movin' On).
Since the New Year kicked in, I've spent more time dealing with things that have weighed me down. Then there was the medical scare of my life - thank God it turned out to be only a warning. But I'm taking heed now of the warnings and prescriptions of Dr. O (my cardiologist from St. Luke's) and Dr. E (Letran College's resident physician).
There's nothing like a medical scare to make you sit up and take stock of what's important or not in one's life. But now I've made my choices. And I'm doing moves to achieve them.
I've given myself until the end of the month to get rid of all my 2006 backlog so that before the start of the end of the year's 3rd quarter, I'll be off and running to fulfill my hopes for the year.
"I don't want anything other than me..."
Since the New Year kicked in, I've spent more time dealing with things that have weighed me down. Then there was the medical scare of my life - thank God it turned out to be only a warning. But I'm taking heed now of the warnings and prescriptions of Dr. O (my cardiologist from St. Luke's) and Dr. E (Letran College's resident physician).
There's nothing like a medical scare to make you sit up and take stock of what's important or not in one's life. But now I've made my choices. And I'm doing moves to achieve them.
I've given myself until the end of the month to get rid of all my 2006 backlog so that before the start of the end of the year's 3rd quarter, I'll be off and running to fulfill my hopes for the year.
"I don't want anything other than me..."
01 January 2007
New Year
December went by in a blur. November too. Now its January. Yesterday was New Year. And now I feel so old.
Its really impossible to keep up with doing this blog. I have a renewed sense of purpose though for this year with this. Me and Chingbee are even planning to launch our Project Apollo on the web soon.
I look forward to the New Year. So many possibilities and exciting challenges ahead. The question is, how to deal with them in ways beneficial to one's interests and well-being...
Welcome 2007!!!
Its really impossible to keep up with doing this blog. I have a renewed sense of purpose though for this year with this. Me and Chingbee are even planning to launch our Project Apollo on the web soon.
I look forward to the New Year. So many possibilities and exciting challenges ahead. The question is, how to deal with them in ways beneficial to one's interests and well-being...
Welcome 2007!!!
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