December 30, 2001

I spent the whole of yesterday with Arnold and his relatives at his uncle's house in Parañaque -- that's about 2 hours away on a normal day but since Christmas break is still on, there was absolutely no traffic and the drive only took 30 minutes! It was a pleasant mix of bonding, reminiscing, thanksgiving, and *whew* playing patty-cake with his hyperactive nieces. (:

Oh and Eastwood was bustling with energy last night. We stopped by to satisfy our oysters-craving but had to endure an almost 30-minute wait for our food since the place was packed, at 10pm at that. But those creole and boursin oysters are just so heavenly and will always be worth any delay, yes?

***
Our friend Neva's Best & Worst List for 2001 is worth a click-through, especially if you're in want of good deals around town. Hehe, hurray for Aji Ichiban, and Ramon, that last paragraph sure made us laugh!

***
A warm welcome to those of you who got here via Zoo's plug in HalfProject. Geez, I do hope my site lives up to your expectations.

December 28, 2001

Now that I've gotten that affidavit report out of the way, I can happily blog about another book I got Arn and me for Christmas:

Breakfast After Noon instantly turned us into Andi Watson fans, and Geisha, which, incidentally is an earlier piece, did not disappoint at all. Like most of Mr. Watson's works, Geisha is light reading and certainly worth recommending even to non-comicbook readers. Take my word for it and grab the trade now, or else download the free preview here.

December 28, 2001

It's been a week since my little car accident -- I didn't write about it because I knew Arnold would panic if he read it here before I could tell him, and I couldn't at the time because he'd find out about the surprise*. Anyway I'm proud to say that I just finished filling out the affidavit form (recalling something bad is never easy). I didn't get hurt but my brother's car sure got bruised. Please take note that it was not my fault as I was clearly in the right of way:

I was on my way to meet Neva who was safekeeping *the Moebius books I got Arn for Christmas. (By the way, the cab she was riding also got bumped a few minutes after I did, geez!)

I had just crossed the Quezon Ave–Agham Road intersection when heavy traffic didn’t make it possible for the car to advance further. While I was waiting for an opening, a white van attempted to make a U-turn from the opposite side to the direction I was going. When I advanced as the path in front of me cleared, he also went forward, bumping (and denting) the left front door and fender of my vehicle.

This isn't my first accident but it's the first one in a long time so it really shook me up. Thank God for very understanding parents and car insurance... and of course, a loving boyfriend for simply being himself.*smile*

December 27, 2001

Overheard at the kiosk selling bootleg VCDs in front of Pearl Plaza last night:

Early 20-something female (a student, most probably, from the university across the road): Uy! Lord of the Rings! Sikat na sikat 'to ngayon ah! Maganda raw 'to! Ano ba 'to?!
*Hey! Lord of the Rings! This is so popular now! I heard it's good! What is it, anyway?!

Early 20-something male companion: Ah oo maganda yan! Magic-magic yan.
*Ah yes, that's good! It's about magic.

Um, yeah. (Arnold almost gave them the evil eye.)

***
Well Arn and I missed the advance screening of LOTR last Saturday so we need to wait til January 4 to see it. (Now that Filmfest better be worth the delay).

December 26, 2001

My schedule the past two days: sleep, eat*, watch TV, eat with guests, send sms and online greetings, eat with fatherside relatives, attend Christmas eve mass, eat Noche Buena feast, unwrap presents with Arnold, sleep, eat with motherside relatives, nap, read new books, eat, sleep.

Yup, Christmas is the perfect reason to gain weight.

* paella, giant crabs, prawns, salmon, lechon, Arnold's dad's bread with different cheeses, pastries, etc etc etc

***
My dear Arn got me Rat: A Love Story (which I liked and wrote about some months ago) and this beautiful hard bound storybook:

The Mouse and his Child

Right. I'm off to bury myself in it.

p.s. Thanks so much, baby. Am loving it. (: (: (:

December 24, 2001

Maligayang Pasko!

December 23, 2001

All right, Arnold and I caved and opened some of our presents already --not the ones we got for each other though. Those are strictly reserved for Christmas eve.
*sigh* I can hardly keep from trying to feel through the package he so neatly wrapped and ribboned.

Most friends gave us conjugal gifts so we divided them in two groups for now. Among those Arn took home is Marco's gift, Laputa: The Castle in the Sky, while I took home the interesting comic books Mike gave us. So far, I've finished reading Toxic Paradise: Love and Romance and half of Mona #1.

The funny Emerging Markets by Tom Hart (a Hutch Owen mini-comic in Mona #1) somewhat reminds me of my Pepsi-concept team days in O&M when we also thought of tweaking the brand name to create a language pun of sorts*.

* We came up with "Coca-kulang" -- kulang means "not enough" so the term roughly means "not enough Coke." It was used to market the new 750mL bottle for Pepsi (Coke only had a 500mL one, hence the coined term.) c.1996

...Anyway...

you can read the Emerging Markets 35-page comic here.

December 21, 2001

Some random links for your surfing pleasure:

• Left-Right conflicts (Try it!)

• DIY instructions for everyday life

• For my Arn: A holiday greeting from Syd Mead

• Cool products for cool people by cool illustrators
(via Kitty)

• Be honest with yourself, are you really a designer?
(via PW via Sushihendrix)

December 20, 2001

Arnold baby, wake up. "Alan" was stolen last night. Sigh, don't you just hate it when bad things happen to good people? We feel for you, Ramon and Nev.

***
Arn and I've been having a hectic time cramming client meetings, get-together parties, and last-minute gift shopping all into this final week before Christmas, so please bear with the lack of updates. (Oh, we managed to attend the U.P. Lantern Parade last night but I'll talk about that some other time.)

December 18, 2001

In the midst of our Christmas shopping, I dragged Arnold to Beauty Bar and then Essenses, conditioning him that the store visits will provide him good female insight for his future novels*.

*good thinking, Cyn (pats self on the back)

Arn's cautious about going to cosmetic shops with me because he thinks I might spray something like Cake Batter cologne (or any other non-masculine scent) on him. But of course I will.

Anyway, he actually had fun "inspecting" the merchandise and, I noticed, especially enjoyed playing with the octopus and dolphin massagers. We ended up buying a dolphin plus some products that smelled good enough to eat as gifts for both our moms.

Speaking of fragrances, I couldn't help noticing the wide variety of scents, apart from the usual fruity and flowery, that have cropped up: Beach Smells, Clean Wet Laundry, Clean Hair, Fresh Towels, Earthworm (gasp), Funeral Home (double gasp), Holy Water (?!?). Pretty soon we'll have Every Flavor candies too, just like in Harry Potter.

***
By the way, I'm so glad Neva is blogging more frequently now. Do say hello when you can (:

***
Thank you, Rome and Ka Kosa for featuring me this week.

December 17, 2001

It's just appropriate that comic books in the Philippines are now being recognized as literary pieces, and I'm really proud that my Arnold is given due acknowledgement for being one of the key players in the propagation of the medium:

Even today the narrative aspect of graphic art is being explored and further developed by young illustrators like Arnold Arre, who already has won a couple of National Book Awards for his reinvention/depiction of Filipino mythology...
- Juaniyo Arcellana notes in this article on Francisco Coching* in today's Philippine Star.

* The late Francisco Coching revolutionized graphic art in the Philippines, churning out komiks-novels from as early as the mid-30s to the '70s. Unfortunately Arn & I missed the exhibit that featured 4 decades worth of his art, plus a Filipino comic book timeline (so we learned from our friends Emil, Robert, and Paolo).

December 16, 2001

One of the reasons I haven't been posting lately:

(book courtesy of Ramon)

While Arn is devouring From Hell, I, meanwhile, had just finished reading Gemma Bovery by Posy Simmonds, one of the most delightfully original stories I've read in a long time. In fact, even the presentation of the narrative and illustrations is novel (part storybook, part comic book -- a feast for the eyes for this graphic designer). I also couldn't help admiring how well Ms. Simmonds brought her characters to life. And yes, Nev, I agree that female graphic novels that don't tackle lesbianism or feminist issues are rare nowadays. Read other readers' reviews here.

December 14, 2001

Yesterday was spent lunching with my dear friends Sheila and Tippi who, both being happily married, have suddenly taken an interest in growing their own herb gardens. Hmm one's a creative director and the other's a fashion designer so I did not foresee those green thumbs happening. As for me, well I need to learn how to cook first (right, Arnold baby?) before I should even attempt planting anything.

***
Arn and I also got together for dinner with our good pals Neva and Ramon who so nicely provided us with a week's worth of excellent reads. I may disappear from time to time to fully digest everything, so I suggest you go straight to my linkee list whenever that happens.

***
Incidentally, here's a test worth taking. I found out that despite the fact that I'm *gulp* turning 30 in a few months, my "real age" is 26. It really pays to be a good girl (:

December 11, 2001

Daypop's Top 40 proves it: taking online tests is the in-thing nowadays (from the thought-provoking Art Test to the spoofy Which online personality test are you?. What ever will they think of next?). Taking Shiloah's cue, if I were to make some up, they would be:

1. Which search engine are you?
("You are Google. Everyone turns to you for advice because you seem to know so much. However, being a workaholic, you are not updated on trends and sometimes have to rely on cached knowledge to get by.")

2. This one's for my Arnold (I love you, baby):
Which Stanley Kubrick film are you?
("You are 2001: A Space Odyssey. You are lightyears ahead of your time and your peers will most definitely feel the gravity of your efforts in years to come. You are not afraid to experiment and talk about things that have yet to be discovered. Oh, you also like classical music.")

3. Which dessert drink are you?
("You are Almond Mocha Joy. You are extremely sweet and close friends appreciate your occasional nuttiness. People love you when you're at your lukewarm best because you can be really repulsive when you're cold.")

4. Which John Hughes movie character are you?
(Oops, just realized that Molly Ringwald will always be the default female answer)

4. Which Asian country are you?
("You are Japan. Being very disciplined, you are always one step ahead when it comes to thinking of something new. You are very grounded to your roots. You are also inherently kawaii and are much-loved and even imitated by everyone.")

5. Which computer platform are you?
("You are a Macintosh. You are high-maintenance and are somewhat proud of that fact. You choose the people you work with and will conk out when coupled with someone who's not a perfect fit. When you however find that special mate, the relationship will work smoothly and you will hardly ever break down.")

December 9, 2001

This one's for us, Naomi (:

Long before we both had cars (and eventually, honeys) to drive to and from work with, my friend Naomi and I had to practically beg cabbies to take us home to Quezon City from Makati every single weeknight. We had barely even uttered "Quez--..." when drivers would reply with a curt "ah malayo sa garahe ko" (That's far from my homebase/garage.) and then speed off. Oh and for your information, QC is not even that far off (it can take as quick as 20 minutes, off peak, to an hour and a half during rush hour).

Thank goodness we don't have to go through that anymore but for those who have no choice, do report the offending drivers to the LTO.

December 7, 2001

Arnold and I have been together for quite some time already but we continue to find out about mutual acquaintances we didn't know we had. Amazing! I guess it's true that the older we get, the smaller the world becomes.

So anyway one of our mutual friends* Emil gave us a copy of "All From the Same Tree" where he is one of the featured storytellers. Published by Adarna House, the book is a collection of stories about different family situations that are common in today's society. It shows how important family matters are, and how things can be made to work in the family. Haven't had the chance to read it yet but I was struck, as always, by the nice InKee art.

*People we both knew even before we got together.

***
My extended high school group had a fun little get-together last night at Chateau Verde where we ended up inconveniencing the restaurant staff by staying a few hours beyond closing time. Tsk, tsk. They had to force us to leave by switching the lights on and off repeatedly.

It's really harder to stay in touch with UPIS friends since we all pursued far-off career paths -- in contrast to my college group who are more or less in the same field. That's why any chance for a reunion always equals long nights out.

Incidentally, a grand UPIS alumni homecoming is set for tomorrow (ahem, Shiloah).

December 6, 2001

I'm the type of person who can survive on snack foods alone all day (mind-boggling, says my Arnold) so I thought I'd share with you my all-time favorite pica pica treats and justify that they can, in fact, meet the Department of Health's RDA requirements:

PROTEIN:

1. Chicken nuggets - baked, not fried.

2. Cracker nuts - cracker-coated flavored nuts

3. Squid balls - Squid-flavored balls served on a stick and then dipped in spicy-sweet sauce

FRUITS & VEGETABLES:

1. Spicy Thai tamarind candy - sweet and sour chewy candy with a hint of chili. Addictive. (Right, Naomi?)

2. Wasabi green peas - roasted wasabi coated peas

3. Cornicks - crunchified corn kernels

CARBOHYDRATES:

1. Konnyaku Jelly - healthy high fiber jelly

2. Senbei - light and fluffy Japanese rice crackers

3. Skyflakes - the classic low-salt Filipino cracker

DAIRY:

1. Pastillas de leche - Melts-in-your-mouth milk candy

2. Polvoron - Filipino powdered milk candy

Note: I do eat complete meals too (especially when my mom is looking) so this list should not be taken as representative of my daily food intake.

December 4, 2001

First there was "Aristoback", a small food stall behind popular restaurant Aristocrat. Then came "Mang Donald's", a carinderia spoofing McDonald's.

Now there's "Le Shou Fly,"

a bistro al fresco (which explains the fly-shooing) by the side of Le Soufflé

See the whole photo here.
(courtesy of Dulzzi)

Obviously, Filipinos have a knack for coming up with punny shop names. Classic examples are "Anita Bakery", "James Tailoring", "Silvestre's Salon", among many others. Here's a big list. Warning: although most are funny, there are corny ones, and others that only Pinoys will get.

December 4, 2001

Stortroopers don't come in the Asian variety so ours needed tweaking.

December 3, 2001

If you're anywhere in the Asia Pacific right now, chances are you've already seen the new Crouching Tiger-inspired Visa TV commercial. The 2 minute-long ad was conceptualized by my former colleagues at BBDO/GO, sent for approval to the regional HQ, and then produced and filmed in HongKong. Zhang Ziyi flew in from nearby China. Whoa, cool beans*!

*Can you tell that I've been reading Stray Bullets?

"In this world, innocence is the first thing to go."

(Mighty disturbing stuff, really.)

December 2, 2001

Awww, the nice folks at The Weblog Review gave me this early Christmas present. Thank you so much!

***
A recent e-mail notice brought to my attention Blog Snob, a script that enables you to tell everyone out there about your blog thru simple textbased ads. (Yoohoo, it's the randomizing link snippet on the upper right hand corner.) Since this site uses a lot of frames, I'm trying to figure out how to make the links open in a specified window.

Um...help?

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