Neko

I was wandering off a mall when it struct me! We didnt place a parol up this year! Then after seeing that Nickelodeon-Spongebob Giant Christmastree on the parking lot, i remembered back in 2002(?) when the Philippines conquered another record in the Guinness Book of World Records.

By making the biggest Parol (Christmas Lantern) Mammoth size! The Grand-Mommy of all Grand Mommies! A whooping 60-foot lantern that was estimated to cost P5 million! Geesh…

Well thanks to Disney for sponsoring most of the dues. In condition that, it involves shaping a steel frame based on the overall design of the head of Mickey Mouse! Computerized in aesthetic design, in kaleidoscopic play of colors and light…

And since the organizer, Robert David, a Pampanga board member, has been making colossal lanterns since the 90’s. It guarantees a great display of Pinoy ingenuity!

In 1998, he made the “Millennium Parol,” which adorned the Rizal Park in Manila. In 1989, he built the first fiberglass lantern which was installed at the Bren Guiao Convention Center. And in 1990, he designed a fiberglass lantern which is actually the roof of the Paskuhan (Christmas) Village, the first in Asia and the third in the world.

Boem!
Back to the present time..
too bad tho i wasnt able to take a shot of that Giant tree! it was raining..

hope it was snow tho..

brr.. now i hear my neighbor playing loud Christmas Carols.. on his 10-watts radio! pff! BRB.. (after christmas, that is!) ho-ho-ho…

So Happy Holidays Everyone! Don’t drink too much!
And save me some doobie!
*sighs*

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last note:
for those who wanna see how a Pinoy Parol is made, check out how to Make a Star Lantern

Current Music: Sonic Youth - Diamond Sea

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insomniacs + memories + alcopops = count me in!
insomniacs + memories +alcopops + unlimited drinks + unlimited hours + sisig(!) - boys - talking about cars and bikes (brrrr!) = extreme laughter and a Great night out!

“blood crystal lies to sand now i hope you understand we reflect into his looking glass soul and now the mirror is your only friend“    - Diamond Sea

Oh, and i forgot.. after 3 pitchers and (lol.. i lost count) of bottles.. = babble bibble babble!

Last weekend, my best friends (barkada), finally had a night out after almost a decade of not seeing each other. And where to go? Who to take? What to do?

Erm. first my answer was No boys allowed! So.. no hubbies, nor b0yfriends nor any male-friends. Just us girls! Just like the old times.. just like in High School..

Back when Sonic Youth was the coolest band on earth! Back when Mayonaise of Smashing Pumpkins was the teenage anthem.. and Landslide was the Sweetest Love Song. Ever! And yeah, when every girl falls over Keanu Reeves (both from starring at Wayne’s World and Dracula) lol.. and the boy who played Casper that only showed up at the end of the film.

Back when Dead Poet’s Society was the alma-mater of our History class. Oh Captain, My Captain! and the film watching how reproductive cells produce and create a new lifeform (yeah! on film!) traumatized some girls into giving birth! haha.. Back when the NUNS running our school thought having a soccer team will impregnate our players! Geesh.. talk about teaching reproduction! And remembering those teachers and their silly taglines. (ok, now im saving some personal notes to our batch site)

So going back to our group, yeah.. *sigh* Landslide.. too bad we’re missing one person. The girl who, while listening over and over to this song, got the guitar solo part all by herself. And yeah, the Mastermind of our Fanzine.

And strange how it turns out.. that the most boyish of us was the first one to have a kid. And the most straight and conservative of us - is now a Vodka Girl! who knows every mix of vodka that ever existed! (or ever available in the Ph!) lol.. And how the smallest of the group turned out to be the most erm.. sexy! And and.. hmm.. what have become of me? hmm.. let me get back on that later.

(ohh.. this is a free plugging..
one of my friends said they have cute bar tenders!
hmm.. funny, i didn’t notice. maybe it was too dark, or too noisy! lol..)

Losing track of time and how many bottles and platters have empty-passed by our table, I almost signed a non-binding contract of making a blog or site for our batch. Yeah, the Friendster thing is not working for us. We envy the other batches who have multiple reunions already. And us - None. nada. nuff.

So that makes erm, how many hours of work a day, plus work at home, plus updates on blog#1, 2, 3.. ahhh!!! no sleep indeed. no sleep. Ok since it’s vacation time, maybe i should get on and work on that.

That is if yah pass me another Blueberry Cruiser! mmm.. njam! bubble gummy…

NO. i did not forget about this blog.

Yeah, mentaining multiple blogs can be pretty exhausting. Taking that i also have a day job to attend to, the holiday rush comin at one’s face.. tons of relative-gatherings i have to cover. (erm, im the official photographer of some) ok, they only got me coz i do it for free. not that im a pro or something. lol.. and my high school friends requesting me to put up a site for our batch. Geesh! Almost no time to rest! I even have to allot one full day for gift wrapping, aside from the day for shopping for gifts!

And recently, i put up to scraps the blog of my precious one, Irvine. But shhh! My real live relatives know about that url and im not intending them to find out about my “other” sites. (well, they are not yet accustomed to hearing what a blog is. It’s not popular to non-addict ppl in this side of the world. lol)

Well, anyway hope you give it a visit and see how he makes me proud to be a Mom.

   

here’s something to make you all smile..

Do You have a secret crush?

i found this amazing site..

for the skeptic, just have fun.. enter your crush’s name and you’ll know if you’re compatible or not! hmmm…

  CRUSH CALCULATOR  

i know this may sound as a bad idea posting my pic online.. well, hmm.. sorta… and hmm.. is that really me anyway? hehe..

intrigued? to those silent passers-by.. take a glance at it.. hope i don’t disappoint anyone tho.. hehe

comments are welcome too.. bite me! hihihi

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note: yeah.. i know.. im working on the revamp of that blog too..

Current Music: John Lennon - Imagine
                    
forgot to do this last thursday… and my only spare time was this weekend…

Marking the 25th Death Anniversary of John Lennon, i placed my framed charcoal poster outside my room, and played all my Beatles records, including the post-Beatles ones. My feeling- DJ weekend started off with the cd “Lennon Legend” followed by my 4-Disc Lennon Anthology Box Set… and the first song off the player, is the most striking and precious song (for me) that John Lennon created..

So, click the song title above and get that free download before it expires…

Imagine - John Lennon

Imagine there’s no Heaven
It’s easy if you try
No hell below us
Above us only sky
Imagine all the people
Living for today

Imagine there’s no countries
It isn’t hard to do
Nothing to kill or die for
And no religion too
Imagine all the people
Living life in peace

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will be as one

Imagine no possessions
I wonder if you can
No need for greed or hunger
A brotherhood of man
Imagine all the people
Sharing all the world

You may say that I’m a dreamer
But I’m not the only one
I hope someday you’ll join us
And the world will live as one

Now, after a spin of the dizzy past week, recalling the words of John Lennon himself.. helped me remember.. there is more to life.. than what i only see with my eyes..

So.. peace and love and live the best you can!

Antony and the Johnsons - Cripple and the Starfish

Mr. Muscle forcing bursting
Stingy thingy into little me, me, me
But just “ripple” said the cripple
As my jaw dropped to the ground
Smile smile

It’s true I always wanted love to be
Hurtful
And it’s true I always wanted love to be
Filled with pain
And bruises

Yes, so Cripple-Pig was happy
Screamed ” I just compeletely love you!
And there’s no rhyme or reason
I’m changing like the seasons
Watch! I’ll even cut off my finger
It will grow back like a Starfish!
It will grow back like a Starfish!
It will grow back like a Starfish!”

Mr. Muscle, gazing boredly
And he checking time did punch me
And I sighed and bleeded like a windfall
Happy bleedy, happy bruisy

I am very happy
So please hit me
I am very happy
So please hurt me

I am very happy
So please hit me
I am very very happy
So come on hurt me

I’ll grow back like a Starfish
I’ll grow back like a Starfish
I’ll grow back like a Starfish
Like a Starfish..

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…I just like to share this song.

drop notes: Don’t get fooled by the Artist’s name. This beautifully crafted dark sarcasm overshadows the criticism of those unfamiliar with the avante garde. Reading the lyrics blankly, without listening, would make one wonder what it really meant. This song shows a poignant yearning for healing and redemption, combined with the bittersweet words and striking lines that are strangely unfamiliar for a song.

With a voice like this, imbued with the transcendental emotion of the blues, yet deployed with an unadorned simplicity reminiscent of medieval music practice, and graced with a top note of desperate wonder. One would defenitely see how this song and his others captivates me. Those who know me or read along the same lines as mine.. would agree how deeply this song would strike one’s hidden emotions..

some facts: With backgrounds of being personally asked by Lou Reed, of the Velvet Underground, to make a rendition of “Perfect Day” for his album The Raven, (another one of my faves) and gave a solo turn of “Candy Says” live. Antony even created the melody to one of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem, The Lake. And created boggling songs like “Hitler in My Heart” with such lines as “Don’t punish me/For wanting your love inside of me/And I find Hitler in my heart/From the corpses flowers grow…”.

All in all makes him one of a kind, combining these influences with his being, yes, having androgynous features.

Current Music: Edward Ka-Spel - “The Shadow Box ”
                    

“What Edward Ka-Spel is and does shall forever remain shrouded in mystery. On the surface, Ka-Spel is the lead singer and guiding light behind the Holland-based arcane “pop” combo LEGENDARY PINK DOTS; he also played and lyricized with Skinny Puppy’s cEvin Key under the name TEAR GARDEN.

Beyond that, however, normal words fail to describe this mans’s peculiar charm. Usually inspired by his dreams, this enormously prolific (more than 30 solo releases, and more than 50 with the Dots) artist’s uncanny lyrical content — often disturbing, thus deeply emotional — is coupled with music that also feels like the direct outpouring of a very dark, fantastic dream; it’s Hieronymus Bosch for the ears — an ambiguously eloquent beast who curls up in your consciousness and refuses to leave — and simply not pop or rock or folk or electronic or anything else that easily comes to mind. Ka-Spel has also had a selection of his lyrics, stories, and fragments published in a gorgeous hardcover book, LOVE AND LOUD COLOURS, which includes a cd-single of chillingly beautiful new obsessions, madnesses, and fantasies.”

—John Payne, LA WEEKLY

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note: Just tired. too tired to post any review for now. Just listening to my fragmented album downloads of Edward Ka-Spel. ..enchantingly beautiful.. hypnotically dark.. captivatingly demented.

yeah, why so gloom? Because 15 days from now is the anniversary of my second life. And By the end of this month, is indeed a count of another year. Another year away from my mom’s departure from this material cruel world. And how ironic that indeed, every December is always a new beginning… hidden in a tragedie.

btw, whoever found a link to the lyrics of the song i share for free download, pls inform me. thanks. a book copy would be nice too.. hehe see.. i still have some % cheeriness.. hmm…

Last Saturday, because my French class was over, i decided to go visit my mom. I tagged along my brother and his family. We brought flowers and candles and some snacks. On the way, the weather was fine. Not too hot, not too cloudy. It seemed perfect to spend the afternoon in the park cemetary.

Soon as i stepped down the car, the scenery that opened up to me was so great. An open-air like that of flatlands with silhouettes of mountains on the far horizon. It exhalled me with such a great feeling and of lightness.

When i reached my mom’s grave, i can’t seem to light up the candles coz of the wind. We took turns in lighting them but it was impossible. It was just too windy. So i made an improvision of the pots that hold them and was successful to light up one white candle.

But as i stood up, i felt a chilling breeze along with the wind. I looked up at the sky and the clouds suddenly seemed to form heavily. I called out “oh no! it looks like its gonna rain!” So I took some shots with my digicam, both from thinking i may not be able to do that later and from awe at the simple beauty.

Suddenly, I felt little drops falling on my hat and shoulders.

“Umuulan!” (It’s raining!) my brother called. And we all rushed to a nearby tent of someone who was just burrried. Seems that most of their friends have gone, judging by the number of chairs now piled up, ready for storage. There were still 5 or so people in the tent lamenting for their departed then. And we nodded in respect and they replied with a gesture as signaling to let us in the shade for a while.

The rain suddenly went hard. And big drops can be heard in the vinyl texture of the tent. It was a strange feeling being there, dry, secluded, and yet see everything around us soaking wet when minutes ago, the weather seemed to be fine. Very Strange!

Strange indeed, for the rain lasted for just 5-10 minutes. Then fully stopped. We stepped outside of the tent after it was all clear, and thanked the people on the tent for letting us in.

As we proceeded back to the grave.. i was stopped, struct. Something prevented me from lighting the candle. Slightly bending, almost kneeling down, I shifted my eyes towards the sky. I saw a rainbow at the distance. Shimmering with its pale colors, that accentuates the canvass of the indigo sky. I took some stills on my cam, then drove my attention back to the candles.

This is where I prayed.. and talked to my Mom.

She cried with glee as she showered us with her tears.
She smiled at us as she painted with nature’s magical hues.
She gave us the sign of a brightness awaiting us,
and that there is hope.

Indeed, it showed she was listening. She was waiting for us. She was looking over us. She was there.. actually there.

Yes Mom, I missed you too!

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photo note: view the bigger size at my flickr (pardon the unedited profile and sets.)

entry note: now you see, that’s why i believe karma is something that happens for a reason.

yeah probably read about what J just did.. if not, read Bon de’barras! (french for Good riddance!) ok this post is about him again.. so if you dont like to read, feel free to click the red x button at the top corner }:-}

some months ago i recieved an sms from the number of his sister’s mobile phone. saying “putik! ate, si kuya wala na!” well if translated more or less would mean “shit! my brother’s gone” (there is no ate means older sister nor kuya means older brother in english) anyway.. the message should have meant that J was already dead. with a follow-up “nagpakamatay siya” (he killed himself). pff…

When i got it, i didnt reply nor acted anything out of the ordinary. the message just simply didnt meant anything to me. besides, i know it was a hoax. and “suicide”? yeah yeah.. that was MY line. anyway, the one who sent the message probably realized how stupid it was to send such a message to me.. and didnt send anything more after that.

Months passed peacefully.. then just some days ago he called. yeah.. the “pass-the-phone-to-the-new-girlfriend new-stupid-girlfriend” nonesense issue.

After that, i prayed to my mom (who has long gone to the other side) to please do something to make him stop bothering me and just go on with his life. or make something happen so as to make him realize his faults, to be able to change it. not for me, but for himself.. i do not even have the slightest intention or thought of going back to him so just please make him stop trying. or ruining me further more. And i admit, i havent actually prayed for months too. so dont think im getting all religious here. lol.. Anyway…

Then news came today..

i got a call just when i was about to leave for work.. that he was in the hospital. Allegedly robbed and stabbed 4 times! ok first, i didnt believe this again. remembering what happened months ago with the sms. i thought when i was hearing the man on the other line.. oh, how desperate can one get? but i played it simple and gave the phone numbers of his immidiate family and asked the guy to just call them instead. Again, this information didnt get into me much less than the last one. It didnt affect me at all. Pff! Another hoax.. or so i thought.

When i came home from work his sister called. Strange how hearing her voice then made me nervous. She confirmed the info and gave what hospital and room they were in. Ok, now’s the time to confirm the last sms i got. She cant remember sending me anything like that. Ok, now i know who did.

As of writing, i have not yet decided if i should go visit him or not. And i can’t confirm if he’s going to be fine or not. Should i go? Or shuold i let him suffer to make him realize how much pain he brought about not only to one person but to many. both his family and mine..

i can’t really directly say.. See.. that’s what you get!

but i am simply gonna ask .. now is that karma or what?