Poker Face Fail

I was on my way home earlier when I fall in line in the shuttle queue in Robinson's Metro East. Being the last person on line, I was eager to see people keep coming in to immediately fill the required 18 passengers. A girl arrived then sat next to me. She was tall, skinny and was wearing a blue cardigan and skinny jeans. She was carrying a pink shoulder bag and a National Bookstore paperbag. I wouldn’t have paid attention on her appearance, not until I decided to write this blog, and I decided to write this blog because of the following incident:
 

I was minding my own business thinking of work and hunger when on my peripheral vision I noticed that from the paperbag my seatmate took out a black paperback book and started reading the summary on the back. Earlier that day, I was kinda checking out titles from the Barnes and Noble clearance sale online so I was a bit curious on what the lady next to me was reading. I took a glimpse on the book’s title with my peripheral vision on spotted it to be Fifty Shades of Grey, that disappointing piece of smut that women apparently adore.

Photo Credit

 

Upon notice, I tried my best to poker face as if I did not see something funny. Well, I am not good at that and I made face immediately. I know the girl saw my smirk or whatever that reaction was so she just returned her new book inside the paper bag. That face kept on and on, worth blogging about.

PhotoCredit. I think this was the face

Slapstick Minions

I am not fond of these minions. They are cute and all but I easily get tired of them. Unlike my facebook news feed which was flooded by these cute characters even before the Minions movie came up. Banana, Potato, pictures, videos and everything related to minions. I know the McDonalds happy meals are constantly sold out. Pictures of these toys are also constantly posted by people boasting how many they got already.

I watched the movie to see what the fuzz is about because I read somewhere the minions has some important role in the movie. Not really.

They were cute, yes but I still think the Agnes kid is cute especially in the first movie. I even got the ringtone and I own a unicorn plush toy lol.

 

photo credit: Most GIFs I see has violence in it

What bugs me a lot about these minions is the slapstick comedy they bring and I am not really a fan of violence just for the laugh. The people watching in the movie house find them funny because I heard laughter all throughout. I guess their type of humor is not for me. I like it when they are just there looking cute but getting hurt and shit is not funny to me. I also don't like much of the minion personality. I remember watching the first movie and got dumbfounded why the minions has to suffer so much physically to be cute. In the next installment I still felt the same. Others find them cute and funny.
 

photo credit: Hermione fans know this

I kinda compare the minions with the house-elves in the Harry Potter books. They were there as servants for the wizard families and they love what they do. As the hurting goes, Kreacher was used by Voldemort to drink the potion for that horcrux in the lake; Dobby used to hit himself when he made errors. I don’t like them get hurt too.

Anyways, it's just me. I don't know why I care a lot with these fictional creatures. What's important is that they are cute and selling merchandise.

My Cheesy Father

pictures on our living room wall

For the longest time, my father wanted our graduation pictures to be posted on our living room wall. The only problem is, we did not have any of those. We did not have the budget for any of that when my older sisters and I graduated. What my father had was those 2x2 pictures attached on our college trascript of records.  His plan was to hire some guy to blow those pictures up then like do some photoshop to make the toga full and fit better on a rectangle frame than the original square.  He got those photos. Hahaha.

I don’t even have copy of that toga picture. He is a little sentimental that way so it was a pleasure giving him that. I guess he is just proud of his kids. He had a picture of the four of us when we were kids in his wallet he kept through the years. That is one trait we love about him. One time he found a Valentines Day card from my oldest sister made when she was in first grade. The one made from a white typewriting paper folded twice then drawn with a big red heart in the front and an english dedication inside. He put it on a frame and displayed as well.  

When we had a vacation in Ilocos last March, I saw portraits displayed on Chast’s parents’ house. That was when I had the idea of making our 2x2 pictures into charcoal portraits. I told that to my father and he wa enthusiastic. Haha. I found this guy in Sta Lucia who does portraits. His rate was the lowest I know because I also checked in AliMall. The portraits went good. It looks like me. I paid for the portraits and my mother said she will take care of the frames because she knows a place in Quiapo where the frames are cheaper. 

From the portraits, to the frames then my mother had the wall colored to yellow. It took about three months. I also had one of his picture when he retired printed large then framed. The two pictures of him in the wall was taken 1997(When I graduated grade school), and the other in 2009. The family picture was shot Christmas Day 1989.

Hong Kong and Macau Family Trip

Planning family trips are always tiresome and costs a lot. I know I can easily do this Hong Kong trip because I have been there twice. I can easily go places just as long I have a map. I even used the map I used 2 years ago because It was better and the landmarks on that map was more familiar to me.there was never really a solid plan on this trip, I just asked my sister where in hong kong they would like to go. With that little planning, I know I made a lot of mistakes. First is the wrong date of our return flight. Instead of June 29, I booked July 29. Because of that I need to book a new one. The cheapest I found was a flight to Clark. 

Next mistake I made was not buying Disneyland tickets from the CTS booth at the airport. We bought our Ocean Park tickets there which was cheaper compared when bought in the park gates. Disney one day tickets sold at $380 only compared to $450 at the gates. We could have saved a lot.

We don’t know the exact location of the hotel so we just took a bus to Mongkok then walked about 5 blocks east when we reached Prince Edward. Five blocks is hard while carrying luggage. We also had a hard time searching for that hotel entrance. What could have been better is just take a cab; there were five of us so the total fare would be cheaper. Same thing goes to our trip to airport going home. The cab driver told us to pay him $250, which was cheaper compared to our total fare if we took the train. It turns out from the hotel to the airport; the meter only drops at about $180. I should have tried to bargain at $200.

We also got lost some times especially on our first time looking for our hotel’s shuttle bus stop at Tsim Sha Tsui. I thought it was Nathan Rd corner Peking but it was Peking corner Kowloon. My sister had this episode where she asked a cop for directions towards the "Sun Arcade". The cop didn’t understand her pronunciation and was a little annoyed. My sister was mad too which was stupid because the person she was talking to is a cop. I don’t want any trouble because I noticed my sister did not noticed the Police badge so I just show the policeman the map and when he read "Sun Arcade" he corrected my sister’s apparent incorrect pronunciation: It’s "Ahh- keyd" not "ar - cade".

The Royal Park Hotel was cool but really pricey. Getting there through train was tough. From anywhere, we need to go to Tsim Sha Tsui station, get out, and then walk further to reach East Tsim Sha Tsui Station then to Mong Kok East station. From there, there’s an exit going to the hotel, the farthest of all the exits. That’s too much walking. I asked for a hotel near a train station but this one is very tiring.

The Big Buddha and Po Lin Monastery

It also sucked going to Hong Kong during the summer. It was hot and the theme parks are packed because of the summer break for the students. I like it better during our last visit when the weather was cold.

Going to Macau, I got our ferry tickets from a scalpel, $300 instead of $350 for a round-trip ticket. What I did not know is that the return ferry is on the other ferry terminal at Cotai. From Largo do Senado we walked all the way to the Grand Lisboa Hotel looking for a bus stop which may lead us back to the Macau ferry terminal. We ended riding this bus going the other direction first, going around then to the ferry terminal. There I noticed the ticket was for another ferry service. To get to the other ferry terminal, we rode the Venetian bus then at the Venetian we transfer to the other Venetian bus going to Cotai terminal.
 

Yes we also got lost inside the Venetian. I was not able to retrace our steps back to the west part of the hotel and we are not allowed to walk through the Casino. Everything else looks the same. It was lucky that a Filipina who works there helped us with directions.
 
 

Largo do Senado

Ruins Of Saint Paul's Cathedral

 

We were tired walking at this point

The trip was very tiring to my feet. Good thing I brought Katinko with me. My feet felt better in the morning and ready for more walks. What felt good about the trip is that even though food cost a lot especially at the theme parks, I know the feeling when a parent feels happy just as long as the kids are able to eat. It felt good to see my parents able to eat overpriced Chinese food in Hong Kong. At least we were able to bring them there. They mean a lot to us and we know the hardships they had to do just to be able to see us all graduate from college. It is good to see them "Living on Interest". I wish my niece will remember her experiences in Hong Kong too. For now we can bring her with us in these trips. It has been almost a month since that trip but my parents and my niece still has stories to tell. Hahahaha

Lebron's headband

Should @KingJames wear his head band in game 7, why or why not? Replies read later on @SolarSportsDesk @JinnoRufino
— Cesca Litton (@CheckLit) June 19, 2013

NBA fans and bandwagoners will forever associate that awesome Game 6 as the game where Lebron lost his headband then exploded afterwards. I kinda knew that would happen. When I watched the game in the fourth quarter then saw James without the headband I was like, he does not play without it because he looked awful but the last time I watched a game without it he played a lot better. Then they won the game.

photo credit

I googled it up because I definitely remember a game I watched before without the headband. I got this result:

source

Hahaha. his forehead still looks decent. They won that game against Philadelphia too.

That headband means a lot. It became a source of memes because of course of his diminishing hairline, and as we saw, can change the outcome of a game.

Capitalizing on Your Father's Fame

First of all, kudos to the people who made the video. Flawless editing on how the dude looks like he was there on the original video like 20 years ago. It was really a good song, more like a signature for Francis Magalona. He had good songs that we listened to in the early 90's before that song "Baw-Waw-Waw!" that was about azucena. I don't like that song at all. His early songs are truly OPM.

When the Master Rapper died in March 2009, I was in California. I saw the news on TFC, the show was one of those weekend afternoon showbiz chismis show at that time I forgot which and the background music they used was Kaleidoscope World, in a mellow instrumental. It was sad.

Then came this version. I first stumbled with this song on my trip home, driving, listening to Boys Night Out on the radio. They played Kaleidoscope World and I was like, "cool, they play old songs". Then suddenly another voice is singing with FrancisM. I think on some parts I can audibly hear the patches where they insert the new vocals. Lol. I like the old version. This one is not cool. 

If it ain't broke don't fix it. Why mess with the original?  It even says Elmo Magalona feat. FrancisM.

What the fuck. Call it a tribute but I am not buying it. His son clearly has nothing else to do to stay famous. I think he is, with all that hashtag with his name on twitter before. He has fans clearly but why not do new songs of his own. His sisters Saab and Maxine seems cool, but this guy, I don't know. He's having difficulty pulling away from his father's shadow but I think he is comfortable with it, even reaping profits from it. Think Grace Poe or Nancy Binay.

Noontime shows

Ang bobongga ng Palabas ngayon sa ABSCBN. Hi GMA musta na? Text text na lang tayo.
— Senyora Santibañez (@DonyaAngelica) June 1, 2013

Sa mga noontime show makikita ang lakas ng isang television network dito sa Pilipinas. Totoo yan, kasi kahit yung mga tao na hindi mahilig manood ng TV, kumakain ng tanghalian. Sa opisina kapag tanghalian lang nakakapanood ng TV ang mga empleyado. Sa amin dito Showtime ang napapanood. Ewan ko pero dati Eat Bulaga naman. Hindi rin ako mahilig makibalita sa shobis tsismis pero sa mga noontime shows meron naman na akong masasagap. Tulad ng mga pagyurak ni Vice Ganda kay Nancy B pati yung naging atraso nya sa mga reporters ng GMA bukod kay Jessica Soho. Mahusay daw yun kasi publicity pa rin, dagdag audience. Lagpas sampung minuto rin kinain ng apologee nya sa ere.

Balik sa estado ng noontime shows: Eat Bulaga, wala nang tatalo dyan dahil institusyon na yan sa TV kaya yung latak na audience na lang ang pagtatalunan. Bumalik si Willie sa noontime pero matatanggal na yata. Wala syang bagong publicity stunt gaya ni Vice. Ok na yun.

Kapag Linggo, may noon time show din. Noontime variety show kung saan may avenue ang network upang i-showcase ang lahat ng kanilang mga hired talents. Requirement sa talents nila na kailangan mahusay sa lahat ng skills: kumanta, sumayaw, mag-host. Kung nanonood ako ng ASAP Remix sa Jeepney channel nakakatawa pag makitang yung fashion ng 90's pati na rin yung mga artistang hindi naman kahusayan sa pagsayaw tapos nasa entablado sumasayaw kasama ng Streetboys. Ewan ko kung hanggang ngayon ganoon pa rin sa ASAP. ganoon din naman sa SOP. Nakakatawang maalala sumayaw si Bernadette Allyson dati. Requirement talaga lahat ng skill kaya eh, kahit hindi kahusayan.

"Itong ASAP tuwang tuwa ngayon Natalo na nila ang dati'y hindi nila matalo Ngunit, bakit, hindi nyo ba alam Kami'y magbabalik, at di pa tapos ang laban.." -SOP Farewell Episode

Yung GMA naman hindi matibag yung ASAP. Ahahaha. Eh ang sunday noontime show naman ay showcase ng talents nila, parang sinabi na ring walang binatbat ang talents nila sa talents ng kabila. Tinanggal nila yung SOP pinalitan ng Party Pilipinas. Noong Pebrero nakatanggap pa yung show ng probation sa MTRCB dahil isa isang bastusing dance number. Ganun ata sila kadesperado. Last month, tinanggal na rin yung show na yun. Kahapon nadaanan ko tagalized movie din ang ansa block na yun. Hahaha. Kaninang umaga nakita ko sa tabloid yung lists ng GMA ng bagong shows nila. Meron pamagat "Sunday All-stars" tapos mga mukha rin naman nila Regine, etc yung andun. Ganun din parang SOP o Party Pilipinas din pala lol. Kunsabagay, kung ibang show totally, kawawa naman yung mga talents nila wala nang trabaho. Kawawa naman malamang nasa kontrata na may pananagutan ang network na bigyan sila ng show.

Mabuti pa yung TV5 dati may Game 'N Go. Magandang palabas yun kaso nagreformat tapos nawala na lang bigla. Siguro hindi na nila kayang tustusan yung pagpapasahod sa mga artista at gastos sa production. Mas OK na yun kaysa nung sinubukan nila makipagsabayan sa mga noontime show pag linggo, yung kawawang PO5 na palabas dati.

Buti ako pag nasa bahay nang Linggo, pinapanood ko minsan yung palabas sa Channel 4, Asenso Pinoy at Ating Alamin. Hindi ko talaga kayang manood ng mga artistang nagpapacute, kumakanta, bumibirit o sumasayaw. Tapos may guest na banda pero kakanta sila may kasamang epal na artista. Hahahaha. Galing pa yan sa kanta ng Itchyworms, pero si Jugs ngayon nasa Showtime. The Irony!