A Pinch of Everything

I couldn't help but care

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Fri, 09 Oct 2009 11:11:00 +0000

Korean all-girl group 2NE1 singing I Don't Care.

The fringe benefits of failure

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 27 Aug 2009 22:19:00 +0000

One of the most beautiful speeches I've had the opportunity of knowing was the one delivered by J.K. Rowling to the Harvard graduates at their commencement ceremony. Her speech was quite long but it was so full of wisdom. I couldn't help but be moved while reading her speech. Rowling talked about the fringe benefits of failure, which I can instantly relate to as I've had experienced lots of it in the past, and the importance of imagination. Anyway, I just selected several lines from her speech that made an impact on me. A complete transcript of her speech can be found here.

"... failure meant a stripping away of the inessential. I stopped pretending to myself that I was anything other than what I was, and began to direct all my energy into finishing the only work that mattered to me. Had I really succeeded at anything else, I might never have found the determination to succeed in the one arena I believed I truly belonged. I was set free, because my greatest fear had been realised, and I was still alive, and I still had a daughter whom I adored, and I had an old typewriter and a big idea. And so rock bottom became the solid foundation on which I rebuilt my life."

"It is impossible to live without failing at something, unless you live so cautiously that you might as well not have lived at all - in which case, you fail by default."

"Failure gave me an inner security that I had never attained by passing examinations. Failure taught me things about myself that I could have learned no other way. I discovered that I had a strong will, and more discipline than I had suspected; I also found out that I had friends whose value was truly above the price of rubies."

"So given a Time Turner, I would tell my 21-year-old self that personal happiness lies in knowing that life is not a check-list of acquisition or achievement. Your qualifications, your CV, are not your life, though you will meet many people of my age and older who confuse the two. Life is difficult, and complicated, and beyond anyone's total control, and the humility to know that will enable you to survive its vicissitudes."

Up

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 23 Aug 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Carl Fredricksen has always wanted to travel to South America with his wife. However, she died without realizing their dream. Now an old man, Carl decided to finally try his luck at fulfilling their dream. One day, he tied thousands of balloons to his house and made it fly. Unknown to him, Russell, an overly enthusiastic 8-year-old Wilderness Explorer, was stuck in his porch while his house was soaring to the sky. It was the start of their adventures.

Up is such an uber cute movie. It is absolutely one of the funniest animated movie I've seen. Rusell, the overly enthusiastic Wilderness Explorer, is so adorable. I also find Mr. Fredricksen's character cute. Every cents I paid for watching this movie was all worth it. It's so beautifully made. The overall effect of Up is just so uplifting. Highly recommended.

Something new

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 06:15:00 +0000

I really can't help but be excited about this film because there's just so many firsts in it. It's not the usual OFW story. Its John Lloyd's and Luis's first time to portray gay roles. And Vilma will portray a mother role that's totally different from the ones she had assumed in the past. Vilma's character as a strict librarian reminds me of Miss Villarta, our high school librarian. :-)

Come Closer

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 09 Aug 2009 09:21:00 +0000

Over the years, Close-Up has been consistent in making very catchy jingles for their commercials. But the jingle of the most recent Close-Up TVC didn't made much impact on me when I first heard it. However, when I heard the entire song, I was instantly captivated. I'd like to share here the song and the lyrics of the new Close-Up TVC. Rico Blanco also has his own version of this song.

The next ones

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 06 Aug 2009 09:20:00 +0000

The passing of the former president Cory Aquino has revived the memories of the Marcos regime and awakened the nationalistic sentiments of many Filipinos. Her death also made me reflect on my childhood in the early 80s. My family was then living in Manila. As a child I have very few memories of what's it like to live during the Marcos regime. I remember how everyone, my parents and our neighbors, were afraid of saying aloud Marcos' name. And when they'd talk about him, they'd do so in whispers and they'd refer to him as Macoy. It was like referring to Voldemort as He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named. Even after the lifting of the martial law, people continued to observe the curfew. My father would not allow us out of the house after 6 pm. I was six years old when Ninoy was shot on the tarmac. I was nine when the first People Power was staged in EDSA. I consider myself lucky for being old enough then to understand and appreciate the events that transpired in that era. When I saw the footage of yesterday's coverage of Cory Aquino's burial, I noticed that most of the people who went to the streets are young people. I believe most of them were probably babies or weren't even been born yet at the time of Cory's ascension to presidency. But their presence on the streets yesterday showed that they understand the significance of Cory's death. If only Tita Cory could've have seen them, I'm sure she would've been very proud and happy.

Goodbye and thank you

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Wed, 05 Aug 2009 04:30:00 +0000

Goodbye Tita Cory. We will miss you, Ma'am. Thank you for everything you have done for this country.

Kilig

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 02 Aug 2009 12:09:00 +0000

A video of Sarah rehearsing for her concert. The guy who's watching her is none other than John Lloyd Cruz. This all happened back in November 2008--a time when JLC was still committed to Liz Uy and he was not linked yet to Ruffa G. When I discovered this video today, gikilig na sad kog balik. :-)

Egotist

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 23:27:00 +0000

"I'm an egotist. I'm more interested in what I'm doing than in what anyone else on the planet is doing."

--John G. Sperling, founder of the U. of Phoenix.

Very well said Mr. Sperling.

Funny

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sat, 01 Aug 2009 00:56:00 +0000

Carlo Caparas was included in the new list of national artists. When I first heard it on the news, I literally choked on my coffee. My first reaction was: Why? Why him? Namatay na ba ang art diri sa Pilipinas that someone like Caparas should be chosen for such an honor? Our country is indeed such a funny place.

Olive Snook

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Wed, 06 May 2009 06:35:00 +0000

After watching several episodes of Pushing Daisies, I have fallen officially in love with Kristin Chenoweth. Kristin's character, Olive Snook, a waitress who harbors an unrequited love for her piemaker boss, has completely mesmerized me. Here's her unforgettable rendition of Eternal Flame. This particular scene was from the episode titled "Comfort Food" of PD Season 2.

Nostalgia blues

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Mon, 20 Apr 2009 04:34:00 +0000

A big chunk of my heart was left in Fujairah. The three years I spent there living as an OFW were some of the best ones of my life. And some of the best friendships I've had were made in that place. But as always, all things have to end. Fujairah is my past and I don't see myself ever visiting that place again. Today, I felt so happy because I discovered a blog about it. All the memories - the good ones and the bad - came rushing back to me when I read this blog. Some Pinoys who have lived there do not appreciate the tranquil beauty of Fujairah. They said the place is so quiet. I can't blame them. We Pinoys are used to noisy kalyes and crowded places. So, I'm sharing here this blog so you could get a different perspective on the place - a perspective which I now share.

You can read that blog here.

So close

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 05 Apr 2009 02:27:00 +0000

Just saw Enchanted yesterday. I fell in love with the movie but most of all, I fell in love with one of its songs. I may be the last person to know that this song exists but as they say, better late than never.

I think this is the best song ever made by Disney so far. It reminds me of ballads like Beyonce's At Last and Eric Benet's The Last Time.

Racism to the highest level

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 22:23:00 +0000

The War At Home

by Chip Tsao (HK Online)

The Russians sank a Hong Kong freighter last month, killing the seven Chinese seamen on board. We can live with that—Lenin and Stalin were once the ideological mentors of all Chinese people. The Japanese planted a flag on Diàoyú Island. That's no big problem—we Hong Kong Chinese love Japanese cartoons, Hello Kitty, and shopping in Shinjuku, let alone our round-the-clock obsession with karaoke.

But hold on—even the Filipinos? Manila has just claimed sovereignty over the scattered rocks in the South China Sea called the Spratly Islands, complete with a blatant threat from its congress to send gunboats to the South China Sea to defend the islands from China if necessary. This is beyond reproach. The reason: there are more than 130,000 Filipina maids working as $3,580-a-month cheap labor in Hong Kong. As a nation of servants, you don't flex your muscles at your master, from whom you earn most of your bread and butter.

As a patriotic Chinese man, the news has made my blood boil. I summoned Louisa, my domestic assistant who holds a degree in international politics from the University of Manila, hung a map on the wall, and gave her a harsh lecture. I sternly warned her that if she wants her wages increased next year, she had better tell every one of her compatriots in Statue Square on Sunday that the entirety of the Spratly Islands belongs to China.

Grimly, I told her that if war breaks out between the Philippines and China, I would have to end her employment and send her straight home, because I would not risk the crime of treason for sponsoring an enemy of the state by paying her to wash my toilet and clean my windows 16 hours a day. With that money, she would pay taxes to her government, and they would fund a navy to invade our motherland and deeply hurt my feelings.

Oh yes. The government of the Philippines would certainly be wrong if they think we Chinese are prepared to swallow their insult and sit back and lose a Falkland Islands War in the Far East. They may have Barack Obama and the hawkish American military behind them, but we have a hostage in each of our homes in the Mid-Levels or higher. Some of my friends told me they have already declared a state of emergency at home. Their maids have been made to shout 'China, Madam/Sir' loudly whenever they hear the word 'Spratly.' They say the indoctrination is working as wonderfully as when we used to shout, 'Long live Chairman Mao!' at the sight of a portrait of our Great Leader during the Cultural Revolution. I'm not sure if that's going a bit too far, at least for the time being.

And here's my thoughts:

Giatay maning tawhana. Pardon the expletive. Inspite of the fact that we now live in the 21st century, narrow-minded people like Chip Tsao still exist to remind us that some people's brains haven't evolved much since the Paleolithic era.

Waffles

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 12 Mar 2009 09:38:00 +0000

For the last two weeks, I've been craving for waffles. Hiro Nakamura is the culprit for my current longing for it. There's this particular scene in Heroes 3 where Hiro and his friend Ando were eating large servings of waffles with whipped creams and mouthwatering toppings. That scene has stayed with me for days and disturbed me even while I sleep. So to end my torture, I dragged my sister to Starbucks in A.S. Fortuna. It's the nearest establishment from our home that sells Belgian waffles. My waffle was served with a large dollop of whipped cream and generous tracings of mocca sauce. It was so rich that I had to share half of it with my sister. I was praying for my blood sugar while I was eating it. One thing I am sure of at the moment, I won't be having their waffles again for a long time.

Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 01 Mar 2009 09:51:00 +0000

Once again, efforts to rehabilitate the Pasig River are revived through the Kapit Bisig Para sa Ilog Pasig project. Past efforts have failed due to lack of funds, lack of political will from the government, apathy from the residents along the river, and many more. Piso Para sa Pasig, which was chaired by then First Lady Ming Ramos, was one of those ill-fated crusades. This time, I'm positive that the new campaign will work because ABS-CBN Foundation has decided to pitch in. The foundation is now a co-manager of the Pasig River rehabilitation project, thanks to a memorandum signed by Gina Lopez with DENR and other agencies. Everyone knows that Ms. Gina's foundation has successfully reforested the La Mesa watershed. Pasig River's rehabilitation may entail brutal work, but there is hope.

ABS-CBN Foundation has made donating to the Pasig River rehabilitation project easy. All you have to do is type GIVE < space > ILOG on your cellphones and send to 2336 for all networks.

If you have some cellphone load that is about to expire, then you may just use it for this worthy cause. Instead of forwarding trite and corny text messages to your friends, why not send it for Pasig River for a change? There is an estimated 80 million Filipinos now. The project needs 700 million pesos for it to succeed. Just imagine if everyone will send their text messages, then it is not that far in the future when we'll all see fishes swimming in Pasig River once again. Let's all pitch in.

The Thirteenth Tale

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 15 Feb 2009 12:05:00 +0000

Vida Winter is a famous writer who has given different accounts of her life to biographers. When she felt it was time to finally tell the truth about her life, she asked Margaret Lea, a bookseller's daughter, to write her story. Margaret travels to Angelfield House, the home of the March family, to investigate Winter's tale about twins, an abandoned baby, and a ghost. Angelfield House holds the key to Winter's past and to Margaret's acceptance of her own.

The Thirteenth Tale is an engaging mystery. Diane Setterfied has written a very clever plot. Her characters are well-developed, the pacing is just right, and the twists are just amazing. The book also contains some of the most memorable quotes I've read. I couldn't help but read aloud at some points because the lines are just downright beautiful. I'm so glad I was able to finally get a hold of this book. The long wait had been rewarding.

Can't wait

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sat, 14 Feb 2009 02:01:00 +0000

I'm so watching this. Can't wait for Feb 25.

Little House books

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Mon, 01 Dec 2008 12:29:00 +0000

One of the first few books that enthralled me as a child were those of Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House books. These books tell the story of Laura and her family as they move across America to find a place to live in the early 1800s. Reading these books will give readers an idea of how difficult it was for the American pioneers to live when America was still a land of vast wilderness. The descriptions of how Laura's father would go hunting for their food and how he would gather logs from the forest to build their homes are just too amazing. Until now, I still couldn't forget how Laura's father was able to build their log homes without using any nails.

Two weeks ago, my sister went to Gaisano and by sheer luck found a pre-owned copy of the Laura's Little House on the Prairie. She went back last week and found a copy of These Happy Golden Years and By the Shores of Silver Lake. My happiness just overflowed when my sister came home with these books. They are truly beautiful. They also remind me of the many happy hours I'd spent at our town's library. As of writing, we now have three books from Laura's nine book series. I can't wait for the time when we'll be able to find all the remaining books from Laura's series.

Edward and Claire

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sun, 30 Nov 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Two days ago, Claire sent me a complete pdf compilation of the Twilight saga. Yay! I don't have to buy the books anymore! Because I was so happy with what she has given me, here's my little tribute to her:

FYI, I was not the one who photoshopped this. It was one of her colleagues at Lexmark. The guy who did this has real talent. With this picture, Claire will give Bella a run for her money.

Book clubs

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Sat, 29 Nov 2008 00:11:00 +0000

I love reading book reviews. Some of the sites I always visit online are those that sell books because I can always find excellent and informative reviews from them. But reading reviews from these sites can be a lonely experience because I don't get to interact with other book lovers. It was only recently that I was able to discover the joys of being a part of a book club. Joining a book club such as www.allbookclubs.com can be a great experience. I can get to connect with other book lovers and get great insights from them about various books that I normally wouldn't choose on my own. Aside from these benefits, book clubs offer great discounts on books if you buy from them. I was actually floored when I learned the great discounts I can get if I buy from them.

Sometimes, finding the appropriate genre for yourself can be confusing. Some book clubs have actually made the task easier for you by providing experts' suggestions on books. Finding a book according to your taste is no longer like finding a needle
in a haystack. There are just so many benefits in joining a book club. Sometimes, you only get just to discover them when you actually join one yourself.

Blue Frog

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 12:01:00 +0000

The image you see is not a set designed for a sci-fi movie. It is actually the dining area of the Blue Frog, the coolest music lounge in Mumbai, India. When I first saw several of Blue Frog's pictures on the Web, my jaws just dropped at the ingenuity of whoever designed the interiors of the place. The place's futuristic design reminds me of some scenes in the Star Wars movies. When is Cebu gonna have a venue like this? I just envy those people who've been inside Blue Frog.

Stylish Prescription Glasses

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 00:04:00 +0000

I now wear glasses whenever I'm in front of the computer. My 20/20 vision was something that has deteriorated over the years when I took this job four years ago. My last prescription glasses were made two years ago. I need to upgrade my lenses and change my so out-of-fashion frame. So, I really got excited when I found this site: Incredible Stylish New Frames From Zenni. They have a huge selection of very stylish prescription glasses that do not cost very much. Because they have great products, Zenni Optical was even featured on FOX news! In Cebu, its truly hard to find fashionable and quality frames at reasonable prices. Zenni Optical $8 Rx Eyeglasses is truly a welcome treat for people who do not like to compromise good vision with fashion.

Chilled dessert

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 30 Oct 2008 03:02:00 +0000

For the first time, my sister made mango float yesterday. And it was terribly sweet. I couldn't take another bite after I ate a spoonful of it. I wondered what went wrong with her recipe. Then, I realized she just used condensed milk. She should have added nestle cream to it. The cream could have tamed the intense sweetness of the condensed milk. Anyway, it was not such a bad dessert. We can still eat it. My sister's first attempt at making refrigerated desserts inspired me to try making tiramisu in the future. It's an Italian dessert that requires just chilling. I just might find difficulty in finding mascarpone cheese, one of tiramisu's main ingredient. The other ingredients are easy to find in the groceries.

Of beauty and of lost moments

noreply@blogger.com (Kattleya) — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 12:33:00 +0000

There's a full moon in the sky tonight. And it is partly hidden by the clouds. The clouds are making the moon cast an orange tinge of light. The sight is just plain ethereal. I wish I had a digicam right now to capture the jaw-dropping sight outside of my window. I'm sure my description here is not enough to convince you of the beauty I am seeing at the moment. A picture would have depicted what I couldn't put into words. I have lost another opportunity to freeze a beautiful moment.