A Friday Tag

I promised Panaderos that I'd do his nice little tag. Here goes the tag questions and my answers:

• Have you ever gone on a blind date? Yes, with my cousin’s classmate in law school. He was nice but in trying too hard to impress me, he was quite rude to the waiter which turned me off.

• Skipped school? In high school, I skipped a few classes of an elective that bored me to death to play “dama” (Spanish checkers) with the boys at the bleachers.

• Been on a plane? Yes…I have a few weird and funny plane stories to tell.

• Been lost? Oh yes…story of my life! I absolutely have no sense of direction. I once drove for more than an hour thinking I was going to the direction of Ortigas or Edsa. It was past one in the morning and after making a few wrong turns, I asked a group of men drinking along the street but it was like talking to a bunch of 5-year olds. I finally stopped at a gas station and asked where I was. Turned out I was driving towards the opposite direction---I was almost in Espana! I also got lost in Paris because I couldn't read the map, and the French refused to speak English; and in Los Angeles going to Irvine.

• Swam in the ocean? Yes, yes, yes! I’m not a very good swimmer but I love to be in the water.

• Cried yourself to sleep? Oh yes! Countless times…I wake up with swollen eyes but with a lighter heart and happier disposition.

• Played cops and robbers? Not really…

• Played dolls? Yes…but not the usual injection-molded plastic dolls. I invented my own dolls when I was a kid…made from paper cutout and some plant I found in my grandmother’s garden. Don’t ask me to describe it…hahaha!

• Recently colored with crayons? No.

• Sang Karaoke? Of course! It’s a great stress-reliever and way to show off the diva in me (awwww)!

• Paid for a meal with coins only? Yes, a long time ago, when a complete meal in the school cafeteria was less than ten pesos, the jeepney fare was 50 centavos, and rice was 2 pesos a kilo.

• Done something you said you wouldn't? Unfortunately, yes. No regrets, though.

• Cheated on a test? Never…too scared to get caught.

• Made prank phone calls? Hmmnnn…Yes, a few times in high school. My friends and I used to make prank calls to a funeral home, and a radio station.

• Caught a snowflake on your tongue? No…I forgot to open my mouth!

• Danced in the rain? Oh yes! My cousins, my sister and I danced in the rain and splashed water from potholes to each other. We used the broomstick as a guitar and danced to Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark”.

• Written a letter to Santa Claus? No, I was never introduced to Santa Claus.

• Watched the sun rise with someone you care about? Yes...it made up for the lack of sleep (hehe).

• Been kissed under the mistletoe? No.

• Gone ice skating? No.

• Been skinny dipping outdoors? Yes (blushing). I spent a weekend with cousins and friends in a beach resort in Guimaras many summers ago. The beach was in a secluded cove, and we had the place to ourselves. We went skinny dipping under the full moon…the water was so calm and warm, it felt like oil to the skin. It was a wonderful experience. This was way before the Guimaras oil disaster.:-D

• Favorite drink I'm allowed on a regular basis - Coffee

• Tattoos? Yes…just a tiny one.

• Body piercing? ...on both ears.

• Vacation spot? Too many beautiful places, too little time---my favorite spot is in Palawan.

• Eaten cookies for dinner? Yes…cookies and ice cream were my favorite dinner in college…either I was too lazy to cook, or my allowance was dwindling.

• Ever been on TV? No…except on videos taken during weddings and parties.

• Ever been in a car accident? No, thank God!

• Favorite number and why? In numerology, I’m a life path 7...so it's my favorite number.

• Favorite movie? There are too many to mention---on top my head, I love Juno, The Thin Red Line, The Mirror Has Two Faces, The Prince of Tides, The Godfather Trilogy, The Deer Hunter, The Silence of the Lambs, Cape Fear, Forrest Gump, There Will Be Blood, Of Mice and Men, The Last Samurai, Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang, Insiang, Maynila: Sa Kuko ng Liwanag, Amelie, and many more…

• Favorite holiday? The best holiday is time spent with my dog and people I care about…exchange ideas with them, reminisce, share laughter, or just lounge around enjoying time away from work.

• Favorite smells? I love the fresh and clean scents of lavender, vanilla, sandalwood and rosemary, and the sensual scent of jasmine; smells of freshly cut grass remind me of summer mornings and burning dried leaves evoke childhood memories in Miranda

• What do you do to relax? Put my feet up, listen to music, and read a good book, play with my dog or have a body massage.

• Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Possibly with more dogs, and enjoying a simple, uncomplicated yet exciting life.

I'm not tagging anyone, but if you'd like to play, just go ahead and enjoy!

Sky Watch Friday: my Sunday sky

The photos for my SkyWatch Friday were taken last Sunday afternoon from my patio. It drizzled at noon, then it was hot and humid in the afternoon. I placed the “beach” chair at the patio after lunch to catch some breezes and read the papers. Around 3 pm, while having a snack [of iced tea and maruya], I looked at the skies, and it was beautiful. Took these photos using my cel phone camera. It was a well-spent Sunday.

"When you realize how perfect everything is, you will tilt your head back and

laugh at the sky."

~ Buddha

For more SkyWatch photos, please visit Wiggers World.

Litratong Pinoy: Balingkinitan

LP #2 - Balingkinitan

Sa mga nakalipas na panahon, halos "balingkinitan" lahat ang aking mga kaibigan. Ngunit sa paglipas ng mga taon, mabibilang na lamang sa aking isang kamay ang natitirang balingkinitan sa kanila. Kaya ang temang ito ay medyo hamon sa akin. Naisipan kong kuhanan ng litrato ang mga seksing mannequin sa mall, ngunit karamihan sa mga mannequin ay walang ulo! Kayo heto ang aking lahok sa linggong ito…ang natitira kong kaibigan na balingkinitan ang pangangatawan. :-D

In the past, almost all my friends were slender. Over time, there are only a few who remained slim. And that made this week’s theme a bit of a challenge. I thought of taking photos of sexy mannequins at the mall but most of the mannequins have no head. So here’s my entry for this week…a photo of a friend who remained slender. :-D

Location: Talicud Island, Davao del Norte

Hookah-hookah!

My life isn’t full of novel episodes. Friends say I’m adventurous but that is in relation to their sedentary lifestyle. Truth is, I am pretty consistent, but every now and then, I break the chain of routine to do something new. Two weekends ago, after watching Angelina Jolie’s new action flick, “Wanted”, I felt I was ready for a new experience.

After dinner, a friend and I strolled around Greenbelt to burn-off calories. I noticed some Arab-looking patrons in Café Havana smoking through a hose attached to a glass vase. I remember an episode of “Pinoy Meets World” a few months ago, the show host, Paolo Bediones, traveled to Turkey and featured this water pipe called Hookah or Shisha. A Hookah operates by water filtration and indirect heat. From the first time I saw hookah, I’ve been curious about it but was a bit shy of trying it in an expat-filled Café Havana.

hookah, also called shisha, sheesha

At Bollywood, an Indian bistro on the 3rd floor of Greenbelt 3, I learned from the waiter that their shisha doesn’t contain tobacco but herbal fruits like mint, strawberry, orange, I decided to try mint. They charge P370 an hour. If you had seen us smoking hookah that Saturday night, you’d think that we were smoking marijuana! Haha! We were laughing like a pair of escapee from a mental asylum because we couldn’t get smoke out from the hose. The two ladies sitting in another table asked us “kung may tama ba?” Haha! Walang s’yang tama but we kept on giggling like schoolgirls. It took us a few minutes, and some coaching from our next table neighbor before we exhaled smoke. It was a pleasant experience, the mint flavor was relaxing...it also made me hungry!:-D

G exhaling her first smoke

Hookah (a.k.a. shisha, or sheesha) has mysterious origins. It is quintessential in Arab culture, but strangely enough, the hookah is believed to have originated in India, and another version traces its origins in China. Under the British rule, opium from India was smuggled into China and was smoked through the hookah which consequently became a symbol of luxury and affluence. It gained popularity in Turkey particularly under the Ottoman Empire where its contemporary shape also evolved 500 years ago. Smoking hookah (called narghile in Turkey) symbolizes familial conviviality, serenity and harmony.

I love the design of hookah. The glass vase reminds me of my lola’s antique glass lamps, the silver slender stem gives it elegance---it’s a beautiful piece of work.

Some smokers believe that the water used in hookah makes the tobacco less toxic. But experts say it’s a myth---tobacco smoked through hookah is no less toxic than tobacco from cigarettes. Even after passing through water, tobacco smoke still contains high levels of toxic compounds, according to WHO. In Egypt, doctors believe that the smoking of the traditional hookah is increasingly emerging as a significant health risk, due to air-borne tuberculosis transmission from pipe sharing and uncontrolled manual preparation of the pipe. After reading this article, my desire for a repeat suddenly vanished. Although the mouthpiece we used was wrapped in foil, I couldn’t help but think of bacteria that may reside in the tube. Oh well, at least now I can say that I’ve tried it.

To digress a little, beginning July 1st, cigarette advertisements are banned on TV, radio and print in accordance with the Tobacco Regulation Act of 2003 or Republic Act No. 9211. The total ad ban on cigarettes would be a tremendous help to health advocates who are working to discourage teenagers and young adults from smoking. I hope young smokers would think twice before making Hookah an option to cigarette smoking---think of TB, kids!

moi and my first hookah

G was really getting good at it!

Photo Hunt: Pointed

I'm normally not one for pointy shoes but the feel and comfort of this caramel Liz Claiborne mules totally dispelled all my doubts. I love wearing these mules with a pair of jeans. They make me feel a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n roll.:-D A mule, by the way, refers not only to an offspring of a male donkey and a female horse but also a backless shoe.

In the middle of a retail therapy moment, I bought this hand-embroidered Italian-made pointed mules at Neiman Marcus. And I almost peed with joy when I saw it was on sale at half the price! The price was still stiff for a peso-earner like me but as I said, it was a retail therapy moment. When I got home, I realized that they make my feet look like long pointy canoes. I have never worn them out. Fritz, my doggie, was trying to put them on before I took this photo (hehe).

"I did not have three thousand pairs of shoes. I had one thousand and sixty."

~ Imelda Marcos

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