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Happy Holidays.

Pride and Prejudice: A Classic

Mrs. Bennet wants nothing more than to have her five daughters married off comfortably. So when she hears that Netherfield Park is being rented by a man, a certain Mr. Charles Bingley, who has an income of four to five thousand pounds a year, she insists that her daughters get acquainted with him. And the chance comes in the form of a public ball. The Bennet sisters are all in attendance, and the sisters Lydia and Kitty are delirious to be in the company of so many gentlemen. Elizabeth, the second of the Bennet sisters, and clearly the most witty and most spirited, does not give a thought at all on men or getting married. This prompted Jane, the eldest, to tease: 'One of these days, Lizzie, someone will catch your eye and then you'll have to watch your tongue.' And that someone is in the person of the darkly handsome and reticent Mr. Darcy, Mr. Bingley's friend. While Mr. Bingley and Jane seem to be drawn to each other, Mr. Darcy and Lizzie mutually dislike each other. Mr. Darcy thinks Lizzie 'barely tolerable' and Lizzie thinks him 'miserable'. Events continually bring them together, and Mr. Darcy begins to fall for Lizzie. There is, however, the problem about Lizzie's family, if not her fortune and stature in life: 'the lack of propriety shown by your mother, your three younger sisters, and even, on the occasion, your father.' There is probably attraction on the side of Lizzie, had not her prejudice of Mr. Darcy's personality stood in the way. While out in town, she meets Mr. Wickham, a handsome soldier in the militia. While she and Wickham are having a conversation along the fields of Meryton, Mr. Bingley and Mr. Darcy come along to invite the Bennet sisters to the former's ball. A chance encounter between Mr. Darcy and Wickham brings a rather curious reaction from both gentlemen, which impelled Lizzie to ask whether one knew the other. Wickham plunges into a narrative of his relationship with Mr. Darcy and how odiously the latter kept the former's will from him. This information causes Lizzie to loathe Mr. Darcy all the more.

Alas, news come that Mr. Bingley has left Netherfield Park without any intentions of returning. What brought such change of heart? Jane, to recover from the shock of the departure, is sent to London with the Gardiners, a close relations of the Bennets.  Lizzie, on the other hand, receives an invitation from Charlotte Lucas, her close friend, who is now married to Lizzie's cousin, Mr. Collins. Surprisingly, she encounters Mr. Darcy and his cousin, Fitzwilliam. They are there to visit their aunt, Lady Catherine de Bourgh, whose residence encompasses even that of the Collinses. It is during her stay at Rosings that Lizzie circumstantially learns of Mr. Darcy's participation in the separation of Mr. Bingley and Jane. Hurt for her sister, Lizzie longs to be alone but is followed by Mr. Darcy and unexpectedly, for Lizzie, he proposes:

Miss Elizabeth, I have struggled in vain and I can bear it no longer. These past months have been a torment. I came to Rosings with the single object of seeing you...I had to see you. I have fought against my better judgment, my family's expectations, the inferiority of your birth by rank and circumstance. All these things I am willing to put aside and ask you to end my agony.

Lizzie, influenced by her prejudice, rejects him, laying down her reasons for doing so: first, Jane, and then, Wickham. Mr. Darcy leaves her with a letter explaining his behaviour to both persons.

Months pass, Lizzie is returned to her home, but she is bothered with the event that happened at Rosings, and her unreasonable prejudice of the man who had proposed to her. For want of fresh air, she joins the Gardiners in their tour of the country, which brings them to Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate. Much to Lizzie's relief, she hears that Mr. Darcy is not home. She was mistaken. Hearing someone playing a piano, she ventures to find out who it is, and she accidentally comes face to face with Mr. Darcy, who has just arrived from London. The acquaintance is renewed and the company would have been longer had not news of Lydia's elopement with Wickham reached Lizzie. Devastated, Lizzie returns home and helps calm her family from this shame, until they learn that Wickham had married Lydia. The family finds this improbable considering that Lydia had no fortune to offer Wickham. Lizzie later discovers of the role Mr. Darcy played in this union. She is touched; but realizes that Mr. Darcy is forever lost to her after the rejection at Rosings. And this was apparent when Mr. Darcy seemed to have nothing to say to her when he accompanied Mr. Bingley to propose to Jane. Months later, Lady Catherine de Bourgh visits the Bennets and confronts Lizzie of a rumour supposedly circulated by her that she, Lizzie, is to become the mistress of Pemberley. Lizzie denies this rumour but would not give Lady Catherine the satisfaction of promising that she will not reject a proposal if it will be made to her. Incensed, Lady Catherine leaves. The following morning, Lizzie is walking and is surprised to see Mr. Darcy, himself walking across the field towards her. Conversation ensues and Lizzie thanks Mr. Darcy for what he has done to Lydia and Jane. Mr. Darcy responds thus:

You must know...surely, you must know it was all for you. You are too generous to trifle with me. I believe you spoke with my aunt last night, and it has taught me to hope as I'd scarcely allowed myself before. If your feelings are still what they were last April, tell me so at once. My affections and wishes have not changed, but one word from you will silence me forever. If, however, your feelings have changed, I will have to tell you: you have bewitched me, body and soul, and I love you. I never wish to be parted from you from this day on.

I love the novel by Jane Austen and I was so happy with the way this movie came out. It is difficult to compress the whole book into a two-hour movie and retain the theme and important moments of the novel, but Joe Wright and screenwriter Deborah Moggach did an excellent job. The breathtaking fluidity from one scene to the next was commendable; the movie did not at all feel like it was chopped considering the numerous subplots in the novel. The casts were wonderfully selected and they delivered most splendidly. Keira Knightley as Elizabeth Bennet was perfect with her enchanting smile and lively portrayal of the heroine. While a newcomer, for me anyway, Matthew MacFadyen added humanity to the rather snobbish Mr. Darcy, and he had just the right awkwardness to make him even more desirable than he already is. He sure had chemistry with Knightley, and that was important. Yes, I expected a romantic movie as the novel from which the same was adapted is a romance novel, but I did not expect the movie to have such an impact. My heart leapt with every scene Elizabeth and Mr. Darcy was in, and I enjoyed the banter and grieved along with Elizabeth when she rejected Mr. Darcy and when she saw him again at Pemberley. I seem to have nothing negative to say about the movie except that I wished it was longer.

My quill wishes it too.

Interview with the Vampire: As simple as that

San Francisco; the 20th century: Louis decides to tell his tale to young reporter Daniel Malloy. This is his story...

It was the year 1791. Louis de Pointe du Lac, an owner of a plantation in New Orleans, lost his wife, his daughter, and his will to live. He invited death from whoever he meets; but it was a vampire who accepted his invitation. Lestat de Lioncourt gave Louis his life of darkness; and while he was enthralled with Lestat's undead lifestyle at first, he soon abhorred the idea of killing humans for his own sustenance. Lestat feasted on fresh, young women, gilded youths, and delicate-tasting aristocrats. Louis, on the other hand, satiated himself with rats, chickens, and dogs. Louis grew despondent, and Lestat took it upon himself to create another vampire, a child, to keep Louis company. Claudia became Louis' child, and Lestat's pupil. Under both their cares, she flourished into a well-mannered yet ruthless killer. Until the night Claudia saw a naked woman and realized she could never be like her. She was forever a child, with only her eyes to tell the years she had lived. Full of hatred for her maker, Lestat, she arranged for his death, and together, she and Louis fled to Europe, intent on finding someone of their own kind. Armand, a 4oo-year old vampire, found them and invited them to The Theatre des Vampires, where vampires pretend to be humans pretending to be vampires. Louis had questions, and Armand held the answers. Louis felt that Armand would be a better teacher than Lestat, and he longed for his company. But there was Claudia to think about. Armand did not want the girl, and the whole troupe of vampires knew that Claudia broke a vampire commandment - do not kill your own. Just when Claudia was ready to let Louis go to Armand, having found a companion of her own, she and Louis were captured and sentenced to suffer for the death of a vampire: Louis, to spend eternity in a box; Claudia and her 'mother', imprisoned and exposed to the sun. Armand was able to rescue Louis, and when Louis was about to rescue Claudia, saw that he was too late. The 'mother and daughter' were reduced to ashes. Enraged, Louis burned the theatre and the vampires within. Having lost his only reason for living, Louis wandered Europe alone. In 1988, he returned to New Orleans and marvelled at the changes the world unravelled before his eyes. Within the confines of a rotting house, he saw a weak Lestat. Lestat invited him back, but Louis refused.

This vampire craze (with the release of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight Saga, and the movie adaptation out in theatres now) got me bringing out my copy of Interview with the Vampire. I will not dwell on the similarities and differences of the vampires according to Anne Rice and those of Meyer's. I will instead focus on what I thought of this particular movie, as it should be. First off, I honestly thought Tom Cruise was an oddity, cast-wise. There are a lot more who could portray Lestat as brilliantly as he should be portrayed. And when pitted together with the stellar, although short-lived, performance of Antonio Banderas, who played Armand, Cruise's lags far behind. As for Brad Pitt's Louis, I thought he was ok. He had his moments of glory but not so when he tries to bring forth the central theme which seemed to be the endless sadness of vampirism. And when you're asked to play this most important part, an 'ok' performance is not good enough. The biggest, and most delightful, surprise was Kirsten Dunst who played Claudia. She held her own court among a sea of famous and talented actors.

Now to the movie's plot. I'm not an Anne Rice reader, neither do I see myself as one in the near future. But I was fascinated with this movie because it depicts a creative look into that mystical world of vampires. More than being a mere Vampire 101, this movie digs deeper into the life of one vampire, who suddenly had moral issues regarding his vampirism. I see this movie as a double standard: for the movie-goers who aren't satisfied with merely being entertained by the movie they have to delve on the philosophical; and for those who couldn't care less about the philosophy talk and content themselves with determining whether the movie is worth their time or not. I was saddened with the life, or lack of it, that Louis was led into by Lestat. People are drawn to vampires, their beauty, strength, and sophistication. But when given the choice between death and eternal life of sadness, isn't death a welcome respite?

I rest my quill.

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Friendships forged, laughter shared -

Tears shed, problems aired -

A cup stands witness to these.

My Christmas List

Cont...

The Decors. Time and time again, I've been fascinated with the decors that spring up every Christmas. I am all for the elaborate and the grand. I gaze with never-ending delight at those towering Christmas trees, with the most extravagant of trimmings. I love the blue and silver combination, although the red and gold comes a very close second. Whenever I visit the malls during the Christmas holidays, I make it a point to drop by that section where they put on display the decors they sell. And their Christmas trees never fail to awe me.

Next on my list is the Nativity Scene of huge proportions and intricate details. The Belen, as it is commonly called in my country, is the ultimate symbol of why we celebrate Christmas. Back home, we have this really cute Belen that plays music, with a minuscule light coming from the star.

Another favourite are Santa Claus figurines, whatever be their size, proportion, and action. Lately, various Santa Clauses-in-action have been displayed in malls and on the streets: Santa Claus climbing down the chimney, Santa Claus in parachute, Santa Claus playing the piano...you get the idea.

Of course, Christmas lanterns, or Parol, are another favourite. Surprisingly, while I'm all for the magnificent when it comes to other Christmas decorations, I deviate when the stars are out. A lantern simply designed sets my heart a-flutter in the same manner that a stately lantern does.

A recent addition to my list is the Lemax Village Collection, which is being distributed in my country by Kaluxe. The collection has all sorts of table accents and figurines, depends on what theme you want to create for your village. As I love everything about Christmas, and I think the village collection comes out in my country only during Christmas, then I guess the village collection belongs to this list. It's a collection of sorts, and I plan to begin the collection this year.

To be continued...

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Round, round, round it goes. Does it stop? Nobody knows. Spin, spin, spin it does. Does it break? Nobody asks. The lights, they glare; yet I stare. The motion, it sickens; yet I would not dare

Divert.

Filipinas For Sale

I borrowed the title of the forum I, and thirteen of my colleagues, attended on 15 October 2008, at the Seminar Hall right in the centre of Quezon Memorial Circle. The place is a stone's throw away from the office.

So what was the forum all about? It's about the sad plight of women recruited as overseas workers, when in fact they do not go abroad for employment but for prostitution. Sponsored by women's rights advocate, Gabriela, the forum actually had for its speakers two Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) who have experienced this different, but sick, kind of recruitment. It was timely, really, my attendance at the said forum as the day before, a client came and narrated exactly the same circumstances of recruitment and what actually happens once the recruit goes abroad. Under the pretext of being hired as an entertainer, these Filipinas are actually being pimped, in the truest sense of the word. What's sadder is the fact that the recruiting is done by fellow Filipinas. But the saddest, I think, is the fact that the recruiters ask the recruits to shell out big sums of money to allegedly facilitate their employment. With promises of a greener pastures and the chance to alleviate their families from poverty, these poor recruits go to great lengths to come up with the desired sum, even agreeing to loans with outrageously usurious interests.

Once they reach their destination, the girls are housed in an apartment which turns out to be a brothel. And there, they are up for grabs; mind you, no protection, sexually or otherwise.

During the entire forum, I did the easiest thing that could be done: listen and sympathize. I haven't yet picked a placard and lobbied at every government agency. I haven't yet sent the pledge card of the Purple Rose Campaign. It's probably next to impossible that I join Gabriela. But I am aware of sex trafficking; and I try to do whatever I can to help, albeit within the confines of my own world. I sincerely hope that by blogging this, more people are made aware of this biting reality, and do what I couldn't - take an active part in helping trafficked women and children.

Please visit the Gabriela site and help in whatever activities they come up with for the protection of women and children.

P.S. For more pictures on the forum, click here.

Reaching Out, and Giving Back

In school, I was taught to give back to the less fortunate whatever I could to help alleviate their poverty. To make the 'giving back' more fun, the administrators opted for a Fund Drive - the section which could provide the highest number of goodies will receive a prize. It's not really the prize that drove my schoolmates to rummage for their old, but usable, clothes, nor ransack their magazine rack for old newspapers, nor even to plead to their parents to donate a sack of rice (which, by the way, could give the section more points), but the fact that that particular section will be recognized as the most generous. So, I was oriented with an outreach that merely required the giving of whatever stuff the less fortunate might need. The more stuff, the merrier they'll be.

Come 5 October 2008, a friend of my cousin (whom I consider a good friend too) invited me to a whole different outreach: it involves kids, and it involves me. The outreach I attended was sponsored by CCF (I apologize a hundred times for not knowing what this acronym stands for), a Bible-sharing group. The kids were those less fortunate kids from their barangay (a small community of people), but other members of the CCF likewise brought with them their younger siblings. So it was heart-warming to see these kids from both ends of the wealth spectrum being brought together to enjoy something which transcends social status - the Zoo, and Jollibee, the famous local fastfood chain.

My kid's name was John Paul, and he got so much energy, I had a hard time keeping up with him. But it was all fun, and I enjoyed playing nanny for the day; although by the end of the morning, I was on the verge of giving up, not because I didn't like what I was doing but because it was pretty tiring what I did.

Everybody was asked to assemble at the Multi-Purpose Hall of the barangay, then a bus took us to Manila Zoo. I vaguely remember having visited this zoo when I was a kid, but I explored the zoo like it was my first time. I didn't get to explore much though, what with a hyperactive kid in tow. I plan to go back, if only to explore the place at my leisure. About a few minutes before lunch, we were whisked off to Jollibee, CCP Branch. It was a delightful lunch, being tired and hungry. After we were fed and watered, the kids had lots of fun with the parlor games, and the appearance of Jollibee himself. I have to admit I was kinda delighted with his honor's presence (hahaha!).

The outreach was fun, and fulfilling. It wasn't only giving back; it was truly reaching out, as well. I can't wait for the follow-up come December.

P.S. More pictures are posted here.

Power Lunch II

As my cousin, friends and I are planning to put up a business, power lunches are to be expected. This time, we had it at Cucina Victoria at Power Plant Mall, Makati. Known for their pastas, we, naturally, ordered a variety of pasta for lunch: pesto (my favourite), lasagna, and pomodoro. Everything was simply delicious, even the pomodoro, and that's saying a whole lot as I'm not that into the basic tomato sauce for my spaghetti. And the lasagna was the creamiest I ever came across. You have to be wary about your budget though, because it is a bit costly. The dishes are good to share when you're a couple; but as there were four of us, we had to order more.

I haven't been to Power Plant Mall in decades. Coincidentally, a Baker's Fair was being held when we went there; as expected, my cousin and friends tried to sample every baked goodies they could sample. They ended up buying a box of brazo de mercedes (creme-filled log cake) from Vargas' Kitchen. The cake was a delight to our palates, except for my one friend who's not a fan.

Then it was off to her place, where we planned menus and stuff. I didn't realize deciding on menus could be so tiring. By the end of the afternoon, my head was aching. Last week, I had to cram numerous pleadings; hence, I was looking forward to a restful weekend. Apparently, this weekend was tiring as well.

P.S. For more Power Plant Mall pictures, click here.

My West Side Story

I'm no stranger to West Side Story, having watched it countless times on film and stage. My first taste of this wonderful musical was when I was in high school, with my schoolmates as casts. I fell in love with it since. So when my cousin informed me that a friend of hers got me a ticket to STAGES' West Side Story (yesterday's show), I was thrilled. It's no Broadway, but I know I'll be getting performances equal to it.

The musical is to be shown at the Meralco Theatre, running from September to October of this year. Tony, the main man, is played by Filipino balladeer Christian Bautista, while Maria, the lead actress, is played alternately by local singer-actress Karylle, and London West End's Joanna Ampil (a Filipina who has starred in musicals in London). The theatre-going public won't know who plays Maria until the start of the show. Mine had Karylle on it.

The STAGES production of this awesome musical was breath-taking. They really placed a lot of effort into the set, everything was just spectacular. The play does not require a big stage; the charm of it is its being performed beautifully in a compact setting, and this the production was able to magnificently do. They utilized each prop to its fullest extent. Music was superb; lighting was phenomenal; even the costumes were patterned as closely as possible to the movie.

And now, the casts. There was amazing dancing like never before seen on stage, and impressive performances from all concerned. I'm not that blown away by the singing of Karylle and Christian Bautista, though. The songs may be challenging for them, with high notes and all, but well, they were tapped to perform this musical, weren't they? I mean, they should have known the vocal prowess and range that the songs entailed. At any rate, it was a wondrous experience for me.

P.S. The picture is courtesy of Clickthecity.

Power Lunch

Unknown to me, a friend and my cousin planned Sunday's lunch with an agendum in mind: putting up our business. I will not talk about our business plans on this blog, not yet, anyway. When our plans have been realized, then that will be the only time I will write about it...everything about it. What I'll ramble about though is the lunch.

Lunch was at Som's, a small cafeteria-like establishment, located in Makati. I'm not really sure of the location of the other branches, but since my friend lives at Gloria Street, somewhere near Rockwell, we went to the one located quite near her place, a walking distance, in fact. Surprisingly, the place is famous for its authentic Thai cuisine, but it is far from those high-end restaurants one sees at the heart of the Business District. For one, as mentioned earlier, it looks like a cafeteria. Second, it's quite small, although they've set up tables and tents outside for that refreshing outdoor dining. Third, it's cheap. Seriously. For exquisite Thai dishes, and hefty servings, the price is waaay satisfactory.

We had Tom Yam, said to be the most famous soup dish;

Pad Thai, a dish of stir-fried rice noodles, garnished with various other goodies ;

Red Chicken Curry, and rice topped with beef. For drinks, both had Thai tea, and I had the usual, water.

Everything was delightfully delicious. I'm not a fan of Thai dishes, as I know them to be heavy on the chili, but the ones at Som's are alright, spicy-wise. I really enjoyed the Red Chicken Curry, and the Pad Thai. I loved the creamy sauce of the Curry dish, and I liked the way the sweet-sour blend of the Pad Thai tickled my palate. I'm not quite sure about the Tom Yam, but then one has to consider that I'm not that into soup recipes anyway. Although I've got to say that it's my cousin's favourite and that's saying a lot about the dish, as my cousin usually is hard to please when it comes to food.

Som's is definitely a place worth visiting again and again, and again.

P.S. The pictures are courtesy of Wikipedia, as I forgot my camera so could have done the pictures myself.

Camera Frenzy

Finally, I got my very own pocket digital camera: a Canon IXUS 90 IS.

My aunt sent it through her colleague from the UK. It costs 199£, which is fairly cheap because I got a free 4-gig memory card. Good deal, I say. Compact and light, the 90 IS measures 91.6 x 56.8 x20.9 mm (3.61 x 2.24 x 0.82 in.) and weighs approximately 155 g (5.47 oz.). Sleek designs it has too. The LCD monitor is a 3.0-inch type, low-temperature polycrystalline silicon TFT color LCD (wide viewing angle type), approximately 230,000 dots (picture coverage rate 100%). What blew me away though was the approximately 10.0 million camera effective pixels, which guarantee quality pictures. After looking through the camera the night before, I was thrilled to find that there are numerous shooting modes built inside it, like Sunset, Foliage, Snow, and even Underwater...I just need to buy myself the waterproof case. There's a Stitch Assist, which will help you come up with panoramic shots. And Color Accent, which is great for those close-up shots of nature's wonderful works. Plus, there's a feature that lets you shoot moving images without the blur, which is great because you don't expect your subject to stay still for you, not when it's a jumping kangaroo. There are a lot more features that I can't utilize in one go, but I'll be sure to find uses for them.

I've always wanted to have my own camera, as I want to travel and splendidly document my travel. Or simply click on whatever will catch my fancy. I really saved up for this and I can't wait to try it out. I will be posting some of the pictures I get through the 90 IS as I blog along...

Till then.

Culture Shock

Annually, the school I attended for my primary and secondary education produces shows, in celebration of the conversion of the Saint after whom she was named. The shows range from plays to concerts, but majority were plays. I've seen Les Miserables and West Side Story, and I even joined the cast of a Filipino play, Walang Sugat. When I was in College, I was able to see a different kind of 'play'...the play which didn't have music and dancing in it; rather, the issues were relayed through angst-driven dialogue and acting.

Lately (read: probably two months ago), a friend invited me and my cousin to watch Avenue Q. I was introduced to a whole new style of theatre. The play was acted out by puppets, with their puppeteers on stage, to be seen by the audience. It was fun watching both the puppet and puppeteer together, and while I ended up watching the puppeteer, there were a few moments when I caught the puppet's acts. I commend the talent of the puppeteers, considering that they, themselves, had to act, but they didn't, even for a second, forget that this was the puppets' show. The action and reaction of the puppets perfectly mimicked those of their puppeteers. The songs were wonderfully funny; I especially liked If You Were Gay and It Sucks To Be Me. My personal favourite was There's A Fine, Fine Line. The play's cut into two parts. I was entertained for the whole first part; I found the second part a bit dragging. All in all, an entertaining show.

After the play, we grabbed a quick dinner at Bacolod Chicken Inasal, as it was the only establishment we found open at that time of the night. I had the Ysabella's Chicken, a dish made popular by the local television drama series Ysabella. It consisted of chicken inasal, garlic rice, and I think there was a veggie side dish, I don't really remember. Tasty dish, by the way. This restaurant is where I go to for my dose of chicken inasal. I frequent the branch located at Quezon City Circle. Now some of you may be asking what the heck is chicken inasal (those who aren't from my country, anyway)? Simply put, it's grilled chicken on a bamboo skewer. I don't recall what my cousin and my friend had, but I do remember we likewise had chicken skin. Never mind the calories; the dish was super delicious.

Yesterday, my cousin, a friend, and I were awed by Rodgers & Hammerstein's Cinderella, which starred no less than Lea Salonga. It has been my lifetime wish to be able to see Lea Salonga perform onstage. I'm glad to have had that wish fulfilled. First, the play itself. It's Cinderella, in every sense of the word, with a few minor forgivable changes. Second, the production. The costumes were a-ma-zing! The set was a sight to behold. The carriage that brought Cinderella to the ball was so elegantly designed you would really think it was transformed magically. Finally, the cast. World-class performance from world-class performers. I need not say more. But let me gush for a few more lines about the wonderful voice of Lea Salonga. I could listen to her sing all day! Her voice was so powerful and crystal clear. Needless to say, I loved the play. Incidentally, the play was shown at the Cultural Centre of the Philippines.

We wanted to get a Program of the play, but upon being greeted with various Cinderella merchandises, we ended up being confused as to what to bring home as souvenirs. I got myself a CD of the play, with the Original International Tour Cast. My companions wanted to have the shirt, but the price was way beyond their budget. As we ventured to every corner of the room, my friend and I approached the table selling Lea Salonga's CDs from way back. I immediately searched for her Christmas Album and found the song I had difficulty downloading: Even Santa Fell in Love. Finally, I have the song. Her Christmas Album contains a good selection of Christmas songs, including my favourites ever.

Before the play, we had lunch at Pancake House. The dishes at this restaurant are sumptuous, and their steaks are mouth-watering. The only complaint I have is the price, too exorbitant for such small servings. After the play, we had a nice, relaxing snacks at Icebergs. Initially, my companions were already craving for Halo-Halo. We had a good five-minute debate between Icebergs and Razon's but since my palate is an Iceberg virgin, we opted for the former. We each had a special Halo-Halo (crushed ice with a mix of gelatin, corn flakes, slices of banana, and yummy other ingredients I couldn't decipher; all bathed in creamy milk and topped with scoops of ice cream), and a clubhouse sandwich. Nothing special about the sandwich; but the Halo-Halo was heavenly. And there were no beans! Which I consider really wonderful because I hate beans. Chowking's Halo-Halo has all sorts of beans so I'm not really a fan.

Two Sides

It is a quiet Sunday afternoon, one I've never had in a long time. I'm seated in front of my computer, contemplating on starting one of the pleadings lined up in my to-do list. But I'm putting it off to spend time with someone, and our talk led to men and women...always two sides, he says.

This statement reminded me of one of my favorite poems, Victor Hugo's Man and Woman*. The title says it all, doesn't it?

Man is the most elevated of creatures; Woman, the most sublime of ideals.
God made for man a throne; for woman, an altar.
The throne exalts, the altar sanctifies.
Man is the brain. Woman, the heart.
The brain creates light; the heart, love. Light engenders. Love resurrects.
Because of reason, Man is strong. Because of tears, Woman is invincible.
Reason is convincing; tears, moving.
Man is capable of all heroism; Woman, of all martyrdom.
Heroism ennobles; martyrdom sublimates.
Man has supremacy; Woman, preference.
Supremacy is strength; preference is the right.
Man is genius; Woman, an angel.
Genius is immeasurable; the angel, undefinable.
The aspiration of Man is supreme glory. The aspiration of Woman is extreme virtue.
Glory creates all that is great; virtue, all that is divine.
Man is a code; Woman, a gospel.
A code corrects; the gospel perfects.
Man thinks. Woman dreams.
To think is to have a worm in the brain; to dream is to have a halo on the brow.
Man is an ocean; Woman, a lake.
The ocean has the adorning pearl; the lake, dazzling poetry.
Man is the flying eagle; Woman, the singing nightingale.
To fly is to conquer space; to sing is to conquer the soul.
Man is the temple; Woman, the shrine.
Before the temple, we discover ourselves; before the shrine, we kneel.
In short, Man is found where the Earth finishes; Woman, where Heaven begins.

*

Update Uplate

It has been a while since my last entry. I had wanted to update my blog because a lot has happened since My Christmas List but I've been putting it off, until I totally forgot about it. Tonight, I'm listening to this song that has captured my interest. I didn't think I would be finally updating my blog all because of a song, but there you go.

I'm not particular about my music. Sure, I have my favorites but I sing along to whatever's on the radio, whether or not I know the lyrics, regardless of genre. And like any other girl, I swoon to love songs. I'm not into country music, though, the way my dad is. He loves country music. When he would drive us to the province and back, he plays nothing but country music...to the detriment of my eardrums. It's not that his choice of country songs are in bad taste. In truth and in fact, my dad knows his country songs. It's just the thing with songs - it's lovely to hear them the first time; it's cool to hear them the second time; it's annoying to hear them the third time. The travel time from my province to the city is ten hours. Imagine how many times I get to hear my dad's songs.

Anyway, the song I'm so into right now is a country song. Joke's on me, right? It does not matter. The song's sweet and it tugs the heart. Admittedly, it tugged my heart like no song, country or otherwise, ever did. Maybe because the group who sang it was introduced by a special guy I met over at Skype. Or maybe because the song really is worthy of my notice and reaction.

Sharing with you She's Too Good To Be True*" by Exile:

It's gettin' late

The day's at it's end

My favorite time is right around the bend

It's when the time comes to turn the lights down low

She pours the wine and I lock the door

She takes my hand like so many nights before

That's when I know

Heaven's waiting for me

She's too good to be true

She blows my mind

She's still the one who thrills me time after time

It's unbelieveable

The way she moves me

She's so easy to love

So tender to hold

She touches me like no one I've ever known

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

The radio plays a melody

One designed especially for her and me

An ol' love song that we used to slow dance to

And when she says how happy she's been

That old familiar feeling comes over me again

I count my blessings how lucky I am

She's too good to be true

She blows my mind

She's still the one who thrills me time after time

It's unbelieveable

The way she moves me

She's so easy to love

So tender to hold

She touches me like no one I've ever known

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

The way she moves me

She's too good to be true

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