I sometimes react to making a mistake as if I have betrayed myself. My fear of making a mistake seems to be based on the hidden assumption that I am potentially perfect and that if I can just be very careful I will not fall from heaven.

But a ‘mistake’ is a declaration of the way I am, a jolt to the way I intend, a reminder I am not dealing with the facts. When I have listened to my mistakes I have grown.

Hugh Prather

Time to Pack my Stuff

I'm so excited. That and I have no other time to pack my stuff for Hongkong next weekend. Yay! I only have tomorrow until Wednesday to prepare everything I need. And between work and the rest of my life (yes, I do have a life outside of work, thank you very much), my weekdays are pretty full. So I have to do this now. Or at least tomorrow, it's already late if I start now.

So, what to pack. Here's my list of some essentials. I've already shared this via email so there's really no point in keeping this private. Plus, airport security's gonna see this anyway. So here it goes.

1. Tops
I'm thinking 4 Tees for walking around the city all day, a Pullover or a Cardigan to keep myself warm in the evening and a Dress Shirt or two for partying and clubbing if ever we do go for it.
2. Bottoms
A pair or two of jeans maybe for casual whatever, then a pair of khaki shorts for walking around the city ala "turista". You know those characters walking around in khaki shorts and sandals with DSLR's hanging around their necks. Parang ganun. Very "turista" lang. Hahahaha.
3. Undergarments
Now this really is an essential so I'm bringing more than enough. Maybe 5 pairs of underwear will do and 3 white tees? hmmm... but those 5 pairs of brief are a must-have.
4. Footwear
Ooohhh. footwear. Now obviously I'll be needing something comfortable to walk around in so I'm thinking, the Columbia I use for mountaineering. Very comfortable and has good traction too. Or perhaps I should bring the Sanuk instead, very casual and apt for surfing the sidewalk. A pair of flip flops and party shoes? Those Malditos better be light!
5. Outerwear
A jacket. The question is, which one? The gray hoodie? very boy-next-door. The black leather? very biker-chic. the brown-ish jacket? too preppy - i think? Maybe I should decide on this last. This should match whatever clothes I'll bring with me.
6. Accesories
Belt, socks, watch. Staple. Bag... hmmm. Which one? I already know that I'm bringing the Rudy Project utility as my day bag. For the luggage, I'm thinking the Deuter. Very backpacker, I know!, but very comfy too especially if we can't check in our luggages early once we get to Macau and we have to carry all our stuff while touring the city. Having a luggage to drag around while doing so would be such a hassle.
7. Toiletries
Should I even bring this? I mean, usually meron naman sa hotel. But just to be safe, a toothbrush, toothpaste, soap, shampoo, my camp/travel towel (very absorbent and light), antiperspirant... what else?
8. Misc.
Camera. I should not forget to bring this kahit na luma! Chargers. I would kill myself kung maiwan ko to.

Ok. So. Did I miss anything?

UPDATE:

I didn't need my Deuter backpack after all. Because everything I will bring with me surprisingly fit into that tiny little backpack I use for work. Coolness!

Award ang Zomba Night!

Ok so it wasn't as laugh-out-loud laugh trip I was expecting pero laugh trip pa rin nonetheless. And award na award ang movie. Shutanginamels, that was one hell of a Zombanight! Keribels lang ni Martin Escudero ang pagiging bading ni Remington. Beking beki. And if you're worried you might not understand what the hell they're saying when the characters are on beki mode, don't, because the producers of the movie were gracious enough to put subtitles during those scenes.

So if you're looking for something funny this week. Go see Remington the Movie. or pwede ring Wedding Tayo, Wedding Hindi. I heard laugh trip din ang movie na yun. So go. Have a laugh.

“Choices are sacrifices, and inevitably that means giving up something you want
for something that you want more.”

- Clinton Jones
White Collar

White Collar Season 3

Aren't you excited for the new season of White Collar? I know I am. June 7th! Yay!

Rio

Two words: LOVE IT!

Haha. Just gotta say I loved this movie. It just made me wanna go to Rio. And get this, according to the Brazilian embassy, Filipino citizens need not get a visa to travel to Brazil. Awesomeness!!! Now I can go to Brazil and have my piece of Carnaval, Ipanema, Copacabana, Santo Cristo and everything else to do with Rio and the Amazon without the hassles of applying for and the worries of being denied a visa. Great!

See the trailer below. Enjoy!

40 Day and 40 Night Sacrifice

Sacrifice for a cause. Not just for the sake of sacrificing something just cause it's Lent. Like giving up shopping or sugary sweets or other meaningless things.To follow tradition or to conform with the shallow-minded church-going world or because some stupid-ass pastor or priest told us to do so to feed our souls with some semblance of faith.

Sacrifice because it's worth it. Sacrifice because it matters, not to ourselves but to others. Sacrifice car rides or plastic wares for the environment, sacrifice frivolous meals and share simple ones with the poor, sacrifice time for humanity or even the world.

Jesus Christ sacrificed Himself to save mankind. Let's celebrate Lent with meaning. What are we sacrificing for?

Baguio Trip: Day 0

So this was it. Our trip is final. A few days back, I wouldn't even have thought of going anywhere until last Tuesday when I had the worst day of my life. My relationships with my friends (and my career) were falling apart... well at least that's how I felt, that I thought of going on a weekend getaway on my own and Baguio was one of the options. Come Wednesday night, I got a text from Miggy wondering if I wanted to join him and Sherwin on a trip to Baguio this weekend. A day after that horrible Tuesday I was like, "Hell yeah!!!". Thursday, Sherwin bought tickets. Friday, I was all set. Budget: about 3000 pesos.

Day Zero

Day zero started right after work. After a loooong-ish Friday I was done and off to a great weekend (hopefully). I met up with the bords at the Galleria at around 8pm. RJ and I got there first so we ordered dinner and just as we were about to finish Sherwin came followed by Miggy.

At about 9 we bought our tickets to see "Unknown" a movie starring Liam Neeson. Great actor and great movie too! but no better than Liam's past movie "Taken" which was sort of like our benchmark for our critique, but great nonetheless.

After the movie, we walked our way to banchetto. Right on time, Banchetto was about to open and the early birds were very much eager to start their way through the stalls of food. And when I say food, I mean LOTS of them. Like a hell lot! It was my first time there and I gotta say, I had a hard time choosing which I want just cause there were so many things to choose from and when you're as choosy as I am, you'd be SOOO left behind. Next thing you know you're stuck where you're standing because the people just keep coming in lining up for food. PG much? Hell no! They're just as curious and excited as I was.

Finally I got my grub. An angus beef kabab and a huge slice of pizza and something else. Intense FOOD TRIP!

Banchetto was such a nice experience for food trippers like me. Not only does it offer a smorgasbord of food choices they're also quite cheap. 300 pesos down.

1:30 AM: A cab ride brought us to Victory liner in Pasay. And whoaahh!!! kumusta naman si kuya, he went all Fast and Furious on us swerving his way all through EDSA. Thankfully, we got to the station safe and sound. It's just a matter of waiting it out til 3:30 AM - our original schedule. But being the risky, adventurous freaks that we were, we just can't settle for 3:30 and wait it out, we went on to chance ourselves (aggressively by the way). We boarded at 2:45 AM. Yay us! 440 pesos down.

Then I went to slumber mode the first few hours of the ride. End of day 0.

Standards... we all have them. but do we just settle? or do we go above and beyond those benchmarks? or do we fall short in exchange for something else? something unexpected. setting standards on things limits us with a few or none at all. having none allows us to be free and creative and maybe, just maybe find something (or someone) even more special.

We set standards to guide us, not restrict us. In life at least.

"It's not the love I need to feel but the love that I have chosen"

I haven't quoted many of my friends here yet, but this is somehow special. it makes us think. it makes us realize what's really important. Love, much like faith, is a choice.

Thanks Wes.

Strange things happen. I thought I was going to hear another one before the past year ended. But I didn't, however, just as the year starts, it happened. And I wasn't surprised to hear it, surprisingly. I guess it wouldn't take a while before another one's layed out in front of me. But I prefer finding out for myself. It's much more fun. And exciting. With all the shock and panic put together in one swift moment.

This is a new year. Many things are going to happen. For me and for everyone. I am excited. Yey!

"How do you pick up the threads of an old life? How do you go on when in your heart you begin to understand there is no going back? There are some things that time cannot mend, some hurts that go too deep, that have taken hold."

- Frodo Baggins, The Lord of the Rings