litratong pinoy: sapatos

ito ay sa Palavas sa Montpellier, France. araw ng Pasko.

matapos masiraan ng bait at naisipan ng tropa na maglakad papuntang beach sa halip na maghintay sa bus ng isa at kalahating oras.

tatlong oras, nangangalahati pa lang kami ng lakad. salamat na lang at may dumating na bus!

bakit namin naisipan na maglakad? para makita ang isang beach na nasa Mediterranean. at dahil excited akong sa Mediterranean, deadma na na ang lamig ng tubig ay halos freezing point na. kelangan mailagay ko ang aking mga paa sa tubig.

lekat! ang lamig! halos 20 minuto bago ko bumalik ang pakiramdam sa aking mga paa.

di bale, masasabi ko naman na nakatungtong na ang aking mga paa sa mediterranean. hehe.

30 going 13... or 16 maybe

mehn...

there is something seriously wrong when exams are coming up and essay is due and the panic button is still not on, when half the day is spent watching a taiwanese soap opera from six years ago.

there is absolutely something serious wrong when anything heard that is not filipino or english sounds chinese. or when one of the F4 boys looks at the camera and one feels all kilig and giddy all over. or when upon watching aforementioned boys (who are probably men now) singing in chinese makes one laugh like a sixteen year old being wooed by her crush. and gawd, there is something seriously wrong feeling all giddy for men who wear shirts smaller than mine!

damn.

i really need a life.
or at least need to have these exams and essays over.
or dance like crazy and get this trapped energy out.
damn.

*oh baby, baby, my baby, baby...*
*giggle, giggle, giggle*

note to self: you are 30 years old

this is all barcelona's fault.

(non) study trail

my quest for the right study spot. and how it failed.

sylar

is it just me or did sylar just suddenly become hot?

dang those eyes! and when i finally did a heroes marathon of season 3... the dude was near naked in some scenes... yowzaaaah!

and so ends my study break.

i hope.

litratong pinoy: paboriting alahas

hindi ako mahilig mag-alahas. ayaw kong nagsusuot ng tunay, marahil dahil commuter ako. bukod sa masaya na akong magsuot ng fancy na mabibili ng 3 for P100. at least hindi masakit sa loob kung mawala. na madalas mangyari sa aking mga alahas.

ngunit ngayon, meron na akong suot-suot palagi -- ang aking engagement ring at wedding ring. :)

ang larawan sa baba ay ang engagement ring na pina-custom made ng asawa ko para sa proposal niya sa akin. peridot ang bato, na birth stone ko pala. di ko man lang malalaman kung di dahil sa regalo niyang singsing.

kahit na hindi ako mahilig sa alahas, palagi ko nang suot suot ito kasama ng wedding ring ko. lalo na ngayon na malayo kami sa isa't-isa ng panandalian, isang alaala na merong naghihintay sa aking pag-uwi.

litratong pinoy: polo/blusa

huwag kayong mag-alala... hindi kumanta ang mamang ito ng 'my way' sa videoke kaya duguan ang polo.

ito ang kanyang costume para sa carnaval sa maastricht, netherlands. ang carnaval ay dinidiwang ng ilang bansa ng europa sa panahon bago mag-ash wednesday. nagsasaya ang mga tao bago dumating ang panahon ng lent. ang mas masaya dito, lahat ng tao ay ganadong mag-costume. isang malaking party ang mga kalsada. walang tigil na inom ng beer ang mga taong hindi sila sa araw na iyon.

at patatalo ba ang pinoy? aba ako rin! bihis-madre naman kami ng kasama ko. at bongga, nakikipicture ang mga tao sa amin, tulad ng pakikipicture namin sa ibang taong aliw ang mga costume. :)

bigay-pugay kay Francis Magalona (a tribute to FrancisM)

i first discovered francis magalona in the movie 'bagets 2.' but in the movies, he did not shine as much as his contemporaries did.

it was only a few years after that he was rediscovred and finally found his niche in rap music. it was francis m that introduced filipino rap to the philippines. his debut rap/song, 'mga kababayan ko' (my countrymen) was a phenomenal hit. it was a fresh and new take for the pinoy audience. i loved the song, not just for its upbeat tempo and the fact that i can sing along with it (because i do not need to be in tune, and i can not for the life of me, be in tune)... but because it was a song of Filipino pride. at 12, having been brainwashed my Smokey Mountain (my first obsession in entertainment), FrancisM resonated my feelings of pride of being Pinoy.

FrancisM was the voice of my generation at that time. he spoke of love and identity and country. and he made us dance. and yes, he also sing songs sung by Bart Simpson! and i still feel it blasphemy to even compare him with andrew e. no waaaaay do you compare the REAL king of rap with someone who only talks about sex and toilet humor as well as delusions of grandeur when it comes to his face.

FrancisM IS the king of filipino rap. no other.


he did have his share of trouble with his drug use. but in the course of time, he went into rehabilitation and became a spokesperson against it. he picked up the pieces and made a comeback.

this cool, handsome chap became a music icon. and he used that to speak of issues and to promote nationalism. he has come up with his own brand of clothing called 'three stars and a sun' which is about wearing our national pride. he was also doing so well in photography, even winning awards and all that. so his artistry has expanded beyong just music and business.

today, i receive a message from tatit, telling me of his demise. my heart broke the second time this week. the last i heard about him was that he was responding well to his chemotherapy. and then this.

we have lost a great artist. one that has still so much to say, and so much to share.

FrancisM, you have gone too soon. Salamat sa pagiging isa sa mga inspirasyon ng aming henerasyon.

litratong pinoy: bag

matagal-tagal na rin mula nung aking huling lahok sa litratong pinoy. mabigat na rin kasi ang mga gawain para sa paaralan...

bag. isang bagay na malapit sa aking puso dahil hindi ako maaring mawalan ng bag kung ako ay lalabas. marahil kaya ako nahikayat na mag-post muli.

*****
ang mga tropa ng pinoy na nag-aaral sa paaralan namin ay naisipang magbakasyon sa italy. sa laki ng grupo namin, nagkahiwa-hiwalay ayon sa nais mapuntahan. may nag-venice, nag-roma at kami naman ay napadpad sa lucca. masyado kasing mabigat sa bulsa ang venice o roma.

wala sa plano ang pagpunta sa lucca. at huling araw na namin ito sa italy. pabalik na kami sa pisa kung saan ang airport. dahil madadaanan namin ang lucca, naisipan namin na dito pumunta. ngunit dahil wala sa plano, bitbit namin ang aming mga kagamitan. dahil linggo nung araw na iyo, sarado ang tourist office. napilitan kaming mag-ikot ng maliit na siyudad ng lucca bitbit ang mga bag na ito.

hindi maikakaila na turista! bukod sa halatang hindi kami taga-europa, height pa lang. haha! bagamat mabigat at nakakapagod magbitbit, sa ganda ng lugar, hindi namin maiwasang lumisan ng lucca na maligaya. kahit pa sarado ang karamihan ng mga mapupuntahan. bukod pa sa walang-tigil ang ulan.

ngunit kelan ba napigilan ng mga bagay na iyan ang taong may nunal sa paa? ;p

2:10 AM

kumakapit pa rin ang tinig ni jess sa aking balat. bumabalot ang saliw ng gitara sa aking isip. ayaw bumitiw. antok man ang aking mga mata, nagpupumiglas ang aking diwa. kanyang bulong na dumadagundong, 'hayaan mo akong maging malaya!' matagal na ring nakakulong ang mga salitang naibaon ng panahon.

Blueberry Girl

a prayer to all the little girls, in age and in spirit, of my life.

this is a video of neil gaiman's voice interespersed over charles vess' illustrations for the upcoming book of the same title. the background music also adds to the beauty of the imagery and voice.

i have not faltered in declaring being a neil gaiman fangirl. but charles vess is also one of my favorite artists. he does the perfect fantastical drawings which appeal to the child in me. this coming collaboration is something i am looking forward to.