~

Another year. But I know, as long as you're with me, as long as we can laugh with each other, as long as we won't allow the years to rob us of our humor, we will be happy. As how we were when we were younger. And we know that as long as we remember all the little things we did that brought us together - the happpy, the sad, the mad, the bitter - we will remain tied together by tiny heart-strings that can connect us beyond geographical boundaries. And we will never grow old. To my friends here and abroad, my officemates who are now my family and to my princess Leah.

--

Never Come The Day That Sees Us Old


Love, let us live as we have lived, nor lose
The little names that were the first night's grace,
And never come the day that sees us old,
I'm still your lad, and you my little lass.
Let me be older than old Nestor's years,
And you the Sibyl, if we heed it not.
What should we know, we two, of ripe old age?
We'll have its richness, and the years forgot.


Ausonius - To My Wife, tr. by Waddell

--

~

We started collecting e-books since 2003 and just recently, someone gave me a massive collection so I thought of sharing them and the ones we already have here. I compiled a list of contents here. It’s a long list so it might take a while to load (437kb).

New and updated list includes:

All Tolkien books (not just the LoTR trilogy)
Left Behind – The complete series
CS Lewis – Complete Chronicles of Narnia
Joanne Kathleen Rowling - Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince

Michael Chricton - State of Fear
Dan Brown – Digital Fortress, Deception Point, Angels and Demons, The Da Vinci Code
John Grisham – The Broker
Ian Caldwell - The Rule of Four –

Stephen King – The Shining, Dreamcatcher
Leo Tolstoy – Anna Karenina
Antoine de Saint Exupéry – The Little Prince
Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, Henry Lincoln – Holy Blood, Holy Grail
Joan Bunning, Michelle Jackson - The BNU Tarot Course and Tarot Class


They’re good for reading on your mobile phone, pda or PC. Just email, message, YM me or through whatever means and let me know which e-book you want, what file format you prefer (.pdb, .doc, .txt, .pdf) and the email address I’ll send it to.

--

If you have any e-books you want to share just let me know and we’ll be glad to have ‘em. We’re also looking for the ff:

Arthur Golden – Memoirs of a Geisha
Lemony Snickets - A Series of Unfortunate Events – 5 to 9
Sophie Kinsella – Shopaholic Series, Undomestic Goddess, Can You Keep A Secret
Audrey Niffenegger – The Time Traveller’s Wife

--
Complete list of e-books: http://www.webfocus.ph/lei/ebooks.html

~

A quick review of the top 10 books I’ve digested or still digesting this year. (10 being the best for me)

1. Alamat ng Gubat - Bob Ong

If you’ve read ABNKKBSNPLaKo and Ang Paboritong Aklat ni Hudas by the same author, you’ll most likely love his humor and satire. The book warned though that you’ll learn totally nothing by reading it so just go and indulge at his allegories of the Philippines’ social and economic frustrations.

2. Deception Point - Dan Brown

I loved the setting and the familiar fast-paced thrill. The twists seemed predictable for the avid Dan Brown reader but still a good ride.

3. Digital Fortress - Dan Brown

If anyone has read DVC, A&D and Deception point, you know who’s gonna be the main villain even before they say their first dialogue. Lots of trivia so it’s still good.

4. Twisted Flicks and Twisted 7 - Jessica Zafra

No explanations needed. She hates a lot of things but the angst sells.

5. Twisted 6 - Jessica Zafra

This is where she started with the global domination thing by our Filipina maids. One has to wonder why she has so many problems with everything around her. Nevertheless, people love her.

6. Shopaholic Series - Sophie Kinsella
Confessions of a Shopaholic
Shopaholic Takes Manhattan
Shopaholic Ties the Knot
Shopaholic and Sister

With the advent of chic-lit invading the bookstores, it’s always good to start with probably the most popular hit of the genre. I gave this set to Princess Leah so although I’ve only read part of the first book, Kinsella’s humor is addictive. It’s a good refreshing read and hits perfectly the over-spending habits of women. Ok, men included. Also on my wishlist: Can You Keep a Secret and Undomestic Goddess – also by Sophie Kinsella

7. The Messianic Legacy - Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln

The sequel to the critically acclaimed 1984 classic Holy Blood, Holy Grail (the template from which The Da Vinci Code was written). It’s a tough read because it’s a thick documentary. It felt like watching National Geographic only without the visuals. Loved it. I Suggest reading Holy Blood Holy Grail first. It’s easier that way. Paging Bernadette Flores, isauli mo na yung Messianic Legacy ko!

8. Angels and Demons - Dan Brown

Dan Brown’s pre-DVC novel. Story wise, this has more action and carnage so it’s should be great if they are to make this into a movie. As usual, jam-packed with trivia about paganism and the history of Christianity. I kept attempting to create my own ambigrams but it proved to be tough.

9. Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince - J.K. Rowling

Tragic but exciting. I still love Order of the Phoenix though. Rowling still hasn’t lost her charm, correction, magic in conjuring tales. Wonderful, wonderful wicked read. The best book of the year.

10. The Time Traveller’s Wife - Audrey Niffeneger

Like Rowling, Audrey Niffeneger hit jackpot with this first novel. Lasted 6 months on the NY Times Best-seller list and still is a hard-to-find gem. “Ang lupit”, “Ang bigat” and “Grabe yun” were the words I got from friends who I forced to read the book (hehe).

From an Amazon.com review: “This has got to be the most haunting book written ever. Its spell lingers over long after you’ve finished reading it.” I found that very true. It’s not a sci-fi book or a thriller. It’s actually a love story. A story about how love prevails over time.

Trivia: Brad Pitt and Jeniffer Aniston bought the rights to produce the movie because they loved the book so much. They split up before they could star on it.


My Wishlist (for the coming year):

1. Can You Keep a SecretUndomestic Goddessboth by Sophie Kinsella
2. Shanghai Baby
3. Memoirs of a Geisha
4. The BrokerJohn Grisham

--

~

I must watch a movie that’s gonna suck. That was what went on my mind yesterday. I was at the mall waiting for princess Leah who’s going to be arriving from the province. I was there 4 hours early so I needed to kill time. It’s the Metro Manila Film Festival season so there aren’t any foreign films to watch. I can’t watch a movie Leah might want to see so I’m left with the movies that are most likely to flop.

We’re supposed to see Ako Legal Wife so I can’t see that one. We saw Enteng Kabisote 1 last year so maybe Leah might want to see the sequel too. She also liked Mulawin on TV so I can’t see the movie version either. Exodus has a great trailer but the Revillas’ acting capabilities make me puke. What’s left? Terrorist Hunter, Blue Moon, Shake Rattle and Roll 2k5 and Kutob. Let’s see Kutob’s casting: Rica Parallejo, Alessandra de Rossi, Ana Capri, Andrea del Rosario… That’ll do!

I don’t know why Jose Javier Reyes even bothered to make that movie. Lots of cliché and five minutes into the movie I already knew the killer – even when nobody’s died yet. To cap it off, among the names mentioned above, there was not even a single breast exposure. Oh there was an attempt for a twist at the end but really, the movie could’ve explained itself even without the twist. This is supposed to be film fest entry??

There was a Tarot reading scene where Alessandra asked to be read. I know how to read Tarot and I know there are a total of 72 cards – 20 Major Arcana cards and 50 Minor Arcana cards. After being shuffled, the reader made a Celtic Cross spread of 12 cards. Amazingly all of those cards are of the Major Arcana! Ok, perhaps it’s because they’re easier to interpret than the Minor Arcana cards and the writer didn’t want to bother learning what a Nine of Cups meant.

How come the extras act more natural than the lead roles? They look more relaxed at least relatable. This phenomenon seems to be going around our local films lately. Maybe the lead stars are overexerting themselves for an award or maybe they’re just bad at it. The acting is so unbelievable that if you’re expecting to see at least an approximation of actual human behavior, you’re bound for disappointment.

--

~

Tonight was a fun night. It marked the 4th Christmas party I celebrated in the company I work for. I won a game, had fun with our team’s presentation and watching the other departments’ performances as well. It was, indeed, a happy night.

That happiness however is short-lived knowing that my princess Leah won’t be at home when I come back. She went home to their province earlier today to spend Christmas with her family. You see, absences of people close to you tend to be more prominent when it's a special occasion. It's just not the same knowing I won’t be able to share a fun night with her – even though I know I don’t really talk about my days a lot. I do enjoy spending time with my friends – jamming, playing games and joking around. It’s fun. But it doesn’t always equate to happiness.

Happiness is the feeling of home. And I know it’s fairly easy to ignore its existence until it’s no longer there. It's the warm greeting of welcome after weary days. It's being tucked into bed safely at night just like when we were kids. And it's waking up in the morning knowing somebody loves you.

My princess Leah is my home. And given a pocketful of fairy dust so I could fly, she will be my happy thought.

--

~
December 24, two years ago, Borj (Nina) and I went to the UST grandstand for our traditional Christmas Eve mass. In the middle of the sermon, I got a frantic call from my sister who was at home with the rest of the family. She was crying and I could hear the panic in her voice. My mother, my youngest sister and she locked themselves inside a room because my father went mad and was threatening to butcher them with a rusting jungle bolo.

“I have to go, there’s an emergency at home…” I told Borj.

“I’ll go with you.” She said.

Both of us went to our house. The lights were out so we went straight to the barangay station just one block away. They called the police and I gave them my cell phone so they could talk to my mother who was still locked inside the room. My mother told them what had happened and they surrounded the house, blinking lights, megaphones and all. My father was missing.


When it was apparently clear, I went in to see how they were. Everyone went out and talked to the police and afterwards we all went back in including Borj. A few hours later it was well past Noche Buena. We waited until we heard our father banging the main door and asking to be let in. He threatened to burn the house down if we wouldn’t. The police gave us their number incase he shows up so we called them and the officers restrained him until he resigned to talk in peace.


My mother never filed any charges and the next morning, we called my father’s sister to pick him up and take him to the province. From that day on, we were officially a broken unit of society.

--

My father was not bad at all. At least that was before he acquired an alcohol drinking problem he’d never admit (a sure symptom of addiction). We knew the alcohol was taking over his mind when he became incomprehensible, sleeping on any flat surface and consistently irate. I knew he was bound to snap and become a violent man and he couldn’t have chosen a more perfect day to run amok. But we didn’t want to be afraid anymore and we were finally able to exile him out. To this day, we celebrate Christmas as our Independence Day – our freedom from constant fear.


Anyone who knew my father would not have thought he was capable of what he’d done. He was humorous, good natured and compassionate but with a big flaw – he had so much pride. The problem with a person who has so much pride is that when that person falls, he or she won’t know how to stand up again with dignity. That was what happened when my father lost his job and couldn’t get another one. He even kept refusing jobs that he considered “low paying”. No, he couldn’t accept that he has to start from the bottom again. I had no choice but to continue working from then on.


My father let himself sink so low he couldn’t accept his failure and his only refuge was the alcohol. Alcohol did that to him. It made him loose his judgment, made him hostile and he occasionally beat up the house pets to release his frustrations.


I do miss him. I miss his being funny and the way he’d do everything to get what I wanted for Christmas. But I have been numbed so much with whatever happened to my life that I can now control my emotions. A person is not defined by how many times they fail. It’s how they bounce back up. But no, he still won’t admit what he’d done to his family and wouldn’t say any apologies.


I am, at times, at a dilemma whether to finally talk to my him or risk not being able to say a final word to him when he’s on his deathbed, which basing from his health right now due to the alcohol, isn’t so far away. My sisters who have been able to talk to him already are teasing that I should visit him in the province. But I know he’s not going to change his opinion on what he’d done. Besides, my mother is still not talking to him. People may ask how I could be so cold about it but the image of my mother and two sisters locked and frightened inside a room is a tough picture to forget.

--

~
Teen girl #1: Hey, we could go as the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
Teen girl #2: Yeah, that's a good one
Teen girl #1: You'd only need a mask... They're frogs, right?

--

Just sharing a bit from www.overheardinnewyork.com/.

It also has a cousin www.overheardintheoffice.com/.

Fun way to waste time.

--

~
Is it just me or has anyone else observed that the only film accolades we won abroad are those from lesbian and gay film festivals and award giving bodies?

An independently produced art film and entry to Cinemalaya 2005, Maximo Oliveros has gained praises from local film critics and reviewers recently. That got me curious enough to see it. While the reviewers may claim that Maximo offers an unexpected new theme, I personally think I’ve seen this movie or heard of the story before.

It’s about Maximo and his (or her, whichever you prefer) family which composes of his two brothers and a father. Although the movie doesn’t explicitly tell us, it is apparent that Maximo’s brothers and father is in the cellphone-snatching business. They get into a sticky situation with the new cop in town who happens to be the apple of Maximo’s eyes. Nothing much to go on with such a plot but it is really just about Maxi’s point of view and in that regard, I guess the movie was successful.

Back to the awards - If a country’s movies are reflections of their society and economic standing, what does our award-winning films say about us? Maximo is also expected to win awards on the leading gay and lesbian academy. I am not underplaying the importance of the award giving bodies but with films such as Toro, Hubog, La Vida Rosa, etc, does that mean we can only win with movies that deal with sexual innuendos?

--

~
Now that’s one formidable blog title. Unless you didn’t figure out DVC stands for Da Vinci Code. But no, I won’t get started on the international conspiracy thing. It’s just comforting to know that writer Jessica Zaffra and I have a lot in common. Maybe we survive an ancient Egyptian royal bloodline that used to revere cats as representative of the gods.


On her yesterday’s entry, J-Za wrote about how she liked reading the Bible. How it paved the way for her writing and her reading of literary legends like Tolkien and mythology


I did love reading the Bible too. My parents bought me volumes of illustrated Bible stories from Genesis to the New Testament. I mostly enjoyed the Old Testament parts. I remember being amazed at the tales of grandeur, the flood, the parting of the Red Sea, the wrath of God. I did believe the lessons and values from the stories. Until now, whenever some old hag tells me something like ‘raising your leg on your chair while eating is wrong’, I just counter them with “it’s not in the Bible is it?” Of course I know my etiquette but ethics and sin are two different things. And where in the Bible does it say that you can’t sweep your floor when it’s night time??


I am, however, NOT a religious person but I AM a spiritual one. Those are also two entirely different things. Religion, in Jeungian Thought, is a manifestation of one of man’s Collective Unconscious (particularly the need to worship a supreme being or the need for a repository of meaning). I do not object to any religion but I do believe in cancellation by truth. It’s simple logic. If A says B is false and B says A is false then they are both fooling each other. If the Koran says Jesus survived the crucifixion and the Bible says He died and if both literatures were absolute universal truth, then the cosmos probably would’ve imploded long before we were born.


In my case, the Bible taught me that reading is a lot of fun. That eventually led me to reading anything from Sweet Valley High to books that didn’t make the cut when Emperor Constantine and his party developed the Bible: the Dead Sea Scrolls which contained the Gospels of Philip and Thomas, The Pistis Sophia and the Gospels of Mary Magdalene. It inspired me to read texts from the Koran, Holy Blood, Holy Grail and The Messianic Legacy – all of which, I learned Zafra also read. Suffice to say, we became what laymen would label as heretics.

--

Thanks to E!, I got to see scenes from The Da Vinci Code. The first full trailer is also up for viewing. They even have high definition trailers!

--

~

It's been a year now and the Philippine movie industry is celebrating Fernando Poe Jr.'s first death anniversary. Here is something I wrote last year on one of my web logs:

--

December, 2004

Maybe it isn’t just me. Maybe the whole country is experiencing a hex right now. Maybe it’s because of the President’s selling out to the kidnappers/decapitators royale in Iraq that we are experiencing national tragedies lately.

Last week, 2 huge typhoons caused flash floods, landslides and the deaths of 500 or more. The week before that, a train from south of Luzon jumped tracks and did a roller-coaster downhill killing women and children – lots of them. Yesterday, Fernando Poe Jr., an icon in Philippine cinema died not being able to recover from the worst case of strokes.

The day before that, I made a joke about his stroke that maybe lack of brain activity caused it. We also love recalling his Erap-like stunts - most notably, his running for President. Now, across our workplace, FPJ Studios sports a half-mast Philippine flag – usually to indicate a national tragedy or death of the President. Perhaps it stands for death of a King.

He wasn’t such a bad guy for me. If he was, he’d still be alive. The flock of people following him and supporting him must signify some level of the King's kindness and charity. He’s the masses’ second hope after Erap. The absence of hope certainly means despair. With the masses accounting to (maybe) 3/4ths of the country's population, maybe his death really is a national tragedy after all.

--

~

Last Saturday and Sunday, I spent around 3,500 PhP buying toys. And they’re all for me. I always wanted a radio controlled car but I can’t seem to find any Mistubishi Evo-8’s so I got myself Lego designer sets instead! I figured I can always do more with them than with a RC. Nevermind my pamangkins, inaanaks and relatives, they can wait – this is my gift for myself! =p


Much has been said about men and their refusal to grow up. Fact: Men will forever love to play with toys, games etc. What’s so wrong with that? It’s even in the Bible. It says only those that are like children will enter the kingdom of heaven. If that’s not a clear enough endorsement I don’t know what is.


There is a difference, though, between childlike and childish. The former would refer to keeping a pure heart, innocence and simple but straight judgment. The latter is just plain annoying. It’s just the same as the disparity between growing old and growing up.


Men do grow up. But no matter how perverted we turn out to be, we still love doing what we enjoyed doing when we where kids. Hence the success of the multi-billion-dollar computer games industry, the collectible card games and action figures.


I still tell my lady friends (girl friends just doesn’t sound right) to buy presents their boyfriends like rather than what they think their boyfriends need. Assuming the guy is responsible, he is more likely to spend his earnings on his (and his family’s) needs than being able to buy the things he want. Give him a Macross or a collector’s edition Optimus Prime and you’re sure to be on the girlfriend hall of fame. And no, I don’t mean that like men love to rank their girlfriends because we simply don’t.


In my opinion, it’s the guys (the responsible ones) that are burdened with bread-winning and it’s just fair for them to get in touch with their younger selves. Of course, if I see anyone (regardless of sexual orientation) bumming around, I’d say they deserve to be hit by a piano stand (piano still attached).


It’s much harder to ponder why women try to defy the laws of gravity, physics and aging just to look young. Want to look beautiful? Just SMILE. "Pretty" does not equate to "Beauty".


--

It’s Yuletide season and as if the weather isn’t cold enough, it’s been constantly raining. All I want to do right now is jump on my bed and roll round and round. While I wait for my logical brain cells to decide whether they’d function, I decided to do something fun for the meantime.

Meet Sophie. Certainly not the flashiest car around.





She’s been in the dumps lately so I thought of giving her a make-over. Or so I wish I could. Oh, but there’s Photoshop! Now that’s something I can do. So I thought why not give her new skirts, front and rear bumpers and a sporty spoiler. Add in a roof and hood scoop, a new set of wheels, a darker window tint, tribal decals and neons to complete the get up. Carbon fiber? I think I ran out of budget.





Viola! Hmmm, maybe when I get a career change, I’ll try out to be a detailer or a custom car designer. If you like what you saw, why don’t you send me images of your rides and let’s pimp it up! I’m serious. Email them to thestorycircle@yahoo.com!


Just make sure the cars on the pictures are of the same angle as the one I showed here. Please, no perspective shots. I’m just trying to have fun, I’m not a miracle worker.

--

I woke up early yesterday to Vanessa Carlton’s “A Thousand Miles” – my self-made ringtone when I couldn’t find a decent midi/polytone to download. It was an sms from a former office-mate telling me that my Confessions of an Insomniac got featured on a UP discussions/message boards/exchange centers or whatever they call it. Unfortunately, I can’t seem to find the location of the aparition. Who knows, the reason I got featured might be because people are after my head.

A few people on my Friendster list claimed they got inspired to start blogging after reading Confessions. They probably got annoyed by the blog update alerts on their inboxes that they decided to check out what the hell I’m doing.

Whether it’s good or bad publicity, it’s nice to know we’re able to reach intelligent life forms out there.

--

Well, something good came out of my being grounded at home - I'm enjoying reading Order of The Phoenix, I discovered Jessica Zafra's (Twisted) blog site and another interesting blog - PostSecret. I added them up on my Friendly Bloggers section along with the satirical and very controversial blog Make Poverty History. That blog is so fun to read and the comments are even more hilarious.

Anyway, thought I'll go back to posting poems for now. Been watching too many movies still. To all my fellow struggling artists...

--

Will You Still Love Me

If we’ll live in a house with no pretty garden
with no birds that sing in mornings
And I can’t cover your bed with the softest linen
nor put a diamond on your ring


Will you still love me
If I’ve not much more than a penny to give
to take you to a finer dinner
For I never even tasted such luxury
of those born with a spoon of silver


Will you still love me
If we ride a carriage made for farming
and we can’t charter to different places
And we’ll read only of those in books
with tattered and worn-out pages


Oh, but I do dream of a house with butterfly gates
and a bedroom with a view
To feast and dine on porcelain plates
and to picture a yard in dew


But ask me of what I do not have
A mansion or an acre lot
If your happiness rely upon these things
I love you dear but no, thank you
You really love me not


--
Lei
September, 2004

--

Pinoy Big Brother’s first season is ending this Saturday. Enkantadia is also nearing its end with most of the major characters already dying. Hollywood is gloomy too – Mr. Miyagi of the Karate Kid died last month and the “newlyweds” Jessica Simpson and Nick Lachey finally called it quits – does anyone really give a rat’s ass?

While the Philippine movie industry is going to the dogs, there might just be hope for Philippine primetime shows. Disclaimer: I am not a fan of local primetime and I’d rather watch Tru Calling with its minimal but convincing visual effectsthan go through an hour of ridiculously-placed eye-candies on ABS’ Panday. However, two shows from media giants ABS-CBN and GMA7 are setting the bars high for next year’s family shows. They would have to be Pinoy Big Brother and Enkantadia.

Pinoy Big Brother stirred a lot of debates during its first few weeks but the show proved to have more values in it than the dozen teleseryes produced in the past years combined. The Insomniac, as well as PBB’s director is still baffled – How come the MTRCB find the torrid kissing in teleseryes more acceptable for viewing than the kiss shared by PBB housemates Say and JB (or Sam and Chx)?

GMA7 has been setting the standard for visual effects in cinema lately and it is evident on their fanta-seryes which I think started with Mulawin. Forget ABS’s Marina, the only thing sea-worthy with Claudine is her boobs. Every episode of Panday on the other hand is as convincing as President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo’s SONAs. We did Noli Me Tangere for our highschool play and it was really more compelling. Anyone remember Dolphy’s Once Upon a Time? That movie was decades ago but it's visual effects are more believable than ABS’ fantasy flicks today.

GMA7’s CG team is undoubtedly more superior than any other networks’. However, they use their effects very sparingly which is also a good thing because I think ABS’ idea of good ratings is proportionate to the number of epilepsy incidents their shows trigger.

No, I’m not saying our CG technology can already compete with CSI (that’ll be the day) but at least GMA7’s shows aren’t pretentious and they know their target market. Enkantadia, with the elaborate costumes and sets, is made for children and their yayas but the directors of the show still recognize that the parents who might share TV viewing with the kids aren't stupid. When I do get to see an episode of Enkantadia, I am able to enjoy it not feel that my intellect has been insulted.

Enkantadia, which includes some Mulawin appearances is concluding but GMA7 has Etherea (which is also related to Enkantadia) queued. I admire the network’s inspiration to build fantasy worlds that are closely tied together. If they keep it up, they will be following an already successful template which has started on similar grounds – Disneyland. I’m not getting my hopes up, it’s not their fault anyway if they don’t share the Insomniac's vision.

ABS-CBN needs to lay-off the fantasy genre. They already bagged the jackpot with Pinoy Big Brother. This hopefully opens the gateway to reality shows that has that edge. Please, enough star-struck-circle-quest-american-idol wannabees already.

--

I've been going out to clients lately and haven't been able to write much. I'm not in sales but apparently, they need me to close big deals because I'm just effortlessly impressive (ha-ha-ha!). Fortunately, I've lots of unpublished stuff on my "waitlist". This one's from last October.

--

Up to this point, I am still not sure what to name my future kid. So other than books, I decided to venture to more interesting sources. Sure pornstar names are silly, but somehow, when you append your last names and / or second names, they sound classy. Here’s a sampler:

Sunrise Adams Sarmiento

Teagan Prestley Sarmiento

Jenna Jameson Sarmiento
(this one won’t work, Jenna’s already a household porn name)

Jesse Jane Sarmiento

Jill Kelly Sarmiento

Krista Allen Sarmiento
(ok, so she’s just a softporn actress)

Kaylani Lei Sarmiento

Savannah Samson Sarmiento
(nah, too popular either)

Carmen Luvana Sarmiento

Katja Kassin Sarmiento
(Yippie, exotic and Russian. Perhaps Budapest?)

Cytherea Sarmiento
(Cute! That is if you don’t know Cytherea’s the squirt queen.)

Aria Giovanni Sarmiento
(eto fave ko, parang designer brand!)

Terri Summers Sarmiento
(Baywatch material?)

Jenna Haze Sarmiento

--

Some names however are just plain too hardcore to mingle with. But who knows, one might work out for you!

April Flowers
Mason Storm
Vicky Vette
Lauren Phoenix
Cherokee
Lilly Thai
Jezebelle Bond
Dani Woodward
Crissy Moran
Violet Blue (violet na, blue pa)
Tawny Stone
Asia Carera
Traci Lords
Briana Banks
Sunset Thomas
Cali Cox (jeez!)
Lana Cox (they love that ‘Cox’ thing so much, eh?)

It’s not worth messing around with the male names. They’re just too silly.


--

After meeting one of my buyers yesterday and seeing the Hyundai 2006 Motorshow a bit (they’re releasing the country's first ever CRDi engine sedan – that’s diesel powered!), I decided to take the LRT on my way home. I was glad I did because I bumped into Do-an. That’s Michael Do-an Ng for long.

When I shifted to Interior Design in college, the ratio of sexual orientation on a single section was ten girls to one boy. While it was college heaven for men with raging hormones, I had a feeling of constant vulnerability being around a lot of girls. Do-an, being one of the few heterosexual males in the class (the others were gay), became a close friend. Surviving college took a little getting used to when Merlin went to UP Los Banos. Merlin and I were confidants from elementary. Do-an and me, having the same interest in jamming and possessing dashing cute looks instantly clicked. :p

If there was a Mr. Congeniality award in college, Do-an would’ve bagged it. It’s impossible not to like him. He’s as full of compassion for other people as I am overflowing with sarcasm. We were a great team though – I’d help him render his plates and projects and I get free lunch in return. Him being Fil-Chinese means it’s always a buffet on their house. He’s also a contradiction to the notion of the Filipino-Chinese’ being frugal to an excessive degree.

Not that being labeled an “excessively-frugal-Fil-Chinese” is something to be ashamed of or be offended by. I think it’s actually a trait more Filipinos should acquire. Commodity prices are increasing and all the masses can think of doing is organize rallies against the government. Meanwhile, the Filipino-Chinese community maintain their contribution to society by building their businesses and employing the ungrateful masses in spite of the economic crisis. In my opinion, they are the ones who keep this country from sinking into the Pacific.

Let’s not get our hopes up, we’re a far cry from being this millenia’s Atlantis.

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*Do-an is now an impressively aggressive, passionate Architect with more projects he could handle. More power!

I am reminded of Jay Leno’s Headlines segment on his show. Here’s what happens when lay-out artists screw up their work. (All images - from Inq7.net)

Finally, the Philippines win the SEAG and we see “Hello” Garcillano’s pic. Not very festive.

So everyone’s celebrating our winning 113 ++ gold medals and being champion on the SEAG. I’m probably right in saying we only won because our government didn’t have to pay airline tickets and lodging for our athletes. Thus, we are able to have unlimited delegation. The best airline tickets the government could probably afford to send our delegates to Cebu might just be from Asian Spirit. Asian Spirit Airlines, Fly like an Asian, Land like a Spirit!


But it's not our athletes’ fault our government could only support our politicians’ European getaways. Our athletes did beat the competition fair and square. Thailand is stipulating we’ve been fixing games etc. I can’t blame them though. Our government is the country’s primary endorser of cheating.


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From Harbie. It's always nice to give memes, collabs and quizzes a shot for instant blog-fillers.

1.What time did you get up this morning?
6:20 am

2. Diamonds or pearls?
Diamonds

3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema?
The Exorcism of Emily Rose

4. What is your favourite TV show?
CSI is the constantly running show right now. I also like watching Panday, Darna, Kampanerang Kuba and Vietnam Rose - Not! I do watch Pinoy Big Brother and Studio 23's "F" and D-Tour, 24 and Alias too.

5. What did you have for breakfast today?
N/A

6. What is your middle name?
Dela Torre

7. Favourite cuisine?
Chinese and grilled meats.

8. What foods do you dislike?
Almost anything that swims.

9. Favourite drink of the month?
Robitusin for dry cough.

10. What is your favourite CD at the moment?
UltraelectromagneticJam and my chillout cds.

11. What kind of car do you drive?
1975 Colt Galant.

12. Favourite sandwich?
Meaty, greeny leafy ones. I've sampled Subway's chicken sandwich but Wendy's is an all-time fave.

13. What characteristic do you despise?
Narrow-mindedness, pride-pride-pride, being untrue to oneself...

14. Favourite item of clothing?
Can't figure the question. I usually wear polos or polo-shirts and the occassional jacket and slacks, khaki or jeans.

15. If you could go anywhere in the world on vacation where would you go?
I love the weather here so it's gonna be Palawan or Bora.

16. What colour is your bathroom?
White (supposedly), light apple-green and blue-grey.

17. Favourite brand of clothing?
Oxygen has the best fits. Also go for Colours, Folded n' Hung and I'll try out Bizaare because they have small sizes. :p

18. Where would you retire to?
I'd probably be sick anywhere in the world where the weather isn't compatible to my respiratory system so - Manila.

19. Favourite time of the day?
7pm onwards. Basically TV, dinner and kwentuhan time.

20. What was your most memorable birthday?
When I was 2nd year high school. I think that was my 'coming of age' thing.

21. Where were you born?
Family Clinic at Manila.

22. Who do you least expect to send this back to you?
N/A. I don't forward email, messages etc. I don't care if people will die because of that.

23. Person you expect to send it back first?
N/A

24. What fabric detergent do you use?
Surf... and the liquid detergent princess Leah bought.

25. Are you a morning person or a night person?
Refer to the name of this blog. Or is this a naughty question?

26. What is your shoe size?
Is this a naughty question as well? The one I'm currently wearing says 7.5

27. Do you have any pets?
Does stuffed toys count?

28. Any new and exciting news you'd like to share with friends and family?
Not much this time.

29 . What did you want to be when you were little?
I wanted to be in any profession as long as I'm still an artist. I guess at least I got my dream.

30. How often do you get a haircut?
Once every 3 months.

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'Tagging', princess Leah, Sigrid, Richard, Mayday, Merlin, Gretch, Emma and whoever comes accross here - your turn.

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What is it with women and weddings? Ok, ok, lemme rephrase that… What is it with women and thinking that marriage equates to happily-ever-after?

Story: I know a couple who’s been driving each other nuts everyday. Yeah, that’s D-A-I-L-Y. They broke up twice this year and the last breakup was 2 months ago. They got back together just recently and been at it again – killing each other by the day. They plan to marry next year.

Talking to the girl, she apparently expects the guy to change “over time”. Yeah, like that will happen. Fact: People don’t change after they graduate high school. They just mature. Yeah, murderers and thieves can walk away from their past lifestyle but their personalities remain.

Somehow, the girl expects the guy eventually to be less insecure, less jealous of every other guy who sends her sms and let her wear clothes that are actually considered fashionable, sexy and trendy. Apparently, he’s so conservative. In my book (which is almost always correct), those self-titled “conservatives” are the real infidel maniacs.

Somehow, a lot of women think this way, like all their problems with their boyfriends (infidelity, insecurity, jealousy, beer, smoking, over-spending etc.) will evaporate when they get married. They should just as well believe in Santa.

The way you are as a couple is an approximation of your married lives. If you expect things will change after marriage then you are either a disillusioned girl (or guy even) or a mental twit. Some of my friends are married and very happy. That’s because they are good at choosing their partners.

Another girl I know is pushing to go to Disneyland, Hongkong and get married there. Ok, we know that women are hard-wired to want Hollywood weddings but unfortunately not all of them have Hollywood wallets. This girl is borrowing money from credit card cash advances, loans and her relatives. The poor guy she is marrying is forced to do as much loaning just to give her her dream wedding. I’ve seen this thing in Oprah – A couple have just been married for one year and they are already in debt because they paid for a wedding they couldn’t afford in the first place. That couple has been driving each other crazy about money ever since they walked out of their honeymoon suites. This is a disaster waiting to happen. Soon the wife will blame (nag, bitch around) the husband for not being able to support the family financially and he gets frustrated and goes to another less-demanding girl for a stress-relieving fuck. Yippee. An asian masseuse with a happy-ending.

No matter what I tell these two friends of mine, they ain’t hearing me. These women are headed straight for their “dream” married-life down at Wysteria Lane. Say “hi” to Teri Hatcher for me.


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