FEBRUARY 29

February is coming to a close. And I'm getting senti, kilig-senti.

Allow me to re-post my favorite February story, which happened on February 29, eleven years ago (Gosh! Has it been that long ago?!).

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A NOT-SO-BLIND FIRST DATE

When: February 29, 2000*
(A day that comes only every 4 years.

It was part of his “production” plan.)


Where: Uva, Century Imperial Hotel, Quezon City


When I entered Uva, I had the shock of my blind-dating life –

“Is that J?!?”

As questions were spinning through my head, I walked to him.
Then, he handed me The Letter.




Excerpts from The Letter:




“29 February 2000

A,

Honestly, I fear that right after I say “Good Evening,”

you're going to say “Good Night” and walk right out the door.

To deceive you is the last thing I want to do.

If there is any fabricated lie in this set-up,

they are the half-truths about my persona,

to which, I confess to the crime and plead guilty.

If you are at all disappointed or downright disgusted,

I will perfectly understand your predicament.

I have never really pulled a stunt like this before.

I'm not sure you'll love the idea of “shock value,”

but I hope you do not feel betrayed.

It's just that I strongly feel that I will betray you even more

if I pretended to befriend you first,

only to reveal my real intentions later.

Or to just come upfront and ask you out on a date

is even more brazen.

In my limited understanding of my infinitely small world,

this is the only way I know how to be discreet about the situation.

This may be too much to ask but spare me this one night

and I'll spare you the excuses.


If after the night has gone undone,
you still feel that I've wasted your time,
rest assured I will bother you no longer.


So much for the apologies, care for dinner?

J”

I'm a huge fan of the written (and spoken) word.

And J's letter must be the best love letter I've received.

Here was a man – the office toughie whom I hardly talk to – revealing not only his soft side but his feelings for me!

He got me there.

For a moment, I felt like Gwyneth Paltrow playing Lady Viola ,

“Have I found my Shakespeare?”


To say that this supposed blind date was the best date of my life

is an understatement.

(Originally posted on 25 Nov 2008, as my 2nd blog entry.)

ALL RIGHT

This year's Best Picture nominees are proving to be a very interesting batch for me. Saw "The Kids Are All Right" the other day. I enjoyed the family drama. I'm naming Annette Bening's performance as the one thing that stood out.

As for my favorite moment from the film, ito--

Laser (Annette & Julianne's son): I don't think you guys should break up

Nic (Annette): No? Why's that?
Laser: I think you're too old.
Nic: Thanks, Laser.

Me: LOL

I pray J and I don't go through this--

Jules (Julianne): "...marriage is hard... Just two people slogging through the shit, year after year, getting older, changing. It's a fucking marathon, okay? So, sometimes, you know, you're together for so long, that you just... You stop seeing the other person. You just see weird projections of your own junk. Instead of talking to each other, you go off the rails and act grubby and make stupid choices..."

But I really felt Jules' pain and sincerity when the lines were delivered. Kaiyak.

PICTURE PERFECT

Picture this: Hubby loves taking photos while I enjoy posing for the camera.

He's been taking photos of me ever since. But with his photography classes (yes, hindi lang isa), mas dumalas pa. He takes shots of me while I'm asleep, bagong gising, while cooking, while reading, me doing my Fashion School homework, lounging by the pool, at work, etc.

It feels great to be your Hubby's Muse. We know I'm not the most photogenic subject in the world. But in his eyes, I deserve all the close-ups. Awwww. Hope your man has his eyes only on you too. *wink*

Photo by my dear Hubby

Taken at Mamou, Serendra

OUR OSCAR BET

I once lived on George VI Street, in a gated subdivision where the streets are all named after Kings. [Walang FPJ (Da King), Dolphy (King of Comedy) or King Kong, promise. LOL.] So watching "The King's Speech" was extra "personal" for me. Ito pala ang storya ni George.

The story of King George VI of Britain,

his impromptu ascension to the throne

and the speech therapist who helped the unsure monarch

become worthy of it.

(From IMDB)

I'm naming it as my Oscar bet for Best Picture.

I was in awe of the superb storytelling (So focused! You won't be bored by the history.), ang galing ng framing (extreme right or extreme left ang actors), impressive production design, and the brilliant acting (Colin Firth deserves to be Best Actor!). WOW.

I was highly entertained and amused by The Social Network (my bet for the Golden Globe Best Picture, which did win!). But The King's Speech left me...well, speechless.

We'll see if I'm on a roll with my bets. The Oscars airs in three days.

STUDENTS OF LIFE

No matter how one may think himself accomplished,

when he sets out to learn a new language, science, or the bicycle,

he has entered a new realm as truly as if he were a child

newly born into the world. -- FW

J and I are currently enjoying our "working student" lifestyle. I'm in Fashion School. He's taking up Photography and Language Classes. These while we're in the middle of a station launch in our high-stress, at least 11-hours-a-day jobs; with family, friends and church responsibilities, workouts and daily dates in between! (Our school home works range from four to ten items per session ha, hindi pa-isa-isa. Bawal matulog? Haha!)

We both agree that learning (lalo na kung talagang "school" set-up) keeps every one young. I've been mistaken for a "twenty-something" quite a few times in school, while J has always looked younger than his actual age. But beyond looks, it's the young attitude and spirit that give one the ultimate high.

In a recent forum with Jun de Leon, the Master Photographer said -- anyone who feels he knows it all "is done." That kind of person is better dead. So I say "R.I.P." to people unwilling to learn and unlearn.

More words on learning, this time from MHF, "I find four great classes of students: The dumb who stay dumb. The dumb who become wise. The wise who go dumb. The wise who remain wise."

Let's all strive to be students 2 or 4. *wink*

RE-POST: VALENTINE'S DAY

You'd think one of the cheesiest couples on earth is all about about hearts, candies and flowers every 14th of February. Well, Surprise! Surprise! J and I don't do Valentine's Day (aka Extortion Day).

It's no red letter day for us, just our usual Date Day / Night. Last year, we spent it in Baguio with the rest of the clan. Tomorrow, we're nibbling our way to Chinatown for the Binondo Food Wok.

But since V-Day is major for every one else, I won't spoil the fun. No "don't-waste-your-time-and-money-on-Feb-14" rants here. I'm sharing some Love Rules* I can relate to. =)

For Single Women (Been there, done that!)...

"If he likes you, you'll know. If he doesn't, you'll be confused."
--sayitloud, on glamour.com

"Just because some cute girl (or guy) likes the same bizarro crap you do doesn't make her (or him) your soulmate."
--Rachel, in (500) Days of Summer

For Married Women (Living by these rules now!)...

"You need not think alike to love alike."
--Jillian Maxwell, Brooklyn

"All love that has not friendship for its base is like a mansion built upon the sand."
--poet Ella Wheeler Wilcox

"Let there be spaces in your togetherness."
--poet Kahlil Gibran

For every one who loves, I'm sharing our very own Love Rule...

"All or nothing."
--A and J


I'm wishing you all lots of love, any day, every day!

(Originally posted Feb 13, 2010.)

NO HERO

Theres The Rub
Corruption kills

By Conrado de Quiros
Philippine Daily Inquirer
First Posted 04:55:00 02/14/2011

Filed Under: Graft & Corruption, Military, Angelo Reyes, Civil & Public Services, Suicide

Most Read

FIRST OFF, let’s get a couple of things straight.
One is that George Rabusa and Heidi Mendoza, whose revelations sent Angelo Reyes’ life into a tailspin, have nothing to be ashamed of, embarrassed about, or regret. Sonny Trillanes, Jinggoy Estrada and the other senators who hounded Angelo Reyes have no reason to think they should have spared Reyes the public humiliation or taken a more lenient view of his part in the AFP’s shady doings.
Of course Reyes’ family is distraught—who wouldn’t be, losing a loved one in that way—one has to respect that. But that is no reason to be blind to reason, or to throw away all perspective. Rabusa and Mendoza have everything to be proud of, what they did was courageous, Mendoza in particular who had everything to lose but did what she did anyway. Trillanes and Estrada have every reason to hold their heads high, whatever their motives for exposing Reyes, whether they came from a lofty desire to pursue the truth, as their supporters say, or from a base need to exact revenge, as their detractors accuse them of.
Two is that Reyes is not a hero. Self-destruction is not a natural claim to heroism, it is merely a claim to a shred of dignity. It may not be rewarded with honors, it may merely be accorded acknowledgment. Indeed, you go by the principle that flight is an admission of guilt, then you must at least suspect, if not find, Reyes guilty as charged. There is no more resolute form of flight than the permanent one he took.
I agree that Reyes was not the worst of the lot—other AFP chiefs of staff, the ones in particular who showed canine loyalty to Arroyo, got more. I agree that he was not “greedy”—by the established, and crooked, canons of institutionalized theft in the AFP. I agree that he did not take more than his “due” as AFP head—he was little-league compared not just to his military counterparts during Arroyo’s time but to his civilian ones. That did not make him less prosecutable, that just made the others more so.
I don’t know why we accept as commonsensical the proposition that if others are doing what you’re doing, even if it’s wrong, then it must be right. That was of course the argument behind the bishops’ justification of “Hello Garci”: “Everybody cheats anyway.” Well, if true, then the conclusion may not be: “OK, let’s let her off the hook.” The conclusion may only be: “Then let’s jail all the others.” That Reyes was not “greedy” does not let him off the hook, it just clamps the hook more firmly on the others who were. Or it ought to.
Death is an entitlement only to respect, not to revising history or turning the world upside down, making wrong right and right wrong. Suicide is an entitlement only to grudging deference, not to open admiration and a place in Valhalla, or its equivalent in the Libingan ng mga Bayani, however the Libingan ng mga Bayani is home to a host of scoundrels anyway.
But having said that, I do acknowledge that Reyes has contributed epically, if unwittingly, to changing the landscape in the fight against corruption by his act of self-destruction. I suspect it will have a profound impact on the thinking of this country on it.
I do not mean by this that public officials will suddenly, or even gradually, be persuaded to be less venal or less inclined to satisfy their appetites. What Reyes’ act will probably do is just make them more careful. Certainly, I do not mean by this that public officials will suddenly, or even gradually, be persuaded to rid the world of themselves when they find themselves in the throes of disgrace. I doubt you will find the former First Couple entertaining thoughts of a mutually self-inflicted St. Valentine’s Day massacre just because they are seen as no better than the Marcoses. Or Imelda herself.
But even if it merely made public officials less brazen, less barefaced, less in-your-face about their pillage, Reyes’ act will already have amounted to something. If it made public officials more circumspect, more careful, more ashamed to be found out, Reyes’ act will already have done quite a trick. The culture of impunity during Arroyo’s time did not merely blanket mayhem, it blanketed pillage. It wasn’t just murderers who plied their trade in broad daylight, it was highway robbers in gowns and barong Tagalog too. Reyes’ act brings back reprehensibility to what they do.
That is huge, bringing back reprehensibility to what they do. That is where I see the more lasting effect of Reyes’ act—in changing the public’s attitude toward corruption, in changing the public’s tolerance of corruption, in changing the public’s acceptance of corruption as “nothing new.”


What Reyes has done is to make the public realize that corruption kills: It kills the foot soldier who is deprived of his means of survival; it kills the child who is deprived of his means of education. What Reyes has done is make corruption something to be deeply ashamed of, something you apologize to your mother about for suggesting to the world she raised a son or daughter not worthy of her name. What Reyes has done is to make corruption carry with it the most lethal consequences, making us tell our corrupt officials: If you cannot end your life, we will help you do the next best thing, which is to spend life in Munti or Bilibid.
Reyes’ act may not have a tremendous impact on the conduct of public officials, but it will have a tremendous impact on the thinking of the public—which in the end will have a tremendous impact on the conduct of public officials. The only time we’ll really see corruption go is when we start telling our crooks, past and present: “Mahiya-hiya ka naman, bakit hindi ka pa nagpapakamatay?”
Reyes has done us the supreme favor of raising that question from the dead, like Lazarus.

LIFE LESSON #1,888,888

Sometimes,

it's better to be kind

than to be right.

LOVE AND OTHER DRUGS

In case hindi pa obvious sa blog kong ito --

Hello, I'm A. I'm a love addict.

I'm prescribing this movie to every one who loves. *wink*

Jamie Randall (Jake Gylenhaal): Sometimes the things you want the most don't happen and what you least expect happens. I don't know - you meet thousands of people and none of them really touch you. And then you meet that one person and your life is changed.

LIFE PARTNER

A Life Partner...

[A] volunteers to format your 68-page PowerPoint Presentation for Fashion School due in a few hours

[B] surprises you with a book you can use for class

[C] does both -- MY ANSWER! =)

Above: A gift from J

Came home from school

and found this among my fashion books!

(Check out my "hand" bookmark -- a gift from M.)

I'm adding "be each other's cheerleader" to my "Making Marriage Work" list! My hubby's really been very supportive of me attending Fashion School. I'm so touched.

Ako naman, I've always been a proud cheerleader during his Muay Thai classes, during our boxing workouts, and our fun runs. Currently, I'm his number one fan sa kanyang successful weight-loss program. He's lost 20 pounds in 4 months with a workout program and diet he designed himself! All natural, all healthy, no shortcuts.

Any one who's in a relationship where your partner fully supports your dreams (or hobbies) is very blessed. For the nth time I say, we may not be rich, famous or powerful, but with our loving marriage (and family life), WE DO HAVE IT ALL! Maraming salamat po, Ama.

ESTUDYANTE BLUES

Were you also at your most matakaw when you were in college? I was. I remember those blessed days when I could eat two cups of rice every meal and not gain a pound.

I'm back to being a student (currently attending Fashion School) and I'm scared that even my student appetite is back. Yikes! The scariest thing: I know my metabolism has changed. Now, every calorie will go straight to my thighs! Hala!

Last night, after our class "field trip" to Adora for some fashion inspiration, we held class at Lusso (also in Greenbelt). Ang saya! Eating good food (hindi patagong Skyflakes gaya nung college!) while having class. There really was an ongoing discussion, consultation and review while we were having our yummy dinner. =)

Above: MY 6PM DINNER

I had Lusso's Canneloni Bolognese

(Very Good! Rich in flavor but not nakaka-umay.)

and Iced Tea (OK. Uno's still my favorite.)

My bill: around Php470.

Lusso's famous for their Foie Gras Burger, will try it next time.

Class ended at 9pm last night. Met J right after. Just when I thought I'm done with dinner, I'm up for more! We went to Fely J's (still in Greenbelt). But instead of having our all-time favorites -- their adobo (J's fave) and their crispy hito (my fave) -- we decided to try something new. We ordered their Bistek Tagalog (US Angus black beef), P850. It was good. But we both decided that next time, we'll stick to our favorites.

Above: DINNER AGAIN?!

Where are my running shoes?

LUCKY ME!

Eksena sa salon while I was having my hair trimmed yesterday...

Stylist: Kamusta po Mother-in-law n'yo?

(We brought her for some pampering in the same salon a few weeks back.)

Me: She's OK. Try namin siya dalin dito nang mas madalas.

She looked so fresh with her make-up, thanks to you.

Stylist: Ang swerte po ni Mommy, yung anak nya patawa nang patawa. Rare po yun -- anak na lalaki na laging pinapatawa ang nanay.

Me: Actually! Pati Mommy ko lagi nya pinapatawa!

Stylist: Ang swerte nyo po kay Sir.

(I know! *kilig*)

LIFE LESSON #1,888,307

Somebody's "world's best friend" can turn out to be someone else's "two-faced monster!"

A person's "friendliest office mate" may actually be "friendly" because he's a gossipmonger out to spread hearsays (or even lies!) about every one else.

Somebody's "strength" can be another's "queen of all evil!"

BEWARE!