Today, I am traveling to La Union with our neighbor Ria. On Friday, we'd be going to Urbiztondo Beach in the town of San Juan to watch the Surfing Break. We will just be attending the first day of the festival, and the next day we will travel to Vigan City.

I won't be bringing my net book, so I am on a blog holiday 'til I get home on the 31st. See you all then!

*** Jenn ***

This week on Tuesday Couch Potatoes, we are celebrating "Life's Gastronomic Pleasures," and my most favorite movie with the food theme has got to be this:





Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory (1971). A film based on a Roald Dahl book, "Charlie and the Chocolate Factory," the story was about Willy Wonka, owner of the most famous chocolate factory, who opened the gates of his factory to five lucky winners of the golden tickets, which can only be found inside a Wonka bar. Among the kids who dreamt of winning the ticket was Charlie, a poor boy who lives in a shanty with his parents and grandparents. He was lucky to have won the last of the five tickets, and together with his grandfather, they toured inside the factory with 4 other winners (and one adult companion) coming from different parts of the world.

I first got to watch this movie through the betamax tape our neighbor lent us. As a kid it was difficult for me to understand most of the words, but a great thing about kids' movies is that you can just watch it and be amazed with it. When I watched it, I also started day dreaming of the Wonka factory being real, and wished I could tour inside it - bearing the lessons of the movie of course.

What I loved about this movie was the lessons it impart. It taught viewers to listen, honor their parents, and dream. I liked how each of the kids were taught a lesson because of their bad attitude, and I also liked that Charlie did something bad, too, but he made up for it by talking to Willy Wonka about it.

This story was remade in 2005, which I watched on the big screen, but despite the new technology, I still preferred the old version much more. I guess the simplicity and the fact that the old movie made me dream about a magical chocolate factory was something that will always be a part of my childhood. However, I so much love the Oompa Loompas on the new movie.

"Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" starred Gene Wilder as was directed by Mel Stuart.

And yes, it really was scrumdidilyumptious!

*** Jenn ***

I am a bit delayed in posting life events here on my blog, so I will just go 3-in-1 for my post this week; I just have a lot of happiness going on in my life! :)


09 October 2010

My sister often times crave for spaghetti, and for this day my brother fulfilled her wish. I love spaghetti, too, but when I went to the dining area to eat, I was surprised to see our cat Orange-y on the table, so behaved. Normally, we always cover the foods on the table because the cats would eat the foods if we don't, but on this day Orange-y seemed to just watch for the food. The whole situation just looked so cute, I just had to take a picture, even if our table was a bit messy (I forgot to take out the empty container). I tried to lure the cat with some spaghetti, and although he came to smell the food on my fork, he basically just stayed in the table and didn't do anything nasty.




11 October 2010

Here's a story about peanuts: My brother once went to the market and decided to buy some peanuts for mom and I. He actually forgot to give it to us, as he was more focused on cooking the foods for dinner. When it was dinnertime, my mom didn't eat much and said she was a bit full because she had some "snacks." My brother then remembered there were peanuts, and when he looked for it, he realized mom ate all the peanuts by herself. He was teasing my mom about it and kiddingly (and sweetly) asked why didn't mom save some for me. It was the start of the peanut story - quite a few times we would tease mom about it, and mom would just smile "devilishly," as if she was this misfit kid who did a little prank, which really made us all have a great laugh.

On this day, I found a little bag half-filled with peanuts on the computer desk. I didn't ask for it anymore - I knew it was mom who put it there. Of course, I gave her a hug and a kiss for the peanuts, and we were laughing all over again.


12 October 2010

It was sister's day off. We have planned to go church hopping in Manila City, but it rained a lot, so she canceled it. She was feeling a little bored in the house, though, so for lunch we decided to go to the mall and eat. After lunch, we just went strolling in the mall, and our feet took us at the shoe department. We don't normally try on shoes because most on display were size 6 & 7, but... if we saw something that would fit us (sis is size 8, I am size 9), we sure would try it.

My sister loves the high heeled shoes, and her seeing quite a few designs with size 9 on display (she would normally go a size higher when she shops for high heeled shoes), she decided to give some a try. I had my digital camera in my bag, but I don't want the mall staff to come up to me and say taking pictures aren't allowed (just in case), so I just took out my cell phone and tried to take pictures of my sister wearing the shoes secretly.


Because of my size, I don't really go for high heeled shoes (sometimes when I do self portrait shoots in our house I would just borrow sister's shoes), but I saw some flats with my size, I took one and tried it on, too. I think this was the first time I wore blue shoes, and I was actually trying to find either a yellow or a red pair, because it's a life dream of mine to wear shoes of that colors. Well, I didn't find any, but the blue one was okay enough.


My sister tried on different pairs, but this was my favorite. It looked elegant and it looked great on her legs. My sister loved all the pairs she tried - said it felt as if she was wearing flats, but her favorite was the first one she wore because this dark brown one felt a little itchy on her achilles' heel, maybe because of the zipper.

Obviously, we didn't buy any - we were just passing by and we just wanted to try on some shoes. As shallow as we were, we already found happiness in trying it on and taking pictures - somehow it made us think we owned the shoes for that particular moment.

Most people are about as happy as they make up their minds to be.
- Abraham Lincoln

*** Jenn ***

08 October 2010

The daughter of one of mom's office mates is a manager of Cafe City 1888, located in SM City Fairview. Mom has eaten quite a lot of times there - often times with office mates, so I have been interested in eating here, especially that mom has raved so much about their foods. I asked mom if we could eat there the next time we eat out, and mom happily asked us to meet her after office hours so we could eat first before doing the grocery.


Dining area. From the outside, I would always wonder how much people can eat inside - since I can only see one table outside, a few tables near the counter, and some tables in the smoking area. Walking inside, I realized they still had a dining area - with about 5 tables, and could seat four people each. Very nice atmosphere - quite secluded, and it felt as if we were just eating at home.




Ice Coolers. This cafe serves UCC Coffee (they're sisters, I think), so we went for their ice coolers. I also ate their carbonara, mom went for their hamburger pockets, and brother had a plate of lengua estofado (or was it estofada). To share, we also gave their pizza a taste.

Food was really good, but I didn't like their pizza much, maybe because they used chunky tomato sauce, and that their pizza was of the thin crust kind, which I don't really prefer. Still, I do agree with mom's ravings. Would I eat here again? Of course, but I guess I will have to wait a little longer before coming back here. After all, we still haven't visited all the food shops in SM Fairview, might as well try those first. :)

I had a great food trip with my mom and brother. Since sister cannot be with us, we just took home some foods for her, which she ate for breakfast the following day.

*** Jenn ***

Day 06 - Something you hope you NEVER have to do

Life is unfair, they say, and for some reasons, I do believe in that. Why can't just everybody be rich and famous, eh? Hahahaha.. of course, if everybody would be the same, then this world will be one big boring place.

Last week, I listed things I hoped I could do in my life. Now, it's the opposite. Going to the fun side of things, I hope never have to...

... Pay Bills. Like yeah... it would be so great if I can just use the utilities for free!

... Exercise. If only I can sit all day and still lose weight.

... Gargle in the Morning. I do get jealous of people who don't have bad morning breath...but I guess only the people on TV shows and movies don't have it. :)

... Shave. I have a cousin and a former classmate who never had armpit hairs. The hair fairy loved them.

... Work. I remember, one of my former bosses told us, "When you were asked why you applied, don't tell you needed work. Who wanted to work anyway? The correct answer will always be because you needed money." Even I, if I have a gazillion of money, I would really stop working and just use the money in making myself better, while helping other people in need.

Well, these are just some of the many things that I would be happy if I don't get to do it, but yes, these are part of my life, and as unpleasant as they are, even if a fairy would grant these wishes, in time I would miss it, too.

On to the more serious side of things. I hope I never have to...


... Beg for Money. There are many factors why people end up having to sit at one corner and hope people passing by would give them some alms. I cannot speak for them, for I don't know their story, but I really hope I don't end up like them.

... Find Myself in a Compromising Situation. Life is made up of choices and decisions, and I always pray that I may be able to live my life as laid-back as possible. Not that I don't have the zest for adventure, but I like to be in the safe side.

... Bury a Loved One. When my paternal grandfather died, I was only 12, so even if I was sad and painful, I could say that the degree of hurt wasn't as high. When my dad died nearly four years ago, I was really devastated. I have accepted his death, but seeing the coffin go down the ground and seeing soil being dumped signaling that it was the end of it, it was a bit difficult for my heart and emotions to bear. I know this is impossible, for all of us will die when our time's up, but really, this is something I hope I never have to do again.

... Marry a Frog. Simply put, marrying the wrong man. I am still single, so I really hope that if it's in the cards for me to get married, I would marry a man who is his own self, but is someone who compliments well with my complex attitudes and interests.

... Lose One of My Senses (or lose a part of me). Hair, nails, and teeth would be okay, but I really hope I don't lose my sight or taste or feelings... or that I don't lose a hand (even a finger), and/or a foot and other parts of my anatomy. I hope I don't lose my memory, too. Having Alzheimer's is something I fear the most.

... See My Mom Get Hurt. My mom always has been the quiet one. When she's feeling something (except feeling pain like head ache or back ache), she won't really tell it unless we would force her to spill it out. I rarely see my mom cry, but when she does, it hurts me a lot.

... Live Alone. Human are social beings. As independent as I think I can be, having to live alone will be the saddest thing anyone can do.

... Lose My Willingness to Live. I really love my life, and I really hope I don't lose that sense of love for living my life. I am not rich, but I am not poor either. There are so many things I want to do in my life, and I just hope nothing will come that will blow this feeling I have.

... Stop Doing the Things I Love. I am a life artist, and life is my canvass. Asking me to stop taking pictures, or exploring places, or cooking foods for myself and my family would be like taking away my arm or my foot, or my heart.

It would really be wonderful if life would be smooth sailing, but of course problems and trials happen to mold us become stronger, wiser, and better people. I just hope that if ever something bad or negative came my way, I may be able to find myself out of the situation and correct things back to normal again.

Next Sunday - Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for.

*** Jenn ***

Continuing with the All About Me meme...

#13 - A Fictional Book

If there is one fictional book I would like to own and/or read, it would have to be "Daddy Long Legs," by Jean Webster.


It is a story about an orphan named Judy Abbott, who had the chance to study college with the help of a benefactor she nicknamed "Daddy Long Legs," after seeing a glimpse of his shadow.


Actually, it was through the local television that I got to learn about this story - there was a Japanese anime shown some years back (I cannot recall if I was high school or college when I first watched it), and I just fell in love with it. I loved the characters, the wit, the storyline, and yes, the ending. It was so amazing that all things came to full circle. Very touching, indeed.

While writing this post, I made a quick search, and was happy and thankful to have found an e-book version from Google. I may not own the book, but at least I can read it. As for the anime version, I am already looking forward to the annual gifts and toys festival in December, I just hope someone will sell a copy of the anime series.

#14 - A Non-Fiction Book


As for the Non-Fiction Book, I would share this book, "The Friendship Factor" by Alan Loy McGinnis. The first time I saw the book was through a college classmate, and knowing it wasn't an expensive of a book, I decided to find and buy myself a copy.

It wasn't a favorite book, but I love it. I don't own that much books, but I do love reading those self-help books, and this is something I read over and over again. I am one of those people who has difficulty in opening up and making friends, and although I have read this quite a few times I still have to master what the friendship factor is. :)

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*** Jenn ***

I don't like watching horror/suspense/thriller shows and films, but when I do watch shows and films of this genre, I always see to it that I am watching it in broad daylight, because it's very easy to scare me.

In college, I got to meet Venus, a classmate who lives quite near our place. Since the university was far from our location, we sometimes travel home together, and the more than an hour commute allowed us to exchange different stories. She's the bookworm classmate I have, and she just loves reading thriller books! It was through her I learned the stories of Cujo and the Clown (both were characters from Stephen King's novels, "Cujo" and "It"). While she doesn't lend her books that easily, she let me borrow this book, just to get me starting with the suspense stories.

"Tales From the Crypt" was a book about 5 people who found themselves in the purgatory and while there, they were asked about their stories. The book has about 5 mini stories, and among the five stories, it was the very first one that made my heart pound... it was a story of a wife who killed her husband on Christmas Day. On that day, too, a killer was on the loose and disguised himself as a Santa Claus. As she takes her time to get rid of her husband's body, she got the shock of her life when the killer was already inside their house because her daughter let Santa Claus in. The stories weren't as creepy as the novels written by Stephen King and/or Anne Rice, but me imagining the scenes as I read it really gave me the creeps. Other stories in the book were about a cursed monkey figure that gives the owner three wishes, a man who ran a shelter for the blind... and the others I forgot already.

This book was turned into a film, and I guess I have seen similar adaptations of this story in some local TV shows.

Obviously, I still haven't returned the book... if Venus finds her way into this blog, she can just ask me to return it. Hahahaha.

*** Jenn ***