This week's questions were stolen from W.T.F. Here are my answers:

1. One of my favorite TV shows recently changed the actors who played two characters. Have you ever been bothered by a TV show or movie series changing actors who play a character you love?
> I would feel sad, yes, but that would not stop me from watching the series, because I watched it mainly because of its story and not because of its characters. An example... I loved "Grey's Anatomy" the moment a local TV network aired it, and for the first two seasons of the show, I really loved Isaiah Washington's character (Dr. Preston Burke), and I was so sad to learn that he (the actor) got dismissed because of his actions against fellow show actor, and his character has to be taken off the show. Still, the show is now on its 8th season, and I am still a big fan of it! I understand that actors' contracts end - some get renewed others aren't, and as long as the whole story of the show serves its purpose, I will still continue watching it.

2. A coworker recently shared a link to a blog listing the "five things you should know before dating a journalist." As a journalist, I can honestly say the writer was spot-on. What are some things people should know before spending time with you?
> That I can be a little quiet at first, but as time goes by, I can actually be a wacky person.

3. What is something you often do without realizing that you're doing it?
> Biting the hard skin on the sides of my nails. I don't like seeing people biting their nails (at times I would stop them if I see them - if I know them personally, of course), but at times I just see myself biting the skin on the sides of my nails, especially when I am thinking of what to write.

4. Who has the capacity to make you angrier than anyone else in your life, and what in particular does he or she do to make you so angry?
> There is no one in particular, and I do have a long patience (I do get disappointed and annoyed easily, but I don't get angry that quick), but if someone would do things to insult me (or my family) or test my patience by bullying me and keep doing it, time will come that I will really get angry.

5. If a fairy waved a magic wand and gave you the house of your dreams, where would it be and what features would it have?
> Ahhh.... a small bungalow (two bedrooms) with a spacious kitchen, a place where I can use the computer and hopefully do scrapbook layouts - with a good lighting and ventilation at the countryside near a body of water (particularly a picturesque river or pond or maybe a beach) where I can plant vegetables and flowering plants. While it is located at the countryside, I sure want it to also be near (at least a ride away) from the school, hospital, marketplace / shopping center), and the house should have an Internet connection. :)

6. What’s a belief that you hold with which many people disagree?
> Hmmmm... I can't think of any.

7. I used to talk in my sleep. In fact, I could carry on a conversation with someone when I was fully asleep, and my mom used this fact when I was a teenager to find out if I did anything wrong and was hiding it from my parents. If you were talking your sleep tonight, what do you think you would say?
> Since the All Saints / Souls Day is approaching... probably, I'd speak something about my dad - how sorry I was, how thankful I was that I became his daughter.

8. The fourth installment of the "Twilight" movie series ("Breaking Dawn Part I") will be released in theaters soon. Movie theaters started selling advance tickets for midnight showings months ago. Have you ever attended a midnight premiere showing of a movie?
> I still haven't attended a movie premiere, actually.

9. On Tuesday, tigers, lions and bears were let loose in Zanesville, Ohio, by their owner before he committed suicide, leading to a hunt in which 49 of the animals, including 18 endangered Bengal tigers, were killed. How would you react if you saw "Caution exotic animals. Stay in your vehicle" being displayed on a road sign?
> Do as what the sign says, but will drive around and stop when I see an exotic animal to shoot it.... using my camera. :)

10. If a company opened a theme park aimed at adults, what would you name one of the rides?
> Accckkk... am not good at this!

11. Imagine you just moved onto Sesame Street. Which puppet would you want as your new roommate?
> Ernie and Bert! Or... maybe Cookie Monster, so he can have all my cookies - he will definitely make a good fitness buddy. Harharhar!

12. Have you ever had a weird crush on a famous person that didn't make sense to you?
> Oh no.

13. If you get ten minutes to interview any celebrity of your choice, who would you like it to be?
> Hanson!

14. You've just won the complete DVD collection of all the movies starring one actor or actress. Which actor/actress would you pick?
> Actor - Robert Downey, Jr. Actress - Kate Winslet.

15. Actor George Clooney recently told People Magazine that he doesn't use Twitter "because I will drink in the evening and I don't want anything that I could possibly write at midnight to actually end my career." What is something you've said through social media and then regretted it?
> None. I stand by everything I say.

16. VH1 has re-introduced its hit show "Pop-Up Video," which gives behind-the-scenes facts for popular music videos. What musician would you be most interested in learning behind-the-scenes facts about?
> Hanson... still. Gosh, I love them!

17. If you stumbled across someone's personal written journal that was accidentally left in a public place, would you read any of the content?
> I guess no. I am already having a difficult time managing my time, I'd rather blog and edit pictures and do my assignments rather than read a journal.

18. What is the title of a self-help book that you'd never want to see on a store bookshelf?
> "How to Turn Yourself into a Doormat"

19. Many media outlets have been asking this question a lot this week... Which Halloween costume do you think will be overdone this year?
> Not sure.

20. Should a marriage license have a renewal date or expiration date, like a driver’s license?
> Of course not! There are so many things that are renewable, let marriage be something that is for keeps.

Miracles and happiness are just around us, we would just have to take a look at things at a different perspective. Here are just some of the things that brought me joy...


Seeing a Two-Toned Euphorbia. Sister and I still hasn't walked to and around Colinas Verdes, but I still was able to walk, thanks to the trips to the market. I am now trying to eat at least one kind of vegetable everyday, and I am just thankful that the marketplace is walking distance from our house; I can buy fresh ingredients everyday.

While walking home from the market, I saw this Euphorbia plant. The plant is something not new to me, but I often see single colored flowers, and this one just caught my attention right away because it was two-toned. Good thing I had my cell phone with me that time! :)


My Asthmatic Sister. Weather here is quite bizarre...it's so hot and humid every afternoon, then come night time, the wind is cool. My sister's asthma doesn't attack that often, but this week, the sudden change of temperatures surely affected her. The day I took this picture, I just finished a workout routine. She just woke up, and because she needed some comfort, she immediately went to me to ask for a hug. I gave her a quick hug and after she sat on my lap. I took out my cell phone and took this picture, and we were both laughing when we saw how "awful" she looked. It became a good start to her day, and we were both thankful her condition got better come lunch time.

She is now very okay, though she sleeps wearing a bonnet because the cold wind during the wee hours is what causes her asthma attacks.


Cooking a New Recipe. Being a food blogger, I don't just blog about my food trips and the events I attend to, I also share recipes I cooked in our kitchen. Thanks to the booklet of recipes given to me at an event, I was able to cook this chicken dish (recipe HERE).


Meeting Our Own Ms. Universe. The other night, I attended the Bloggers' Meet and Greet with Ms. Shamcey Supsup (2011 Miss Universe 3rd Runner Up) at Pizza Hut Glorietta 4. Not only were we able to meet her, she was also the one who served our pizza. Aside from the great food and the great event, I was so thankful to the prize they gave sister and I for being the earliest birds that day.


A New CD. If you recall my post last Tuesday about me winning an Andrea Corr CD+DVD, I just would like to share that I just received the package this afternoon. I was already expecting the package, but I was still surprised that it arrived today, because when I gave my address, the sponsor of this prize told me she'd send me another message if the package is already in transit. Not receiving a message from her made me think she was either waiting for the other winners to send their address or she was was anticipating the long weekend, so I surely was surprised to receive this. I still haven't listened to it, but am already excited to turn on my CD Radio. :)

I am now looking forward to the long weekend... I was supposed to be in La Union today to watch the Surfing Break (an annual surfing festival) and visit my dad's grave in time for the All Saints Day, and possibly a trip to Ilocos Norte before traveling home, but I cancelled the trip due to financial constraints. Well, my dad is not forgotten; my brother is traveling to La Union tomorrow night, and as long as there is one member of the family to light a candle for him, all is alright.

I wasn't able to join Girls Talk this month, so before I go to this week's prompt, let me just make a quick answer to the first two prompts.

> Funny food names for me include the Ilocano food - Poque Poque, Kabatiti, Warek Warek, and Utong... maybe because it sounds the same as some of Tagalog words. One other food that I find amusing (not totally funny though) is Budbud Kabog, a Visayan suman made of millet seeds.

> Kitchen dreams? Well, our kitchen isn't that elegant... in fact we set up a dirty kitchen (adjacent to the kitchen inside - where we store the plates and cooked food in pots), because cooking inside the house would cause the whole house to smell. Our original house wasn't that big, so when we had sister and that brother and I were growing up, parents decided to have a house renovation to make way for brother's room as well as widening the living room. It resulted in poor air circulation, so we cook outside where air is free flowing.

I do wish that in the future, we could have a kitchen makeover - maybe have a gas range with hood so we can cook inside the house (it sucks cooking outside during windy days). I also wish to have an oven because it is a dream to bake my own pastries, for special occasions. I don't really wish more as to how the kitchen will look like - as the whole house has its own color motif, just to have a spacious, easy to clean kitchen is enough for me, after all, it's not about how lavish the kitchen is, but the food that matters most.




It's still October, but pretty soon, it's Christmas once again. When I was a kid, mom would just prepare pansit bihon, macaroni salad and gelatin for Christmas... and when I was in high school, we would just wait for what the neighbors will give us for Noche Buena, since we will just sleep right after - no need to prepare that much. What we normally do is to prepare lots for Christmas Lunch, and as the years passed, parents have given us siblings total control in the kitchen.

These two pictures were taken in 2006. This (I think) was the time when sister and I hailed "kitchen queens" because we prepared the main dishes: she cooked Pork Pina Rolls, while I cooked Chicken Inasal (my first time to cook and taste the dish) and Penne with Mangoes. All the dishes tasted great, so the following years, we would be the ones cooking. Sister and I would take charge during Christmas, brother would take care of New Year's Day.

This year, I am planning to go a little healthier than the usual ultra-caloric food served during the holidays. This early, choices in my list include:

• Spinach Ravioli
  
• Penne with Pumpkin (Squash) Sauce
  
• Cabbage Rolls
  
• Haianese Chicken
  
• Grilled Spice Coconut Chicken

Obviously, that's not the complete list of choices, but whatever I decide to cook, I would go for 1 pasta dish, 1 main dish, and 1 dessert. It's a staple for us to have Buco-Pandan salad as well as hamon de bola, so I might not think of a dessert dish anymore, but if I find something that is healthy, then I might go for it.

I can't pig out anymore - even if it's Christmas and all have the "license" to be merry, so I have to make my choices good this year.

Life was a bit slow in the sense that I am not going out that much, just because I prefer not to eat out and I don't want to spend much. Even so, there something that made me uber happy this week:

Winning the Andrea Corr "Lifelines" CD+DVD care of MommyWrites. This was a very unexpected win (as the winner was based on Random.Org), but of course I am very happy about it.

I have heard of this giveaway back then, but I forgot to bookmark it and I wasn't able to join. Since the author behind MommyWrites became a friend of mine in Facebook, I got to read her status saying she extended the deadline as she was giving away four sets of CD+DVD, and there were only three who followed the directions correctly. I quickly checked her blog and did all the steps to join the giveaway. I forgot when the draw will be, so I was so surprised to see this message on my Facebook wall.

I always think I don't have luck during contests (especially if the winner is randomly picked) and raffles, but I keep joining because of this principle - "The Law of the Seed." Reposting an inspirational article I first posted on my Multiply account in 2006:

Take a look at an apple tree. There might be five hundred apples on the tree, but each apple has just ten seeds. That's a lot of seeds!

We might ask, "Why would you need so many seeds to grow just a few more apple trees?"

Nature has something to teach us here. It's telling us: "Not all seeds grow. In life, most seeds never grow. So if you really want to make something happen, you had better try more than once."

This might mean:
You'll attend twenty interviews to get one job. You'll interview forty people to find one good employee. You'll talk to fifty people to sell one house, one car, one vacuum cleaner, one insurance policy, or a business idea. And you might meet a hundred acquaintances just to find one special friend.

When we understand the "Law of the Seed", we don't get so disappointed. We stop feeling like victims. We learn how to deal with things that happen to us.

Laws of nature are not things to take personally. We just need to understand them - and work with them.

IN A NUTSHELL
Successful people fail more often. But they plant more seeds.

When Things Are Beyond your control, here's something that you must NOT DO so as to be happy: You must not decide how you think the world SHOULD be. You must not make rules for how everyone SHOULD behave. Many times, such thoughts can bring you spiraling down into more unhappiness.

On the other hand, let's say you expect that:
Friends SHOULD return favors.
People SHOULD appreciate you.
Planes SHOULD arrive on time.
Everyone SHOULD be honest.
Your husband or best friend SHOULD remember your birthday.

These expectations may sound reasonable. But often, these things won't happen! So you end up frustrated and disappointed.

There's a better strategy. Demand less, and instead, have preferences! For things that are beyond your control, tell yourself:
"I WOULD PREFER "A", BUT IF "B" HAPPENS, IT'S OK TOO!"

You prefer that people are polite...but when they are rude, it doesn't ruin your day.
You prefer sunshine...but if it rains, it is ok too!

To become happier, we either need to:
a) Change the world, or
b) Change our thinking.
It is easier to change our thinking!

IN A NUTSHELL
It is not the problem that is the issue, but rather it is your attitude attending to the problem that is the problem. It's not what happens to you that determine your happiness but rather how you think about what happens to you!
{Source}

Although I don't join every giveaways / contests I see around the blogosphere, I don't really hinder myself to join because winning sure feels so good.

I am now anticipating my CD+DVD. Big thanks to MommyWrites for this great giveaway. Now... I sure hope I win the Anlene Milk giveaway I recently joined. :)

Stay happy, everybody!

I wasn't able to answer the second round of questions, but here are the questions for the third round.

41. What is a quote that you love?
> The quote "Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things that you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover." by Mark Twain will always be my favorite.

42. Do you think of pure hate as something humanity created?
> I think so. We are the ones controlling our emotions, it's up to us if we want to hate or not.

43. When was the last time you wanted to scream?
> I actually forgot.

44. Do you ever at times see the world in black and white?
> Nope. I don't think I am that narrow or shallow, however you want to call it.


45. Have you ever thought that cell phones are too obtrusive?
> At times, but I tend to look at the bright side, so I pay attention more to its benefits.

46. In your life, where do you thank the rainbow will end?
> I guess the question means "think," well... I haven't given it much thought, actually.

47. What is something that you never want to do again?
> What I did 13 years ago.

48.When was the first time you realized the world was small?
> When I found out a college friend of mine is high school classmates with an online friend.

49. How you spend your time contemplating life’s mysteries?
> Before I sleep.

50. Ever discuss your political beliefs with people?
> Not that much.

51. Do you care about the environment?
> Of course.

52. What’s your motto for life?
> "There are two ways to live: you can live as if nothing is a miracle; you can live as if everything is a miracle." - Albert Einstein

53. Is progress destroying the beauty of the world?
> I think so.

54. Do you believe there is life somewhere else in the universe?
> No.

55. Would you like to rule a country?
> Never.

56. Do you believe everything has a purpose?
> Of course. Even a mold or a dog's tick has a purpose why they exist.

57. Is war ever for the best?
> I don't think so.

58. Could you kill anyone in defense of self or loved ones?
> I don't know. I'll cross the bridge when I get there.

59. How do you react to people (Such as Governor Rick Perry) who don't believe global warming is really our fault?
> We are all entitled to our beliefs, opinions, and reactions. It makes the world a little less boring - but that doesn't mean I'd believe in any opinions or beliefs. I am also entitled to my own choice and my own beliefs. :)

60. Does love conquer all?
> Hmmmm.... sometimes it does, at times it doesn't, especially if you're in love with someone who's already taken and would not really leave his/her significant other for you, even if he/she loves you more than their own wives/husbands or gf/bf.

61. Is euthanasia morally acceptable?
> I don't think so.

62. Is world peace impossible?
> Well, I'll go with the cliche, "Nothing's impossible," but then again world peace is something too difficult to reach.

63. Is pride a good or a bad thing?
> It is good; but like all things, too much of it is bad.

64.What do you think is the purpose of your life?
> To be a good person. I guess that's all our general purpose in life, all else (like to be a role model, to inspire) are little extras.

65. Do you believe in karma?
> Oh yes!

Cheers to us thieves!