Bede and I just watched this war film and I was kind of surprised how this film was overlooked, never mind the critics, but by the Pinoys themselves.

The story was about how a group of US Army soldiers led by Benjamin Bratt and James Franco, together with a group of Filipino guerillas led by Cesar Montano, rescued 511 American POWs from a Japanese camp in Cabanatuan.

I guess I’m surprised the film was overlooked, not because it was an elaborate award-winning production, but how the Filipinos seem to easily forget our own country’s history. I mean looking at the guerillas I was so proud of them, thinking that any one of the Filipino fighters could have been my lolo, or your lolo. Cesar Montano also did a GREAT job, holding his own in scenes with the American actors. Shempre pogi at pinoy na pinoy ang beauty.

I’m really glad that this movie was made, even if the critics hated it, and it probably bombed in the box office. But as a Filipino, with a lot of war veteran lolos, I got a glimpse of what their life could have been like,  fighting the Japanese in their tsinelas or even barefoot, alongside (maybe even in the frontline of?) the American soldiers. The Filipino veterans truly truly deserve to be rewarded for what they have done to save our small country.

You know at the end of the film, there was the usual what-happened-after text on screen. And it said that during the raid, 2 American soldiers lost their lives, and 21, that’s twenty-one, Filipino guerillas died.

Lolo Juaning Tejada – my grand uncle, Bataan death march survivor

Lolo Celin Tejada – my grandfather, who according to my mom, acted as an interpreter for a Captain Puckett stationed in Iloilo

Lolo Cesar Singson – my grand uncle who just celebrated his 88th(?) birthday, used to tell my father stories about fighting the Japanese, firing a rifle with his eyes closed

Isn’t amazing how technology can affect our daily routine, from home to work, even when we’re on vacation we MUST check how our Mafia wars character is doing, or if our Restaurant City waiters and cooks are all laying down on the floor?

Here’s a quick list of all the games I’m playing right now on FB:

1. Mafia Wars by Zynga – http://apps.facebook.com/inthemafia/



When Bede told me to accept his invitation and join his Mafia, I was like “Mafia what?”. When I finally accepted his invitation, there was no turning back. This is the first game that really got me hooked on FB games and I though I keep saying to myself I NEED to quit it, I just CAN’T. Mafia Wars is a text-based role playing game where you develop your character’s stats like Health Points (HP), Energy, Defense, Offense, Stamina. You earn money and experience points by completing different jobs like “Order a Hit on a Public Official”, you can also be a hired gun and “kill” other people on hitlists, or in randomly generated lists of your peers. Overall, there’s just SO many facets to the game that it’s impossible to describe it in one go, but I highly suggest you go and check it out to experience it for yourself. Repeat after me: Kung pikon ka.. MAS PIKON ako!

2. Restaurant City by Playfish – http://apps.facebook.com/restaurantcity/



So this time it’s Paco who invited me to play this game. Perfect timing after I was attacked by a merciless group in Mafia Wars where they razed my properties because of an idiot girl I put on the hitlist.. Haha. I got so mad but can’t do anything about it and almost wanted to quit Mafia Wars for good. ANYWAY, I digress.

Restaurant City, unlike Mafia Wars, is an extremely pleasant environment (cue: nerves soothing elevator music) where you get to play Restaurant Owner and you get to: design your restaurant, hire your friends to either cook, wait, or clean for you, and upgrade your menu based on ingredients you own. Get more ingredients by trading with other restaurant owners (basically your Facebook friends who are already playing RC are added to your “street”), buy from food stalls for exorbitant amounts of RC money, OR simply visit your RC friends’ restaurants for the first time. I truly LOVED this game and played it maniacally for about 3 weeks, keeping my computer on for as long as possible, “watering” my peeps every thirty minutes and right before we go out of the house, etc. However, it all came to a screeching halt when I reached level 27, when… there’s nothing more that I can do… no more levelling up. Earn more money to redecorate my restaurant I guess? Anyway, I would still highly recommend this game, it’s a good ride… until you get to level 27. They’re currently doing a lot of upgrades to the game and I think it’s still worth checking out.

3. Bejeweled Blitz by PopCap Games – http://apps.facebook.com/bejeweledblitz



I just love the sound effects of this game. Super macho voice: “INCREDIBLE!!!”. You probably played this before in a standalone Flash player or on your PDAs, but Bejeweled has invaded FB! For those who are not familiar with the game, the Bejeweled FB version is a 1 minute game where you need to swap different colored gems to align at least three of the same color. There are different combinations, but typically the faster you complete sets, you get speed bonuses and your score will go much higher. Though it may seem like a solo game, you get to “compete” against your other FB friends, or bring up your team score to … I don’t know what the team score is for, it’s like a raffle or something. Anyway, this is a great time-waster, I suggest you go and play the game on full volume.

4. Texas Hold’Em Poker by Zynga – http://apps.facebook.com/texas_holdem/



I’m not really a Poker player because I don’t really like the concept of gambling, I’d rather keep my hard-earned money close to my chest so as not to needlessly lose any of it. I like Texas Hold’em Poker however, because it gives you a daily supply of poker chips to keep you playing, with bonuses depending on the number of friends you have on the game (incentive to invite more people). There are different “casinos” you can go to, and each casino has a wide range of tables you can play in. Low stakes of only 5/10 poker chips, and you have high stakes tables where bets are minimum 5000? You play against other players, even from other networks like TAGGED, which brings to the game  a kind of social interaction that’s much like the MIRC chatrooms of the past. If you like Poker and meeting new people, this is the perfect game for you.

I have a gazillion more recommendations for you but these are my top 4. The following are games that I have already played, got bored, or I’m still trying it out:

5. Real Estate Tycoon
6. Yoville
7. FarmTown
8. Pet Society – kinda scared to try this one, I know a LOT of people are hooked

Facebook just brings a whole new dimension to gaming: Social Interactivity! All of these games would require you to “fight” against other players, or work together as a team. Either way, I think kids and adults today are just so easily hooked. I mean there ARE other Massively Multiplayer Online Role Playing Games or MMORPGs out there, but Facebook just makes it more ACCESSIBLE. With just one click, you and your friends are taken to a totally different world where you can waste time away… and just have fun!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I am so tired and worn out from all the anxiety this problem has given me. I will try my damndest to get this story out there. Something should be done about this issue since the banks are getting away with it! The following is a letter I sent via BDO’s feedback page (OF COURSE there’s no email address you can write directly to for complaints)

—————————————————–

I am a BDO depositor via a payroll account, and I hope this message reaches the HV dela Costa branch manager, as well as the president of the bank.

Last February 25, 2009, I tried to withdraw P18,000 from the Pasong Tamo branch and without dispensing the money, the entire amount was debited from my account. It has been 5 banking days already and, as promised by the CSR I talked to, my money should have been credited back to my account by now.

I hope you understand that this kind of service is UNACCEPTABLE and this bank has literally cost me loss of income, almost my entire half month’s salary. Regular customers like myself have rents due, electricity bills to pay, and food I need to put on our table!

I will file complaints with DTI, SEC, and other consumer groups within the week especially if my money, which I have worked HARD for, is still not returned to me by Friday. I sincerely hope that this kind of “red tape” is seen by the higher-ups and something should be done about it. I have read and heard a lot of “debit without dispense” incidents from co-workers and friends, and your bank owes it to us as your customers, to fix this problem for good.

Decided to post some of my digi scraps here. Caption reads “Our roots says we’re sisters but our heart says we’re friends. Rose and Ren ‘08″. This is for my two sisters who really are the best of friends.

I am miserable today. Miserable miserable misery. The only thing that keeps me sane is writing down my thoughts. It’s like exorcising the turmoil inside of me through pen and ink, or digitized photons and keyboard, whatever tickles your fancy.

The reason I’m miserable is that my boyfriend left me. Well, not for good, but only for a few days to visit his family. Ha ha. Sheesh I know how that sounds believe me, I can’t help it though. We’re crazy in love and being apart is like taking a whole chunk out of each other. Oh gawd the self pity, cliche, lovesick misery is killing me, and I’m sure it’s killing you right now too. Ha ha. That’s what you get for coming here, please come back though this is only a temporary phase.

Here’s what I recommend if you are in my situation:

1. Write him a soppy blog entry and tell him how you feel. Ha ha. The thing with Bede is that we’re  surgically attached at the hip so one blog entry is definitely not enough. I want to tell him EVERYTHING that’s happening to me. Even the mundane dream that I have about me and my sister roller skating in body tight outfits knocking each other down, but that’s a totally different therapy session.
2. Write him a letter every time you miss him. I already wrote two and he only left 12 hours ago! So to prepare myself, I took out all my scrapbook papers and my Sharpie colored pens, and a big roll of Sanicare toilet paper (I ran out of perfumed Kleenex). There should be a short slobbery novel when he gets back.
3. Cook your favorite food. OK so I tried making my ultimate fave, baked ziti! It ended quite badly though, let me just say, dumping a whole lot of flour in butter will NOT make white sauce, I’d call it white clay if I haven’t poured a whole lot of milk to make it, white.. watery substance. Bede come back soon or else I will die from food poisoning.
4. Listen to Guns n Roses. OK do this but skip the songs Don’t Cry (coz it will make you cry) November Rain (coz it’s November and I want to cry) Patience (”shed a tear coz I’m missing you”), which will pretty much leave you with Civil War, Knockin on Heaven’s Door, Welcome to the Jungle, and Yesterdays, which will probably leave you more depressed, opressed, and… very angry at the world. Damn you world! Listen to Eheads na lang, they’re like music comfort food.

E.T. Heart

I’m miserable. I miss my best friend, my labs, my protector, my comedian, my artist, my poet, my downloader of torrents, my chatmate, my DOTA partner and teacher, my personal photographer, my personal chef, my bebeh, my soulmate.

Takit na mata kuu…

Edit: Bede is back from his trip! Reunited and it feeels so gooood! Haha.. OK sorry for subjecting you guys to the soppiness of the entire situation. It’s great to feel whole again, yehey! Thanks to my brave friends who read this entry.

Ever since I got my digital SLR I’ve been struggling with getting just the right exposure for my pictures. Too often I get photos that are too dull and dark, even opting for Manual mode didn’t do the trick. Here’s a sample shot of my pink piggy, Av mode F1.8 @50mm.

Pink Pig - Exposure Compensation 0 step

One day I got fed up and searched “400D dull colors” on Google. They’re pretty much saying the same thing, try and move the exposure compensation around a bit (this only works for advanced modes like Av and Tv, and not Manual).

Exposure Compensation – Av for example relies on your camera’s meter to adjust which speed setting to use to match the aperture you wanted, saaay F1.8 @50mm. Exposure Compensation tells your camera to adjust its “perfect exposure” one or two steps away from 0, depends on how you set it.

* Gah, where’s my manual? Uy pun not intended. *

For 400D, and most Canon users, you can compensate your exposure by using the +/- button while moving the wheel thing near the shutter button. Voila! You can have your camera take slightly over-exposed or under-exposed photos depending on how much light you want to take in, because sometimes your camera meter does not give you the “perfect” pictures like your standard point n shoot. Here’s a sample pic of the same pig which I’m submitting for Pretty Pink Tuesdays:

Pink Pig - Exposure Compensation +1.3 step

* Geez I pay so much for a camera and it doesn’t give me perfect pictures? Photos are better from my Sony HSC-2!*

Ehr, that’s why it’s called a professional camera because of it’s versatility. My pic above is NOT perfect but it sure looks better and if I learn how to set my camera correctly, I could probably get a better result. Get to know your equipment a little bit more to get great photos out of it. Read the manual, observe the histogram.

XOXO

I’m super excited for our Boracay trip three weeks from now. It’s only a short vaca, 3 days 2 nights, but it’s been a while since I’ve been on the island. Growing up in Iloilo where Bora is only a few hours away, we’ve been visiting the island since 1986, during its pre-commercial, pre-hyped days. Eventually, the trips lost its excitement and we only go there when there are weddings, sightseeing relatives from abroad, and other family events.

It’s different now though because it’s Bede’s first trip to Bora (yehey!) and we’re bringing along two of my bestest friends so I just have a good good feeling about this trip. On to my shopping list:

1. Snorkel gear - On a limited budget this one’s kind of a luxury item. I had a Speedo set but it’s probably back home in Iloilo so it’s too late and expensive to have it sent to me. Can’t decide between Speedo, Mares, or Dorfin but it’s sure going to set you back at least 1.5kPHP (30USD). We’re both water babies so I think it’s a must have for a nice snorkeling trip (boting ma’am boting?). Flippers are very optional unless you decide to explore on your own. I’d highly recommend the boat trip though, they’ll take you to the best snorkelling spots, 500 m from the shore. “Boting” will cost around 600/person? I’m not sure now, it used to be super cheap like 600 for the whole BOAT especially if you’re a local, but they must have hiked the price up since there are loads of tourists now.
2. Swimsuit and board shorts – I’m thinking Arena swimsuits because they’re just as good looking as the Speedo ones, and of course cheaper! I saw a couple at an outlet-type store for only 600 petot. I only hope there are some good ones left. Board shorts also don’t have to be expensive. I’m sure there are pretty good “roxy” and “billabong” shorts out there. Check out Greenhills, Cash n Carry, or Market Market.
3. Slippers, Flip-flops, tsinelas – or ’smagol’ as we witty Ilonggos call them. Geez I used to scoff at the gullible people buying 900 petot slippers, where you can buy equally functional, yet much less stylish Dragon tsinelas at 30 petot. Well, heck it’s only 900 petot and it’s cute, and I wear it to work yes, and I love my smagol. Havainas are on sale this week! Most designs are 20% off. Hmnnn lovely flowery and slim.
4. Shades – Except for Oakleys I don’t think it’s smart to buy shades at more than 3,000 pesos. Though I only bought mine for saaale at $69, loove Cabazon. Woot woot! Anyway, for a much cheaper alternative but very stylish, I’m thinking of getting a pair at Bench. Ohh I like Bench shirts and stufff.

After our trip I’ll post more tips on how to have a great Bora vacation without burning up your wallet. Haha, I hope I’ll be able to follow most of it though.

Note: the best way to save? Get a good deal on your airfare. We got ours from Cebu Pacific, they have discounted fares if you don’t check-in any luggage (good luck with that hehe). And for hotels, get one that’s not on the beachfront, a short walk doesn’t really hurt if you get to shave off some of your vaca expenses. For food especially if you have the time and patience, buy fresh at the Boracay market and have it cooked for a nominal fee. Our favorite is fresh chili crab by a filipino-japanese couple who owns a booth right on the market.

XOXO

Jamie lent me her Twilight series to read and I just finished the third book New Moon. It was kind of a difficult read for me, going through the tweeny romantic stuff between Bella and Edward and Jacob. I must admit though it’s a bit entertaining and I’m looking forward to reading the 4th book.

Related to that, isn’t it funny how similar the HBO series, True Blood (our new TV fave) is to the Twilight story?

1. Twilight’s main female character Bella – True Blood lead male role is Belle
2. The female lead is human with strange mind powers. Bella can’t be mind read or tortured, Suki can read minds
3. Mind reading! Suki and Edward
4. Werewolves! Jacob Black and I think it’s Suki’s boss. He acts wolfy. Hehhe..
5. A vampire trying to be good.

OK, maybe there’s not a whole lot of difference coz I still like True Blood better. But hey, I encourage you to get a copy of the Twilight saga, and watch True Blood and see for yourself! Mwah!

Actually I didn’t always know that muni muni means inum inum backwards, I thought it meant… thinking! Hahaha…

Honestly, I have so many random thoughts it’s hard to organize them in my head. I have so many plans for the future: both short term and long term, and they sometimes feel achievable, sometimes not. I hate this feeling of being floating wherever the breeze takes me. Hayy life isn’t so easy peasy all the time.

One thing is for sure, I’m so happy that there’s somebody I can go through all this with me, somebody who can help me sort out whatever muni muni that’s going on in this confused brain of mine.