Sonovabitch

HIMYM sums about life experiences in just the right words.

Such a bitch sometimes.

She said:

Yes, I think I'm ready. My heart now sees what only the head used to see. May the heavens give me a sign.

But He said:

Not yet, not now, not him.

Kitchen adventures

I nearly went into a road-rage frenzy earlier this evening due to a stupid bus who don't care if he's going to ram to your vehicle. Of course you don't want that so even if you have the right of way you risk cutting the next lane to yours hoping that they'd give way to you as well. You can't help but get extremely hot-headed in situations such as this but one thought crossed my mind and I couldn't help but immediately calm down: today is a blessing. No matter how much we look and plan to the future we don't own anything and we might as well be gone in an instant. The message from the movie have so far that much impact on me. I don't think it's bad at all and I hope it becomes a habit so life would be happier and better, a life well-lived. With that said, I decided to push through with my kitchen adventures this evening.

I'm not exactly talented when it comes to cooking or anything to do with the kitchen. The most I'm comfortable with doing would be peeling off vegetables and washing the dishes but even those I am very much mediocre. I like eating better but not to the point that I can tell what taste or ingredient is missing in the dish to make it better. I have more misadventures and failures than valid successes. The best I came up with was mere edible for me and I'd rather not let others try it. I need more practice. I tried a new dish today though. No cooking involved here actually and just preparation but still I'm happy to have tried it. Can you guess what?

No, it's not kimchi although I wanted to until I found out that I needed to soak the 'napa cabbage' for 1-2 hours in brine. Maybe this weekend I will give that a try as well. Anyway, it's called Kkakdugi or Korean radish kimchi. I wasn't a fan of our local radish despite the fact that compared to most people I love eating vegetables. It was in Korea where I became addicted to this (the general taste of kimchi was an acquired taste that I thoroughly enjoy). I decided to try this dish first because kimchi is easier to come by in asian restaurants and I've rarely seen this one. Anyway, my sister shares my love of kimchi so she ended up eating than sampling the finished dish. I will let it ferment for a few days and hopefully good enough to share with my dad as well. This gives me the motivation to keep on practicing. Yay! Hopefully, I will improve and get better now that the interest has started.

Free upgrade

Felt lucky today after getting a free upgrade to business class at RB. I've  been flying economy at RB for business trips for seven times now. Not to mention a few other economy and/or low-cost flights as well. I've gotten used to the tight spaces etc. so the spacious leg room and seat space was a treat for a change. The food though better made me ruin my 'diet' yet again. I don't know how the workout plan will fare if I can't cut down on my meal portions! Anyway, thank you RB! Until, next time! 

Social media snowball effect

This brewing drama/tension between two people I follow is a developing story. The problem with the digital age is that sometimes we no longer filter our thoughts and leave it out there stored in cyberspace. 

How many times have you seen someone publicly humiliate another because of their offense. As if filing a complaint wasn't enough they just had to expose all possible details of that person.  Everyone are sometimes just too damn self-righteous and opinionated. Bullying is an easy trap for many. Playing the victim card is just as easy. 

Unlike before when you utter hateful or hurtful words it will only be hearsay for some. If they judge you because of it, you don't have to care. It's a big world. Nowadays, the world is smaller in the sense that everyone can and will know. Everyone will feel a certain entitlement to judge or defend. I honestly, don't like how some people misuse and abuse the freedom to do so.

I am wondering how this tension will end up. I don't think it's worth it. There's two sides of the coin really and each has their own merits. It probably be due to the social divide and it will depend on the world you revolve in, superficial or otherwise. On the other hand, if you mean what you say shouldn't you stand by it? are you still responsible for the resulting ill-behaviors of others that were affected? 

Shit happens. But we only have one life to live, and if we have only day left, I sure won't be wasting my time watching the lives of these strangers.

About Time

The good thing about spending the weekend in this sleepy town without my own transportation is that it lets me catch up on some of the shows I missed. I usually don't watch any tv at home and I usually catch movies at the theater so if I miss it, I would end up not watching it until I've forgotten all about it or unless I find myself sitting still when the family happens to watch anything interesting which is rare.

The last weekend I was here, I finally got the chance to watch Silver Linings which was by the way so good. The big plus would be that Bradley Cooper was a joy to watch in that movie. He was good in character but still good-looking and just damn gorgeous!

This weekend, after much and several convincing from the sister, I finally watched About Time. I had no idea about this movie nor have I heard of it. All I remember was this was the name of the short stay cottage I got back in Anna Maria Island in Florida last 2009.

Apparently, the British movie was about time travel but the approach was less like "The Time Traveler's Wife" although Rachel McAdams was again the leading lady here but probably more like "Love Actually". I'm quite impatient and have a short attention span so I ended up googling the synopsis at the start. The synopsis was just ok but it didn't prepare me for the emotions that you'd get out of watching it. Good thing I still watched it anyway after reading (it eventually got a little interesting...).  It would probably have helped if I knew who the actor was or if he was distractingly handsome as say Bradley Cooper or Joseph Gordon Levitt.

image from IMDB

At the some point in the movie, the tears started and it wouldn't stop flowing way after the movie has already ended. My eyes still hurt a bit as I write this. It was crying of the good kind of way because it was in no way the pessimistic view of things but the optimistic one. 

I love the message of the movie in that it is a reminder really, for us to not let the stress and worries of our daily lives get the better of us and stop us from enjoying. I agree with the writers in that there would probably be a huge difference in our lives and other people's lives that constantly intersect with ours if we just take it easy and everything in stride. Of course, there are really bad days but if we start thinking that there won't be another day and a future way ahead, it probably won't be as bad. It doesn't mean we should be reckless as well. I guess it's trying to live our lives without regret.

Not to be a spoiler but according to the movie the secret Formula for Happines:
"Part 1 of the two-part formula: get on with ordinary life, living it day by day just like everyone else.
Part 2 live everyday again, almost exactly the same. the first one with all the tensions and worries that stop us from noticing how sweet the world can be but the second time, noticing."
Of course, this was possible because the protagonist could time travel. Instead of travelling back in time to remove inconveniences or make corrections in his life, this was the advice he was given in order to make better use of their gift. But the final lesson is something we all can relate to:

"I just try to live everyday as if I've deliberately come back to this one day to enjoy it, as if it was the full final day of my extraordinary ordinary life."

In the end, I don't really mind who the actors were. I just love the reminders from this movie. I'm so glad my sister bugged me to watch it. I also love the version of "How Long Will I Love You?" by Jon Boden, Sam Sweeney and Ben Coleman in the movie.
  

What it's gonna be 2014?

It's March already and before you know it, the year will again be coming to a close. I miss 2012 and how epic that year was, filled with adventures and countless firsts! I've been trying to figure out what this year would be and so far it's been quiet. It's as if I'm back to the monotonous life I fell into before that site assignment. Sure, I've been in and out of the country but it was mostly to this good old, sleepy town in the outskirts of the city. It's not that bad but so far I haven't found anything that interesting. There's not much to do for entertainment, and being a Muslim country, there are a lot of restrictions than what I am used to. Add the fact that I don't have my own transportation considering that it's not very commuter friendly here. Gas is so cheap that most households have at the minimum 2 cars. A full tank of relatively high-grade gas a 1.6 liter car would only cost about $15. If only I can take some home during these frequent visits.

I want to travel.
I want to tick off some items from that list I made late last year:  Come into my World (of random ramblings): 2014 to do list:
I want to get involved with charities, projects, someone (yes, I still have to add that).
Basically, live life and not just get eaten up by work.
I just hope some of these will become a reality.

Pentatonix!

I'm actually on a WickedManila high/hangover. The show just closed last night and although I didn't get to watch again especially on their last show, (though I badly wanted to), I've been stalking those instagram posts and videos of random people and the cast members themselves. I turned into an online semi-fan of the show and the touring company. Thank God for hashtags! Unfortunately, I've already dedicated an entry each to Wicked since after watching the two shows, one in Seoul and one in Manila, I know I have to write about something else. Maybe next time, when I get to watch it again in some other country. Still deliberating on whether or not, I will drop a note to Suzie Mathers as Glinda on a tumblr page, real Wicked fans have set up for her.

So instead, I will rave here of another musical addiction of mine, Pentatonix! I am so hooked on this group as well. I am tone deaf and sing off-key but I do enjoy random music from time to time. I've watched all their performances in The Sing-Off 3 through youtube (again thanks technology!) several times already. I like most of their performances but the following stand-out:

Video Killed the Radio Star - it was so fun to watch this one and their choreo.

Sometimes, it's a tad bit hard to believe that they are singing a cappella. Also, they should be listened to with decent headsets to give justice to Avi and Kevin, dubbed as 'meat and potatoes' by the judges.

Dog Days Are Over - their performance level here was just intense!

from then on, they've been putting out great a cappella covers on their youtube channel such as the Daft Punk medley among others:
 

Just recently, Say Something by A Great Big World. I particularly liked their cover considering I wasn't a fan of this song which I first heard from the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show. Somehow their cover is sad in a good way and soothing.


The first songs I legally downloaded from Itunes are from their Christmas album.

 I did say I'm hooked on this group. I hope there'd be more fans so that they'd cast their nets in Asia one of these days, then we'd get a chance to catch them live! So if you liked any of the videos, go ahead: like, share, subscribe!

If you still aren't overwhelmed, do check out their performance in youtube of Ellie Goulding's I Need Your Love during the finale of last year's the sing-off (2013). Again, they were awesome! And the live clips of them singing an original "Natural Disaster". Watch out for Avi's bass with great headphones if you can. Don't say I didn't warn you though.

I know that this is the most youtube embedded ladden post but one last. This video has that vsco-ish filter vibe. Love it! Just the kind of feels for a dreamy date. (probably too old for that, but hey a girl is a girl and she can still hope right?)

Happy!

I'm a drama queen but if I can I try to be more positive. This song just exudes good vibes. I feel like breaking out into a dance when this plays.

"Clap along if you feel like that's what you wanna do"