Who the eff drinks lukewarm tea? Better yet, who the hell drinks lukewarm, bitter tea? It shouldn’t have been me. I am a coffee girl, and as tea is not a beverage of choice among the average Cebuano (me being a rather average Cebuano, after all), I shouldn’t have to suffer bitter tea at two in the afternoon. But since I discovered that tea calms my stomach, I started drinking it. I have nothing against tea. In fact, I’m ashamed to admit that I would have a hard time choosing between coffee and tea that is prepared right (and with crumpets!—are there even crumpets in Cebu?). I just wasn’t prepared for my tea to be so bitter I couldn’t keep my face from grimacing every after sip. The honey didn’t even help. And I didn’t want to put in too much honey because tea shouldn’t be sweet, right? Maybe I had steeped the tea too long? Maybe I put in less water than I should have? Ack. Too late. And I had to finish the tea because I made it for myself, demmit! The tea did its jobs though, so I still have that to be thankful for.
‘Tis the season to be jolly… or not
December 16, 2010 at 5:29 am (blah)
Tags: Christmas season, holidays
So, it’s Christmastime again. Isn’t it great feeling the cool, crisp December
breeze on your skin while you scurry around shops after shops to find the suitable gifts for family members, friends, and your multitude of godkids? I cannot say I empathize with this sentiment, though. Can you? Are you one of those frantic, desperate shoppers who have to resort to thrift shops just so your $100 can buy trinkets and whatnots for all and sundry? Are you feeling hassled yet?
Don’t worry. There are actually things you can do to not only avoid the stress that almost always results from buying gifts for finicky people but also to duck giving gifts altogether. You’d like that, eh?
One, you can appear sick just around the holidays. It is easy to feign sickness, more so if you fancy yourself a consummate actor and wholeheartedly believe in this extraordinary acting ability of yours. People would believe you. After all, many people get sick around Christmastime. You’re a person, so you can also get sick around the holidays, right? It would be rotten timing, of course; you couldn’t go out to buy gifts because of this mysterious illness. But they’d understand. Just be sure to act convincingly. Who knows, they might sympathize and for once would feel generous enough to get you get-well-soon gifts instead.
Two, tell everyone you are traveling, and that this trip has been planned for almost a year. You don’t really have to travel, just pretend that you are. To be more convincing, tell them you are going on a safari and that all your savings have already been spent on tickets, hotel rooms, appropriate clothes for safari-ing, and upgrading your insurance in case something happens to you while posing beside a friendly lion for a picture. And no, you cannot bring home a jackal pup or a cheetah cub for them; tell them it’s illegal! And since you don’t have money to spare, buying them handmade African jewelries is also out of the question.
So where should you be during the days you are supposed to spend safari-ing? If you live alone, in your house/apartment, of course. Just make sure to stock food enough to last weeks so you won’t have to go out of the house. Remember, you are supposed to be in Africa, playing tag with sarcastic hyenas and uber-friendly big cats. So why don’t you want anyone to take you to – or get you from - the airport? Simple. Your flights in and out of the country are at 4:00 in the morning, and you don’t want to inconvenient them unnecessarily. And what about your holiday pictures? If you are good at photoshop, go and photoshop some pictures. If not, say in your hurry you forgot to pack your camera and don’t have any spare money to buy another. Problem solved.
Or, if feigning sickness or babbling about non-existent travel plans is too much trouble and you don’t think you are a convincing enough actor to pull it off, you can just hide. That’s right; hide. In your house. Do not open the door when your doorbell rings (you are not IN, remember?); do not answer the phone (let the answering machine take the call); do not show your face in public (if you have to go out, wear a disguise and make sure nobody sees you going in and out of the house); and turn on only a few necessary lights – and only those that cannot be seen from outside the house (remember, a dark house gives the impression of being devoid of people).
Still think hiding is too troublesome to carry out? Then just join the melee of haggard Christmas shoppers out there and brace yourself for yet another nerve-wracking shopping experience. Your nerves and your wallet would not thank you for this, but who cares? ‘Tis Christmas season, aye?
Speaking of which, I still have my own shopping to plan and do. Acting sick, pretending to travel, and hiding will not work for me either. Drat. Commercialized Christmas, why do we have this love-hate relationship again?
Deathly Hallows Part 1 in (My) Nutshell (or My Blahs on the Latest Installment of the Harry Potter Franchise)
November 22, 2010 at 9:47 am (obsession)
Tags: Deathly Hallows Part 1, harry potter
As a Harry Potter fan, I feel I owe it (to myself) to post what I feel about the latest movie (Deathly Hallows Part 1).
Okay, so here goes.
All in all, the movie was satisfying. It was faithful to the book. Compared with the previous movie (Half-blood Prince), which was disappointing despite it having its funny and brilliant moments (such as Felix Felicis Harry, Sectumsempra Draco, and the amazing fire scene in the cave), Deathly Hallows Part 1 translated wonderfully to the big screen. There were scenes that departed from the book, but they were very minor that you could hardly notice them, and if you did you’d just probably chalk them up to the movie’s creators exercising their artistic license.
One can’t also help but notice that, as in the book, the mood of this latest movie has become much darker, reminding you that everything will still go darker and more depressing still, that the story will still get more heartbreaking and gloomy as more sacrifices will still be made before the evillest wizard of the time will finally be defeated, and that everything will eventually lead to an unforgettable – albeit sad – ending.
Though Prisoner of Azkaban and Sorcerer’s Stone will always be my first and second favorite of the HP movies, this latest movie comes in a close third. That Domhnall Gleeson looked really charming as Bill Weasley also didn’t hurt.
So, one last hurrah and it’s final farewell to the Harry Potter movies. There are still months to go, though, before we can see the final installment of the series. Now this leaves me feeling ambivalent. While I can’t wait to see the final movie, I also feel sad that there won’t be any more Harry Potter movies to look forward to after next year. But maybe they – whoever these amazing people are – would decide to make a Harry Potter TV series. Now that would be something to look forward to. It may be strange at first to see different people taking the roles of our favorite witches and wizards, some of us may have difficulty seeing other actors having Harry’s scar, Ron’s red hair, Hermione’s know-it-allness, Gred’s passion for pranks, Draco’s smirk, Snape’s caustic personality, and Dumbledore’s twinkling eyes, but I’m sure everyone will love them in time.
Temptation in a box
November 16, 2010 at 9:35 am (blah)
Tags: choco rumble mini, food
I’ve always loved Goldilocks’ choco rumble minis because one, they are not expensive, and two, they are delicious.
This afternoon, I saw that the company has a new strategy for marketing the little temptations: they are now packed individually in cute boxes (they weren’t before). When I saw them all looking yummy and pretty in their little boxes, I fell in love all over again. So I eagerly bought two. It was only after I paid for them that their new price sank in my infatuated brain (it was a bit later that I realized the boxes are made of plastic). From 12 pesos, each pretty choco rumble mini in its equally cute plastic box is now 17 pesos. WTH! The small plastic boxes, which are really useless after you’ve taken out what’s inside them, are worth 5 pesos each. Oh, you must be kidding me. It’s not like those boxes are also edible. You just throw them away afterwards. And again, the boxes are plastic! But still, effective marketing strategy, eh? They dazzle you with the pretty packaging and then they confound you with the increase in price. The little cakes are still delicious, there’s always that. But really, a 5-peso increase just because of the new packaging? Eh?
It’s Harry Potter season once again!
November 8, 2010 at 9:11 am (obsession)
Tags: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
Ten more days to go before the first part of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows hits the cinemas in many countries worldwide. Even if the furor over the series had died down somewhat since the release of the seventh and final book, I am certain that many Harry Potter fans are eagerly awaiting the last two installments of the HP movies. My friends and I already have tickets reserved for the November 18 showing. Are we excited? Of course. We have been waiting for this film since last year, as do millions of people out there.
So see you at the theaters on the 18th!
