Of Cars and Dreams

I just bought a new Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X more than a week ago. It’s red and shiny. And it’s now parked on top of my favorite shelf at home.

I still do not have a car (that is bought with my own money) but I have a car collection. I may have given you the wrong idea about this but when I say ‘car’, it’s a diecast car, a smaller version of the real thing. First, I need to give you a background about this passion of mine.

The movie “The Fast and the Furious” and its succeeding sequels provided me interest on cars but it never really provoked my desire to collect then. Maybe because it was overshadowed by my love for Vin Diesel and Paul Walker (who played their roles like true racewar drivers) at that time. I started collecting seriously when I had finally completed watching the Initial D anime series sometime last year on DVD. I did not want it to end that soon so I needed more. I realized I couldn’t watch it over and over again. Otherwise, my social life would be dead. With the Internet being a best friend of mine, I became engrossed in researching anything about it and if I could buy something with Initial D on it, it could probably cure my Initial D complex. I was wrong. I started googling for any memorabilia I could find and voila! There are diecast versions of the cars from the series. And so the hunting began.

Toy Kingdom and other toy stores have been my sanctuary during the first few months of my buying frenzy. The cars were hard to find way back. I was a late bloomer when it came to that, I admit. The car I wanted to get hold of the most was the series character Ryosuke Takahashi’s Mazda RX-7 FC3S. I accidentally found the last stock at SM Toy Kingdom in Makati during my first 2 weeks of hunting; it was a diecast with a scale of 1:64 (a little bit larger than a Matchbox or a Tomica). No more other Initial D cars left because the Initial D phase has passed. They say I got lucky maybe because I was a newbie collector. Buena mano. My first few collections were in bigger scales of 1:24 (size is a little smaller than an average landline phone unit, to give you an idea) and I completed the four cars that were featured in the anime series in a month’s time because the stocks for this scale were still available at most department toy stores. These cars were: Toyota AE86 Trueno, Mazda RX-7 FD3S & FC3S, and Nissan Skyline GT-R32. I was happy and unable to stop looking for more. I got hooked.

The web was a nice place to shop (at first) and it was a good thing that there was Ebay Philippines already. I had a chance to buy a yellow Toyota Trueno (not from the series) through ebay.ph from a fellow diecast collector who also introduced me to a diecast collection association here in the country, I did not know that we had one here. I joined Diecast Car Collectors of the Philippines (DCPh) last July 2007 and I’ve learned a lot from the group by browsing or transacting through the group’s online forum and attending the quarterly swapmeet (which I consider as a haven for diecast, by the way) whenever I have the chance. Through this group, I’ve made a lot of collector friends and acquaintances, also my growing number of collections do not evolve around Initial D alone anymore but on other Japanese cars as well because I’ve completed the main six cars featured in the series in scale 1:64. This group also helped me expand my items. However, there are still remaining ‘holy grails’ that I have to find and the excitement of hunting is a motivation for me to continue collecting.

As of this date, I have approximately 100+ car items on my shelf and storage boxes. I collect Japanese cars that are tuned or used for drifting, similar to the cars featured in “Tokyo Drift” and yes, Initial D. Mostly bought, some given in RAOK (Random Act of Kindness) by my fellow group members and friends. At first it was a bit intimidating to meet other collectors who have vast collections. Being a newbie like me, it cannot be helped to feel insecure with my small collection and limited knowledge on cars. Being a female is also one thing because like some cars, female diecast collectors are rare. But the collectors have been supportive to me and I'm grateful for the encouragement.

Most people do not really understand this hobby of mine. If it were dolls, I bet they would appreciate it more. But with cars? Well, it takes a lot passion to be involved in this kind of hobby. They say it’s a waste of money and does not really fit my profile because I’m already an adult and do not have kids to share it with yet. But I do not really mind because it brings me unexplainable joy whenever I buy something uncommon or new, not to mention I’m forever a kid at heart. It just gives me something to look forward to in the future and who knows, this dream may even result to the real thing. So I never stop collecting.

Got my drift?

© 2008 Cat Ramos

My Lomo Photos @ Digital Photographer Philippines Magazine

A few of my lomographics have been included in the latest issue (Issue 19) of Digital Photographer Philippines (DPP) magazine. The issue features "The Art of the Plastic Fantastic - Lomography". I just had to document it here on my blog since I am guilty of stacking reading materials (magazines included) and forgetting about it when a new one arrives. Good thing I know how to operate a flatbed scanner, I can make electronic copies of it.

With me being a lazy lomographer and switching from film-digital-film-whatever, the results of some of the shots, well, I consider as chamba-wamba. I am flattered that some of my photos have been included in the DPP mag, a publication I consider almost like an "in-flight" magazine for photographers and photo enthusiasts. It's quite intimidating for a photo hobbyist like me but I learn a lot from the magazine.

The 2 images on the left were featured in the Reader's Gallery. The photo with lights was taken at EDSA sometime October 2007 at around 2:00 am. While the photo with STOP was taken near my office in Makati, lunch time, on my way to buy food at one of those jollijeep stalls. Wala lang talaga ako magawa minsan.

There's also a short description on the person who took the photos (I wrote the photographer's profile, actually. Hahaha! But of course they edited some lines), it reads:

Photographer: Cat Ramos
Cat Ramos is a self-proclaimed lomographer. She admires lomography because she finds the images similar to the look and feel of her favorite Wong Kar Wai movies - improvised, nostalgic, and spontaneous. Her day job as a specialist in the field of systems, methods and procedures doesn't stop her now from shooting with her LC-A lomo camera.

Another photo of mine (the one with geometric patterns below) was also included in the lomo love article of the magazine. It's the roof of the underpass in Makati Ave. and Allied Bank.

.

You may view the images in their original files here:

• EDSA 2:00 am
• STOP
• Underpass Roof

Thanks for looking!

DPP Mag cover photo by: Burton Jay Raya

PS. Thanks to Bong Rojales, Aly Reyes, and Jay Jallorina for the encouragement (lomos and DPP) Cheers!

Can I Shortcut My Life?

I failed my first duty as a godmother to my 6-month old niece today, that is, show up at church for her baptism. Blame my sleepless holy week activities, I woke up late. And what’s even worse, I didn’t even hurry. Instead, I took my time, brushed my teeth longer than usual, read a book while doing the number two, and showered like we own the Maynilad Water Company.

However, I am like most people, guilty of skipping the ceremonies (weddings, baptisms…) sometimes but eager to go to the reception. Don’t get me wrong here but with a lot of goings-on in life these days and the convenience of 3-minute pancit canton noodles, instant messages, and e-mails, who wouldn’t dare try the shortcuts? Which brings me to another topic of shortcuts. Around two or three years ago, I came across this book called the “The 10-Day MBA” by Steven Silbiger at National Bookstore in Glorietta while waiting for my then significant other after work. He was based in Ortigas at that time and had to take the MRT so we had to meet somewhere neutral and that would be this bookstore. Most of the time, I go there earlier so I could browse on books and read a few pages then come back the next day to continue reading again. I was actually trying to preview some books before buying them. Anyway, there was this MBA book that I mentioned, it caught my eye even before I entered the store since the cover was bright red in color. I don’t usually judge books by the cover, as the cliché goes but I began to get curious right away. I rushed over the store and picked it up and boy it was heavy, literally speaking. The price was heavy too, I guess it was a couple of hundred less than a thousand pesos, it was expensive for me. I scanned some pages and it was interesting really. It gives you the basics on how to read financial statements, how to do marketing, the works. It was pretty much like one of those Dummies books.

And so the pondering began. My mind was weighing it if it was worth buying the book or just enroll at a graduate school and go through it like most people do. A part of me wanted to buy it because I just want to refresh what I’ve learned in college, it was sort of like a review on my part now that I’m sort of like enjoying my career, a refresher wouldn’t hurt. I am only after the knowledge. But then again, there is no diploma involved here so the thought of enrolling at a graduate school seemed like a better idea. You cannot put this MBA book as a reference on your curriculum vitae, right? However, if I happen to be an Indian national, I would most probably indicate it there anyway. Kidding.

So what was my conclusion to my confusion at that time? I didn’t do anything. I neither bought the book nor I enrolled at a graduate school. I procrastinated instead. Two or three years later, which means now, it’s haunting me again because I suddenly have the drive to enroll some graduate courses. I know there are no shortcuts when it comes to these things because it’s a lifelong factor, a commitment of what you will do, who you are someday. But arguing this thought again, what you do doesn’t define who you are. Or something like that. This reminds me of the dialogue from one of my favorite movies, “Across the Universe”:

Max's Father: Goddammit, Max! Get serious, for once! What are you going to DO with your life?
Max: Why is it always what will I do? "What will he do", "What will he do," "Oh, my god what will he do", Do, do, do, do, do. Why isn't the issue here who I am?
Uncle Teddy: Because, Maxwell, what you do defines who you are.
Max: No, Uncle Teddy. Who you are defines what you do. Right Jude?
Jude: [awkward] ... Well, surely it's not what you do, but the, uh... the way that you do it.

With that aside, I am trying to prepare for this first before making a decision again, does this mean I’m procrastinating one more time? Not really. I am just cautious about this because time (and resources of course) is a problem for me these days. I have so many things going on with my life, most of the time, hobby-related. I thought of reviewing GMAT first but not really take the exam but I hope to use it as a background or reference should I decide to finally take up a graduate course. I can use it even on the graduate school entrance exam. It’s a good training, I think. Or more of like a diagnosis if I’m fit for the business. If I’m fit for the business, let me repeat that.

Ok, I’d like to come clean here. I am a true Gemini. I like to do several things at once and I admit am more on the creative side than on the business side. Deep down, I want to enroll some Spanish or French language class, just for me to balance my life. My day job is corporate and from time to time (well, most of the time for me), what I need is a breather from the usual formalities and business / tech stuff. That’s why I immerse myself with things that really interest me, photography, drawing, writing. A new language would be a thing for me now since I love playing with words. I write a lot, most are immortalized in my stacks of notebooks/journals since grade school. Writing fiction plus poetry has been a big part of my life and I’m missing it terribly because creative writing has been overshadowed with my day job, that is writing business. Which brings me to enroll at a creative writing course instead of the grad school I was pondering on earlier. Change of priorities, huh. Oh, that is the usual me.

Now back to my topic of shortcuts, is it possible for me to shortcut my life? To fast track everything so I could get there, wherever that is, sooner? I am getting older each day and I don’t think a shortcut to anything is a good idea for me now. I cannot rush my life. Speeding it up may mean I’m rushing to my future. And the only thing certain in the future is death. I cannot die yet so I’m slowing it down, taking one day at a time, enjoying things as it comes, changing my mind, sorting my priorities, living my life, doing the things I want. One of those things is to fulfill the rest of my duties for my new goddaughter.

© 2008 Cat Ramos

Nazi Movies and German Measles

Achtung!

These past few days have been hard for me. Suprisingly, it’s just physical because I am tired of all the emotional dilemma I’ve been having lately. So this is a new one, huh. I am down with a flu virus, which may also be a Rubella (or German Measles) according to the doctor who attended me at my HMO clinic and yes, my favorite physician, Google.

I have all the symptoms. Headache, tiny red spots on my limbs (but it’s beneath the skin surface), aching joints, back of ears / neck swollen, sore throat, and a little fever. I still have most of the symptoms as of this writing (no more tiny red spots though). Holy week is a friend this week. No work, all rest.

I am not sure if this case of German Measles has got something to do with the DVD (yes, DVD and not dibidi….I got some at last Friday’s Midnight Sale) marathon I had last weekend. What’s with the DVD? If you’ve seen movies about Nazi all day and night and still get to watch DW (Deutsche Welle) programs afterwards, who wouldn’t get German Measles? I started with Schindler’s List then La Vita E Bella (Life is Beautiful) then slept. These movies have been about the German occupation during the World War II and both movies have won Academy Awards for Best Picture and Best Foreign Film respectively. I’ve seen it before but I was itching (I mean that figuratively, it has got nothing to do with the measles) to see it again. The next day, the boob tube was surprisingly switched on to DW channel and it makes me wonder about Germany again. All those times, my head was throbbing more because of the German accent I’ve been exposed to.

This piece is pointless. I am just updating my blog. I will most likely be updating more because I am under house arrest by the Germans…(err, yeah measles). Nothing to do.

Oh anyway, I better go take a nap now so I could get better a little bit. When I wake up, I think I’ll watch The Pianist.

© 2008 Cat Ramos

It's Midnight Sale in Ayala Center but i got home just now, past 10pm. But i had a chance to watch "Robots" in Greenbelt with Dennis. The movie is very entertaining and the animation details is very good. I also had a chance to watch the preview of "Ice Age 2". It will be shown next year and i can't wait to watch it. The same studio/production of Ice Age 2 created Robots and it's worth it. Although the 1st movie on Ice Age had more depth than Robots, it's still worth watching.
Well, this is it for now, my eyes are tired. I had a pretty long day. 3 meetings in one day, it's very exhausting. On the wonderful side, i bought another calligraphy pen and some paper to practice my calligraphy. Wish me good luck! ;-)

Nothingness. My word for the day. I just got home. My cousin from Iloilo is here and it's nice to reconnect with family i haven't seen for so long.
I'm planning to watch a movie tomorrow, i'm thinking about the movie "Confidence". I like Ed Burns. He reminds me of someone i used to know. Well, he looks like someone i used to know. I'm blushing.
My day is a little bit dragging and my mind is overworked from all the meetings at work. Thank God, tomorrow is Friday. Wooohooo!

Oh well, such a lazy Sunday evening. Just watching a movie on cable. I'm not moving, just staring and think about something else. This is getting nowhere. I'm not too keen about tomorrow, it's Monday and i can't watch the Oscars because i have a meeting at work. Haaay :-(

Yes, I'm alive.
I've been busy lately, too many projects than I could ever handle. But I'm in the mood for the Holidays, Christmas parties here and there. I've been practicing my vocal chords for our choral group at work. Hah, we're joining a choral competition later. Hark the Herald...lalalala....or O Come All Ye Faithful (dedicated to the Players..it's New Year, be loyal to your girls, jerks).

Anyway, things have been better for me lately, I hope the year would be over, I've had a very bad year in terms of relationships. Blame the Year of the Horse. They say this year is terrible for all couples, they would break it and not make it. But as soon as the next year comes (I'm no sure what animal year), everything will be okay (weddings, engagements would probably be in demand). If the couple survives the 2002 year, things will be better for 2003. Hay naku, I'm sounding like a Kung-Fu, este, Feng Shui Master. I better cut this out.

Ask me if I'm happy. Well, I hope I am. Everthing's okay with me. Work, family, money (not too much, I spend everything, haha but seriously, I'm trying to save more again starting next year..really really save).

My plans for 2003 (is it too early to make plans for next year...nah, I should have planned it when I was 18 years old!):
1. Save more.
2. Save more.
3. Earn more money.
4. Read more Self-Help books, I need help for myself, haha.
5. Find a guy who is not a jerk. He must be:
> Loyal to me.
> Honest to me.
> Must not date around.
> Must be romantic (but not overly romantic, I hate mushy men. For me, ROMANCE = PROPOSAL hehehe kidding)
> Stable. With a decent job, and must be a hardworker...he must value work and the money he earns. He must also value time (minimal tardiness, minimal absences...because for me, you can measure a responsible man through his dedication at work and time)
> Must be loyal to me (did I mention that already?)
> Good looks and height, of course.
> Not gay.
6. Do yoga.
7. Go to Enchanted Kingdom (seriously, I haven't been there..haha)
8. Study driving (really study driving even though I don't have a car..hell, I've been procrastinating that for a looong time).
9. Be slimmer...errr, I'll really try, okay?
10. Watch more movies (with or without a movie buddy...hey, I'm used to watching movies alone, I don't like movie buddies who doesn't watch my choice of movies. I hate them, dump them for a new movie buddy instead haha)

Oh well, I guess this is it for now. I'm still in the mood to relax and dream of a White Christmas.
Merry Christmas, people! And see you again next year!

It's been a long time!
I'm backkkkkkkkkkk!

Too much load at work, can't really write everything down. So many things has happened last month...next week, we're moving out of our old place and yeah I'm so excited to move in to the new place.

I'll keep you posted as soon as everything has been set. :)
Bye for now, gotta finish a project...aaarrgghh!

A newfound pal has just given me the light, made me think somehow of my situation, name is Peter James Zielinski.
Check out his site, Dependent Films.

Triple X

No, I'm not talking about your usual porno flick. It's Vin Diesel, Triple X, his latest movie. I've seen it a week ago. Sorry, I really didn't have the chance to write about it. I've been too engrossed in picking out another movie to watch (just watched "Insomnia" yesterday). Enough of the other movies, I'm talking about Triple X here. Vin Diesel kicks ass, I'm telling you and watch out James Bond (calling Squad, you there?). My friend told me awhile ago that after he watched Triple X, he lost interest with James Bond. He feels that this guy Bond, James Bond, will definitely look like a sissy in front of Triple X. Very true. I feel the same way, Bond will definitely look like gay. While Bond grabs a guy's butt in a party, Triple X will kick ass! Oh yeah.

Kick-ass Vin Diesel

I've been subscribing to a poem website. They have been sending me poems through e-mail for the last two years. The following poem really caught my eye when I opened my e-mail. I know anyone who has gone through the trials of a relationship can relate to this one:

Please... Don't ask me to Comeback
(c) by dhyana

Please,
don't ask me to comeback,
if when you left,
you never looked back,

why you come crying,
if all the time you were lying,
is kind of late now,
for us there is no tomorrow,

if you can't find no one to
fill my place,
you should never had played,
and gamble with fate,

love is like a bird,
this I said before,
if you are not careful,
It just fly away,

if I hurt,
I can't deny that,
yes I cried every night,
and also when I woke up,

How can one bring back,
yesterday,
how can you un-walk the road,
if the prints are on the dust,

I know you can't forget me,
I told you that before,
is hard to forget,
one who knows how to love,

keep walking pilgrim,
I blessed your cheating heart,
love is a teacher,
some pass, some have to take the test
all over again.

My movie buddy never really liked foreign films. He says it bores him. I like all sorts of movies, Hollywood, chick flicks, Tagalog, art films, everything. I'm not really classy like what another friend has told me when he read this blog about me watching art films. My interest in these films doesn't say that I am an art film wannabe. I just appreciate good films. I appreciate bad films too. I appreciate everything that entertains me. Too bad, my constant movie buddy does not appreciate what I appreciate. Maybe I should look for a replacement movie buddy.

So, if you like movies just like me, let me know. It would be nice if we split the bill. It would be better if you treat me.

My frustration. I had no chance of catching this film in Cinemanila last time.

A friend forwarded me this funny e-mail. Read on.

Typical Male-Female Conversation:

Man ~ Galit ka ba?
Woman ~ Hinnndiiiiiiii!
Man ~ Eh bakit galit ka?
Woman ~ Hindi nga ako galittttt! Ano ba??
Man ~ Eh kung hindi ka galit bakit ka ganyan?
Woman ~ Anong bakit ka ganyan?
Man ~ Bakit ka ganyan ang sungit mo?
Woman ~ Eh anong pakialam mo?
Man ~ Oh kita mo na, Bakit ka ba talaga galit?
Woman ~ Tinatanong kita, wag mo akong tanungin! Anong paki mo?
Man ~ May pakialam ako dahil kinakausap kita.
Woman ~ Ayaw kitang kausap, please lang!
Man ~ Kung ayaw mo akong kausap bakit mo ako kinakausap?
Woman ~ Namfutcha! Puede ba!
Man ~ Anong puede ba?
Woman ~ Puede ba, tantanan mo ako?
Man ~ Hindi puede!
Woman ~ Bakiiiiittt
Man ~ Kasi hindi puede! Ayaw ko! May reklamo?
Woman ~ Alam mo, walang kuwenta itong usapan natin!
Man ~ Really Duh!
Woman ~ Kahit kelan, wala ka talagang kuwentang kausap!
Man ~ Same to you!
Woman ~ Ah ganon!
Man ~ Yes, Ganooon!
Woman ~ Ganoon pala. So, Anong gusto mo, away?
Man ~ Ano sa palagay mo?
Woman ~ Grrrrr! Asarrrrrr! Bad trip ka!!
Man ~ Manigas ka!
Woman ~ Anong manigas? Ikaw ang manigas!
Man ~ Wag kang bastos!
Woman ~ Ikaw ang bastos!
Man ~ Anong sabi mong matigas?
Woman ~ Sabi ko manigas! Manigas ka dyan!!!
Man ~ O sige na nga!
Woman ~ Anong sige na nga?
Man ~ Love you!
Woman ~ Love you rin pooooo! *LOL*

I was late for work.

With a plastic bag on my left hand and umbrella and handbag on my right, I tried hailing a taxi for work. It was raining, my feet and legs were somehow drenched with the rain. My white jacket almost gray. The sight of a taxi coming my way brought some sigh of relief, I won't be late for work (I thought so). With all the things in my hands, I managed to open the door, put my things on the backseat, sit, but I just couldn't manage to close the door. Then, *SLAM*, the door just closed. When I looked outside the window, I saw these two American Mormon missionaries. The other guy smiling. I just smiled. The guy waved at me, so I waved too. Two angels. My life was made a little bit easier, this Tuesday morning. But I was still late for work.

Two boys.

I had two separate chances of watching two good movies last weekend. Let me tell you about “About A Boy” first. You see, I was wrong, it was not all right to compare this movie to Nick Hornby’s other book which was also made into a movie, “High Fidelity” . “About A Boy” was pure heart. I think Hugh Grant’s character, Will, was especially made for him. I can’t imagine Brad Pitt flashing his perfect smile with that kind of role. It would come on too superficial. With Hugh’s crooked smile, fluttering eyes, and confused reaction, I can definitely say, it was Will alright. Marcus, the boy, was wonderful too. Not too cute, not too ugly, just the right kid to play the role.

Then I had this chance to watch one of Cinemanila’s featured films, “Una Casa con Vista al Mar (A Room With a View of the Sea)”. It’s a Venezuelan film about a peasant father and son trying to cope with the bad times (the movie started off with them burying the mother) just before harvest time. With the boy having blistered feet because of his old boots, the father trying to ask a favor on the richest haciendero just to not let his son go barefoot in front of other people. This film talks about pride and ended up with the father killing the rich man. Talk about our local soap operas. I bet most of our fellow Pinoys will like this. The boy’s performance in this movie was intense, you may actually believe he’s really poor in real life. But then again, you may wonder, if he’s one of those “Tabing Ilog” boys in Venezuela. Ok, the boy’s cute, I admit.

Well, these two boys. They capture your heart, you sympathize with them, you cry with them. They are you.

P.S. I’m looking forward to watch “In The Mood for Love” , a Chinese movie set in the late 60s. I’ve seen this trailer before in Glorietta 4 and it’s nostalgic. When you see this film, you will definitely remember your grandparents’ or parents’ pictures in that generation. Mala-Gloria Romero-Luis Gonzales film.

P.P.S. MY friend and I were frustrated, we didn’t get a chance to watch “Y Tu Mama Tambien” by Alfonso Cuaron. Tickets were sold out yesterday at around 5pm. And the showtime is even 9pm. The next possible showtime was 1am, I’m not that idiot to watch that late. I’ll just wait for it to be released commercially.

I'll be watching a movie later. It's a Hugh Grant movie, "About A Boy". I'll see later if this one is as good as "High Fidelity", the other book by Nick Hornby which was also a movie starring John Cusack.

Zip up.

You got it right, I should zip up but my zipper just got broken. Good thing my zipper is on the side, I will just have to watch my movements. I don't know why my company has imposed on wearing this blah uniform, for the sake of its employees' uniformity. Well, I'm not blending in, right after I went back to the office (I do system testing everyday in our other office), I sat down and ziiiiip. My zipper was broken. I'm trying to figure out how to hide this without letting the whole world see my underwear. Thanks to my oversized blouse, it hid everything.

I attempted zipping it back but it's no use, I broke the handle (I don't know what it's really called, all I know is that, I broke it). So I resorted to my ever-ready safety pin which I always keep in my bag. I pinned the two sides of the zipper, no success, my pin is too small to do that. I just decided to pin the lower layer of my blouse and the zipper area to hide the damage. I still can't move freely.

I guess I will just have to have my pants repaired. Otherwise, I will be skimping every Wednesday and be uncomfortable for the rest of the day and the rest of my corporate life. Now I'm starting to like skirts after what the zipper has done to me.

I always have bad experiences with uniforms. With my Tuesday and Thursday uniforms (skirt and blouse), I always have 'run' on my stockings. The next day, I will buy another stocking and when I wear it, it won't last the whole day. It has become a cycle. I've spent so much on stockings I decided I would just buy the cheap ones. And if these cheap stockings will have damage again, I think I'll have to go bare.

Which leads me to another problem, I will have to maintain my hair-free legs, shave or wax it everytime I feel a stubble. I'm so conscious about my legs I want to have it insured like what Jamie Lee Curtis did. But sorry, I don't have a million dollars for that. The best and last option I have is to care for it, do not let anyone touch it, do not let the tables and chairs get in my way, do not let mosquitoes and other bugs bite it, and most of all, wear pants. And these pants must be in perfect condition. Including the zipper.

The Moviehouses In My Mind

It's Wednesday and it's change of movie lineup for the week. I try to make sure I watch at least one movie a week. If the lineup is great, I could even watch 2 or 3 movies. Back-to-back. I remember when I was still in college, my friend, Jerrine and I would watch in Greenbelt (the old Greenbelt). Buy 2 tickets for each person (2 different movies, of course) and buy some buttered popcorn, Iced Tea and there we go inside the cinema. I never really had the habit of entering the cinema halfway the movie. First, it ruins the excitement of letting the movie unfold in its own pace and time. Second, it's rude to the other people watching inside the theater. I can't imagine myself making a scene, making my way into the next rowseat saying excuse me all the time. It's a good thing most cinemas follow the exact movie showtime. Thanks to Glorietta 4.

When Glorietta 4 opened, everyone thought it was overpriced. It still is. I can't watch a movie worth P100++ (can even go higher if you reserve a movie online) if I can also watch the same movie worth P70.00++ in Glorietta 1. The only thing that is great in watching a movie in G4 is that you it's nice to fall in line with all the other yuppies. It's nice to be seen with them even if you're just trying to look for the movie schedule posted in the booth. Then go to G1 after making up your mind. He he.

What I like about G1 is that most people who watch there are ordinary. So if you watch a comedy, it's so easy to make them laugh. It's easy to see or hear their reaction. And that's something you can't buy. I'm not saying that you can't make the G4 crowd laugh, yeah, they laugh too but they have to analyze it first and if the other yuppies are laughing, then it's okay to laugh too. It's a chain reaction, really.

Anyway, I'll tell you a secret, I haven't been inside Rockwell's cinema. Heck, I don't even know where to buy the tickets. And come to think of this, Rockwell is just 5-10 minutes away from our house. But soon, I hope to watch a good movie there too, try to see if there really are loveseats inside the theater. And yeah, I'll watch during afternoon, matinee showtime. It's cheaper.

So there, Relax See a Movie.

The Palm Experience

I got 2 new experiences with the Palm Pilot last weekend. First, I sold my friend's Palm m505 and the buyer even gave me 2 stuffed toys (his family has a stuffed toy business). One of the stuffed toys was a cute little brown dog with beans inside (like a Beany Baby). The other one was a duck (I think) that when you scratch its fabric, it emits a fruity fragrance. Wonderful.

Well, about the other Palm experience, I have to give you the background first. Two or three weeks ago, I posted an ad at Mapalad looking for my Palm m100's flip top cover. You see, the hinge of my flip cover was broken because of too much carelessness. Usually, I just put away my Palm inside my bag, along with my other things, wallet, makeup kit, hairbrush, etc. Got the idea why it was broken? Anyway, I searched the Internet, local stores, and all over looking for that particular accessory but I was unlucky. Palm doesn't sell it separately. My last resort was to post an ad and hopefully someone with an old and unused m100 can sell me the flip. A week later, I received a message from someone saying if I was able to buy the flip and if I could share it to him/her the name of the store so he/she could buy one too. I said, I've searched everywhere and I couldn't find any. We agreed that when either one of us stumble accross that flip, we'll give each other feedback.

Last Saturday, after selling the m505, I got so frustrated about the poor condition of my own m100. I contacted my fellow flip (he he, flipping over the flip cover), and the person told me he/she has not been successful either but he/she has resorted to buying a leather case. And if I have a landline number, he/she can call me about what he/she did. So we got a chance to talk and her name was Susan and she relayed to me how she accidentally resolved her problem. She went to National Bookstore-Glorietta last Thursday and by chance, she had an idea about the cheap Filo-Faxes (organizers) scattered inside the store. She decided to buy one (worth P99.00, imagine that. The original Palm leather case costs around P1,200.00) and when she got home, she and her husband removed the steel binder that holds the notebook and attached the back of the Palm inside through its flip cover and voila! There goes the new leather case. The husband and wife tandem even told me we can be friends and hopefully meet soon and see whatever will happen to our adventures with the m100.

So yesterday, Dennis and I hunted down for that same kind of organizer and I just bought a Velcro strip and some Super Glue to attach my unit. Last night, I used my MacGyver skills to achieve that. So right now, I'm enjoying my newfound love for my old and cheap m100.

Oh well, whatever I do with my Palm is really on the palm of my hands.