jack & odette

it's amazing how much the brain can retain as well as forget. what's even cooler is seeing, hearing or possibly even smelling triggers that lead back to a flood of so many memories.

i completely forgot what prompted me to look for this, but was beside myself in giddiness when i found it: SWAN LAKE. it was originally released in 1978 and later re-released twice if i'm not mistaken, with an English version and another version afterward with celebrity voices playing the part of Princess Odette and Prince Siegfried.

i watched this betamax version over and over again at my best friend's house in the earlier years of my childhood. i remember the beautiful music, the dark version of Odette (rothbarth's daughter odille) and scenes of a distrought white swan trying to get the attention of the tricked prince at the ball where he was to announce the girl he was going to marry. seeing the movie in full again on youtube brought back a flood of other memories and of course, newly formed opinions about the whole movie which i won't even get into.

the discovery of this prompted me to look for another cartoon i used to watch as well with my best friend which i had forgotten all about until i saw swan lake. jack and the beanstalk from 1974, another anime classic. i have yet to piece together some time to rewatch it in full but seeing the first few minutes and hearing the music again brought back and flood of memories.

it was interesting as well to google the two and read people's opinions about the two cartoon movies. a lot of comments out there that i agree with and made me giggle actually! writing about it now is making me want to watch it now instead of focus on the work i'm supposed to be doing! scrolling through the comments on the youtube link made me smile again. looks like i wasn't alone in my giddiness and that these two almost-forgotten classics brought a lot of great memories back to a lot of people. it's great when you realize that your memories are shared by so many others around the world. i don't know too many people in my immediate circle who actually know these movies.

i wonder if there are dvds out of these guys? would love to purchase me some copies. makes me want to go look for some of the other movies from my childhood, ie: last unicorn, jim henson's frog prince, the gnome-mobile (with the kids from mary poppins), pete's dragon & the one and only, genuine, original family band (loved the music here; with a young goldie hawn & kurt russel).

here are the first links for each movie on youtube:
jack & the beanstalk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4FO52WQd4iI
swan lake: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8XOqC9KZnz8&feature=related

pictures attached are from the following websites:
jack & the beanstalk: http://salomesays.com/blog/2009/03/fe-fi-fo-huh/
swan lake: http://nostalgiajunkie.wordpress.com/2009/05/08/retro-anime-theatre-swan-lake/

these are a few of my favorite things..

i LOVE things like ribbons, and paper, and wrapping and all sorts of cute little "useless" things. i remember going to Michael's for the first time years ago and wanting to stay there the whole day. i can spend hours randomly fishing through shelves filled with all sorts of random pretty crap.

my future home is definitely going to have a room devoted to wrapping and gifts and craft stuff.

on top of all of that, i love pretty things arranged so you see the collection of color? love love love. bottle of jelly beans, or glass containers with sorted m&ms, or bowls of buttons! love!

weight loss update

as promised, i was going to update via this blog my progress on my new goal to loose 20 pounds by mid august.

as of the weekend i was supposed to have lost 5 pounds. i've lost 7! *pkf does cartwheel*

the last 3 weeks has been a small emotional bumpy ride of sorts. i lost 4 the 1st week, then 1, then 2. when you loose 4 in a one week, any amount lost UNDER that the week after feels like a disappointment. after moaning and groaning about my "slow" weight loss, i manage to snap back into focus. i'm constantly reminding myself that: over and beyond the goal in august, this is a LIFETIME goal to ultimately get & stay healthy.

as long as i've loosing weight slowly, maybe even maintaining (but please.. after i reach my goal weight!!), i'll be ok. i think with this new discipline i've slowly been developing, even if i (god forbid), gain again, i'll be able to rebound fast and get back on track with trying to loose it again.

and of all the crazy diets i've done, this is actually the best, and it's not even a crazy diet! i'm eatting (3 meals a day!) of almost whatever i want, i eat more veggies & fruits now, and i've even had my fair share of dessert which i did promise myself i'd stay off (case & point: the decadent leche flan i had the other day). in the past i used to beat myself up for eating something like that, but now, beating up time < forgiving myself and moving forward.

i totally know though i'm going to bump into some more challenges down the road. i think at one point i may have to increase or change up my "work out" as i begin to loose more weight? but i'll cross that bridge when i get there :)

random thoughts: the informal sector

• hahaha ya i know, the name is to trite. i chanced upon it while wading through some research for a writing gig i'm working on. other names (squatter, masa, poor.. sound so negative and condescending!)
  

• while my heart naturally goes out to them, i don't believe in random dole outs of money when they beg. i don't like this attitude of "you're better off than us so we EXPECT you to do something about our cause". though on another note.. i think generosity is a must, especially if you've been blessed with so much.

• i do like to give when people share a talent!!! i especially love the guys who sit on the sidewalk with an electric guitar and sing! they're so talented! i remember stopping to listen to the guys playing at the mrt ayala station. complete with a drummer! they were performing some beach boys song if i'm not mistaken. even if they're umbrella-ed, i do feel a little sad when they're left alone playing under the blazing sun or under the rain. i wonder how they get there and how they set up?
  

• i was walking along pasong tamo yesterday and a guy in a wheelchair (actually, there were a bunch of them rolling themselves down the street), asked me for some money. my natural inclination was to feel sorry for him (i shudder as i write that as i feel like i'm belittling him) because come on, in a wheelchair & penniless? hard not to feel for his cause. but i kind of snapped out of it, smiled and just shook my head.
  

• kind of in line with that, a few weeks back i saw a guy in a wheel chair in the mrt. he was gazing out of the window with his sunglasses on. nahiya ako to snap a picture (the sunlight from the window was hitting him really nicely) because i can't seem to turn off the loud sound my phone camera makes when i'm sneaking photos. anyway, he had a sticker on his wheelchair that indicated he was an athlete for the special olympian and i couldn't help but feel so blown away and inspired. people who have not had the best of natural circumstances and have risen beyond it? that strength of character is so amazing.
  

a moment in the moment

last sunday i decided to do my walking right after the 6pm mass. i try to compartmentalize my days and time like that, so i make the most of my time. i figure, since i'm out already, may as well go straight out right? WRONG! i swear, every house i walked by, i could smell the delectable aromas of sunday night dinner. i wanted to keel over and die. ang bango! grabe! i was thinking about all the foods i couldn't eat.

bit of a background story. with all this soul searching i've been doing these last few years, one of the universal truths that all self-empowerment books / seminars / cults (chizzy) /etc seem to spew is the importance of the now. living in the moment, free of your past and of a future that hasn't come yet. and... that's all i'll get into as i'm in no mood to go all philosophical in this entry :)

a few days after that walk after mass, i chanced by my mum watching an oprah show with that particular topic being discussed. so it was running in my head the next day when i walked by a donut stand and smelled the newly baked goodies, which seriously, is a GLORIOUS smell! gone are the days i used to buy me a strawberry glazed donut and dulce de leche donut at gonuts, and scarf them down one after the other. i'm limiting sweets right? so my usual reaction is to drool and bitch about not being able to eat sweets.

the strange thing was that for the first time ever, i simply enjoyed the smell. loved it. appreciated it. and yun lang! didn't attach it to any bitching, or moaning about my sacrifince not to eat sweets. i was seriously just in the moment. and it was a nice wonderful feeling.

that was a glimmer of hope in my usual sea of whining and griping. unfortunately, its back to the usual choatic choppy waters of lament. weeee!! ang saya saya!

002

i hate sticker price tags.

but what i hate more than sticker price tags, is the icky mess sticker price tags leave behind when you take them off.

in connection with that, price tags that cover part of the information i need to know about a product really bug me as well.

:)

001

i told myself when i created this blog that would write about things that make me happy, recording in internet history random tidbits that i found joy in.

but you can't experience the good with the bad diba? so i figured i'd start doing this as well, listing down things that kinda get my goat, just to give me an outlet, get it out of my system in the hopes that i won't bother me again. they may range from silly annoying things to things that REALLY irritate me.

thus i present to you, pet peeve 001:

i have been the "organizer" for as long as i can remember. perhaps it was because growing up, i took part in activites that kind of put me in that position. 6th grade student representative, student government all 4 years of highschool, glee club execom, etc.

over the years though, i have found that this "label" has been creeping over into my career and personal life. when there are get togethers, parties, occasions, whatever.. i am usually the one who ends up coordinating.

being the "organizer" is actually kind of ironic as i am a mess by nature. i suppose the situations i have found myself in over the years have pushed me to try and be organized in my organizing.

so yes, my pet peeve. when people don't cooperate and /or don't respond at all to your plans (via text or email).

i can bitch about it because i've been on both sides. at one point, i felt i was so busy with my life that i would prioritize text messages. repond right away to some, get back to the ones that don't need my immediate attention. such a terrible habit.

i've also been on the receiving end as well, putting in the effort to organize and get no response. regardless of the reason (busy, avoidance, etc), the act of not responding in general just bugs me. truly. which is why, now a day, i make it a point to always respond right away. it is in my own little way, an acknowledgement of my appreciation for the efforts the person is making in organizing.

i have another pet peeve that's kind of related to this. but i'll leave that for another day :)

facebook words of wisdom

i saw this on my facebook updates, thot it was rather apt as this (among another things) is what i have actively and consciously chosen to focus on this year.

this is from the application "what God wants us to know":

YOU CAN USE ANY EXCUSE TO BE HAPPY -
You know how sometimes it seems that life is just throwing you one curved ball after another? Well, guess what, - you have a great way to respond! - you can use any excuse, any at all to be happy. Don't just soap your body in the shower - caress it and receive pleasure from touching and being touched. Don't just walk on the street - enjoy the fragrances of the trees and the flowers on your way. Don't just drive your car - sing karaoke to your favorite radio station.

o diba? simple serendipity ;)

creativity in movement #1

dressed in my usual paraiso-wear (old t-shirts & sweats turned sleeping clothes turned exercise gear due to addition of footwear!) and ready to step out, i heard the pitter patter, rather crazy downpour of rain outside.

"crap.. so ano ngayon?!"

in the past, i usually concede defeat, jump into the paraiso-wear (sleeping version) and crawl into bed. but because of only a 1 pound weight loss this week (vs. 4 pound weight loss the week before), and with my mind still fresh from the dissapointing results, i persisted forward.

so i zipped through my house. well, more like zipped up & down the stairs, around tables, through rooms and kitchens. i felt a little silly, but with everyone in bed and left only with the privacy of the evening and drumming of the rain outside, i went ahead and did it.

my sister's dog (my exercise companion) followed me around (yes.. up and down the stairs, around tables, through rooms and kitchens) for about 20 minutes in hopes that we would eventually go outside, but he got the drift and left me for an aircondtioned room. i continued on.

so 1. 5 hours later i managed to:

1. clock in my exercise for the day
2. finally bring up some stuff from downstairs i kept forgetting about
3. bring down all the mugs and glasses that collect in the tv room throughout the day
4. refill my tea mug and water glass and brought that up with me
5. clean out the messages on my phone (though i usually do this while walking around outside anyway)
6. figure out what to wear to my commitments this week (also a regular thing to do for me while walking outside)
7. note some things around the house i wanted to later work on / fix /etc.
8. wake my sister up (who thought she was imagining me zip through her room) and find myself some company during the last 15 minutes of my "work out"
9. make myself dizzy from going round in circles in small enclosed places

if only i could write while working out, it'd be an even better use of my time! i figure this wont' be the last of these types of challenges. i actually would've done the same while i was on the cruise (walk around the cruise ship for 1.5 hours), but it wasn't so big and i figured people would look at me funny!

this isn't the first time i've done something of this sort. i used to jog in place in my 24 square meter (in other words: tiny) studio apartment, when the weather was too bad for me to go out and get to the gym. that was a little strange too but hey, you do what you gotta do right?

this post is dedicated to a strange choirmate of mine, who i caught boxing in place in our hosts compact parisian kitchen when we were on tour in 2001 :)

catching up with old friends

this past week i ran into and met up with a bunch of old friends and classmates from high school and elementary / middle school.

there's always a bit of trepidation when you're preparing to meet up with them. you always make sure you look your best as you prepare to regale them with a livelier version of the drabness, or well, the ROUTINE, that comes with growing up and being responsible. i mean seriously, outside of my closer friends, when someone asks me what i've been up to, do i really want to get into the finer details of what i've truly been up to the last few years?

then of course, there are times you run into old class mates and as you spend the few minutes chatting it up, your mind is at the same time sizing him or her up. you begin to compare what they look like now to what you remember them to look like back in the day. and you hope and pray you look better now than the last time they remember seeing you as well.

self insecurities ba? hahaha. actually, i pretty much believe this is basic human nature ;)

kind of connected to all this: i recently "found" the very first BIG love of my life (circa grade 6). actually, i stalked him for a few months and finally got the courage to invite him to be my "friend" :) i've actually known for quite some time that he was married and yet, the thought of speaking with him again created crazy butterflies in my tummy. i actually don't think those go away. parang the butterflies hibernate for years until you see that special someone again. that's when they wake up again and madly flutter and dance around your tummy.

ANYWAY, beyond all that though, seeing old friends is a real treat. i thoroughly enjoyed my years growing up and catching up with friends and reminiscing about days past is always a nice break from battling out (ok fine.. passionately living) life as we know it now.

i'm approaching 10 years since highschool graduation. grabe, ang bilis! i need to start saving for the get togethers i know will most likely happen in boracay and bali. jusko, not even done with my trip this august and there are new trips to plan for kaagad. ehm.. maybe steady income first noh?! :D

new goal etc..

after entering the shlumpy part of the "get healthy" cycle, i thought of a new goal last monday while doing my evening walk (with my rain jacket, golf umbrella, capri pants and rubber crocs to help me avoid the deluge! ok.. OA.. to help me avoid the drizzle of rain!) to help get me psyched for this next push: i'm going for another 20 pounds by mid-august.

oh the things your mind conjures up when you're out muni-muni-ing! i even benchmarked the dates to help guide me - that by this time, i should've lost this much, etc. it's about 2 pounds a week and i'm thinking rather doable if i really focus on it and not just meander through it like the last month and half (thanks to beach trips and cruises!).

i've also made up some new rules for myself (ie: no desserts till august!) to help push me during these next 2.5 months.

will also try to get in as much exercise as i can, which i feel maybe a little difficult with this wonky weather we're having. though i figure, if i can get away with jogging in place in my tiny apartment back in college when i couldn't go out, i can find some way to burn calories here at home. perhaps jump rope in the garage, or climb up and down the stairs. we have a stationary bike at home but the thing hurts my butt, so that's definitly out of the question! commuting (and being on a budget) has been a wonderful blessing in disguise actually. the walk from my house to the mrt station and back is an hour! so when i don't get time to walk around the village and i commuted that day, i feel a little bit more at ease.

i seem to be getting back on track with regard to shutting up that little blabber mouth in my head. you know, the one that comes up with all these reasons why i can't exercise (too busy, too tired, no time, etc). i just do it. takes more energy anyway to battle it out in my brain then it does to hoist me up and get me outside.

on the food intake, well, i go through these crazy cravings often. for the most part, i usually crave a big ass burger (meat or lamb), or japanese food. but recently it's been nachos - like the ones with a thick layer of melted cheese, jalepenos, sour cream and guacamole. eep!! i'd also like to spend a whole evening back at spirals.. just thinking about those mini home made choco chip cookies they have (with ice cream!) is making me drool. good luck na lang when i get pregnant. perhaps i'll be lucky and crave... carrots. ha! right...

trying to train my body to eat and the right times too. i remember when i was working, i'd go the whole day without eating, and not because i wasn't trying to eat but simply because i was busy running around. problem was, when i got home, i'd stuff my face at dinner. now i'm trying to stick with the basics: breakfast, lunch and dinner.

anyway, so far so good! i turned my nose up on some german chocolates today and am totally avoiding the dining room as there's a box of 4-cheese / peperoni pizza there calling my name.

will update again during major checkpoints within these next 2.5 months! oh and why mid-august? that's when i plan to leave for ny for 2.5ish weeks for a wedding. hopefully not to gain it all back :I