Binge

Disclaimer: Long weekend just happened. This post is just about the usual, "How's your long weekend gone?",  "Just spent it binge watching" lame conversation. So read on. 

Just how do you exhaust your holiday free time? Me? I spent it Binge. Not outdoor stuffs but mostly watching TV Series and movies and books and films. I'm willing to sacrifice every outdoor stuff that there is for "just stayed at home reading or watching" experience. Mostly that or re-watching and replaying it in my head which makes me awake at night and groggy in the morning, I can't help but say, "Uuuuuggggh!!! why do I have to go to work!". This is how I define solitude, or maybe I'm just being, merely lazy. I would not say I'm an escapist, I don't want to delve into the "philosophical" aspect of it, because it's too shallow to philosophize over haha words I just love mixing them. The truth is just plain and simple: I AM NOT AMBITIOUS enough to spend my time uh, being ambitious - stuff that ambitious people do with their time. What I love to do is watch ambitious people go for it. In other words I am the audience to this big amazing world. It's so fascinating how I find words to elongate - for lack of a better term - such lazy experience haha moving on.

I have become an Arrow fanatic in span of two weeks, the series was just randomly pick out of boredom. It took me a while to appreciate it because I was so busy which loosely translate for "busy being lazy". It took episode two for the addiction to kick in. Then episode three of season one happened - I became an Olicity obsessed. I couldn't stop myself from watching, I barely even talk to my mother properly, just snatches of conversation here and there, even conversations through text messages and messenger chats, I ditched or just reply halfheartedly.  Totally a no use to the society when I am hooked into something either it be a book, a TV series, a movie, a reality TV, or a man I got a crush on. Pretty scary when I think about it. But like any other shallow addictions, it passes pretty quickly not until I exhaust, 1)  watching fandom made inspired by the series or the movie or the book 2) watching interviews 4) reading reviews 3) stalking the characters personal lives 4) replaying it my head 5) re watching it, and 6) blogging about it - the list could go on, one or two could be repeated, I'm not really that sure, I'm so undisciplined, I lack total control over my self which I grandly exhaust in the Arrow. I can't get over with the Olicity chemistry thing, the Felicity Smoak antics, of how handsome Stephen Amell aka Oliver Queen is, of how married he is haha and other things. I've got rid tons of series in my head over the years now (and tons of celebrity crushes for that matter) the Arrow would be just one of the lists. There's the Breaking Bad which tops the list. I was working in the network back then and work was extreme but when it provides rest, I binged watch it for four straight days. New season came out, work was - there's no way you could squeeze a binge watch - king of hectic, but as I said I failed at the disciplinary department, I managed to watch it in the middle of the week. The effect wore me out, I tell you. But yes, Breaking Bad is top of my "I'm very willing to sacrifice my reality for you series". Second would be Game of Thrones. Ultimate ultimate. The list could go on, there are Korean series, yes I do watch it. Movies. And books, don't even ask me about it. Just massive. Somebody once asked me about it, a friend of a friend who had no passion for such things, at all, I barely resist asking back, "would you really want to hear me talk about the books I've read and the series and the movies I've watch?" People who don't read at least one book a year, or doesn't watch movies or series as much as I do amaze me. And the ones who do, overwhelms me haha!

Every activity I put myself in bring out the randomness in me. Binge watching season's one two and three of Arrow straight for two weeks particularly made me appreciate the DC Comics characters more and I was able to differentiate between whose character is Marvel and DC haha! Aside from that, it got me very vocal about things which normally just stays in my head most of the time like texting my old producer and a friend, expressing how I miss them. Done this after a lousy sleep, it was yesterday, it was Monday. Re-read the entire thing after a very peaceful eight hour sleep the next day which makes it just a while ago, I couldn't be more embarrassed. What was I thinking when I typed that? "Ugggggghhh!!!!". 

A penny?

Would anybody ever gonna interact with me here? I could use some advice on how not to be lazy lols

Monday Thought (Read: Everyday)

Disclaimer: Don't be fooled. I'm weak, but not really that weak :) This is my usual antics, nasaktuhan lang na dito ko nalabas. So read on. 


Another Monday. Another day in the office, spending a lousy eight hours setting my goddamn ass on fire. I could actually hear my soul reaping, bruising, taking down, crying. How do I get myself out of this place? I'm not making any difference here. Corruption is growing in my belly, growing and growing, and if I'd spend my time here longer, I don't know what it be liked in a few months more. I'm not really sure why I'm sticking unto this in the first place, a failed civil service exam result should told me that already. Civil service might not really for me. Or maybe I'm just lacking human physical interaction, a real physical conversation or I don't know. What I know, and what I am sure about this minute is I want to go home and binge watch Arrow and moon over the love happening between Oliver and Felicity with a burning Sterling City before them and just not think about work or anything else. I could sum this up into simpler words really haha pinahaba ko lang. Tinatamad ako magtrabaho, gusto ko nang umuwi at ipagpatuloy yung katamaran ko sa bahay. Tapos! :) 

A Random Visit.

Two days ago, simultaneous to the carbonara cravings I've had, I did a very random thing, I visited the Philippine Army Museum. See the ironic thing boredom and procrastination can do to a person. Disclaimer: according to the contract of agreement I've signed working in the government says my service or services are not considered a "government services", so this is me saying that I am allowed to abridged the 8am-5pm working hours as long as services are already rendered for that day. Haha so my PA Museum trip was not considered as "paglalamyerda" lols at least we are clear on that so off I go. Disclaimer ulit: medyo fail ako sa paglalayout ng photos and text, and not much of a storyteller either, as long as these two are here, to whoever is the reader, magegets mo naman siguro? Haha. 

Seals of Philippine Army during the years. 

Long lines of Commanding Generals who served the Philippine Army with Heneral Luna as one of them, he was 2nd to Ricarte's term.

After wikipedia-ing, I decided to take a tour which by the way is my first ever endeavor alone.

Depiction of the Battle of Bataan

I am not much of a history fanatic person, pero I appreciate things that have Art. History is Art. The idea of history is like a "reserve engineering" for me. The simple curiosity of, "what is the life of this pencil before it became such? How did it manage to become a pencil? Anung mga pinagdaanan o napagdaanan nya bago sya naging sya?" is how I define history haha ang elementary ko lang mag-isip. I didn't quite appreciate the subject duringcollege but I managed to pass all of it. Just for the heck of it. 

Back in the days paintings of military situation.

So what came into me? I was high with influence. Haha! Uso yun ngayon eh, you act according to society's dictation haha and there comes social media's persuasion. I saw and read how Heneral Luna film received its massive positive reviews, I became curious. The name was very familiar but what do I know about him? Not much. It's only just recently that I recall (after Wikipedia-ing haha) that he was a brother to the famous painter Juan Luna who got a famous painting plastered at National Museum, even the painting itself i could not recall what it depicts really. I know Yayadub and Alden Richards, sure. Haha!

Second floor museum of back in the days painting of the military organization.

Turn right with caution. This creeps the hell out of me, a very foreboding (tama ba spell ko? haha) figure.

The serious business of putting a stiff and brave face.

 It was somewhat a creepy place, good thing there was a tour guide in a form of an Enlisted Personnel, we managed a few conversation along the way. Workload in the office is not that much anyways, so after lunch, with rain's heavy downpour, sacrificing to watch the latest episode of Kalyeserye that day, I took off. 

He creeps me out!!! 

But one more!!!!

Eh ako lang ba? 

I don't think so. But I am not after a debate, I'm just here to post lazy stuffs so, moving on. 

Goosebumps ito really. It depicts a Filipino trying to apply in the military service. Read below.

The PA Museum is situated inside the Headquarters but outsiders who have a knack for history are allowed to roam around as long as they present their IDs before the guards. It's worth 20 pesos. If you're a student, I guess the tour is just free. 

The Quest for the best Carbonara

Nakakaburyo sa office, to think na I work in the government. Nafi-feel ko naman yung nafeel ko sa naging una kong trabaho, yung I could do this procrastination at home, finer and classier. Grabe, but anyways. kahapon ng umaga nakatikim ako ng carbonara, not my first, pero it was the first time that I really appreciate the taste of it. I used to not eat it, hindi ko alam, para sakin kasi parang tamad na pagkain sya, matabang at almost to the point na walang lasa. Tama nga yata yung kasabihan, you hate the thing or the person who has the same quality/ies as you haha! So kahapon, nagyaya yung mabait na ka-officemate ko na may dala nung carbonara, eh umaga, medyo gutom, so sabi ko tikim lang. Shala, nag-crave ako! Hindi ko alam kung dahil yun sa gutom, sa pagkabitin, pero ilang minutes siguro para na akong naglilihi na ewan (though I have to say I'm not very familiar with the habits of paglilihi) pero for the lack of a better analogy, let's call it that way na lang, shall we? Hindi na ko mapakali sa cubicle ko, kumain ako ng tinapay para mawala yung pagki-crave ng tiyan ko o nang utak ko pero maya maya bumalik na naman. In my head, "I waaaaaaant carbonara or else!" nag-decide akong lumabas at mag-explore, nagpunta ako ng 7-11, wala. Bumalik ako ng office. Hindi parin ako mapakali. I messaged a co-researcher (and I think mababasa nya to haha)) kung may nagtitinda ba ng carbonara within the vicinity. May sinabi syang canteen. Punta kami. Pagdating doon, shala ulit kasi pangmaramihan lang yung orders for carbonara! Nauwi ako sa pagkain ng massive pancit worth 60 pesos. Doon ako nabusog! 


Come afternoon, lumabas ulit ako to buy ingredients para sa dinner namin sa quarters. Eh napadaan ako ng pizza hut! May nakita akong isang customer na kumakain ng carbonara! Agad-agad, pumasok ako ng pizza hut para bumili! It didn't taste much though, yung noodle ang tigas pa siguro kasi tanung ako ng tanung kung matagal pa ba. Nasobrahan yata yung pagka-excite ko, Pero cravings fulfilled parin naman with tons of ground pepper. 


Come next day, which is today. Another buryo day sa office, I was reading the constitution and RA 6713 (if you have take the civil service exam, you would know haha) while reading all I can think about in my head is the taste of pansit, of the carbonara, of garlic bread, of the smell of coffee, sabi ko shit iba na to. Hindi ako makapag-concentrate. One of my close office mates dropped by my cubicle, samahan ko raw sya lumabas. Sobrang gutom ko na by this time. I'm struggling whether I would by that pancit again to ease the hunger, eh nakakatamad yung lakad sa isang bagay o pagkain na 50% ko lang naman na gusto. Pero masarap naman sya, wala lang I crave for carbonara some more. Ayun after transactions sa bank in between kwento na nagki-crave ako ng carbonara, my office mate suggested pancake house. sabi ko pa kung kaya yung 100 pesos dun haha ang rating? 4 out of 5! It wasn't the best but it wasn't that bad either, hindi sya dry gaya ng nalasahan ko kahapon. She suggested further to try carbonara in Banapple and French Baker. Pagiipunan ko muna, mukhang hindi na kaya ng 100 yun eh lols. 


Lesson? Follow your cravings! Worth it. :) Makes you want to live some more and eat most of the time. haha!

Family time

Once upon a time, in one of my musing moments while staying in the barracks which I call "In Exile", so dramatic of me haha pero I randomly wrote on my phone this short thing:

"I miss being the youngest with my two brothers surrounding me everyday of my life, fighting, always fighting, I can't remember the days without us fighting, over petty things when I think of it now. We've gone separate ways now and the memories of us always together are fading, moving, getting further and further, getting white, getting black, bald. When was the last time I prayed over the harmony of us being always together... I just miss being with my brothers."

I have always been so dependent with my parents, with my brothers support all through out my life, they shaped half of the whole pie of my existence and last Sunday was the only time I really thank them all by treating them to a Sunday lunch. I was very thankful with the wisdom Higher Being bestowed upon me for such clarity to contact them all, even my father who defies almost all material things in this world lest presented or shoved it in front of him, but this time he was persuaded. I was so happy. Here's the pictures to prove it haha! Yun lang naman talaga ang purpose ng post na to, to brag about having a family haha! (some of the photos were taken by my 3 almost 4 years old nephew, Clark).

Seriously though, ours have gone a long way. So much to be thankful for. Wala pa ko sa kalahati ng pinapangarap kong mapasaya talaga sila, I even intend to give up my ambitious whims (or the scarcity of it) just to give them the happiness they truly deserved. I always pray for harmony so I could give it back to them. 

Encore encore encore

Photo content of this post happened one week ago, took me awhile to get all the photos I will be needing (I'll never know for sure who will dropped by on this blog of mine, pero mas okay na yung kumpleto rekado di ba) so anyways, this post is mainly about a friend of mine, her name is Jesiela who found her way to finally make (or start) her Theater dreams come true. She and I, I don't know how our friendship started, but we've met way back college. It wasn't a deep friendship in a physical sense but the conversation that flowed every time we talked and converse online or thru phone certainly is as stimulating and engaging as that of the physical one gets. She is one of the best friends of my writer soul, I'd tell you that. We've maintained the conversation, from the struggle of college days, to the soul shattering experience of working in one particular tv network to being a slave in two separate government agencies.  

One of the random conversations we've had is the frustration about Theater, about acting, about drama, about singing, about playacting and the like. We've once had a drama class as one subject in college, it was the most fun class I've experience, to all of us, I remember it was one subject I've truly had hang ups for, I've enjoyed waking up on a Saturday morning to attend the class, always excited about the next activity we would be doing, either individually, by twos or by groups. I had my moments, but I became a wallflower during one of our huge productions, it was too much to handle. Jesiela however excelled and will always excels to whatever endeavor she would take next :) She played major roles to the different subject of drama class, she was applauded and praised. 

Three years have passed since that, but we never forget that amazing experience. We would never forget our dear professor who taught us that amazing class. We constantly talked about that. Few weeks ago, she told me she'd signed up for a workshop class at the PETA Theater. Some weeks after that, she told me about a presentation they are rehearsing as one major output for the workshop. I've missed the thrill of watching one, so I joke about her inviting me, and I'm glad she did, it was amazing! So many talented people in one stage is massive! She didn't give me much background of the story, of what role she will be playing, pero I know she is one of the main casts. The only backstory she told me was the play would revolve around a certain Lola yearning for someone. This Lola is in transit, looking for it, her mode of transpo would be the MRT, just like the rest of the people who rides it to get to the place they need to go. I cried a little when she told me it would be kundiman, my first thought was, nosebleed ito, I wouldn't be able to endure it, she didn't give much reassurance either. That was that. Sunday came, Erika was with me, we would meet Joven and Ruel at PETA Theater. 

We were exactly on time, when I'm with Eka, there's no excuse not to be on time hahaha! We've waited a bit, excited for the play to start. The picture wasn't actually their set (why, we didn't know that there would be three groups doing an entirely three different act) so we took photos, ecstatic.) but you'd know the mood and the ambiance, see. 

The minimal setting, the simple sitting arrangement reminded me so much about college, it also made me feel like I am somehow part or belong to a group of artsy people hahaha ang feeling ko pero that's how it really was. It was cool. 

First act was an amazing play about the whims and struggles of people, every tableau with pictures behind it was a real clap. One performer stood out to me, this girl who played a cashier girl in classic miming of a Starbucks products. Below pictures were the first scene. I had a fleeting crush on the guy sitting next to the girl. lols. 

Wally Bayola, the famous actor playing Tita Nidora in Eat Bulaga's kalyeserye was present as part of the audience. What was he doing there? We found out he had two children enrolled in the workshop, the young boy was a classmate of Jesiela and the young girl was part of the first play, who have a very great throaty voice. Of course, I couldn't resist a pabebe wave picture with him, I tagged along Eka with me hahaha!

The cast of first act, talented bunch all of them, some really stood out whilst others were very memorable for their versatility, grabe, must feel so good to be part of this team or any other team from the either of the group. 

Then comes Jesiela's group where she played the role of Isyang, the Lola who can't be moved haha! I wasn't able to take pictures of the second group, the ideas was grand but somehow it lacked something  I couldn't describe, kulang sa refinement? The acting of some of the actors? The storytelling lacked something? I couldn't be sure. But Jesiela's was a complete surprise, it started with her entrance singing a song about longing for a long gone husband, Kadyo (which by the way was a character played by her boyfriend, Joven way back in college. They paired up on that play, forgot the title but the song was a witty idea haha) 

The whole play was full of life. That bag she's holding tightly right there played an important role latter part of the story, the improvisations were flawless. Her singing voice was throaty kahit na may ubo at sipon, she used to send me tons of Wicked songs before which I didn't even listen quite heartily haha, but she reminded me of one Wicked character she adored so much, the influence was certainly there, which is good, I tell you. 

What we thought as just one hour played turned out to last until 10 pm. We never mind kasi ang sarap manood ng play! 

I wanted to shout encore encore encore pero naalala ko di naman bayad yung pinanood ko or kahit bayad sya, I had to pay for another to sight such Art. 

Syempre di kami nagpahuli sa soon to be theater actor friend namin hahahaha!! 

Ang saya! Clap clap clap! Must have been so awesome and a thrilling experience to be one, to be a part, to be among these talented versatile people of different gender age culture norms to form such Art. 

Congrats, Jes!