imogenagerie

It's a brand new year, a brand new life...

2012-01-04T22:06:00.001+08:00

This is why

2010-10-25T13:54:00.009+08:00

Several months ago I went to a poetry book launching, after not having gone to such events for quite some time. The author was an acquaintance of mine (hey, LY, I know you’re probably not reading this), someone who had said kind words about my writing, seems a lifetime ago. At the launch I saw my old friend R, and I know he’ll forgive me for saying this (you WILL probably be reading this, R), but

A concert under the pouring rain

2010-10-25T09:16:00.008+08:00

He was supposed to have the concert here in May but it got postponed to October. I dilly dallied for all those months till about a couple of weeks before the actual date (October 1), but in the end I just couldn't keep away from John Mayer. Yes, the guy's got quite a reputation for being a douche, but I like the music and he is one of the performers I had been wanting to see perform live. So I

Images from Angkor #5

2010-04-02T18:06:00.007+08:00

My filing system must really suck, because it's only now that I've gotten around to uploading more pictures from my Angkor trip back in 2007. There are hundreds of images still to go through, but you can view the Flickr set anytime. This is one of my favorites -"When I grow up I want to be an apsara."

This

2010-02-15T10:00:00.005+08:00

...was the one I meant to post yesterday. Published somewhere sometime. Took a screencap because I'm thinking it'll be a bitch trying to format it in html, so I didn't even try. Yes, it's probably what you think it's about. (Click on the image to view it at a more readable size.)

Digging up an old poem because I haven't written a new one in ages

2010-02-14T08:58:00.004+08:00

Yeah yeah, snort and chuckle all you want my friends. I can almost hear you now. Oh what have we here, imogen the cynic posting a loooove prose poem on Valentine's Day. After not having blogged in ages! First off, it's not exactly a love poem, is it? Well, yeah, it's a different aspect of love perhaps. I was going to post a real love poem (one of the less cynical ones I've ever written) but then

From my postcard collection # 5

2009-06-17T13:26:00.004+08:00

Michelangelo's David by Antonio Ciccione.

David Cook in Concert 5.16.2009

2009-06-09T12:10:00.006+08:00

Want a virtual concert right now? Here are my videos in a nice playlist, it's of the entire show:

Hong Kong for some Mraz

2009-03-22T21:37:00.005+08:00

(Drawing by Jinny Wu, a fan we met at the concert.)I managed to take some video. Visuals ain't much, but the audio is excellent. Enjoy!

Who watches the Watchmen?

2009-03-07T08:27:00.008+08:00

Come... dry your eyes. For you are life, rarer than a quark and unpredictable beyond the dreams of Heisenberg; the clay in which the forces that shape all things leave their fingerprints most clearly. -- Dr. Manhattan, Watchmen by Alan Moore.So yeah, I've noticed. Watchmen the movie is not everyone's cup of tea. Some girls I overheard in the restroom noted: "It suuuuucked." Well, too bad for

Curious indeed II

2009-01-10T01:32:00.009+08:00

I had been waiting for this movie since July. Finally I saw it. A wee bit Forrest Gump-ish perhaps, but let me tell `ya, *whispers* I never really liked Forrest Gump all that much.I'll make this short and sweet (because I had these notes months ago and I'm finalizing it only now). I've always said that the key to enjoying this type of movie, as with other fantasy stories, is to suspend disbelief.

The Canon Powershot G10

2009-01-02T20:52:00.005+08:00

I've had the camera for a couple of months now, and so far I've been happy with it, given the expectations I had of it from the start. The key to my satisfaction? I knew full well that it could not aspire to be at the level of SLR performance. What I needed was an upgrade of my beloved Canon G2, something compact (that much easier to sneak inside all sorts of venues, heh!), light, and easy to use

Still on my favorite Christmas song

2008-12-26T10:40:00.004+08:00

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas is one of the songs in that David Cook playlist I posted below. It was a performance he did at the Rockefeller Tree Lighting Ceremony on Dec. 3. He sang the song again for a Disney Christmas special which aired yesterday in the US, and this one is even better. My favorite line in the song is "Hang a shining star upon the highest bough" - Cook does it

Acoustic Cookie: consider this a gift

2008-12-18T20:38:00.012+08:00

Yuletide is upon us and I'm still not done shopping. And this blog has not been updated for some time. Will do that during the Christmas break, but for now, consider this a gift. David Cook is at his best when he sings acoustically. Effing fantastic, I tell `ya. Here's a playlist I made (yes what, I have a youtube account. Blame Cook.) - it starts with his cover of Lennon's Happy Christmas (War

It ain't called Grand for nothing

2008-10-29T03:07:00.004+08:00

Somewhere along the Rim Trail, The Grand Canyon. October 23, 2008.I take my customary feet-on-the-scene pic as my family looks nervously on. My dad, who vehemently opposed my act of sitting on the one-foot-wide-or-so ledge, is holding on to the tip of my jacket's hoodie (as if that would stop a mile deep fall, heh) as my brother takes a pic of us. Onlookers giggle as they pass by.

Hiro's nose knows

2008-09-07T23:03:00.002+08:00

Bright-eyed and wet-nosed, that's my Hiro. He's so fun to photograph. Seems I haven't been taking pics of anything other than dogs and cats these days. See?

Un-privatized at flickr

2008-09-02T22:38:00.004+08:00

I had forgotten about this image which I had initially set to private in my flickr gallery. My laptop monitor was uncalibrated at the time when I uploaded it, so I wasn't sure if this was too dark or not. To date, the monitor is still uncalibrated, but now I've made this image public.Night falls on the Golden Gate. San Francisco, 2005.

Ianto

2008-08-20T22:07:00.006+08:00

This scrawny kitty was abandoned near the Petrellis' house about two weeks ago. Poor critter was shivering and meowing to the high heavens for it had just rained. So my dad took it and I named it Ianto, after a Torchwood character. (I've only recently discovered Torchwood, a British sci-fi spin-off of the Dr. Who TV series.) But it turns out it's a girl, hee! Well, no matter. Ianto in the show is

Zhang Yimou and the Opening Ceremonies of the 2008 Beijing Olympics

2008-08-10T21:57:00.011+08:00

Surely you caught even a little bit of the Olympics Opening Ceremonies last Friday? What a magnificent showcase of culture and arts! The concept of the scroll was fabulous. I loved loved that sequence where dancers brought an ink and wash painting to life with their bodies. And I loved the drummers, and the oarsmen, and the Han dynasty performers, and the movable-type blocks, and the globe with

Itching to get Globe's iPhone 3G? Hold your horses.

2008-08-10T11:50:00.008+08:00

Since Globe announced that it would be accepting reservations for the super.fantastic.sleek.new.iPhone.3G! people have been scrambling to their nearest Globe service center to make sure they will have the new phone in their hands by August 22. Just to give you an idea of how ridiculously overpriced the thing is, a prepaid kit costs Php 41,899 for the 8GB model, and Php 48,899 for the 16GB. Well

Curious indeed

2008-07-27T10:48:00.006+08:00

I came across the trailer of The Curious Case of Benjamin Button a few days ago, and I can't wait to watch it.It is based on a short story by F. Scott Fitzgerald about a man who is born with the body of a 70-year old and grows backwards, that is, younger, as the years pass. Director David Fincher (Se7en, Fight Club, Zodiac) says of the film: "It's dark, it's romantic, and it also deals with

I knew it would happen, just not this soon. OMG!

2008-07-27T10:27:00.004+08:00

(Photochop by flygirl24 of pinoyexchange.com.)According to David Cook himself in an interview with 104.5 Chum FM (a Canadian radio station; the American Idol tour played Toronto yesterday), he has just booked his first solo gig: January 27th in the Philippines. Huzzah! Happy birthday, me! Still, I'm waiting for an official announcement from local media.Of all the countries on earth, why the

David CookFEST at Campus 99.5 FM: Encore

2008-07-21T13:40:00.009+08:00

The 2-hour special, for everyone's enjoyment. I do think last week's CookFEST was better, though. In this encore, the DJs played a number of songs twice (gah, there are so many more songs to choose! I even pointed them to The World I Know from the Taste for A Cure event, sheesh.), there were more and longer commercial breaks and whatnot (hello, even 6 Cycle Mind's Saludo was in there somewhere; I

You have about 2 days left to watch Joss Whedon’s epic. supervillain. musical!

2008-07-18T21:18:00.005+08:00

Joss Whedon, geek/writer/director/producer extraordinaire, creator of Buffy The Vampire Slayer, Angel, Firefly and Serenity, has unleashed Dr. Horrible’s Sing-Along Blog, a 3-part miniseries available only in the internet until midnight of July 20. Why? You’re asking why? Here, read his Master Plan.Neil Patrick Harris stars as a mad scientist applying for membership in the Evil League of Evil. In

Creative comes out with a new one

2008-07-17T21:20:00.010+08:00

Check it out, Creative's newest media player:The Zen X-Fi. Really noice and sleek and spiffy. No, it's not quite like the iPod Touch, but what do I care, I'm not an iPod'er. I don't care about the status symbol, but functionality. Creative gives me more value for my money. And it actually sounds better. A fellow poster at pinoyexchange.com compares Creative players and iPods like so: The former

In anticipation of Hellboy II: The Golden Army

2008-07-16T00:02:00.002+08:00

So yeah, I enjoyed the first Hellboy movie very much. (And I've come to lurve Guillermo del Toro. ) Hellboy II should be showing soon in these parts, yay. As if the trailer weren't enough to pique my curiosity, this promotional video turned up on the web. It's an animated prologue that tells the backstory of the Golden Army. Gorgeous visuals!

Cookification 101 at Campus 99.5 FM

2008-07-14T20:00:00.010+08:00

I’ve been writing in LJ about how Philippine radio has been getting cookified since Always Be My Baby shot to #2 at Magic 89.9, mere hours after it was released on iTunes. Since then David Cook has been all over the radio (it’s still charting to this day, along with the magic rainbow song er I mean Time Of My Life), and his music has been floating around in uh *whisper* you know, those places

Check it out, I got Mraz

2008-06-27T20:00:00.007+08:00

Let's start this right, with my favorite song of the moment.That song, my friends, is featured in Jason Mraz's new album called We Sing, We Dance, We Steal Things.I finally got to listen, and these are my thoughts on each track: Make It Mine. I like the first version I heard better (as heard in my flash player a few posts back). This seems subdued. Like the 1st one is brash and exuberant, but

It's an mp3 player, y'all

2008-06-27T19:59:00.005+08:00

Seriously. Bwah!" The thing has 1GB internal memory, built in speaker and charges through USB. The USB port is very conveniently placed in the dog's butt and the headphone jack is located in the front. It might be worth the $18.67 shipped just as a conversational starter, after all how many times have you seen a table with a plastic dog and a USB plug up it's butt playing "I will survive"? "

Back after a hiatus

2008-06-12T17:13:00.005+08:00

I haven't blogged nor taken pics in ages. So I figured I'd remedy that with one fell post. Here are a couple of images I made last Saturday with my cameraphone.List of services at Amigo's Barber Shop, somewhere in Bulacan. Haircuts cost Php 40, with hot towel included. (O ha!)Yes, this is a dog. Mohinder chomping on a favorite chewy treat.

Mrazmerizing Acoustics

2008-02-27T23:14:00.007+08:00

Lately I've been listening to this guy. Fantastic vocals, very well-crafted songs, and a whole lot of style. What's more, he sounds even better live. So I collected some tracks and made a playlist. All but one of these are from live performances.Make It Mine. This is the opening track of Jason's upcoming 3rd album. Performed at Park City Utah during the Where Music Meets Film event last January

A lovely day indeed

2008-02-21T22:57:00.004+08:00

Jason Mraz does an improvisation while walking the streets of Paris. At the start he tries to say "C'est une belle journée." (trans. "It's a lovely day."), and he gets the pronunciation wrong (hee!). As he walks farther he meets a Bulgarian busker, and together they make music. This is truly awesome.Split Series - Jason Mraz - It's a lovely dayUploaded by lablogothequeThere are 4 more videos

The Petrelli Brothers: A Day in the Life

2008-01-14T07:51:00.000+08:00

A Day in the Life of the Petrelli BoysUploaded by imogen_ph

Waxing poetic in the metro II

2007-12-03T19:58:00.000+08:00

The first one almost got me in trouble, but well, here it is.Me pides sampaguitas... No te envío,porque, al ir a cortarlas de la rama,sentí temblar mis manos y mi pechoprensado por la lástima.No quiero que padezcan esas flores,como padece, lejos de tí, mi alma,no quiero que al contacto de mis manosperezcan marchitadas.Humingi ka ng sampaguita... Di kita bibigyan.dahil nang puputulin ko na sa mga

Beowulf: How to take liberties with a classic and not get away with it

2007-11-30T23:48:00.000+08:00

I had been looking forward to seeing Beowulf in 3D and finally I did it. So now, 450 pesos later (that’s 300 for the movie ticket and 150 for lunch – let me tell you, don’t attempt to watch a 3D film while eating lunch; I gobbled up my burger and fries 10mins before it started as I didn’t want to get distracted), here’s my verdict. As usual, I didn’t read any reviews or join any discussions

Remembering Batanes

2007-11-29T16:13:00.000+08:00

Seeing the Inquirer 2BU's feature on Batanes (and Jill's fantastic pics) reminded me of my two trips there several years ago. Back then there were no direct flights from Manila to Basco. One had to go to Laoag and fly from there. They didn't sell two-way tickets, for the weather was so unpredictable. On one of our trips back we flew out to Tuguegarao on a cargo plane. The pilot went about town

Neil Gaiman launches Pinoy Expeditions into the unreal

2007-11-26T00:51:00.000+08:00

Right. I went to the Expeditions book launch and 2nd Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards held at Bonifacio High Street. Got a set of paperback Expeditions, one of which (the Comics volume) was pre-signed by Neil who wrote the Foreword, got my friend Y's cousins, first prize comics winners Waya and Lala Gallardo's autographs, stood around for ages (warranting foot reflexology afterwards), lost a

Neil Gaiman believes in Pinoy talent

2007-11-24T22:24:00.000+08:00

It's heartening to know that such a writer as Neil Gaiman has faith in the Pinoy potential. He believes in the Pinoys' talent and creativity, but is frustrated at how disconnected we are from the rest of the world, as reported in Walang Pahinga's LJ. Some choice quotes that I borrowed from said LJ, from Neil's talk, Imagination and the Creativity in the Contemporary World, during the 20th

A taste for the surreal

2007-11-23T21:10:00.001+08:00

My friend Ninfa introduced me just recently to the wonderful work of Maggie Taylor. Taylor creates images using a scanner, photographs, assorted objects and Adobe Photoshop. Here are samples of her work. Twilight Swim ©Maggie Taylor / The Scientist ©Maggie Taylor Woman Who Loves Fish ©Maggie Taylor / Distracted Cats ©Maggie TaylorCheck out her online

Is Amazon Kindle™ prompting a trend that will eventually make us set our books on fire?

2007-11-22T18:20:00.000+08:00

It's an exciting time in the U.S. right now where book and gadget lovers alike are concerned (drats, when will we have access to this I wonder). Amazon very recently announced a new device that took 3 years in the making: the Amazon Kindle™, a wireless electronic book that has been described as nothing short of revolutionary. It was sold out in 5.5 hours.I'm normally skeptical of e-books. I don't

So Neil Gaiman has arrived

2007-11-21T22:23:00.000+08:00

Neil is already in Manila according to his blog.Seems there won't be a booksigning on Sunday at the Bonifacio High Street event. Perhaps they don't want to tire him out like they did in 2005, poor Neil, autographing thousands of books. Good thing I got a couple of mine signed. The only signing scheduled will be in Subic, where Neil will also be speaking at the 20th Philippine Advertising Congress

A few frames from Pushing Daisies

2007-11-21T21:54:00.000+08:00

I took screencaps, a few frames from Pushing Daisies (I stylized these a bit) Episode 6: Bitches. These illustrate a couple of reasons why I love the show.Though he could animate the dead, Young Ned could only reanimate the inanimate with his imagination. On this lonely night he tried to recreate his past life, but he'd lost his ability to dream and found even his imagination failed him.Still he

Shelfari with me, why don't cha?

2007-11-19T22:08:00.001+08:00

I admit I haven't been reading much lately (apart from Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix which I read nightly to put me to sleep), and my eyesight hasn't been getting any better (I haven't been using my eyeglasses). But I will get right down to it. Here's a glimpse of the contents of my Shelfari Reading List of the moment. (Click on the image to see my Shelfari shelf.)Shelfari is a social

Waxing poetic in the metro

2007-11-18T20:50:00.000+08:00

Last week on the LRT Line 2 I was pleasantly surprised to find poetry on the train. There were posters inside the train with pretty pictures and layouts of texts in Spanish and Filipino. I instantly thought that it must be a project of Instituto Cervantes, one of the most active cultural institutions here in Manila. So I stepped closer and found it was indeed their project. I had a backpack with

Guess who's coming (again)?

2007-11-15T09:46:00.000+08:00

Larger image and details at the Fully Booked website.Neil actually broached the idea of holding Graphic/Fiction awards after his visit here in Manila in 2005, seeing how much talent our local artists have. Below are links to the winners of the 1st Philippine Graphic/Fiction Awards, Comics category. (Still looking for links to the winners of the prose fiction category.) Said winners are published

Re-uploaded

2007-11-14T20:04:00.000+08:00

I re-uploaded these just recently:I got my Neil Gaiman album from my old filphoto gallery and brought it over to my flickr gallery. Click on the image to view the album:Neil Gaiman, Manila, July 2005.I also re-posted my Angkor slideshow (from my dailymotion page) since there were some having problems accessing the original one I posted (from photobucket). So the slideshow ought to work better

Morbidly yours

2007-11-07T17:05:00.000+08:00

I'm a tad late in posting this but hey, `tis still the season for talk about the dead, death and dying. Yes, morbid thoughts, but not necessarily sad or depressing.1.First off, let me tell you what new tv show has taken my fancy lately, and what you should also be watching: Pushing Daisies. It's a sort of forensic or procedural fairy tale (say what?), a dark comedy that has caught my attention

From my old files

2007-10-31T13:06:00.000+08:00

A hack dreams of Klimtian Viggo / Viggoesque Klimt.[Larger.]Beholder IISee here, that odd congregation of flags,those black dogs vanishing in a haze,a leaf on a chilled forest floor,curled trunk, stained tusk, white camisole,cluttered graffiti on the walls.These random abstractions,recent forgeries of the ways of things,they are what I revere,the elusive, the fleeting, the evanescent ---the

Ebben! (Or perhaps I shouldn't have looked it up)

2007-10-25T21:16:00.000+08:00

Since my friend Yuan gave me a copy of Cafe del Mar Aria 2, I've loved this aria. I'm not sure how opera lovers would react to this modernized version (composed, conducted and produced by Paul Schwartz, performed by Isobel Griffiths) -- they might very well retch and gag and swear. So I looked up the opera from which it came.La Wally by Alfredo Catalani, it turns out, is about Wally, a young

Tenacious Player

2007-10-24T21:25:00.000+08:00

To test if this thing will work, let's bring in the funny. Hee hee. You have to admit, the guy can sing. I believe Let's Get It On is the song he sang in the John Cusack movie High Fidelity.Haaah it works! Seems to be loading a tad too slowly though, is it me, my connection, or my file host? Hmm.

TV at its finest: Star Trek: The Next Generation - The Inner Light

2007-10-22T20:59:00.000+08:00

The Inner Light is one of the most well-loved episodes of Star Trek: The Next Generation (ST:TNG), and for good reason. It won the 1993 Hugo Award for Best Dramatic Presentation given at the World Science Fiction Convention in San Francisco. It was the first television program to be so honored since the original series Star Trek episode The City on the Edge of Forever in 1968.Here's a quick

Here's to fancy flash players

2007-10-19T01:15:00.000+08:00

I've been knocking my head on the wall for the past few nights trying to figure out what I was doing wrong. I've had good advice, a nice space to play around in (that is to say, yaminion webspace thanks to Laclos), and oh, hooray to shareware and open source codes! And of course I couldn't have gotten a complete I'm The Man mp3 without the help of my friend Berg (who did the splicing) and Anj (

Best Opening Credits Ever

2007-10-18T19:13:00.000+08:00

At the time, I had thought Star Trek: Deep Space 9 had one of the most beautiful opening credits ever aired on television:But right now, this one tops my list:I'd write some more why BSG is also THE best sci-fi show right now, but I can't wait to get back to watching my season 2 dvds. ;-)

Elliott Yamin Reciprocates

2007-09-22T17:07:00.000+08:00

Trinoma Mall, Quezon City, Philippines, September 21, 2007.The seats were already starting to fill out at the Trinoma Activity Center when my friend Kai and I got there. The usher directed us to a section to the right of the stage and I joked that we would have a fine view of the huge speakers. Seriously though, from our seats at the 3rd row, the microphone stood at 10 o’ clock thereabouts. Pwede

A vision of white sand

2007-08-08T22:20:00.000+08:00

Images from Boracay Island, July 29 - August 1, 2007.Check out my newly uploaded flickr album: Boracay sa gitna ng habagat.

Don't bite the foot that feeds you

2007-08-07T23:30:00.000+08:00

Some distance away from Crocodile Island, we stopped at a designated snorkeling area. Kapitan demonstrated how fast the fishies come to feed with his foot. The 3-hour boatride (they call it an “island hopping” trip but in our case, we didn’t actually land on any other island apart from the one we came from) costed us Php 1,500 (which is alright since the regular rate for a 4-hour ride comes to

You up for some adorable & hilarious cuteness?

2007-08-02T23:19:00.000+08:00

Check out icanhascheezburger.com where they have pics like this one:

The slideshow below? Really cool.

2007-07-21T09:22:00.000+08:00

I mean the slideshow generator itself is cool, not necessarily my slideshow. I discovered just now that if you click on a photograph, it will show you the same captions I have in Flickr. But the pic is cut off to the side - that's my fault. I adjusted the slideshow frame size (original width was 500, I made it 400). Anyhoo, scroll down and check.ETA. For those who want an even nicer, bigger

Blogging in un-real time: Why aren't there enough hours in the daytime?

2007-07-21T00:01:00.000+08:00

That's rhetorical, of course. Flashback to 2005. It's late fall in California. The setting sun always catches me off guard, even after being here several days already. There just isn't enough time to enjoy the afternoon, to have leisurely walks, take photographs, take one's time to bask in the daylight. The latter half of the day goes like this: We eat lunch, perhaps take a little rest, and then

Of chedis, stupas and prangs *

2007-07-18T23:33:00.000+08:00

Finally found the time to dig up and upload my photographs from Ayutthaya. Here's a sample.Chedi from behind frangipani blooms.Wat Yai Chaya Mongkol, Ayutthaya. 2/08/2007View the rest of the pics at my Flickr album.From Bangkok we took a cab to Morchit station (aka North bus terminal, not to be mistaken for the Morchit MTR station. Note that "Morchit" is itself not written on the facade of the

Yosemite reflections

2007-07-13T23:30:00.000+08:00

Yosemite Valley, to me, is always a sunrise, a glitter of green and golden wonder in a vast edifice of stone and space. -- Ansel AdamsEl Capitan seen from Valley View, Yosemite.Cathedral Rocks reflected on the Merced River, Valley View, Yosemite.To view larger versions, go to my Flickr album (click "All sizes" to get to largest version). For a 360 degree panorama of Valley View (it's like being

Images from Angkor # 4

2007-07-08T23:55:00.000+08:00

Indra sits atop his three-headed mount, the elephant Airavata.Pediment detail, Banteay Srei. 2/12/2007[View larger version.]Banteay Srei, the "Citadel of Women", is one of the most intricately decorated temples in Angkor. It is widely considered as the "jewel of Khmer art". Unlike the others, it was built not by a monarch but by a courtier and scholar named Yajnavaraha who served the king as

A History of Elliott's First Hit

2007-07-08T22:04:00.000+08:00

allaccess.com has been sending this to subscribers via email.I'm not a crazy fan of the song itself, I said that right when it was released, but I knew it had great appeal, and therefore, great radio potential. So I'm happy for its success all the same. Wait For You has been topping countdowns in such popular stations in the Philippines as Magic 89.9 and RX 93.1. In case you haven't heard the

Embedding a Pictobrowser slideshow

2007-06-29T00:49:00.000+08:00

Testing this new gadget I found floating around the web...Huh. Ok, kinda nice I guess. Changed the background because the original code indicated white, I thought it looked boring here. Eh, it cuts off some of the pics. I suppose that can't be fixed, unless I resize the photos in my Flickr album. Or hmm, maybe it's because I changed the display size.By the way, you can get your own Pictobrowser

Elliott Yamin: The Return to AI

2007-05-18T18:31:00.000+08:00

What did I say last year, something like "Mark my words, Elliott will be big". A look at my archives for April 2006 shows that I had blogged about Elliott Yamin 3 times in a row. So no, I didn't like the guy. I loved him!To make a long story shot, Elliott finished at #3, and I along with a lot of Yaminions from all over grieved for some time (yeah we were bat-shit crazy, as noted by fellow

My kinda Hiro

2007-05-07T22:34:00.000+08:00

Just saw Episode # 20 ("Five Years Gone") and it frigging rocks! Not enough time to write these days so I'll just post these. Cool Heroes links:Heroes 360 Clues (lots more great links at right sidebar)Heroes Gallery (Photos, Screencaps, Scans, etc.)The 5 EW cover variantsEW Online feature: Yesterday's HeroesEW Online articles (spoilerish! Note to self: Read these later.)

The Dog Whisperer

2007-05-01T20:06:00.000+08:00

My friend Isa lent me The Dog Whisperer by Owens and Eckroate as I had been attempting to train Papa Suresh's pups. A couple of weeks ago I began teaching them to sit. Hiro has turned out to be the smartest and quickest of the lot. Momo, bless his tummy, is kinda clueless on the matter. What I did was pat the floor with my hand while I said "Sit [pup's name], sit!", and held a treat in my hand.

Momo-nitor

2007-04-29T21:02:00.000+08:00

Lately I have been babytalking my computer monitor. Hee.

Never been much of a dog person but...

2007-03-26T20:33:00.000+08:00

...just look at the cute little buggers. The light-colored one is Hiro, and the darker one is Mohinder. (Sound familiar? Hee!)

Faux Lomo-ed

2007-03-04T16:33:00.000+08:00

Lomography was originally an Austrian commercial trademark for photography-related products and services. Nowadays, the term stands for an approach, philosophy or attitude. The emphasis is on casual, snapshot photography, as in shooting from the hip. Lomo images are colorful and quirky. Lomo enthusiasts aspire for happy accidents such as over-saturation, light leaks, vignetting, over- and

Embraced by a Bodhi Tree

2007-03-04T16:10:00.000+08:00

If you believe you are enlightened, you are actually a little bit crazy.-- Taisen DeshimaruBuddha in a Bodhi Tree # 1Wat Mahathat, Ayutthaya 2/10/07One of the most photographed images in all of Ayutthaya, Thailand's old capital, is this Buddha head that seems to have grown among the roots of a bodhi tree within the compound of Wat Mahathat built in 1374.While many Buddha heads were forcibly taken

My Angkor Movie

2007-02-26T11:55:00.000+08:00

Passage to AngkorUploaded by imogen_phPresenting my Angkor movie. The file runs for 4 minutes 12 seconds. Click on "Play" to start the movie. Turn up the volume. If the video stops and starts, just let it load until the end, and then replay. It should go smoothly then. Known to work in IE (on PC) and Firefox (on Mac). Freezes up on Netscape (PC) in my case, but that may be due to a glitch in my

Images from Angkor # 3

2007-02-26T11:53:00.001+08:00

Sunrise over Angkor Wat, 2/13/2007 The sun rises over Angkor Wat, the temple considered to be one of the most perfect architectural structures in the world. Built sometime in the 12th century under the rule of Suryavarman II, it took 37 years to accomplish. How many suns have risen and shone over Angkor Wat? This thought alone is staggering.

Images from Angkor # 2

2007-02-20T12:05:00.000+08:00

South Gate, Angkor Thom. 2/11/2007Angkor Thom or "Great City", measuring about 900 hectares, is said to be one of the largest cities in its heyday (from the 12th to the 17th century). It was built by Jayavarman VII, the most prolific Khmer god-king known for building some of the most magnificent temples in all of Angkor. One reaches the South gate through a causeway flanked by 54 gods on the left

Images from Angkor # 1

2007-02-16T12:18:00.000+08:00

The walls of Nirvana are lined with apsaras. 2/11/2007, Angkor Wat, Cambodia.

On the list of the things that I will miss

2007-02-07T23:07:00.000+08:00

Before I get into that, here's an interesting tidbit. Yesterday, Elliott fans found out that Amazon has Elliott's debut album available for pre-order. By the end of the day, Elliott sat at the top of the Movers & Shakers (which lists the top gainers within 24 hours), with a stratospheric 10,000% increase in pre-orders. (I kid you not.) This happened with no clip of any kind, no track list or any

Movin' On indeed!

2007-02-02T21:40:00.000+08:00

Sony/ATV has finally put up a sample of Elliott's first single, Movin' On, which will be available digitally starting February 13. (Frack, I'll be in Angkor then. L, my friend, gift me with this one through iTunes ha? *smacks lips*)Listen to the sample clip on youtube or at Rickey's.`Cause you know as time moves on I won't always be around And I'll be gone and I won't always be down `Cause I'm

Contemplating Rumi & Roses

2007-02-02T11:55:00.000+08:00

"In the driest whitest stretch of pain's infinite desert, I lost my sanity and found this rose." -- RumiMy sincerest thanks to my co-workers, oy![A few more rose pics in my Flickr gallery. All taken with the SE K800i.]

Miróesque Musings

2007-01-25T22:48:00.000+08:00

L'Oiseau Mongol, Joan Miró, 1969Happy Birthday to me.I would like to be a dot in a painting by Miróby Moniza AlviI would like to be a dot in a painting by Miró.Barely distinguishable from other dots,it’s true, but quite uniquely placed.And from my dark centreI’d survey the beauty of the linescapeand wonder -- would it be worthwhileto roll myself towards the lemon stripe,Centrally poised, and push

Flash poem, anyone?

2007-01-08T21:44:00.001+08:00

You know how things turn up when you're not looking for them anymore? Well this file is something I had been trying to find for ages. Finally found it when I cleaned up during the holidays. (Good thing the diskette is still working.) A few years ago I attended a Macromedia Flash workshop. This animated poem was one of my projects. I must say, the poem itself isn't one of my better pieces, but it

Sizing up the SE K800i

2007-01-05T18:27:00.000+08:00

Time to size it up. Do I love the K800i or do I LOVE the K800i? There's the sleek sonavagun right there. Maybe not as attractive as the newer Nokia models (and then again it depends on one's tastes; I do like how it looks), but it sure packs a wallop in terms of features. And must I say it, the Cyber-shot label alone is enough to make me want it (ssh I've secretly desired Cyber-shots time after

New year, old list

2007-01-03T21:57:00.000+08:00

So. A new year, and no new list. Nope, because guess what, the list stays the same anyway. What to do this year?Read more. Like hey, of that pile of books above, I've read only one hee. Some are half read (have acquired the curious habit of reading books simultaneously), some I've only smelled the first pages of. Yeah I smell them, what's that to you?Exercise more, whine less.Go on more

From my postcard collection # 4

2006-12-29T21:48:00.000+08:00

Dragonfly, Pear, Carnation and Insect (detail)Mira calligraphiae monumenta (Model book of calligraphy);Vienna, 1561-62 and ca. 1591-96Inscribed by Georg Bocskay and illuminated by Joris Hoefnagel16.6 x 12.4 cm (6 9/16 x 4 7/8 in.)[Click image to view larger version.]This is from a very beautiful postcard book I got from The J. Paul Getty Museum, Picturing the Natural World. The back cover

A Christmas tune for y'all

2006-12-19T21:48:00.000+08:00

Simbang-gabi sa GesuI’ve never liked Michael Buble (his singing puts me to sleep, and I hate how he did Kissing a Fool and I don’t care for his A Song for You, pardon to the fans), but this -- ! Christina Aguilera's version is too melismatic for my taste, and Kelly Clarkson's is alright I guess, but a tad too girlish. Now this, Michael's Buble's Grown-up Christmas List, I FLOVE.Merry Christmas

War of the Worlds Musical Redux (or Why I Love youtube!)

2006-12-19T21:29:00.000+08:00

Back in January I wrote about the staging of Jeff Wayne's War of the Worlds Musical in the U.K. (My blog accounts are here, should you like some background info.). The sold-out tour was completed in April to very appreciative audiences (as far as I can tell from the reviews in the web). And while I wasn't looking (that is to say, in November), the dvd was released. I want THIS. But woe, it's only

Found this web radio thingie

2006-12-18T18:18:00.000+08:00

Le'mmesee now... *tinkers*Hwah it works!!! *claps with glee* (You have to click on the play button.)Nifty, eh? Stumbled upon radioblogclub.com, searched for some tracks, joined the site (it's free!), played with it a bit and presto hey, I got me a track bar! You can also listen to music from the site without joining. Uploading files and creating your own playlist is a little bit more

Unearthed photo files # 1

2006-12-10T14:00:00.000+08:00

Orchard Road Mural, Singapore

Angkor: Damned if you do, damned if you don't

2006-12-09T19:00:00.000+08:00

So my friend falafel, worlds away, `neath the middle-eastern skies (whenever she manages to go out, that is), e-mails me and remarks, “Have you heard, seems Siem Reap and Angkor are sinking.”. Eek. So I googled it and sure enough, this article states that there is growing concern among experts over the hotels that have been sprouting like mushrooms in the city known as the gateway to Angkor.

From my postcard collection # 3

2006-12-08T22:11:00.000+08:00

Recently sent from Bordeaux, France. Acquired at Venice. (Thanks Ninfa!)Fritellino drawn by Maurice Sand, published in 1860. Commedia dell' Arte character wearing a mask and a plumed hat. Beard. Wooden sabre.

Happy Feet: Don’t Pan the Penguins!

2006-12-04T21:57:00.000+08:00

“I saw an animal do that once, but then they rolled him over and he was dead.”~ one of Ramon’s mariachi buddies, on Mumble’s singing One word to sum up the movie: Delightful. What I liked: Need I write it down? It’s about penguins. Penguins are fascinating, and always adorable. Oh, except for Danny de Vito in the Batman

R. Hidalgo St., with arms wide open

2006-12-04T18:06:00.000+08:00

Several months ago I read an article about the local government's plan (based on John Chua's initiative) to rehabilitate what was once widely popular as Quiapo's camera street. For the clueless, R. Hidalgo in years past was as synonymous to cameras as Raon was to electronics. (Still clueless? Never mind, just take my word for it.) Nowadays photographers who know of Hidalgo can be classified into

Contemplating Angkor

2006-12-03T19:28:00.000+08:00

If we are always arriving and departing, it is also true that we are eternally anchored. One's destination is never a place but rather a new way of looking at things. ~ Henry MillerYeah, you read that right. Angkor. “Angkor what?”, you say? Exactly, Angkor Wat. You know, the UNESCO world heritage site, Hindu & Buddhist temple ruins, one of the wonders of the world, site of some of the most

A dream of saffron-robed monks

2006-12-02T16:21:00.000+08:00

Some nights ago I had this dream. I am not sure where I was, somewhere in the city. There was an event, lots of people were coming to this place. My friend Q was there, she was coordinating with her hubby S on a walkie-talkie, apparently in-charge of securing the visiting monks. Buddhist monks in saffron robes walked by with fashionable duffel bags, Cartier and Gucci maybe, made of canvas and

Ganesha, remover of all obstacles

2006-11-23T17:42:00.000+08:00

Ganesha. Collage by Nick Bantock,from The Venetian's Wife (1996)."The one who moves towards knowledge of the timeless is never afraid." -- The Arthava Veda, Ganesha Upanishad

Caleruega, Trip II

2006-11-20T22:23:00.000+08:00

On a clear day. 17 Nov., 2006

Luted Fields of Gold

2006-11-07T22:13:00.000+08:00

Nicked for your listening pleasure, folks. Sting performing one of his most popular songs with the lute at Studio 60. There are a couple of actors from the show talking over the track though. (Filchers can't be choosers.):Elizabethan-flavored Fields of GoldSo, did you giggle? get misty? sit aghast? Come on then, let it out!

My Zen's beauty wrap

2006-11-05T19:01:00.000+08:00

I recently got my Zen player a beauty wrap from GMask. Lookee, it's purty. *purrs* :The GMask wrap is not only decorative but protective as well. You can choose from a variety of designs, or if you like, you can make your own. The wrap takes 45 minutes to an hour to do. The attendants are very helpful and accomodating. All sorts of electronic gadgets can be wrapped: cellular phones, personal

The problem with imagining Sting in tights

2006-11-03T23:46:00.000+08:00

The first time I read about Sting taking on Elizabethan music, as in John Dowland songs arranged for the lute, I immediately thought it would tank (sorry Stingie). And then when I heard a 30-second clip of him singing I sit, I sigh,I weep, I faint,I die, in deadly painand endless misery I giggled and giggled. Yeah I know, shame on me. It somehow reminded me of Panchito and Dolphy singing “

`Abracadabra' is the operative word

2006-11-03T23:32:00.000+08:00

* Note: I tried to make this as spoiler-free as possible.The film is a sleight of hand, a series of misdirections, a skillful trick. Like Cutter (Michael Caine) says at the start, as in magic, you have to watch very closely. Who needs the Wachowski brothers? I’ll take the Nolan brothers over them anytime. They are so much subtler, not as in-your- face (I am not amused by the Wachowskis’ “look at

Songwriting that Stings

2006-11-03T18:11:00.000+08:00

* Originally posted in LJ on November 1. *At a pinoyexchange (a.k.a. Pex) thread I started a few days ago (we'll get to that in the next entry), dindi mentioned one of Sting's songs from his Brand New Day (1999) album. Back then, I confess that after a couple of listens, I declared the album a dud. I didn't like any other songs apart from After the Rain Has Fallen and A Thousand Years (which