Movie Night: The Bucket List

We watched the Bucket List last night despite the not-so-good feedback it got from movie reviews online. I think Jack Nicholson is one of the greatest comedians of all time (I bought his Something's Gotta Give DVD I loved him with Diane Keaton!). And Morgan Freeman is definitely at par with him in terms of acting and delivering punchlines.

The movie's plot was very simple. Jack Nicholson was a billionaire who made hospitals profit-generating by cost-cutting methods like having two beds in every room - no exceptions. It was in one of his bids to buy a hospital that he first saw the symptoms of his disease - he had cancer.

Morgan Freeman was a very intelligent car mechanic who knew all the answers to Jeopardy questions who had wanted to be a history professor but had started a family a little too early in life and never had a chance to finish college. He too was diagnosed with cancer.

The two men ended up sharing a room at one of Jack Nicholson's hospitals. They were together through operations, chemotherapy and finding out that they both had less than a year to live. They grew really close during this time even if they had very different personalities.

Morgan Freeman started jotting down a list, which was a freshman philosophy exercise he had when he was still attending college. It was a Bucket List, the list of all the things you wanted to do before you kick the bucket. And Jack Nicholson read it and added a few items to it, announcing that they could go on an adventure together and complete the list so that they could both go out with a bang!

And so to the horror of Morgan's wife, they set out on skydiving trips, racing a Shelby & a Camaro, seeing the world. It was the adventure Morgan never could afford because he had not enough money and Jack never had time for because he worked too hard.

Then Morgan's wife called Jack asking for her husband back. She explained to him that she didn't want to lose her husband while he was still alive and Jack then formulated a plan to make Morgan want to go home.

On his way home though, Morgan had planned to reconcile Jack with his estranged daughter and this made Jack really mad. They got into a falling out.

Morgan returned to his loving family while Jack returned to his business. They were eventually reunited - eventually became friends again. And they did finish their bucket list.

The ending made me cry. For those who plan to watch the movie one of the scenes that touched my heart was when Jack finally got to kiss the most beautiful girl in the world.

It was a feel-good movie - and I felt good afterwards. The great actors carried the movie throughout and made it one of a kind. It made me think of my own bucket list and reiterated what I try to live by nowadays.

We are only passing through this earth - experience the masterpiece that is the world we live in. Get out there and live!

Pancake Confidence

My boss thinks I'm one of the luckiest wife she knows because my husband actually does most of the cooking in our home. And I guess when you have to get up at 4 AM (or earlier) to do your side project, work 8 hours at your regular job and spend quality time with your husband at the end of the day, having to not need to think about what to make for dinner is a blessing.

It's just that I've always enjoyed cooking back home. I would try recipes out - easy ones, mind you. And then I'd have my sisters and my parents taste it and that would feel so good to hear them say it tastes good that I'd be inspired to cook again soon.

Last night I made chocolate chip and walnut cookies - it was a ready mix blend that I just added an egg and butter into. Our place smelled so good and the cookies came out perfect!

So this morning I decided to make pancakes instead of waking my husband. The last time I made pancakes, it tasted really salty and I burned half of the batch. But gaining confidence from my great cookies last night. I experimented by adding vanilla and sugar to the standard mixture, using butter to fry it and they came out perfect!

Now I'm thinking, maybe I should cook from time to time - just easy recipes, just to build back my confidence. I really enjoy serving my family food that I made and I think I shouldn't take that pleasure away from myself just because of my hectic life.

So watch out world! I'm off and cooking again:)

Lego Turns 50!

Happy 50th Birthday, Lego! I noticed the Google logo likeness to lego yesterday and just found out that it was because it was the 50th year since the lego building blocks were patented. Did you enjoy playing with lego when you were young? Did you buy a set for your own kids?

A Stormy Universal Studios Day

It was a stormy Sunday, but that didn't stop us from going to Universal Studios Hollywood. Note that we were wearing several layers of sweaters and jackets to keep us warm and dry.

We were able to see Terminator 2 in 3D, Shrek in 4D, go on the Jurassic Park ride and saw the Backdraft set. They had complimentary hot chocolate and coffee because the weather wasn't as perfect, which I thought was a really sweet touch.

We missed the Waterworld show that was nearly cancelled because of the rain - we definitely are going back for that. I passed on the House of Horrors although we did get a peek at Sweeney Todd (he did look completely fake). And my husband does not like the Studio Tour - but we might just go on it when we go back.

I think that's the beauty of having an annual pass, you don't need to go thru the whole park in one day. Just enjoy it at your own pace and come back when it's not raining so hard!

My husband at the Mulligan Irish Pub - he was holding the camera for most of the day so this was his only pictures inside the park.

Lea and I with Shrek

In front of the gigantic spinning globe with the Universal Studios Hollywood logo

The first statue you see after entering the park

In front of the Jurassic Park ride (Lea loved this one)

The Revenge of the Mummy Ride (they haven't convinced me to ride this one yet)

Laughing with Scooby Doo and Shaggy

A little show of affection for Scooby Doo

The Getty Center in Los Angeles

We took my sister to the Getty Center in Los Angeles last Saturday. It is one of the most beautiful places in LA for me - and I wanted to show her the paintings you would normally only see in the pages of a book. Paintings by Rembrandt, Van Dyck, Reubens, Degas, Renoir and Van Gogh. Those beautiful decorative art, priceless antiques and amazing sculptures that filled its halls still managed to leave me in awe as though I had seen it for the first time.

The marvelous architecture and the landscaped gardens were a perfect foil to the artworks that they were showcasing.

The Getty Center is open to the public, admission is free - there is only an $8 parking fee per vehicle. If you are ever in LA and are looking for some quiet time to soak up some culture head for The Getty - it's sure to blow you away!

Nope, this isn't some Andy Warhol painting, this is my sister wearing a bright yellow sweater inside a bright red room covered with tapestries. The museum does not allow flash photography and aside from holding down the flash, I have not figured out my camera setting to disable it.

One of the simple but beautiful water features at the Getty Center in Los Angeles.

A lighted water feature near the entrance to the gardens at the Getty Center


The terrace where the cafe is under a full moon.

My sister, my mother-in-law & I in front of another water feature and a row of weeping willows

Savings Alert: San Diego 3-for-1 Pass at Costco

I bought Universal Studios Hollywood no-blackout-dates annual passes at Costco yesterday. Although they currently have a "Buy a Day Get 2008 Free" promo for the same price, I preferred to buy from Costco for my 2% rebate and because I wanted the No-Blackout-Dates part of it.

They had some great deals yesterday, including a San Diego 3-for-1 pass, which gets you into Seaworld, Wild Animal Park and the San Diego Zoo for only $71 for adults. I checked online and the same passes were going for as much as $107 each, that's $30 in savings right there!

So if you're planning a trip to San Diego anytime soon - check out the Tickets and Gift Certificates section of your local Costco Warehouse to save on admissions!

Movie Night: Mad Money

It was a stormy movie night for my husband, my sister and I. We went to see Mad Money starring Diane Keaton, Queen Latifah and Katie Holmes.

Diane Keaton played an upper middle class housewife whose husband just got downsized and could not get a job. Queen Latifah was a single mom with two sons living in a bad neighborhood. Katie Holmes lived with her husband in a trailer home and had early onset diabetes. All three women worked for a federal reserve in Kansas where worn out money was shredded and replaced with new bills.

Being used to all the luxuries money can buy, Diane Keaton was shocked to see the amount of money being shredded every day. She formed a plan and roped the other two women into being her accomplices.

For three years they stole money from the federal reserve without being caught. Until Katie's husband made the fatal mistake of investing heavily in stocks, making transactions of more than $10,000, which raised the red flag for the bank examiners.

Everyone was arrested except for Diane who upon talking with the bank examiner investigating their case figured out that they didn't know how much money the women had actually taken. In the end Diane Keaton saved the day - in more ways than one!

I know I said we should patronize movies with positive moral values - and this definitely did not send the message that "Crime does not pay!" But the way the story was told, the way they depicted how the characters suffered while engaged in the crime. The way Diane Keaton seemed addicted to the crime and the money it produced somehow made you think, greed comes at too high a price - and in the end I think all three women realized what is really important: love, family and freedom.

If your looking for a light-hearted comedy, I highly recommend watching this. Queen Latifah is one of my favorite comedians and she was great in this film. Diane Keaton was brilliant as always, I love her too! And Katie Holmes found a part that was perfect for her, she was able to keep up with the two movie greats and held her own in this role. I give this movie two thumbs up!

Introductions at a Wake

We had to go to a wake last night, one of my husband's friends from his church group died. She worked as a nanny of many of the kids in the group.

The families she was closest to organized a photo show, remembering the good times with Sister Lydia. There was a 6 PM mass complete with 3 eulogies from moms whose kids she took care of. I must admit the eulogies made me teary-eyed. I wasn't very close to Sister Lydia, but she seemed to be a wonderful person and a nurturer by nature who did not just look after kids but loved them like a second mother.

The service was beautiful.

And in keeping with Filipino tradition, there were snacks prepared in another room. My sister got her first taste of porthos, a pastry made and sold in Glendale - I've never bought it so I don't know exactly where it's sold, but it tastes absolutely heavenly. Lea also loved Kuya Jerry's dinuguan (or what some pinoys call chocolate meat).

She got to meet a few of my new friends here in California. She was a little shy, but they all liked her inspite of that. I didn't like the idea of introducing her to friends at such a sad event - but we can never plan on when someone will pass away...

Strike a Pose in Hollywood

Erick & Lea at the home of the Academy Awards

Lea at the Build-a-Bear Store

At the entrance of the Grauman's Chinese Theater

My hand is as small as Natalie Wood's

Lea & I at the El Capitan Theater

Watching the Clippers

I was hoping the Clippers would win again yesterday, but I guess they were too tired from their road trip or winning their last 2 games took its toll and it was not meant to be that day. But watching the game live was certainly entertaining. We enjoyed watching the Clippers Spirit girls (their version of the Laker Girls) dance. Lea was most entertained by the kids in the Jr. Jam Squad, dancing as good as (if not better than) the cheerleaders.

The Malcolm in the Middle star was watching the game and they had announced that several members of the marine core and their families were watching as well.

All in all, it was a good way to experience the Staples Center.

My Sister's Here!!!

After four years apart, do we still look alike? We picked up my sister, Lea, at LAX airport last night. Their flight arrived at 6:20 PM according to Philippine Airlines' website. We had tons of chores to do before picking them up so it was 6:30 already when we left our place, hoping that my mother-in-law and Lea did not have to wait too long for us.

When we got to the International Arrival Center, there were hundreds of people there. The place was packed, apparently so many flights arrived at the same time. Lea and mama's plane had to land at the far end of the airport, they had to wait a long time for their shuttle and their bags. Then the line at the immigration counters were so long.

Finally after two hours my husband saw his mom being pushed by an attendant while Lea tried hard to keep up, pushing the cart with her and my mother-in-law's baggage. She saw us immediately and stuck her tongue out while smiling (only a few people can manage to this simultaneously by the way).

We went to eat at Sam Woo BBQ and we introduced Lea to Peking duck, roast pork (Chinese version of lechon), salt and pepper squid and bokchoy...

We're going to see a Clippers game today:) More pictures to come...

Baby Shower #1

When my friends started having babies (and baby showers), I had already migrated to the US so last Saturday was the first baby shower I ever attended.

The photo at the left shows me with our friend Tonette enjoying pesto pasta and puto prepared by the father-to-be's mom.

As you can see from all the pink party favors behind us, our friend is having a baby girl. The home of the father-to-be's sister was decorated with pink balloons, paper lanterns, and all pink trimmings with several posters announcing that "It's a Girl!" It will be the first baby girl this generation of mommies is having for their families.

The photo at the right shows the expectant couple, JC & Leah (I wish I could look that beautiful when I'm 7 months pregnant!). They already have a handsome son (who is playing with the other kids somewhere to the right of them while this was being taken).

The surprise party was organized by JC's parents and sisters who are all excited about this new addition to their family.

I learned three things while joining the party games: (1) chocolate on diapers does not look very delectable; (2) I'm terrible at baby stuff prices; and (3) observation is not really my thing! But it was fun trying to guess what chocolate was on the diapers, how much the various baby items cost and what the mommy-to-be had on just minutes before the game started.

And, of course, there was not one woman in the room who did not enjoy the opening of the presents. Contrary to what I thought, the oohs and ahhs were actually real. There were so many wonderful baby things to admire from baby clothes to toys to very practical gifts like a mini closet for baby's clothes, bottle sterilizers and diaper changing organizers. It helps when the mommy-to-be has a gift registry at such a great store like Target (if only they don't waste so much paper by printing the whole gift registry every time you want to take your gift off of the wish list!)...

And through it all, the men waited patiently outside for their wives to finish their party - aren't they sweet?

Three Days To Go

Three days to go until my baby sister comes over to visit. I'm so excited to see her! I missed attending her graduation and talking to her about her first boyfriend - and I was only gone for a couple of years...

We chat online, exchange e-mails, comment on each other's blogs - but it's not really the same as coming home to the same home. We both miss being able to go out on the weekends to watch a movie, check out a new restaurant or go shopping together.

Now I'm just waiting for her to get here so I can take her to Universal Studios, Sea World and Disneyland. To take her to watch a basketball game at the Staples Center, to see plays or concerts, go to museums, watch movies, go to the beach, eat out or just hang out at the malls - I have lots of planned outings, it's just a matter of scheduling when to go where:) Even my boss is giving me outing ideas!

Here's hoping Sunday gets here faster this week!

Just Because We're Out of High School...

My husband's church group has a song/interpretative dance presentation with the song In Him Alone.

I shared a performance concept we had done back in high school with a few of the people who organized these performances a few performances ago. I had shared how we had once done an interpretation of a praise song where we had four scenes of sinners sinning and Jesus moving around them, trying to break thru the invisible barrier around them. I shared how in the end all the scenes came together into carrying a crucified Jesus as the finale. I forgot the title of the song we had back in high school - that was a very long time ago...

This is exactly how they are doing this presentation. Only they have three scenes instead of four, an additional choir in the sidelines and they are forming the nativity instead of the crucifixion. Yes, they are quite original! Nobody cared to mention that they heard of a similar performance done this way - maybe they got the inspiration from within or via telepathy...

I stood in the sidelines chomping at the bit because of the terrible blocking of the scenes that were set up. I do not know if I should have stayed put, but I could not resist helping out with the blocking of the characters. So maybe my high school directorial days had come back to haunt me after all!

My fellow cast members appreciated my ideas. It helps when you know the original concept of the interpretative dance, I guess... They urged me to help out more, but I could see that our organizer was getting really confused and maybe I am breaking her train of thought so I kept silent after that - it's her choreography after all.

The World Vision Experience

Our department at work decided to go to the World Vision Experience audio visual tour together yesterday. We ran into a CBS news crew covering the exhibit and I couldn't wait to get in and hide from the camera (I don't exactly enjoy going on the evening news!).

The exhibit was a massive structure replicating the wooden shantis of Africa. They gave us an orange iPod Shuffle and a headset. We sat in a circular room on little round stools as our guide explained our journey. He asked us to become a child again and put ourselves in the place of a child in Africa. There are four possible routes, four possible children's stories to go through. My story that day was of Babirye who lived in Uganda where the AIDS epidemic started in Africa.

Babirye was born in a small fishing village in Uganda. She had a twin sister. On the night she was born, an old lady saw that there were two of them and said she was going to call the witch doctor because the witch doctor had to cut the umbilical cord properly. Meanwhile a midwife heard her mother was giving birth and had come in and cut the umbilical cord before the witch doctor arrived. The old lady was mortified when she saw this and got angry at the midwife - saying that now the twins will die. The people of Uganda were very superstitious, but the narrator quickly soothed the listener, saying that superstition will not determine your destiny, only you can determine it.

Then the narrator explained about a silent killer lurking in Uganda. He explained about the AIDS epidemic how it started, how 1 million people have now been affected.

When Babirye was eight years old, her father died of AIDS. It was very hard for them to live after that, but at least they still had their mother. Their mother was worried about Babirye, because she was smaller than her twin sister and was sickly. Meanwhile the twins laughed, sang and played together as children would thru the bad times they were going thru.

Then one day their mother got sick, and displayed the same symptoms as their father. Their uncle took her away and left the twin girls on their own. Weeks passed without a word and their landlord kicked them out when they couldn't pay the rent.

They found a small church that took them in. Here they learned about God, they learned how to pray. It was in this church that they found peace and a safe haven. So they prayed for their mother and for their family. And a few weeks later God answered their prayers!

Their mother came back healthy, she had become a World Vision volunteer and was one of the first to take the antiretroviral medicine for HIV. But their mother was still worried about Babirye and took her to the AIDS clinic to be checked. Babirye who was then twelve years old was found to be HIV Positive.

In Africa when you are HIV Positive, you become an outcast. You are like a leper, people turned you out. It is not easy having the disease.

But Babirye had found God. She had found hope in the World Vision family, she too became a volunteer. She is now taking the antiretroviral medicine her mother is taking and is helping others thru her volunteer work.

You are then led to a chapel where all the walls are covered with people who are affected by AIDS, people who are HIV positive have a red cross stamped on their face. It is overwhelming to see so many. The narrator urges you to pray for the people of Africa who are being ravaged by AIDS.

When you are ready you are led to a Hope Wall where you can write your prayer or words of encouragement to the children of Africa and post it on the wall. I wrote my words of encouragement. Then there was another wall of children you can adopt by pledging $35 a month, you can give them a better life.

I had seen World Vision commercials in the Philippines when I was just starting to work and I had thought of adopting a child. But I never did because I was afraid that they were not really going to get to the child and will just go to the company.

I work with people who have volunteered to go to Africa to plant gardens for people who are hungry. I have heard how poor the nations are, how wonderful the people are despite of their poverty.

But I have seen first hand how poor the people in the Philippines are. I have seen the same one-room shantis, the same small stove where they cook for charcoal, the same miserable conditions in the Philippines. My boss says something in her heart just got buried in Africa - my heart is still rooted in the Philippines and I know it always will be.

Although the World Vision Experience was a moving one, it wasn't as shocking to me as to my boss or my two other colleagues who were born and raised in the US. I have seen such poverty and I have seen poor people laugh thru it all. I have seen them rise above it - and that is what makes the Filipino so remarkable in my eyes. We don't just wait for the government to fix our problem, we find a way to do it ourselves. No one campaigns for the poor people of our country, but we take care of our own, there are many organizations who try to make our people's lives a little better through medical missions and food drives. We survive.

And the Africans survive... But it is clear they need help as well. I would recommend the experience to everyone. It is a well-planned exhibit and an eye-opener to those who have never seen this kind of poverty and conditions before. Thirty-minutes well worth it!

The World Vision Experience: AIDS will be at the Crystal Cathedral until the 20th of January. To reserve free tickets to the show, please go to http://www.worldvisionexperience.org.

Action Style

I read this very interesting article by Martha Beck on Oprah.com, it talks about the different action styles a person has. There are four different types of action styles, which describes how a person solves a problem.

• Quick Start: If you're a Quick Start who wants to crochet, you'll probably buy some yarn and a hook, get a few tips from an experienced crochetmeister, and jump right into trial and error.

• Fact Finder: You'll spend hours reading, watching, asking questions, and learning about crocheting before actually beginning to use the tools.

• Implementor: You pay less attention to words than to concrete objects, so you might draw a pattern of a crochet stitch or even create a large model using thick rope, before you go near a needle.

• Follow Thru: You'll likely schedule a lesson with a crochet teacher or buy a book that proceeds through a yarn curriculum, learning new stitches in order of difficulty.

I thought I was a Fact Finder, but as I really reflected on how I learn things, I realize I'm a quick start. That's why the computer books I buy are those with hands-on code I can try out because I get bored with just reading. Just thought I'd share...


What is your action style?

Happy 100 Years, UP!

Happy Centennial Anniversary to the University of the Philippines!

A good part of our senior year in high school was spent reviewing for the UPCAT - the admission exams for this pretigious university. Philippine Science professors wanted all their students to eventually graduate into the UP educational system - to ensure that their proteges get the standard of education they have provided in their college years.

I remember going to the UP Registrar's office the very first day the results were announced, looking for our names in the very long list of qualified freshmen posted in the wooden bulletin boards. And of course class registration and enrollment - going passed the Oblation, knowing that you will soon be part of the UP System. It was very daunting for me - even though my very wonderful dad accompanied me that time. The fear didn't last too long, stepping into the College of Engineering, familiar faces greeted me in the main lobby - my batchmates at Pisay...

I stayed in the UP System for five years. I hope my children are able to enjoy the same quality of education I did. I want them to be "iskolar ng bayan" too.

I remember our graduation day well. The part that touched me the most was when the UP color guards rappelled down the auditorium revealing a banner and calling out - "Serve the people!"

Scholars of the nation. It is your turn now. Serve the People!

Tag Along Event Photography

While I was taking down the last remnants of Christmas from our place, our good friend Butch called asking for help with a debut he was taking pictures of. Butch is a professional photographer and a close family friend. We like helping him out because we learn quite a bit about photography from him. Especially about the equipment we would need to set up a studio of our own someday...

The event was organized by Robert, another of our friends. Robert is our church group's favorite party planner. I have been to some of the parties he has organized and he is very gifted in venue design, centerpieces and floral arrangements in general. He is also great in logistics and he seems to enjoy the very stressful task. He created the centerpiece shown here, blue light emanates from the glass pebbles at the bottom of this rectangular vase with an orchid strand submerged in water and a bowl of white flowers topped with string-lighted white branches.

One of my favorite parts of the 18th birthday celebration was the cotillion. It was definitely not your mother's rigodon de honor! It started out with a traditional waltz, going into a salsa then into a tango. And then it goes into modern dances including a hiphop portion. The song selection was great even in the ballroom dances because they were very young and fresh. I should've gotten the choreographer's card, but I guess I can always get it from Robert.

So that was my tag-along Saturday night. Was it worth not finishing my original project of taking down Christmas decorations? I think so, I learned a few interesting things about party planning that I think I could use later on - and a few new contacts that I know I will need as well.

Four and Counting...

My husband and I are celebrating our fourth year of marriage today. Four years ago my husband and I strolled across the parking lot of the city hall at Cesar Chavez holding hands to get married. It was drizzling that day, God blessed our wedding day.

It was just the two of us, we had the judge and the people at the LA City office witness our wedding. We didn't even have a camera with us. Talk about a whirlwind wedding!

We had wanted to have a proper wedding in the Philippines (or at least a reception with our friends and family).

It's been four years. My husband is still the most beautiful person I know. He still loves me and takes care of me as though we had just been married.

We still laugh together. We still share whatever is on our minds with each other. We still face problems hand in hand. He still asks me if I am happy when we cuddle. I am, I'm very happy.

I still believe that God gave me to my husband and God gave him to me - to save both of us. We are each other's saving grace. And though it might not always be smooth sailing, we'll find our way together...

Happy 4th Anniversary, Pangga!