Love sings when it transcends the bad things

Wise words from Brandon Boyd, god of rock hotness.
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I'm not an Incubus fan... really I'm not. I just thought, why waste the opportunity to hear good music live for cheap? My sister's friend offered his lower box tickets to us at half price; the deal was simply too good to pass up.

So yesterday, July 28, 2011, I ushered m'self into the throngs of rush hour MRT in vain hope of getting to the Smart-Araneta Coliseum before the orcs do. Of course they got there before I did. Orcs are jobless halfwits who have rocks for brain matter. Thank God they were mostly in Gen Ad. I'm so going to hell for those last two sentences.

The normally cramped ways of Cubao was tripled by a rowdy crowd of young ones on the verge of bursting with noise anticipation. Not entirely the most ideal place to be for claustrophobes like me but I huffed and I puffed and just took it all in, 'cause just like the tour title said "If not now... When?"*

Incubus has been making waves in the international music industry since 1995. They've released anthems like Megalomaniac (the opening number), Drive, Promises Promises and Nice To Know You (their last song last night), and have earned a generation's love and respect for the kind of music they produce. My generation's love and respect. I only wish they slotted in Are You In instead of Talk Show On Mute in the concert playlist. Are You In has been haunting me for weeks and I really wanted to hear Brandon Boyd croon "oooh-wooo-oooh-oooh!" I guess seeing his lankyman abs blown up on big screen will have to do.

Okay so I am a fan. Just not the hardcore, lyric memorizing addict kind. Watching the concert at the big dome was well worth the effort, it reminded me of my 'Guijo hoppin' days, sans the overcrowdedness (I know that's not a real word. Deal with it!).

But you know what really made the worth every penny? The fact that I didn't even have to pay for my ticket. Yes, Incubus for free... it's a good thing.


*By the way that, my non-rocker friends, is also the title of Incubus' latest album. Download-worthy.

Gaining A New Perspective

This one song by The Script has been my Achilles' heel for about a year now. "If You Ever Come Back" broke my heart because it sentimentalized emotions I was going through, and I both loved and hated Danny O'Donoghue and his crew for penning such brilliance.

A few days ago, however, I came across the band's official music video of the song and it offered a new perspective.

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I never thought about listening to the song from a parent's point of view, talking to her runaway daughter. I guess I was too hung up on what the song meant to me to realized they were personifying something even more meaningful.

Now, when the song plays on my iPod, it doesn't hurt as much. Maybe the new perspective was just what I needed to take yet another step in the right direction.

IF YOU EVER COME BACK
Songwriters: KIPNER, STEPHEN / FRAMPTON, ANDREW / O'DONOGHUE, DANIEL / SHEEHAN, MARK

If you're standing with your suitcase but you can't step on the train
Everything's the way that you left it, I still haven't slept yet
And if you're covering your face now but you just can't hide the pain
Still setting two plates on the counter but eating without you

If the truth is you're a liar when you say that you're okay
I'm sleeping on your side of the bed going out of my head now
And if you're out there trying to move on but something pulls you back again
I'm sitting here trying to persuade you like we're in the same room

And I wish you could give me the cold shoulder
And I wish you could still give me a hard time
And I wish I could still wish it was over
But even if wishing is a waste of time
Even if I never cross your mind

I'll leave the door on the latch
If you ever come back, if you ever come back
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back
There'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on
And it will be just like you were never gone
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back, if you ever come back now

Now they say I'm wasting my time 'cause you're never coming home
But they used to say the world was flat and how wrong was that now
And by leaving my door open I'm risking everything I own
There's nothing I can lose in a break-in that you haven't taken

And I wish you could give me the cold shoulder
And I wish you could still give me a hard time
And I wish I could still wish it was over
But even if wishing is a waste of time
Even if I never cross your mind

I'll leave the door on the latch
If you ever come back, if you ever come back
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back
There'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on
And it will be just like you were never gone
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back, if you ever come back now

If it's the fighting you remember or the little things you miss
I know you're out there somewhere, so just remember this
If it's the fighting you remember or the little things you miss
Oh just remember this, oh just remember this

I'll leave the door on the latch
If you ever come back, if you ever come back
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back
There'll be a smile on my face and the kettle on
And it will be just like you were never gone
There'll be a light in the hall and a key under the mat
If you ever come back, if you ever come back now

Oh if you ever come back, if you ever come back now

And it will be just like you were never gone
And it will be just like you were never gone
And it will be just like you were never gone
If you ever come back, if you ever come back now

:)

My letter to Balyena.org

I chanced upon an Orca documentary on the Animal Planet today.  It reminded me of the latest item on my bucket list: be part of Balyena.org and join the annual whale migration count in the Babuyan Islands. Below is my love letter to them... I hope they find it in their hearts to let me be a part of their great work.

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Magandang umaga!

I'm Tippie and I'm a 29-year old non-scientist lass, who barely passed HS Bio back in the day. I graduated from college tucking a BA in European Studies under my belt. Please read this as I am not your ideal volunteer, but I hope you still hear me out because...

I love animals*. I'm one of those people who come home from a long day at work and turn on the TV immediately to the nerd channels (i.e. NatGeo, Discovery and Animal Planet). And though I know the tidbits I get from watching their programs are more than most people, I also know there's a deeper way of learning and of loving: through volunteerism and conservation.

True that our tiny 3rd world country has one too many humanitarian/political issues, but we are also so privileged to be living in the epicenter of Gaia's biodiversity, that efforts such as what you do can mean monumental changes and discoveries for the natural world around us.

I think you're amazing and it would be nothing short of an honor to be able to volunteer for your organization in whatever way I can. Being part of the annual balyena survey would be a dream come true, though. I'm just sayin'!

Anyway, you have my e-mail and I have yet to further explore your website. Thank you for your time and I hope my letter finds you well.

Happy whale counting!
Tippie Tan :)

*Okay... to be honest, those whose blood runs cold aren't on the lovelist, but I still respect them... in my own way.

Bobo o Gago?

Disclaimer: I'm sorry. I tried, really, to stop myself from writing this entry but when you deal with the idiotic drivers of the Metro on a daily basis, from QC to Makati, stopping yourself from exploding in cusses and rants is just darn impossible. This is going to be a bad one. You've been forewarned.

You know what, assholes I can take. I call them gago drivers (gago being our tagalog counterpart of asshole); they're motorists who assume the road is theirs and theirs alone, that they can do whatever the hell they want on it. Gago drivers are generally those who earn a living off driving: bus, jeepney and taxi cab drivers, truckers, delivery servicemen... that sort. They tend to be gago because in this horrid state of Metro Manila traffic (and the overpopulated roads of the Philippines) every man has to serve himself, especially if driving is rooted in the only income your family lives on. Public transport operators stop and go as they please, getting more passengers or letting them off right smack in the middle two lanes. They run their rides like there's no tomorrow then suddenly pull on the brakes when a someone hails them over. They're stressful, I know, and honestly, I dislike them as much as anyone else but as simple members of a DE society that's just trying to put food on the table for the night... can you really blame them for being foolhardy and reckless?

However, the gago driver is not to be mistaken with the bobo ones (bobo being our tagalog counterpart for STUPID!). Hay yay yay, people! Like I said, assholes I can deal with but people who are just naturally stupid drivers... Please get this mantra through your head: if you can't hack Metro Manila traffic, then get off the road, b*tch! To the bobo drivers of my fair country, this is for you:


1. No to cutting corners!
Please learn how to turn left properly. Were you so God awful at geometry that you can't make a clean 90-degree turn to save your life? Or, oh, you say you're in a hurry? ... DUDE! Cutting corners won't get you anywhere any faster! In fact, it can even NOT get you anywhere at all 'cause you'll likely run over some pedestrian looking in the right direction or get yourself in a head-on collision with some other car who's on the right lane. Jeez!


2. Trak ka, teh?!
Now, when you turn right... dearie, your Honda Civic is nowhere near as long as the 10-wheeler you're following, ergo you don't have to turn corners the way he does! You're driving a sedan or an SUV, not a truck. Underestimate your left turns but overestimate your rights: what the freak's wrong with you?


3. U-turn headache.
Ah the dreaded U-turns of Q. Ave., Commonwealth and Marcos Highway. Yes, I agree they're not the best things that happened to MMDA ruling under Mr. Bayani's reign but what can you do? Dare you cross the sementado islands that mar our intersections? (No.) I thought so. As such, drivers of the Metro have to adapt. Adapt. ADAPT, I say! For the love of all things good and Holy, why can't you do a decent U-turn?! When you make the U-turn, you're not supposed to go into the middle lane straight away. (But how do you expect me to get off at my "intersection"?) By taking it one friggin' lane at a time! See those big cement blocks on the road, they're protecting you from the traffic flow. Use them wisely. Egads, what is it with you and turning?


4. Taking up two lanes.
No no no no! NO! Lanes are painted on the road for a reason. You're not supposed to be on top of one line, following it like Dorothy on the yellow brick road. That's not how it goes! What, scared of on-coming traffic? Scared to let the jeepney pass lest he scratch your new caroo? Do I give a damn? Do I seem like I give a damn in the tiniest bit? Get over it, moron, or take out the old jalopy from the garage. Scratches, bumps and bruises are a fact of driving life. If you can't deal with it... (Get off the road, b*tch!)


5. Dalawang lane na ngang kinain, nakuha pang magbagal.
Ganda mo rin, eh noh? Here's a little something from Yahoo! Answers for your pretty little pea brain: "People need to realize the right lane is the slow lane and the left is the passing lane." No, that doesn't apply to just SLEX and the the other expressways of GMA. If you choose to drive slow, stay on the right so other vehicles (like our car!!!!) can pass you. Gad, who issued your license?!?


6. Don't block the intersection.
Imagine this. You're on the main road. Traffic is bumper to bumper and you're not going anywhere. There's an intersection coming up ahead but you pretend not to see it and just keep on going at snail's pace, blocking other people's way. Since you're stuck in traffic, everyone else might as well be, right? WRONG! What is the matter with you and your danged crab mentality? Other people have a road clear of traffic ahead of them, why can't you just not block the damned intersection and let them pass? What? No yellow box painted on the road for your guidance? Do you seriously need the yellow box to know something as basic as DO NOT BLOCK THE INTERSECTION?!?! Just how dumb are you?


7. Ped Xing please.
Oh, here's something painted on the road that you just looooooove to run over. See those white vertical lines at nearly every stop light? Their called pedestrian lanes. Say it with me now, pe-des-tri-an lanes! They're for, you guessed it, PEDESTRIANS! I didn't know they spelled pedestrian as C-A-R nowadays! Oh, wait, that's just you being your idiotic self! Let people cross the road, you nitwit!


8. No such thing as toll on the railway.

You know why juan-tamad bums like to stand on the middle of the railway crossing collecting coins from cars that pass by? Because there are geniuses like you to take advantage of! Tolls fees are collected only from authorized venues, and generally go to the government, not straight into the pocket of some bum off the street. Wait, lightbulb! Why don't you do just what the sign says: STOP LOOK AND LISTEN! Then you won't need that toll-faker bum to tell you when its safe to cross the tracks.

9. "Stop the car and buy me that fruit." said Senyora.
But idiot-you can't find a spot to pull over into... What's a wee driver to do? Pull up the handbrake and turn the flashers on before getting out of the car, of course. WRONG! It doesn't work that way. Having your flashers on doesn't mean you can just stop in the middle of the road, without having the decency to park your stupid vehicle properly, and just get out of the car to do as your pretty li'l senyora says. Chop, chop, Juancho! Get with the program. She got you as a driver because she doesn't know any better. BUT YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO. Flasher or no flasher, you know stopping in the middle of the road is wrong. (But them jeepney drivers do it...) Jeepney driver ka ba? You're trying to be an asshole when you're naturally an idiot. Gago sila, bobo ka lang! Here's an idea: if you can't find a spot to park in, why don't you KEEP ON DRIVING! "Senyora, paumanhin po. Wala po tayong mapagpaparadahan. Maghahanap lang po ako ng maayos na lugar para hindi po tayo sagabal sa trapiko." Now, was that so hard to do?

GAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!

Yes, I'm angry. And this is me not even driving yet! Pray you never cross me on the road in the middle of a rage. I swear I'll take out a pen and scratch your car from head- to taillight. I've done it before.

Hope the mantra has stuck. If you can't hack Manila traffic then... (get off the road, b*tch!)

Must Love Dogs

I'm relishing a rare moment of downtime here at work by writing down a few non-negotiables in my tick-list of boyfriendom. Spare me the emo talkback; its my blog and I write what I want to.

So, here we go.

1. English please.
My very essence cringes when it encounters embarrassing grammatical errs, whether read or heard. I'm not saying I have the best English speaking and writing skills in the world (according to my sister, I'm actually quite bad at it) but I'm confident that my knowledge of the language is decent enough. And bad English has just always been a pet peeve! Take for example, over lunch today, my colleagues and I had a bit of a discussion on the correctness of a sign that said "Please watch your steps." Hmm, I say... but then it was stuck on a flight of stairs so we supposed watching your steps would be a good idea. Still have my doubts, though.

2. Tagalog, too, please.
Mahal ko ang wikang Filipino. Even if I practically failed every single Filipino class throughout elementary and high school; even if you can't make me read an entire sentence in tagalog out loud, I still love the language of my homeland. Ergo, I think it abysmal when the Filipino youth of today can't speak or comprehend their native tongue. Fine, exemption may be extended to those who grew up abroad and hadn't necessarily grown up speaking Filipino as naturally as I have all my life, but if you're no Fil-Am and the shallowest of your backroots are buried in Luneta, you have no right not knowing what "Bababa ba?" "Bababa." means.

Ooh! Here's another Pinoy-speak cringer: "Yung ano..."! Idiotic politicians who can't defend what they have to say properly just looooove that phrase. Coining something as "Yung ano" assumes that every other person knows what you're referring to. They don't. When you assume, you make an ass out of you and you. There are names for things, please don't generalize them all under ano.

3. Reads.
I sometimes read 5 books at the same time. Yes, I finish them all. Yes, I can keep track of their different plotlines and/or topics. Reading takes up a giant chunk of my life; you can leave me alone somewhere with a book and I would never notice that you've gone and left me. I'm not saying I'm looking for someone who reads as much as me, or heaven forbid someone who reads more than I do. I'm just looking for someone who won't laugh when I spend three thousand bucks on books I'll get three months after purchase. (Amazon buyer. Sorry.) Finding someone who appreciates my genre wouldn't be half bad either. Though I must warn you, my taste isn't for everybody. World War Z anyone?

4. Must love dogs.
No, not the movie. It did, however, put the criteria on the map. I know its sinful to admit but I sometimes love my dogs over friends and family. OKAY, FINE! Since we're being honest here... in some cases, its more than "sometimes." Whether its that mangy old askal on the sidestreet or the rich neighbor's Afgan Wolfhound, they're all adorable in my eyes, all deserving of all the love in the world, all in need of good homes which I, if only I could, would willingly provide.

As a kid, I was notorious for bringing home strays. And according to my dad, we once housed as many as 16 four-legged best friends because I refused to give away any of the puppies our females, Dusty and Whitey birthed. I remember this one incident when my dad tried to sneak one out of the house and I ran after the car they loaded the puppy in. Seriously! I ran after it out of the gate and into the busy avenue that is D. Tuazon. I cried and begged for my dad's friend to give my puppy back to me. He obliged, more so from the guilt of almost running me over than for making a little girl cry over her dog.

I'm not as ga-ga as I used to be (denial!) but if you're a dogfight gambler or if your cheap thrill is watching horrid Pitbull fights on youtube, or worse if you like that taste of dog meat... Sorry, I only wish the deepest fires of hell on you. And you're off my list.

Now, that wasn't too long a list now, was it? Givens like mabait, has a "job" worth keeping and can support a comfortable lifestyle need not be written down, of course. The HR desk is ready to accept applications from those who dare. :))

Kani-kanina lang...

9:30 pa lang ng umaga...

San na naman napunta ang araw ko???

Bright Copper Kettles And Warm Woolen Mittens

It's time, kids, for Favorite Things part 2!

When I get hooked on something, I'm like an addict that needs to be holed up in rehab. Remember my board game phase? Looks like it's going to hit another level this July with the upcoming Hobbes & Landes anniversary sale. (Speaking of board games, I miss Cranium with my korakchas. When are we playing, luvs?)

But for today, I'd like to share with y'all two new foodie items I'm absolutely raving over.

New Favorite Thing #1: Caramel-Filled Kisses

You know I love my sweets. I've proclaimed that desserts are more important than entrees or the main course, but chocolate is one thing I can actually live without (I'm more of a cheesecake/flan kind of gal). But these are to DIE for! This recent discovery from Ayala Mall Cebu's Metro Gaisano Supermarket just blows my mind.

They're smooth as any Hershey's chocolate ought to be; gooey because of the sweet/salty caramel inside; and just plain perfect tiny bites of heaven! It's a miniscule Milkway, sans the nougat. I have yet to check Market! Market!'s Metro Gaisano branch if they too have this particular product of Hershey's Kisses... 'cause sadly I think the two bags I bought from Cebu won't survive the weekend.

New Favorite Thing #2: Dots Sour Slices Pink Pomelo

I'm hooked on this like an addict can be on coke, I kid you not! I went through an entire box while watching X-Men First Class, poppin' them away like pills by the minute.

Dots are gummy candies with bite. They're not soft like the standard Gummy Bear treat, ergo making them more chewy and gnaw-wy and yummy and... okay, stop. Anyway, I've long preferred Dots over Gummy Bears.

Dots Sour Slices, however, are hard gummy candies covered in (you know it) sour salts! Have you ever had a sour gummy worm? Take that sourness and multiply it by, say... threefold, and you've got sour Dots! It comes in three flavors: Watermelon, Peach and Pink Pomelo. Of course, crazy me gunned for the SKU in pink. Haha!

These sweet/sour must-haves are only available in Gourdo's Specialty Store. I have yet to hunt down who the distributor is, to personally shake his/her brilliant hand and maybe ask for a year's supply. That'd be 365 boxes, please. One for every day of the fiscal year.

There! These are but two of my new favorite things. Hope y'all give 'em a shot. :)

Life Update

Who am I kidding? What life?!?!

It's been two weeks since my "return-of-the-comeback" to TV, to the loving arms of the media industry; and I've had 5 overtimers and two working weekends... this weekend included.

Okay, okay. My weekend work is very minimal compared to the stuff I throw over to our brilliant arts team, so I really have no right to complain, but the point is: IT'S BEEN HECTIC! But! (of course there's a but...) I'm so far loving it. It may be the adrenaline just pushing me on or the endorphins I get from finally being able to run again, (although this week, I wasn't able to do my rounds. There was just so much to do for work! Lord, please don't let this be a habit...) but seriously so far, it's been good. Stress levels are manageable. Hours are (as rightfully predicted) ungodly. Politicking (another bullseye) is insane, but that's all part of the media-corporada I've come to love and accept.

And I'm proud of my outputs! FOINE, nitty gritty credit goes again to the arts team but we do the JOs. AH BASTA! Things have just been really... better. :)

A-game's on! Bring it!

LOVE 'EM SHOES: Happiness is a privy invite to an exclusive shoe sale

I'm no fashionista nor have I ever dreamed of being one. I'll be the first to admit that I'm nowhere near being a trendsetter but that doesn't dampen the fact that I adore all things pretty and most of all, all things that make pudgy li'l feet like mine look haute!

However, my friend Sarah, writer and creator of the blog Ms. Eggplant's Chronicles, is and I've never been more thankful for being a follower. Her latest entry gushes about gorgeous Jeffrey Campbells and led me to an amazing site!

AVA is the Philippines' first invitation-only online shopping community. As per their website, they "offer fashion's finest pieces for fashion's finest women at discounted members-only prices of up to seventy percent off." I'm loving the fact that the Filipina fashion community has evolved electronically that we're now on the brink of creating our very own net-a-porter!


I'm now an excited new member of AVA and I'm really looking forward to tomorrow's Jeffrey Campbell sale. If you want to join the funtabulous shoefest, click here and register into AVA for free.

Oi, heaven help my poor credit card...