But all I needed was courage and decide what would make me a happier, much better person. I didn’t know I possessed that much bravery until I let go and let fate guide me to a new path.

I should thank the circumstances which led me to chose the dive. Yes, I did, but with some cautions. And as with other storms, it did pass. I’m alright. I feel free, a master of myself. Fear has no room now.

And so, I start another phase of life with a new-found courage and a rekindled passion to strive and hope for better things.

I’m back on track, finally. 

Being surrounded by these people, I’ve learned to appreciate the arts at an early age. I’ve learned to open my eyes and somehow see beyond a picture or painting. Most of all, I got to try my hands at painting/drawing! Here, take a look at some of my pencil drawings:

These are the only ones (and a couple more pencil drawings) I was able to save from my now very battered sketchbook. These were experiments; me trying to discover if I could do pencils and/or charcoal. Before, my sister and I used to have “art sessions” at home. We would spend a whole day doodling on our sketch pads, trying different mediums. In those “sessions,” I’ve discovered that I’m more comfortable working with watercolor (tube ones). Unfortunately, most of those works in watercolor have been ruined or got lost. And I don’t know if they’re any good; all I’m saying is that I love using that medium.

I’ve tried sketching animé characters as well; got carried away with the animé fever in the Philippines back then (click here to see a sample). And I attempted doing “nude sketches,” too. I was able to save one, which is barely recognizable now.

What do think of my works? I plan to explore this avenue again, rediscover this skill or talent (if there’s any) in the visual arts. I bought a new sketchpad and some pencils and trying to find a better kind of tube watercolors. And I found this website, which gives step-by-step instructions in drawing and painting. I have a feeling it will be very helpful.

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You may also want to check the following related posts from my other blog:

forgotten passion

playing artist

Pilita’s Restaurant is located at Greenhills Shopping Center, near the movie theaters. This cozy little place is owned by Asia’s Queen of Songs, Pilita Corales and her husband Don Carlos. Pilita’s has a very relaxed ambiance, a perfect place to hang-out after a long day at the office. Its walls are filled with numerous memorabilia of the hip-bending singer from her career. One wall serves as a gallery of her photos in black and white. Meanwhile the upper wall behind the stage displays covers of her vinyl records in the past.

Our group ordered pizza, pasta, green salad, mashed potato and grilled pork chops. The fun part of ordering at Pilita’s is with the pizza, whose flavors are named after the twelve signs of the zodiac. We chose the Gemini and Cancer pizzas, both tasted very good, although the slices are a bit small for the boys in the group. The salad looks ordinary but you’ll be surprised once you take a bite. We hinted wine in its dressing, although we forgot to ask, so we really don’t know. The creamy mashed potato sure stood to its name: creamy, tasty, melts in your mouth.

Pilita’s new print ad?

Aside from the usual iced tea drink, some of us also ordered coffee. My personal pick is the Affogato, which is coffee topped with vanilla ice cream. Yeah, you can list this beverage under dessert also. Now I know why café affogato is sometimes called “cold shower,” since when you mix the hot coffee and ice cream, you’ll get a cold drink afterward. I did not mix the two immediately. I spooned a small amount of ice cream and dipped it into the coffee at the bottom of the glass. You get a sort of mocha flavor, but not really mocha, since the coffee and ice cream alternately teases your taste bud. Mixing the two components will result into something like the frappuccino in a well-known coffee shop.

Another good thing about hanging out at Pilita’s is you’ll surely chance upon the Asia’s Queen of Songs herself! Yes, Ms. Pilita Corales regularly graces her restaurant together with her husband. Obviously, both love music because even before Ms. Pilita arrived, Don Carlos has already been performing with the other musicians present that night. She performs for the audience, so it was like we attended a mini-concert. Also, if you want to sing, you surely can. Like our friend, Conrad, who got to perform on stage.

Pilita’s is mainly a hub for the older generation, but it doesn’t matter. We enjoyed our stay so much it was almost midnight when we left.

Maligayang ika-110 Araw ng Kalayaan sa lahat ng Pilipino. Saang dako ka man naroroon, saludo sa iyo ang mundo. Ipagbunyi ang iyong kalayaan! Nawa’y patuloy mong pangalaan ang kalayaang ipinaglaban ng iyong mga ninuno at patuloy na makibaka para sa iyong dakilang bayan.

Laging taas-noo. Dahil ikaw ay malayang Pilipino.

(Larawang may kahalintulad na paksa)

What I have tried (together with friends) so far in Halo’s menu are:

(a) Spaghetti with Tomatoes and Olives – this one I highly recommend. I like how the tomatoes and olives blended and created a slightly sour sauce which suited my taste bud very well.

(b) Spaghetti with malunggay pesto – this dish is for the brave and adventurous. Although the malunggay sauce may look like your regular pesto, there’s more than slight difference in the taste since it is impossible to totally remove the bitter taste of the malunggay. Hey, but this is really healthy! Remember that malunggay is a better source of vitamin C than citrus fruits.

(c) Veggie Medley Lettuce Wraps – a little salty for my taste but still good. Look forward to discovering the taste of banana and ginger combined.

(d) Chicken Pastel – hmmm… this is different from the usual pastel dish because this one is not baked. It was okay. Still healthy, I guess, because it uses white meat (chicken skin not included).

(e) Wheat Grass Cold Tea – a drink that you MUST try when you eat at Halo. The wheat grass they use is freshly cut from the plant box they keep outside of the café.

(f) Eggplant & Cheese Wholewheat Tortilla – I think the wholewheat tortilla made the difference in this appetizer. And the eggplant? The eggplant always goes well with anything!

(g) Tuna Steak – one of the best-tasting in the menu. Loved the way it was cooked.

(h) Tarragon Tea – a highly recommended after meal beverage. Halo uses a mixture of fresh and dried tarragon leaves. You will enjoy its natural sweet flavor and fragrant aroma. I think it has a calming effect on the drinker because when I had a cup at Halo, I was able to sleep immediately when I got home. Maybe I should start growing tarragon in my backyard.

Here’s a peek at some of the food we tried:

(1) veggie medley lettuce wraps (2) vegetarian burger

(3) eggplant and cheese wholewheat tortilla (4) spaghetti with malunggay pesto

(5) wheatgrass cold tea (6) wheatglass plant box

Food prices range from fifty pesos to a little more than a hundred pesos. Really affordable.

For a list of Halo Cafe’s offering, click here.

A few snapshots of Halo’s interior:

Anyway, on the last day of April, my colleagues/friends at the office decided to push trough with our plan of dining together at Adarna Food & Culture. It was also a farewell dinner for Conrad as it was his last day at the company. That was my third time at Adarna, and like my previous visits, it was again an enjoyable experience. This restaurant really keeps on surprising me and my taste bud.

There were thirteen of us who dined at Adarna. Butch, the waiter assigned to serve us, ushered us to our reserved table near the piano (we really specified that our table be by the piano because we planned to sing some songs after eating). Everybody instantly liked the homey ambiance. We ordered several platters of Batanes yellow rice, dilis, piassok, sigarilyas salad, Adobong Batangas ala Adarna, Pochero, Tapa served with a very interesting dip, and Gising-Gising. It was a delightful dinner; every bite a moment to relish. Personally, I have never imagined that sigarilyas (winged bean) could taste that good. The salad was one of the groups favorite. Piassok was a sure hit, of course—the beef melts in your mouth. This dish is a must-try at Adarna. Everything is a must-try at Adarna!

The Group (from left: Che, Avi , Yme, Chris, Tet, Leng-leng, Gemma & Alan, MJ, Obet, Conrad, Sir Jojo, and Sir Jay) Just finishing our cups of coffee, tea and hot choco. Thanks to Chef Giney for this photo.

Adarna Food & Culture is open until 10:30 in the evening. But we were enjoying the place, the company of each other and the singing that we somehow lost track of time. It was half past eleven when we left; many thanks to Ms. Beth and Chef Giney for allowing us to stay that long.

Here are some more pictures:

Jamming time! Yeah, we weren’t “that ready” for a night of music (`yan may baon talagang songbook )

Havin’ some good time.

Another group photo, taken just before we left Adarna.

The rule: Name 11 people you can think of right off the top of your head. Don’t read the questions underneath until you write the names of all the 11 people. This is a lot funnier if you actually randomly list the names first. No cheating.

1. Sarah
2. Lukaret
3. Yuri
4. Sherma
5. Tayns
6. MJ
7. Rey
8. Leng-leng
9. Jomar
10. Faye
11. Obet

1. How did you meet # 4? I met Sherma in college, na napagkamalan ko pang upperclassman kasi hindi kasama sa block naming nung first year. She’s one of my very best friend.

2. What would you do without #5? I’d be very sad. Tayns is like a sister. We have so many things in common. She’s also a college buddy that became a best friend.

3. What would you do if #2 and # 6 were going out? Ngek! It will never happen! They’re both girls! Really bad scene. HAHAHAHA!

4. Who’s #10′s best friend? Her books! She spends her entire time reading.

5. Have you ever eaten around #1? As in eat together? Oo naman! We’ve shared meals since we were in nappies. Sarah and I grew up together. Known her since birth. Kakampi sa mga kalokohan at pakikipag-away sa mga kalaro!

6. Do you miss #2? Oh, yeah. Nakaka-miss ang mga chika nito at ang magdamagang chikahan! Ma-adventure ang buhay nito, pati na ng buong barangay nila. Oi, Lukaret, when are we gonna get together at nang makapanlait uli tayo ng kung sinu-sino?!

7. Who is #11 dating? He’s not dating anyone. Loyal husband and dad ito sa kanyang wife and daughter. If ever he’s dating anyone, isusumbong ko sya.

8. What do you think of #3? Yuri is an unusual kid. He prefers musicals over cartoons. Favorite movies niya, Spider-man (but he’s afraid of spiders!), High School Musical, Cats, The Sound of Music. His favorite song at the moment is Seasons of Love (from Rent—he’s not old enough to watch this film). He also loves listening to The Wedding March— something I really can’t understand why. He’s amazed that Maria (Julie Andrews) still appears in films until now.:D And he’s six years old.

9. What do you think of #9? He’s a little introvert. Do not be afraid, Noy. No one will harm you.

10. Who does #2 like? Ngayon? Si Umberto yata, kahit makulit.

11. Would you marry #8? NO! Baby sister ko `yan sa office si Leng-leng.

I’m passing this meme to Sonnet, Hitokirihoshi, Raft3r and Witchy.

1. Nim’s Island

Despite several curious situations in this film, I still liked it!

It’s about an 11-year-old girl named Nim (Abegail Breslin) who lives in an isolated island with her microbiologist dad Jack (Gerard Butler). As far as she could remember, after her mother died, the island has been her home. Everyday is an adventure for Nim. For friends, she has a sea lion named Selkie, an iguana named Fred and a pelican called Galileo. She has a very healthy imagination and her favorite books are those adventure stories written by her favorite author, Alex Rover (who is Alexandra Rover in real life—played by Jodie Foster). When her father goes missing from one of his research, Nim is left all alone in their island. For some twist of fate, she is able to exchange e-mails with her favorite author. Alexandra, on the other hand, realizing that Nim is just a little girl who needs her help. Alexandra, came to the rescue, yes, but with much effort and misadventures.

Note: One has to watch Nim’s Island with a child’s eyes.

2. The Pianist

One of the best films I’ve seen.

A Roman Polanski film starring Adrien Brody, The Pianist is based on the autobiography of Wladyslaw Szpilman, a famous Jewish pianist working for the Warsaw radio in Poland. His whole life literally starts to crumble with the outbreak of World War II and the invasion of Poland in 1939. With things looking ugly everyday, soon Szpilman is separated from his whole family. He has to go into hiding, work in prison camps, escape and go into hiding again with the aid of some non-Jewish friends. He nearly dies because of an illness and malnutrition. Despite all these, he is able to keep his sanity and survives.

3. Little Manhattan

Talk about puppy love! This one is incredibly charming!

Gabe (Josh Hutcherson) is like all other boys his age. He lives in a world filled with the masculine gender. Gabe and his friends see girls as just girls and nothing special. They even see girls as carrier of a disease called cooties. But that summer, when Gabe decides to enroll in a Karate class, he begins noticing Rosemary Telesco (Charlie Ray)—who is not really a stranger to him because she has been around practically all his life—who is among the best students and since she’s the only one he knows, becomes his sparring partner. Accompanying Rosemary to a dress fitting before their Karate practice, Gabe experiences the weirdest thumping of his heart as he stares at Rosemary standing in front of the mirrors. Soon enough, he realizes that he is in love. That summer also, Gabe discovers that girls are pretty and fun to be with.

The film is narrated by the boy and he did it very well. As you watch Little Manhattan, you are taken into Gabe’s world without you knowing it. Among my favorite lines in the movie:

• Love isn’t about ridiculous little words. Love is about grand gestures. Love is about airplanes pulling banners over stadiums, proposals on jumbo-trons, giant words in sky writing. Love is about going that extra mile even if it hurts, letting it all hang out there. Love is about finding courage inside of you that you didn’t even know was there.
• Love is an ugly, terrible business practiced by fools. It’ll trample your heart and leave you bleeding on the floor. And what does it really get you in the end? Nothing but a few incredible memories that you can’t ever shake. The truth is, there’s gonna be other girls out there. I mean, I hope. But I’m never gonna get another first love. That one is always gonna be her.

4. The Virgin Suicides

This is a finely made film, with perfect cast, right storyline and good director.

The Virgin Suicides is Director-Screenwriter Sofia Coppola’s first full-length film. Four neighborhood boys reflect on the life of the five Lisbon sisters—Therese, Mary, Bonnie, Lux and Cecilla. They are a curious brood, mysterious in the eyes of the community, overprotected by their strict parents, making them unattainable. The film is narrated by one of the boys (voice provided by Giovanni Ribisi), 25 years after the girls suicides. They try to put together the pieces of evidence they are able to collect to finally solve the mysterious life of the five sisters.

Cecilla, the youngest, is the first to go. After her death, the family becomes more distant from the community, heightening the curiosity of the people. At the start of the new school term, the remaining sisters act like nothing happened. It also marks the start of Lux’s (the promiscuous sister, played by Kirsten Dunst) secret relationship with the school heartthrob Trip Fontaine (Josh Hartnett). Able to persuade Mr. and Mrs. Lisbon, Trip takes Lux and her sisters (with respective dates courtesy of Trp’s friends) to the homecoming dance, causing Lux to miss the curfew her strict mother had set. Pulled out from the school, the girls remained inside the house, under Mrs. Lisbon’s stern watch. Longing to break away, the girls contact the four boys through light signals, and they start exchanging music played over the phone. One evening, the sisters send an SOS signal. The boys immediately responded but get a shocking surprise at the Lisbon’s basement.

Have you seen any of these films? What do you think of them? Share your thoughts, please.

Also, I’m thinking, should I discuss them further separately?

• Family: Definitely, it’s “Laugh at Your Heart’s Content.” The post is composed of photos mainly but I think they say a lot about how we are in the family (meaning, the whole clan). Besides, those photos are among my most treasured — happy and carefree.

• Friends: From my Old Neighborhood. I grew up in the barrio, so the neighborhood is pretty tight. The other kids there became my first buddies before I made friends in school.

• Myself: Me, a Love Charm?! I still think I am. Read the post and tell me if my theory is correct.

• Choice: It’s about an old hobby, a Forgotten Passion. I’m trying to find time to do it. I will. Someday. Tell me if I should.

• Something I love: I love this poem. I hope you’ll read it and you’ll share yours!

That’s about it. I’m supposed to tag other people, but I guess most of you did this already. But if you’re reading this post and haven’t done this meme, then I’m passing it on to you. Just remember this simple rule:

Go through your archive and choose five of your favorite posts about your family, friends, yourself, something you love and lastly, your own choice.

I had quite an adventure this morning. Or should I call it an unfortunate event? Anyway, it was already half past seven when I left the house and I know I’m late for work (hmmm… was I ever early? I’m not a morning person and it’s really hard for me to wake up at the break of dawn.). Usually, I take the shuttle service (van, FX taxi) from our place to work. I’m among the daily commuters who line-up in FX terminals every morning hoping there are enough shuttles to accommodate all of us so we can get to where we are going as soon as possible.

Today’s a little different, though. Less than ten people were at the terminal when I arrived. It made me feel a little better. At least I don’t have to wait long. In a few minutes, I was sitting comfortably inside the van and in a few more minutes, off we go. The calm and steady motion of the vehicle soon lulled me to sleep. I don’t know how long I’ve dozed off, but I was suddenly pulled off from dreamland when the van abruptly stopped at a curve. Next thing I know, we were getting off because, unfortunately, the van was having some engine trouble. It was fine with me; I don’t get annoyed with things beyond my control. Besides, the driver has already called for help. In about 15 or 20 minutes, a new van arrived to pick us up.

In every misfortune, something good’s embedded in it for sure. You see, the place where we stopped, I pass by that area everyday. But I’ve never really appreciated or took time to look at it closely-here, where the city and the countryside fuse, a stretch of greenery greets your eyes.

I didn’t waste time and took a couple of snaps of a tree that caught my attention.

From across where I was standing. Isn’t it a sight to behold? I think it’s an acacia tree.

A closer shot. I can just imagine how grand and sturdy it will look years and years from now. I hope no one will cut it down.