the up button is getting me down

The elevators in my very old office building serve different floors. But the Up buttons control all 5 elevators rather than say, just the one that stops on my floor. So when one elevator opens at the ground floor, the Up button lights of all 5 elevators turn off. 

I guess the assumption is that that one elevator is sufficient to serve the ground floor riders. But in the morning, there are 5 long lines of people at the ground floor waiting to go up to one of the 24 floors in our building.

So the people at the front of the lines at the other elevators need to be alert. They need to press the Up button as soon as the elevator that just stopped at the ground floor moves up. Because if the Up buttons stay unlit and an elevator skips the ground floor, the person at the front of the line will get dagger looks from everyone behind him.

But what gets me in a panic is when my elevator is neck-in-neck with another elevator. When that other elevator stops at the ground floor and people are piling in, my elevator from the basement ends up skipping the ground floor. So I have to wait all over again for my elevator to go up to the 24th floor and back down while hoping the other elevators don't pass the ground floor just a few seconds again before my elevator. So imagine my panic when people are piling in so slowly into the other elevator while I see my elevator inching up... B4... B3... B2... B1... Get in, people!!... 

And the tricky thing is that you need to wait for the right time - for the other elevator to start moving up - before pressing the Up button. If you press it too early, the other elevator's door re-opens and it ends up stopping at the ground floor even longer! Gah!!!

Who would have thought an Up button could make me feel so down?

Photo is of a postcard I got from a cool art shop in Vietnam.

Click here for more of my elevator woes.

wonder lost?

Noah recently declared that he doesn't believe in Santa anymore. The news broke my heart a little. Okay, a lot. And I was grappling with how to deal with this new reality.

At first, I thought of bombarding him with the Santa proof here (and even add this new one here). But I later decided it didn't make sense to convince him Santa is real, when he really actually isn't.

It took me a while to figure out why it affected me so much. Watching Rise of the Guardians helped me realize that it wasn't mere wistfulness at my 7-year old boy growing up so fast that bothered me. It was a fear that he would lose what believing in Santa represents.

In the movie, Santa showed nesting dolls of his character - how he's seen as jolly or even mysterious. But his "center" - the smallest Santa doll was wide-eyed because Santa's "center" - is wonder.

That's what I was afraid Noah would lose... Childlike wonder... The ability to marvel at magic and have faith in a fairytale's happy ending.

Then at bedtime on the day we watched Rise of the Guardians, Noah urged me to pray that he wouldn't have a bad dream. I was still distraught and so grabbed the opportunity to push another childhood myth from the movie on him, "But Sandman will make sure you have good dreams." He adamantly replied, "That's fantasy, not reality!", and demanded we pray. Immediately after our prayer, he was okay - suddenly unafraid. And I realized he hadn't lost the ability to marvel at magic & believe in a happy ending. He believes in God's miraculous power. And that's the only real magic there is anyway. :) 

Photos are from here, here and here.

Rise of the Guardians is showing now in cinemas. Collect Rise of the Guardian toys with your McDonald's Happy Meal!

my Monica-closet house

My house is not the unbelievable, disastrous mess you see as the "before" in the show Clean House. But just like Monica (see more of my Friends obsession here), I've got a closet... okay, a corner... fine! corners and drawers... that are shamefully piled high with category-less clutter.

Now that I have time on my hands (see related post here), I've been cleaning out those closets, corners & drawers that have accumulated clutter since we moved in 8 years ago. Am far from done but so far, I've unearthed 2 VHS players, 3 telephones, 3 vacuum cleaners - all in the storage cabinets under the stairs.

I also found my Advantix rolls, so organized in their special box. 

This, together with film negatives and "developed" photos, are now in the box of photos here.

I also found these casette tapes... 

I have always been an OST lover. Do you remember Ally McBeal and Reality Bites? The Apo & Michael V ones are my hubby's. No one has owned up to owning the Randy Santiago tape though. Amazing how we still have a brand new tape (which has a price tag at the back of P47, just in case you wanted to know).

The Basia CD isn't even mine! Borrowed it from my friend S in college and turns out, I never returned it! Eeep! 

Notice the masking tape label on the Workshy CD? That was for our wedding - to guide the music guy on which tracks to play and when. How primitive huh? The hubby and I scrambled to put these labels on our CDs the day before our wedding! When wedding coordinators and digitally-organized-playlists didn't exist yet.

I also found stacks & stacks of Isabella's childhood books and VHS tapes. After taking out those that can be handed down to Noah and my nieces, I gathered everything up for donation to the Philippine Toy Library. I have to admit I was teary-eyed the day I said goodbye to my baby girl's books & Veggie Tales movies. But the idea that they would now make other children happy felt pretty good.

So far, this de-cluttering has been a dusty yet delightful trip down memory lane. :)

Photos are my own and from here.

Click here for the ofdotsnthings version of this post. Click here for another ancient thing about my wedding. 

Philippine Toy Library is a group of volunteer-friends who provide the experience of play to Filipino children living in cramped, congested areas. PTL transforms idle spaces in barangays/schools/parishes into fun & educational playrooms to keep kids off the streets. Drop-off point for donations is near Ateneo, behind Kenny Rogers, at 56 Esteban Abada Street Loyola Heights, QC (zip code is 1108 in case you want to send them a box of toys just like a friend of mine from Singapore recently did). So go and de-clutter your homes, donate to PTL & bring joy to more Filipino kids.

a mother's Toy Story

Noah had been pining for Toy Story toys for quite a while. "I want Boody (he meant Woody, but this was over 2 years ago, so he couldn't make the "W" sound yet), Buzz Lightyear, Green Dinosaur, Mr. Potato Head, the princess - the pink one." Toy Story 3 hadn't shown yet, so they weren't available in Manila toy stores yet. So on a US trip that year, I made it a point to buy him Woody and Buzz even if they were too big and bulky to bring home. But the sheer delight on Noah's face when he saw his pasalubong was well worth my close-to-filled luggage (and the unbought bags & shoes that could have taken Woody & Buzz' place in my trolley).

Then he wanted to bring them to bed that night. They were HUGE compared to the usual action figures or cars that ended up under my back in the middle of the night. But I couldn't say no to sleeping with both of them - because it was sooooo adorable how he couldn't pick one over the other. After all, he was so attached to them that he wrote his name on their feet like Andy did in Toy Story.

Then a few days later, he came to me with a ripped Woody. His shirt got torn and stuffing was spilling out. My heart sank - thinking of how many toy stores I went to to find them, of how many packing configurations I tried so they would occupy the least space in my luggage, of how short-lived the delight was from this toy he had been asking for for months. So I channeled the home ec A+ student in me and stitched Woody up. When I returned sewed-up-Woody to Noah, he squealed, "Thank you Mommy!" 

Yes, a mother endures quite a few things to give her child a toy: a toy-filled luggage, a bad back & sleepless nights, and dismay at broken toys. But all this doesn't matter... as long as the toy gives her child happiness and delightful childhood memories he will keep with him long after the toys are gone.

Photo of Noah is my own - a page from one of his 2009 scrapbooks.

Click here for the of-dots-&-things version of this post.

shooting target

The thing I don't like about the BRs I said I liked here, is how you tend to be the shooting target during your BR presentation. You are the one that gets questioned and challenged by top management. It's a good thing I recently learned I might have an alternative career!

Yes, this is me at a firing range (thanks to my co-worker D who treated us to this unique exhilarating experience!).

At first, it was pretty unnerving... From the ear-piercing sound when a shot is fired by the other shooters, to the pressure of trying to follow the Armscor instructor's direction of a 30% grip with my right hand and a 70% grip with my left (how do you calculate grip strength in percentages??), to the gun recoiling after each shot - against my will (haha! control issues!). But by my 2nd round, I began to enjoy the thrill.

My very first time to fire a gun...

Not bad for my very first round, right? 

Now I wonder if there are any openings in The Avengers. I wouldn't mind rubbing elbows with the arrogantly witty Tony Stark and Steve Rogers (Chris Evans is just too cute to be hidden under Captain America's mask! Though I still like him better as the Fantastic Four's Torch.). Can my target-paper serve as my resume for Natasha Romanov's job? 

Photos are from here and my own, edited via pixlr.

Click here for the of-dots-&-things version of this post.

This Twitter's a tease!

Loko 'tong Twitter na 'to! Got an email today with subject: Josh Duhamel has a Tweet for you.

I have to say it's the first email I checked in my inbox of 20 unread emails! Because isn't he just the absolute cutest?

I am so crushing on him that I've watched most of his movies - including When In Rome which, I have to say, has one of the silliest plots ever. And I mean silly-bad, not silly-good. And yet I've watched it an unbelievable amount of times. Just because he looks awfully good in a suit!

Josh Duhamel has a Tweet for me. Haha! I wish!

Have to say, even if it wasn't true, that email from Twitter made my day!

Photos from here, here and here.

talking pet peeve

I recently realized I don't really enjoy movies with talking animals. I don't mind talking dwarfs like Smurfs or even Gnomeo & Juliet. Or talking muppets like Kermit & Gonzo. I even adore talking cars like Lightning McQueen & Mater and talking toys like Woody & Buzz. But talking animals - not so much. I watched Happy Feet, Ice Age and Madagascar primarily for the kids but I didn't really care for them very much. It's worse when the animals are dressed in human clothes.

So imagine how much I was silently kicking and screaming when we watched Alvin & the Chipmunks 3 in the movie house about a month ago. Especially since I hadn't watched neither Mission: Impossible Ghost Protocol nor Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows, which were both showing right next door.

I don't really know when this strange aversion to talking animals started. Come to think of it, I much preferred Lion King on Broadway versus the animated movie. And I wonder if it's because people played the animals' parts in the theater version? Though I do remember liking Shirt Tales a lot when I was growing up. And they were talking animals in human shirts! Now isn't this bizarre?

What about you? Do you like movies with talking animals? Or are you also praying there won't be a 4th insertion to the Alvin & the Chipmunks series? Do you also watch movies you don't particularly care for because your kids want to? Do you end up watching more kiddie movies in the moviehouse while blockbusters get relegated to screening via DVD?

Photo from heritage.

   

my impossible wishlist

After writing that post on my excessive wishlist, I got to thinking about an impossible wishlist...

1. To watch a Friends episode live. When we went on the Warner Bros. Studio Tour in Burbank, California two years ago, we went inside the Two and a Half Men studio. Filming the show wasn't scheduled that day but we got to sit where a live audience would and right in front of us was the set of Charlie's house. It hit me then how sad it was that I would never get a chance to watch the filming of a Friends show. Good thing the Friends Central Perk set was part of the WB Tour so I at least got to see it up close. 
2. To taste Trattoria Uno's Zuppa Marinara again. When I was growing up, there were very few mall choices. One of them was Ali Mall and they had this quaint little Italian restaurant there with patrons' graffiti all over the walls. We ate there all the time. They had freshly-baked bread and the best Seafood Marinara soup! If I am not mistaken, it was owned by the Aranetas and in later years, would sometimes be closed because the chefs were busy with a private party of the Araneta family. I remember going there in later years and Zuppa Marinara was no longer on their menu but the chef would gladly cook me and my mom our favorite tomato soup! But a few years ago, Trattoria Uno closed down. And tasting their Zuppa Marinara again sadly lands on my impossible wishlist. Sigh.  
3. To munch on Jack & Jill Barbecue Curls again. I haven't found anyone who remembers Jack & Jill  Barbecue Curls because only Chiz Curls survived the test of time. People remember Munchees (which I wasn't a fan of) but nobody remembers the Barbecue Curls packed in a red and yellow foil pouch. I remember loving it when I was a kid. But to be honest, decades later, I have a very faint recollection of it's actual taste. So I'd sure love to try it again! A snack I do remember so well - that I can almost taste it - is the original Planters Cheese Curls that came in big cardboard canisters. I remember they brought out the "selfish" in me. When my friends were over at my house, I'd hide my big can and offer everything we had to eat at home - except for my salty, cheesy Planters Cheese Curls. Now sometimes, a Cheetos Crunchy would start out tasting like my old Planters, but the flavor at the end will be quite different. And don't be fooled by the Cheese Curls you might spot nowadays in a blue canister and yellow lid (even those that use the Planters brand), they are so NOT the same. The Cheese Balls versions are pretty close to the original. But the Cheese Curls are never like the original.
4. To see a photo of my old toy creations. When my brother and I were little, we would make pretend horses using side tables as the body (with a pillow so it would be soft to sit on), our mom's belts as reins & stirrups, and our teddy bears as our horses' heads. I also remember building various things out of Lego... Like a dog with an open slit as his mouth. The flat hole led to his belly so we pretended the "smooth flat two" Lego pieces were dogfood. The memories are so clear in my head but it would be great to have a photo as a souvenir.

5. To be one of those names in the credits of Disney's Beauty and the Beast or Toy Story. When I first watched Belle, I was so in awe of her expressions & actions - how her eyebrows furrowed, how her eyes widened with emotion, how her hair would fall down her face and she would brush it off. She seemed like a real person! I was also captivated by the very realistic majestic ballroom. And to this day, I love the songs! As the credits rolled down, I remember wishing my name was one of those many names. It would have been great to be a part of such a grand project. It was, after all, the first ever animated film to be nominated in the Academy Awards for Best Picture. I would have also loved to be part of the Toy Story production team. The first-ever animated film in CGI with three-dimensional characters... and toys I grew up with as the characters! That would have been awesome! Oh and just so it's clear, this wishlist item is not only impossible because the movies were made a long time ago, but more because I have no idea how animated films are made! I don't even know how to use Photoshop! It's just really fun to dream of being part of such a Creative Team.

Oddly, I thought thinking up this impossible wishlist would make me sad. But dreaming up the possibility of these impossible wishes was actually quite enjoyable! 

Friends photo is my own and the Beauty & the Beast animated gif is from annnniegirl.

Click here and here for previous posts that show my addiction to Friends. Click here for another nostalgic post on Ali Mall and other old malls.   

Today, I am un-loving...

Today, I am un-loving... the fact that my kids have no ratatouille. Anton Ego was the tough food critic from the 2007 Disney Pixar movie, Ratatouille. When he was served ratatouille, a peasant stew, he was shocked. But the second the flavor hit his tongue, he was transported to his childhood.

He returned to the time he crashed his bike and his mother prepared the same meal, the same way for him. It comforted him in a moving, inexplicable way.

I feel the same way about my Lola's (grandma's) cooking. Her chicken in brown sauce is my comfort food. No matter how bad a day I have, when I taste that first bite of her chicken in brown sauce, I magically feel better. None of us can recreate it (not that I ever expected I could. See related post here). I cannot even figure out what goes into the mysterious brown sauce. To this day, my 90-year-old Lola cooks me my chicken in brown sauce, my ratatouille, as my birthday gift every year.

I realized recently that my kids grew up with Inday's (Inday is a typical househelper's name here in the Philippines) cooking. We've gone through our share of different Indays through the years so there really isn't any dish - cooked in a distinct, personal way - that they grew up with and could call their comfort food, their ratatouille.

Sigh. Today, I am un-loving... that my kids do not have their own ratatouille.

Photos from here and here.

Click here for previous posts from the Today, I am un-loving... series.

do you remember?

Do you remember when we used to fill out autograph books in gradeschool? Do you remember how we scribbled TMTM as our answer to "Favorite Songs"? Do you remember a dedication in your own autograph book signed off with JAPAN (Just Always Pray At Night), or ITALY (I Trust And Love You), or with the more common TCCIC (Take Care Coz I Care)? Turns out, we started the OMG and LOL textspeak of today!

Do you remember the questions... Who is your crush? What is your motto? What is your most embarassing moment? And... What is love? 

"Define love." I don't quite remember what I wrote down then. But I do remember a great big love at that time... 

Do you remember the wedding of Kermit the Frog and Ms. Piggy in the movie Muppets Take Manhattan? My brother and I even had an LP record of the soundtrack! So I remember this song that leads up to the wedding so clearly...

Sadly, I could not find a clip of the actual wedding ceremony... But I do remember the funny sing-song pronouncement so fondly...

"Because you share a love so biiiiiggg...

I now pronounce you Frog and Piiiiiggggg!"

Do you remember?

Photos from designeditor and muppet.wikia.

a wedding at twilight

Bella and Edward are getting married right this minute! Of course, this is the official wedding date even though (1) Twihards (I can't help chuckle at this term! So witty!) calculated the actual wedding (according to the book) to be in 2006, and (2) the wedding scene for the movie has already been shot.

It's cool how they've generated buzz around a movie prop even before the movie actually comes out! 

I haven't been able to read Breaking Dawn because my 13-year-old daughter keeps hogging it. But I've swung from Team Edward while I was reading Midnight Sun (Yes, I have no E.Q. Read it right after Twilight and swooned like a teenage girl!) to Team Jacob in New Moon and Eclipse. So let me veer away from the whole Edward-Bella-Jacob topic and stick to this invite.

With the official Cullen crest emblazoned on the wax seal on the envelope.

I love how Catherine of Design Editor puts it here, "Design meets Twilight. Be still my heart! I dunno though. Edward and Bella are a little edgier than this." So true. There is nothing dark about this wedding invitation. It looks so normal (albeit quite elegant) when Bella and Edward are the furthest you can get from normalcy.

In any case, this post is dedicated to all the Twihards [chuckle] out there who anticipated twilight of August the 13th since June and even google-mapped to check if the location really does exist (It doesn't.). And to my Isabella, who right this minute, as Bella and Edward are supposedly waking down the aisle, finally lets me borrow her beat-up, dog-eared copy of Breaking Dawn.

And so I begin reading...

Childhood is not from brith to a certain age and at a certain age

The child is grown, and puts away childish things.

Childhood is the kingdom where nobody dies.

Edna St. Vincent Millay

Photos from here.