46 posts from August 2009

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Well, it's a lazy Sunday afternoon, I've caught up with e-mail and LiveJournal and Google Reader. Working with the Chromium browser again, to get used to the way it works. Had myself some ice cream, and adjusted some ping.fm posting settings. So far, so good.

The kitchen maid is on her day off, but left us a turbo-broiled chicken that was heated up for lunch. Yum. Pica and Pie-kitten spent most of the morning outdoors, dashed inside for lunch and have stayed in the kitchen since then. All the other cats are disposed where cool air can get to them; and I may just head off for a nap in a little bit.

The Raphael Affair is proving to be a good read. Nothing spectacular, but definitely engaging. This is a good sign, since I am still on Chapter 3 and there are 13 more chapters to go before the book ends.

As is usual on Sunday, I updated my expense logs and did a little tidying up around the office space and the bedroom. Changed handbags for the week, and started a new collection of things to be donated to the Salesians. Among them are my poor music books, which have been lying about on top of the piano for *decades*, hand on my heart, without my once ever touching the keys. Yes, it's sad that Ma's ambition for me to play well never came to fruition - but while I remember the music, I don't remember the feeling anymore, to paraphrase a popular OPM song. There was a time when it was a joy to play, but something went off and when you can hear the emo in your own playing, then perhaps it's time to stop and look back fondly on the good times. So since I can't afford lessons, and I'm not playing, that is a very clear sign that I don't need the books. I am sure the Salesian Missions will find them good homes somewhere, where a child with real talent is in dire need of music books; and that's good enough for me.

Now, I think I better go catch that nap. Then Twitter time. Ciao!

Especially if you don't tell anyone about them...There's always a place where you can keep everything you want to archive. *adjusts ping.fm auto-post settings*.

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Had a nice long day at the mall. Rather than put up each milestone in a separate tweet, I thought I'd just make one of my (in)famous bullet-point posts...

* Maintenance crew came over to deliver invoices. Took the opportunity to mention Ma's plans for repainting various fixtures in the lanai, and we agreed it would be a good idea if the painting started at the same time as the re-roofing project. Called the main office to confirm, and it will be a case of callbacks come Tuesday.

* After the breakfast and bath routine, Ramon and I betook ourselves to Mercury Drug Santuario to (a) refill his prescriptions and (b) withdraw money for the week. The bill at Mercury came up to about 440 pesos. Take note of this figure, it will become significant later.

* Then it was time to top up the Avanza and check water, power steering, brake fluid, and oil levels. It was obvious the tires needed attention when we went to have the air checked: the ride all the way to Cash n Carry was much smoother than it has been over the past times I used the car.

* Lunch at Luk Yuen. Satisfied my Chinese food craving with their bento-type box and dimsum. Ramon was very happy with the meal, which is always a good sign.

* Duplicated front door keys, something I have been meaning to do for an age and a half, at least.

* Went to HBC to buy shampoo and conditioner and linen freshener. The bed will smell really good tonight, I'm thinking.

* Went into Japan Home Store/Daiso and bought nothing. Didn't see anything I wanted or needed, though lots of gift ideas for Christmas, yes.

* Went to The Generic Pharmacy and filled the balance of Ramon's prescription. Total bill: 438 pesos. Add to this the 440 pesos for the other branded medications from Mercury Drug, and for the first time since Ramon has had medical issues, our bill has gone below 1.6K, Php 878, give or take a few centavos. This boggles my mind. As in, it really boggles my mind, and some of the medicines we got from TGP are good for a week and a half, even. Can you imagine how much we can save over the next months? Ramon has been observing himself on the generic/branded combination for a week now, and he says he doesn't feel any different from the fully-branded chemical cocktail he's been taking before. He has a check up on or around September 7, which means a blood test around September 5, and we'll see how the results come up.

* Went to the little stall that sells prepaid cards for mobile phones, and got a Php300 for Dad's unit.

* Went to Big Apple Spa and got a scalp massage, in the hope that it will help me to think straighter and more charitably.

* Tried to go to Nails-A-Holic, however, there was a wait time of 30mins, never mind.

* Did the groceries! Managed to get almost everything on the list, and some items that weren't - par for the course.

* Got home. Unloaded and sorted groceries. Reloaded Dad's phone. Dinner. Gate pass for maid prepared and Ma has signed off. Maid may stay out overnight, as her sister is supposed to arrive in Valenzuela sometime tomorrow afternoon, weather and roads willing. I agreed with Rose that it would be a useless waste of time if she came home early and then her sister arrived after she'd gone - thereby negating the entire purpose of the day off. So hopefully all will work out. I'll just ask what Rose is leaving us by way of food, and we'll make do with delivery for dinner if necessary. I know I can cook breakfast, yo.

* Current status: gates have been closed, a plate of food left outside for poor Grayling, who is still being chased off by Sakki. Only his certainty that there will always be food for him, hugs and cuddles too, keeps him coming back, I think. Thunder and lightning, and the occasional drops of rain; hopefully there will be a good long washing-down to break the humidity. Am off to check feeds and LiveJournal next. Ciao!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Don't take too long to think about it. Fifteen movies you've seen that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than fifteen minutes. Have omitted the "tag 15 other people", but feel free to pass the meme along, y/y?

Note: Not in any order of preference.

The Ten Commandments: Yul Brynner as Pharaoh, scornfully pronouncing Moses' (Charlton Heston) name - there will never be another like him. Obviously the pre-CGI era parting of the Red Sea was totally awesome in my eyes. You just have to love Edward G. Robinson as Dathan, for never was there so insistent and insidious a villian, and I was glad when he got his just deserts.

Ben Hur: Yay,Charlton Heston again, and a chariot race sequence that I do believe can never be replicated. I have a certain fondness for those vintage Biblical epics, with the costumes, stunts and special effects, and the timeless magic of the stories they told. I think they were a major factor in keeping me Catholic.

Gone With The Wind: Clark Gable. Need I say more? *grin* To this day, I screech in rage at the way Scarlett (Vivien Leigh) treated Rhett. No way would a studio today spend the money to stage the burning of Atlanta scene, I bet - it would all be CGI.

Platinum Blonde: Jean Harlow stars as a socialite who marries journalist Robert Williams, just for the fun of it - much to the dismay of his colleague Loretta Young (at one point filling out an evening gown in a very delectable way) who secretly loves him. It's sweet and sexy and funny - by the time the end comes around, you will be going "Awwwww...." at the way the romance is resolved. This is the movie that started my love affair with Frank Capra movies.

The Godfather: Bits and pieces of dialogue from this movie pepper my conversation with Ramon, who also considers it one of his all-time favorites. We picked up quite a bit of vocabulary as well: "button man", "consigliere", "infamita","capo di tutti capi", and so forth. We both read the book before watching the movie, and agreed the film remained true to the spirit of the novel.

The X-Files: Fight The Future: Mulder and Scully kiss! Well...I would like to believe that the lips locked before that inconvenient bee got in the way. I watched this more for the UST than anything else, including the conspiracy. Every now and then, I pull it out of the video library, and smile.

French Kiss: Meg Ryan and Kevin Kline as one of the most lovable rogues on screen. Also, the classic rendering of "Beyond The Sea/La Mer" in French, by Kline.

Pretty Woman: Hector Elizondo made this movie for me. Seriously! I loved his role as the hotel manager who tried to help Julia Roberts become the kind of polished young woman he was used to seeing in his hotel. His dialogue with Julia about her status in relation to Richard Gere is priceless - "And you are...? His niece. Very well. You have no other uncles in this hotel, I take it?" That little sequence is often reprised in marital conversation, especially when I describe people who give monosyllabic answers.

Star Trek XI (aka Reboot!Trek): I have been to very few movies over the past several years, and none of them stole my heart the way this movie did. I love the entire cast, but I swear Karl Urban had to be channeling DeForest Kelley, because he got McCoy down. Am looking forward to the DVD, as I need to have my fill of squeeing and laughing out loud without disturbing an entire theatre audience. Also? John Cho with that kick-ass space-age samurai sword? Beyond awesome.

Robin Hood: I speak here of the Errol Flynn/Olivia de Havilland version, which to me defines what an adventurous movie should be like.

Mogambo: Clark Gable. Again. In a love triangle with Ava Gardner and Grace Kelly - where I was firmly on the side of "bad girl" Gardner from the moment she laid her eyes on Gable. She is adorable in this picture!

Raiders of the Lost Ark: Of all the Indiana Jones movies, the first continues to remain the best.

Captain Blood: Errol Flynn/Olivia de Havilland. Again. de Havilland was only 18 when she made this movie, and she just lights up the screen. Flynn does well as Sabatini's respectable doctor turned slave turned pirate - setting my personal standard for pirate movies from the moment I laid eyes on it, which was on afternoon TV back when I was in grade school. *nods*

It Happened One Night: Clark Gable. AGAIN (shut up, they don't make men like The King any more, and you know it). Claudette Colbert demonstrating the classic method for catching a ride, by hitching up her hemline to expose those lovely, lovely legs. Gable adorable as the hardened news reporter looking for a story, and willing to sacrifice love to make Colbert happy. You will never hear the phrase "the walls of Jericho" in the same way, ever again, after seeing this movie.

The Thin Man: William Powell and Myrna Loy, in the first of a series of movies based on Dashiell Hammett's original novel. William plays a detective (Nick Charles) who gives up his day job after marrying Myrna Loy (Nora Charles), a socialite of the first order. Not having much to do, he spends his time being tipsy or getting drunk, until the day he is asked to investigate a murder. But this isn't your Maltese Falcon type of investigation with angst and drang, oh no! It's got strange suspects and cops and an assortment of lovable characters from the wrong side of town. It's got repartee and banter as Nora joins the investigation, and Nick continues to down any and all forms of alcoholic beverage that he can lay his hands on. Really, one wonders the mystery ever got solved...but it does!

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com

Tweets copied by twittinesis.com