Almost three years ago, just when I thought I could not handle another mischievous kid in the family, God gave us another walking mayhem. Not many of you are aware that I also have a niece. And she’s just as endearing (the kind that you wanna strangle) as my nephew. My niece is now three years old. She’s called Natalya. My nephew’s name is Yoshke. I gave him that name. He’s now five. For the sake of this blog entry and to avoid confusion, let’s call my nephew Yoshke “Nephew,” and my niece, “Niece.” Nephew and Niece are seldom in…
From August, 2009
Unusual Breakfast
Here we are again. In the usual corner. Usual table. Usual diner. Usual time. And most probably, usual meal. I’m getting tired of this really. Everything’s a routine. And for what it’s worth, you’re the only same old thing that I’m not tired of. But I’m tired of this. Having the same food for breakfast before we go to work. “What are we really?” I speak first. You give me a puzzled look. I speak again. “You said we’re friends. But the things we do — the things I do with you — the thing’s I’ve done FOR you —…
The Giraffe in the Ref and the Completely Puzzled Life
One December evening in Paranaque, Andre, Dane and I were killing time by solving puzzles that I compiled in my head since I was a little boy. You see, I love solving puzzles and challenging my friends to put their problem-solving skills to a test. It was one of those nights. We spent hours solving the detective stories I throw at them. Mind you, they were very difficult puzzles. Just before daybreak, Dane said: Dane: I am used to simple puzzles like the giraffe-elephant-fridge puzzle. Yoshke: What’s that puzzle? Andre: OMG! You don’t know that? Yoshke: No. Everyone else does?…
Movie Review: ‘The Hangover’ and the Headache That Didn’t Come With It
Last Thursday, Globe and Warner Bros Pictures invited me to the special screening of “The Hangover” at Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. The people were friendly. The cocktails were fantastic. The movie was entertaining. Entertaining. Hmmm. A good friend asked me if “entertaining” was enough for me to actually like a film. I answered him with a confident “of course.” “Sometimes,” I told him, “I just want to see a movie to be entertained. I have a habit of checking my Film graduate self at the theater door before watching. I don’t expect to be bothered or hope that the…
How to Burn Bridges
Care to solve the following problems? Drop your two cents here. Problem #1 You’ve had the best five months together. Suddenly, you get distracted. You become busy with other things. You’re still in love with her but time isn’t one of the things you can give her right now. Before you know it, it’s been weeks. One day, finally, you decide to meet her and talk. She asks if you want to end the relationship. You say, “it’s up to you.” Pissed, she tells you “Aright, it’s over.” And being the prideful person that you are, you don’t wanna look…