Went to the bazaar at the NBC Tent this afternoon.
Wasn't really excited about going, but I opted to go because I needed to find something appropriate for my god-daughter's birthday (which is just a few short weeks away).
Was thrilled when I found a little hand-held, battery-operated Hello Kitty mini-fan for P150. Haha! So cute! Just perfect for summer.
You pull off Kitty's head to reveal the blades of the fan, which are just little flaps made of soft plastic. So there's little chance of her cutting or hurting herself on it.
Noticed a few new changes when I logged into YouTube tonight.
Can I just say... WOW!!
Major, noteworthy improvements:
Videos can now be grouped into playlists. Well, that was there even before, but now it's much easier to do so.
Playlists can be embedded onto a webpage. No need to have multiple embeds if you want to show multiple videos. All videos in a single playlist can be seen in one single embedded videoplayer.
Video volume is now adjustable in the embedded video player. I'd been looking for this feature for some time now, and to have it there is just awesome! haha!
To give you an idea of how all these improvements look, here are all six videos that I've uploaded which are related to Bituing Walang Ninging, grouped together under one playlist:
I'm in voice workshops this summer. Didn't really plan on attending this, but friends wanted to try so I got swept into it. :D
I've only had two sessions so far, but it's all been fun, fun, fun! The instructor is cool, funny, and can command the attention of the class. I'm learning a lot of stuff, and it's surprising what a difference little techniques can make on the sound that is produced.
Now I understand why people hire voice coaches. There's a lot more science and technique to this than I originally thought. It's actually a discipline! I always thought it was something "artistic" -- you know, you either have it or you don't. Hindi pala. Regardless of how much talent you have, it can be improved with proper training.
I don't expect to be diva material after all these workshops, but I do expect to sound better. :D
Not cry in the sense of sorrow or sadness... but cry in the sense that I feel touched by what I see or hear, and I am easily moved to tears.
There've actually been times when I am not personally moved by what I'm hearing or seeing, but then I see someone else moved by the situation... and that's enough to move me to tears.
Hay, ewan. I'm not going to try analyzing why. It's just one of those things that is.
I'm around halfway through the book right now, and to be honest, I couldn't go much further because I got stuck on the first exercise.
The first premise of the book is that you need to know what value you are bringing to a relationship. So the first exercise was to write four paragraphs to highlight what's great about yourself (almost like writing a resume, but instead of a resume for a job, it's a resume for a relationship!).
I found that exercise really tough. Thinking about what's great about myself is not an activity that comes naturally to me. In fact, I actually found myself becoming depressed because when I first tried to do this exercise, I couldn't think of anything to write. Heck, I couldn't even think of an answer to the question: What accomplishment are you most proud of and why?
It was only later that I realized I couldn't write anything because it was too much of a mental switch from the way I normally think. I'm not the type of person who gives myself mental peptalks ("You can do it! Kayang-kaya mo yan! Remember how you aced that task last week?"). I don't dwell too much on my successes, and I spend too much time obsessing over my failures or what-might-have-beens. In fact, when I remember some of the things that I've managed to do, I surprise myself.
So, I definitely want... no, need a mental shift. It will be easier said than done, I think. Old habits are hard to break. But I admit that I need to do something about it.
I guess completing that first exercise will be a good start.
I've been remiss lately with my blog updates, but there's a simple explanation.
All of my waking hours (and some of my should-be-sleeping-hours!) have lately been devoted to watching back-to-back episodes of Star Trek: Enterprise, Season 3.
My Raves:
This is the best Star Trek: Enterprise season I've seen so far. Season 3 is a souped-up, trumped-up, revved-up version of Enterprise; a definite departure from the style and tone of the first two seasons.
A must-see for time-travel afficionados. Season 3 is replete with time-travel scenarios and alternate-reality conundrums, but the writers managed to stop themselves from using time travel as a cop-out for sticky plot dead-ends.
Favorite episodes. Twilight and Similitude rank way up there as my ultimate favorites for this season. Great stories, fantastic effects, and clever use of dramatic revelations make these two episodes utterly wonderful. E2 (E-squared) is a very close third on my list of favorites.
The evolution of Trip and T'Pol's relationship. This is self-explanatory to anyone who has seen this Season, I think. Haha! It's no surprise to me that a quick search on the web yielded a large number of Trip-T'pol fansites. hehe!
My Rants:
What in the world did they do to the theme song?! It was absolutely AWFUL the first time I heard it. Almost painful, almost sacrilegious! The wonderfully soulful tone of the original theme song was completely, utterly ruined by that new pop sound that they used in Season 3. Although the new version became more bearable from repetition, it was still a major adjustment.
Too Many Stops and Starts in the Story Arc. There were too many stand-alone stories randomly inserted into the middle of a series of episodes that followed the main story arc. So just when we have built up a great deal of momentum over the course of three or four episodes, we suddenly go Pffffttt...
Convenient reappearances by the Andorians. Twice in this season, the "blueskins" appear at the most convenient times to rescue Jonathan Archer. Once is acceptable. Twice is stretching it a bit.
Overall, a great romp! I'll probably be groggy most of this weekend because I'll have my eyes glued to Season 4. haha!
Of course I wish Carla and Janus had more scenes, but their limited exposure didn't hamper my enjoyment of the movie in any way, because it was so in-your-face funny.
It was almost like watching two movies in one, with the storyline of the "mommies" and the storyline of the "lucky" kids running along on their own separate, merry ways until the story merges at the end.
One of my worries after watching the full-length trailer was that all the funny scenes may have already been crammed into 4 minutes of video, and that nothing would be funny anymore. I'm glad I was wrong about that!
Laff-out-loud (non-trailer) scenes that come to mind while writing this:
The pre-landing plane sequence with Pokwang
The caption about monobloc chairs in Korea
Sandy calling Joseph "Luis"
Janus and Joseph with their "Feng Shui" litany
Sandy telling the friends to come out of hiding from behind the bar
Eugene Domingo is such an absolute scene-stealer! Haha! In almost every comedic scene, she was more vividly there than anyone else. Even the scenes where she had no speaking line (like the part where Sandy confronts Pokwang right after the two moms have their dance-off and Eugene is just there gyrating in the background) are just laff-out-loud funny.
But what I really adored was that wonderful tearjerker of a scene that Pokwang had with Sandara towards the end of the movie. I am almost embarrassed to admit that I felt teary-eyed while watching them. <>
I'm sure that some people will say that the plot was totally predictable -- but what else can you say when you already know the main story arc just from watching the trailer?! ;-)
Oh, and Ate Vi shows that she's still got the moves towards the end. Handsdown ako.
All in all, a highly enjoyable romp. Have already started spreading the word and telling friends to watch it!
I'm starting to really dislike my newsletter editing responsibilities.
It takes up too much time, and it's incredibly frustrating to have to deal with people who are late with their submissions, even though you sent them reminders three weeks before the deadline, and then followed up again one week, two weeks after the deadline. Why did they even bother to become an officer of the org if that's the type of attitude that they will have?
Oh, and the other thing that really drives me up the wall is to have people say they will submit something and at the very last minute will say they won't after all... leaving me with a thinner-than-usual issue.
I'm so absolutely close to quitting already! Hay... I need to cool off.
I don't know what fictional book to read for this month.
There are a lot of unread books sitting on my bedside table, but I'm not in the mood for any of them. I have a yearning for something light, humorous, funny, and sure why not -- even romantic.
Nothing that's in immediate reach meets those criteria.
Guess I should hit the bookstore tomorrow.
If you have suggestions, feel free to post a comment. :D
Holy Week has never been a time of reflection for me.
Isn't that strange? It's one of the most sacred traditions of the Christian religion, but it's never really held any kind of special signficance. It's a break, a holiday, a vacation more than anything else.
Every year, I am invited to join a retreat or a reflection, but I'm never interested. I guess I still think of religion as a personal experience, an intimate walk. Plus I don't like it when I'm forced by social/peer pressure to behave a certain way, or to say the expected things. Too many of these holy week activities are group activities. Too many of them are brain-washing/feel-good sessions that play on your emotions rather than bolster your faith.
Of course, I'm being too cynical, and I really have no right to pass judgment on those activities since I've never been to one. I only have hearsay as my basis.
Bottomline, I still have too many questions about my own faith. I work on it, I keep getting on the horse each time I fall off, but at the end of the day, I'm still not ready for primetime.
The expensive cream was leading to an allergic reaction of some kind on my face. I don't know exactly how to describe it, but it was kinda like a light, splotchy rash.
So I guess I will stick with my affordable cream. Haha! My wallet is happy. :D
I was so surprised when I realized this morning that I'd neglected to update this blog for three straight days.
The culprit, of course, is my suddenly busy social life. haha! Have been making the rounds visiting my friends the past few days, and it's simply wonderful to be in touch with them again, to know what they are worried about, and of course to share my own burdens.
Then there are the many rehearsals that I've been attending this week for an Easter thingy. I always sign up for these things, only to suffer a major time crunch as the performance date approaches. When will I ever learn my lesson?!
No wonder I don't have enough time or energy at the end of the day to post updates here!
Can't say I'm complaining, though. I continue to be in a much better frame of mind these days, which is such a blessing. I can literally feel myself walking with a more energetic step, and facing each day's challenges with a lighter heart. I'm more able to dismiss irritants that just a few short weeks ago would have totally driven me up the wall. haha!
Unlike the last time I lost my balance, I didn't escape unscathed today. :( Both my knees and ankles are sore. Have shallow scrapes on my right knee, and rather large, bloody bruises on my left knee.
Hay... Good thing I was wearing pants, otherwise I think my knees would have been even bloodier than they are now.
I feel like I'm 8-years old again, running around with scrapes on my knees. haha! Hopefully everything will heal quickly.
The weekend is almost upon us, and I actually find that I've been in a somewhat good mood most of this week.
It's hard to explain really why that is the case, but I do believe the following have contributed:
I prayed a lot more this week. In the past month or so, I've been so stretched that I feel like I'm already behind schedule when I open my eyes in the morning. This week, I've had the luxury of just lying in bed for a few minutes and praying while looking at patches of sunlight on the ceiling.
I socialized more this week. Met up with friends on Tuesday night, and met my usual Thursday group tonight. Looking forward to after-dinner coffee with my girlfriends tomorrow night, and then there's lunch on Saturday with my "inner circle," which was surprisingly easy to organize. All of a sudden I feel connected again.
I started working out again. Maybe exercise really does release endorphins! Or it may simply be that I managed to get a lot of stress relief simply by hitting the treadmill. For a short time, your mind is occupied with just keeping your feet moving in a certain rhythm, and there's no opportunity to fret about life's worries.
It's strange... when I look at what I've just written, I suddenly realize that I've actually been working on the spiritual, social, and physical aspects of my life these past few days. Fancy that.
By working on all three, I have started gaining some control over my life once again... control that, in retrospect, I seem to have lost last month when an unceasing stream of demands sucked the life (and happiness) out of me.
All of a sudden, I am reminded of Lamentations 3:23-24.
The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases. His mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning; great is Thy faithfulness, O Lord.
YouTube statistics are always a source of fascination for me.
I consider the number of times a videoclip has been viewed to be a direct indicator of a video's popularity with the Internet-enabled viewing public.
For example:
D' Lucky Ones Full Trailer. Available online: 17 days. Hits to date: 1601 Avg hits/day: 97.17
Sam Milby's Self-titled Album TV commercial. Available online: 10 days. Hits to date: 507 Avg hits/day: 50.7
Bituing Walang Ningning Teaser. Available online: 3 days. Hits to date: 432 Avg hits/day: 144
Sa Piling Mo Trailer. Available online: 45 days. Hits to date: 4057 Avg hits/day: 90.1
Makita Kang Muli (Panday Theme). Available online: 54 days. Hits to date: 9067 Avg hits/day: 167.9
Of course, there are many other factors that can totally skew these numbers. For example, a trailer is less interesting than the real thing. And the longer something has been online, the more stale it becomes (although the chances of people finding it go up also).
Anyway, if these stats are a decent indicator for TV viewership, Panday's ratings are worth keeping an eye on.
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Pahabol (10:45pm): a little before making the post above, I uploaded the music video of Toni Gonzaga's We Belong to YouTube as well. In less than 24 hours, it has been viewed 313 times! Wow.
One of my friends had given me a small jar of expensive moisturizer. She had bought it for herself, but then had an immediate allergic reaction to it. So she decided she would give it to me to try out. Woohoo!
Anyway, as to my experiment... I decided I would use the expensive stuff on the left side of my face, while I continue to use my usual affordable moisturizer on the right side of my face.
Since I've only been doing this for three days, there has been no discernible difference. I seem to remember someone telling me that we replace our skin layers in 14 days (although I have no scientific basis for this bit of trivia, so please don't quote me). If I've remembered my facts correctly, I should see some difference in skin quality in a week and half.
If not, then the expensive stuff is not worth the extra moolah, as many beauty articles claim.
Note: Brand names withheld to avoid lawsuits. LOL.
For some strange reason, I am feeling happier today.
Not sure exactly what has changed (because really, nothing has), but I think I'm in a better state of mind after working out yesterday afternoon, and spending yesterday evening hanging out with some friends, catching up on all the chismis of our social circle. Of course I made sure I got back home in time to catch The Big Night of PBBCE! hehe.
I've decided I'm going to invite some friends out to lunch next weekend; friends I haven't seen in the past two months because my life suddenly got crazy. My emotional batteries need recharging through social interaction. haha!
These days, I find myself going through the motions a lot, like an automaton of some kind. My heart's really not into what I'm doing, and it takes a lot of effort to focus and get things done.
I'm constantly searching for something sinfully sweet or unbelievably salty to eat. I'm drinking coffee like there's no tomorrow. I'm eating more than I normally do. And despite all that, I seem to be sleeping more than 12 hours a day.
Hay... all the classic signs of depression are staring me in the face.
I guess it's a result of the past month. March has been so stressful emotionally. I feel like my morale and psyche keep getting hit anew each morning, before I've even had a chance to recover from the injuries of the previous day.
I guess it would be tolerable if I knew this period would be coming to an end soon. I think what really depresses me is the thought that I have nothing better to look forward to in the next few months beyond more repeats of the past few weeks.
With no obvious solution in sight, I think I'll hit the treadmill again this afternoon. Maybe some exercise-induced endorphin production will help improve my mood.
I know the final week for the Big 4 PBBCE finalists is supposed to be an emotionally trying week, but something about last night's episode just didn't sit well with me.
I suppose the part that gets me themost is the whole thing about BB saying that the housemates are supposed to have faith in him. While I will grant the fact that BB is pretty much "God" as far as the PBB House is concerned, I find it too much of a stretch for him to demand loyalty, faith, and blind obedience from the housemates at all times.
There are days when I have trouble believing in God, and that's GOD, ha! So I think it's only natural for the housemates to doubt the sincerity of BB, when events around them are not making any sense whatsoever.
And while it may be amazing that they would believe in the possibility of BB becoming a hostage of the "ninjas," I actually found it kinda sweet, because I consider it a psychological defense mechanism on the part of the Big 4.
Since the "ninja invasion" left them feeling exposed and threatened, and BB wasn't doing anything at all to protect them, they could have rightly concluded that BB is no longer worthy of trust and obedience; that he had broken his end of the bargain, so to speak. So the only way they could continue to be loyal to BB is if they could come up with a plausible reason as to why he is not helping them in their time of need. Being taken hostage by the "ninjas" seemed to be as good a reason as any, especially since it looked like the "ninjas" pretty much had the run of the house.
Went to the bazaar at the NBC Tent this afternoon.