Bonding with Francis, Amy and Abet

this happened sometime in February 2007. it was a drinking session / heart-to-heart talk / friendly harutan affair, all rolled into one. i had not celebrated my 28th birthday in November 2006 because my then-girlfriend broke up with me, so i wasn't really in the mood to hear "happy birthday" sung to me. a couple of months and several long, emotional YM conversations later, three of my closest and trusted friends, Francis, Amy and Abet came over for some beer, lambanog, and sizzling adobong pusit. more importantly, they were there to give me a much-needed morale boost. this was also a belated 2-in-1 birthday celebration for me and Francis, who emailed these pictures earlier today.

kina Abet, Francis and Amy: maraming salamat. i will never forget this act of friendship mula sa inyo. rest assured, i'll make time for you whenever you need someone to talk to, or just listen to your problems, pangako yan.

kung hindi ako mukhang malungkot sa mga shots na ito, magaling lang siguro akong mag-kimkim ng sadness ko. it's one of my sorrowful mysteries, i guess. naalala ko tuloy ang sinabi ng isa kong kaibigan na nakilala ko during holy week that year: "smiling has always been easier than explaining why i am sad."

not all clowns are happy, my dear reader / viewer. and i'm speaking from experience.

but i'm still standing. and i'll pursue that elusive happiness, by hook or by crook. trust me.

pamimilosopo

i was rummaging through some old emails when i stumbled upon this message that i forwarded quite some time ago. natawa ako nang basahin ko siya ulit, so i thought i'd post it here, for those of you who need a dose of humor. if this makes you laugh or even just smile, then i'm happy for you.

enjoy, my dear reader.

Stupid Questions that need intelligent answers

Ang aking kaibigan ay mayroon lang mga ilang katanungan na matagal nang bumabagabag sa kanyang araw-araw na pamumuhay. Maaaring ang iba rito ay alam na rin ito ngunit walang makapagbigay ng akmang kasagutan o pagpapaliwanag. Ito ay ang mga sumusunod:

1. Pwede bang bumili ng hapi meal ang isang taong malungkot?

Pwede, dahil ang masaya doon ay ang nagluluto hindi ang bumibili!

2. pwede bang uminom ng softdrink kapag coffee break?

Pwedeng uminom ng softdrink kung coffebreak ngunit kailangan itong lagyan ng asukal at kopimeyt. kopimeyt dapat at huwag gatas.(milk in my cereal, kopimeyt in my pepsi. sounds good to me!)

3. pwede bang gamitin ang a.m. radio pag gabi na?

Maari lamang gamitin ang a.m. radio kapag gabi kung ang iyong pakikinggan ay f.m.

4. ang fire exit ba ay labasan ng apoy?

Ang fire exit ay ginagamit lamang bilang labasan ng apoy kapag may sunog. Ito ang kanilang daan upang sila'y makatakas o ang tinatawag na "fire escape".

5. ang uod ba pag namatay ay inuuod din?

Ang tao kapag namatay ay hindi tinatao. Malamang ang uod ay hindi rin
inuuod. Kung ang tao ay inuuod kapag nalaguatan ng hininga, siguro ang uod kapag namatay ay tinatao.

6. totoo bang ang mga manok na pinatay sa jolibee ay masasaya kaya sila tinawag na chicken joy?

Ang mga manok na pinatay sa Jolibee ay masaya kung kaya't sila'y tinawag na chicken joy. Ngunit hindi kinakailangang sa jolibee patayin ang manok upang ito ay maging masaya...ang mga manok ay nagiging masaya kapag sila ay may kasama sa buhay. Kapag ito ay nag- iisa lamang, ito ay hindi chicken joy kundi...mcchicken singles.

7. mayroon bang kahit isang langgam na mahilig sa maalat? Alam na ba ninyo iyong patawa na "itlog maalat"?

Nakagat ako minsan ng langgam.......

8. kung ang 7-11 store ay bukas 24 hrs a day , 7 days a week , at 365 days a year. bakit may lock pa ang pinto nila? bakit ? bakit?

Dalawa ang dahilan. Una, may coffee break (tingnan ang katanungan bilang 2 hinggil sa maaaring inumin kapag coffee break) din naman ang mga nagtatrabaho sa 7-11. Pangalawa, mayroon tayong tinatawag na leap year.

9. bakit di mataas ang highway?

Dahil kung mataas ang hiway, walang paglalagyan ng skyway.

10. ba't alang lumilipad na sasakyan sa flyover?

Hindi lang natin nakikita ang mga nagliliparang sasakyan sapagkat hindi tayo tumitingala kapag tayo ay nasa flyover. Ang pagsalin ng dayuhang salita na flyover sa katutubong wika ay "fly"-lipad, "over"- sa ibabaw.

Ibig sabihin nito na ang mga kotse ay hindi lumilipad sa flyover ngunit sa ibabaw ng flyover. Ngayon kung titingala ka naman kapag ikaw ay nasa flyover ang tangi mong makikita ay ang kisame ng iyong sasakyan.

Saging Lang Ang May Puso - The Lapid 3:16 Trilogy

this started out as simple hero worship, really. when i first watched Mark Lapid's "Saging Lang Ang May Puso" video clip, i was floored. if you watch the full trailer of the film "Apoy sa Dibdib ng Samar," you'll realize that Mark Lapid's line actually made perfect sense in the context of the analogy that they used for the main characters. however, the line came out so hilariously in spite of its intense delivery that it developed a cult following and spawned several creative imitations/versions, including the ones in this video.

Episode One was shot in Barracuda Lake, Coron, Palawan last May 11, 2008 by Paul Dee and was later on uploaded on the net by Melody Lim-Dee. among those in that clip were Abet Lagula, Dhang Estabillo, Oros Lagman, and yours truly.

Episode Two was shot in Echo Valley, Sagada, Mountain Province last June 1, 2008 by Mon Lagula (side cam view, uncut version) and Donnie Bañez (front view, edited version). those in the clip were Abet Lagula, Sheldon Senseng, and yours truly.

Episode Three, or the Lapid 3:16 Tagalog version was shot in Tapyah Falls, Batad, Banaue, Ifugao last July 6, 2008 by Mon Lagula. the souped-up final version had a catchy instrumental backdrop to it and featured Abet Lagula, Donnie Bañez, and yours truly.

in addition, we shot Episode 3.5 - an English version for our new friend Marjan Van der ven - also in Tapyah Falls.

if you have reached this part of the text, then thank you for your time. i hope you enjoy this compilation. thanks to everyone who were responsible for these shenanigans - you made me laugh, i made you laugh, and i hope everybody feels good after watching/downloading this. until next time. =))

RACE Batad Tour (July 4-7, 2008)

another great trip organized by the people of Radical Adventure Concepts and Events (RACE). this was by far the most extreme journey i've ever had in terms of trekking, walking and sheer physical effort. there were only nine of us, initially, but Ms. Marjan Van der ven joined us in this adventure when we arrived at Banaue. among the other participants are: Josiah, Terence, Thina, and the usual suspects - Donnie, Mon, Jhen, Abet and King Louie.

panalo talaga itong trip na ito. i will elaborate na lang sa susunod na blog entry ko, hopefully sometime soon (or Kim Sam Soon).

some of the pictures are from my camera, while the rest are from Abet, Jhen, Mon, Terence, Thina and Marjan. thanks for the wonderful shots, and more importantly, for the great memories. i am honored and humbled to have been part of this trip.

even if i got my ass kicked by the gruelling physical requirements, if i would have another opportunity to go back, i would say yes in a heartbeat - oo, inaamin ko.

lakbay lang nang lakbay para masaya, di ba?

5 signs na tumatanda na tayo

i got this text message from my cousin earlier this afternoon, and i was quite amused – primarily because nasa bandang dulo na ako ng kalendaryo.  sa mga nakaka-relate, here are 5 signs na tumatanda na tayo:

 

 

1. Reruns na ng “Eat Bulaga!” ang palabas sa TV

 

2. Anak na ni Manny Pacquiao ang boksingero

 

3. Mga bunsong anak na nina Vilma Santos at Sharon Cuneta ang magka-love

team.

 

4. Si Mark Lapid na ang bagong King of Action at King of Comedy

 

5. Nag-comeback na si Serena Dalrymple at siya na ang cover girl ng FHM

RACE Batad Tour

Start:	Jul 4, '08 7:00p
End:	Jul 7, '08 07:00a
Location:	Batad, Banaue, Ifugao

another radical adventure with friends, this time featuring the ampitheater-like rice terraces of Batad.