Damn you, BBC!

It’s your fault that I’m obsessing over doctors and detectives! I may or may not have downloaded the whole internet just so I can hoard pictures of The Doctor and Sherlock. I may or may not have lost countless days watching a 3-episode season over and over again trying to see if I can find something new in each viewing, dying until the next season gets here. I may or may not have cried with every season ender because YOU JUST LIKE DOING THAT TO ME. DAMN YOU!!!

*sighs* I present to you my current obsession – The Tenth Doctor and the infamous consulting detective Sherlock Holmes.

David Tennant as the 10th Doctor. Looking all srs and Time Lord-y. Lookatme! I can rock a suit and Chucks! And the three words that all girls want to hear, “I’m The Doctor.” Then he casually shows you his TARDIS – bigger on the inside and takes you anywhere and any time you want. He likes to take you on these grand adventures, holding your hand like it was no big thing, calling you brilliant, and flashing those gorgeous pearly whites at you. And you keep telling yourself that it won’t last, it’s just for now, and you’ll never love him but you end up doing the complete opposite anyways.

Then there’s Benedict Cumberbatch’s Sherlock that comes in all Asperger-y and high functioning sociopath-y and playing that damn violin that makes you tingle. Because really, who doesn’t love a man who can play a musical instrument? And you think you’re just mates and just hanging out and solving crimes together in modern day London town, trying to track down the pretty, pretty Moriarty princess. But really, there’s something there. When he looks at you and you look at him, so many things left unsaid yet one word is too much. And you just want one miracle that says you’d still be together after a while.

GO ON. KISS.

#fuckyeahEUROTRIP, A Synopsis

It has recently been brought to my attention that I have yet to blog about the #fuckyeahEUROTRIP properly. I would LOVE to, really. I am just going through the MASSIVE amount of photos (mostly blurry) that I took during the trip and finally uploading them to Facebook. THAT takes a lot out me since I like to caption EACH AND EVERY PHOTO like the obsessive-compulsive maniac that I am.

But I can’t leave an entry like The Night Before The Day After Christmas and not have anything to show for it months later, now can I?

I think it was in Schipol Airport when I finally let myself go and get giddy and supremely excited about the trip. I mean, fuck the fact that I forgot to bring my only and beloved leather jacket to combat the cold. I was finally on that side of the world where all the awesome things are! Schipol was to be my first taste of what it was like to be in Europe and all I can say is IT IS SO MUCH BETTER THAN HERE.

Don’t get me wrong. I love my country because it’s in my blood to pledge allegiance to it. But you gotta admit, there are some things that are su-weet over on that continent. I was so thoroughly engrossed with all the airport that I almost ran into a pillar while I was trying to get to my gate. Smooth moves, Ferguson.

But after taking the LONGEST FLIGHT OF MY LIFE, I finally landed a little after midnight at Madrid Barajas International Airport. Damned by the weather, damned be the state of my disheveled hair, damned be jetlag, I’M IN SPAIN, MOTHAFOCKAS!

And then I properly calmed down as the welcoming party consisted of Mother G, Father G, Brother G, Wife of Brother G, and The Boyfriend. Oh Christ. I briefly forgot that I was here to make an impression on all these doctors. Yes, they’re a family of doctors.

I tried to be in my best behavior and everyone tried to be as warm as sunshine – Father G always making an effort to converse in his adorably formal English, Mother G who kept showing me around (eventhough I spoke no Spanish and she spoke no English), Brother G and Wifey G always trying to feed me too much that by the third day, my pants no longer fit. SWEAR. And there was The Boyfriend who was as excited as I was to be in his beloved city. His friends were also the epitome of wonderful hosts, taking us to Granada and hosting us for the annual New Year party trip.

Here’s to eating, drinking, and being merry!
SALUD!

Not only did I see amazing things in Spain (Madrid, Segovia, Toledo, Barcelona), but we also took a tiny side trip to Paris. Paris, France. My heart gets all a-flutter just thinking about it. I thought it would never be, but there I was. Under the Eiffel Tower, walking inside Notre Dame, strolling by the River Seine, dining at cute French bistros. The city of love! The city of lights! The city of so-damn-expensive-everything! But I couldn’t care anymore because stepping out of our hotel led you to the Pantheon or Notre Dame, depending on your mood. That idea is just SO FUCKING COOL.

And so I departed from Europe, 10 pounds heavier and eleventeenthousandbillionzes happier.

#fuckyeahEUROTRIP2 anyone?

Things I learned from playing Tiny Tower

I took the day off to play Tiny Tower so I feel like I’m actually doing something for someone. Work has gotten so stressful lately that I feel I’m not doing anything that really contributes to someone’s career. I have other dreams, so sue me.

Anyways, for those of you who have never played this cute iPhone app here’s the premise: You try to make a..er..Tiny Tower (duh), with floors and such. You can assign a service, food industry, recreation, residence etc. to whichever floor you want. You move in people to Residences and see their stats to find out their dream job and you assign them accordingly. The more people, the more floors, the more businesses, the more money, the more fun!

Things I learned from playing Tiny Tower: 

(1) It’s okay to have a couple of people (Bitizens) who are unemployed. It’s healthy to move people around.

(2) If a Bitizen has great stats but the Dream Job is not yet available, you place him/her in a job of the same category and wait til Dream Job opens up. If they get the Dream Job, you get money! WIN-WIN!

(3) A Bitizen will most likely be unproductive if you placed him/her in a job that doesn’t coincide with his/her Dream Job (ie. Service-oriented Bitizens will not thrive in the Recreational jobs).

(4) Maria Lawrence, a Bitizen, has amazing stats. She has 9 in three industries and although her Dream Job is full, I keep her instead of kicking her out. Why? Because she is clearly an asset to all the other industries that need Bitizens to stock their stores. Come time when I’m fully satisfied with Tiny Tower, I’m going to kick someone out Maria Lawrence’s Dream Job and put her there. In real life, it’s called paying your dues and getting a promotion.

(5) If you have Bitizens working at a Dream Job, you have to upgrade the job so it can sell/stock more things. It doesn’t make sense to keep them stagnant. Otherwise, it would not make good business sense.

(6) You gotta spend money to make money. Case and point: Use Tower Bucks to populate a residential floor instead of waiting for a Real Estate agent. The sooner you have people in the Residential, the sooner they can start working, the sooner your tower earns more, the sooner you can build a new floor, the sooner another Dream Job can open up.

(7) There’s always the tedious task of looking for a Bitizen since they’re small and sometimes look alike. But when you do find him/her, you get rewarded with a Tower Buck. Finding the right people will work to your advantage.

(8) It’s okay to run Tiny Tower as is – moving people, making floors, stocking businesses – but there are also other Achievements that you can get while you’re trying to expand. It just comes along when you have the resources and rewards you when you’ve done well.

(9) Tiny Tower receives the occasional VIPs – a construction worker that takes off 3 hours any construction work, a dude that helps you restock your business, a real estate agent that moves people in your Residential floors, and a Big Spender willing to buy out a lot of products or at least bring in a lot of customers. These VIPs are there to HELP Tiny Tower, not make it worse. Sometimes you need them, sometimes you can do without.

(10) Even when you stop playing Tiny Tower, the Bitizens continue to earn money and pay rent. They don’t need you to monitor them every single minute of every day because they are capable of doing their jobs. What they need you to do is make working conditions better for them so that the entire Tower can prosper.

 

Hmmm…makes you wonder if this was designed after a business model.

The Night Before The Day After Christmas

I’m less than 12 hours away from taking a plane that’s going to whisk me away to Europe, a place I’ve always dreamed of going to since I knew where it was and all I feel is SHEER PANIC.

Panic about how underprepared I am, panic about how it’s going to be terrifying if I don’t get on that plane for reasons of bureaucratic red tape, panic about how well I’m not going to fit in with my white sneakers and tropical clothing. Let’s face it, I belong in Spain like The Spaniard belongs here. We just don’t.

I’m half-packed and half-convinced that this is a great thing. What am I doing, right? I should be freakin’ excited and flaunting my good fortune, but I’m not. I have my list and documents but I feel there’s something terribly wrong that’s going to happen. It’s making me nauseous even on an empty stomach.

Let me go grab a drink to calm my nerves.

On second thought, I better not. It’s better writing while I’m on the edge as it will present you a more accurate picture of what a lunatic I’m becoming. It’s my Christmas gift to you. You’re welcome.

Just so you know, I’ve actually stopped writing this entry for an hour or two to have a mild panic attack as I’ve closed my luggage and forgotten the combination. Yeah, I’m all outta whack these days. I’m just holding on until I get to Spain and I can finally relax. Well, as relaxed as someone who’s perpetually paranoid and insecure can get.

The only thing that’s made me feel better is a stupid tweet from The Boyfriend: Leaving Santander to fetch @uneditedmara

All is well until my next panic attack. You’re going to stil be here, right? :s

*

How’d it go?

It went.

How you can help the people of CDO and Iligan

A partial repost from http://discoverph.com

**

You can donate the following as these items are the most needed:

1. Clothing – Children’s clothes, adult clothes – shirts, pants, jogging pants, pajamas or any second hand but still usable clothes are badly needed.

2. Underwear – No second hand items please. Even a couple of pairs would do. Underwear for children, women and men are most appreciated.

3. Blankets and pillows – Remember that most of the survivors are homeless and are sleeping in make-shift rescue areas like basketball courts or open areas.

4. Bottled water – They have no clean water and access to it is very limited.

5. Food – Canned goods (and if possible, donate can openers too), food that don’t easily expire and instant noodles.

6. Basic medication – Alcohol for disinfection, paracetamol, cold medication, OTC medication.

7. Toiletries – Toothbrushes, toothpastes in sachets, small bars of soap, shampoo, sanitary napkins and diapers.

Typhoon Sendong

So many lives lost, so many people that go without. Show what Christmas is really about by donating to the victims of Typhoon Sendong in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan, the two cities hit the hardest by the typhoon. Giving is now as easy as sending a text or going to the corner store.

Before you text someone a funny joke or a forwarded message, send your donation.
Donate via text:Text RED<space>AMOUNT to 2899 (Globe) or 4143 (Smart)

Before you pay for your online purchases, send your donation.
Donate via PayPal or : http://www.greenpeso.com/pay/donate_redcrossph.html
via GCash: Text DONATE<space>AMOUNT<space>4-digit M-PIN<space>REDCROSS to 2882

You can donate the following denominations:
Globe: 5, 25, 100, 300, 500 or 1000
Smart: 10, 25, 50, 100, 300, 500 or 1000

Before you pay your bills, send your donation.

Bank accounts for Donations

Banco De Oro

Peso: 00-453-0018647

Dollar: 10-453-0039482

Bank of the Philippine Islands

Peso: 4991-0036-52

Dollar: 004994-0103-15

Metrobank

Peso: 151-3-041631228

Dollar: 151-2-15100218-2

Philippine National Bank

Peso: 3752 8350 0034

Dollar: 3752 8350 0042

Unionbank of the Philippines

Peso: 1015 4000 0201

Dollar: 1315 4000 0090

All Check/Cash for the account of Philippine Red Cross (Swift Codes)

Banco De Oro

BNORPHMM

Bank of the Philippine Islands

BOPIPHMM

Metrobank

MBTCPHMM

Philippine National Bank

-PNBMPHMM

Unionbank of the Philippines

-UNPHPHMM

Before you purchase a drink at 7-11, send your donation.
Red Cross accepts cash donations at any 7-11 store or Cebuana Lhuillier Pawnshop nationwide.

LBC, one of the leading couriers in the Philippines, through LBC Foundation, accepts donations in all branches nationwide. Call (632) 8585-999 to know the nearest branch in your area.

World Wide Winter Wardrobe

In LA:

In New York:

In London:

In Korea:

In Russia:

In Alaska:

In Winterfell:

Winter is coming

It’s a little more than 10 days until I leave for Spain. *cue shrieking and screaming* Thank God I’ve been so busy at work (and almost death-like at home) that I haven’t stressed out about the trip. UNTIL NOW.

Outfit that’s fabulous AND functional.
You can wear it to beheadings or while serving as the Hand of The King.

Don’t get me wrong, I AM BEYOND EXCITED at the prospect of finally going to Europe. And, it goes without saying, a little less excitement and a little more anxiety goes into meeting The Boyfriend’s family and friends. Eeep! Then there’s sheer dread at the thought of the excruciatingly cold weather that’s going to greet me. “It’s only 14 degrees! “, “It won’t be too bad”, and “It’s not *that* cold” are phrases that absolutely do not bring me any comfort.

It’s not THAT cold.

It’s not that I have to be where it’s cold. I was in New York in the dead of winter and I survived. The greater challenge and frustration is my tropical wardrobe. Yes, I have to face the fact that I, eventually have to purchase some coats, jackets, thermal underwear, headgear, and maybe some boots. But what do I wear between the thermal underwear and outerwear? The Boyfriend has advised me to “just layer and you’ll be fine.” Layer what exactly? Five shirts? My present wardrobe does not leave a lot of room for layering as there has never been a need for it. I can bundle up but I can also guarantee you that I’m going to look like a cottonball.

I’m in there somewhere.

I’m all warm and cozy by layering my shirt over my sweater over my jacket over my bra over my jumpsuit over my tanktop over my bolero over my ENTIREFREAKINCLOSET . But what if I have to take off my jacket and show myself to the world? WHAT THEN??

Layering. You’re doing it wrong.

What if I don’t have the luxury of hiding behind a heavy black coat? What if I have to go to somewhere fancier than fetching the newspaper from the porch? All of my formal clothes are breathable and thin! All of my shoes are strappy and open toed! Winter will fuck me!

“How mildly amusing that she thinks she’s going to get frostbite!” It’s not funny, people. I get cold when I’m sitting on the beach in the middle of summer. Cold is my kryptonite. *wails* To be honest, I just don’t want to look like a git all bundled up and looking like I don’t have any sense of fashion for a weather I’m totally unprepared for. :\

 

My alternative winter gear: A blanket

*sighs* I guess shopping is in order. But if you have any warm clothes, do send them my way. Do something nice this Christmas for a poor, unfortunate soul.

#Awkward

If you haven’t seen it, you’re really not missing out. I mean, it’s cute and funny and sometimes kileg…all those things you feel exactly when you’re in your teen years. It’s no Game of Thrones or anything, so you can pretty much stomach every episode without getting a headache. Although watching the entire first season in a sitting makes one of the late-20s persuasion remember and regret some things. Some shallow things.

I never got the highschool crazy-in-love story that everyone had. There was no holding hands in the quad or sitting at lunch together or going out on dates or exciting, butterfly-fluttering first kiss.

I didn’t get a first date or flowers or serenades (I come from the province, this is a standard form of courtship) or loveletters or presents and trinkets.

I never got to go to prom with the boy I liked. No one asked me, I didn’t pick out a dress, no corsage on the wrist, no limo to take us to a hotel function room that’s decked out in crepe paper and glitter, no awkward kiss goodnight, no solitary look that says you’re the most beautiful thing in the world tonight.

After all this time, after everything I’ve been through, I still kinda would have wanted to have a little of that. Even if it doesn’t last a lifetime or that important to my formative years.

But I guess I will be one of those who don’t get any of that. And that’s fine. Otherwise, I wouldn’t be here and I wouldn’t be me – (to quote The Boyfriend) insulting and aggressive.

At least I’m not awkward, right?

I did my first email post!

SUCCESS!