Johnny, Oh Johnny

I’m just so addicted to Johnny Depp these days. I was able to re-watched Chocolat with Juliette Binoche last week and that started it all. Actually, I liked him eversince because he’s so good-looking and charming plus his movies were good. But, he wasn’t one of my favorites then. Some of his movies that I’ve watched years years ago were:

1. Donnie Brasco

2.  What’s Eating Gilber Grape

3.  Nick of Time 

4. Edward Scissorhands

5. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory 

6. Secret Window

7. Ninth Gate

8. Finding Neverland

9. Ed Wood

10.The Astronaut’s Wife

11.Benny and Joon

12. Once Upon a Time in Mexico

13. Don Juan de Marco

Yesterday, I watched his  Pirates of the Caribbean movies. I asked myself, how could I have missed these movies? They’re good and funny, highly budgeted, plus the visual effects are amazing. I love his character as Capt. Jack Sparrow. Kiera and Orlando Bloom were good actors as well. But I didn’t miss Sweeney Todd when it was shown.

So, I really waited for the Oscar’s because I know he will be there. I glued my eyes on the tv to have a glimpse of him hehe:) Unfortunately, he didn’t win. Now, I realized too that he is a very versatile actor. He can switch from one role to another and perform well (I’m becoming biased now, hehe).

Here are still some of his movies that I’m hoping to watch:

The Brave, Cry Baby, L.A. Without a Map, Sleepy Hollow, The Man Who Cried, Before Night Falls, Blow, From Hell, The Libertine and Corpse Bride. Now too, I’m looking forward to his upcoming movies for 2009: Sin City, Rum Diary, Public Enemies, Shantaram and The Imaginarium of Doctor Parnassus (saw these IMDb).

I have some catching up to do. He now tops my list.

home sweet home

 ’m back home! I left on the 22nd at 1017am and arrived here on the 24th at 1235am. The flight from Nagoya, Japan to Manila was 2hrs delayed pa. Anticipating the boredom on the plane, I brought a book by Dr. Phil and bought 2 entertainment magazines from the airport.

I nearly broke into tears when I said goodbye to Kuya hehe") All I was able to say to him was thanks. I couldn’t say anything anymore. We just both contained ourselves. It was really difficult to say goodbye no? really difficult. When I stepped on the elevator for the security check, I looked back and saw him leaving..I was trying hard not to cry. Iyakin pa naman ako talaga, hehe:) Even while in the plane, I tried not to think about him and concentrated on my reading, pero ang hirap kasi ilang hours pa lang nami-miss ko na siya. hay… While waiting to board the plane, nagsulat na lang ako. I forgot to bring my diary pa, so I just wrote at the back of the black pages of the book. I hate goodbyes. I know that one gets used to one’s absence rin, pero sa moment na yun, the feeling is really overwhelming. Naisip ko nga that time, sana hindi na lang ako umalis so  I didn’t need to say goodbye. I wouldn’t feel this sad. Ika nga, no pain, no gain. I wouldn’t have this wonderful experience too if I didn’t leave. And in life, goodbyes are inevitable. There will always be one.

leaving on a jet plane

I’ll be leaving na tomorrow. I packed my luggages just now. It saddens me to leave kuya but what can I do, I need to leave. I was approved to stay here for 6 months, unfortunately I’m only on a 1 month leave. So, hindi pwede talaga to stay longer.He’ll get used to it again and I will, too..nakakalungkot. I really had fun here ’cause we’re together. I know that it may be months or years that I’ll see him again. Sana, soon..soon..soon ulit. hehe:)

He is such a good brother and son. At least, kahit papano I know na how he lives here…how he spends his time and everything. Before, I can only imagine what he does here or how he spends his time, now I know. Like ngayon, he’s really confused whether to stay here or move to SF. He’s convinced Nenet to go with him, sa wakas. There are a lot of things to be considered siyempre when moving out. Mas mataas ang cost of living sa SF though mas mataas din ang salary. Kaya naman he keeps on researching if it’s really wise to move out. He’s been in WI for almost 5 years, marami rin siyang igi-give up if in case. Sabi ko nga sa kanya, isipin niya if he still sees himself living in WI for another 5 years. Medyo laid back kasi dito. Told him that yeah, it’s difficult to leave your comfort zone but if he can’t see himself living here for another year or so, then marami pa naman siyang pwedeng puntahan. Of course, may pros and cons ang pagmo-move out but anyone can adapt to anywhere else rin in due time. At least, he can always go back here if in case ayaw niya pala don. Then he won’t have any regrets na hindi niya sinubukan. Mukhang mga friends niya rin are thinking of going to SF, mabuti para sama-sama pa rin sila. I’m happy that na si Nenet ang makakasama niya. Good for them. Siguro, they now want a more fast paced life…in a city that’s more alive

Yesterday we went out along with his friends. We had lunch and went afterwards to the factory outlets ng Gap, Liz Clairborne, Banana Rep etc. I bought lang some stuff for myself sa Gap. Imagine, I bought a blouse for less than 2$. Actually, we’re supposed to go to Chicago. He wanted me sana to see Chicago kaso the weather there was not really good, so we didn’t. But it’s okay. Nakauwi na kami past 7pm. Dumaan muna kami sa income tax something (hehe), ’cause filing of taxes time na for them so they’ll know how much is their tax refunds. Buti pa sa kanila may tax refunds talaga and some of his friends will get refunds like 4000 to 6000$, ang laki. The more that you have properties or dependents, mas malaki refunds. Anyway, I told him I wanted to print the photos, so pumunta muna kami Best Buy for the printing paper.

Well, all in all, I really enjoyed my stay here. His friends were all nice and accomodating. They treated me well especially Nenet. Hopefully, by December this year uwi ulit siya then off to SF na sila ni Nenet (if their plans will push through). Sana mag-push through ’cause I think, they’ll enjoy it more sa SF eh.

So, back to reality ulit ako hehe:) Hayyyyy….well, marami pang mga araw to decide on what I really wantto do hehe:)

la experience

We arrived from LA to Madison yesterday. I had so much fun sa LA. There were just so many things to see and visit. 

Last Feb7 we woke up early for our 6am flight to Detroit. Unfortunately, the flight was delayed so when we arrived there we weren’t able to catch the next flight to LA. So we booked for the next pero walang direct flight to LA, we had to stop at Las Vegas then off to LA. Medyo frustrated na kami ni kuya and medyo pagod na at the same time. If it weren’t for the delayed Madison flight to Detroit we would have been in LA the exact time we’re supposed to. sigh..In Las Vegas, naghintay pa ulit kami for 2 hours and finally, nakarating na rin kami ng LA.. sa wakas. I was really excited makarating ng LA and we really enjoyed our stay there. It’s kuya’s second time in LA already but he told me enjoyed our trip more.

We took a cab to our hotel, sobrang ma-traffic sa freeway (more than an hour kami sa cab)…minalas yata talaga kami that day hehe:) Umalis kami ng Madison ng 530am and we arrived sa hotel in LA at almost 9pm. Pagdating namin sa room nagyaya agad si kuya kumain ng Jolibee. Since it’s the same hotel they stayed to the last time, he knew about the place already. And one thing nga that made him choose the same hotel was because of jollibee and the other filipino restaurants there (Manila Sunset and Point-Point). We took a bus to jolibee (lumagpas pa kami) since the buses have their own designated stops lang and hindi pwedeng sumakay and bumaba kahit saan. Hindi pa kami pinagbayad ng driver hehe:)

On our first day there, our destination was Disney. We were dropped there by our tourist guide (along with the 2 girls from New Zealand) at 10am. Pick-up time was 8pm. Medyo takot ako sa rides like roller coaster, the loop thing ride. We tried the Pirates of the Caribbean ride, Indiana Jones, Haunted Mansion etc. But the most thrilling ride for us was the Space Mountain. Actually, we’re still deciding if we wanted to ride that..’cause we heard that it was really dark inside and was sort of a roller coaster ride. We thought nakapila kami sa ibang ride, it was too late ng makita naming sa Space Mountain pala kami nakapila. Shucks! No way out, no turning back na to. So, I convinced him na i-try na namin (’cause we really didn’t know what’s in store for us there.) Grabe! it was indeed a roller coaster ride na super fast but the thing is it was totally dark inside thus, space stuff talaga. You won’t know kelan ka babagsak because we weren’t able to see a thing. But it was so fun! though, if only pwedeng umayaw in the middle, I would have done it. The tourist guide who picked us from disney was a filipino. When he saw us, nagtagalog agad siya. Mabait siya, ayaw pa nga niyang tanggapin yung tip pero we insisted. Sabi niya, he’s been there for more than 30 years already. He wants to go back to Pinas din after lang daw makatapos ng mga anak niya. Hindi raw marunong magtagalog mga anak niya no matter how he teaches them. But on our second day, naka off siya kaya we had a different tourist guide ulit.

Tour in downtown LA and Universal Studios were our destinations on the second day. I liked the 2nd day more than Disney ’cause we’re able to see Beverly Hills, Rodeo Drive, Hollywood, Walk of Fame etc. This time, marami na kami, may taga-Holland, NZ, Minnesota, Argentina, Italy, Ireland and may 1 pinoy family. Yung mga taga- Argentina (1 family sila- parents and 3 children), at first parang nagrereklamo yung tatay sa tourist guide/driver (I think, kasi nga hindi sila nakakaintindi ng english). Nagtatranslate naman yung tourist guide (but only when he’s addressing to that family) pero mostly, kapag nagkukuwento na siya about the history of this and that place etc, english na. Nagulat nga kami kasi bumaba silang buong family. Sabi ng tourist guide, they decided to explore LA on their own na lang. Naawa ako sa kanila. Siyempre yung tatay, gusto niyang ma-enjoy ng family niya yung trip nila, kaso na-bad trip agad sila. Well, it happens talaga esp if you don’t or can’t speak the language. Pero sabi nga ng tourist guide, good riddance na rin raw, ’cause the father was so mean to him already. Well, sometimes it happens talaga.  

Sa third day namin, we were on our own, so I told kuya I want to see Santa Monica beach instead of roaming around hollywood. From the hotel, nagbus lang kami to Santa Monica. It was an hour ride to the beach. Pagbaba pa lang namin ng bus, t’was so cold already because of the beach nga. But we walked through Third St Promenade first, ang ganda. Shopping haven talga siya but I only bought an aviator shades from Banana Rep. Buti na lang may discount card si kuya and I only got the shades for 56$. Nakasave ako ng 50$. We ate lunch at Fatburger then we headed to the beach na. Medyo mahabang lakaran to the beach but the view was amazing kaya you wouldn’t feel tired. The only problem was nanginginig na ko sa lamig and I didn’t bring anything with me. Kuya enjoyed it very much sa beach, he walked barefooted sa sand and there we took pictures. Upo upo lang sa sand, enjoying the sun.

Sabi nga niya, it seemed that I enjoyed myself more in LA than in Wisconsin. Yeah, I did. It’s winter there kasi. I like the sun more. Mas maraming tao, maraming buildings…parang you’ll never get tired of walking because of the beauty of the surroundings. Plus, it’s the seat of entertainment in US. Napansin ko rin while naglalakad kami sa stretch ng third street na maraming homeless. Parang dala-dala nila lahat ng belongings nila, nagsasalita mag-isa, tumatawa mag-isa, naglalakad ng pabalik-balik. Marami rin sila, actually.  

 I like LA. It’s very alive and bursting with people. Masaya. Masarap maglakad. Mag-frolic in the sun kasi hindi ka naman papawisan kahit super sunny. I like its diversity. I told kuya, given a chance, I will choose to live in LA than in Madison. Well, actually he decided na nga this June to move to San Fran, second choice niya is LA so, sabi ko that will be my next stop hehe:) Oo raw..yehey!

Pero, kelangan nang umuwi ulit to Madison..kainis:(

The Making of Pork Bistek..pinoy style

 I cooked dinner early today (5p) and told myself that I’ll just re-heat it later. I’d like to cook sinigang or something with broth but my brother hasn’t gone to the filipino store yet. So, I thought of the easiest way to cook the pork that doesn’t require lots of ingredients…thus, bistek. It’s supposed to be beef, but it’s okay. I’ve cooked pork bistek many, many times already.

I thawed the pork first and prepared the rest: lemon, soy sauce and onion (cut it into onion rings).

The pork with the soy sauce brought to a boil and simmered for 15 minutes to make sure that the pork is tender.

Once tender, I set aside the evaporated liquid and gently fried the pork. The onions are then added and cooked. Added the remaining liquid back to the pan.

Voila! My bistek pinoy style.

weekend bonding time

It was bonding time for me and my brother yesterday. I enjoyed it. We went to WI’s State Capitol and took some pictures. We met Nenet and Thea first sa Sundance Cinemas then dumiretso na kami sa downtown where the State Capitol is. Since weekend, maraming tao and masaya. Kasi sa west side where my kuya’s apartment is mas konti ang tao. You usually see them lang sa malls, grocery stores, etc.  It was actually a long way but it was worth it.

Nakakatawa pa hindi kabisado ni Thea ang downtown, she and Nenet got lost. Nakakailang ikot na kami pero they got in the wrong way pala:) We parked the car and just waited for them at MATC. Finally, nakarating na rin sila and makaka-lunch na rin kami. Medyo malayo ang pinagpark-an namin so we had to walk pa ng malayo papunta sa Chinese resto na gusto nilang kainan. Unfortunately, sobra na kaming nilalamig (it’s a lot, lot colder kasi may lake) kaya dun na lang kami sa Japanese resto that we passed by. After lunch, naghiwa-hiwalay na kami ’cause Thea had to do her laundry. While kami ni kuya naglakad-lakad papunta sa State Capitol and luckily may amateur skiing race. So, siyempre picture-picture. Pero grabe talaga, my hands and feet were almost numbed from the cold. Marami ring nagte-take ng pictures. The Asians lang that I saw there were the Japs (4 girls, 2 guys). Masaya kahit malamig, kaya napa-yosi ako sa harap ng kuya ko hehe:) Actually, mas nilalamig si kuya ’cause he was wearing a winter coat lang, buti na lang naka-wind breaker ako. Hehe, feeling ko nga ang pangit ng pictures ko kasi ang hirap ngumiti dahil feeling ko nag-numb na rin mukha ko:)

We didn’t watch the race anymore. After taking the pictures, we decided na umuwi na rin ’cause Nenet and Thea will drop by sa apartment for dinner. Kuya will cook his leche flan and siyempre my specialty, adobo hehe:0) Actually, ang dami lang kasi ng chicken sa fridge pa kaya kelangan nang maluto and maubos. We bought some eggs etc muna at Copps. Hehe, nakakatuwa kasi kuya even pays for my sanitary napkins (I’d like to pay it pero siya na raw eh.) Even when we’re eating out, I’d like to pay for my meals kaso ayaw niya eh..ayaw niya talaga kong pagastusin hehe:0) Sinabi ko lang the other day that I need a hair dryer and moisturizer, pag-uwi niya from the hospital…binili niya na ko. Ang sarap ng may older sibling hehe:) By 630p, Nenet and Thea arrived. They brought tiramisu. Well, nasarapan naman sila sa luto ko hehe:0)

That’s the State Capitol. 

Pahabol: that night, I dreamed of Nyles and Jake. Paalis pa lang raw si Nyles…hmmm, I’m missing Nyles that’s why..lately, wala rin kaming communication eh. Baka she’s texting me sa service unit ko, eh I’m using prepaid right now.

10th day?..in the land of milk and honey

We saw Atonement yesterday. Hindi ko masyado nagustuhan yung movie, I got a little bored. I nearly fell asleep again hehe:) Before kami nanood movie, we ate lunch first at Hongkong Wok. Kuya ordered a beef stew for me (ang laki ng serving- almost for 3 yung inorder niya para sa akin), chicken curry for him, pork chops for Nenet (it’s too salty for my taste) and noodle ala pancit canton for Thea. We’re almost done when Franklin arrived. He ate all our left over food since matakaw naman siya hehe:) Actually, Franklin’s very funny. Since the movie will start at 250pm, we had lots of time so we walked around Macy’s. May nakita ko 3 bracelets and 1 white gold earrings for only 20$. I told Franklin and he bought it as pasalubong pag-uwi niya ng Pinas next week. I was tempted too to buy the bracelet/earring package pero I need to save my money for our LA trip baka marami ring clearance sale dun. hehe.

After that, naglakad-lakad lang ulit then we had coffee which Franklin paid. By past 7pm, nagyaya naman si Nenet for dinner. We had it at Outback. The place was full and we waited for 45 minutes to be seated. All in all masaya yung dinner, kasi kwentuhan and clown ulit si Franklin..saya! Today naman, my brother and I watched Sweeney Todd. Maganda yung movie, bloody and musical. Magaling si Johnny Depp and he looks like his character in Edward Scissor’s hands (both movies are directed by Tim Burton). And, Sweeney Todd’s cinematography is a bit like that of Batman’s (that’s the first thing I noticed, actually) kaya pala, it’s another Tim Burton’s film. Going home, kuya took a different route na. Pumunta kami sa downtown  ng Madison instead. It’s beautiful at night, the lights and the snow. I think, ideal ang WI for families pero siguro pag single ka it’s a little boring and depressing at times esp pag winter time. But if mas preferred ang peaceful, quiet environment then okay na rin siya for singles.

I noticed that Americans here in WI are polite and well-mannered. They hold the door for you, they smile kapag nagkatinginan kayo and most of them are accomodating. I think, it’s not as diverse kumpara sa other states in the US. Tapos one thing pa that I notice is they’re disciplined (though siyempre meron pa ring iba na hindi sumusunod) sa highway/road, sa pedestrians crossing, when you eat sa food court sa mall or mcdo etc kailangan mong itapon sarili mong trash. Siguro normal lang talaga for anyone to notice these things kasi nga esp kung iba sa pinanggalingan at nakasanayan mo. Kaya masarap sometimes ma-expose sa ibang culture e. Marami ka ring matututunan.  At first, you get intimidated (esp for first time traveller like me) by them kasi they’re really confident eh but sooner you’ll learn na rin. Ako, I didn’t actually have good impression of them honestly. I’m a little biased and the tendency is, you assert yourself without the need to. Parang it’s a little unfair talaga when you’ve created an impression already without really knowing them. Nakaka-cloud ng judgment. And we don’t wanna be judged, too. Ang hirap talaga ng may impressions agad, sometimes no matter what you/they do, ang nakikita mo lang yung pangit. It’s unfair talaga. hehe. (Hindi ko ma-explain mabuti no? hehe. I don’t wanna write it eh. But I’m not a racist or something. Meron lang ako before na pre-conceived notions about people from other countries esp those that played a role sa history ng Pinas hehe).

Well, it’s an eye opener for me. I’m an outsider and an observer.  A visitor.

It’s good to learn somebody else’s culture and way of life. Different from ours. Both colorful.

One only needs to have an open heart and mind to see the beauty of both worlds.