Zac Efron & Vanessa Hudgens Have Split Up?

Zac Efron as Link Larkin

Hurray! Zac Efron is single again! Haha! I don't know why, but I felt a sudden surge of - dare I say it - happiness course through my body when I read the news (or rumors) that Zac Efron and Vanessa Hudgens have split up. Nothing malicious, mind you. Just the feeling that all girls with a crush on Zac would get after knowing that he is now available. As if. Hahaha!

I just love Zac. I especially liked him in the movie Hairspray. I'd like to see him do more musicals. I enjoyed him in 17 Again, but I missed his moves. I really like watching him dance. He's just soooo totally hot!

I wonder what he's like in real life though. I mean, beyond the physical and superficial, what kind of person is he? I guess we'll never know, huh? Oh well, worshiping him from afar will just have to suffice. :)

My Dream Home

I've been thinking about the dream that I would like to have for some time now. I even remember drawing house plans during my free time when I was in college. I will now continue the visualization of my dream home.

These are the latest house plans I drew up. I made them some time last year.

Now I have an even clearer vision of what I would like the atmosphere of my dream home to be.

It is calm and serene. You hear the sound of running water from the Japanese fountain as you enter the house and at times, there's nature / relaxation / yoga / spa music playing softly in the background. There's Japanese bamboo and trees all around, and the place is zen.

You will never hear the television spewing out bad news into the living room, nor will you hear Tagalog telenovelas adding negative energy into the house with their depressing fatalistic themes of victimization and powerlessness. Only those which bring forth good feelings are present in my home.

Happy cats prance around and climb trees and sprawl out under the warm rays of the sun. And maybe a dog or two to keep the cats company. The air is nice and fresh. It feels good to be in my home.

Success Converting mp4 Video for Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

Yes! I've finally figured out how to convert videos to an mp4 video format that my Nokia 5800 XpressMusic can play! Took me long enough since I've had this phone since last year, but anyway, I had given up on it until only a few days ago so that's fine.

I've tried quite a few of the suggestions that I found online, but a lot of them either didn't work or were too complicated to figure out. Maybe I should write an article on HubPages about how I did it. Okay, I'll do that tomorrow. :)

Update 08/06/10:
Here's the article:
Easy Way To Convert Videos For Playback On The Nokia 5800 XpressMusic

In Pursuit of Japan

Today, Princeton is out on an overnight company outing, and I am very proud to have accomplished something during the time I had alone today - I made a new blog! And not just any blog, a blog that will lead me closer to my dream of going to, and maybe someday living in, Japan. Tada!

In Pursuit of Japan
It usually takes me a long time to finish something because I'm such a perfectionist. I tend to meticulously tweak every tiny detail until it's just perfect. But I have made a conscious decision to take it easy on myself, and because of this I was able to finalize the layout and write three posts in my new blog all in one day. (Well, more like half a day actually since I woke up late, but nevermind that.) I am happy with my accomplishment. I congratulate myself. :)

Choosing The Right Car vs. Choosing The Right Wife

The thought crossed my mind: For men, choosing "the right car" is a lot like choosing "the right wife", isn't it? Or is choosing a car more complicated than choosing a wife? Hehe. :P In my opinion, if men applied the same meticulousness to both, this is probably how they would choose a wife: 

Photo: Chevy Camaro 2010

Steps To Choosing A Wife

1. Get the specs, e.g. vital statistics such as height, weight, body measurements, etc.
2. Look under the hood. e.g. Is she "clean"? A blood test should answer this. Hehe...
3. Test drive before buying to see how well she performs. Find the one with the best ride. (Use your imagination on this one. Hehehe...)
4. Take a look at the accessories, i.e. big breasts, long legs, tiny waist, nice butt, etc.
5. Check the cost of maintenance. Maintenance costs can kill you, after all. Hah!
6. Evaluate after-sales service, e.g. how well she cooks and otherwise takes care of you, the house, and future children.

Hahaha! What else did I miss? ;D

My Outdoor Kitten

There was a tiny little kitten in front of our neighbor's house last week. I wanted so much to adopt her, but I knew I couldn't (because 1. we already have three cats and Princeton says three is enough and 2. I wasn't quite ready for the responsibility of having one more "child"). Even though I couldn't bring her inside our house, I settled with just occasionally giving her food and water and some pats on the head. And I named my outdoor kitten Haruhi.

Haruhi would slip under our gate and visit us whenever we called her. My three cats Jiggy, Motmot, and Layla would gather by the window and watch Haruhi play with us from inside the house. I was really curious to see how my three older cats would react to meeting a kitten, but I refrained from bringing them close as Haruhi hadn't had a health check-up yet.

But I haven't seen Haruhi for a couple of days now. I hope she's doing fine wherever she is.

Down In The Dumps

I've been feeling a bit off lately. I feel so tired when I get home from work that all I want to do is hole myself up and do absolutely nothing and talk to absolutely no one. (Well, I'm okay with talking to Princeton.) I want to switch my brain off and just enjoy watching anime or reading a manga, and that's exactly what I've been doing these past couple of weeks or so to fight off the feeling of "down-ness" that's been overcoming me.

I don't like weddings. I don't remember the last time I attended one. I think it's been more than two years now, maybe longer. The having to wear uncomfortable clothes and being in a crowd drains me. Come to think of it, I haven't attended social events or parties that require formal attire or otherwise for a long time now.

I wish I had expressed my true feelings about going out with Princeton's friends after our wedding dinner instead of just going along yet resenting his friends for their insensitivity and feeling bad that Princeton didn't tell them that he would rather spend time alone with me at the end of our wedding day. I should have told them that all I really wanted to do after that emotion-packed day was to sit quietly with Princeton and fondly talk about the day's events, to process our feelings and imprint that once-in-a-lifetime event into our consciousness as a happy memory. But I didn't. And I know that it was me who made that decision not to say anything. So I'm responsible for my own feelings. I know I can also choose to focus on better-feeling thoughts instead of dwelling on this negative-feeling one, but right now I think I'll allow myself to wallow for a bit.

I will be fine though, that I'm certain of. In the meantime, I'll just allow myself to be.

My Article Has Been Plagiarized!

Today I found out that one of my original articles on HubPages has been plagiarized. It was copied word for word from start to finish (including the title, by the way) and republished on another person's blog as his own. It infuriates me to think that something I worked hard on was so easily stolen. I've been earning good money off that article for a year now, too. And now this person who copied my article is stealing a portion of my earnings! Argh!

So I guess that makes me an bona fide author now. Haha. It's the first time I've had to file an official DMCA (Digital Millenium Copyright Act) complaint with Google, Inc. I had to do it because the one who plagiarized my article didn't allow comments and didn't put any contact information on his site. There was no way for me to contact him directly and politely ask him to remove my article from his blog. He did however have many Google ads there so I hope Google bans him from Google Adsense for plagiarism and he can't make money off of other people's original copyrighted work. Hah! The kitten has claws!

In case you're curious, this is the article I'm talking about:
Useful Facebook Tricks People May Not Know About

Turning Japanese

I have been fascinated with everything Japanese for a long time now, - their language, their culture, their food, and most especially their very distinctive animation style called anime.

I bought two or three "teach yourself Japanese" books and a Japanese-English dictionary in college just so I could watch my favorite anime (at that time) Rurouni Kenshin in its original language. I didn't get far with it though. It was too hard. Now I'm at it again, this time with Pimsleur Japanese audio CDs. I like it much better since I can hear the correct pronunciation of the words. So far I've gotten to Lesson 9 and I'm learning to construct my own sentences, which I find really exhilarating.

I find Japanese culture and way of life quite interesting and would like to live in Japan to experience it sometime, which is quite ironic really. How I, a freedom-loving, free-spirited, liberal-minded person, would be interested in Japanese culture which puts more importance on modesty, deference, and maintaining harmonious relationships with others, baffles even myself. I blame it on anime.

Ah, anime! I cannot begin to express how much I love anime. I'd become an anime character if I could. :P I'd like to tour around an anime studio in Japan and see how anime is created from conceptualization to voice recording. I'd like to try my hand at making anime as well. I just need to learn how to draw first. Hah!

My "Japanization" is almost complete. Oh, did I mention that I like Japanese music as well? :)

The Freedom of Living Alone

Contrary to the "norm" in Filipino culture where children live with their mommies and daddies and brothers and sisters forever and ever even after they get married and have kids of their own (I put "norm" in parenthesis because I have an aversion to that word and I always question who dictates what is "normal".), I had been living by myself since college until I got married a couple of years ago. Now I live with my husband and his siblings and retired mother so we can help out with the household expenses, and I have enjoyed their company and learned quite a lot from them. But I have to admit that I miss the freedom of living alone sometimes. I followed my own rules then, just me and my cats and Princeton.

Rule #1. Watching the news is bad for your health. I never watched the news because it always amplifies all the bad going on and it depresses me.

Rule #2. Watching Tagalog telenovelas or anything Tagalog for that matter is strictly prohibited. Those shows have the same pattern: There's a rich person and a poor person. Rich person is bad, poor person is good. Poor person is maltreated by rich person until one day a miracle happens and poor person is "saved" and the rich person is "punished". (In short, they are perpetuating the "victim mentality".). And all throughout there's a lot of crying and quarreling. Those TV shows drain my energy.

Rule #3. Watching anime anytime of day or night with the volume turned up while sprawled out on the sofa not wearing any bra is a good way to de-stress and relax. (Now stop trying to visualize it! Haha!)

Rule #4. Listening to JPop/Rock/Hiphop music anytime of day or night with the volume turned up while singing at the top of my lungs is another good way to de-stress and relax. (I should warn you that I'm not even sure if my singing sounds good in the shower.)

Rule #5. This is the best rule of all: There are no rules. Living alone, I can do whatever I want, whenever I want, however I want. Ah, freedom! :)

The Best Workplace In The World

The Googleplex, Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California has got to be the best workplace ever! Watch this video to see what I'm talking about:


If I ever migrate to the United States, this is where I want to work!

The Journey Is Where The Fun Is

In our world of achievements and accomplishments, we often focus too much on the "goal" or "destination" that we forget that the process of achieving the goal or the journey to the destination is supposed to be where the fun is.

I, too, have been guilty of this.

I had been trying to find the right shade of foundation to match my skin tone for what seemed like forever and was getting impatient. And because of this impatience, I continually bought the wrong shade - it was always too dark or too pink - and got frustrated that I was wasting a lot of good, not to mention expensive, makeup. Subconsciously I must have thought that I would be happy only when I finally found the right one. But then it occurred to me that the experience of choosing is supposed to be part of the fun. Experimentation is fun. Discovery is fun. Life is meant to be fun.

And so now that my husband is looking to buy his first brand new car and seems to be feeling confused as to which one he should get, I remind him to enjoy the experience. To savor the feeling and not rush it. Researching on the internet, visiting showrooms, test driving potential cars, and the whole decision-making process is not a "chore", it is an exciting adventure that he is privileged to experience. Then the pleasure of finally buying the car will be like icing on a very delicious cake.

Yes, the journey through life really is where the fun is. Getting to the destination is just an added bonus.

What I Value The Most

After years of of seeking and soul-searching, I have finally come to realize what it is that I value the most, and that is FREEDOM. "Freedom" means different things to different people. To me, it does not only mean freedom from physical slavery but freedom from psychological and spiritual bondage as well.

I value being able to live my life the way I choose to.
I value being able to make decisions based primarily on what feels best to me.
I value being able to choose happiness over fear and misery.
I value being able to choose.

Whenever I come to a crossroads in my life and feel uncertain as to which road I should take, I will remember what it is that I value the most and my path will become clear. I am not a victim of circumstances anymore. I control my life. I am free.

Today's Great Achievement Done Doggie Style

I did it! I finally learned how to swim and I did it doggie style! (I wanted to say "cat style" but my cats hate water.) Well, it didn't hurt that the seawater at Maribago Bluewater Beach Resort where we stayed at was super salty so it was very easy to keep afloat. However I refuse to let that diminish my sense of accomplishment at having been able to paddle around when I normally would've sunk to the bottom of the sea.

I discovered it quite accidentally. As I was dunking my head underwater I realized that my feet left the sand for several seconds and I didn't sink. So I tried paddling and kicking and was amazed that I actually stayed afloat! It felt great. Gaining some courage I ventured over to deeper waters and was rewarded when I was able to keep my head above water. (Of course I had someone who knew how to swim tag along with me in case I needed rescuing.) Now my next mission is to try it in the pool where the water isn't salty. I'm already excited.

My Bucket List

If you've seen the movie The Bucket List, then you'll know that a "Bucket List" is a list of things that you'd like to do before you die or "kick the bucket" so to speak. I though it might be a good exercise in self-awareness if not just plain fun to try and make my own. This is what I came up with in no particular order:

1. Live in Japan, experience their culture, and eat "real" Japanese food.
2. Create an anime series or publish a manga.
3. Work in Urban Cat League or in a similar cat welfare organization socializing feral kittens for adoption.
4. Watch "Seussical The Musical" on Broadway. (I realize that the Broadway production of "Seussical The Musical" closed in 2001, but I'm hoping it will get rehashed sometime in the future hopefully before I kick the bucket. Hehe.)
5. Ride a stallion.
6. See a real Apache helicopter up close and maybe even ride one.
7. Visit the Googleplex, Google's headquarters in Mountain View, California and in Zurich, Switzerland.
8. Spend a week leisurely exploring the Smithsonian Museums in Washington, DC. How interesting it would be if "Night At The Museum" came true!
9. Spend a night in an observatory gazing up at the stars and planets.
10. Eat at one of Iron Chef Bobby Flay's restaurants.

Mornings With My Cats

My cats and I have a morning routine. In the morning when I wake up, I would always find Layla asleep beside my head right against my pillow, Jiggy would be sleeping on the chair in front of the computer or snuggled beside me on the bed under the blanket, and Motmot would be curled up on the cat bed (which is a large stuffed toy in the shape of a flat cat). The first thing I do every morning is open the windows. As if on cue, Layla would jump on top of the tree stump by our window, do some scratching exercises on it, and play with the curtain strings while I opened the windows and tied the curtains. At about this time Jiggy and Motmot would be doing some yawning exercises right where they are. I then proceed to drink plenty of water and do some business in the bathroom with Layla following me around because she knows what's coming next.

Breakfast time! For the three of them anyway. I pick up their food bowls and go inside the bathroom to wash them. By the time I finish, I'd have three cats lounging on the rug outside the bathroom patiently awaiting my emergence. I have to carefully hop over them so Jiggy doesn't get a swipe at my foot, which he likes to do. Then the most awaited part of their day comes - food magically appears in their bowls. While they eat, I change their water and clean out their litter box. Then I get started on my day.

Oh, there's one more thing that I always do with Motmot in the mornings. Right after I make the bed, Motmot would jump right up, find a comfortable spot and start licking herself until she falls asleep. I get the her message loud and clear: "It's my turn on the bed now." And so it is.

Impeached Former President Reelected?

I am really amazed how the people in this country never learn. I was watching the results of the elections so far and could not believe that a former president who had been impeached not so long ago due to corruption and other shady businesses is currently on second place in the battle for presidency. How could people vote for a person that they so passionately rallied against while the impeachment trials were going on? Do people really have such poor memories? Extremely short attention spans maybe?

I cannot believe how ridiculous the situation is.  Even my cats have enough sense to stay away from people who don't treat them nicely. I cannot help but think that those people who voted for him must be stupid. There's just no other way to explain it. Oh, please somebody make a cure for stupidity soon!

Election Day

It's election day here in the Philippines and the people in the house are getting ready to go and vote for the future leaders of this country. I couldn't help but notice though that we don't really know much about what the candidates intend to accomplish after they get elected. The political ads I've seen seem to be geared towards getting the sympathy of the masses and gaining popularity. When did being poor once or having good parents become important qualifications for president? I would have thought they would concentrate their campaigns on letting the people know about the good things they plan for the country.  Of course, the uneducated masses of this country probably won't understand anything beyond the acquisition of food, shelter, clothing and other basic needs. Plus there's the misguided mentality that "the rich are evil, the poor are good" and "rich people are obligated to give to the poor". You know, the victim mentality. Somebody really has to start empowering the masses so they learn that our lives are in our own hands and that no one is obligated to give us anything. Then again, I'm just a cat lover... what would I know? :)

Mother's Day Treat

Today is Mother's Day! I gave Jiggy, Motmot, and Layla, my three furry kids, some Tender Slices with Real Beef in Gravy for breakfast this morning as a special Mother's Day treat and they loved it!

The three of them are so funny. I always serve them canned food in a special bowl, not their bowls for the usual dry kibbles, and they go gaga every time I bring out those special bowls. They jump up on tables and counters, meow with gusto, and rub their heads against my legs with such force that they could knock me down. This morning was no exception. They followed me all the way to the kitchen and watched me from atop the refrigerator while I washed their special bowls, and then Jiggy surreptitiously tried to reach for a can of 9Lives on the table. As if he could open it by himself. Haha!

Later tonight when I give them their usual dry kibbles for dinner, I know they're going to sniff it and look at me with that accusing look in their eyes as if to say, "What, dry kibbles again?!" But I never feel guilty. Because I know that if I fed them canned food for each and every meal, they'd be obese in no time and I don't want that. :) I guess that's what mothers call "tough love". Hehe...

Cat For A Day

I envy my cats sometimes. Okay, I admit it... I envy my cats all the time. They're just so lucky. They get to stay home and sleep to their heart's content all day. They sleep when they want, eat when they want, play when they want, and do whatever they want whenever they want. Absolute freedom. Now that's what I call the good life. Plus they get all the love, hugs, and kisses because they're so cute!

I'd like to experience being a cat for one day. If there was a potion I could drink that would transform me into a cat temporarily, I would definitely try it. Wouldn't you?

Stray Cat Tries To Resuscitate Another Cat

A friend of mine posted this video on my Facebook wall a couple of days ago of a stray cat trying to resuscitate another stray cat that had been hit by a car, and it was so heart-wrenching that my tears just flowed. The question, "Why didn't anyone rush the cat to the vet?" kept repeating itself in my head, but even though it was so sad, it also seemed oddly beautiful... how a "mere" stray cat would have the heart to try and rescue his friend.