another list

axels full stop

Kids these days, always trying to be better than their elders. It wasn’t too long ago when Michelle Kwan was the big name in skating and Tara Lipinski was landing triple loop-triple toe loop in Nagano and the best Michelle can do in her combinations was triple lutz and double toe loop. Now Mao Asada can even land a triple axel in combination with a double toe loop and that’s not even enough to beat Kim Yu Na who did a triple lutz-triple toe combo, a higher tariff than a triple axel-double toe loop jump. But women skaters don’t do triple axels . Yet Mao landed three in an Olympic level. I’ve been trying to learn the ISU scoring for a week and despite its reputation for objectivity, it could still be subjective. If both Mao and Kim perform clean programs, Kim would still get the higher score because she's more popular? I’m still puzzled with the component scoring, the five categories are evaluated on a scale of one to ten with five being average. A judge could just press six or eight depending on her mood. Mao wasn’t entirely clean in her free skate and her triple flip was downgraded while Kim was way sharper in her jumps. I’ve never seen the young Korean make mistakes ever since she has taken over from Mao as the best in the world.

The Ice Dancing was really cool though. I get to only watch the free skate but it was magical. The lifts and twezzles were gorgeous. The top two teams are a cut above the rest. I couldn’t wait for the World Championships in March. But the Olympics matter more as it is only held every four years. It has been a great Olympics, for the summary kindly check here.

i love to shop

Going through the reels of Confessions of a Shopaholic is akin to a therapy session to escape from the doldrums. The film’s heroine, shop addict Rebecca Bloomwood (Isla Fisher) credit card bills, may not looked that terrifying to others who could drown in even deeper debt. But in the movie they appear to be insurmountable at its premise. Left without a source of income when the garden folio she works for closed shop and missing the interview for her dream job, all seems lost until she landed a position in a financial magazine edited by dishy Luke Brandon (Hugh Dancy) and is assigned a column about savings and store cards’ APR’s. As in all fairy tales, Rebecca’s witty scribbles becomes a success and she’s adored by many.

The glitches and predicaments are handled seamlessly that by the time Rebecca finally convene her garage sale cum auction of her cherished possessions, we could at last get a glimpse of the fruit of the forbidden tree.

The movie is abashed in a dazzling array of colors. There’s nothing dull about the outfits except for that black number in the ball. There’s a lack of chemistry between the leads. I’ve forgotten for quite a while that Luke is playing the romantic interest not just the boss. I couldn’t believe that Joan Cusack now plays mom to the youngins. It’s popcorn delight, veritable chick flick. If only real life is as delightful. But like the so called retail therapy, this movie is a temporary relief from our pilgrimage of struggles and concerns.

wednesday night football

it was a fully-packed FA Cup Replay at White Hart Lane.

premiere league football is big business. in the last month we've read about portsmouth football club going into administration whilst manchester united spiralling into debt and the travails of two of chelsea's players. the beautiful game is loved by the hard core fans who buy season tickets (home and away), all the current official club shirts and products with the club logos. the fans participate and write in the forum threads, travel to away games even as far as asia during the friendlies, drink the beer, buy the meat pie at halftime. the more support, the more sponsors, the more revenues.

there are the other kind of fans, whose method of support consist of reading about their teams in the paper or watch the matches on tv. it's still contribution, lighter than air, only a dent, a bit hollow, not enought to keep the team afloat.

am i like that with the nba? it's time to shell out for an official jersey.

white flakes

Trysil Mountain, Norway

it has been a chilly winter. it snowed a few times. together with the slush, the flakes are all but distant memory. but it's still cold.

after all these years i'm still not used to the sub the zero conditions. subsisting in the same thermal outfit during the season, i'll be just be more than ecstatic to exfoliate the layers of clothes that has become like second skin in the outdoors.

once-over

While staring at the computer screen, the blank page page seems like a blatant reminder of my lack of motivation. But being away from blogging has its pros and cons. Not much revelations to the world about thy dilemmas and consternations. Do they ever matter in the revolutions of the earth? An individual is just a minute speck. Very indiscernible to the wider population, despite that certain someone having four million followers on twitter. And as always people judge.

Although we shouldn’t get affected by bad reviews and criticisms. That doesn’t mean we should meekly absorb the venom from toxic entities. They should be avoided if possible. If not, tough luck. We’re here to co-exist in the same circle. It’s a rugged terrain. Sometimes the comments are good, sometimes they hurt. That is how the game is played. Still we are not impervious to the pernicious mechanisms of the world. It is only but justified to create an armour of resolve in order not to capitulate in the battlefield.

slow blog week

We wove a web in childhood,
A web of sunny air;
We dug a spring in infancy
Of water pure and fair;
We sowed in youth a mustard seed,
We cut an almond rod;
We are now grown up to riper age--
Are they withered in the sod?

--charlotte bronte.

the indolence of me

i've been listless the whole day and it has nothing to do with the weather. just my usual ordinary sluggishness.

redress

Tiger generated UK headlines after this speech. The micro-expression experts are all over this staged event. Is he sincere or not? Is he going to star in a reality show? Those are the questions really.

hot shoes

i can't afford designer gears. but there's this ferragamo ballet pump that really looks comfortable. its picture is in their website. i can't manage the wear and tear of wearing heels and stilettos, i can't bear the pain.

the ankle strap platform sandal (above) is more my style.

super pav scoring at wigan

tottenham hotspur 3, Wigan Athletic 0 at the JJB, now known as the DW Stadium.

snow technicals

After getting criticisms for partying in Turin and two years removed from representing the Republic of Bodeland in the World Cup Circuit, Bode Miller, the reformed character is golden at Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort in Vancouver. His gold medal in Combined (fine, super combined) goes hand in hand with his bronze in Downhill and his silver in Super G. Good job, Bode. You made everyone who dared to believe, ecstatic.

The Winter Olympics is a showcase sports events for the rich countries. Gazing at the medal board, its mostly the Europeans, Canada, USA, three privileged countries in Asia -- Japan, China and South Korea. Snow and ice are the domain of the elite, the ruling class, the G8. Building a bobsleigh, luge and skeleton track or a speed skating track is not top priority in most communities, especially in the third world. Poignantly, so is a regular Track and Field rubberized track. Training to be the supreme skier and skater takes a lot of talent, a lot of time, a lot of money, a lot of work, a lot of injuries just for the ultimate thrill of victory, never mind the agony of defeat. I’m enjoying this version of the Winter Olympics. Too bad I wasn’t able to see Shaun White execute the tomahawk and back to back double cork high up in the air.

2010 bafta's

It was a mighty long speech from Vanessa Redgrave. But she’s such an icon that I could listen to her for hours. I’m not really surprised with the winners. The British Academy really went all the way local with their choice for best leading performers; the gongs were handed to Carey Mulligan in An Education and Colin Firth for A Single Man. I wasn’t surprised with The Hurt Locker’s accolade. I’m with this school of thought that those with the Received Pronunciation accents would ignore the hype and choose the film with depth and substance. Not that they are the authority on everything. I think giving the award to two of their own in leading acting categories is quite subjective and would not affect the Oscar results.

But the highlight of the event is the refreshing sight of Prince William. As I observe his tall and lean figure in the red carpet, shaking hands with the photographers and the crowd, his hair is foremost on my reckoning, it doesn’t really matter whether he has hair or not, he is still top notch in the looks department. Besides, what is essential is invisible to the naked eye. That is me quoting the beauty queen Ruffa, who quoted the The Little Prince.

halfway in figure skating

So it came to pass that Evgeni Plushenko only took silver from the Vancouver Olympics. Evan Lysacek, the defending world champion won the gold without the quad. While Plushenko performed a quad-triple toe as his first combination jump of his free program. A lot of people are weighing in on their opinions. Prominent Canadian skaters are split with their views. Elvis Stojko, the first skater to land a quadruple-double in competition thinks Lysacek's gold killed the sport. Patrick Chan, who placed fifth in the event, opines that the new generation of skaters favor a more balanced program. It’s great to see Plushenko back. It has been boring without his aerodyanamics and artistry during his retirement. It’s seldom to see skaters attempt the quad these days when the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics medalists all composed of quadruple jumpers; Alexei Yagudin, Plushenko, Timothy Goebel. In 2006 in Turin, it was Plushenko, Stephane Lambiel and Jeffrey Buttle in the podium, all landed their quads in combinations cleanly. Was Lysacek LP score a step backwards for the men’s competition? Not necessarily, I counted nine precised triples in Lysacek’s program, that’s a lot. Plushenko had six. What I’m wondering is why didn’t Plushenko at least replicate his Turin program, like do the quad-triple-double combo instead of just the quad-triple? Or include another quad in the latter part of his choreography and what was that music in his short program? His timing in the short components, as shown in the slow motion, was also off.

Now to the magnificence of the pairs competition. Like Plushenko, Shen Xue and Zhao Hongbo have been retired for three years. They are beautiful to watch; very elegant and graceful. I like them better than the 2006 Gold Medalists Tatiana Totmianina and Maxim Marinin. If not for Zhao’s Achilles tendon injury in 2005, Shen and Zhao would have had more time to prepare for the Turin Olympics and had given the Russian top pair more time to reflect on their oppositions. But finally, they are standing atop the podium and I couldn’t be happier. They were pushed in the long program not by the defending champions from Germany but by the sublime free skate of compatriots Pan Jing and Tong Jian. Sadly, those glorious executions in Vancouver might be the last we’ll see of Shen and Zhao, thank goodness for you tube or for a dvd version of the figure skating in Vancouver.

from short list

a good list. why do i use rappel rather than abseil?

home food

Last week i tried cooking my first laswa. I didn't realize it was that easy. Why was i reviled by the taste of okra in my youth? My husband can concoct a mean adobo, afritada, etc, for which I’m truly grateful. That despite being English and not used to the stock flavors of my Filipino palate. Him making the very simple pechay with minced meat broth, my favorite of my mom’s speculative brew, one soggy night, was a sweet marvel. His broiled chicken (above) is a revelation, reminds me of Bacolod Chicken Inasal. Now I have to look for unripe jackfruit somewhere in Chinatown to try my hand making the KBL and e-mail one of my aunts for my lolas’ fabled Breaded, a dish made of grated kinihad (hard sliced bread) and dressed duck, if there's ever such a thing.

Of course the desserts of home have their magical thrill. I really need to control my eating (the burgeoning weight is damaging to my psyche) but all I can think of are my Western Visayan (i'll check with my Iloilo friends) desserts; kwakoy, sundol, suman latik, inday-inday (what do they call that special sugar on top?), puto lanson, even but-ong. I can’t translate them in Tagalog. What is pinutos na ibos in Tagalog? They’re mostly made from rice granules, gelatinous rice, coconut, coconut milk, lots and lots of sugar. Pinasug-bo which is dried bananas coated with sugar is too sweet for me. I have to check these videos again on how they make piaya and chicken inasal. If you’re in Bacolod, inasal is sold anywhere in the alley ways, especially after dark.

sunday's bafta

i'm always looking forward to the annual bafta movie awards ceremonies. this year is kind of interesting as sandra bullock's film the blind side is not eligible for this year's competition as it is going to premiere in the UK in march, weeks after the bafta. i consider bullock as the leading contender for best actress in the oscars. i'm just wondering whether her non-inclusion in this year's bafta award would somehow rattle the oscar voting. i had a hunch that russel crowe poetry fiasco in the 2002 ceremonies prevented him from winning the oscar's that year when he had virtually swept all the best actor trophies in other major award-giving bodies, or alan arkin's victory in the bafta's was the reason the academy of motion pictures, arts and sciences chose him instead of eddie murphy for 2006 who both won the SAG and the Golden Globe awards earlier. but it doesn't really matter as charlize theron and halle berry were not nominated for the bafta in the year they won their respective oscar statuettes. they got bafta nominations the year after and became afterthoughts. meanwhile hilary swank, recipient of two best actress oscars has never won a bafta and was never even nominated for million dollar baby.

so who is the favorite for this sunday's competition? it could be meryl streep but julia childs has never been widely known in the british isles. carey mulligan, being one of those posh young ladies, might just clinch it. gabourey sidibe, i'm hoping to be wrong, is a long shot. dame helen mirren is not nominated for the last station.

i can't wait to be surprised.

judy ann santos cover

During an unusual lull in the week, I got into a decluttering mode. I tidied up the Judy Ann covers and neatly packed them in a box in a corner. The one on the left came to mind after hours of playing her old tv shows from the late 90’s. Those were the times she was still encapsulated in her baby fat splendour like in Gimik, the tv show and the reunion movie. Her transformation into this gorgeous swan in the new millennium has been truly fantastic.

I still have three episodes left to go to finish off watching George and Cecil, a wonderfully written sitcom about married life. In these times of a heavily congested showbiz industry, when work is concentrated mainly on television and where shows come and go in a jiffy, asking for a second chapter of George and Cecil is merely wishful thinking.

I try to follow on my daily dose of Habang May Buhay. It’s a soap not totally devoid of confrontational acting which I find so annoying in every pinoy drama. But the comedic aspects, the twists, the veteran casts of Gina Alajar et al and the handsome leading men keep me glued to the storyline.

pang-os tubo

reading this article about negros, made me reflect on my lowly peasant stock. the life of the rich, those of the Negros old rich and landed elites is sweetly complicated. they have plantations, mansions and a bevy of servants. they run for public office and win. agrarian reform is anathema to them. they are the lord and master of the manor. as i read and delve deeper on the vagaries of the sugar industry this week, i couldn't help but ponder on the inequalities not only of negrenses but of the human race in general. how does it feel to be born privileged?

there was a sugar crash in negros in the mid 80's and diversification was the rallying call. money is no longer gina-pala, gina-piko, but the elites still rule the province.

next time, next year

if the recent Colts loss in the recent Super Bowl happened when i was younger, i would have probably faced it quite agonizingly like the blanket of extreme silence of every Spurs debacle in my romantic household. but over the years, i've come to grips with sporting reality. athletes even the best ones ultimately retire to the sunset, play in the celebrity golf circuit or pen their autobiography. however the teams move on, they might carved the same winning tradition without their former prized stars or go into liquidation. it takes a team to win a major championship. it takes one person to win a singles tennis crown. ditto with golf, or table tennis, swimming or track and field. new faces emerge every year, hopefully with enough gravitas to be the cover of a breakfast cereal box. and it's not like peyton manning is dan marino.

technique, power

The Winter Olympics is an addictive tv fare. Four years ago, at about the same time as Sasha Cohen took the lead after the short program, I learned that I had to undergo induced labour after the mean Aussie scanner dropped the bomb. It was tough.

Cohen ended up with the silver medal that year and consequently hang her skates. She made a comeback at the Nationals this year but just missed out on an Olympic berth. The American ladies may not be red hot favorites this Olympic year after a long, long while but the men have a chance of a sniff of a medal. Did I just hear that Plushenko is back? I’ll write more about skating later. But first my heart is racing as I’m watching the Nordic Combined at the moment. And … France won with Jason Lamy Chappuis. Cute guy.

Next up is women’s speed skating, an exhilarating indoor ice sport. Even the biathlon is exciting. I couldn’t wait for the Alpine Skiing events and Snowboarding. A fairly even field, this competition in Vancouver. No one country will dominate.

valentine's day card

the hubby refers to the 14th of february as hallmark day celebrations. but i still got a card (above). i know it's cheesy, but thanks babe.

'til somebody cares

apparently you're nobody 'til somebody loves you. is there any truth to that adage? not really. there are probably more successful and happier single people than those loved-up to the power of infinity. our insecurities are only eviscerated by the judgments and gossips hovering from within our close-knit circles. it's best to ignore the kibitzers, they're nothing but fools who linger in the sad frolic of their lost youth.

resilient leads

the good wife is like fairy tale. except for the philandering, adulterous mr. big incarcerated for his misappropriations of public funds, his frumpy wife is typically angelic, standing by him, rising to the occasion and taking up the mantle of breadwinner and kicking ass in her job as the understated associate junior attorney. comparing alicia florrick to nurse jackie's dark and depraved undertones, i prefer the former. i'm aware that nefarious characters always make good tv. but i root for the likes of mrs. florrick, it's a lot less toxic and more uplifting to the soul.

Q and A

poor girl. well, not all personalities running for public office can be articulate or adept at commenting about the issues of the day. ok, i'm not making any excuses. but not all voters read the papers or download clips from the internet. let's find out in may if she could pull this off.

for her explanations after the interview, sorry sweetie, i'm not convinced.

hanker

This atrocious work sked is devitalizing me to pieces. It’s two weeks of pounding that leaves no place for breathing. I know of entities who are allergic to taking days off. That’s not me. I live for the alone time. Moments when all I have to do is read, write and visualise, not be the yes person. Hopefully the stress level would subside and I could bleed and be merry.

I couldn’t wait to see the next week’s itinerary. I want to create substantial paragraphs in order to compensate for the lack of cadence and polish of a number of posts in this page. I’m going to delve deeper into the culinary aspect of life. Most of all I want to soak in the Westfield atmosphere, take long walks in the country and just chill.

benumbed

London is still vacillating in the cold snap. It’s going to be a chilly Valentine’s Day.

vile

The winter diptych of February is eternally dreary. Going to work before the sun rises has been the norm since autumn. That’s six long dreary months. It’s easy to feel impatient with the regimented bleakness. I’ve been searching for endorphins the last few days, doing my best to emerge from this vacuum of stupor. It’s just damn so tricky. The heavy loads and artilleries of attack are left, right and center.

Being a bitch has nothing to do with hormones. It has always something to do with upbringing. If you have grown up in a cool, calm and collected environment, then more likely than not, you will be the paragon of restraint. Women should not be prone to gossips and bitchiness. But some are more obnoxious than others. Those with a lot of hang-ups and insecurities usually own malignant personalities. We are a reflection of our parents or whoever else assigned by fate to ingrain the proper values in our system when we were young. Let’s do them proud.