mannequin

In Style with Mango

leaves in color

three

it's tricky to post videos.
they're usually earmarked for copyright.
but this is from our file.
let's see.

post two

got quietly engrossed in viewing farscape that i've calmly forgotten about the clock going back. no sweat though, it just means an extra hour in bed, quite literally. i'm touching the letters in horizontal position at this juncture. gone are the days of going to a cafe to check e-mails. my phone bills cost a leg and a limb due to web browsing but it gladly saves my soul from catatonic stupor. slowly, i'm making progress with my reading stack, still not up to par to my liking, but it's an improvement from the listlessness of last week.

above 10 degrees celsius

able to escape the deluge this week. mostly i was overdressed for the weather. it's not too cold, yet. but as we count the days towards the longest night. it would be impossible to escape the punishment of winter.

do the seasons make life less boring? not necessarily, but it's far nicer in the tropics. though the presence of flies, ants and mosquitoes are one thing i won't ever miss.

refreshed

simple.

cool writing from an actor

As i've written here before Life Unexpected is a far better show than 90210 or One Tree Hill. But then I enjoy wit and banter just like Gilmore Girls, although I was disappointed with its trajectory in its last seasons. Life Unexpected is more than just witty, it's intelligent fun and has a massive amount of energy.

It's television, it's good looking.

How do I love thee? Let me count the ways..

music
attitude
sports
general knowledge

and writing, especially guys who can write like this.

purple and gold spree

reading, watching and writing about sports during the last three decades is a vocation in itself. sports gives joy to a lot of people, especially me. there are times for glory hunting. and moments of not being good enough, like the michael schumacher of this decade, not during the noughties when he was with ferrari. but surely it beats the hell out of retirement. we pay a lot of money to watch them play. i'm not a kobe bryant fan. but knowing me, is always knowing the lakers, whether there's a kobe or not.

(note in the video -- a lot of Kobe clones at the O2 arena, just like there are a lot Van Der Vaart Spurs shirts out there)

what's new

There are far more important matters to attend during early mornings than caving in to the lure of Facebook e.g. housework, reading, writing, running errands. I have three books and a stack of newspapers and magazines to tackle. The list for the Christmas cards are yet to be outlined. I better get to them now. The holidays are almost here. And yes, I don't particularly like Halloween.

touch screen duty

aside from falling asleep during an afternoon viewing of Rob Marshall's Nine almost a week ago, all i could think about is the weather, the weather and the government cuts. there was the snail pace at the workplace but nothing too dramatic, aside from wrestling with co-morbidities and trying to make sense the unenlightened, highly-emotional response of significant others who are terribly cuddled by the system. my point may be vague to all others except me. on the other hand, when the time is right, we should learn to let go. and the buck should stop at the pen pushers clad in polka dots.

speaking of Nine, the movie starring Daniel Day Lewis, is actually not that bad. but neither is it great. each of the leading ladies, the Oscar winners and the lone nominee (Kate Hudson) and the sultry Fergie have their own production solos, all in dream sequences. but i wouldn't rely on my observations, as i stated, i got trapped in a snoozefest and that probably explains it all.

from paul's lens

gorgeous view from the plane's window.

inter milan nights

(photo courtesy of Paul Copsey)

nonetheless

from winter to winter, this year is turning out to be such a bugger. been to a few more GP visits than the previous years. what's up? according to the most recent lady doctor i've seen why don't i refer myself. so as i'm building up the courage to show up unannounced to that fifth floor unit in the hospital, i'm really, really wondering.

wedding anniversary meal

relaxed setting

soaking in art and old, archaic objects, takes one back in time. london has a lot of grand museums. i haven't been to all of them. been to a few and the ashmolean in oxford. the jewelries at the V and A were magical, so was the replica of Kylie Minogue's dressing room. the paintings at the National Gallery remind us of all things Titian. in this age of soaring Osborne cuts, the arts should not suffer. here's hoping that there would be numerous patrons of the art, for the sake of our humanity.

size zero

was able to tap into my ancient photographs circa 2003. goodness, i was skinny. the funny thing is, that time i felt really fat, just like i felt fat ten years before that and five years earlier when i was 14. i had such a bad case of body dysmorphia. my appetite along with my metabolism changed once i fell pregnant. although i've never reached full term and was never successful in all three pregnancies, i couldn't shake off the weight i had gained.

i still couldn't.

but no sweat, i don't reckon to be truly gluttonous. i've seen anorexia at its harshest and it's brutal. no eating, no drinking, weighing only 27kg, NG fed (the tube's insertion is an exercise in futility, it's pulled out immediately) and such dangerous mindset. anorexia could be primarily a western affliction. i've never encountered an extreme case back home, or if there was, i didn't see one. when one's in poverty with hardly any health insurance, food, which is the most basic in the hierarchy of needs, is the be all of existence.

society's emphasis on the trim and thin figure is overwhelming. the fashion industry, the entertainment industry, the beauty pageants all hail the tiny waistline. the stars can usually afford trainers and nutritionists. for mere mortals, like us, the focus should be on eating healthily, consisting of all the basic food groups and proper exercise. i'm carbo loading on rice, cannot stand the taste of greens, has no time for cardio and resistance training.

hopefully, i'll figure it out somehow.

to the museums and back

looking at old stuff.
or art

(tate modern, 2010)

before it was cold

it was sunny!
the sun is shining, it's just a little bit nippy.

reality void

if everybody exists in the reality tv universe, mine would never make the cut. is it the weather or what, but pushing myself in the mornings to go vertical is already quite a challenge. the reality tv of contrived drama -- annoying conflicts, flaunting a certain posh lifestyle or a vacuous, narcissistic existence is right now trending. having no talent is no longer a hindrance to fame or infamy. it's easy money for all involved - the cast, producers, crew. for the viewers, they sometimes fill the void of exciting entertainment, a soap that does not necessarily need actors. it's the Truman Show, only bigger, with each member of the cast, including Truman himself having a share of the profits. in this dog eat dog society, we have to earn our keep. there's no need to sell our souls but is the human race by nature greedy?

nosh test

it is the truth universally acknowledged (thanks elizabeth bennett) that the type of foods and flavours differ from country to country. what is rice to us Filipinos, is creamed potatoes to some. the other half could certainly stir the afritada and pochero to perfection. but pasta is different, there's not an all-encompassing ode to the Filipino taste. though if i really request for my hometown style spaghetti, the mister would fully grant my heart's desire.

however, i learned my lessons on saturday, pasta bake, the english way, should never be shared to kababayans, lest be derided. "bland, bland, bland, " is the common assertion. plus comments like, he may cook you laswa but if he doesn't eat it, then it's for naught? fine, how about husbands who don't cook regularly. at least mine could grate cheese.

what's next in the day

at any junction of life's continuum, there are moments that provide great excitement and there are those that pinch us hard and provide the melancholic drama one could muster in a day. the former is fabulous distraction, while the latter is a pain in the ass.

sigh, sigh, sigh.

absolute nothings

for the first time in years, this october is not too chilly. or is it the heat tech shirts from uniqlo? but today's apparel was no heat tech and i didn't feel cold. this summer wind is clearly revitalising the senses.

although i'm kind of late on my readings. the roaring words and paragraphs are leaping out of the pages, inspiring and contemplating. procrastinating is simply not a productive enterprise. during autumn and winter, my rotund flesh has to overcome the freezing, prolonged darkness to contribute to the world's coffers.

ryder elite

this was the scoreboard a week ago in the third foursomes and fourballs match, rudely interrupted by inundation. the whole tournament or exhibition (according to rory mcIlroy) was gravely under the spell of rain and soaked greens in regulations. as i was watching this ryder cup on european soil, on european sports channel, the mood and inclination of the broadcasters and the local papers were vastly pro-europe. even the sweet mister was muttering go europe (!) under his breath. that only happens in this competition, in a sport played by the posh elite who can afford the club memberships. in all other sports, be it may rugby, football or tennis (murray is british when he wins, scottish when he loses), it's country for country, not a whole continent collective.

tiger woods played well in his singles. he was so under the radar on monday's television coverage during a 4&3 rout of francesco molinari. the station probably had a heyday on sunday afternoon, when he and steve stricker were being demolished by luke donald and lee westwood. as of this stage, tiger has not been in a winning ryder cup team.

steve stricker
stewart cink

i've never been a fan of colin montgomerie. but my brother bought me a monty bio from poundland six years ago. i couldn't decipher what was that all about. is that like giving me a book about the gooners?

silent water

what's the antithesis of ennui? is it cracking the codes to tv shows spoilers? i couldn't shake off my way off the marked pairings and not so happy ever-afters, like lorelai and christopher and all the others. well, at least miranda is still with steve. but i haven't seen the second SATC movie, so who knows.

at the lakers game