Got this from Angel of Flair in the City:  Flair of the Day: The Sweet Valley High Comeback

Angel also makes entertaining commentary on the changes in the new releases.  Pretty interesting stuff, especially now that from a size six the twins are now "a perfect size four".  When I was starting to round out after graduation, I found out by rummaging through some overruns how a size six was built and noted with relief that I was much thinner than that.  From that moment, I always took heart by mulling over that trivial little benchmark when my jeans started growing too tight. 

But now... as I grow ever more rubinesque each day, the twins have betrayed me by going two sizes lower.  *sobs*  I'm guessing they're now eating salads instead of fries on their dates now.

Hey, if any of you are buying the new books to check it out, pahiram naman ako!

What would it have been like if Jennylyn Mercado, Ryza Cenon, Rhian Ramos, Camile Prats, or Nancy Castiglione had gotten the role? Watch they and other actresses tried and failed to get the coveted role of that loveable and innocent island lass originally played by Thalia. See why they didn't make the cut, and see for yourself why Marian was picked!

Props to Valerie Concepcion, my second choice. :D Kaso, sis, you're so strong and independent, it wouldn't have worked at all.

Karylle, this was also a good and valiant effort to try and work opposite your man, but I'd rather much see you singing and dancing on SOP.

The other fearless contenders not previously mentioned: Pauleen Luna, Bianca King, LJ Reyes, Cheska Garcia, Nadine Samonte, and Jewel Mische

My brothers and I got a great kick out of these Sesame Street Classic clips last night. Mig took a special liking to this alphabetically-themed reworking of a Beatles hit, while I decided I liked this clip the best.

Desperately seeking a hint on what this song is based on? Just watch and figure it out!

Got this from Ed:

Student number?
2001-02788

College?
School of Economics

Ano ang course mo?
BS Business Economics

Nag-shift ka ba o na-kick out?
Nope, am from block E1

Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT? (Where did you take your entrance examination?)
College of Business Administration, somewhere in the third floor

Favorite GE (General Education) classes?
Comm 2 under Prof. Marchadesch

Favorite PE? 
Streetdance under Prof. Jerome Dimalanta!  My proudest 1.25 class card ever!

Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot guys/girls sa UP?
Sa sari-saring mga GE

Favorite Professors?
Sir Arsenio Balisacan - I've never met anyone else with so much purpose.

Lease favorite GE (General Education) class?
STS (what's the point, really?) and PI 100 under Prof. Lanie Abad--buong akala ko this class was supposed to be about Rizal

Did you sign up for Saturday classes?
Nope

Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
Alam ko I did, but it wasn't that memorable.

Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP? 
CS first sem first year, US na for every sem afterward.

What Organization/Fraternity/Sorority were you a member of?
UPSE Sidhi, UP Labyrinth, UP Ecosoc, UP JMA, UPSE Haraya

Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
Nung first and 2nd year, Labyrinth tambayan sa AS, third and fourth year dun na sa part ng Sunken Garden right in front of Econ,

Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
Dorm for first two years, own apartment for most of the next two, bahay sa last sem

Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun?
Journalism/Mass Communication or Fine Arts

Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
High school classmates Patrick Tan and Michelle Ozaeta, plus Sitti Baiddin, the cousin of our high school classmate Paolo (My original college barkada)

First play na napanood mo sa UP? 
El Publico (correction)--aayy bold!

Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
Nung first and second year sa Labyrinth tambayan.  Nung last two years sa first floor ng Econ Library

Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP.
*dodges potentially controversial question*

Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP.
UP Labyrinth and UPSE Sidhi lang for me :)

May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
Nope

Masaya ba sa UP? 
Yup

Nakasama ka na ba sa rally? 
Nope

Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council?
All four yeas I was there

Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
Not really.  It just happened, then it happened again.  Most of the time, I had little else to do aside from studying, esp. for the classes kung saan tulog ako the whole time.

Kanino ka pinaka-patay sa UP? 
(I take this to mean 'Kanino ka pinaka-nahirapan?')  Kay Noel Teodoro--hindi na ako makatulog sa gabi nung sem na prof ko siya.

Kung di ka UP, anong school ka?
Ateneo.  Buti na lang talaga sa UP ako natuloy.

Tagged by Ate Matet.

Rules:
1. Link to the person that tagged you and post the rules on your blog.

2. Share seven random and/or weird facts about yourself.

3. Tag seven random people at the end of your post, and include links to their blogs.

4. Let each person know they have been tagged by leaving a comment on their blog.

MY SEVEN

1. I like reptiles and fish better as pets rather than furry animals that everyone likes (i.e. dogs and cats).  My dream is to someday have a couple of snakes--some big ones and some of those cute green garter snakes--of my own (and be trained to handle them, of course) and a tankful of colorful tropical fish.  (I once wanted to be a snake charmer, but figured eventually that it wouldn't offer me too many career options).
2. I was THE artist and THE writer of my grade school and high school circles, a real renaissance woman.  I was a cartoonist, a painter, a portrait artist, a craft addict, an origami nut, a playwright, a decoupage menace, a director, a costume designer, a graphic artist, an editrix, a webmaster, a layout artist, a campus journalist, a poetess, a budding novelist--I lived each and every day of my life being rocked to serene peace by alternating doses of Art and Literature and so on and so forth.  (People from my childhood must be asking: why is this weird?  Because people who met me from 2001 onward just cannot associate me with any of these things even if you paid them a million dollars each and threatened severe damage to their iPods.)
   
3. I don't like mestizo men.  It's actually a real turn-off for me.
   
4. I can sit silently for hours without tiring just looking at the following: flowing water, aquarium fish, slow moving traffic, mall crowds from a comfortable vantage point, any shore line, out of any bus/car/plane window.
5. I have no favorite color.  Last year, I just found the concept too limiting and decided to like pink, red, and green all at the same time.
6. All weird bodily facts in one number: My left foot is half a size bigger than my right foot.  My hair is so thick, I once found a hair split into four, with the thickness of each part equal to the thickness of normal hair.  I have a scar with visible stitches in the left corner of my mouth, the very same place where Michael my brother has a stiched up scar as well.  I cannot stand with both shoulders at the same level.  My right is always more than slightly higher than my left.
7. I crochet for fun!  *hides*

(Promise, I'll think of seven people to tag tomorrow!)

Hehe. I couldn't think of 100 items like some of my more creative cousins, but I do want to give the year some sort of closure.

Best Memories:

1. Getting engaged, telling our parents, attending the fun and insightful "Before I Do" seminar, talking with hushed excitement about the future and houses and lovely and smart and talented children and things to learn together, and falling more and more in love with each other each passing day
2. Getting away to Sumilon Island for free, eye-opening marathon airport transfer ride cum bull session with Ate Angel, sunbathing on a beach when I should have been stressed out at work during month-end, breathtaking scenery, fresh seafood for breakfast lunch and dinner, spending a fortune in the pasalubong store, and spreading the love and wonder to everyone upon my return
3. Going to Taipei on my first international flight, spending Valentines Day in a pretty lighted city in with nippy cold air, speaking Mandarin from a Lonely Planet phrasebook and being understood by native speakers (vendors, our chauffeur Mr. Chen, taxi drivers, people at the office--so cool!  *sighs*), learning the truth about pasalubong and excess baggage
4. Acting as treasurer for the Youth Camp (where God showed me how faith really works, we went to the venue not even sure how much money we had and ended up with excess), leading the Fira hotties with gorgeous sis Rachelle, seeing how the Lord uses my honey and loving him all the more, singing in the praise and worship concert despite an asthma attack while jamming with the other (waay more seasoned) youth leaders, sharing for the first time to a really big audience how Jesus changed my life, the No-Touch role-playing game, my baptism
5. Putting on a benefit concert to raise money for Mr. Abodiles' kidney transplant, seeing and being able to talk with Sitti again for the first time since November 2006 and confirming that she hasn't changed, running up my phone bill to a small fortune, seeing my classmates again working together like in the old days, sharing the often-stressful job of coordination with the equally harassed Vanny, finding a new sounds provideer when our original provider cancelled on us the day before, meeting the down-to-earth artists who took time out to help out our teacher (to Julianne, Ninah, Ken, Tim, and Chique--you all rock!), finding out that we made a tidy profit, Sir Abodiles reporting to us that the money was appropriated to the critical donor-recipient compatibility tests, Sir Abodiles actually undergoing the successful transplant operation
6. Robby graduating and going to Philippine Science (1,287 people bragged to and counting)
7. Mig deciding that it's okay to listen to me again
8. Livin' it up with my cell group sisters in a Somerset Olympia hotel room on a gift certificate bought for a song, fun swimming in the cute little pool that we had all to ourselves, gab and snack fest until the wee hours of the morning, lots and lots of pretty pictures and lovely stories
9. My December vacation where I finally got an SSS ID, found just the right scripture and books to read about burn-out, thought about my life and what I really wanted to do, went on a gloriously revealing Church Leadership training seminar, spent hours on end with Koya Mig and Rob-bebe and my mom whom I missed ever so much (Papa I spend a lot of time with already hehe).
10. Meeting and being friends with Jacky and Geebee, who serve as my confidants and morale boosters in the uncharted territory of my new job.
11. Forgiving my parents
12. Getting the opportunity to tell Amor, Ste, and Emai how I feel about their friendship, the tearful goodbyes, making up for lost time with the MDPs, finally erasing that other person from taking up valuable mind space in my brain
13. Supervising the lovely Grace, Jam, Ruby, and She, becoming friends with them in the process, and missing each other terribly when I transferred
14. My Devil Wears Prada moment where my boss realized how hard I had worked to support her
15. Finally fulfilling my dream to be a cheerleader and winning second place besides in Chinatrust's Sportsfest, acting as the beleaguered coordinator for my very whimsical teammates, getting some lovely and touching words of encouragement from Sir Je, becoming better friends with everyone
16. Seeing that the little slogan I once pitched to the President made it into the company's Board-approved mission-vision
17. Going to the Chinatrust Christmas party in that lovely dress, getting my hair curled to a Marimar do, getting a dozen roses from Art and loving his reaction to my appearance (Happy Anniversary!)
18. Getting surprised by a bouquet of roses by Art on our November monthsary (he went all the way from Security Bank during office hours to deliver the goods--and I was really not expecting it!), commemorating the time we first met and fell in love
19. Making up with Dianne for not attending her wedding
20. Lovely walks and romps and picnics in Velasquez park
21. Christmas shopping in Divisoria (a real labor of love, I must have been carrying 6 kilos of gifts that first day--I kid you not)
22. Nikki leaving for Singapore (waaahhh!)
23. Lazy, lovely moments poking around and filling up my Multiply account
24. Silly personality tests with not-so-silly revelations on myself and how I interact with people
25. Being God's girl for a full year (I'm a work-in-progress, but I have Only The Best Life Coach ensuring that I turn out beautifully)

2007 was a good year.  Full of upheaval, but also full of God's grace.  :)

Let's all have a good 2008!

A Philippine blog for shoppingeras that's an offshoot of FemaleNetwork.com that features notable fashion and beauty items available locally, sale alerts for top labels, and great promotions. Anyway, for people like me who aren't certified shopaholics but who like to poke around to see what is in style nowadays that might be remotely likeable or affordable, the blog is always a joy to pore over.

Is it possible to be amused and disturbed at the same time? Apparently it is.

:-p

The original opening credits of the Korean series. *sighs wordlessly*

So cool...

Songs to play when down in the dumps

**slight spoiler ahead**

My obsession of the moment is Hwang Jini (Hwang Jin Yi), a Korean drama starring pretty starlet Ha Ji Won dubbed in Tagalog by GMA. The show was inspired by the life and loves of Hwang Jin-i, a kisaeng in the 1500's whose exceptional beauty, talent, and romantic history became the stuff of legend.

For people like me who have never heard of the word "kisaeng" before Hwang Jini, kisaeng are female Korean entertainers well-versed in arts such as but not limited to music and dance, similar to the Japanese geisha. While kisaeng were trained to be beautiful, intelligent, and accomplished women, they were unfortunately classed with some of the lowest elements of Korean society and lived under some form of slavery to the state.

I've been watching the show for some two weeks now, and I can't help but rave about its engaging episodes, exquisite costumes, excellent characterization, and rich insight into Korean culture. Ha Ji Won does an excellent job of portraying the headstrong and talented Jini, and she wins hearts instantly with her beauty so subtly but potently infused with intelligence and strength. I love the way the other characters are played out as well, to name a few: the painful naivete and pathetic affections of her latest (and late) love interest Kim Eun Ho, the cold yet strangely maternal calculations of her artistic troupe's leader Yim Baek Moo, and the touching but desperate efforts of her blind mother Heon Keum to lead her away from the gilded prison of their kisaeng profession.

The sets and costumes are scene-stealers in themselves, obviously the product of long and meticulous labors. I especially love the series for showcasing the ability of the conservative Korean hanbok to inspire innocent love or to sizzle in brazen sensuality by the artful choice of colors and accessories. The show spares no expense on the richly colored and trimmed fabrics and the dainty hairpieces. The costumes of the men are likewise a joy to behold. The outdoor scenes are such a lovely visual treat that they give me reason enough to consider going to Korea for my honeymoon. Elegant structures against a backdrop of vibrant greens, clear streams, blue skies, and colorful flowers--everything is just plain beautiful.

Hwang Jini airs after La Vendetta, which airs after Marimar. The first great tragedy of the series happened tonight, but there's more action to come so I recommend you catch it, folks! GMA's Tagalog translation is quite good, the natural poetry and feeling of the Filipino language fits the drama quite perfectly.