A Cute Little Tag

I was tagged by Mec to do this nice little tag. :)

The following shows the tag questions and my responses to each:

Have you ever gone on a blind date? Yes, with a girl who went to college with a former officemate. Date was set up by that former officemate.

Skipped school? Yes, one time in high school and a "few" times in college. Hehe

Been on a plane? YES!! Too many times for my own good.

Been lost? Twice, and both happened at night and in very bad neighborhoods here in the US. One was in Detroit and the other was in Brooklyn.

Swam in the ocean? No, one of my big regrets in life is that I can't swim.

Cried yourself to sleep? Yes, I have. Several times.

Played cops and robbers? Yes, lots of times. :D

Played dolls? I'll be lying if I said I didn't. As a kid, I did it a few times to entertain my younger sister. (Yeah, sure.)

Recently colored with crayons? No.

Sang Karaoke? Yes, I have but I only do songs that are within my vocal range. (Naks!)

Paid for a meal with coins only? Yes, I have. I'm definitely dating myself with this answer but when I was a kid, a school meal can be purchased with just peso coins. :D

Done something you said you wouldn't? A lot of times. No further comment. :D

Cheated on a test? On a few quizzes, yes. On examinations, no.

Made prank phone calls? Yes, back in high school. Whenever I knew that my classmate (who was my "barkada" at the time) was not at home, I would call his place just to speak to his pretty sister who was a year older.

Caught a snowflake on your tongue? Yes.

Danced in the rain? No, I simply played in the rain. I would not be caught dead dancing in the rain for fear that it might lead people to question either my sexual orientation or the state of my mental health.

Written a letter to Santa Claus? No, I was too lazy to write one.

Watched the sun rise with someone you care about? I have watched the sun BEGIN to rise with someone I cared about. Hehehe

Been kissed under the mistletoe? No.

Gone ice skating? Yes.

Been skinny dipping outdoors? I used to as a toddler when grown-ups still thought that it was a cute thing for me to do. :D I don't think they'll show much appreciation if they see me do it now. :D

Favorite drink I'm allowed on a regular basis - Orange juice

Tattoos? None.

Body piercings? None.

Vacation spot? There's no place like HOME.

Eaten cookies for dinner? No, I'm not too fond of cookies. Overall, I find them too sweet and too rich for my taste.

Ever been on TV? Yes, given where my cousin and I sat, I was seen on camera quite a number of times while at a PBA game.

Ever been in a car accident? Yes, a few times.

Favorite number and why? 5 because of my birth date.

Favorite movie? Unfortunately, there's too many to mention. In my profile, I attempted to list some of them.

Favorite holiday? Spending time with people I love is my idea of a favorite holiday. None of the official ones really matter to me.

Favorite smells? I have to pass on this one. :D

What do you do to relax? Read the papers, listen to CDs, and watch old movies.

Where do you see yourself in 10 years? Living happily with my loved ones.

Now, in return, I'm tagging my blog buddies: Mari, Miranda, Photo Cache, and Nyl. Thanks in advance, ladies. :)

I'm Your Venus

After all the geeky stuff, it's time once again for a music break.

The following became a #1 hit on the Billboard Hot 100 Charts back in 1986 for the all-girl trio Bananarama.

The song's called "Venus" and as a dance tune, it got played a lot in dance clubs and parties I went to at the time. Now I don't really dance a lot (wink wink) but at the time, if you wanted to see me on the dance floor, this was one of the dance tunes that you had to play. (Naks!)

It was quite difficult for me to control myself whenever I heard this song played while on a jeepney or bus. For some reason, I couldn't prevent tapping to the beat of this tune. I just had to tap on something regardless of whether it was my shoes on the jeepney/bus floor or my fingers tapping on one knee or both. Hehehe

Although I liked this song when it became a hit in 1986, it was not the first time I heard it and it also wasn't the first time the song hit #1 on Billboard's charts. In fact, this song was not a dance tune at all. Bananarama's version wasn't the original.

In its original version, "Venus" was a rocker piece from a Dutch band called "Shocking Blue". The song was written by the band's founder Robbie van Leeuwen, released in late 1969 and became a #1 hit in early 1970. The following video shows the band performing the song in its original version.

The band's lead singer was the late Mariska Veres (1947-2006). Mr. van Leeuwen, the song's composer, was the guitarist who stood next to her. What stood out on the video were examples of fashion trends from the late 1960s/early 1970s through the long black wig and false eyelashes Ms. Veres wore.

But as to the music, the song's sound was of the basic electric guitars-and-drum combination. It had none of the synthesized sounds that became quite prevalent in the 1980s. Although the group managed to stay popular within their native Holland until they disbanded in 1974, they were not able to score another hit as big as "Venus" internationally. As a result, outside of their home country, the group remains classified as a "One Hit Wonder".

A Gem of Filipiniana on Padre Faura

When I was still living in the Philippines, it was my practice that whenever I walked into a bookstore in Manila, the first section I would visit was the store's Filipiniana section. It was there where I would go through the latest titles by both local and foreign authors to see if there were new book releases on topics of interest to me, specifically Philippine political and economic history and architecture.

My love affair with the "Filipiniana Section" dates back to my college days in Manila. The section was situated in one of the quietest areas within my college's library. It was in an area I often went to between classes to either take a much needed afternoon nap or to intensely study or prepare for an examination. It took me a while to realize that a few steps away from my favorite nap/study spot were shelves that had copies of respected and historic Philippine publications such as the Philippines Free Press, Weekly Graphic, and the Manila Times. The Philippines Free Press was an influential weekly news magazine that ran from 1907 until the declaration of Martial Law closed it down in September 1972.

From the moment I browsed through an old issue of the Philippines Free Press, I was hooked, to say the least, and I remember spending countless hours going through its past issues and those of other newspapers and magazines. I was quite fascinated by the fact that the school's collection of magazines and newspaper issues went as far back as the 1910s. Reading old news articles could be described as reading Philippine History in "current events" form.

Thus, my old geeky self was so glad when my dear SO finally took me to the Solidaridad Book Shop in Manila's Ermita district. This bookstore is owned by the renowned Filipino author and National Artist Francisco Sionil Jose. ("My Brother, My Executioner", "The Pretenders", "Ermita") Although I've heard of this place, I never had the chance to visit it until I was in Manila last May.

The first two pictures below show the front of the bookstore taken from across the street. (Store's exact address is 531 Padre Faura Street, Ermita, Manila.)



Solidaridad Book Shop opened its doors to the public back in 1965. As can be seen from above, the book shop occupies the ground floor of a two-storey building with a mezzanine. The building is a concrete and wooden structure and was of an architectural style that was common in Manila from the 1950s through the late 1960s.

The following two shots were taken by the bookstore's front door.



Due to Robinson Place's rather imposing presence across the street, one could easily walk past this bookstore without noticing it. But once found, stepping into the bookstore is like going back in time. This little shop possesses an old-fashioned charm with its simplicity and it reminded me of places in the Ermita and Malate districts I used to visit as a kid. An old family friend, now long gone, used to run a small barbershop a couple of blocks away near the Plaza Nuestra Senora de Guia while another family friend ran his family's construction firm from one of the old buildings that line T.M. Kalaw Street.

The bookstore's interior was basically divided into two sections. As one walks in, one will find the Filipiniana section to one's left while books by foreign authors and foreign periodicals can be found to one's right.

I found the staff to be very friendly and helpful. I heard that customers can even request Mr. Jose to sign a book if he was around. Unfortunately, we were not able to have any book signed because the author was in Japan on business at the time my SO and I went. Well, better luck next time.

Now if there was something that I did not like about this place, it was the fact that the store does not accept credit cards. All book purchases have to be paid for in cash. But given everything that this place has to offer, its refusal to accept credit cards is one inconvenience I can certainly live with.

We ended up buying two books that day. But I liked both the place and the selection of books so much that the SO and I came back the following day to buy two more. I must say then that of all the places I visited in Manila that week, this was clearly my favorite.

So to the Filipiniana buffs among you, whenever you find yourselves in the area, please take some time to stop by this little gem on Padre Faura. I don't think you'll come away disappointed.

Photo credits: The Quint

Something Worth Pondering

A hundred years from now, it will not matter what my bank account was, the sort of house I lived in, or the kind of car I drove.

But the world may be different because I was important in the life of a child.

Meeting of Champions

This was truly a meeting of champions.

Just wanted to share this happy video showing the 2008 NBA Champions Boston Celtics congratulating and cheering our countryman and new WBC Lightweight Champion Manny Pacquiao after his victory last Saturday over David Diaz.

Manny Pacquiao's victory over David Diaz marked the first time that an Asian has become a boxing champ in four weight classes. Such achievement makes it a certainty that Manny Pacquiao would enter Boxing's Hall of Fame someday.

The video shows Celtics stars Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Sam Cassell cheering and congratulating Manny, himself a huge Celtics fan, in his locker room after the fight. It was a happy and rowdy bunch of champions who earned well-deserved victories and the respect of their peers.

Clips from this video were also shown over ABC 7 Eyewitness News in New York last Sunday night and that was where I first saw it.

Congratulations again, Manny.