It's 1:30pm and the thonners have just left Primatech, Kamuning.  It was a fun and filling thon, as far as I am concerned.  A good number of people were present to watch the bonus materials on the Heroes DVDs and to chat and drink.

Activities of the night:

• Heroes bonus materials thon
• chatting with each other
• eating and drinking
• plurking!
  

Let me start with the list of Heroes Plurkers (click on the link to visit our individual plurk sites) who were there:

• Beej
• Erika (my daughter) - not in the picture as she spent most of her time in her room doing her homework but would surface to see what was going on
• Hec
• Icheb
• Jean-Luc (Gigi's son) - not in the picture as he kept going up and down the stairs for no reason *shrugs*
• Jon and son (Darren) - not in the picture as they left before it occured to any of us to take photos. *toingk*
• Jovan
• Joy (Heroesphil newbie)
• Mark Poa
• Penny
• Shey
• Tasha (Gigi's daughter) - not in the picture and spent most of her time on the computer playing Wonderland online
• Tina - not in the picture 'cause the hubby already picked her up

We were all heavy with food and drink!  What you see in the photo at the right is what was left of the food at around 2am.  

Just to be OC about it, first, here is the food list:

• 2 trays of lasagna and garlic-basil bread
• 1 square Greenwich pizza
  
• 2 round containers of choco flakes (white and milk)
• 1 bottle ube halaya
• 2 round containers of lengua de gato (regular and ube)
• 1 tray of chocolate crinkles
• 1 bottle of peanuts
• 1 bottle of cherries
• assorted chips
• assorted cupcakes

PIzza was courtesy of Beej.
Baguio products courtesy of Icheb.
Cupcakes courtesy of Mark Poa.
The garlic-basil bread was all courtesy of Shey.  She slaved over it before the party.
The lasagna was a team effort by Jon, Shey, and me.  Jon helped with the slicing and Shey helped with the layering.
Cash contributions by everyone.

Second, here is the drink list:

• 4 2-liter bottles of soda
• 2 bottles of vodka (Toska and Absolut Kurrant) - the Absolut was courtesy of Jon
• 2 bottles of brandy
• 1 bottle of rhum
• 1 bottle Mudslide (courtesy of Erika)
• a few bottle of Superdry (courtesy of Beej)
• water
• vodka jelly shots - raspberry flavored
  
• faux Trublood - this (see photo at the right) was actually the vodka raspberry jelly shots that did not set and so we opted to drink it instead.
  

Jon played bartender for part of the night.

There were lots of interesting segments in the bonus materials.  My personal favorite was the mockumentaries about Takezo Kensei, which was located in Disk 2 of the set.  The mockumentary was provided by mock organization, the Yamagato Fellowship.

After watching all the bonus materials of all 4 disks twice and commentaries of the last 2 episodes, we ended the evening by watching Dr. Horrible.  Turns out some of us (specifically, Icheb) haven't seen it yet.  If I may say ... Neil Patrick Harris rocks!
It couldn't be avoided, those of us who've seen it (aka everyone else) just had to sing-along ... and speak along ... with almost all the lines and songs.

We more or less turned in at around 3:30am and woke up at 9am.  Breakfast was simple --- longganisa (imported from Davao kaya masarap, hehehe) fried eggs, rice, , and tea.

It was a good 20 hours.  I give it
I would have given it if the others were able to make it but illness and fatigue prevented them.  To those who weren't able to make it ... we missed you and wished you'd been here with us.  See you all online!  Until next time!

What's up with TV nowadays? Once upon a time the only time we see this much sex and nudity was when we watched porn. From what I've seen of these shows (Saving Grace and True Blood) the only difference between them and porn (besides the story line) is that they don't show genitalia or close up shots of penetration scenes.

To be fair, at least there IS a storyline to speak of. However, I have found the sex scene not only disturbing but at times even unnecessary to the story.

Saving Grace
This series opens with Detective Grace Hanadarko (played by Holly Hunter) having sex. Afterwards it shows her parading around her house naked ... going to her bathroom and standing in front of her window to display her nakedness to her octogenarian neighbor ... purely for kicks.

Shortly after she meets Earl, her "last chance" angel, who attempts to guide her to redemption as the series continues. The first scene shocked me, but in context, I got it. It showed how her indiscriminate sexual relations with every Tom, Dick, and Harry plus her drinking binges will get her on the elevator to eternal damnation. What I find hard to accept is ... after that point had been made, why the producers (of which Holly Hunter is one of them) find it necessary to display so much nudity (full nudity) at each and every episode. It is as if they cannot shoot an episode unless a sex scene is somewhere in there. Is Holly, perhaps, realizing a fantasy of having her sexual encounters filmed and watched by millions?

True Blood
This series opens with a girl and guy travelling at night in their car with the girl (who is driving) giving her boyfriend a hand job. *blink blink* Ok, this I can accept because the action was implied but not really seen. Partway through the episode we see a woman sofa in a chair naked. The camera pulls back and we see a guy was going down on her. He is completely naked, too.

Then, they show a video where the woman was standing with her hands tied and hanging from a hook with a vamp doing her from behind. Shortly after, she does the same scene with the guy she was with.

Oh, but the REAL story is about a telepathic chick named Sukie and a vampire named Bill ... who, so far, don't have sex.

So, I have to ask myself, what were all the sex scenes and full nudity for? Were they REALLY necessary to the story? Was there no way to show the scene without it going to that extreme?

---

You know what really bothers me?  My daughter is 16 and I make it a point to watch TV shows with her.  It's our "bonding time".  This means that when those 2 shows first came out we were watching it for the first time together and I had to explain to her what was happening.  A part of me wanted to cover the screen and deny what was happening in it but the rational part of me took over and I would explain what was happening so that she wouldn't wonder about it.

Perhaps in the U.S. all that sex and nudity and violence is commonplace for teenagers, I don't know.  But here, in our house, at least, it is troubling.

I previewed Saving Grace alone, so was able to spare my daughter from it.  I watched a few more episodes in hopes that it would get better.  The story improved but the nudity ... it's still there.

True Blood ... because of the new vampire hype (because of Stephenie Meyer's Twilight books and movie) my daughter was intrigued by the series.  The 2nd episode still had sex scenes in it.  I'm hoping they disappear in the 3rd episode or, I'm sorry, but I will stop watching it.  

It just isn't worth it if I get upset everytime I watch it.

My mom and her siblings (my uncles and aunt) are all in Davao now.  It's my grandfather's 95th birthday tomorrow.  95 years old.  Wow!  Imagine living for that long.  In a time when it seems that average lifespan of a person is 75, he has definitely lived more than one life.

I wanted to go with my mom but there were things to consider:

• Erika's enrollment
• who would take care of my dad and Erika while we were away

In the end it wasn't such a difficult decision, after all, it IS my lolo's birthday.

So, here I am ... at home and taking over all the housework, mom's and mine.  It isn't so bad, really.  My only real problem is figuring out what to feed my family since my dad is trying to cut down on meat and Erika, on the other hand, loves her meat.

I am so glad I went to the first ever Friends of Krispy Kreme party at MOA.  Just for being there, I was able to receive at total of 17 donuts, 1 cup of coffee (refillable), 1 bottle of Sola Lemon Green Tea, 1 can of Pepsi Creme Caramel Soda, 1 bottle of Propel Gala Apple Flavor, and a Team Manila tee-shirt.

Awesome!!!

I met up with Jovan at the MRT station just so we could arrive together.  Good thing we did, 'cause we didn't know anyone else there.

After signing in we were given a couple of certificates and we were told to use one of them tonight.  The certificate said:  Get 2 donuts and 1 cup of coffee and get a free gift.  I figured, I'd spend P130, thereabouts, that's ok.  But when we get to the counter to choose the donuts (and get the 1 original glaze free) and choosing the coffee I pull out my wallet and the girl says, "No, mam.  It's free today for Friends of Krispy Kreme."  And then she tells me to turn around to get my free gift.  Behind me was a table with staff handing out half-dozen boxes of original glaze and a stub for a FREE GIFT which we were told to just keep.  Happiness!

So ... box and bag of donuts in hand and coffee in the otherJovan and I make our way out to one of the outdoor tables so that we could monitor the activities outside.  Who knows, we might win something, right?  Sadly, we didn't but ... because we kept the stub we were told to line up once again before we left to get our SECOND box of half-dozen original glaze donuts and a Team Manila tee-shirt.  Plus, all the drinks at the counter were free so we could just take what we wanted.  Plus, we also got a couple more original glaze donuts while waiting our turn.  Double happiness!!

PLUS:  we also have a certificate for the opening (Sept. 5, Friday).  If we buy 1 dozen assorted donuts we get 1 dozen original donuts FREE!  Triple happiness!!!

Thanks for loving us, Krispy Kreme!  I remain one of your loyal patrons.

Every now and then I get those dreams that are so real that I would swear it was anything but a dream.  And even after waking up I'm still not convinced I was actually dreaming.  How could I think it was just a dream when I don't feel rested and any injury I sustained in the dream I seem to carry on in the waking state?

I know that I had some sort of adventure dream last night and in the dream I somehow hurt the outside of my right leg.  All day I've been rubbing the outside of my right leg because of a phantom pain.  I don't know how to describe it.  My calf is cold and feels slightly numb and there is some pain but when i touch my leg, I can't seem to touch the painful area ... like it is inside my leg somewhere.

I hope that when I sleep tonight I get to pick up where I left off and hopefully heal my leg there.

I wish I could remember my dream.  Maybe I should really continue with the dream journal I started.

If I wanted to be bulimic it would be so easy for me.

I can't brush my teeth immediately after a meal because when I brush my back molars the gag reflex kicks in and I end up chucking what I just ate.  Gargling mouthwash does the same thing.  As soon as the mouthwash hits the back of my throat, BAM!  Up goes the food and whatever else I drank that day.  Sometimes I find myself chucking up some food that I'd eaten a meal before.  Weird.

I REALLY hate when that happens.  The acrid aftertaste, the sore throat, and the wasted food.  When it does happen my mouth feels so ... dirty!  Note that I had just brushed my teeth and tongue.  So,  if I want to keep my breath fresh and still keep my food down I have to rely on breath mints after meals.  I find it is relatively safe to brush 2 hours after a meal ... assuming I am not eating again at that time.

And that's another thing, if I brush my teeth before eating (or even use mouthwash before eating), the food tastes awful and ... my appetite is also gone.  This means that I cannot start the day by brushing my teeth otherwise my breakfast is shot.  The most I can do (until 2 hours after breakfast) is to wash out my mouth with plain old water.

I hear that bulimia is an effective way to lose weight.  It's not for me, though.  For one thing, I don't like to waste food.  For another, I see no appeal in sticking my finger, or my toothbrush, or mouthwash in my mouth to lose weight.  I'd rather exercise and just monitor my food and beverage intake.

I also have to make sure that I somehow get to keep my teeth and mouth clean all the time.

So ... some friends and I decided to check out the AXN-Beyond "Out Of This World Party" that was held last night at the Embassy Club.  As the invitation stated, we had to be in costume, and you know the NWAers, all we need is the slimmest excuse to be in costume.

First of all, the invitation(s) is/are confusing.  The one I received in my email weeks ago said this.


Then a few days ago, THIS came out on the AXN-Beyond website:


This is confusing ... what time are we really supposed to be there? And then, to top it all off, the party was announced in Facebook also and it said that 7pm to 10pm was for VIPs only and 10pm onwards is for the general public.  Just to be sure, Kasuy and I went there early to find out for ourselves.We confirmed it ... cosplayers were to show up for the 10pm.  Forget my 7pm invitation (which I and a few others) received directly from AXN-Beyond.  That was obviously a mistake.  7pm to 10pm was reserved for agencies and the press.  The promised prizes was only for the earlier event and they had NOTHING planned for the 10pm onwards.

They tell us that we have to be in costume and for our efforts we get goodie bags and posters.  They were nice, but ... that was it?  There was no program of any sort planned?  What a pathetic party!

Some of the people from AXN-Beyond were nice enough and stayed long enough to mingle with us (NWAers) and even took some photos with us.  As to be expected, the most photo ops were with Nurse Joker and our resident Tie Fighter.
Some cosplayers did come in later (at around 10:30pm, I think) but they gave of the aura of "hired help" to "spice up the party".  I don't know if it worked because I didn't feel any difference.  The party was F-L-A-T.  We tried to give it a chance ... we really did.  We stayed up to a little past 11pm and then had to give up.  There was NOTHING redeeming about the party ... at all.  All AXN-Beyond did was provide a venue for cosplayers to party.  We don't need to go to The Embassy Club for that.  We geeks know how to party, we've been doing it for a long time.

The NWAers gave it a good try, though, and we did manage to have some fun.

Truth to tell, I believe we had more fun after we left.  The pirates moved on to Jill's and partied there, the X-philers ... well, they disappeared but I guess they must have found their own fun, too, and the rest of us proceeded to Ron's clinic at the hatch building and "partied" there.  Unfortunately, I had to leave earlier but I believe the rest stayed until much later and a few even slept over.

I have a card for free entrance to Embassy for the next 3 nights ... does anyone want it?  I certainly don't.

We should party at Hard Rock again.  They know how to welcome cosplayers.  Such a shame, though.  AXN-Beyond is supposed to be a sci-fi/fantasy channel ... and they don't know what to do with people who comprise their ACTUAL viewing public.

I admit it, I did succumb to my friends' invitation to join Plurk and I have found myself compulsively connected for several days now.  I'm not going to lie, at first I was dubious about joining this, just as I was about facebook.  Personally, if I had to compare the two, I think Plurk is more fun, hands down.  But that's just me, I like things simple and straight forward.  All the many apps of facebook is not fun for me at all.

When I first heard of Plurk all I could think of was dripping water, or rather the sound water makes when it drips and I couldn't understand why my friends would invite me to a leaky place.   But since they are friends I trusted them not to lead me astray and so, as the adage goes, "veni vidi, vici" ... I came, I saw, I conquered.  And here is what my Plurk page looks like.
When asked to explain what Plurk is, I find myself at a loss for words.  It isn't quite a chat or message forum but it is definitely a social page.  All I know is that, it is fun (if you have friends there) and compulsive.   What is fun for me is watching just how fast my karma will go up with me responding only to posts I like and customizing my site to my liking.

If you're curious and possibly interested in joining the madness, check out my Plurk page HERE.  Oh!  Did you notice that I have a Plurk widget here on my right rail, too? hehehe.  And, yes, I adapted a Twilight theme there, too, and will most likely replace it at the same time as I change my theme here in Multiply.

I decided to make mango vinaigrette today.  A couple of days ago I bought lettuce, carrots, and alfalfa sprouts and so I planned on having a salad for dinner tonight.

So, a few minutes ago I start assembling all my ingredients and discovered that I didn't have any kalamansi.  Everything else was available, including the most important ingredient --- the mangoes chilling in the ref.

And so  I step out to go to the corner store to buy the kalamansi.  I'm back in a few minutes and I get ready to start making the dressing.  I open the ref and ... what the?!?  Where did the mangoes go?

I looked in the trash to see if there were mango peels, and there weren't any.  No one here in the house has eaten mango today.  My mom confirms that she did put mangoes in the ref to chill so I knew it wasn't my imagination.  Gigi and the kids just left but I saw that Jean-Luc brought home bananas, not mangoes.  Again, mom confirmed this because she said she was the one who prepared his things.  And so I ask again ... where did the mangoes go?

Sigh.

There goes my plans of a salad with mango vinaigrette.

I can use any old dressing, I know, but I really had my heart set on the mango vinaigrette.  Sigh.  Kainis.

Last night was Alec's birthday cum despedida party at his place in Cubao.  As my friends would know, I rarely if at all, attend social events.  Majority of the attendees were NWA peeps and I think it is safe to say that we had a blast!

For most, they enjoyed mixed drinks care of Mark and Jon.
Everyone took a taste of the spread Alec prepared.
There were quite a few cameras around, most visible was Nick's (stills and video) so I'm looking forward to his album posting.
And most everyone enjoyed the use of Ron's Magicsing, warbling along likes cats on a fence, hehehe.  People who had a turn on the mic (as far as I could recall) were:  Alec, Beej, Carl, Jon, Jovan, Karen, Lynn, Mark, me, Miao, Nick, Nina, Patton, Tobie, Zuri, and maybe a few more who I can't recall or whose names escape me at the moment.