The Inside Man

Damn! This is a very good movie. I thoroughly enjoyed it. I think Clive Owen will be included as one of the top stars after this movie. He should be the next James Bond, IMHO.

Manu, RENT and my first painting!

I have a roommate. He's a classmate of mine while we were still in Iowa and we have somehow ended together through some random circumstances and events. His name is Manu and is an Indian.

Ok hold on a sec. Hold on a sec.

Why am I writing like a grade 2 student introducing this friend of mine? I don't know. I'm already sleepy and I want to get this one over with so I can sleep. For a change, I actually feel like sleeping and that it'll feel good when I do. (Aaah, why is it that we have to taste the bitter seeds in order to appreciate the sweet fruit?)

Anyway, back to my roommate. Why am I introducing him? Well, actually, I'm just setting this one up for something I'm gonna write down the road. Obviously, I see him every day. And so I know a lot about him and his own perspective in life. That is something I'd like to share (I don't know where I get like dealing with other people's problems. I, sometimes am more concerned with theirs first, rather than mine. That's why I get into trouble a lot too. >:) ) Anyway, he's here with me, and now you, the reader are aware of his existence. I can show a picture of him here, but I rather not ruin my blog's aesthetics. (hehe, if he reads this, he'll probably kill me for writing that.)

Now that we're done with that, I'd like to let the world know that I just watched RENT. It's generally known as a play in Broadway, but I didn't go there, I just rented the DVD (get it, rent? When you thought the jokes are bad now, it only gets worse!). The one with Taye Diggs and Rosario Dawson. It's pretty good. I wouldn't have rented it in the first place if it were not for Mia's exclaiming that it was indeed good and worth watching. (Mia's a good friend of mine.) I hear that in the Philippines, some studio bought the movie rights to the play RENT and that's why every one and their mother is excited about it there.

If they're gonna be excited about rent, I'm equally excited about my first painting. Yep, that's right, I have a painting. I'm now officially an artist! I have been dabbling in this painting website. And occasionally I found myself spending time on it. (Sometimes, when I shouldn't be doing so... so naughty me.) Anyway, after a few ones that didn't make the mark (I have a standard ya know), I have one that I particularly. Somehow, it made sense, or actually, it's just nice to look at.



I'm actually thinking of buying a pen and tablet. I am already enjoying this occasional excursions into the world of painting, I'm thinking of making it a hobby. Oh well, we'll see.

Anyway, that's it for tonight. Sooo sleepy.

13th of March

My mom visited me for 2 weeks here in Florida, and left about a week ago. It was quite a refreshing visit to be honest. I tasted some home meals for a change. My dad was also here, arriving 10 days after my mom.

One thing I'd like to talk about is about my dad. As I learn more about my dad, the more I see myself in him. For starters, it's how he is with other people and his love ones. If you want to make my dad happy, you can't make it by giving him stuff and other things that you usually give to people to surprise them. The way to do so is to make the people he wants happy to be happy.

If I give my mom a gift, my dad is happy. That's where he derives his satisfaction--knowing that other people are happy. It's this selfless act that I inherited from him. I usually put other people first before myself. In some of the things I do (altogether a huge subject), I usually put others first, then my own, if it's still needed. Feeling the joy and satisfaction of others gives me the same joy and satisfaction.

Anyway, let me just tell you what we did here, cause that's where the good stuff really is. I was so appreciative that my dad took the time to fix my car. It's an old Toyota Camry. It has some things wrong with it. Not really show stoppers, more like small things that I just don't have the knowledge to fix.

In one of the 3 days he was here, he took my mom on a stroll around the apartment complex. I stayed behind to give them some time for themselves. They were like kids, actually. Each enjoying each other's company and the moment. Something that I miss. Little did I know that they walked like 10 minutes to the local grocery. My mom loves to buy stuff, whether they're food or fashion accessories. And my dad knows this and that's why he took her there.

They came back late, and got me a little bit worried, but I knew they were safe. They looked haggard from the walk, but nonetheless enjoyed their time. It's one of the moments that I'll remember during their visit here. And so glad I could see them like that. I mean what else could I ask for? My parents are in love with each other like as if they have just met.

It's amazing how I start this log trying to write about my experience and end up writing someone else's. Maybe it's just my dad in me. I'm happy when I see other people enjoying themselves =)

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year to all! I hope you and your family is safe and happy this year!

Now, it's been a while since I started writing in my blog. The problem I have though is what kind of things do I write here? Is it more like a diary or more like a bulletin board? I don't know really, and that's probably why I don't post a lot more than what I usually can.

Anyway, I'm too sleepy now to think about it. I'll think about it tomorrow.

My Mom is coming

My Mom is coming to visit me... Quite frankly, I don't know what to make of it. I want to see her, but I'm not looking forward to it. It's just a break from what I regularly do. And what I'm not looking forward to especially is the rants and unsolicited advice she'll give me. When I was a kid, I hated those.

I learned to tune out what my Mom would say to me. I didn't want to do what she said. I'm an adult now, and yet I feel like a kid when my Mom is around. The truth is, I don't know how to act like an adult around my Mom, or Dad for that matter.

And it's something I don't particular like....

They say that when you have acknowledge that which bothers you, then the healing can begin. I hope I can get to that stage. I have 1 and a half months to reflect on it...

Car trouble

It's 5am now. And before I sleep, let me write something to go. My roommate and I watched a move at around 4pm. After it finished, we decided to drive 30 minutes south to north miami beach and go visit this filipino restaurant that I looked up on the Net.

At first sight, I was kind of disappointed at the restaurant. It's front appearance wasn't classy, more like a mom-and-pop shop. We went inside and I was further disappointed at the limited choices of entrees. Eventually, I ordered adobo and sinigang. My friend ordered adobo and menudo.

After being completely full, we threaded northbound heading back home. I had something to catch and we decide to jet as soon as we were ready to leave. On our way back, the rain was a real downpour. I had my wipers in full blast, but the visibility of the road was still bad.

I finally exited the highway, and, after about 100 meters later, my car suddenly stopped. It went dead. I couldn't restart it. Stranded in the middle of the road, it felt really embarrassing. My good friend came to the rescue though. He helped push the car to a nearby gasoline station. Tthank god the car went dead close to one. If it died in the middle of the highway, it would have been a lot worse.

We called for a tow truck to pick up the car and we called a good friend of ours, Rain. He gladly accompanied us while the tow truck took long to get to us. After close to an hour, the tow truck finally came, and we followed it.

Rain took us back home after that. And stayed a little while in our apartment. Overall, I think the night was more adventurous. On monday, I have to check on the repair shop on what was wrong with my car. My hunch is that it's the battery, but I don't have the first clue when it comes to fixihng cars.

Anyway, that's about it tonight. It's funny how delightful a night can be despite the fact that your plans were disrupted and unexpected things happen.

Food!

I'm spending a long time trying to come up with a topic for my next post to my blog. So I finally decided to just write whatever I'm thinking at the moment.

I've seen a number of blogs, and they're all good. The good ones in my opinion are those that tackle the mundane stuff and just talk about it. It's not so much as the subject that enthralls me, but more because of the writer letting me a sneak peek into his/her world.

Now, if I can only do that....

Well, where do I start? I guess by introducing myself. I'm a software programmer here in sun-baked and hurricane-soaked Florida where the chicks are hotter than the summer sun.

I play a lot of games, go out from time to time and watch almost no TV. My roommate, who is Indian, is the one who watches TV in his 50" plasma. I occassionally catch sounds of what he's watching, but other than that, I leave him alone and vice versa. I would call my parent every now and then and catch up on news and on what's happening back home.

One thing that I am missing is the atmosphere back home. I, in an insane way, miss the polluted streets and choking heat of the city-scape. Given the choice between a $20 steak at the local Arby's or a stick of fishballs, I'll choose the latter. Don't even mention the sour mangos with alamang (shrimp paste) from the Philippines. OMG, I'm salivating as I write this.

But enough with foods. Talking more about it when I can't get it is just torture =)

...
(15 minutes later)
...

Ok, so I searched for some filipino restaurants in southern florida. I saw 4, but the first two I called didn't answer. So I found this one, called "Tatay's" in North Miami Beach. And it's not as far as I thought, only 26 minutes away. I'll definitely go check this out. Give my roommate a taste of filipino food. >:)

He liked my adobo btw, but calls it "odoyo", which is kinda funny. I just let him get away with it. He'll claim that my cooking sucks and will not admit that he liked my cooking and . But what's funny is that I haven't cooked adobo for a long time, and the last time he tasted my cooking was a year ago. He still remembers it regardless, so my cooking must have made an impression on him. =)

Anyway, I'm already talking to my roommate and making plans. We can do it either this weekend or the next. Can't wait to taste filipino food once again! Though I have nothing against Jamaican and Columbian cuisine (they're great!) nothing beats home grown food that tickles the soul.