Meanderings

2010-04-30T00:19:00.002+08:00

Ah, the accidental and delightful gifts of ample free time! I came across this article on Simone de Beauvoir's fashion taste or rather her altogether couldn't-be-bothered and couldn't-care-less attitude towards dressing. Chuckle-worthy.

2010-04-23T11:29:00.002+08:00

As Father's Day nears, people are racking their brains and are willingly opening their wallets to come up with gifts to show their Dads just how great they are. The thought and care that came with choosing the gift is just as precious as the gift itself. So before you dash to the stores, think about these first:

> What gift would be very useful to my father?

First and foremost, what activities, if any, do your Dad engage in? Needless to say, camping gear wouldn't be appreciated if Dad rarely goes camping. Wouldn’t matter how pricey or fancy it is.

If fishing is his favorite past time, head on to the fishing gear shop and get him the gadget most fishing enthusiasts rave about at the moment. It'll be wonderful if you took the initiative to ask the store clerk how to use it and then go on to explain to Dad how it'll make his fishing trips more fun. Your dad could be a runner, a gardener and fill-it-in-here and this will still apply. Think about it.

Is there something that Dad has mentioned that he needed or wanted?

Barring unrealistic expectations, (taking a picture of the Earth from outer space; a Lamborghini Reventon Roadster - heck, I’d like one for myself, too; a health care system structured with the citizen’s best interest at heart -duh!) you can get them a gift you know they’ve been wanting all along. Aside from the extra points you get from actually listening and paying attention to what your Dad says, it’ll make your Dad really appreciative and happy.

>Wouldn’t it be wiser to ask Dad what he would like as a Father’s day present?

It can be tricky getting a suitable gift so why not save yourself the anxiety and just go up to the big guy and ask what he would like. Chances are, he will be pleasantly surprised and will come up with gift ideas that has never even crossed your mind. Barring unrealistic expectations, of course.

If you would rather consign the work of running through the great variety of choices available, why not start by checking out what online sellers have to offer?

This does not necessarily mean that you won’t take the time to think the options over. What it’ll do is generate options that you have missed or simply didn’t know existed. Narrow down your choices to those that appeal to your Dad as you know him and then ordering is as easy as clicking a mouse. As most online sellers take care of wrapping and delivery, you can then sit back content with the fact that you did your part.

Happy Father’s Day to all Dads!

2010-04-22T17:08:00.022+08:00

Going green is not just fashionable these days; it is increasingly becoming the best way to live. With Mother’s day just around the corner, what better way to show your love to Earth and to Mom than by getting gifts that do not harm the environment. Here are my picks for green gifts ideas:
Home Décor – For Moms with an an eye for beautiful and unusual pieces to decorate her home.
1. Recycled Glass Tree Globes – made from broken shards of glass that’s been melted and handcrafted by artist Stephen Kitras. Beautiful glass globes with vibrant splashes of color. Perfect ornament for the environment-conscious Mom.
2. Votive Flower Holder – Haitian Votive flower holders made in Haiti from recycled steel oil drums. Handcrafted by artisans from Comite Artisanal Haitian. Exquisitely made, and brightly colored, these will serve as beautiful flower vases or as pretty display pieces on their own.
3. Vintage Flash camera Clock – A clock made with vintage flash camera that’s bound to appeal to a photography-enthusiast mom. Wonderful combination of history and style with recycling in mind.
4. Ammunitions Case Wine Rack – a reimagining that’s bound to make wine lovers happy. Made from vintage ammunitions boxes dating from the 60~70s, it can now hold wine bottles for storage.

Jewelry – Gift ideas that merge functionality, recycling and style. She’ll definite love these recycled, handmade items.
1. Earth-tones Sea Glass watch – A timepiece made from recovered glass that’s been broken, tumbled and washed by the combined force of the sea and the sands. A piece of jewelry that any eco-conscious mom would be proud to wear.
2. Earrings and bracelets – whether made from recovered sea glass, recycled sterling silver or vintage glass cabochons, jewelry that’s been handcrafted from recycled and recovered items fuse personality, style and a personal statement of regard for the environment.

Wine – For a mom that entertains with style and a green conscience.
1. Capri hand painted Balloon Wine Glasses - wine glasses from recycled glass that’s been fired and hand painted in Italy.
2. Seltzer Vintage Bottle Wine Holder – made from recycled Argentinian circa-1930s Seltzer glass and metal bottles. Combines elegance and class.
3. Mini Wine Display – made with retired oak wine barrels. Handcrafted in Georgia.

Environmentally-friendly Bags – Must-have for green Moms with style.
1. Confetti Clutch made from recycled candy wrappers - A stylish and colorful clutch bag made with criss-crossed recycled candy wrappers. Handmade from Mexico and Peru. Available in recycled newspaper, too.
2. The UM Carry Bag – made with excess industrial wool, Josh Jackus gray hand bag packs the elegance and utility in this exceptional bag. Made in San Francisco, USA.

Pampering with the environment in mind – enjoy luxurious pampering without hurting the environment
1. An all natural Spa basket - A sauna kit that includes everything Mom needs to cleanse, hydrate and beautify: a massaging brush, pumice stone, loofah, nail and hair brush plus a selection of Burt’s Bees relaxation essentials. Just perfect for that hardworking Mom.

Have a Happy and Green Mother’s Day!

2010-04-20T22:38:00.002+08:00

Losing an iPhone isn't easy but what if what you lost was the next generation iPhone prototype? The faux pas was too great it seemed to me too ridiculous! How can you even misplace something of that value?! From Gizmondo's pics and the scoop from New York Times here

2010-04-12T10:00:00.009+08:00

Music Festivals

August 19th 2010 marks the beginning of the 25th anniversary of the three-day Pukkelpop Festival in Belgium. The small town of Kiewiet in Hasselt is home to this yearly festival that highlights Punk, Heavy metal, Electronic music, Hip hop, Indie and Dance music.
Headliners for this year's events are: Iron Maiden; Queens of Stone Age; Placebo, 2MANYDJS and Prodigy. Continue reading here.

Glastonbuy Festival or Glasto is one of the hottest music festivals of the year. Read about it.

The 2010 Wakarusa Music and Camping Festival or Waka officially kicks off on the 3rd of June and lasts until the 6th at Mulberry Mountain, Ozark, Arkansas. The foremost music festival of the Midwest boasts of more than a hundred local and national acts and bands coming together for a four-day non-stop music extravaganza. More here.

2009-12-26T15:53:00.006+08:00

On Classical Music.

Alex Ross on his blog, Unquiet Thoughts, wrote last week how his search for Beethoven's "Eroica" Symphony led him to Eric Grunin’s Eroica Project. Mr. Grunin studied composition and computer programming and was very interested in how the tempo has changed through the years. Mr. Grunin has amassed a vast collection of the Eroicas and continues to work on the site. Read the rest of the article here.

Travel destination suggestions, anyone?

2009 is drawing to a close and in a few days we would be celebrating the arrival of a new year. What better way to greet 2010 but to travel? Here's a list that sure to inspire your traveling plans. What's your pick?

Meet James Hansen, the director of NASA's Goddard Institute of Space Studies and one of the world's most prominent climate scientists. He was featured on Cosmos Magazine in August. Read the article here.

2009-07-03T18:36:00.021+08:00

Wonderful day to be out in a park so I picked up my digicam and headed to National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts. 'CowParade - Taichung Tour' showcases several cows in various imaginative and artistic incarnations: a bedazzled cow, a cow with tiny-flimsy wings made of beads and wire, a black cow on a rocker with matching leather saddle just to name a few.

Here are pictures of the exhibit. Enjoy!

This one is the sculpture that I like the best.

Deconstructing cow.

Neat, eh!

The plaque on the sculpture says Andy Lau. Wondering if it meant the Hongkong star.

This one's sponsored by a local bank.

Beef noodles, anyone?

On the left side.

On the right.

Closer shot of the female figure.

This cow has a bunch of twigs with mini-cows hanging from it.

The mini-cows up close.

The view from the elevated walk.

Til next time.

2009-06-28T07:51:00.006+08:00

Saw Transformers 2, 'Revenge of the Fallen'. If you haven't seen it yet, stop reading here. Spoilers follow.

I'll start with what I liked about the movie. I trooped to the theater because I wanted to see the Autobots again and I sure wasn't disappointed. There's an early fight scene at Shanghai with Optimus Prime and the rest of the autobots(sans Bumblebee) stalking and bringing down two decepticons with the help of a secret US-lead international taskforce under Major Lennox (Duhamel). Back at the US, Bumblebee had a scene all his own terminating mini-monsters.

Here's the rest of my take on the second Transformers movie.

2009-06-24T15:31:00.002+08:00

Crossword puzzles, anyone?

Never got the hang of it though. Tried to do some but I always give up in under 15 minutes. I am looking for hobbies to pick up and next to learning to swim and playing the guitar, finishing crossword puzzles places last on my top three.

Found this on Times online. Nothing there though that anybody who has grappled with crosswords don't know.

2009-04-21T22:29:00.003+08:00

Was sitting on a bus on my way to Beitun yesterday when I saw this mini. Taken through the bus window pane with my Sony W660i phone.

2009-03-14T13:14:00.004+08:00

Cloudy and chilly day. What better thing to do than curl up in front of the computer and read online magazines no?

Stephenie Meyer's Twilight series' first novel, 'Twilight' spawned the movie of the same title. Robert Pattinson played vampire Edward romancing the human Bella played by Kristen Stewart. Second movie in the works. Alan Ball of HBO liked the books of "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" so much that he successfully created the TV series 'True Blood' on HBO (with the nod of author Charlaine Harris).
What is it about blood-sucking night creatures feeding on humans that generations of readers and viewers alike find irresistible?

Here's an article on the history of vampire literature. From scholars' successive annotations of Bram Stoker's 'Dracula' as arguably the most widely-read work that shaped the development of the genre. The layers of meaning bringing readers closer to just why we find vampires fascinating. Quite a read.

2009-02-15T03:22:00.003+08:00

Valentine's Day came and went. I'm a chocoholic so I kinda made my wishlist of chocolate shops I'd travel to. Special thanks to forbestravel.com for the tips.

Went to my friend's daughter's first birthday celebration, that was fun. Time really flew. Seems to me that just a few months ago Angeline was this cute baby and now's she's 1. Jeanne and Bob's son Dawson is turning 2 in March. Adorable kids. My niece Inno is turning four months, too. Time seems to pass by so quickly.

2009-02-13T14:51:00.003+08:00

Of the many countries around the world Filipinos flock to in search of greener pastures, Dubai was a glittering oasis. Apparently the oasis is turning into a mirage. The woes of Dubai's foreign workers here.

A touching story about a brave firefighter and a baby he saved
forty years after.

2009-02-03T11:28:00.010+08:00

David and I were at WenXin Park February 1st. Taichung's Lantern Festival for the Year of the Ox feature Ling Ling and Niu Niu, mascots of the Sinon Bulls baseball team. The park wasn't that crowded yet but already families with young children and adults alike wait their turn to take photos of lanterns shaped like animals, flowers and trees. Even musical instruments.

The Lantern Festival officially started February 2nd. There are gourmet food booths, activity areas for families and street performances. 10,000 Year of the Ox mini lanterns will be given out to visitors, too.

Children will love this. Even the not so young ones will find it interesting as well.

A prosperous and happy new year to all from this side of the world.

2009-01-15T16:06:00.002+08:00

January 2009. How time flew! I lot of things happened the past year, some good, others not so. With the new year comes new hope and a renewed sense of promise. May 2009 bless each and every one of us good health, closer family ties and a strong heart to face the challenges ahead. I would like to call for world peace as well and a swift end to the current Israeli offensive in Gaza.

2008-01-26T11:05:00.001+08:00

Four weeks into 2008 and the Lunar New Year is just around the corner. Where I'm now, I get to greet the New Year twice! Imagine another go at assessing the year past and planning for the coming one. What's more, I can make a list of my New Year's resolutions - which I've completely put off the first time around - I get another clean start. Just what I need, another start.

I was shocked and saddened by Heath Ledger's untimely demise. I'm with those who think it was an accident. A young man with an adorable daughter and a string of projects lined-up wouldn't think of ending his own life. Rest in peace, Heath.

2007-08-07T11:14:00.001+08:00

Found Elizabeth Gilbert's very engaging book on her travels, "Eat, Pray, Love" last Thursday at Caves Book. It is part travel, part account of her search for spiritual enlightenment, part autobiography. I'm just so amazed at how engaging a storyteller she is!

Discovered Bossa Nova through Rita Lee's beautifully done cover of such Beatles hits as
"Hard Day's Night", "With a Little Help from My Friends" and my personal favorite, "If I Fell". "Bossa'n Beatles" is an excellent album to listen too if you dig jazz and the Beatles. It's a great introduction to Bossa Nova.

That's it for now. Ciao!

2007-06-06T20:12:00.000+08:00

I've been away for more than a month! The job is turning alright and I'm having a wonderful time. So here I am again, collating articles here and there so I can place them at my blog. Enjoy!

Listen to this short piece on NPR about the perception one's accent create on other people in the US. Does speaking English with an accent affect one's career? You decide.

Ah Sweden! Read all about its second most famous city here.
Norway is on top of my list of cities to visit, now Sweden is a close second.

2007-04-30T13:30:00.000+08:00

Something to read on a hot, humid day like this.

Currently going through all the emotional hassles of rejoining the work force after more than a year of living under a rock. I'm keeping my fingers crossed and hoping for the best.

2007-04-07T16:51:00.000+08:00

A study that has 'Power makes people stupid' as one of its major premises. Provides insights on the effect of power on those under it as well. Ignore the 'Rich' title, as the findings apply more to those in positions of power than anything.

The 15 British navy officers and marines tell their story after two weeks of captivity. Whatever propaganda or media coverage puffed-up Iran got out of the stand-off is irrelevant; all I am for is a peaceful resolution. Thank God that's what happened in the end.

I'm not in the mood for bad news so I'll skip the local newspapers for now.

2007-03-07T15:26:00.000+08:00

Here's one article that takes a look at the level of dependency in relationships. Read it here

It's cold and rainy here in Taichung while a friend told me that it was migraine-inducing hot back in Manila. The weather really is screwed up.

Click here for news on Daniel Radcliffe's much anticipated theater appearance in the West End's revival of the play, 'Equus'

2007-03-05T10:14:00.000+08:00

A long, insightful read as scientists theorize on the reasons - biological or evolutionary - on why belief in God is so pervasive. Read it here.

2007-03-01T19:53:00.000+08:00

Have you seen this interesting video at Yahoo! ?

Ingenious, no?

2007-03-01T15:55:00.000+08:00

" Listening four or five times a day to newscasters and commentators, reading the morning papers and all the weeklies and monthlies - nowadays this is described as "taking an interest in politics". St. John of the Cross would have called it indulgence in idle curiosity and the cultivation of disquietude for disquietude's sake."
- Aldous Huxley

Quoted him for what he said rings true for me. Hmm ... there I was thinking I was trying to know what is going on around the world for surely, knowing helps one understand, right? I wasn't even doing it for the sake of 'interest' but merely to comfort myself with the thought that I at least am abreast of what is going on outside.

I remembered an old Sufi story I read somewhere about a man on his knees on the street looking for something. Another man passed him by and asked what was wrong. The first man said he had lost his key. And so the second man helped him look. This went on for a while and when they couldn't find it on the street, the second man asked the first man where he had lost the key. "Inside the house" came the reply. The second man asked him in turn what the heck he was doing looking for the key out in the street. The first man then replied, "Because it is bright here".

If only I wasn't so predisposed to thinking too much ...

2007-02-09T14:48:00.000+08:00

This alarm clock is something that's bound to wake you - it's won't stop ringing or rather it would be difficult to stop it from ringing until you're fully awake since you'll need to locate it and stop it from beeping.

I wouldn't want one - it will be such a waste to smash a $50 clock so early in the morning don't you think?