Happy 5th

Kenny and I celebrated our 5th yr wedding anniversary 2 weeks ago. Our celebration was pretty low key. We just had a really nice dinner at a restaurant called "The Entourage". A few nights later, we hosted a Halloween Party for our friends. Most of our guests came in costumes and everyone had a blast taking pictures. I can't wait to do it all over again next year.

Pushing for "Pushing Daisies"

I have added a lot of new TV shows in our DVR but only a handful stood out for me. "Pushing Daisies " is one of those that I will very religiously keep watching. It's a gem of a fairytale and is such a joy to watch. In a landscape of redundant forensic labs and bloody cop shows, a little fairy tale is welcome indeed. Although it may have its flaws, it is sweet, very creative and quirky. Everybody likes quirky, right? ;-)

For some reason, the show reminded me of the movie, "The Big Fish".The characters are interestingly lush and well-developed. The actors are pretty good and convincing in their roles. I've recently heard that the show was picked up for the entire season so imagine my relief. It seems to me that a lot of fall shows which started out strong ended up being cancelled due to low ratings and poor viewership. I can't wait for the next episode. If you didn't get to catch the premiere episode, check out their website to find out what the show is all about. Give it a chance. You will surely get addicted to it too, guaranteed.

Remembering Luciano

Just some excerpts from the Yahoo news:

Luciano Pavarotti, opera's biggest superstar of the late 20th century, died Thursday. He was 71. He was the son of a singing baker and became the king of the high C's.
Pavarotti, who had been diagnosed last year with pancreatic cancer and underwent treatment last month, died at his home in his native Modena at 5 a.m., his manager told The Associated Press in an e-mailed statement.

Pavarotti's charismatic persona and ebullient showmanship — but most of all his creamy and powerful voice — made him the most beloved and celebrated tenor since the great Caruso and one of the few opera singers to win crossover fame as a popular superstar.
"Luciano's voice was so extraordinarily beautiful and his delivery so natural and direct that his singing spoke right to the hearts of listeners whether they knew anything about opera or not," Metropolitan Opera music director James Levine said in a statement.
Fellow singer Jose Carreras called Pavarotti "one of the greatest tenors ever, one of the most important singers in the history of opera."
For serious fans, the unforced beauty and thrilling urgency of Pavarotti's voice made him the ideal interpreter of the Italian lyric repertory, especially in the 1960s and '70s when he first achieved stardom. For millions more, his thrilling performances of standards like "Nessun Dorma" from Puccini's "Turandot" came to represent what opera is all about.
"Nessun Dorma" turned out to be Pavarotti's last aria, sung at the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Turin in February 2006.

Click on the above video to watch and listen to the great maestro performing "Nessun Dorma", my favorite aria. May he rest in peace.

Sleepers

What amuses me sometimes about my dogs (Lara hanging from the sofa, Sidney curled up in a ball) is their tendency to exhibit some really wacky and weird sleeping positions. I must have taken countless photos of them sleeping. Then, I got a bit curious about my own sleeping habits. My husband once told me that I move a lot in my sleep. I reckon I probably don't have a specific or favorite sleep position but here's an article about the most common ones. Let's see what yours is (or are) and what they say about you ;-)

What your sleeping position says about you ...

Foetus
Those who curl up in the foetus position are described as tough on the outside but sensitive at heart. They may be shy when they first meet somebody, but soon relax. This is the most common sleeping position. More than twice as many women as men tend to adopt this position.
Log
Lying on your side with both arms down by your side. These sleepers are easy going, social people who like being part of the in-crowd, and who are trusting of strangers. However, they may be gullible.
Yearner
People who sleep on their side with both arms out in front are said to have an open nature, but can be suspicious, cynical. They are slow to make up their minds, but once they have taken a decision, they are unlikely ever to change it.
Soldier
Lying on your back with both arms pinned to your sides. People who sleep in this position are generally quiet and reserved. They don't like a fuss, but set themselves and others high standards.
Freefall
Lying on your front with your hands around the pillow, and your head turned to one side. Often gregarious and brash people, but can be nervy and thin-skinned underneath, and don't like criticism, or extreme situations.
Starfish
Lying on your back with both arms up around the pillow. These sleepers make good friends because they are always ready to listen to others, and offer help when needed. They generally don't like to be the centre of attention.

There are also effects of various sleeping positions on health. The freefall position is good for digestion, while the starfish and soldier positions are more likely to lead to snoring and a bad night's sleep. Lying down flat means that stomach contents can more readily be worked back up into the mouth, while those who lie on their back may end up snoring and breathing less well during the night. Both these postures may not necessarily awaken the sleeper but could cause a less refreshing night's sleep.

300 and More

"The world will know that freemen stood against a tyrant, that few stood against many, and that before this battle is done, that even a god king can bleed." This is my favorite line from this film. Although this movie came out in the theaters last March, it wasn't until 3 weeks ago that I finally saw it when the DVD was released. Boy, did I regret not seeing it on wide screen! Anyway, I was truly amazed at how great it was. Based on Frank Miller's graphic novel, "300" concerns the 480 B.C. Battle of Thermopylae, where the King of Sparta led his army against the advancing Persians; the battle is said to have inspired all of Greece to band together against the Persians, and helped usher in the world's first democracy. Whether you're familiar with the historical background or not, you can't help but be drawn into the story of these men's bravery. The characters were well acted and even if I didn't know much about Gerard Butler's body of work before, I think he's one of my favorite actors now. I can't wait to see his next movie. I give this movie two thumbs up!!!

Mandy's Umbrella

Just like what Mandy Moore stated at the beginning of this video, I'm not so much into the Top 4o music as well. I prefer to listen to music or songs that I happen to come across and like and not because they're being played over and over on the radio. But, I have to say that I like Mandy's cover of the popular hit song of Rihanna, Umbrella. In fact, I think I like it better than the original. Let me know what you think.

Bourne Again

We saw this movie recently and I must say it's even better than the first two Bourne movies (The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Supremacy). The action is nonstop but not so over-the-top that the characters become "superheroes" or endowed with some superhuman abilities. The story kept to the plot and not muddled with so many subplots or surprise twists like how some movies are inclined to be. I have read the books a long time ago and I was truly thrilled when I found out a movie was coming out based on the Bourne character. I have to admit though that I wasn't so much in favor (at first) of Matt Damon playing the role of Jason Bourne just because I thought it should be played by an actor who's a bit older (like Daniel Craig or Clive Owen) but now that Matt Damon has gotten older and have some maturity in his face, his character is becoming more believable for me. He did a great job and deserved to be considered as one of Hollywood's best. Anyway, the movie is worth seeing and highly recommended.

Travel Advisory

A lot of readers of my travel blogs expressed interest in exploring Europe someday and although I am in no way a travel expert like Rick Steves and I've only been to a few places, I'm feeling rather inclined to share a few nuggets of wisdom to make their own journey easier and smoother. The best way to ensure a carefree and relaxing trip is to prevent problems before they happen. The more you learn about travel basics, the less likely you are to have difficulties.
Compared to those who have backpacked throughout Europe, our trips were on a slower pace and of shorter duration. Despite that, we still found ourselves wishing we did some things differently. Prior to our first trip last year, we read up on websites such as Lonely Planet that gave a lot of valuable information but we found the journey the best learning experience in itself.
Planning for a trip can be quite daunting and overwhelming but exciting as well. Just looking forward to seeing those new and foreign places will be incentive enough in getting the task done. Of course, your itinerary will be determined on the places you are planning on visiting. I would suggest looking up maps to determine their geographic locations and relative distances and to figure out transportation needs and transfers. You can also then plan on the length of time to spend on each places and the accommodations needed. Create your own time line or calendar so you can keep track of all the important information including flight info, fares, hotel addresses/tel #s, train departures and arrivals, train stations and fares, tour schedules and fees, daily itinerary, etc. Adhering to a certain schedule might not be your kind of spontaneous fun but it certainly keeps you on track so you'll be able to visit all or most of the places you want to see.
Choosing hotel accommodations can be a painstaking task. It certainly is an issue especially since the standards and rates might not be comparable with most US hotels. Unless you have someone's recommendation, it will be to your advantage to research and read up on reviews from other travelers. For us, we opted to choose from a fairly known chain of hotels, Accor Hotels, since we had an okay experience with them last year. They might still not be according to your standards but were generally commendable enough. Choose hotels that are within the vicinity of the sightseeing destinations and with easy access to public transportation. It's cost effective and adventurous as well.
Once you have all the travel details taken cared of, it's time to start packing. Yey! This also needs a lot of preparation. I would recommend making a list. Check the TSA website for the updates on restrictions. For a hassle-free and speedy security screening, follow the 3-1-1 For Carry-ons and the list for Permitted and Prohibited Items. I would also further suggest to wear slip-on shoes and to avoid wearing a belt with metal buckle or any clothing with metallic accessory to avoid any delay in going through those detectors. If carrying electronic devices, find out which ones need to be checked in and which ones need to be taken out of the carry-ons separately. That includes the laptop computer if bringing one.
When researching for last year's trip, the common tip we got was to travel lightly. Well, we really thought that we got it made since our luggage was about half the size of what we usually bring when visiting the Philippines. Na-ah! We still found ourselves having difficulties when we had to go through turnstiles and revolving doors and whenever we have to quickly get on and off the trains and buses. Some train stations don't have escalators or elevators so we had to haul our luggage up and down the flights of stairs. Poor Kenny had it really tough last year ;-( Despite having two wheels on my luggage, it became so heavy eventually and it felt like my arms were falling off from carrying it around. For this last trip, we invested on a couple of Samsonite 22" Spinner luggage. They were equipped with four wheels that can swivel in any direction for greater maneuverability. Instead of the usual two wheels, spinners have four on the bottom that can turn 360 degrees. Just like regular rolling suitcases, they can be tipped backwards and pulled but they can also be kept upright and rolled in any direction, making them particularly useful in tight spots. Pushing the bag sideways, for one, can come in handy in a narrow airplane aisle. Truly a great buy!
Since our luggage were just a size over the regular carry-ons, it forced us to not over-pack. It took a few trials of packing and unpacking to finally decide on what were essentials or not. Heeding the advice of travel experts, we brought travel size toiletries and made sure our clothes were easily mixed and matched as well as weather-appropriate (Note: regularly check the weather forecast of the places you're visiting). Although we originally planned on getting some of our clothes washed by the hotel laundry service, their steep prices (about $12 for a pair of jeans?) were so discouraging so we ended up washing them ourselves in the bathroom sink. Therefore, make sure your clothing pieces are easily washable and quick to dry. I would suggest washing dirty clothes upon arriving at the next location so you'll have enough drying time. Bring a small container for detergent and also use the hotel's liquid soap for washing. I'm proud to say that we never had to spend a single euro for laundry this time. Back to the basics (kuskos), ya'll ;-)
One other tip that I can't stress enough is picking the most comfortable and durable footwear possible. Traveling around Europe means a LOT of walking and most often on cobblestone streets and paths. Your feet will thank you if you wisely choose practicality over style or fashion. If they are a new pair of shoes, break them in first before the trip or you'll have painful blisters to deal with. Not the best way to enjoy your vacation at all.
Once you are all packed up, go through the checklist and make sure your travel documents are in order. Make two copies of your passport identification page to facilitate replacement if lost or stolen. Do the same with the debit and credit cards you're using. Leave one copy at home with a trusted relative/friend and carry the other with you in a separate and secure place. Also leave a copy of your itinerary with family and friends at home so you can be easily contacted in case of an emergency.
One more thing that is important is to familiarize yourself with local laws and customs of the countries you are visiting. While in a foreign country, you are subject to its laws. Knowing a few common phrases or words in their language can be helpful as well.
Hmmm... what else? I'm sure a lot of readers out there can add more to my list. Feel free to do so. It will be much appreciated, I'm sure. So, for those who are in the process of planning for their first or next trip, there's no need to stress yourself out. There's so much information out there. Don't forget to load up your Ipod with your favorite tunes, take as many photos or video footages and blog about your adventures if possible. It's always fun to read back on your entries and relive your journeys all over again. Happy trails, everyone!

Eurotrip 2007

Here's a link to the video that Kenny made from our trip to Salzburg, Vienna and Prague. Caution: It's a long one and a bit shaky on some spots but I hope you like it ;-) Thanks.

Click here to watch "Eurotrip-2007"

Parental Discretion Advised

Here's the link of the disturbing voice mail mesage that the embattled actor Alec Baldwin left for his daughter Ireland (with actress and ex-wife Kim Basinger) back in late April. I know this controversy had been played out in the media weeks ago but I just thought I'll make a post about it in this new blog and see if we can share opinions and "deep" thoughts regarding this (tabloid bait) matter. Of course, we're in no position to sit in judgment of the people involved and we don't really know all sides of their story but I'm just curious to know what you think.