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Thanks to A.S. for making this dream come true.

Thanks to Mahoney (Mah Honey, geddit?) for making my shopping dream in the Great Singapore Sale come true

Posts coming soon. (Supposing I don’t get buried in them curry crabs and shoppings bags. Heh.)

Dear Boy Friend,

You must love me
’cause you gave me this DSLR.

I love your MacBook Pro,
I love you too.

Thanks for making A Dream come true.

“Moderate their greed,” as said by Romulo Neri to Jun Lozada in the full-blown ZTE scam, is my favorite phrase of the year.

Of course, people say the scrapped deal was disadvantageous to the government and would further widen the gap between this country’s rich and poor. Hmm, what about the gap between the rich and the greedy rich?

Here are some reasons why the already-rich won’t “moderate their greed” and would like to be filthy rich by all means possible: (as quoted/adapted from an old article in the Sunday Times of London clipped by this blogger)

Rich is a house in the country; very rich is a house in another country.

Rich is having two cars; very rich is having two chauffeurs . (heck, five chauffeurs even!)

Rich is owning offshore investments; very rich is owning offshore islands.

Rich is being able to hire an accountant; very rich is being able to fire an accountant.

Rich is a eating a large steak in a top restaurant… in New York! ; very rich is a large stake in a top restaurant… in New York!

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Image497.

Sourced from the Intercontinental Manila holiday brochure (author unknown):

As early as November, Christmas carols fill the air and multi-colored parols (star-shaped lanterns made out of paper and bamboo or capiz shells), garlands of twinkling lights, Christmas trees, belens (Nativity tableau) and other holiday ornaments liven up homes, shopping malls, buildings, and streets in the Philippines where the longest Christmas celebration in the world is observed.

Christmas Day in the Philippines is ushered in by a nine-day novena of dawn Masses starting December 16. Known as the Misa de Gallo (Rooster’s Mass) in Spanish or Simbang Gabi (Night Mass) in Filipino, it is considered as the most important Filipino Christmas tradition. The practice dates back to the Spanish colonial period when priests held Masses at daybreak for farmers who wanted to attend Christmas Mass but could not leave their fields. Today, Filipinos attend the Misa de Gallo as an expression of their devotion to God and as a novena to obtain special graces.

A custom related to the Misa De Gallo is the selling of traditional food by vendors outside churches to the faithful who would either eat these on the spot or for breakfast at home. These delicacies are bibingka (rice flour and egg-based cake cooked using coals on top and under) and puto bumbong ( a purple sticky rice delicacy steamed in bamboo tubes then topped with muscovado sugar and coconut shavings). Salabat (hot ginger tea) and tsokolate (thick Spanish cocoa) are the favorite accompaniments.

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Iza Calzado, originally uploaded by annalyn.

So now you know why we were flying up North. We were supposed to go there with movie actress Iza Calzado for the premiere of her movie ‘Batanes.’ In the film opening in theaters on Dec.5 , Iza stars with good-looking newcomer Roem Bascon and Taiwanese superstar Ken Chu (of the F4 fame). The heart-wrenching drama will either make you cry for a lost love or enthrall you with the cinematography taken mostly in rustic Batanes, with its lush valleys, majestic cliffs and imposing sea.

Iza was first actress I’ve talked to in a long, long time and it helped that she was the epitome of niceness, not to mention beauty. The girl has the most tantalizing almond eyes, a perfect set of teeth and a “real” body which is not shrunken from too much diet . Was glad to sit down with her to ask some slum-book type of questions and she was such a sport to answer. Okay, let’s get jiggy with it .. here goes:

What are the Top 5 places you love?

Iza: Batanes – there’s just so much beauty there – whether you turn right, turn left, look up or look down!

Paris – I went there with my boyfriend in 2006 and it was just so romantic!

Washington, D.C. – because of the cherry blossoms in spring and because this is where my boyfriend’s (Fil-Am) family comes from.

Boracay – this place gives me absolute freedom to dance

Palawan (El Nido and Coron) – the limestones and lagoons are amazing!

P.S. I also love Baguio. I’ve never been to New York and maybe if I go there, Washington D.C. will be removed from the list, haha.

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