Another Year Wiser

Happy birthday, Ma.

Italian for Dinner, French for Dessert Yet Chowing on American in Between

It was a night of naked bodies, giggles, shrieking (not from me), shock (now that’s from me) and three nationalities.

Earlier, I was nursing a bowl of Pasta Alfredo, a deviation from my usual mashed potatoes from KFC whenever we watch movies. Col. Sanders was happy to keep me and my sis company as we were watching some events in the life and even up to the demise of the famed Dutch Post-Impressionist painter Vincent Willem van Gogh unfold before our very eyes in our premiere seats at On Stage, Cinema One, Ayala Center Cebu. Seeing a movie for free is such a rare treat nowadays that we took full advantage and thoroughly enjoyed it along with the rest of the audience.

Though the movie certainly did entertain with the characters’ quips and quirks, tongue-in-cheek humor, good cinematography (and that’s just a conservative assessment..it was actually very good), and the name Van Gogh that drew in viewers and filled almost all of the seats, there were moments that left me wondering if I was the only one in that cavernous hall not getting what we were seeing. Must be the director’s style or could be anything but yes, certain parts of the movie were too vague for me. It would have been interesting to find out how the paintings of a supposed weirdo with epileptic tendencies (I suppose that in this day and age, a young van Gogh could be easily labeled as “indie” or darker yet, “emo”) are now worth millions of dollars when they were badly criticized when he was still alive yet the directed opted not to show that scene.

The Van Gogh biopic is one of the eleven participating films for the French Film Fest 2009 from June 19-21 sponsored by the Embassy of France in Manila, Ayala Cinemas, Arts Council of Cebu Foundation, Inc. and Les Amis de la France.

You can catch the featured movies on these dates:

FRIDAY, JUNE 19, 2009
1:00 pm – 3:00 pm Home (G)
3:15 pm – 5:00 pm The Secret (R13)
5:15 pm – 7:00 pm Jean de la Fontaine (R13)
7:15 pm – 9:50 pm Van Gogh (R13)

SATURDAY, JUNE 20, 2009
2:30 pm – 4:15 pm Ridicule
4:30 pm – 6:30 pm MA SAISON Préférée (R13)
6:45 pm – 8:45 pm Home (G)
9:00 pm – 10:45 pm The Secret ( R13)

SUNDAY, JUNE 21, 2009
2:30 pm – 4:30 pm MA SAISON Préférée (R13)
4:45 pm – 6:45 pm Jean de la Fontaine (R13)
7:00 pm – 8:45 pm Ridicule

Image taken using a Canon Powershot A480. Copyright by author. Mucho thanks to Naynay Wilma for emailing me the schedule.

You Have Two Days More

From the second largest cosmetics franchise in the world, here’s a treat for all of us The Bodyshop fans:

Even after 33 years of a series of brilliant accidents from its founding by then Italian immigrant Anita Roddick nee Anita Lucia Perilli in March 1976 between 2 funeral parlors in Littlehampton, West Sussex, England, the company still upholds its policies against animal testing. Frequently found in the company’s 2400 stores in 61 countries are posters that say “Our products are not tested on animals, never have been and never will be.”

The company is also known for its active role in promoting its Community Trade or “Trade Not Aid” initiative among different countries in the world with the aim of “creating trade to help people in the Third World utilise their resources to meet their own needs”. The Bodyshop gets its supply of honey and beeswax from Zambia, cactus mitts and sisal scrubs from Mexico, marula oil from Namibia, handmade recycled paper and card from Nepal, organic alcohol and banana puree from Ecuador, organic tea tree oil from Kenya, and from Ghana, cocoa butter and shea butter. Its history of community trade around the world involving more than 15 countries is summarized in this video.

So, girls and boys (we know you’re vain sometimes..hehe), head to the nearest Bodyshop outlet or check out its online store. There’s no need to emphasize the need to hurry, is there? *wink*

Source: www.wikipedia.com

Color Your World

A long absence certainly merits a very good explanation. And I’ve got several. Yours truly was quite busy for the last few days attending a friend’s wedding and getting the couple presents, catching up on my reading, and doing a logo for the Pinoy-Dutch Xplore 2009. After the drafts were done, I decided to do a short “style-tip” kind of entry to illustrate the fun I had while attempting to do cartooning for the very first time.

HOW TO DO CARTOONS A LA PACHUVACHUVA

The jeep was modeled after Endajip, a work of artist Lady Mendoza of Ang Ilustrador ng Kabataan. Permission for using her work as inspiration is still being requested as of press time.

The simple drawing now comes alive thanks to the vivid colors.

Can’t wait to have this splashed across a shirt and worn around the city (ahem! hehe).

Hope I was able to make it up to you, my dear readers, with this short post. Oh, by the way, blame my “cartooning” mood to my reading Captain America, Winter Soldier Vol. 1 which I got as a birthday gift. Will be doing a review of that soon.

NOTE: I got the fabulous cartoon fonts from www.blambot.com.

Naragsak a Kasangay

Fifty-six hours and a hundred miles or so (didn’t really keep track..hehe). For friendship and love of adventure. That’s what that trip was all about. Happy birthday to me.

May 15, 2009, 12mn Quite an early start for late risers like us. But the fun just started as we braved the traffic of mega Manila to go up north of the country.

VIGAN

This quaint city will charm you without effort. Recently shortlisted in the UNESCO World Heritage List, Vigan is any photographer’s delight.

Baluarte

May 15, 2009, 9am Nine hours after we departed, we finally reached our first destination. This “free zoo” concept is the brainchild of the incumbent Ilocos Sur governor, Chavit Singson.

Vigan Cathedral

Burgos Museum

The birthplace of one of the GOMBURZA, Fr. Jose Burgos, the museum contains the priest’s memorabilia and other historical items. Click here for driving directions.

An old printing press and baskets.

Suspended in time. One of those unintended lucky shots.

Crisologo Museum

The museum guide, Ms. Remy, was kind enough to let us have a free run.

Calle Crisologo

Perhaps the most famous attraction in all of Vigan, this street features a wide array of souvenir shops and old architecture. With the exception of calesas or horse-drawn carriages (and perhaps tricycles, too, as pictured), vehicles are not allowed to trod on the cobblestone path.

May 16, 2009, 4:30pm. Before heading back to Manila, we bought more souvenirs here while waiting for the sun to set.

Pagburnayan

Pottery-making is also a source of income (and creativity) for Vigan residents as evidenced by the presence of 3 Pagburnayan areas located in the city.

Mang Bongbong (guy on the pic who told me I wouldn’t forget his name easily because of the association to Bongbong Marcos..nice mnemonic if I may say so..hehe) let Julie and me try our hand at it and the results were hilarious.

Cityscapes

At only P150.00 an hour, renting any of these calesas sure beats the heat while touring the historic city of Vigan. We were lucky to have an even-tempered driver in the person of Lolo Santiago Quibal.

Quaint shops and restaurants like this will appeal to any hopeless romantic.

As a friend would say, Vigan is less glamorous at night but nonetheless still enthralling.

For more about Vigan, visit the city’s official page here.

BATAC

This quiet town features the Balay ti Ili, home of the illustrious Marcos family and the equally infamous dead body of the late president. Taking of pictures was not allowed inside the burial viewing area but you can bet I was sorely tempted to whip out a camera. *wink*

BANGUI

We credit our going there to our fast-thinking and fast ..errr.. driving driver who convinced us we will arrive there in ample time without ruining the entire trip schedule. Mucho thanks, Uncle Danny.

Click here for more on those beauties.

PAGUDPUD

After 30 minutes of enjoying those seaside giants (and me getting soaked from knee down while trying to let the waves catch me), we headed to Pagudpud, the famed beach dubbed by some as the “Boracay of Ilocos Norte”.

LAOAG

A mix of the old and the new architecture, Laoag also offers tasty Ilocano dishes.

Cityscapes

Laoag’s Sinking Bell Tower and Tobacco Monopoly Monument.

Colorful murals abound the city as well.

A few kilometers away from the city proper is a breathtaking site of the beautiful sand dunes of La Paz.

It took us some time to get there as traffic was routed because of ongoing road constructions (we had fun trying not to fall into the river as the driver expertly maneuvered the van..hehe). The camera couldn’t capture the magnificent view the sand dunes afforded us. Yet despite the heat and dust, it was all worth it.

(Pictured are Julie and sister Charmaine.)

Museo Ilocos Norte

Possibly a reproduction of Juan Luna’s Parisian Life. The famous painter and national hero is a native of Badoc, Ilocos Norte.

Fort Ilocandia

Getting inside Ilocos Norte’s only five-star hotel is a feat deserving no less than 2 Academy awards. Julie, Charmaine and I sneaked inside Fort Ilocandia (while the others waited inside the van under the sweltering heat) on the pretext of asking for room rates. Even after seeing that we don’t look rich enough to be able to afford even a night’s stay, fortunately, the receptionist, left us to get brochures. And off we went click click click.

PAOAY

Although wikipedia says Paoay is more famous for the Paoay Lake, it was the church that captivated me. Beautiful doesn’t even begin to describe it.

Paoay Lake on a sunny Saturday afternoon.

The church is also known as the St. Augustine Church.

Friend to Pachuvachuva: Should you decide to get married, do it here.

Pachuvachuva: *Chokes* Hahahaha

May 17. A million bathroom stops later, the van finally dropped six weary and sleepy “travelers” (sounds better than “tourist” ) at Julie’s place in Pasig City. The fact that it was 4:00 a.m. didn’t escape us. What a trip! ^_^

Pachuvachuva taking a break and flashing a smile outside Max’s Restaurant in Calle Crisologo. Photo credits: Jezevyl Pilota

Naragsak a kasangay is “Happy Birthday” in Ilocano. There might not have been fancy cakes nor ice cream to mark that day nor my knight in his [dream] Shelby GT500 Mustang (hehehe) but yes, it was a birthday well-spent. Thank you friends. You’ve made it worthwhile.

The Fort Ilocandia photos were taken using a Samsung Digimax S1030/Kenox S1030. That one of the Paoay Lake was by a Sony Cybershot DSC-W55. The rest of the photos by a Canon Digital IXUS 860 IS and a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3. Mucho thanks to Julie, Jeanette, Jez and Chen, respectively, for letting me use your cameras. Hehehe. Copyright by author.

Post #62

This post is super historic, momentous, and [fill in other superlatives that would suffice the meaning], since not every blogger would brag about their 62nd post. Actually, that’s how a blogger would write her intro when she’s super overwhelmed with the excitement of discovering the Ilocandia on her birthday no less. For the next 48 hours, Pachuvachuva will be breathing, eating and dreaming of nothing else but Vigan and Laoag until she gets there.

In honor of this [insert another superlative here] occasion, it’s only fitting that Pachuvachuva should reveal a bit about herself. Relax, I don’t plan on boring you so this won’t be very long.

- paper and pen must always be within my reach as I’m bound to write or doodle anything
- i have a thing for taking (and sometimes memorizing) random plate numbers and this is coupled by my compulsion to “scare” taxi drivers by letting them know i have their car’s plate no. so they should think twice about doing something bad to any friend who happens to be that cab’s passenger
- surprisingly, my love for books and the beauty of written words in general doesn’t extend to poems
- i lean mostly on my right side when i sleep
- i used to just tune out people when they start bragging but now it’s much easier to deal with braggarts by coming up with equally or more ridiculously outrageous stories..talk about calling their bluff *wink*
- my imagined gamophobia ranks high up in the ladder along with my fear of drowning, dying and being photographed badly..hahaha
- i love doing the dishes..it’s very therapeutic plus the hand lotion you have to apply after is much much cheaper compared to bribering your younger sibling to do it
- i sometimes buy books based on their covers (some examples: Jack Gantos’ The Love Curse of the Rumbaughs, a compiled edition of Fritz Leiber’s Lankhmar (though that one was Carms’ birthday gift last year) and old editions of A Wrinkle in Time and Many Waters by Madeleine L’Engle
- people don’t have trouble giving me gifts – it’s just a toss between books or even more books
- am very happy to have graduated from the famed (and dreaded) NBSB Club…technically *another wink*
- i used to be deathly afraid of going to bed hungry..blame it on old tales about a hungry soul raiding the kitchen for a midnight snack yet he ended up getting trapped inside a cooking pot
- was listening to Kennedy by Ratatat, Last Words by The Real Tuesday Weld, and Little Motel by Modest Mouse (the three from Nick and Norah’s Infinite Playlist OST) as I was typing this
- i prefer songs from artists or bands with obscure-sounding names hence, the choices above

I could go on and on but I’d like to keep my promise so maybe next time. ^_^

10 for the 25th

Too bad it was only last year when I learned and applied the wisdom of asking for the things I really really want but nevertheless, it was fun being surprised receiving them from very good friends. And for the 25th celebration of my pachuvachuva-ness, I would like to make it just as easier for them this time. So after weeks of thinking and revising, here is my birthday wish list (THE wish list of all wish lists ):

1. Red Bowler Camera Bag

Kick-ass & sassy don’t even begin to describe this cute accessory from photojojo.com.

2. Canon EOS 40D DSLR

That cute bag (see #1) would be pretty useless without a camera to use it with, ayt? Full product review at dpreview.com.

But if it’s way over your budget, you can just get me this and I won’t hate you for it. Hehehe
Olympus Stylus 1030SW

Images courtesy of and full product reviews at travelgearblog.com and olympusamerica.com. Additional review at cnet.com.

3. Stabilo markers + Faber-castell watercolor pencils

The National Bookstore sells them really cheap. *wink*

4. Trip to Vigan
Yay! Only a week more to go. Lots of culture-soaking and bonding with friends.

5. Gift cheque for Booksale
Since i don’t think this is available (drat! I forgot to ask while I was there yesterday.) I would gladly take the cash.

Story Time by Edward Bloor. An early birthday treat from fellow Flipper maydayeve as we invaded Booksale at Emall yesterday. Sweet.

6. Mood rings
Sold in bazaars run by Muslims (the ones in SM City Cebu Trade Hall look really cute and are just about my size – around P150 each). Super heavy hint here. Hahahaha

7. Cheesecake, cheesecake, cheesecake
The Japanese green tea variety at Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf is good but blueberry is still my favorite.

8. Black Drawing Pad + cute jacket like the ones sported by Dakota Fanning as Cassie in the movie “Push“.

Image courtesy of juniorcelebs.com.

Image courtesy of icollector.com.

10. K. Cross
I saved the best for last. *blush*

About A Certain Fellow Named Mr. Frog

He’s one of those men, you know (LOL..don’t a bt that phrase just cracks me up and i’m pretty sure a lot of pinoys get why i do ), always curious to the point of being such a snoop. You only have to look at his big big eyes and you know (there’s that phrase again..hehe) that he’s up to something.

One day, Mr. Frog decided to pay me a visit.

So that’s what he was spying for!

He just wanted to see what’s on my reading list. Phew! Thought he was after something top secret.

(NOTE: Pachuvachuva assures you that no animal was hurt during this photo shoot. Mr. Frog was more than willing to pose. Shots were taken using a Panasonic Lumix DMC-FS3.)

The Wonder That Is Shangri-La

Pachuvachuva got the gig of the month as Production Assistant for my friend’s prenuptial shoot in Shangri-La Mactan. Had a blast and as amateur photographer, yours truly took lots of pics but can’t spoil the surprise and post them on here. So I got you the next best thing!

If you’re luvin’ my shots, I’m sure my friend and her fiancé will go gaga over the kick-ass photos and videos taken by their photographer and videographer, brothers Mikhail Arrogante and Franz Arrogante.

I Am One of Them
Yes. I collect hotel souvenirs just like everyone else. It’s a guilty pleasure I just can’t give up. Nope. Not for a very long time.

Pinoy Pride

Pacquiao wins via 2nd round TKO!
The Hitman got hit.

Click to view videos of round 1 and round 2.
The pinoys are all proud of you, Manny.

Image courtesy of http://2.bp.blogspot.com.