Tagged!

I’m doing this only because I know you miss me and because this is the first time I’ve been tagged.

Okay, here are 20 random factoids about me:

1. I stopped sucking my thumb when I was in first year high school. I probably wouldn’t have stopped if I didn’t have to wear retainers.

2. I was forced to choose Yellow 4 from the Bioman series because my older cousin said, “Ako si Pink 5! Save, save, save!“

3. I used to beat up Mark Anthony Cacal in first grade. I became a bully because my older cousin bullied me into being Yellow 4. Hindi ko na nga ganun ka-gusto si Yellow 4, namatay pa.

4. I like picking off my scabs. And eating them. I might have ESP. I always end up saying something that would make my friends say, “Paano mo nalaman?“

5. I was a salutatorian in nursery and valedictorian in prep and first grade. I also received numerous awards and such. Bibo kasi ako eh.

6. I suffer from rheumatism in my knees since I was 7. My mom said it was due to the fact that I rarely wore slippers at home.

7. I rub my legs against the sheets before going to sleep. Kinukutkot ko din yung anit ko para makatulog ng mahimbing.

8. I can burp really loud now.

9. I started a club with secret hand signals called the Sweet Venom Society. I was the leader. Uto-uto naman yung mga sisters ko and yung neighbors namin.

10. I’m so good at making up stories and manipulating people that I once convinced my sister and my cousin that eating red ants would make their voices nicer.

11. I have a birthmark that looks like a bunch of freckles on my left wrist. Last time I counted there were 56 freckles.

12. My name is so blah that I made up nicknames to make my name longer. I refuse to write the nicknames to preserve my dignity.

13. I have fat thighs. Always have, always will. No, liposuction is not a choice.

14. I was a BackStreet Boys fan. But I wasn’t all hysterical like Meme or Maya. They used to write letters to each other pretending the letters were from Kevin or Nick. They even fought over the TV to see who gets to kiss the screen first when watching music videos of the BSB.

15. I love Shin Chan. Pinaglihi ko nga yata si Alyssa dun kaya ganun kakulit yung batang yun.

16. I can’t twist my tongue and twitch my ears even if my life depended on it.

17. If I feel itchy, I scratch and scratch until it goes away. I don’t care if I end up with white streaks on my skin (for lack of moisturizing lotion) or if I bleed from scratching. Come to think of it, it’s better that I bleed so I can wait for scabs to form. Then pick them off to eat.

18. I almost swallowed a fly because I was laughing so hard and had my mouth wide open. Don’t worry, I coughed the fly out and it lived to become a grandfather fly telling his grandmaggots the story of how an evil human almost swallowed him alive.

19. I’m a scaredy-cat. I tell ghost stories to my friends and end up being more scared than they are.

20. I can stay in one position while I sleep. I mean, I can turn and face the other side (I’m a side-sleeper) without occupying anyone’s personal space.

I pass the ball to Kitch, Hazel, Owen, Paul, Memster, Anna and Anneth.

I can’t really tell how long it took me to write this because Bom kept interrupting me. He insists on being the one to press the space bar, so you can just imagine how long it took for me to finish this.

Any violent reactions or such (particularly for random factoid 14) are welcome and can be added to the comments box without fear of being censored.

#28 TWENTY TRIVIA, TRIVIA, AHUUUU! (by L.A. Lopez)

Tagged by Deybi, the domystic!

Mondell, the proletariat pretender!

E-Jay, the big buff man!

Papa Jonz, the Fil-Hispan-hic!

The instruction says: write 20 random facts about me then tag the same amount of people as minutes it takes you to write the facts.

1. I was the Bible Quiz champion back in elementary and…
2. A member of the Knights of the Altar a.k.a sacristan in my old town. Erm, this was before discovering another liberating literary device, porn.
3. My brothers and I have the same first name: Mark. Mark Donald. Mark Chester. Mark Bryan…ugh.
4. I got baptized into alcoholic bliss in Rustica, a small house in the cold hills of Baguio. It was freezing in the terrace but everything’s all right with a cold brew in my hand. *Nostalgia*
5. I’m a pucker lover. Hehe. I could tie a cherry stalk with my tongue in less than a minute.
6. And because of those movies that skip the exciting part, I thought that girls would get pregnant with a torrid kiss. What the f@ck was I thinking!?
7. When I was an altarboy, I used to hate the Beatles because of what they said about them being more famous than Jesus. After a few years, I discovered their reasons for this claim. Now, I am a Beatlemaniac. And I’m going to hell.
8. The best movie that made me cry was Transformers the Movie. The one where the great Optimus Prime was saying goodbye to his Autobots…anaknghueteng…napapaiyak na naman ako.
9. Like Papa Jonz, I get cold feet and it’s an indicator if I’m going to get sick or not. In cold nights, I wear a pair of socks just to keep them warm.
10. I have no sure college or university in mind while in high school. I just kept thinking that high school would just be there forever until I was compelled to take entrance exams because everybody’s doing it.
11. I only applied in two universities… Advertising in UST and DLSU. I flunked one of the tests, guess which one?
12. College attire = T-shirt + belt + underwear + shorts + watch + handkerchief + sandals
13. That lucky yellow T-shirt that witnessed the fall of a future UST basketball dynasty and the “thank-god-forget-history-just-believe” triple from Dino “The Savior” Aldeguer is still safely kept in my cabinet.
14. I work in an automotive company that does not AND cannot have a “reasonable” car plan for its employees. Sad truth.
15. It is with great yabang to say that I’m the only color blind TLS Art Editor in its rich history. San ka pa?
16. I am irritable ONLY when i’m hungry. Hey, a man’s gotta eat!
17. I took up the best course in DLSU. The one that really is appropriate for me, History+Marketing. A semester later, I dropped History.
18. I get goosebumps whenever I read the BELIEVE championship issue of TLS. Señor Norman Vergara, Señora Trina Ibarle, Don Gerwin Co, Professor Mondell Fleming, Papa Gelobhoy Cimagala (CIMAGALAAAAA! THURREE POINTS!), hats off to you guys for putting the BEST DLSU championship issue!!!
19. Nangingilo ako pag pinagkakaskas ang dalawang pulang yarn strings.
20. For some reason, the sappy songs, the masa songs are the best songs to memorize and sing in a videoke session. I am an unwitting victim of this sickness.

So there you have it, you got 20 intimate truths only in this site, my loyal customers. The takers? I appoint Bebe, Reetsaaard, Kweesteen, Anne in NJ, Sukhbir, Deno, Joel, and Alan.

#27 HELLO, TOKYO!- KAMPAI!

Kampai = Cheers = To our Good Looks and Sexy Bodies

Food is expensive in Japan. A Mcdo Happy Meal costs 500 Yen and if you want to know the Pinoy value that’s P250.00! WTF! Biru (Beer) is a valuable commodity in Japan. Beer companies such as Kirin, Asahi, and Sapporo are the best things that ever happened in Japan. Same with their native sake. Waiter-san serves it chilled or warm. And if it’s good sake…

it is served on a glass with a black container. All that precious liquor not wasted.

The Japanese has a way to make it better. It’s in their genes I guess. Anyhoo, food served there is also an artform. They decorate it. It’s in uniform sizes. Some of them raw but still edible.

Masarap.
Tempura. Sashimi. Expensive Sushi. Sake. Kirin Biru. Sapporo Biru. Sake. Kirin Biru. Asahi Biru. Red Wine. Sake. For five straight nights, my alcohol intake has reached unparalleled heights. Ang panget, gumaganda. Ang maganda, lalong gumaganda. The great equalizer, my loyal customers. And it also makes me dream of taking one of these babies back home.

#26 HELLO, TOKYO!- I’M GOING TO (TOKYO) DISNEYLAAAND!

Dunno who wrote that terrific song but it just fits the mood of going to Tokyo Disneyland. Yes, my loyal customers, the showroom manager invaded Disneyland, a place where a black rat rules everything there. Too bad I am no longer the same kid who had the hibby-jibbies of watching Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck. So here we were,

a bunch of overgrown kids in a land of fantasy (Hugh Heffner’s mansion is more fitting). Not this one. Not anymore. We haven’t seen the big black rat. The parade would start in the afternoon so we just rode some rollercoasters. Too bad, we didn’t see Mickey. So I improvised and came up with this…

I’m not a fan of Mickey Mouse. I’m more of a Looney Tunes man.

#25 HELLO, TOKYO!- TWO FACES OF JAPAN

It’s like one of those dreams that you can’t get enough. You wake up and find yourself being served by a very gracious host…

and you feel like you’re Tam Cruz (Pssst, Deybi) in the movie THE LAST SAMURAI.

Hehe. To my loyal customers, the showroom manager didn’t turn into a hosto (a Jap term for a male Japayuki) but he just went to a tea ceremony. And the Japs just love formalities, style, decorum, good manners, good morning, good evening, goodness gracious. It’s really amazing to see that the Japanese have preserved their culture. Not only that, they continue to promote it. That fine lady you are seeing right now represents Japan’s Maria Clara. Clean. Prim and proper.

The tea house where we were served with tea (duh!?) was an old Japanese house full of tatami mats. A tatami mat is 9 inches (width) by 18 inches (length). This is their standard use of measurement. If a Jap guy would ask how big is your house, convert your house’s floor area into tatami mat-size.

Generally, the Japanese people are very polite. As explained by my tour guide Kimiko-san…

the Japs made bowing an instinct even when they talk using their mobile phones. A general rule on bowing: The deeper you bow the greater you honor the person.

The group that I accompanied were seasoned travellers. They have been to Europe, America, and other Asian countries. Because of their clamor to explore Tokyo, it was decided that we proceed to Akihabara, Japan’s techno hub, instead of a boring tour in an old Japanese temple.

So much for old Japan, I just windowshopped in the area and then I saw a big crowd of middle-aged Japanese adults. From there, I fully understood Japan’s fusion of old and new…

She is my Cosplay Girl!
Cosplay = Costume Play
On one hand, you got the kimono-clad chick and on the other you got the school girl attire chick. Somehow, it makes sense to say that Japan has the right fusion of old and new

Pornography in Japan is not confined to pictures. It goes beyond that. There’s hentai (XXX-rated anime) and smut manga (Japanese comics). In the buildings I’ve roamed, the ratio of smut manga vs. kid manga is 80 : 20. What do these figures say? Behind the formalities, pleasantries, and seriousness, the Japs are just like you and me. They are also pervs. Big pervs But the thing that caught my attention is how well they have expressed their inhibitions through beautifully drawn works. This hidden urge fueled a very profitable industry.

Rarely have I seen totally messed up artworks from these guys. Here in da Piripin, obscene tite and pekpek drawings are common at the back of bus seats, school chairs, walls, cubicles, notepads, and just about everything are common. Nakakatawa lang isipin na 1st world din ang paglabas ng kabastusan ng mga pon-Japs.

Thank you for the memories

This was definitely the highlight of the day.

#24 HELLO, TOKYO!- MOSHI MOSHI HANONE!?

I’ve always been amazed with the Japanese and it’s been my dream to visit the land of sushi and sashimi. Of Akira Kurosawa. Of Dragonball Z. Of Doraemon. Of cute pantied-Annie. Of Takeshi’s Castle. Of Asahi Beer. Of Voltes V.

Ohhhhh! Tokyo!

Last September 16 to 21, it was 3rd World meeting 1st World. It’s one of those once-in-a-lifetime perks to be included in an incentive trip for the ultra-talented salespeople of Toyota. I’ve been given the arduous task to…watch the group. Be their baby-sitter. And it was fun.

We trekked the garbage-free sidewalks of Tokyo and it was definitely a blast. Clean streets. No noise pollution (very rare to hear them horns). A very efficient transportation system (Shinkansen = bullet train). Almost everything in vendo machines. Cute Japanese school girls in their short skirts riding bikes (Thank you, Lord!).

We first visited Megaweb. Toyota practically owns everything in Japan. And Megaweb is just one of them. Megaweb is a complex where there are shopping malls, food establishments, and a complete display of Toyota vehicles. Think of a clean SM with cars on display. And what you are about to see is my car in two years’ time…

Ladies and gents, I bring you the Toyota Vitz. It’s an Echo in da Piripin but in Japan it’s called Vitz. The trend nowadays is to manufacture a small car and call it Euro-styled. And the Vitz will definitely kick Honda Jazz @$$!

One of the coolest things about this car is its ad campaign. Car commercials are now getting it. People would like to drive their cars with a tune in mind. Some good examples:

1. Altis = Shake Your Bonbon/ Ricky Martin
2. Vios = Anticipating/ Britney Spears (don’t you just love her?)
3. Innova = A Beautiful Revolution/ Some whiny Filipino singer who puts to much emotion in “Let me take you there, Let me take you there with this beautiful revoluuutiooon!”
4. Vitz = Sunday Morning/ Maroon 5
   Picture this, a Japanese couple riding their…

   and they see an old caucasian man on the side of the street with his broken cart because of heavy pumpkins that he’s about to sell to town. The couple decides to help the poor guy by putting all the pumpkins inside their car plus the old man to the tune of SUNDAY MORNING. WTF!!! Genius! Who could have thought of that!? It fits because it’s VITZ. Ahuhuhuhu!

You are always on my mind.

That was the highlight of Day One.

Pleasant surprises

If you want to taste authentic cheesecakes, try Junior’s. The box says that it is “the most fabulous cheesecake” and it is voted as the “best cheesecake in New York” according to NY Magazine. I was able to devour one-fourth of an eight-inch Chocolate Mousse cheesecake.

It is their award-winning, voted #1 cheesecake. The cheesecake layer is topped with chocolate mousse (melts in your mouth) then covered with ganache (dark chocolate) and coated with tasty chocolate chips.

A treat for my sweet tooth but a disaster for my (almost non-existent) waistline.

Hay, Melizza, what have you done?

*****

My first foggy day in the US. The heck with the neighbors looking at me like I’m crazy.

*****
I do.

Happy birthday Bom!

Kuya Bom,

Mommy is so proud of you! You’ve been through a lot and I admire your courage and your spirit to overcome every attack. It amazes me how you’ve grown up so fast. I love you so much! I hope your birthday wish (of being able to run faster) comes true. I wish good health for you.

Hugs and kisses,
Mommy