What to Bring and What to Eat in Outings

Beach trips and outings are being planned every week. And every time there's one, people scamper everywhere thinking of what to bring and what to eat. Well, mostly what to bring because usually there's a sacrifice who'll do the dirty work of planning the food and cooking as well.

Things to bring:

- sunscreen and sunglasses
- anti-mosquito lotion (if you want to or if needed)

- dry clothes (shorts, pants, socks, extra shirts, underwear which is very important)

- wet clothes (those you can offer to the waters, such as swimsuit, board shorts, etc.)
- swim accessories such as goggles, fins, etc. (if you have or if you need to)

- towel

- jacket
- toothbrush (this, you cannot borrow)

- umbrella (it might freaking rain, you know climate change, right?)
- tissue
- first aid kit

- toiletries (lotion, shampoo, soap, etc.)
- plastic bags (one for trash and another for wet clothes)
- dry bag (for your spoiled clothes)
- extra money (seriously, this is important)
- speakers and music player (optional but definitely a must! Ahahaha!)
- extra water and snacks (aside from the group water and snacks)

- phone and charger (if it's more than a day)
- CAMERA and charger (or at least secure that someone will bring one)

Food plan. Ideal when most people don't know how to cook or if you just want to stuff food into your stomach.

Meal Options: (I'll add more to this list if I get the chance to add more.)

1. Carbo Combo ~ Suggested combination for outings or trips on a budget with a lot of men. Hahaha. Why? I'm going to be sexist on this, okay - Men eat more than women. Well, unless you have me in your group.

Pasta - This is very easy to cook because you just put the noodles into a pot and fill it with water. Then you just sit on your arse and wait for it to be cooked, checking the noodles from time to time if you think it needs more water or not. Dude, don't forget to drain the water.

Pasta Sauce - Unless you have all the time in the world or you have someone to cook for you, I suggest you just buy ready-to-consume sauce from the grocery. The beauty of this is that after your Pasta is done, you could just open the jar containing your sauce and then dump the sauce on top of your freshly cooked pasta.

* You could opt to mix canned tuna into the sauce.

Buttered Toasted Bread - Butter the bread and then toast it. Serve with the pasta. Good job.

Therapeutic Feeler

For the longest time I have been thinking of buying a notebook that is of really good material and won't really get lost easily. Something I can easily find, something distinguishable when mixed with the loads of old notebooks I have in all the different places. I'm not looking for Moleskine's tickler-sized notebooks because I can't write anything there. I think.

So still being the eco-friendly person I want to believe I am (actually I just don't want to spend money for a new notebook), I decided to just use the remaining stock of fillers I have left at home. Good deal, right? So I have been doodling and writing on this one filler for quite some time now.

Before I left for our Visayan Extreme Adventure, I kept my filler somewhere else out from other people's sight because I think if they chance upon it, they will find out for themselves the answer to their question, "What are you always writing?" Well, there are no sex scenes inside the filler (sorry to disappoint others) nor does it contain my deepest darkest secrets. I would not leave possible evidences. I just don't want people looking at it because of 2 reasons: 1.) They won't understand it anyway; 2.) It's my therapeutic doodling receiver.

All-Time Fave: Not Black nor White

After Ghost Whisperer, Glee, Desperate Housewives, Dollhouse (the amazing awesome show that's practically over), The Vampire Diaries, The L Word, Pushing Daisies (ended, too - do the shows I like cut off just because I like them?!), New Amsterdam (first season was cut, wth is wrong with me?!),

nothing beats the one I love.

(I'm not talking about Annoying Orange. What's wrong with you?!)

There are those I leave in the dust. Those that I still try to revisit because I'm trying to see and look through what my friends (still) love to watch about them. There's Gossip Girl (can't stand the face of Blake Lively and Pen Badgely sorry y'all), Chuck (I think the wait was too long and absence doesn't always make the heart grow fonder; sometimes it makes the heart forget), Big Bang Theory (seriously, when Leonard and Penny became a couple "whada?! It's so obvious!" was my reaction), and True Blood (still working on it). If I missed out some shows that I have watched, then it's probably not worthy of the space in my memory.

Some tv series are awesome for people because they could watch an alternate world wherein their desires, frustrations, fantasies, and other dreams are being lived out by actors. And all they can do is watch and see other people live out how it would have been if it were them. Sad but true.

I'm having that, with Grey's Anatomy (I won't discuss the nature of the show here so just read about it). Or I would like to believe that I am. Reading about and seeing how my friends are entering med school make me think and ask those what-ifs, those what if I really took a pre-med course instead of MIS? My brother even told me on my freshman year that if the show was aired on my senior year in HS, I won't listen to my parents who were offering me an alternative from medicine.

Grey's Anatomy. Keep it good.

Pretty good is not enough. I want greatness.
- Dr. Cristina Yang

Fine. Keep it great.

"Attendees teach with enthusiasm. Residents learn with enthusiasm. So are with interns. When the interns fail the resident fails with them."

"We're surgeons. We cut out malignancies. We can start with people."


MORAL: Click. I guess why Grey's Anatomy just clicked for me is that there are no characters that I dislike. I even like the bar guy and the nurses! With Glee, there's Finn and Rachel. Goodness, when will those two stop being annoying? In Gossip Girl (dormant for me) there's Serena and Dan. In The Vampire Diaries, there's Stefan. Don't give me the "you just hate the lead characters/actors" card.

And this is the show with the most quoted lines (that are really worthy to be quoted) ever. The writers really put thought into this show. So don't keep on posting those Glee quotes. They're not even in the same category.

This, is Annoying Orange. You'll love this fruit and all the things it does. Hahaha.

Water Dilemma

The water level in the dams are already very low and with the current season, it's going to get worse. It's not only in Manila/Luzon that this situation is currently experienced, even in the Visayas.

There was this question. Which scenario would you prefer when suddenly the water runs out? (A) While you're taking a dump; or (B) While you're taking a shower.

So which is it? A or B?

Some respondents said we could do what Westerns do - use the toilet paper. Others beg to disagree, they said that's plain gross and unhygienic so they prefer that the water supply gets cut off while they're taking a shower because they can just cover themselves with a towel and go out which is unlikely if you're taking a dump - going out without cleaning yourself. And pro-B people said at least they won't stink like pro-A people.

A or B? Your call. If we don't do something about our current situation it's most likely both are going to happen to anyone of us anytime soon. And I don't need to experience it to say with conviction that IT WILL BE HELL when that happens.


MORAL: Conserving water should be a lifestyle. Being environment-friendly is not a fad, it's fast becoming a necessity now. Last year we were all about floods and rainy season. This year it's summer all year-round and let's face it, you can't drink the saltwaters of Boracay or Zambales. Unless you want to drink soda/sports drinks until you cry them out.

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus

Landscape with the Fall of Icarus by Pieter Bruegel

See humankind's indifference to suffering.


MORAL: Don't fly too close to the sun, Icarus. It'll be your last one.

Pizzicato Five - Sweet Soul Revue

So now I'm just posting YouTube clips of the songs I am currently enjoying.




MORAL: Some songs are about the lyrics. Some are about the artist (whether or not they actually make sense). And some songs are just delightful to listen to. This is one of those songs that would make you feel mirthful and all.

Definitely a "Drug Song." Yep.

Paramore Live in Manila (March 9, 2010)

March 9, 2010

Why Hayley is such an a** to be a photo subject:
- She moves a lot.
- She really moves a lot.
- She has a really light skin color so the camera's freaking having a difficult time adjusting.
- Her leopard-print pants is really distracting. I can't seem to concentrate to the music and the performance.

Why Paramore's concert is epic:
- I think a lot of people almost died in the Gold section because of all the swerving, moving, pushing (!!!!!), and sweating involved.
- A lot of people cannot bear the heat and didn't have the endurance to breathe each other's body fumes and carbon dioxides.
- Have I mentioned a lot of pushing?
- The shirt's freaking Php900 but it smelled imported or "stateside" according to Ave.

Thanks, Ave, for introducing Paramore to my ears 4 years ago.
I never looked back ever since.
Thanks, Li, Wins, and Ave's friend, for making my Paramore concert not a solo experience (which I extremely do not like).


MORAL: And the worst part is before it gets any better off we're headed for the cliff.

Para Kay B at Sa Akin

Gustong hablutin ni Jordan si Irene, ikulong sa mga bisig niya at saka hingan ng tawad. Nagdaraan na sila ngayon sa ilalim ng arko ng dalawang kerubin. Pero nang lumapit siya kay Irene, pagkakita sa kanya'y galit na umiwas ito ng tingin. Wala silang imikang sabay na naglakad. Pero sorry nang sorry ang aspaltadong kalsadang tinatapakan nila.

Ganito lang, simple. Biglaan, isang pangungusap sa binabasa kong libro ang tumalab sa akin. Hindi ako napilitang kopyahin ang maikling talata mula sa aklat at nobela ni Ricky Lee na may pamagat na "Para Kay B." Tumigil ako sa pagbabasa para lang maulit ang mga salita.

Sorry nang sorry ang aspaltadong kalsadang tinatapakan nila.

Ganito narin siguro ang sinasabi ng mundo sa akin, sa tuwing nadidismaya ako sa mga nangyayari sa paligid, sa tuwing umiinit ang ulo ko, sa tuwing pinaniniwalaan ko na kailangan ko ng anger management classes, sa tuwing pakiramdam ko nabibigo ako sa aking mga inaasahan mula sa ibang tao.


ARAL: Pantay-pantay tayo sa pagkakataon sa pag-ibig. Walang quota, walang statistics. Dahil sa simulang naniwala ka sa statistics at nagpalamon ka na rito, bahagi ka na nito.

Sabi nga ni Ricky Lee sa kanyang nobela,

Kapag nagmamahal ka'y dapat mong tanggapin bawat letra ng kanyang birth certificate. Kasama na doon ang kanyang libag, utot, at bad breath.

The Submarines - You, Me, and the Bourgeoisie

The Submarines is one of those bands that I like the first time I hear them. They're not those that have to grow on me before I can say I like them. I actually first fell in love with their song, "Xavia" which was played in the movie "Nick and Nora's Infinite Playlist." A movie that is pointless but amazing because of the songs that they played there. Makes me want to burn mix CDs and label them according to my mood.

And here we are in the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?

Everyday we wake up, we choose love, we choose light
And we try, it's too easy just to fall apart

Plastic bottles, imported water
Cars we drive wherever we want to
Clothes we buy, it's sweatshop labor
Drugs from corporate enablers
We're not living the good life
Unless we're fighting the good fight
You and me just trying to get it right

In the center of the first world
It's laid out before us, who are we to break down?


MORAL: Cause when our hearts are full, we need much less.