This year, I found myself not looking forward to my birthday the way I used to; no special plans, no waiting for midnight, no wishlist. Perhaps it was because of the major changes that happened in my life recently that my birthday had to take a backseat. This does not mean, however, that I am not grateful for having reached 31, after all it is the last number included in the calendar heh-heh.
My birthday was celebrated just the way I wanted it: no fuss, simple, with delicious albeit unhealthy food, and spent for the first time with my husband (dati kasi jowa pa lang kami haha!). He called me while he was at work and asked what I wanted for dinner and I said PIZZAAAAAA!!!So when he came home from work, we bought food from the nearby mall, ate until I could hardly breathe, then capped it up by snuggling in the couch to watch a couple of movies. Bliss.
Isn't he cute? He had my cake decorated with "Mrs. L" :)
PIZZZAAAA! Although we didn't get much
because we were afraid we won't stop eating if we get some more.
Chicken joy that deliciously smelled
just the way I remember it when I was a kid.
Groufieeee!! Haha!
My family in Samar also celebrated my birthday even when we're away from each other. They've been doing that since I moved here to Manila. Heart heart. Earlier that day, I got phone calls from them, greetings online, and also a video call from my sister and my nieces in the US! Happiness!
Cute nephew and nieces (grandchildren, technically) in Samar. :D
Apologies for the low-res photo :P
I also just have to share this, I was talking to Dimple while waiting for our take-out and I didn't know why he was smiling weirdly, yun pala nagpi-picture and then he posted this on Facebook! Kainis! Hahaha!!
He said: Happy Birthday sa asawa kong patay na patay sa kin.
Ibang level din ano? Hahaha!
Anyway, there! In less than an hour it will be my sister-in-law's birthday naman! :) July babies rock!!
Wow! I'm 31. My life went through a lot of changes in the past year; I quit my regular job, I became a part of a film production(!), I left my apartment, I got married(!!!).
It's sometimes overwhelming to know that there will be more changes in the coming years, months, days. When you're young it feels like you own time but once you're old enough, you realize that time owns you.
Anyway, what's a birthday without cake?
Here are some photos I found online of cakes decorated with stuff that I love! They all look so cool and yummy!
Because I'm that kind of dork
who thinks books are cool!
So one of the favorite things I absolutely loooove to do is read. I like rainy days because they give me an excuse to just curl up with a good book. No matter how busy, it makes me feel relaxed to be able to sneak in some time to read.
Here are three recommendations based on the books that first came to mind as I was writing this post (that's sort of the plan). Don't worry, no spoilers here.
photo from the web
Stargirl by Jerry Spinelli. It falls under Young Adult (YA) category which I'm sort of a newbie reader at. It's about being comfortable in your own skin and embracing your eccentricities, and of those you love. That your crazy can be what would make people love you, and that it really doesn't matter whether they do or not. I really liked it! I recommended it to my eleven-year old niece and would also recommend it to thirty-somethings for a good read.
Kind of reminds me of Phoebe Buffay of FRIENDS.
photo from the web
All The Bright Places by Jennifer Niven. Although also a YA book, this one dwells on heavier and more grownup problems. Don't be fooled by the title, that promising "plurk" and the colorful cover, this book is about that dark place in your mind that makes you different from other people. It reminds readers that if you know you need help, or you know someone who does, ASK for it. Now. Don't ever delay. It talks about a whole different kind of crazy than Stargirl. It's a dark and insightful book.
photo from the web
The Girl On The Train by Paula Hawkins. I love people-watching and I think trains are romantic. The people-watching in this book, however, is taken to another level by the character. I like how this book revolves around the character (ano'ng title beh? hahah); how it takes you to her head with all her tumultuous thoughts and self-harming decisions. You can't help but hate her and root for her at the same time.
There, will post three books that first-came-to-mind-while-writing-a-book-recommendations-post again soon! Enjoy!
Today marks my being a couple with Dimple for 3 years and 8 months. Although we're no longer boyfriend-and-girlfriend, the eighth of every month will always be special to me.
I hope Dimple and I both get a lot of time in this world so we could love each other for a loooong time. I also hope we can still be as playful then as we are now, just like this lolo and lola in this Korean documentary film, My Love Don't Cross That River. Get your hankies ready. Hashtag relationship goals, my friends.
Para sa mga hindi well-rounded sa Gayspeak, “eme-eme” came
from the word “emote” na sabi sa Merriam Webster (oh diba, may reliable
source?):
Emote:
To express emotion in a very
dramatic or obvious way
Sa madaling salita, pagiging OA. So emote-emote pina-iksi
naging eme-eme. Now, like its predecessors “chuva, churut, keme”, eme-eme is
used differently depending on the conversation. Gayspeak is fluid and
progressive like that. Pak.
Anyway, yesterday was not a very good day for me. Malalang
eme-eme ang naramdaman ko; I didn’t want to get out of bed, I didn’t want to
eat, I didn’t want to read, write, or even do something as lazy as watch TV. I
just flitted in and out of consciousness basically the whole day.
I could not pinpoint the exact reason. Perhaps because it
was my nephew’s 5th birthday and I wasn’t there to celebrate with
him (he lives in Samar with my sister and my mother). Maybe I was tired from
the previous day kasi I was out on meetings from morning until late night. Or
was it because the weather was so conducive to sleep-all-day eme-eme. Pero ang
sad ko kahapon talaga.
When ze husband came home, I was doing half of the week’s
laundy. Half lang kasi nga wala ako sa mood haha! I knew he could tell that I
wasn’t in my best mood. I got annoyed at him for the smallest reasons and kept
trying to pick a fight; lahat ng sinasabi nya kinokontra ko, lahat ng reaction
n’ya to anything kina-counter ko hahaha! As in ang lala. Siyempre hanggang bago matulog sinubukan ko pa ding mang-away pero sabi niya lang bakit ang drama-drama ko daw hahaha! Kainis.
Buti na lang, hindi siya patola. That’s one of the many
things I appreciate about him. When he knows something is up, kung hindi naman
major, he doesn’t dwell on them. He goes around like nothing’s the matter, like
everything is fine until everything calms down...I mean until I
calm down. He trusts that I’m a matured woman who will right herself soon. I realized that
there was no point to my eme-eme and, also, that I am indeed a very lucky woman to
have a husband who doesn’t dignify my ka-eme-han sa life. Thank you, universe.
Megan Fox was on Ellen some time ago and I just saw it online. She talked about turning 30. She said, when she was young she thought
30 was ancient! But now that she’s not going to be in her twenties anymore in a few
months' time she realized that nothing much has changed. This is Megan Fox that we
are talking about, ladies and gents. MEGAN FREAKING FOX!
Cut to me: an overweight, freelancer, dream-chasing 30
year-old (turning 31 in a few days btw), who, like Megan Fox, used to think that 30 is ancient! I used to
think that by the time I am 30, I will have it all figured out but my-oh-my! Now
that I am here I don’t have it all figured out! In fact I am far from figuring it all out. I am this close to panicking
(holding out my index finger and my thumb just an inch apart)! For one, I don’t look
anywhere near like Megan Fox, I gained about 15 lbs. since I was 25
years old and I’m still chasing my dreams. Yep, until now!
Oh well, maybe when I’m 40 I’ll have it all smoothed out.
Almost a year ago, I resigned from my regular job as an AE/Producer so that I could pursue my love for films. No, not just watching films but also being a part of the production team. Eventually, I would like to write but for the meantime I want to just be in that world; see what it is like on the other side of the screen, discover how it all works, and mainly learn.
Lucky for me, I am friends with Line Producer (and now actress) extraordinaire Nay Sarah Pagcaliwagan-Brakensiek who worked on films such as Ang Huling Cha-cha ni Anita and English Only, Please to name a few. She is one of the people I know who has the biggest heart! She let me tag along to meetings and projects when she wasn't really getting anything from it. Thank you, Nay! Segue lang, I even visited Nay Sarah on the set of On The Wings Of Love and saw JaDine! Grabe sobrang lapit ni James Reid pero nahiya akong magpa-picture kaya wala akong evidence hahaha!
Anyway, she introduced me to Award-winning Director, Eduardo Roy Jr. (Direk Edong). I remember the first day I met with him. We were at his artfully-decorated condo and he gave me a copy of a two-page excerpt from the script, it was what we were going to use for the audition, and I got engrossed in reading it. First paragraph pa lang, ang ganda ng pagkasulat! I read scripts online for a hobby (at malakas kaming mang-daot ng mga kaibigan ko in terms of kwento and scripts, sorry na mga feelingera lang haha!) and I can say that his writing is incredibly tasteful. IDOL!!
L-R Direk Edong, Nanay Sarah, and me
This was taken on the first day of Cinemalaya auditions at CCP.
Look at my smile!! Kilig na kilig lang?
Bespoke script. I lost my copy in one of our locations, though huhu!
From that day on, it felt like everything progressed slowly and rapidly at the same time. Slowly because it was unfamiliar territory for me and most of the time I had no idea what to do. On the other hand, it was like everything was falling into place rapidly. Trying to find the main talents was already a challenge in itself; we went to Tondo, we went to CCP, we also held multiple auditions at Direk's condo and it was just ironic that the day Direk found her, I was on a shoot out-of-town so I wasn't there to witness her audition.
I met our stars, Hasmine Killip and Ronwaldo Martin, on the day of the test-shoot and it was overwhelming! Seeing them under the lights, in front of the camera and wearing the wardrobe for the shoot I felt like crying! No joke haha! Lalo na nung I witnessed the workshop and heard them speaking in the characters' voices, grabe ganun pala ang feeling, nakaka-overwhelm! I even teared-up huhu ang galing nila.
Hasmine and Ronwaldo in one of the intense scenes
Ms. Maria Isabel Lopez with our very own Hasmine and Ron
The day before our first-day of shoot, I was in Direk's condo finishing up some stuff, he asked me if it was the first movie I was going to be working for and I said yes. I remember him telling me "Ay hindi ito pang-first-timer" and true enough hindi nga. Mehn, I won't pretend, it was probably the most difficult project I've ever done. We shot for eight days (scheduled a day apart) and on the first three days, I go home and cry. Stress! I mixed up information, my brain would not cooperate with me, I would forget things, in short, I messed up. Ang dami kong mali, ay day! Akala ko nga masisesante na ako eh buti mabait si Nanay Sarah! Hahaha!
On the fourth day of shoot, I felt like I was finally getting the hang of it and the talents, staff, and crew already bonded by that time so the work became much easier and even started being fun. I've also learned quickly (dahil kailangan) not to take things personally. Bawal ang balat-sibuyas! I also just have to say that the Pamilya Ordinaryo team was very professional and efficient. They were also forgiving because they knew it was my first film, otherwise I wouldn't have survived a day!
Make-up and Wardrobe
Direk Edong at work
Too soon, it was our last day of shoot and I felt relieved and nostalgic at the same time. That experience is definitely one of the highlights of my life.
Taken on the last day of shoot with (almost) the whole team
Just last week I saw the teaser trailer and I cried again huhu! I am immensely proud to be part of this film. I know this one is for the books, I've seen a lot of films to be able to say that. Many times during the production I said that it would be my first and last film kasi ang hirap hahaha but of course I didn't mean it. The energy, the feels, the natural high were just incredible and addictive.
Gusto ko yung silang lahat happy and fresh tapos ako ngarag at haggard hahaha!
One of my clients told me before that to be in this industry, you have to be an adrenaline-junkie, and perhaps that's what I am, I'm scared of heights and crazy rides pero eto pala, mas nakakalula, mas masakit but I love every bit of it. WALANG EME.
Being a part of such an awesome team creating quality film just solidified how I have always felt about the film industry, hopeful and proud. I can't wait to see the film on the big screen! Creating Pamilya Ordinaryo with the team-extraordinaire was indeed an extraordinary experience. Please don't miss it! For now, see teaser trailer below.
