while going through several sites today, i just couldn’t resist swiping a couple of pictures from CuteOverload.

they’re funny, sure, but there was something about these guys that reached out to me. maybe it’s because i’m a bit swamped with work these days and i just wanted to see if other creatures were also feeling the “pinch” of having to work hard for your next meal harharhar.

ladies, don’t despair. there’s a hot mechanic in town, and with his magic hands he’ll soon have your engine running purr-fectly.

doggie digger in action — hey mate, can you dig this?

or maybe, i just seriously need a little inter-species pick-me-up moment to lighten up after all the horrible events that have occurred this week.

back when i first decided to go back to freelancing, i had this half-formed idea that things would be different — as in i would have more time to go anywhere i want, whenever i want. hah! big, hairy deal.

these days, i no longer have to hurry to be at a certain place at a certain time, of course, yet my routine has essentially remained the the same. the bulk of my time is still spent on work. (yes, those deadlines! ugh.) and there’s only so much you can do even if you have resources and the willingness to do certain things.

anyways, these past few weeks i’ve done a few things that i would have hard-pressed to do if i hadn’t made the switch. one of them was watching my favorite stage musical (Cats!) with a bunch of friends. for some reason though, my largely fluid schedule has made me appreciate my past regimented routine, especially those parts that i like best. like the time we had our company outing at Momarco Resort a couple of years ago.

well, it wasn’t exactly an exemplary vacation spot, and the customer service wasn’t all that great either. still, it felt like one of the things that one would actually care to remember when you have all the time in the world. i still have the pictures at any rate, so i guess that helps.

now that i’m back in the topsy-turvy, unpredictable world of freelancing, i become more aware of the things that i used to take for granted when i was still deep in the grips of regular employment. things like routine, employee perks, and health insurance rates, for instance.

i guess some things only become obvious as you grow older and appreciate things that didn’t seem that important a couple of years earlier. these days, issues like life savings, CNN health, insurance, etc., seem very relevant (it’s probably because i’ve fallen sick several times these past few months). so, now, whenever i hear somebody talk about job security, group health insurance quote, and retirement benefits, my ears just perk up and my attention lingers.

maybe it’s a sign that of the times (economic slowdown and uncertain future). or maybe, it’s just a sign that i’ve matured a bit more in these past couple of years.

in a few days, barring any storm or any other form of mishap, we (me and several theater-loving pals) are going to watch Cats. meow.

despite my avowed hopes of watching a few stage plays, the only stage musical that i had ever actually made efforts to watch is Cats — because it looks fun, whimsical and as bit over-the-top.

and now that it’s almost here, i can’t help but anticipate how they would present the Rum Tum Tugger, possibly one of (if not) the biggest attraction of this show. and when you think of Rum Tum Tugger, there’s no other stage actor who has inhabited this character as well as John Partridge.

recession. gulf oil spill. wikileaks. uncertainty. there just seems to be no shortage of reasons to feel discouraged these days. and, unless you’ve been living under a rock these past few weeks, you know that you really need to search long and hard to find something genuinely uplifting to make your day easier to handle.

so it’s sort of a nice surprise when you hear about groups like Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), which has apparently been organizing activities such as car donation charities to raise funds for U.S. vets who had served in Vietnam. basically, what the group does is promote the concept of car donation — wherein people can donate various types of vehicles, which will later be sold to generate funds for its charity programs. What makes the whole thing even sweeter is that, if you decide to go through with your car donation Illinois State Council Car Donation program, it’s actually tax-deductible.

apparently this has been going on for more than 25 years already. this kind of makes me feel a bit better, particularly now that things are getting a bit rough in Afghanistan.

i just got back from watching Inception, and to recap this experience in 4 simple words — i was blown away.

Inception is one of those rare screen gems — a movie that you can enjoy in many levels, and one that makes you think. it also leaves you to conclude for yourself which is real (reality) and which isn’t (dream).

and just when you think you’ve arrived at a suitable conclusion, you begin to realize things aren’t as clear-cut (relatively speaking) as they seem. so you begin retracing your steps, and the whole process begins again. some critics advise multiple viewings, and i plan to do just that. i suppose it would be fun to watch this in iMax.

offhand, i’d say Inception, which stars Leo DiCaprio, Ken Watanabe, Marion Cotillard, Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Cillian Murphy, Ellen Page, Tom Hardy), reminds me of Mission Impossible and The Matrix, only with better actors. great cast, awesome director (Chris Nolan), mind-boggling story, fantastic SFX — a winning combination

anyway, i advise to you waste no time. go see it. there are 3 or good movies that i’ve missed (which leaves me unmoved for some reason), but Inception is in a different league.

***i was rifling through my old posts at my other site (Recyled Thoughts) last week when i stumbled into something that i wrote about 3 years ago. and since Father’s day is just a few hours away, it seemed appropriate to repost it here (with a few changes)***

for a long while now i have managed to resist the temptation to write event-themed posts (valentine, new year, mother’s day, christmas), partly because i didn’t want the predictability ‘tag’ hanging on my coattails and partly because i have this perverse tendency to buck the trend.

the last few days, however, have made me realize that even my conversations lately have rarely touched on my father… so, i’m going to bend my rule for a bit and muse about him.

my father, like most men of his generation, was of the old school — you know, the stern stoic and undemonstrative but responsible-to-the-hilt type. he was content to let my mother manage the household, but whenever he decided to put his foot down we all toed the line (although there were times when my mother, with her subtle ways, could actually make him change his mind without him being aware of it).

whenever he laid down one of his decisions, his voice sounded like the crack of doom, and us kids would react accordingly. his decrees, which rang with quiet authority, had the imposing air and the constitutional mandate of the Ten Commandments, and we all knew better than to argue or whine. The judge hath spoken…

my father, despite his crusty exterior, had his “soft” side, too. on rare occasions he would set aside his serious respectable self and play with us. and he liked to see us screaming in glee as we feasted on his pasalubong whenever he came back from one of his out-of-his-town trips. the one scene that has stuck with me all these years was my father sitting in his favorite chair in a corner with this mellow look on his face as he watched us stuffing our faces with food and playing with the toys he brought.

but as we grew older he got more serious. it wasn’t until i was in high school that we really began to connect again, just around the time when i finally learned to express myself without sounding like a total idiot. he had no clear favorite among us but i was the one that he could really talk to. at first it was just small, inconsequential things; as time went on, we began discussing about issues (political and social). our favorite topics were history, military hardware and music (he was a part-time member of a local orchestra). the funny thing is that although he’s good with musical instruments (guitar, trumpet, trombone), we have never heard him sing. ever.

want to hear another ironic thing? my mother is tone-deaf — to the point that it’ll hurt your ears just to hear her relentlessly belt out a tune. it doesn’t stop her from trying though, and we’ve all learned to live with it. tatay just smiles at our hilarious complaints, and to this day i have yet to hear him comment on nanay’s voice.

once, a friend asked him pointblank to define the best thing he has ever achieved in life. after a silent minute he replied, “my children, i think. they’re my best investment. whatever they’ll accomplish, that’s the interest i’ve earned.”

thanks ‘tay. happy father’s day.

here’s a perfect panacea when your day looks like it’s going down the drain…

not too sweet, not too heavy, with a taste that lingers tantalizingly after you’ve swallowed your last forkful. Crepe a la mode is a perfect way to top off a heavy sizzling lunch (never mind the guilt for packing in those calories).

after a short mental tussle (should i go or not?) last saturday morning, i decided to go with my half-baked plan to check out the Sony 3-day sale at The Megatent @ Meralco Avenue in Ortigas.

drowsy and grumpy, i trudged to the venue (i had just left the office and i’m not much of a morning person, so go figure). i actually got there 20 min before the opening so i had time to browse the sale leaflets. when the doors opened, the venue’s cool temperature was a welcome relief.

i’m not sure what i was expecting really, but my initial reaction (after seeing the array of displayed items) was disappointment. i thought there would be more products on display. and as i compared the prices, what little enthusiasm i had left quickly dissipated. the discounts on most items weren’t really that big, and some models on display were clearly older variants (which looked like they were ready for phase-out soon). some of the newer gadgets/appliances even bore the same prices as those you’d find in the mall! the items that had huge price cuts were mostly upscale products (like large plasma TVs and high-end laptops). and to top it all, the models (Vaio laptops, phone & camera accessories) that i was hoping to find weren’t even available. the only other thing that i would have considered buying was a camera — except that my old Sony snapper (DSC-W50) is still working fine.

oh. there were DVDs and music CDs there, too. and a display stand for the latest Sony-Ericsson phones strategically placed at the center aisle.

frankly, it didn’t feel like a sale at all. (so much for my initial excitement.) oh well. let’s hope that in the next Sony sale (2011?) things will work out better.

there’s nothing like watching a vampire series to restore your equilibrium — or what’s left of it after another busy week.

every night, while waiting for sleep to overcome my wayward thoughts i would watch a couple of episodes of The Vampire Diaries (you know, that other popular vampire series on TV?). at first, it was out of curiosity, but after the first episode “i got bitten” (pun intended).

while fans of the Twilight series may have the advantage in terms of number and intensity, i think that in terms of pacing and plot, The Vampire Diaries is actually better (of course, the fact that it’s TV series may account for that). some of its characters have more depth and compelling qualities aside from their obvious physical attributes. Vampire Diaries has its own share of absurdities though, and i sometimes wish the producers had opted to prioritize talent over looks when they chose the cast (here, even the non-vampire characters look good). still, most of the main cast are doing a decent job — especially nina dobrev (Elena/Katherine), paul wesley (as the brooding, conflicted Stefan Salvatore) and ian somerhalder (as the dangerous Damon Salvatore).

The first season of The Vampire Diaries (22 episodes) ended about a couple of weeks ago. CBS had also recently announced that a second season for this series is in the works.

hmm… i don’t know why i’ve been reading and watching a lot of supernatural books and DVDs lately. truth to tell, i’m still a little hung up on Angelology. i think i might reread the whole book again this weekend. well, as soon as i’ve caught up on my sleep, that is.