Think Out Loud

it has been 5 years since Chris Daughtry had a whirlwind of adventures in Hollywood. He passed the American Idol auditions, breezed through to the top 10, became an instant favorite, and, in an unexpected turn of events, was voted out of the famous singing competition. Everyone was shocked, even himself.

Adam Lambert on his performance of Mad World, my personal favorite.

Anyway, back to Chris Daughtry (before this whole entry takes a complete turn to an 'Adam Gush Corner'), he debuted his then-current single at the American Idol results show of Rock Night. He performed No Suprise, which I only heard for the first time 2 Saturdays ago, and I instantly fell in love with it. Few years ago, I somehow dropped Daughtry in my 'music radar', but after hearing him again sing and sing his own song at that, I can't believe I got tired listening to this guy. Hearing once again the rawness of his voice, it was pure modern classic.

OMG I'm 22! LOL


For my 22nd birthday, I spent the day with my family and we ate dinner at Amici in Ayala Town Center.

It was a wish come true. The last time I've been to Amici was in 2007 at its Makati branch. Even though it's only one jeepney ride away from where I work, I almost always haven't got the time (and the resources) to eat there. I told myself back in 2007 that I would return, and order not just Margaritta pizza but try out the other food too.

And this afternoon, we did!

We ate pizza (with bacon and olives)


roasted chicken (you could just smell and taste the spices they put in there)


and delicious tiramisu! (all time family favorite!)


I was with my mom and uncle (who took all the photos).


Family eat out is one of the simple things in life that make me happy and it's what I always desire every time I celebrate my birthday. Big, birthday bashes don't really appeal to me. Instead, I chose to spend quiet moments with my family and really close friends. What better way to spend a special day than to be with the people who love you and are forever grateful of your existence.

Thank you Lord for another year :) I feel so favored and blessed. Today was really a happy day. You're the best :)

Continue to REIGN in my life and may your WILL always be done.

Am excited to take on the year ahead with You!

Now try to understand. I'm not a movie goer nor a movie fanatic. Never been one. I seldom watch movies and I rarely go in cinemas to watch one. So when I say that I watched The Proposal last night for the first time, don't be too harsh on me.

The Proposal was just the right kind of movie to watch on a lazy Friday night. One doesn't need to think too much of the story and you can just sit back, idly watch and be entertained.

I enjoyed the movie. For the majority of it, I laughed my butt off. Sandra Bullock was stiffly hilarious (her role calls for it) and Ryan Reynolds was surprisingly charming. Betty White was very hilarious too. Loved the part when she was doing those weird chanting and dancing and Sandra did that messy hip hop dance.

Best line from Ryan Reynolds (when he saw Sandra's weird dance):

You're a freak!

The cutest character: the dog, Kevin. Aww!!!!!

The Ramone character was funny too but I don't want to cross roads with a guy like that in my lifetime, LOL. Another funny part was the visa interview at the end of the movie. They ask the strangest, funniest, out of this world questions.

Question: Which side of the bed does Margaret sleep on?
Ryan: Left
Question: And which side of the bed do you sleep on?
Ryan: (Kru! Kru!) W-What?

Question: What is the name of your fiance?
Sandra: Andrew
Question: Well, you got one question right.

Question: What is the spelling of your name?
Ramone: R-A-M-O-N-E (pronounced Ra-mo-ne)
Question: Are you even a citizen of this country?

Question: What is her favorite color?
Ryan: Blue
Question: What is her favorite color when she's outside?
Ryan: W-what?

But there's more to the story that made me like it. Just like Ryan, I'm an assistant too. And just like him, I have a boss who is always on the phone and constantly experiences phone signal issues, LOL (choppy... chubby... choppy... chubby...).

Just like Sandra, my favorite gestures when I'm weirded off about a person or a situation are roll my eyes, shake my head, give an awkward smile, and get it over with.

I highly recommend this movie to those who want to feel good and laugh their heart out but get some luvy-dubby parts too.

Every month, our Dgroup takes a break from all the serious spiritual talks and goes out to unwind and have fun. And for our first Dgroup activity, we did cooking!


For our viand, we cooked Chicken Ole. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients:

4 boneless chicken breasts; pounded thinly

salt and pepper to taste

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (seasoned with salt, pepper, and 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh basil leaves)

4 extra large eggs, beaten with 2 tablespoons water

2 cups dry breadcrumbs

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1/2 cup olive oil

1 1/2 cups tomato sauce

3/4 to 1 cup quick-melt cheese

chopped fresh basil leaves for garnish

chopped fresh parsley leaves for garnish

And then you just toss everything in, LOL. Sorry, I don't really know the specifics of this dish but it was sooo delicious. Props to the trio who made this!


We also made carbonara. But it wasn't the usual carbonara with cream and spaghetti noodles. Here's the recipe:

Ingredients
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
1 pound linguine or spaghetti
6 strips bacon, diced
4 egg yolks
1 cup grated Parmesan
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt (available at home)
1/4 teaspoon black pepper (available at home)
1/2 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped (available at home)


How to make it
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Cook the pasta according to the package directions.
Meanwhile, fry the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat. Transfer to a paper towel and reserve the drippings.
In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks. Still whisking constantly, add 2 tablespoons of the drippings. Working quickly, add the drained pasta and Parmesan to the yolk mixture and toss to combine. Add the salt, pepper, parsley, and bacon. Serve immediately.
Tip: Use pancetta instead of bacon when you want to splurge or increase the flavor.


(http://www.grouprecipes.com/5979/pasta-carbonara.html)

Since I'm a pasta-lover, I volunteered to cook it. But the thing weird about that recipe was that the sauce was made from egg yoke and bacon drippings instead of the usual cream sauce. Anyway, we cooked too many pasta and the 'sauce' was not enough so, yeah, it turned out a bit of a disaster. But no worries. It was still edible and nobody complained of food poisoning or LBM the next day. Anyway, here's a snapshot of our 'masterpiece' - if one would call it a masterpiece :P:


And of course, desert! Racs worked on that one. She made amazing fruit salad!

How ironic that the winner of Ms. Universe's 2010 Ms. Congeniality Award, Jesinta Campbell of Australia, is making 'uncongenial' remarks about the beauty contest. I read yesterday in Yahoo! that she claimed her national costume was tampered with. In the Herald Sun , she said Mexico, Latin America, and the Philippines were very competitive during the competition. It exploded into a full-blown rumor that she drop named Ms. Mexico (the pageant winner) and our very own Ms. Philippines (the 4th runner-up) as directly involved in the sabotage. But she never did (directly, that is). Anyway, I still wonder whether it was really a case of Costume Sabotage or just the usual case of Wardrobe Malfunction.

If everything that is circling around is true, i think Miss Australia should be stripped off her award and her 2nd runner up title because she's causing enough trouble in the Miss Universe world. There is nothing 'congenial' about her now and the antics she's brewing just goes to show that she is one sore loser.

Two words for her: Move On.

Joyce Burton Titular (author of the blog Adventures of a Beauty Queen ) shares her thoughts and opinions on the matter with grace, dignity, and flair as what is expected from a former beauty queen. She gives Ms. Australia the benefit of the doubt, was very positive, and didn't backlash her.

This is what she said:

Australia’s Jesinta Campbell Most Likely Misquoted on Gown Sabotage…

After Venus Raj’s Major Major answer that rocked our universe, we have a new issue raging among pageant fans – Australia’s Jesinta Campbell’ s claim that someone sabotaged her national costume. In a radio interview with NOVA FM in Australia, she said that someone stuck 6 pins to the back of her costume and she had to smile through the pain during the presentation.

In the interview she said there were 82 other girls and couldn’t narrow it down so it’s a mystery to her. Then she was also quoted in the Herald Sun saying:

“Winning is so important for those girls because they become queens in their country and are worshipped if they win – and it changes everything forever for them.”

While I don’t think the above statement was a wise one, specially since Jesinta Campbell’s own future has been changed forever by her 2nd Runner-up win at the Miss Universe 2010, I also don’t think it is wise to assume that Jesinta Campbell was including our very own Venus Raj (Philippines) in the accusation. Not many people outside our nation know that we ‘worship’ our beauty queens. But many people do know that the Latin American nations have that tendency. And that is why, when I read the above quote, I felt that she was pointing to the Latinas.

That is very sad of course, considering that Jesinta Campbell won Miss Congeniality and should have been congenial enough to remember the strong possibility that she was voted for by girls who come from nations that do ‘worship’ their beauty queens.

So while the ‘accusation’ is an unfortunate one, I think it’s far worse to turn her worm of a statement into a dragon.

But then again, what would we pageant fans talk about?

Another article I wrote. This time, it was after Typhoon Basyang. It was a back-to-back tragedy for the victims because couple of days before the typhoon, their houses were caught on fire. This is the story:

NAVOTAS CITY — It was a windy Sunday evening last July 11. Fifty-year-old Milagros Ramos and her husband were having their usual talk in their dining room when, in a shattering life-turning event, the lifeless dark sky was quickly engulfed in a searing blaze.

Flames licked through a maze of cement and wood, and before the night was over, possessions were reduced to ashes and families were left homeless.

Milagros and her family were very upset since her son’s house had just finished renovation a week before the fire. Now, every cent they spent has literally gone into flames. They didn’t have the chance to save anything as the fire spread out fast and strong.

On July 14, as a quick response to the overpowering need for food and clothes, Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines (OB) sent a team to distribute goods to affected families who took shelter in the North Bay Boulevard covered court.

In partnership with Christian Challenge Church, 200 families were fed with freshly-cooked porridge. Milagros and her family were ecstatic to receive a casserole full of porridge.

“We haven’t eaten lunch yet. We are so happy. You truly helped us a lot!” Milagros said, a bright smile beaming from her face.

OB also gave out clothes and packs of soy-rice casserole from Kids Against Hunger. That afternoon, 100 more children were also fed with porridge.
In spite of the tragedy, it was a breath of fresh air to see bright smiles filling the covered court as people huddled together and had fun trying on the clothes and shoes they received.

Family Survives Fire and Basyang

For Mamerto Muyco’s family, it was a fight for survival.

Mamerto’s home for more than a decade was torched by the fire, including their possessions. They weren’t able to salvage anything—only their lives. His family of seven members, together with the other victims, took shelter in the North Bay Boulevard covered court.

Fate taking a twisted turn, two nights after the devastating fire, typhoon Basyang made landfall and directly hit Metro Manila. The homeless fire victims were left unshielded from howling winds and lashing rains.

When OB came to Navotas the day after the typhoon, they spotted Mang Mamerto lying on a bamboo bed, weary and in dire need of sleep. The night before, he and his 12-year-old son took shelter in a makeshift tent they set up on the exact same spot where their house once was to keep an eye over the newly arrived re-construction materials they loaned. When Basyang tore through Manila, their only cover was a one-piece canvas. They slept fitfully that night, drenched, shivering, and lives at stake.

“I thought, we may not have died from the fire, but we would definitely be killed by that dangling roof,” Mang Mamerto said, pointing at the overhanging galvanized iron sheet.

“But we were determined to stay because the re-construction materials will certainly be stolen. My wife and four other children slept at the covered court.”
That morning, Operation Blessing fed hungry families with nutrient-enriched porridge, a blessing to those like Mang Mamerto who just went through a rough night.

“Thank you very much for the porridge,” he said smiling. “We haven’t eaten anything yet because we have no pot. It got burned in the fire. So the porridge was our first meal for the day. It was very delicious, too!”

Mang Mamerto was also given a bag of clothes and slippers for his family, and a pack of rice mix from Kids Against Hunger.

But besides the material goods, he was given something more valuable than clothes and food. That day, Mamerto was prayed for by an OB staff. His weary face brightened and his slump shoulders straightened as he found renewed hope and peace from God that his family will not be forsaken.

“Thank you for your support. You have truly helped us a lot.”

YOU CAN TURN TRAGEDIES INTO HOPE

In spite of life’s harsh difficulties, victims of disasters can still find peace in God’s presence. With your help and donation to Operation Blessing’s relief fund, love and hope can be shared to affected families and individuals. Call OB at (02) 813-2163 now.

This article was published at www.obphil.com. It is the official website of Operation Blessing Foundation Philippines where I work. This is an article that I wrote.


SANTA ROSA CITY, Laguna — Back-to-School and Bless-a-Child beneficiaries from Payatas experienced a day full of enjoyment and surprises: an unforgettable and fun-filled day for the 30 kids with Coney Reyes. The 700 Club Asia host invited them to the world-class theme park in the Philippines, Enchanted Kingdom.

The drizzles that welcomed the kids’ arrival didn’t hamper their excitement. Their faces beamed with amazement since for most of them, it was their first time to visit the famous theme park.

“I have never been to this place before,” 12-year-old Reynaldo Vega said as the huge rides loomed at the entrance. Their afternoon kicked off with a ride in the giant Ferris wheel and a 3D movie inside Realto.

Afterwards, the children were whisked to the bandstand area where Coney Reyes welcomed them. She told them a short yet very entertaining story of a girl named Victoria, her mother, and a magical forest. Coney impressed on them the importance of taking care of the environment, God’s creation.

After the storytelling, she gave each of the kids a set of books and a stuffed toy from James Fund. She reminded them that the gifts they received are all blessings from God and they should never forget to thank Him.

With bright smiles on their faces, the Payatas children gave Coney warm and affectionate kisses and hugs. Then squeals of excited laughter filled the air as the award-winning actress-host joined them in the carousel. The kids were pumped with energy and tried different rides, not bothered by long lines and the long wait.

“It was my prayer to go to Enchanted Kingdom someday,” 11-year-old Hanna Solanoy said. “And I’m so happy that God answered it. Thank you very much!”
Their day ended with Enchanted Kingdom’s display of magnificent fireworks.

“Thank you for the stuffed toy, books, and the experiences you’ve shared with us. I can’t describe how happy I am,” Norilyn Mara, 12, said.

“I will never forget this day,” Reynaldo added, smiling.

This was a conversation I had with my good friend Cyril when were chatting last August 30. It was telethon week (i blogged about this at http://geklaughsoutloud.blogspot.com/2010/07/nothing-is-impossible-believe.html) and my mom's testimony segment was scheduled to be aired at 700 Club Asia that night. In that segment, I was interviewed and I cried... unintentionally and reluctantly. So, I was so embarrassed that I don't want my friends to watch it. If they did, they wouldn't let me live it down.

And for a few weeks, I was right.

cyril_cabral: magtetelethon ka today?
erika_giulia: nope
cyril_cabral: okay hehe
erika_giulia: you'll come ba?
cyril_cabral: nah. di na lang. I'll rest na lang
erika_giulia: yeah, do that and don't watch the telethontonight
cyril_cabral: bakit?
erika_giulia: di ba gusto mo mag-rest? rest lang
cyril_cabral: aha! telephone conselor ka noh?
erika_giulia: nope wala nga ko sa telethon mamaya eh
cyril_cabral: diko naman talaga pinapanood TSCA. walang QTV sa bundok
erika_giulia: good. great. i mean, kung ikaw lang naman, that's good. kristiano ka na naman. hahaha
cyril_cabral: hahahahahahaha
cyril_cabral: dapat ba yung mga nanonood nun yung mga taong distressed?
erika_giulia: yung hindi kristiano o kaya nangangaliwa na sa Diyos
cyril_cabral: si PK na nagdadasal ha
erika_giulia: hinde, pag naramdaman nila ang Holy Spirit. naks
erika_giulia: power of the HOly Spirit to tol
cyril_cabral: yes
cyril_cabral: isa kang malalim na Kristiano
erika_giulia: kailangan eh
erika_giulia: since di ka naman makakanood
erika_giulia: sabihin ko na sayo na i-feature ang storya ng nanay ko mamaya
erika_giulia: makikita ako kaya wag ka manood
erika_giulia: pero pag makikita ako dahil sa OB, okay lang
erika_giulia: hahahaha
cyril_cabral: AHA
cyril_cabral: I'll text my tita now
cyril_cabral: or there is a webcast pala
cyril_cabral: right right...
cyril_cabral: :))
erika_giulia: choppy mamaya signal
erika_giulia: signal mo lang
erika_giulia: pero sa mga hindi christian maganda signal
erika_giulia: hahaha
cyril_cabral: ANU YAN
cyril_cabral: You are mean
cyril_cabral: hahaha
cyril_cabral: umiyak ak ba?
cyril_cabral: ka basino SP nio?
erika_giulia: si binoy
cyril_cabral: sino SP ng Segment nio?
erika_giulia: segment lang ni mama, hindi segment namin
erika_giulia: hahaha
cyril_cabral: pero ininterview ka din?
erika_giulia: oo ininterview ako
erika_giulia: napaiyak ako sa tawa
cyril_cabral: PA-autograph na ngayon
erika_giulia: 8 seconds lang yung interview ko
erika_giulia: hahahaha
cyril_cabral: pag sumikat ka hirap ka na kuhanan ng autograph
cyril_cabral: 8 seconds is the key to stardom
erika_giulia: ganon ba yon?
erika_giulia: haha
erika_giulia: whatever
erika_giulia: ayako nga rin manood eh
cyril_cabral: oo
cyril_cabral: mga 5 words lang ata yun
cyril_cabral: hahaha
erika_giulia: oo, tama!
erika_giulia: 5 words nga iyon!
erika_giulia: galing!
cyril_cabral: I Super Love My Mom?
erika_giulia: hindi noh
erika_giulia: ano toh wish ko lang?
cyril_cabral: Mahal Ko Ang Nanay Ko
cyril_cabral: Mahal Ko Ang Nanay Ko?
cyril_cabral: 5 words
erika_giulia: hindi, walang kinalaman sa nanay ko, duh
cyril_cabral: Isa Akong Mabait Na Kristiyano?
cyril_cabral: 5 words
erika_giulia: wow ang humble
cyril_cabral: Isa Akong Humble Na Kristiyano?
erika_giulia: kulit nito. none of the above!
cyril_cabral: Hindi Tungkol Sa Nanay Ko
cyril_cabral: 5 words pa din
erika_giulia: haha, pwede
cyril_cabral: 8 seconds
cyril_cabral: langyang binoy to
cyril_cabral: pero magandang testimony yung story ng mom mo
cyril_cabral: akalain mo nagpalaki siya ng isang TULAd mo
erika_giulia: ang yabang mo
cyril_cabral: Pag nakita ko nanay mo.
cyril_cabral: i-seshake hands ko siya
cyril_cabral: sabay tanong, pano niyo po nagawa yun?
cyril_cabral: joke lang
erika_giulia: ang galing! clap clap!
erika_giulia: hahahaha
erika_giulia: natawa ako dun
cyril_cabral: buti hindi tayo pusa noh?
cyril_cabral: alam mo ba ang mommy cat pinapatay niya yung anak niya pag baby pa lang pag alam niya na lalaki siyang hindi good cat?
cyril_cabral: hahaha
erika_giulia: hahahahaha
erika_giulia: trivia
erika_giulia: yan ba mga binabasa mo ngayong bum days mo?
cyril_cabral: diko alam, narinig ko lang yun sa baber shop noon
cyril_cabral: :))
erika_giulia: ganda ng source mo
cyril_cabral: VERY reliable
erika_giulia: idol
cyril_cabral: hehe
cyril_cabral: seriously, madaming mabbless sa testimony ng mom mo
cyril_cabral: lalo na pag nalaman nila na ikaw anak niya
cyril_cabral: :))
cyril_cabral: joketaym again.
erika_giulia: sira.
erika_giulia: pero pwede rin...
erika_giulia: hahahaha!!!!
cyril_cabral: LOL
cyril_cabral: parang "ther hearts will be elated once they know that the daughter that she's saying that she raised alone eas YOU"
cyril_cabral: elated more
erika_giulia: hahahaha
cyril_cabral: more elated, diko na alam
erika_giulia: grabe ka naman
erika_giulia: parang ang hirap ko palakihin!
erika_giulia: mahirap lang patangkarin!
erika_giulia: hahahaha
cyril_cabral: pwede na yan.
cyril_cabral: hahaha
cyril_cabral: hindi, good gerl ka nga eh
cyril_cabral: minsan naiinis nga lang sa ibang tao na wala namang ginagawa sau
cyril_cabral: o wag na kumontra
cyril_cabral: you said that
erika_giulia: hahahahha,
erika_giulia: may . ka
erika_giulia: (may point ka)
erika_giulia: hahahaha
erika_giulia: :))
erika_giulia: tugsh!
erika_giulia: tamaan ang tamaan
cyril_cabral: hahahahhahahahahahahhahahaha
cyril_cabral: HAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHHAA
erika_giulia: ow!
cyril_cabral: alam mo interpretation ko? may PERIOD ka
cyril_cabral: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA
erika_giulia: hahahaha
erika_giulia: ikaw nagsabi nan hindi ako!
cyril_cabral: oo nga
cyril_cabral: buti na lang nilagay mo agad yung tamang interpretation :))
erika_giulia: hahahah
erika_giulia: panalo
cyril_cabral: qouta na
erika_giulia: ganon talaga ang buhay. ikaw din naman eh. naiinis sa mga taong wala namang ginagawa sayo
erika_giulia: you said it too!
erika_giulia: wag mag-deny!
cyril_cabral: oo nga
cyril_cabral: kaya nga naalala ko,
cyril_cabral: it takes one to know one
erika_giulia: korek
erika_giulia: twins sa ugali
erika_giulia: hahaha
cyril_cabral: and dahil nasa pagitan ako ng dalawang babaeng kapatid
cyril_cabral: kaya adopted ko mga ugali nila
erika_giulia: hahaha, sister!
cyril_cabral: kow-reck (pinakamaarteng pagbigkas)

in the end, he wasn't able to watch.

THANK GOD!