A lesson on exorcising demons.

There's always that lingering thing at the back of your head; the voices that never stay quiet even if you shush it to death.

It was something I should have rid myself of three years ago. But the 'what ifs' nagged me, and it did so a long time.

Tonight, I found myself confronting it, inadvertently at first. As the evening wore on, I knew that I had no reason to feel reluctant for moving on, for having chosen where I wanted to be, and where this experience belongs in my life.

Mulling over things mulled before. Home, one-something in the morning.

Anti-climactic.

I finally saw the season ender of Heroes and I am disappointed. I checked the forums (geek!) and people did feel a bit gypped by it. Episode 20 (Five Years Gone) is still the best episode in the series so far. I'm just glad I got lots of books to keep me company until Season 2 comes around.

Favourite travel buddy.

Because even ordinary things like riding a bus feels like an adventure. Because we feast on Chili crabs like it were our last day on Earth. Because we see more of the city when we explore it on foot (despite my frequent directional dyslexia). Because we don't mind reading quietly in a coffee shop corner. Because we share the same level of excitement whether we go to Kinokuniya or Ikea. Because it always feels natural to be together no matter which part of the world we find ourselves in.

Our nth attempt to get the bus thing down pat.

Japanese buffet heaven.

Bliss. I was on my fourth plate yet I was still at it like someone who hasn't been fed for a month. Located at the third floor of Suntec City Mall, Kuishin-Bo is a Japanese restaurant that offers a smorgasbord of items on their buffet table. More than the variety, I love the quality of food they put out. I seriously overdosed on salmon sashimi and the yakitori. Sarap, sarap. =)



My starter plate.



A how-to-gorge-yourself-shamelessly guide.

Damn, that sucked.

Action-packed, yes. Surreal, Dali-like encounter with stone crabs, yes. Captain Jack Sparrow in a John Malkovich like monologue, yes. Best cameo appearance by a rockstar, yes. A good sequel? Unfortunately, no. I found the latest instalment of Pirates of the Caribbean too long with too many convoluted story lines. Sao Feng, Chow Yun-Fat's character was potentially the most interesting new character in the series. Unfortunately, he got killed off unglamorously early on. What a waste. Tsk.

Good thing the theatre at the Cineleisure Orchard was pretty good. I was able to catch the trailer of Transformers and Ratatouille, which for me, was better than having to sit through three hours of Pirates. Sayang. The experience of such a nice movie place got lost on a less than impressive attempt to milk the Pirates franchise for all it's worth.

Ugly food.

After a tour of the office, we stopped by for quick morning coffee at Starbucks, conveniently located at the ground floor of Ogilvy Centre.

Being the Starbuko whore that I am, I enjoy checking out their food items in every country I go to, just to find out what they carry differently.

This is just too amusing not to share.


Pangit ka, pangit! Ugly chicken puff.


May mas papangit pa pala. Uglier curry puff (with chicken)

Libreng breakfast at Starbucks, Ogilvy Centre, Robinson Rd.

What's left of Cubao X.

There's not much to see there now. Except maybe for the Vintage Pop Store (which was closed when we came). Bespoke has been replaced by an ihaw-ihaw restaurant called Alan's Grill. And Pablo feels lonely and abandoned. What the heck happened? A friend said that the reason why so many of the tenants left was because they raised the rent in the area. There are still a few stores that are trying to keep the spirit alive, but it's depressing knowing that it'll only be a matter of time before it all disappears.



Puwede, puwede, puwede! DIY newspaper.



The last of the few stands you'll find in the area that's just so Cubao.

transformers final theatrical trailer!

Ang asteeeg niya! I've been catching bits and pieces of media and other information leading to the July 4 showing. I can't wait! :-)

Thanks for sharing, papa Nair.



Go geek out at the Transformers Live blog and official movie site.

Success!

Yesterday was the first time I led a pitch presentation. And for a must-win account at that. I felt sick to my stomach en route to the client's office, and the butterflies reached their crescendo as the elevator doors opened to the 23F of 6750. I've been in more than my fair share of pitches, and it's never an easy thing. But I do get a euphoria working on new biz because it's a different challenge all the time.

We spent a good deal of Tuesday afternoon to streamline the thinking, so we could present the argument that the client will find difficult to refuse. It helps to know what kind of audience you're presenting to, and I am fortunate to be working with my boss who has had extensive industry experience.

That evening (until the wee hours of the morning) found me, our account director, and our creatives turning the Planning area into one giant tambayan with food, yosi (uh-oh), and all kinds of beverages strewn about. It reminded me of the times I procrastinated on philo papers way back in college.

It was a tough two weeks leading to the presentation because there were other things happening all at the same time. I was also in the middle of reworking a regional brand strategy for six markets, which admittedly, had me on my toes for the last three weeks. There were also other planning requirements for a new food account we just got. Talk about one stressful month!

Today, we were told that we just won the account. (Yahoo!!!!)

Sulit lahat ng pagod at puyat. :-)

Thanks Papa Rands, TinaCos, Sarsikoh, Anne "conflict" Ganda, Baby G, Jason "what's your MOOd" Drilon, AJ d' interactive guru, roxstar Isa, Pocoy (d' cow), and all the laughing boys and gels of RedWorks. :-)

I live for travel.

There's always something melancholic about watching the sun set from your window seat.

I made a promise to myself to take at least one foreign trip and three local ones every year. Travel for me is cathartic; it is the only time I am able to write freely, reflect on what I've done in the past twenty-nine years or so, and get excited like silly over what the future holds.

Work has consumed most of my time lately, delaying a much-needed move to my flat and adding to my inability to hit the pavement consistently among other things (the heat has just been terrible, and yes, it is a good excuse, and no, I'd rather not be like a hamster on a treadmill at the gym).

I have a break (finally!) coming up in a couple of days and I am looking forward to another cultural immersion. I never quite enjoy the touristy things; I am more thrilled discovering the locals' "secrets" and exploring the path that's usually never on the prescribed map. I am lucky to have friends from all over; friends who are more than willing to show me around and point me to where I can have my fill of art, culture, food, and bargains.

If I play my cards right, my first "creative" travel project will debut in Q4. :-)

Butas! Ang aking paboritong air-cool pants.

It had to take our pantry lady to tell me that my butt has been peeking out from a hole in my pants.

"Miss Ei, may butas yung pantalon niyo," she said while bending over to take a better look.

"Ha?" I said, immediately reaching behind to feel up the object in question she was talking about.

Yari. It was a thumb-sized hole that has turned me into a pseudo-exhibitionist the entire day. The hole was big enough to flash part of my undies and butt cheek to unsuspecting pedestrians.

It was impossible not to notice, yet no one bothered to tell me. Salamat ha. Nabosohan na siguro ako nung buong building. Grrrr.

But more than having an embarrassing situation to deal with, this little incident made me realise that I really need to replace some of my clothes that have been hanging around my closet for years. The last article of clothing I got was a dress from Topshop. And that was months ago. Time to join the frenzied world of female shopping.

Boo hoo hoo. No more Pandora in Manila.

I've been receiving updates on the status of some international licensing agreements on Pandora, and unfortunately, they had to suspend access from outside the U.S. Pandora helps you "discover new music you'll love" by mapping out the musical DNA of songs, artists, etc. I've created a Jimi Hendrix "channel" that led me to other artist that I would have never thought I'd pick out.

When you visit the site now (if you're not from the U.S.), this is what you'll get. Boohoohoo.

Dear Pandora Visitor,

We are deeply, deeply sorry to say that due to licensing constraints, we can no longer allow access to Pandora for most listeners located outside of the U.S. We will continue to work diligently to realize the vision of a truly global Pandora, but for the time being we are required to restrict its use. We are very sad to have to do this, but there is no other alternative.

We believe that you are in Philippines (your IP address appears to be 000.000.000.000). If you believe we have made a mistake, we apologize and ask that you please contact us at pandora-support@pandora.com

If you are a paid subscriber, please contact us at pandora-support@pandora.com and we will issue a pro-rated refund to the credit card you used to sign up. If you have been using Pandora, we will keep a record of your existing stations and bookmarked artists and songs, so that when we are able to launch in your country, they will be waiting for you.

We will be notifying listeners as licensing agreements are established in individual countries. If you would like to be notified by email when Pandora is available in your country, please enter your email address below. The pace of global licensing is hard to predict, but we have the ultimate goal of being able to offer our service everywhere.

We share your disappointment and greatly appreciate your understanding.

Sincerely,

(signed)

Tim Westergren
Founder