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Away from the sun

Heavy rain here in Manila. Heavy rain + earthquake epicenter in Mindoro (yesterday). I am not a worrywart but that is not the case right now. No need to worry about myself. I am safe and dry here in my apartment, with water, electricity and food (landlady cooks for me). I just couldn't imagine the fear of other people struggling to survive the complications brought about by the monsoon. I'm praying... for everyone's safety. I hope you are too.

It's been ages since I last heard this song. And last night, it got included in my playlist. How apt! :(

And now again I've found myself so far down || away from the sun that shines into the darkest place || I'm so far down, away from the sun || that shines to light the way for me to find my way back into the arms || that care about the ones like me I'm so far down, away from the sun again...

Rian loves Nolan

I seldom do a movie post but Christopher Nolan's (and Jonathan Nolan's) works are just truly exceptional. I have been in love with their work since I saw The Following and Memento. Let's add to the list The Prestige, Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and Inception. Every movie is full of mind-blowing awesomeness!

Memento, Inception, Following, The Prestige

Two weeks ago, I got see The Dark Knight Rises and I was just as surprised as anyone. Would you believe that to date, I haven't heard of a single negative review about it?! It is either the movie is almost perfect or I just filtered out the 'negas' from all the reviews I've heard and read (it's actually the former). These are some of the things I loved about the Dark Knight Rises:

the Miranda Tate -- Thalia Al Ghul twist (just like the Ra's Al Ghul -- Henri Ducard twist in Batman Begins!)

mixing the three Robins (Dick Grayson, Jason Todd and Tim Drake) to create the character of Joseph Gordon-Levitt

Michael Caine is a very effective actor! I cried when he cried, deim!

He didn't used the name "Catwoman" for Anne Hathaway's complex character.

Batman Begins, The Dark Knight and The Dark Knight Rises

I love how he "twisted the twists" of each part of the trilogy. Hindi nababoy ang comics! Kudos to all movie directors and screenplay writers who put so much effort into NOT murdering the story they make, no less the stories they adapt from books or TV series (*coughs: trash M. Night Shyamalan!!!*)

As always, I'm looking forward to the next Nolan movie!

Deschanel sisters

I've been watching a lot of Bones lately. Aside from enjoying my old crush Angel's (David Boreanaz) presence, I also like the character of Emily Deschanel. My, that lady has a really pretty face. I feel like I should update my top 10 pretty women post which I wrote in 2009.

Ain't she pretty?! And let's not forget her sister Zooey! Oh well, nice genes, what can I say.

weekend playlist - MUDVAYNE

Last weekend, the music of Mudvayne kept me company. I miss them so much. When will they ever come to our country?! And when will they release a new album? Their last was like 3 years ago. Among all 5 albums, these three are my personal favorites. If you want to listen to them, just click on the specific album art and it will take you to my old blog site, where I store some of my favorite CD albums converted to MP3 format. Never mind my music reviews, even I find them silly whenever I back read my posts. Enjoy their sound. :)

Tummy Porn: Slice, Jamba Juice & Chez Karine

Friday night is binge eating night. Yesterday, The Bestfriend and I went to BHS to try out Pia Cayetano's resto named Slice. Hmm, sorry to say but I would have to put it under my "try once and never again" list. I've expected too much from it, given the hype people put into it. It's the same feeling I had when I finally tasted Bon-Chon and got disappointed after people kept on insisting that it's a must-try when in fact it was just okay. Mas masarap pa ang J.Q.K. Hihi! (JQK is a small chicken stall located in Carola St. cor. Dapitan). Anyhow, everything we ordered in Slice tasted okay. Nothing more and nothing less. :)

Since Slice is just adjacent to Jamba Juice, I decided to give myself a Jamba treat. I distinctly remember what Dr. Sheldon Cooper said during the pilot episode-season 5 of The Big Bang Theory, when they were talking/planning about their paintball tourney with the other departments:

Last stop, zee bezfrend'z craving: macarons made by a student of Pierre Hermé himself. According to zee bezfrend, Pierre Hermé is a French pastry chef known for his macaron recipe. Hmm, I wonder when can I taste that. Anyway, after spotting Chez Karine at Serendra, we hurriedly got in, sat and tried some of the macarons. Yum! In case you're wondering what else is available in Chez Karine, you can click here to see their menu.

Have a great weekend everyone! 'Til next!

In red top and jog pants

I think lab instructors should start wearing uniform na. Or kahit color-coordinated tops and bottoms. Hehe. What Micki and I wore today: coincidence (or co-accident according to Toshi)! Happy birthday to us!

PT snippet: Intermittent Pneumatic Compression

Intermittent pneumatic compression is one of the many PT interventions that is being used in clinics. In our curriculum, it is taught under Physical Therapy I (Introduction to Patient Care). It is mainly intended for the management of swelling of the extremities. In the photo above, my left upper extremity is wrapped in a specialized sleeve that is attached to a machine that pumps air through the tubes (white, blue, red) to inflate the sleeve. Controlled pressure will build up inside the sleeve and that will consequently apply pressure into the swollen limb. The machine that we used in this photo gives a sequential type of compression wherein it inflates the most distal compartment of the sleeve first (where the red tube is attached), followed by the middle compartment (with blue tube) and lastly the most proximal compartment (with white tube). This facilitates movement of fluid from distal to proximal draining it towards the heart. It is advisable that the treatment be done with the limb(s) elevated (not shown in the photo). This photo was taken yesterday during a review session. I just wanted to share this to my friends who, up til now, are still puzzled of what physical therapists really do. This is not the entirety of our practice, NOR IS MASSAGE. But I'm hoping that with this short entry (and my future ones), I can impart change on the old notion on the scope of our practice. Watch out for my future PT snippets! And if you do have questions, you can always email me or leave a comment below.

One of the things I do when I have nothing better to do is to animate

One of the things I do when I have nothing better to do is to animate the stuff inside my house. I reposition them to look like humans talking to each other. Then I upload the photo with the most appropriate caption I could think of. Here's a favorite:

Fat PS3 to slim PSP: ¨I AM YOUR FATHER.¨ (dubbed in a Darth Vader voice)

Taken with Instagram.

The Men and Women behind the PPTA 2012 National Convention

It's finally over. Congratulations to all of us!

'Til next year!

A shout-out to my 3PT students!

Two weeks ago, while doing a lab session in electrotherapy 1, one of my guy students told me, "Mam, finofollow ko po ung blog nyo". His classmate told me "Mam, kanina pa nya gustong sabihin yan sayo." Haha. They're so funny (if you were there of course, to see their facial expressions). Some of the girls then told me that they're following my blog as well. So I asked them how they found it and each of them has his/her own answer but the only thing I heard was "stalker" followed by laughter. Then I asked them what's the reason why they follow my blog and they said: "Baka po kasi doon nyo kunin yung bonus question sa mga quizzes namin." Hahaha! So I suggested "Bakit di nyo ako i-follow sa twitter para ganitong klaseng tanong ang makukuha nyo sa bonus items ko: 'Ano ang breakfast ko kaninang umaga? or 'Ano ang pinapanood ko kagabi?'" Yes, this conversation happened inside the classroom during a laboratory session. Nalugi sila sa akin for that couple of minutes. Hindi na nila mababawi yun. Hehe. Anyhow, we were able to finish our lab activity naman. Students are fun to talk to especially if it's not anything about our profession and if they are able to maintain (or MEYNTEYN according to @superstarmarian) that boundary and respect between a student and a teacher. See you around guys and gals! Aral mabuti.

The Pond

If you're following me on twitter, you probably came across one of my tweets where I said this:

"When I go home to Mindoro this weekend, who wants to come with me? I can only bring one person with me. Chill na trip lang. Nothing fancy.:)"

No one tweeted back which means no one was interested. Anyway, I still went to my hometown. I badly needed to escape the city especially after the uber-tiring exams week so I spent the weekend at Naujan (pronounced as naw-han), Oriental Mindoro where our farm is, and where my god-grandpa's fish ponds are. Naujan is not my hometown, Calapan City is. But that doesn't mean I love Naujan any less than I love being in Calapan. Let me explain through these photos (which were all taken using my smartphone):

The first of three ponds. This is 300 meters long and i-don't-know meters wide.

Muni-muni-ing by the hammock, probably the comfiest place on earth.

From left to right, my little brother, me and my big brother.

We're talking about how they usually feed the fish. My little brother started throwing the feeds at my left.

Of course I got to try the FEEDING FRENZY as well! (Boy I miss that game!)

A type of gumamela not everyone is familiar with.

Atop the guard house. I was kind of short of breath after climbing the pole.

He's my big brother. I was sort of trying to take an emo shot of him. Hehe.

The lone coconut tree on this side of the farm.

Parang millenium mango na parang hindi.

The four rooms for guests.

The view of the master's bedroom (and part of the dining hall).

Until the next weekend getaway!

Kiln Glass Art by Emily Mendoza-Sanders

The term “kiln-glass” covers an enormous range of working methods and types of work, including everything from simple platter-like forms to cast sculptures, painterly panels and architectural installations. -- www.bullseyeglass.com

The following glass artworks were made by my former co-faculty Emily. You may visit her Facebook page to know more about her works. For now, take a look at some of her kiln-formed glasses below.

She got featured in an issue of Panache back in 2006.

Missing the Land of the Rising Sun

Boy I miss Tokyo! I miss Japan even though I have been to Tokyo and Chiba only. I want to go back oh so badly! But first I need to unearth a hidden treasure or win the lottery (kung saan di ako tumataya) to fund my trip (ang mahaaaal!). My friends Koji and Makiko have been making kulit for us (Jaeger and I) to come back to Japan soon. We met them in Chiba where we presented our undergraduate thesis during the 10th Asian Confederation for Physical Therapy in 2008. To satisfy my missing the land of the rising sun, I browsed my old photos and decided to share with you some of them in the hopes that someday I get to go back there, together with anyone of you, in case you'd love to visit it too. :)

At Meiji Shrine. It is located within a forest in Shibuya

I love record stores and this is one huge-arse record store. So I love love it!

The Yoyogi Station. I like how it sounds. Feels like this station is owned by Yogi Bear.

Feeling Andy Warhol-ish. We took this right before we finished our tour inside an animal theme park.

Another train station. We rode the Oedo Line and headed to Makuhari Messe in Chiba.

Goofing around like a kid. This is a window right beside an escalator, inside Makuhari Messe.

Bagong gising or what?

Dear Philippine Gov't, I wish we could also use bike as our primary mode of transpo. Bicycle lanes please!

Roppongi Hills in Minato where Mori Tower is located.

We had a nice night at Mori Tower looking, appreciating art and the skyline of Tokyo.

There's Tokyo Tower, right smack in the middle of the skyline.

My first visit at the happiest place on earth, Tokyo Disney Resort. Nauna pa than our very own Enchanted Kingdom!

The oh so elegant howtell!

I found a not-so-hidden Mickey and he is soo green!

Welcome to my castle everyone!

Here we're posing as guards of my "own" castle.

Just resting a bit after a long walk in one of the four worlds.

They don't have this in Hong Kong Disneyland. Sad.

It was 25 years old back then, and I was 22.

Welcome to Akihabara, the animé haven for all otakus out there!

I immediately thought of Sasuke (from Naruto). Sounds like his Chidori. Hihihi.

Bumabaha ng manga...

and magic cards!

Standing beside a tarp with a cute little maid on it.

I tried zee authentic TAKOYAKI! Back then, di pa uso sa Pinas ang Takoyaki.

Where I bought my first and last pair of Crocs.

May deltoids pa ako sa mga panahon na ito. Saka konting biceps. Ngayon, flabs na lang.

Bought this for a friend who's so in love with the band (and their music of course).

Oh my BLEACH!

The promo poster of The Diamond Dust Rebellion (at one of their subway lines).

Wala lang. Chill lang.

Can you name a movie where you've seen this busy street in Shinjuku? [Tokyo Drift]

At the busiest street in Shinjuku. We tried crossing the street with the HEAVY crowd. Last stop of that night.

I'm hoping that someday I could go back to this wonderful part of Asia. I'd probe other prefectures and parts of Japan like Kyoto (to see the geisha(s)), Okinawa and many more. Should you be going there some time in the near future, please pakihalik ako sa lupa ng Japan! :D

Tummy Porn: Pipino / Pino Resto Bar

I've been wanting to go to Pipino ever since I've read about it from Patty Laurel's blog some time a year and a half ago. I keep on inviting some of my friends but they don't seem to share my enthusiasm every time I tell them Pipino is a food haven for vegans. My friends are mostly carnivores so understandably, they'd prefer going to places where they can have meat. I'd tell them Pino Resto Bar (which is not only adjacent to Pipino but is exactly at the same location) offers meat dishes. The argument would just die down and the food hunt will either be postponed, cancelled or transferred to another location. This is mainly because Pino is too far from the Bahana Republic (UST). I may not be a vegetarian but being a pescatarian surely benefits from scouting and trying out vegan restaurants. I just simply look at it this way: anything that's good for vegetarians is also good for pescatarians. After years of waiting, I finally got myself to head to Teachers Village early this afternoon with my friend Eilu. Here's the famous doodle at Pino Resto Bar which I have seen numerous times on TV features and blog write-ups.

The doodle art

I had Pipino's cold soba buckwheat noodles and Eilu tried their stuffed portobello cheeseburger. We also both enjoyed platter #1 of Pino's starters especially the cheese nori rolls (I liked the touch of basil so that it makes the cheese less nakakaumay.

We also had dessert (primarily the reason why I went there). You know what I had? You guessed it right: red velvet cupcake!

Eilu tried their chocolate tempura.

Here's a shot of their choices for dessert:

A little trivia: Alessandra Lanot, the author of my favorite blog Life After Breakfast, is the owner of Pipino. She is a graphic designer and she did the menu for her restaurant using watercolor art. I tweeted her earlier while I was at Pipino, asked her if she's in, told her I wanted to meet her. (Yes, ganun na kakapal ang mukha ko. Although, habang ginagawa ko un, kabadong kabado ako and nanlalamig ung mga kamay ko.)

So ayun, muntik ko na sya ma-meet. Anyhow, may next time naman. That means, more cupcakes to try out. And I honestly want to try their pancit and bam-i (di naman halata na mahilig ako sa noodles right?!). Woot woot!

Pipino, Pino Resto Bar and Pino Kitchen Studio are located at 39 Malingap St., Teachers Village, Quezon City.

The opposite feeling of our OFWs and migrants' ¨homesickness¨

Yesterday, I spent the whole day with an old friend from college. Her name is Heidi. She did an overnight stay at my apartment and dedicated the whole time for catching up (and a little bit of F.R.I.E.N.D.S. marathon). She just came home from Singapore. I actually had no idea that she left the Philippines last year. It was biglaan according to her.

I don't feel bad about not knowing. For me, it is a blessing. To be honest, I don't like seeing people go, especially those who are dear to me. You'd think that by now I should already be stone cold about all this friends-leaving-the-country thingy given the amount of relatives, friends and classmates who already left the country. I'm still not! I never got used to all the send-off parties, the goodbyes, the brief stay at the airport just to see them off, etc. I never got used to the idea that my bestfriends aren't anymore isang tumbling away! Over the years, I was not able to grasp the idea of me staying here while all of my closest friends are scattered all over the globe.

I can still remember the first time I felt that feeling: saying goodbye to someone without knowing when I'll ever see him again. That was the time G-two left the country to be with his family in the US of A. I remember crying the entire night at my apartment, trying to be discreet because my friend Toshi stayed with me. Little did I know that he was teary-eyed as well, trying hard to hide his face from me as he roll himself up like a fetus on the other side of the bed. Toshi's last words that night were: "Lahat na lang, umaalis!"

After that, people in my inner circle, said their goodbyes one by one. Some just silently flew away. My sister Gayda, Kastine, Spencer, Jaeger, my favorite cousin Senn, Tel, Eu, Luwi, Dimple, Ate Cath, Kuya Tots, Anton. Each and every goodbye seems to be more blurry than the previous one but NOT less painful. I can't even remember the chronology. All I know is that they all left.

I always day dream about them coming home, me picking them up at the airport, me preparing my guest room for them, me taking them to a local destination that's new to them and many more. Right now, even if I don't have my own house, I still see myself doing all these things I day dream about for them. When Heidi stayed at my apartment yesterday, it made me realize that that was what I was dreaming about the whole time I was thinking of them. It made me so happy. Just like when my sister, her husband and their daughter visited me when they were here last year. I prepared dinner and made sure that pancit and lechon (my sister's favorites) were part of it. Although I didn't get to do the same with my other friends who came home and went back, I'm just as happy spending a day with them, a lunch date, a dinner date or in Luwi's case, a breakfast date (naiiba talaga!).

The thought of them coming home makes me brush off the teeny-tiny regret I feel about staying here in our country. Whenever I imagine that it's me who's welcoming them back and not sending them off, it's just WOW! I couldn't even describe the feeling. The only thing that would make the pain of seeing them leave go away is of course, when I see them home once again. For me, home may not only mean the Philippines, but may also be wherever around the world, as long as you're with the people you consider family --> the feeling of being at "home". If in, say 2 or 3 years or more and I'm still here in the Philippines, I hope nothing will change with the way I feel about my friends abroad. Hopefully, I'd still be here, waiting...

Android: Evernote Food

I love taking pictures of all the food I eat, fancy or not. I just love documenting my gastronomic 'likes'. People keep asking me, what good do I gain from it. They don't get the whole take-a-shot-of-your-meal-before-grinding-it scheme. I say, "walang basagan ng trip!!!". Kidding! I just politely explain to them that I've had the habit ever since I received my first camera. And to be honest, I can't see myself stopping the habit, at least not in the near future. I love the colors of food. (Actually, I love colors, period.) I like reviewing my albums and seeing all those beautifully-crafted and neatly-prepped dishes. In days that I'm not too lazy to share, I pick some and upload online (some are here on my blog, some are on my multiply account, some on facebook and very few on twitter & instagram). When I read online that Evernote Food is now available on Google Play, I had no second thoughts of getting it. And now I'm quite excited to fill it up with lots of colorful photos of food but I have yet to discover all of its other features. I hope I'll enjoy using it as much as I loved using the Evernote.

The Face Behind the Evangelion Unit 00

Here's a post about my most favorite person in the world, my uber talented* friend Toshi. Now you might think "how could he possibly be Rian's favorite when she doesn't even talk about him on her blog?". This guy is a very private person and I am pretty sure that if he finds out about this post, he'll probably kill me (?!) or F.O. Haha, kidding! Anyway, if you love animé or if you're into cosplaying, you'll definitely like what you´ll see below. He made this from scratch. Enjoy!

*This guy can definitely pass as a ¨one-man band¨: he sings, plays the guitar & keyboard. I´m pretty sure that if I give him a drum set, he'll be able to wing it! He´s an awesome artist (if you need proof, proceed to his DA account and see for yourself).

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