Tuesday, March 25, 2008

Dancing and me

"Don't face the floor, face your problem."

That was what my dancing teacher told me and the rest of my Social Latin class whenever anyone could not get the step. We chuckle each time he said that.

Last night, I got acquainted with Samba and now I understand why Dancing With The Stars' Julianne Hough consider this her favorite dance. It's quite fun and after the session, I resolved to enroll in a full-month class on Samba in April.

Later on, I felt my feet and butt ached. According to one of my friends, it could mean that my behind is getting firm. God, I hope so.

Elliott in Asia again

Elliott Yamin is now in a land that is an hour ahead of mine. He was in KL three months ago, and in Manila three months ahead of that. So that makes it one Asian visit every quarter. Now I wonder where he'd be in June...

It is no surprise that Elliott is popular in this side of the globe. We love Western artists and sentimental balladeers. But, of course, he is more than just a ballad singer. Those who followed his journey in American Idol would know that he can sing just about any song, in any style.

I can still remember the time when I saw him perform in person a few months back. His voice was better heard live than on the record, I tell you. Oh, how I wish that would happen again.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Cool monks



The Heiligenkreuz monastery in Austria sent the above video to Universal Music in answer to the company's call last month for "monks, men of the cloth and sacred singers" who will later record an album of Gregorian chants. According to BBC News, Universal A&R executive Tom Lewis was "blown away" when he saw the video. I'm definitely not into Gregorian chants, but by golly, they are that good that I was able to endure listening through the whole clip. I hope I'm not being blasphemous but let me say this: you monks rock!

"Hell" on TV

Before I headed to work this morning, I joined my father in our living room to watch Fox News' Easter special. I was able to catch two segments: one discussed "Hell" and the other "Veronica's Veil."

According to the program, no one among those who had near-death experience actually saw Hell. Well, some guy actually suffered 23 minutes in hell literally, and had a book published on that. With the way he described it, I have to agree with him -- you would not wish even your worst enemy to go there.

Now what is more interesting is the subject of Veronica's Veil. For one, Christian scholars are not even sure that the woman who owned the garment actually had the name Veronica because Veronica is a combination of the Latin word "vera" or "truth" and "icon," which is "image" in Greek. So it could actually refer to the image on the veil. Another interesting issue is the fact that there are now two veils, one is in Vatican and the other is in an ancient Italian village, which many believed could be the real thing because when it is superimposed on the Shroud of Turin, they are a match.

Isn't the shroud controversial too because some say it is actually a product of some guy's genius. Hmm . . . I guess I shouldn't be surprised if one day, I would hear that the same guy made the two religious relics. And I bet Fox News -- or Discovery Channel -- would be there to tell me all about it.

Sunday, March 23, 2008

Cable in my life

History Channel is my favorite cable TV destination. My sister and I don't have cable in our apartment so whenever we return to our parents' home, which has it, in the weekend, we always make sure we get our History Channel fix every time.

Just now, it is showing Life After People, and as I have predicted, cockroaches will likely survive in a decaying Earth. I've been telling people that in fact these insects are prehistoric -- I heard about this somewhere.

Later on, we are watching Monk. I fancy shows that feature weird, funny but brilliant leading characters. Hence, I dig House and Psych.

How I wish cable here would carry Dancing With The Stars. That inspired me to take up dancing. Oh well, as they say, you just can't have everything.

Henna on my hair

Today, I had my sister henna my hair. It's a regular ritual, which nowadays causes me migraine. Why do I do it still? Because I get compliments from people for how my hair looks like, like I had it "rebonded." And being a girl, there's nothing more priceless than something to fuel my vanity.

I think henna did the trick for solving my hair issues. A few weeks ago, I had a trim, an event that rarely happens for two reasons: I dread any comment from the hairstylist and I really don't want to see my hair get shorter. My gay hairdresser, who seemed pissed at that time, later asked if I had my hair relaxed. I shook my head, smiled, and told him, it's just that straight. Before, all I would get was, "your hair looks dry, you should try our hot oil treatment" or "your hair is so thin, I could see your scalp at the back." So imagine how that recent remark made me feel.

I get my henna from a specialty shop called Healthy Options. I usually get the brand Light Mountain Natural in Black. My sister has been convincing me to change colors, maybe burgundy next time. I told her that I'm not into any red tones and would rather go for brown since I'm a natural brunette. So maybe I should go the chestnut route or maybe not since I love my hair in near black.

Saturday, March 22, 2008

On the moon again

I was reading the news today, my staple activity, and this article caught my attention:
" Situations vacant: applicants should be fit, fearless - and have a head for heights
·
Europe recruits astronauts for first time in 15 years
·
Up to 50,000 applications expected for eight places

Wanted for unique opportunity: brilliant, physically fit people. Must be cool under pressure, willing to work away from home and have a good head for heights. Free uniform included.

The wording might be a little different, but when the advert appears in newspapers in the next few weeks, it will mark the beginning of one of the most exciting recruitment drives in more than 40 years. The European Astronaut Centre (EAC) needs more astronauts, and from them it expects to choose the first European to walk on the moon . . ."

Source: Guardian

I remember when I was a kid and dreamt about becoming an astronaut. It was after I heard someone -- probably my dad -- talked about skylab.

Later on, I decided I'd love to be a lawyer, prompted by my dad's wish and frustrations for not being one.

In the end, I never turned into any of those because one, I'm not an American so getting into NASA was impossible, and I never had the passion for law. So . . . here I am.