Padingtun :D

Do you want to know the story behind Padingtun? :D

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Originally: (got this from the internet)

Paddington is a bear from Darkest Peru that gets sent to England and stays with the Brown family. His real name is Paddington Brown (he spells it Padingtun). He lives at 32 Windsor Gardens, London, England. He came from Darkest Peru, South America. Paddington likes eating marmalade, drinking cocoa. His Aunt Lucy has now gone to a home for retired bears in Lima. She is around 100 years old (50 human years). His uncle made his fortune selling cocoa to silver prospectors. Paddington's birthday is two, one on the 25th of June, and one on Christmas Day. Paddington's special powers has some very powerful stares that his Aunt taught him. And he carries a small suitcase around, complete with a secret compartment.

The Brown's are the family paddington lives with. Henry and Mary are married and have two children. Judy their daughter, who attends St. Christopher's boarding school. And Jonathan their son, he attends Farrowfield boarding school. and Mrs. Bird the live in housekeeper, "knows everything about everything".

And finally Mr. Gruber is the best of friends with Paddington, he is originally from Hungary. Mr. Gruber is a close friend of Paddington's who keeps an antique shop in Portobello market. He has been to South America as a boy. He is a kindly man who calls Paddington "Mr.Brown". He shares long chats with Paddington as they have buns and a cup of cocoa for their morning "elevenses". He has a huge library of books and is quite knowledgeable about many things. He gives frequent advice to Paddington and helps him with all his problems. Mr. Gruber is fond of saying "A problem shared is a problem halved"

Mr. Curry is the Brown's next door neighbor, a most unwelcome visitor because he is bad-tempered and always complaining about the least little thing which meets his disapproval. He has a reputation in the neighborhood for being mean and disagreeable and for poking his nose into other people's business. He likes getting something for nothing.

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Our version:

(written in my old BLOG) Jan 21, 2006 :D

Nix and I went to ATC last Saturday. We were really not supposed to go, because we had things to do respectively and we’ve been constantly together so we had this common understanding (although unsaid) that we should have the weekend to our 'lone' selves. But he suddenly thought of going to ATC and who was I to resist? He is always simply irresistible. ; )

At the ATC, we chanced upon bearhuggs, the famous store where cute cuddly stuffed toys are sold. There was this cute bear which caught our attention. It was wearing a yellow sando with "i love you" written on it. It was so cute. I think Nix found it cute too, he ended up buying the stuffed toy for me, although I didn't really ask him to. I was so touched. ; ) We were like little kids. ; )

We named the bear "Padingtun", derived from my most recent favorite book, "A bear called Paddington."

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And he has brought us joy since. :)

Wonders of Bicol! :)

I spent my entire highschool in Camarines Norte, a small and peaceful province in Bicolandia. I have a lot of Bicol memories and I owe it to Daet that I have lived a serene life during my ‘formative’ years.

Anyway, for this year’s holy week, Nixlove joined me and the family in Bicol for some Bicol express and ‘Kinunot’ ‘marathon’ haha! It’s Nixlove second visit to Bicol, the second of a series I must say. The first was historical though because it was where he "formally" asked me to marry him. haha! :D

Anyway, for this year we went to Cayucyucan Island in nearby town Mercedes–a white-sand paradise that has long been there but I never got to explore when I was still living with my grandparents in Bicol.

How to go there?

Our family rented a jeep (there were about 20+ of us) for P1,200 (back and forth). It was a 45-minute rough road trip via Basud, anothe town in Camarines Norte. If you are a small group, I was told you can ride a jeepney to Mercedes then ride a boat which won’t take over 10 minutes. We settled at Palm beach and we didn’t pay for any entrance fee. We just rented a big cottage for 500 pesos. There are rooms as well but they were all fully-booked, given that it was Holy Week.

Tip: Go there early, lest you want to bathe in the not-so deep waters during noon. The beach is child friendly because it has little waves and would not even go over 3-4 feet during 10 am-4 pm. There are a lot of starfish too–you decide whether it should be something to be bothered about. And well, we got a little over tan line than what we expected. (My cousins Gelo, Marvic and Gio. The waters seemingly evaporated at this point.)

We also went to Bagasbas beach, a popular beach in Daet. I’ve been there many times but it has improved over the years because local and international tourists have finally noticed its beauty. You can reach Bagasbas from the town capital through a 15-minute tricycle ride for about 40 pesos.

This is Nixlove testing our Yashica fx3-2000 slr film camera, a gift from Uncle Jojo. What a sunrise, what a view! And yes, what a love

Notice that the waves are very conducive for surfing. We’ll try that out in our next visit and we’ll make sure our shoulders are not as burned again.

I am so proud to be Bicolana! Can’t wait to go back.

The Failon tragedy

Ok, this is a long-overdue post.  A lot has been already said about the supposed suicide try of news anchor Ted Failon’s wife, Trina Arteche-Etong. And whether my opinion is valid or not–and altogether unsolicited: I believe it was really suicide. It would be hard for a daughter (just what Kaye Etong did) to admit her mother took her own life. And yes, this argument may be leaning on the emotional side but well, I felt that Failon was telling the truth.

The greatest tragedy here, however, lies with the Philippine National Police, or the Quezon City Police District specifically. Having covered the PNP–a beat I loved so much–for years makes me think what QCPD CIU people did was a nightmare. I know most policemen were not as rude. I have always believed that Mamang Pulis should be trusted and they are merely misunderstood, which probably roots from the negative portrayal of their jobs in Filipino movies.

The events last week, however, have proven that policemen have got to clean their ranks more than ever. The fact that Superintendent Franklin Mabanag (who had been a good source for breaking news info when I was covering the PNP) disrespected the grieving family of Failon makes me want to shout! I wouldn’t be surprised too if Trina came down from heaven and told people she gave up her battle with life upon hearing the commotion outside her hospital room.

I covered the inquest at the QC RTC for Failon’s househelps and sister-in-law for the obstruction of justice and witnessed how bad Mabanag treated Failon’s family, at least emotionally.

Trina’s sisters had to learn about her death at the QC RTC because they were forcibly taken away from her deathbed. And when Mean, Trina’s sister went hysterical (click for video) after learning Trina passed away, Mabanag would only say: “Bakit ako ba ang pumatay?” How insensitive can he be? Yes, he is a policeman and he ought to be tough. But being a policeman doesn’t mean you should be inhumane.

The suspension he and his men got serve them right. It’s about time they learn that death is a painful phase.

May Trina rest in peace. And for the first time, I want to see Failon back in TV Patrol. He needs justice too.

Lomo

I'm thinking of selling my HOLGA 120GN. Used twice. Would anyone be actually interested? :)

Reason for (probable) selling: It's gathering dust at home (but still in perfect condition) because I'm using the Yashica fx3-2000 for my film photos. :)