a bummed life!

I’m a big fan of canned tunas. I really love them. And, in the spirit of the Lenten season, i’ll be eating canned tuna instead of a full meal. Let’s hope i can stick to that plan. Hehe. For eating/snack, i really enjoy flakes of tuna (in brine or in lemon-flavored liquid) straight from the can. Recently, they started producing ‘tuna paella’. I saw one from a convenience store and decided to try it. I absolutely loved it! It’s a complete meal with the rice and all (although, not in regards to nutrition). The pic on the left is from Century Tuna but I’ve also tried San Marino’s similar product the other day. Honestly, I kinda’ prefer Century’s.

disclaimer: i’m not promoting anything with this post. it’s actually the first time i found out about ChurchSimplified. this post is just to tell you what is happening at High St. where i live nearby. Every year (it seems), BGC’s High Street plays host to ChurchSimplified ’s 14 Stations program. This is obviously not a ‘Bisita Iglesia’ as the venue does not involve any church for you to visit. In this platform, you have several ‘exhibit-like’ setup for each of the 14 Stations, all throughout the length of High St. Each station features at least a panel that explains the station and the ‘Act’ that participants can perform to internalize and contribute for the message and reason of that particular station. Some stations are simple explanations that you can just read and contemplate. Others are a bit more extravagant, featuring several degrees of involvement from the participants.

On a sunny Sunday morning of April 10, National Geographic held their NatGeo Earth Day run at Bonifacio Global City. This is my first race after a very long time (like years time). This is quite different by the sheer size of the event – more than 10000 registered and it feels like most of them actually did join the run that day. I’m actually the 10448th to register, two weeks prior to the race-date. Since this is hosted by National Geographic, the race is quite high-profile with lots of runners and sponsors. I’ve never been to this big a racing event and was pleasantly surprised with what I’ve experienced. Even as an ignorant first-timer, i had loads of fun. Here are some tips that can help others who are planning to join a running event:

(brief review of Lemongrass Restaurant) What a relief to discover that we still have Lemongrass restaurant somewhere in Ortigas! It’s one of my favorite restos ever since i tasted their Fresh Spring Rolls. I had the opportunity in dining here when they were still at SM Megamall. They had this small area in front of Toy Kingdom, next to the other restaurants on that side of the mall. I brought my friends, my sisters and officemates there because I really liked their Vietnamese-inspired menu. Then, at some point they closed down (to be replaced by Phoa). That restaurant hold lots of good memories with friends that I rarely see and dine with now (ohhh. getting sentimental, aren’t we). Just recently though, I’ve discovered they have reopened at Shangri-la Plaza (EDSA and Shaw Blvd cor.). It’s a pleasant site, literally as they they have a nicer, more spacious venue. The ambiance of the restaurant seemed to have a face lift – as it is brighter and more refined than their previous bran...

The good thing about running and racing is that all you basically need is a good pair of shoes and a well-paved (or equivalent) road. Practically anyone, at any age can do it but, i guess one of the triggers why it boomed is the availability of areas to run on. I mean, you can’t just run anywhere especially here in Manila. This is where Bonifacio Global City (BGC) plays a very good niche. When this city opened (as i have lived in the area for so long), the public just started running on its then grassy lawns and almost-free of traffic roads. It had very little traffic and pollution and was really safe as there aren’t so much people then, plus the area employs it’s own security personnel.

(review of the movie Source Code) I’m so thankful that there’s something interesting (for me, at least) to watch at the cinemas today! These week have been a series of low days for movies. There weren’t anything else to see but 3D animated ones mainly intended for kids and those who really love cutesy, cheesy characters – movies of interest seem to have gone to an early summer vacation. Enter the “Source Code”. While it’s not quite the “Inception”, it’s still a welcome presentation from the currently depressed cinematic experience. It’s got enough action, story, funny bone and hints of a love story to keep you from completely setting up a boycott the theaters ‘til the next big movie arrives.

Fun runs and races are the new fad these days (for Pinoys). It used to be badminton, awhile back. Sometime ago, badminton became the favorite past time of everyone from office-goers to celebrities. Badminton courts started sprouting like mushrooms everywhere. Now, after just a few short years, the craze just seem to have died out (along with the closing down of most courts) – to be replaced by Fun Runs. Now, races happen almost every weekend in areas like Bonifacio Global City (BGC), SM Mall of Asia grounds and even the Skyway!

One of the most important responsibility of an official bum is to have a regular Video or DVD MARATHON! It's probably in the top 5 things to do when your just bumming around (someday, i would have to rank them into a post). note: this is also a brief review of True Blood and Battlestar Galactica There are a ton of videos to spend countless hours of doing nothing in front of a screen (be it a portable device, a flatscreen TV or your PC). The choices of things to watch mostly fall in the following list (in order of importance):

Five straight weeks of doing nothing! And still counting!! I’ve never thought in my entire career and life, i would be jobless for this long. It has been more than a month since i last got to the office for work, and that was my last day being employed. It would have been great if I was leaving the rat-race for a business of my own or at least joining a new company but no, no. I was just leaving. Don't ask me about the reasons –  that is for another post in another blog. Being unemployed for more than a month, and not having the slightest hope for a good job offer makes me an official bum. I've been living off with what little savings i have. I wonder how long that would last though? My life right now, consists of a series of the following daily activities: Morning: Wake-up and do some running or exercises. Lunch: Eat lunch and think of what to do the rest of the day (which is usually).. Afternoon: Computer or Sleep Evening: Eat dinner and think of what to do t...