Liv in a Life Well-Lived

Of all the Marvel superheroes, the least I expected to love was Ironman. I was more of a Hulk kinda gal, until the Edward Norton movies ruined it for me. He was just too... wishy-washy, too emotive. A lot of people disagree with me, and at this particular point, I am not trying to dissuade them. But something was off and I couldn't put a finger on it. That is, until they got Mark Ruffalo, of course. Now I could just say, Hulk is more Mark Ruffalo than Edward Norton and let's leave it at that. But Ironman? Whoever was the casting director is a visionary because Robert Downey, Jr. IS Ironman. He has the grits, the slick, the brass and the vulnerability down to a pat. Downey's life hadn't been easy. He had his moments of slip-ups --- a whole decade of it. So it's this guy who has been so down, but managed to rise up again who could bring a love-to-hate character to life. Anyways, please don't expect this to be an unbiased review. I'm a fan, so of course

Hi Everyone! It's another good news Sunday! This weekly blogging is harder than I thought! I had been occupied with a barrage of work and currently, I'm even in between trainings. But i couldn't let another Sunday pass without a slew of happy news. :D Today, I choose to be happy about the fact that our dear President, Noynoy Aquino, is in the top 100 Most Influential People of Time Magazine for 2013. A lot of politics can make it hard to view any politician as decent, but I really believe the Aquino administration is sincere about their fight for corruption. We just shouldn't expect instant results. There's a possibility that the full impact of the changes being made now won't be felt for at least one more generation. But at least we're doing something about it, and if we do manage to sustain it, we might just deserve our "Rising Star" branding from the global economic market. And how about this insighful thought about the realit

 Each of us have a favorite restaurant, one which nourishes the soul, and not just your tummy. I'm not talking about Jollibee or McDo. I am talking about a place that offers food you know isn't bad for you and the ambiance alone can make you forget how vexing your work week had been. Ella and I consider Chelsea Market & Cafe one of our "nourishment for the soul" places. It's a bit on the pricey side (for our budget), so just the fact that we could only eat there once in a while makes it all the more special. And the restaurant itself has that inviting feel of homely coziness. Quiet, uplifting music plays in the background, inviting you to stay and relish your food. No crazy, ubiquitous jingles trying to make you shove your food into your mouth faster than you can say Mississippi.  Last Sunday, we decided to eat late lunch at Chelsea again. We've planned this for two weeks and my mouth is already watering at the thought of their glorious food. It

The other night, I was at Highlands Coffee in Emerald Avenue where they are selling Smoked Salmon and Egg Salad Sandwich for Php 139. I remember being flabbergasted but I bought it anyway because I haven't had a good egg sandwich for ages. Unfortunately, the sandwich was a disappointment. The bread was too dry, and the spread wasn't as generous as I needed it to be. I made a resolution to make my own and avoid being hoodwinked into commercialized egg sandwiches again. The problem is, I have never ever made an egg salad sandwich in my life ! That's the thing about egg salad for me, I see it as a token of love because my Mom and my Tia Ely were the only ones who ever made one for us. It's always just there, isn't it? And it's just for the kids, right? . This first of a series will feature how I made my own grown-up version of the Egg Salad Sandwich. What You Need: 3 large eggs 1 pint Mayo / Pickle relish combo or        I used Ladys' Choice Sandwich

Some people have an issue with Mondays. I, however, have an issue with Mondays and the mid-week hump. Getting to Friday can sometimes feel like you're swimming in a cesspool of dead dreams. So to avoid turning into an unimaginative drone, I am going to self-motivate. I am going to gather fantastic (nothing less!) quotes which really speaks to me, or share a funny story that happened in the workplace, or simply share a work incident which makes me happy. I am not an Accountant after all (due to absolutely zero Math skills), and my work stories can go beyond fascinating actuary and into the heart warming miscellany. Just the other day, a volunteering group in Mongolia (yes, that faraway Mongolia) is asking for help in setting up systems for their volunteering programs. Aside from the pretty possibility of my going to Ulan Bataar, I am also amazed at the their enthusiasm to empower their people to participate in their country's development. If this so many people want to help

(the first official Movie Monday post from the resuscitated Geek's Guide) Yes, I know. Haven't we all tired of Tom Cruise yet? Not sure if you've been noticing it lately, but our dear TC has become a one-trick pony. Well, true, not just one trick per se, but his bag of tricks have been needing a freshening up as of late. He's become too much of an Action Star (with Capital A and S), and every time he does any supposedly new stunt, you feel the tickling of deja vu somewhere in your brain. Perhaps nobody was excited about Oblivion. I mean, with the barrage of dystopian movies we've been having lately, one does get desensitized. But I was excited about it because I love the terrible future we have ahead of us. I love how in our movies, we overcome it all-- how we transcend. One person could hope, right? i hope it all proves true that our inner heroes emerge just as the world around us all fall down. I have mixed feelings about Oblivion. The story was great

Today, you woke up, chose to get out of bed, cook breakfast, attend Mass, kiss your kids. Savour Sundays, if only because we only get a limited number of it in a lifetime. For the first ever Good News Sunday post here at Geek's Guide, I feel great about the following: 1. Yes, Donaire did lose his boxing bout today. But isn't it fantastic that we have two, perhaps three, of this Decade's best boxers in history? People actually turned out to watch this fight. Not just Pinoys, but people from around the world. Obviously, this is not Amateur Night, people. :D 2. Cats are all over the Internet. But Dog-Lovers unite! Here is one undeniably cute post of french bulldogs and the baldest baby I've ever seen this side of the net-verse. Ha! Take that, kitty cat! 3. According to Rappler, a lot of people are HAPPY about the recent Senatorial debates. It's been pretty telling who of the candidates wants it bad, and who might actually be decent enough to vote. Ha

And if your story is only about how you live your life, what fascinates you, what gets you out of bed in the morning, who you love... then it is a story worth getting out there. Sounds a bit narcissistic, doesn't it? But all writers, and I mean all writers have a bit of Narcissus in them, and a huge bit of Pandora too. What if? What then? How now? I should cut ties with this blog, I feel weighed down by all the memories and the thoughts of my old self. But ... If my principle truly is about evolution, about transcendence and living life well, then what better testament than the mistakes I made in the past? My story has started years ago, and what has happened in the past has made me the person I am now. I am still a confused jumble of notions and beliefs. I still ask a ton of questions, most of them left unanswered in one big Parking Lot for thoughts. But I feel different. I can hear a voice inside getting stronger, awake now after years of forced hermitage. Nothi

When was the last time you did something for the first time? When was the last time you were awed by something unfamiliar and new? I was 17 years old when I told myself never to allow my future self to fall into mediocrity or apathy. I had no idea what lay ahead, and it was so easy to make promises that sounded easy enough to accomplish, given the circumstances I have always known. I used to have what jaded people call the mythical drive to be someone who does something important with her life. What I didn’t know is that there will be events in my life that will terrify me, will break me and unglue me. I didn’t know it will take me preternatural effort to pull myself together and use all my energy to impede self-implosion. I didn’t know how safe Mediocrity could become to someone forced to evacuate her comfort zone. I wish I had been one of those people whose reaction to grief was to push forward, climb mountains and tame lions. My nature and nurture instinct was t