Coming home...

 ...uhm, although not sure which is home now.

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by PAM

Yup, it's been quite confusing lately.  We have a second home in a place outside Metro-Manila that is also within "MegaMetro-Manila", and which is close to my workplace 'annex'.  So, I have been spending most of my time in the second home.  Whenever I need to be in the main workplace, however, I go back to our first home.  And when I need to shuttle back-and-forth between the old and new home, when people ask, "are you going home," I would not know exactly how to answer.  

So, where is home, really?  I guess, this song has the answer...

🎶 "But don't think of me not being around

Just listen for the sweet, sweet sound

of the taxi pulling up the driveway

I'm coming home soon..." 🎶

I guess it's about where your presence is awaited and welcomed... and where you feel awaited and welcomed.  Home is where you are surrounded by love - in many forms, through many forms.  Sometimes through the presence of family members, sometimes through the bits and pieces that evoke warm memories shared with loved ones, sometimes its the delicious smell of fresh cooking or that smell of cleanliness and freshness that seems to hug you to rejuvenation... many forms, indeed.  All lovely, cozy forms. 

Therefore, whether I was in our place in Metro-Manila or in Mega-Metro-Manila (or even in Pangasinan where I was born... or in New York where I studied and where I became the person that I am now), I'd be home.  And I am glad. 

***

Oh, and about the song...

I came across the song "Coming Home Soon" (CHS) by Adam Woodall by binge-watching the Hallmark drama series "Chesapeake Shores" (CS) on Netflix while I was convalescing from a bad, bad case of flu, and it's all I can do not to go insane from boredom and frustration.  CHS is the theme song of CS.  

"Chesapeake Shores" is a Hallmark series that started to air on Hallmark Channel in 2016, and streamed internationally on Netflix.  I've heard so much about it then but I just can't be bothered.  I was a 'woman on a mission', and paying attention to fiction-on-TV was not my cup of tea that time.  Well, unless it was Star Trek... and the likes.  Well, of course, knowing what I know now, I should've enjoyed life more then... and didn't give too many pieces of myself... to the carnivorous vultures that pretended to be gentle doves of peace.  Now that I can no longer retrieve those little pieces, I had to learn to grow more of myself within to fill out the voids and be stronger than ever.  It's not easy but it's only a matter of time now and the 'new version' of myself should be ready to roll.

Now, back to CS.  Chesapeake Shores is a 'tree' of stories of the big O'Brien family from a small town in Maryland called, yep, Chesapeake Shores. The story snaked to many branches of mini sub-stories following the lives of the five O'Brien siblings (Abby, Kevin, Bree, Connor and Jess), their parents (Mick and Megan) and their Irish grandmother, Nell O'Brien... with a whole bunch of people, mostly those in relationship with them. I think the general storyline of family, enduring family ties, love, and family love was very good and quite interesting given the widespread erosion of family as the basic building block of society... especially in many parts in the US.  It is just a little bit intriguing, too, given how the O'Briens, as a family, seem to embrace tightly their Irish foundation in a place that can be considered hardcore American.  It was mostly centered on the love story of the eldest O'Brien sibling, who was a divorcée based in New York City, Abby O'Brien-Winters, and her childhood sweetheart, Trace Riley.  A downturn in her high-flying career in New York made Abby decide to return to Chesapeake Shores with her two little daughters at the O'Brien's family home. Just before that, Trace returned from a colorful music career in Nashville.  It was a case of love, love lost, love-found-again, and what-now for Abby and Trace.  In the background was the O'Briens' broken family history, which inched its way to the surface, trying to mend itself... creating many emotional sub-plots in the process.  

And so, the lyrics of CHS fit how, after living a 'life on the road' for so long, Trace finally returns home to Chesapeake Shores to fulfill a dream that was mostly inspired by his love and early relationship with Abby.  They broke up when, after High School, Abby moved to New York without saying goodbye.  Trace followed his dream to New York but found her involved with someone else - the person she married, and with whom she shared two daughters.  He moved to Nashville where he found success.  Meanwhile, in New York City, Abby became successful in her career at Wall Street, but got divorced.  As she became a single Mom and was forced to resign from her position of power at work, she sought solace with family at home in Chesapeake Shores.  She found Trace rebuilding his life, after a tumultuous fast life in Nashville, and retracing the root of his music's inspiration.  

Abby and Trace came home to Chesapeake Shores... and, as fate would have it, they came home to each other.  It was sweet... beautiful and touching.  Until the story went this way and that... and beautiful it no longer was.  The theme song remained beautiful though... a good reason to keep binge-watching.

***

Alright, so... Chesapeake Shores    

I liked Season 1.  Seasons 2 was a decent follow-up for Season 1's success.  However, into Seasons 3 and 4... it started to feel drab... and exhausting as binge-watching goes, especially that storyline on Abby and Trace... and Jesse Metcalfe's one-dimensional portrayal of Trace's character.  It became agonizingly boring towards Season 4, and it almost brought the whole series down the drain.  Well, for me.  Add to that Emilie Ullerup's overacting portrayal of the queen of overthinking, Bree O'Brien - too annoying.  Everytime she was on screen, I felt that my energy gets zapped by all the facial expression and tone somersaults, argh.  Also, the back-and-forth emotional turmoil of Jess O'Brien (Laci J. Mailey) was quite unbearable... it was almost painful to watch David Peck (played by Carlo Marks) fall for her and put up with all that waste of emotional energy... he deserved better.  But, my goodness, Jess was so ethereally lovely though!  She had the most exquisite pair of eyes.  So, it's almost easy to forgive the mushy character.  Not that Ullerup was not beautiful because she was... just overacting, that's all.  Still, by Season 3, I almost gave up on the entire Series!  Thank goodness for Abby and Mick O'Brien, portrayed very well by Meghan Ory and Treat Williams, respectively, there was some respite from all the poorly acted melodrama.  By Season 4 and into Season 5, aside from Ory and Williams, I believe it was Andrew Francis (Connor O'Brien) that did most of the heavy weight lifting in the acting division.  Francis' Connor just shown through and just made his way to the surface of strength of character - very good character development and acting there.  The sweet and low key story subplot about Kevin, and Sarah, who became his wife, was also kind of easy to watch.  Brendan Penny is such a reliable actor.  He did a very good job, and he managed to make his character interesting without awkwardly 'stealing' the limelight like... yeah, Bree O'Brien.  

By Season 5, Hallmark saw the light, and eliminated the character of Trace Riley.  Hurrah!  Trace was becoming Abby's biggest 'child' that, by the end of Season 4, both Abby's daughter, Carrie and Caitlyn, have outgrown him.  Yep, that storyline was all that drab.  But the show runners introduced another big mistake though, Jay Ross (Greyston Holt) as a romantic character opposite Abby - man, not again!  And then, on Episode 3, Evan Kincaid (Robert Buckley), like a (weird) knight in a shining armor (well, more like Under Armour, actually) came on board to save the entire Series, making Jay Ross fade to oblivion!  Buckley's Evan - an eccentric self-made billionaire was a breath of fresh air.  His strong and commanding presence, and pushy-without-sounding-like-it-because-he-is-humurous-and-charming ways made Abby bristle, bringing up the very best of Meghan Ory in the acting division.  They had a very, very good chemistry - it didn't feel forced.  Their banters were so funny with Buckley's well-timed punchlines, and Ory's spirited returns.  I felt like I was in the same room, participating in the conversation.  I found myself laughing out loud whenever they are on screen together and bantering in high spirits, and especially when Mandrake (Wesley Salter), Evan's enigma of a chauffeur, was also involved. It was beautiful!  Mick and Evan had a very good chemistry, too. Their scenes together were easy, brilliant and, at times, surprisingly touching.  

See, it worked!  Season 5 was like the renaissance of CS.  Everybody seemed to be at his/her best in Season 5.  Bree was not as annoyingly overacting as she was in the first four Seasons.  There were moments when she was actually funny, relatable... and, yeah, loveable.  Surely, Luke Tatum (Stephen Huszar) had a lot to do with it.  Luke did a very good job taming the wildly emotion-somersaulting queen of overthinking.  And if Bree can have that reinvented version of herself, imagine all the rest of the characters!  Perhaps, Ullerup went on an acting workshop, huh?  Good for her!  But I gotta say, Ory was at her best - in acting and in looks - just gorgeous!  I can say the same for Connor.  In fact, S5E3 was my favorite, not just because Evan was introduced in that episode but because Connor, the awesome lawyer that he became, was unveiled in that episode, too.  See?  All Hallmark had to do was get rid of Trace.  Too harsh? Uhm, okay, sorry!

I will certainly post more about Chesapeake Shores... although the final Season, Season 6, aired from August to October 2022, I am kind of wishing that Hallmark gives us another Season... or better yet, a spin-off.  C'mon, Hallmark, we want us more Evan Kincaid here!  And we want to see how little Mickey turned out.  Let's go, Hallmark!

***

Video credit:  The owner is indicated in the video itself.  Thanks, YouTube, for the link.

***

QOTD

 QOTD #32: On fear, courage... and love.

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by PAM

"Man, I was... I was terrified. I tried drinking, you know, make it all go away, but... it didn't work. Nothing did.  Then I realized a good Marine doesn't act in the absence of fear.  They act in the face of it.  So, I did."

- Jack Sheridan (Martin Henderson), 'Virgin River' S6:E3

Yep, it's one of those weekends when there is so much to digest and reflect on because the whole week has been a 'colorful collage' of many important events, many of which were challenging, a handful were stressful and tiring, and some quite sobering.  

So, yep, I had a week of emotional roller coaster filled with intellectual 'adventures' and leadership puzzles, and personal realizations.  Unlike Jack Sheridan - the lead character played by Martin Henderson in the Netflix series, 'Virgin River', though, who was also faced with a colorful barrage of dangerous encounters as a Marine captain and thereafter, I didn't try drinking - I never will.  I do understand the fear - the unsettling awareness of the danger that lies ahead, and how it can strike at any moment.  It doesn't help that I tend to overthink things sometimes...

especially when there is very little known alternative to avoid the expected danger. Such anticipation can lead to panic and decision paralysis, which is the worst effect of fear.

When I was younger, I was usually unafraid to take on 'fearsome matters' just because I believed... no, I knew, I knew then that the more fearsome the challenges were in front of us, the greater the learning - whether the challenge was surmounted or not.  Therefore, 'acting in the face of fear', and acting with the best possible decision under the circumstances, always brought the most satisfying outcome - win or lose.  

These days, after learning so much from previous experiences, I have been losing my appetite for facing danger and all the monstrosity that comes with it.  Not that I am afraid... I remain unafraid.  Let's just say that I am more in touch with my mortality these days... and given all the time I spent in facing danger and the excitement of 'acting in the face of it' in a thankless job, I am now more inclined to the quiet, 'less exciting' life.  I guess the thankless nature of my job is the biggest factor of danger that I usually faced (and still face), and the biggest reason why the 'appetite' dwindles and it inclines somewhere else.  I now enjoy getting home before the sun sets, cooking and savoring freshly cooked meals, watering the plants and almost literally watching them grow... and just enjoying a quiet evening without so many things racing in my head, and keeping me awake all night.  Many people say, I'll get bored and will soon crave the 'dangerous life'.  So far, my interest keeps inclining somewhere else.

These days, spending 'busy' weeks are so unbelievably stressful for me even when such weeks are actually just a 'walk-in-the-park when compared with my pursuits back in the days when I was the equivalent of Jack Sheridan's Marine captain in my Academic Unit in the University.  I guess my passion for dangerous pursuits has dwindled... or, I may need a new scenario to rekindle my appetite for slaying danger and all the monstrosities that come with it.  And just exactly how will I do that?  Okay, now... that might just be the equivalent of 'acting in the face of danger'.  And my pulse quickens.... 💓🙏

***     

Image credit:  The image in this post is from Netflix through Entertainment Weekly - thanks both.

***           

QOTD

 QOTD #31: On the journey of discovery, getting off track... and returning to one's true passion

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by PAM

"Who you are isn't finite.  You'll be different a year from now, ten minutes from now.  So, embrace who you are in this moment."

- Ronnie Sullivan (Brandon Quinn), 'Sweet Magnolias', S4:E7

Yes, I am one of them worriers in this world.  I sometimes am unable to stay in the moment... I will admit.  Okay, I just did... admit.  By the time people say, "ahhh", "hmmm," with eyes closed and face seemed to be illuminated by a glorious light from up above after taking that perfect bite from a delicious main course of a fabulous dinner, I would already be imagining the dessert... and all the very many possibilities... such as someone choking if the dessert was a rice cake of sorts.  My hyper imaginative mind will then race to far flung places such as 911 and someone being rushed to the Emergency Room due to some nasty tapioca pearl getting caught in someone's throat or something.  So, if someone would ask my opinion about the steak and whether or not it was cooked to my liking, I wouldn't know how to answer.  In fact, I hardly know what were served at dinner at all!  But when someone gasped for air... that's it, I would be on my phone dialing 911 - emergency, someone is choking!!         

As I binge-watched Season 4 of "Sweet Magnolias" to have my favorite young couple, Ty and Annie, keep me company as I work, work, work... into Valentine's Day, Annie's Dad, Ronnie, caught my attention as he set Annie's worried mind at ease.  The gorgeous, kind and naturaly talented budding artist, Annie, was stressing her brains out over College applications.  She was doubting herself whether this or that school would be a good fit for her as she wants to study photography... and what if she chose one school and then realized one day that photography was not her real passion?  What then?  She was imagining a thousand and one scenarios, and it drover her crazy.    

I can relate with Annie... not that I'm a 17-year-old girl deciding about college!  No, not that, of course!  I was fifteen (15) years old when I started college... and I just wanted to study!  I didn't have the crisis that Annie had.  My National College Entrance Examination (NCEE) Test (yes, we had that in the Philippines when I was in High School) score and qualitative analysis indicated that I can pursue anything... and I positively felt that way, too.  I chose chemical engineering in two universities where I took entrance examination, political science and journalism in another.  I passed in all... but I decided to study chemical engineering at the University of Santo Tomas (UST)... not that I knew what I was doing.  I let my faith work, and it led me to teaching chemical engineering in the same University later.  The rest is history as they say.    

These days, I am handling a relatively important assignment at work... and I remain interested and engaged.  However, as I also begin to 'slow down' in preparation for retirement, my original passions that I consciously set aside to give way to what was practical for me and my family decades ago are now 'bubbling back' towards the surface... and it's becoming more and more difficult to ignore. So, my passion for what I do at work started to dwindle a bit... until it's becoming quite impossible to ignore my real passion.  

Decades ago, it was easier to choose between what was practical and needed, and what I was (am) passionate about.  I chose 'practical and needed', hands down... because I love my family and I have always been committed to my family.  I never regretted my choice because, over the years, as I wholeheartedly fulfill my obligations, I discovered myself... and the many gifts that God gave me that enabled me to accomplish many things.  Everyday, I felt excited because of the hope to discover something new.  Without a doubt, who I am and who I can be is finite as only God is infinite.  But putting trust in God as I embarked to the journey of discovery, I felt that the hope in my heart - that is centered in God's love, made me believe that 'anything is possible'. Indeed, 'the possibility is endless' as they say... and if we worked hard, we can realize many of those possibilities. Sometimes, our choices cause us to stray away from the road that leads to the better version of ourselves.  This is when prayers lift the clouds in front of us, fortify our vision... and the road to happiness reveals itself in front of us.  The journey continues.  Perhaps, that's what Ronnie Sullivan meant when he said to Annie, "what you are isn't finite".  One moment, we are plunged in a sea of confusion, but with a small prayer and lots of faith, we are bathed in a light of clarity... a beautiful experience that only God's love can afford us. 

I can say that the journey of discovery has been awesome!  These days though, there are a few remaining reasons to stay practical... but the call to pursue passion gets louder and louder.  I feel that there is more to discover. And, to continue discovering... I have to change course.

Oh, and Happy Valentine's Day, y'all!

***

Image credit:  The photo of Ty (Carson Rowland) and Annie (Anneliese Judge) is borrowed from Tudum by Netflix - thank you.

***

QOTD

 QOTD #30:  When reality strikes... and it takes you by surprise.

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by PAM

 

"...and since I am currently one of the women sitting home thinking, 'if I could only find a man like Aragorn', he picked me.

- Lorelai Gilmore, "Gilmore Girls" S4:E22 

I wasn't thinking of posting anything here today... or in the next few days, or maybe weeks.  I have planned to spend my 'free time' just getting back to healthy state and just forgetting about work, or anything that requires an effort to not be the introvert that I truly am - regardless whether the reason for getting out of my 'introvert cocoon' is a family matter, friends matter or what have you.  I planned of locking myself inside my own little introverted world and resume

binge-watching "Gilmore Girls" (GG) on Netflix... and ignore the (ignorable) fact that there is a whole wide world out there... a teeny tiny part of which is curious whether I am still alive or have ceased existing altogether.  

And then GG S4:E22 came on - an episode where Lorelai was contemplating dating her long-time dependable and permanent ('cause nothing much in Lorelai's life is permanent, except the love between her and her daughter, Rory) friend, Luke Danes.  In the previous episode, Lorelai and Luke attended Luke's sister's wedding... and they 'oddly' hit it off as they danced at the reception... and after Luke realized in the middle of listening to a self-help audio book that at every important point in his life (good or bad) in the last (almost) two decades, there has always been that one person he would like to share it with - Lorelai.  Hence, the odd feeling of being together at the wedding, and saying goodbye afterwards at Lorelai's doorstep... which did not escape Lorelai. So, in E22, she was dissecting the situation with Rory... trying to determine whether Luke would really like to date her, or just taking pity on her newly single self (again) after her last relationship ended abruptly due to 'family complications', which is almost always the case for Lorelai's lovelife.

Ah... that caught your attention, didn't it?  Lovelife!   You think I'd be talking about my own lovelife here.  Well, I am sorry to disappoint but I do not have a lovelife, at least, not the romantic kind that you might be expecting... and therefore, there is nothing of the sort to talk about here.  That's the reality, my reality.  It's a good reality, too, and I'm happy.  So, deal and move on!

***

Thinking of Aragorn in a universe parallel with Lorelai Gilmore's

What caught my attention in GG S4:E22 is Lorelai's mention of Aragorn from the "Lord of the Rings" (LOTR).  I've seen this scene before... but it still caught me by surprise.  I blame my current (and, perhaps, forever) 'single blessedness' to him, Aragorn.  He is so dashing, brave, intelligent, incredible leader, and just about perfect, especially as portrayed by Viggo Mortensen in the series of films by Peter Jackson. That 'Aragorn speech' at the Black Gate in "LOTR: The Return of the King" (LOTR:TROTK) alone, and the courage he showed to make good his speech all throughout the film series, especially in that monumental Battle of Helm's Deep in "LOTR: Two Towers", and in the books by J.R.R. Tolkien, will forever haunt me, and will always be the standard on which men should be measured... in my book.

"Hold your ground, hold your ground... this day we fight!"

So, if this scene from LOTR:TROTK made many women in this world, including the fictitious Lorelai Gilmore, to expect even the smallest hint of perfection in men, can you blame them?  Can you blame us?  Still speechless in amazement?  Uhm, yeah... that's what I thought!    

Alright, back to GG... and the thoughts of Aragorn. Oy!  

Ciao!

***

Video Credit:  Thanks, Youtube, for the video link.

***

Enduring the flu...

 ...again! Ugh!

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by PAM

And here we go again... down with the flu. Man... insane.  

And as flu caught me alone in my second home, I have no

A sick person's meal, prepared by the sick person.

choice but to tend to myself.  I have been cooking my meals even when I feel like I am unable to lift the spatula.  I know I could just order food... but that's a lot of wrappers and wrappers and packaging and packaging, layer after layer - too much waste, I can't bare it... especially after enduring that 'parade of typhoons' that hit the Philippines over the last few weeks.  No, thank you.  It is time to take action and contribute in mitigating climate change... no matter how small the contribution is, it is still a step towards the right direction.  So, yeah, I'll do my best to cook.  So far, I am able to manage... without aggravating my health condition... I think... uhm, I hope! 😅 The effort is real, and the hunger that builds up while cooking progressed so very (very) slowly is like Smaug himself waiting to devour Bilbo Baggins!

One of the things that I really, really hate about coming down with the flu is that flu usually goes with a sore throat.  And if one had been terribly abusive of one's health (hence, the flu in the first place), the sore throat can be so terrible that it goes with a 'shut-off vocal cords'.  Air is blocked completely from creating sound waves... one can't make the smallest of sound no matter how hard one tries to scream.  It is totally frustrating that I just want to stuff my mouth with food to compensate... but swallowing is a labor, too.  So, yeah... did I mention frustrating?  'Cause it is! 

***

The voiceless pain

Feverish, mightily uncomfortable from body ache and painful throat, dizzy and weak, watery eyes and no voice... that's me today.  And I am very, very frustrated. 😞  As I write this post this very moment, I am binge-watching one of my ultimate favorite TV shows, the "Gilmore Girls" (GG) series, because I have been so bored staring at the ceiling in my bed. And I am extremely frustrated that I am unable to sing along with the show's theme song, "Where you Lead" by the brilliant Carole King (CK).  

🎶"I always wanted a real home with flowers in the window sill.

Well, if you wanna live in Stars Hollow, baby, you know I will...

Where you lead, I will follow, anywhere that you tell me to...."🎶

I do enjoy singing the theme song. In fact, for hardcore Stars Hollow fans, it is one of the highlights of watching GG.  Every episode begins with some sort of an overview of what the next 45 minutes will be about... and then just when you are about to say, "huh? What?  Whaaat??", the theme song rolls in, and you know you are, indeed, at the right place.  So, you cozy up with a bucket of popcorn on your lap, and all other concerns in life far, far away from your mind.  Every episode also ends with some sort of an "aaaww" or an "oh, nooo" moment that made us want to speed up the week back in the early 2000s in order to see the next episode.  These days, with Netflix stringing the episodes per season in a binge-worthy array, the "aaawww" or "oh, no" moment is followed real fast by the "whaaaat" moment.  And something has to relieve a fan from such heightened emotion.  I guess I do not have to emphasize that the relief comes from the theme song.  A moment when one's sanity says bye-bye momentarily as one sings along with the fabulous CK while watching highlights of the show.  

So, imagine how painful it is for an avid GG fan like myself when he/she is unable to get the smallest of sound to sing along with CK - argh, torture!     

***

The sweetness of working from home

As I mentioned before, I have been appreciating my new surroundings in my second home, close to my new primary workplace.  I have been realizing in the past days as I work from home

Through the sheer curtain at the window,
it seems that something is 'on fire' outside.
But it is just the sunset... in its glorious beauty.

that wherever I sit to work in my new home, I see the very green sceneries outside through the 'countless' windows we have.  I have been complaining to my sister that I have no blank walls to hang paintings and pictures, and there are very few spaces where I can park my favorite art pieces.  These days, I am beginning to accept... and appreciate the big windows that allow me to see my green surroundings.  At the moment, that relieves my painful and watery eyes, and I'm grateful.  The small lanai by the side of the house, or the small backyard, allows me to soak in the healing warmth of sunrise.  Also, in many places where I can sit to work in the afternoon while I eat snacks before taking medicine (again), I have a view of the lovely sunset in this part of the world... and enjoying the sunset is one of my 'guilty pleasures'.  I feel very fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy these things... even if what afforded me to enjoy them is a health issue.  There is always something good in any of our experiences.  Sometimes the goodness is an immediate outcome that we can enjoy, other times, we need to dig deep to discover it.  And the greatest gift is experiencing goodness without having to dig too deep.  These days, I appreciate that enjoying sunrise and/or sunset does not require digging deep. So, again, I am grateful.

My 'voiceless pain'... or 'painful voicelessness' is kind of taken over by the sweetness of working from home... even when the reason for working from home is the 'voiceless pain'.  And yes, I am grateful. Indeed, I am.

If you have gotten this far, uhm... I am so sorry but did I just waste three minutes of your life?  I did?  I knew it!  I am extra-incoherent today.  But, hey, I am grateful... to you for enduring my incoherence.  I appreciate you.   

***
Image credit:  The photos in this post are mine.  I took them, they belong to me.

***

Wednesday happy pill...

...unexpected but understandable.
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by PAM

Myung-soo (center): 

"What did you just say?

What did you guys do in my workroom?

What happened after the hugging?"

I cannot look at these photos, blurred as they are, without laughing uncontrollably.  It works everytime! 😂 

This 'happy pill' is from "The Heirs" (a.k.a. "The Inheritors")... and, yeah, it's a Korean TV Drama, and, uhm... I soooo love it! It is my all-time fave, and I can spend a whole day just watching and re-watching it. I laugh and cry... get mad, get agitated... and then laugh and cry again, and then fall in love over and over again just watching the 20 episodes. I cannot get enough of it. This much I admit, uhm... without shame! 😅

This 2013 KDrama starred that beautiful man, Lee Min-ho, who was at his most beautiful phase in life playing the beautiful young man in the series, Kim Tan, and the A+ Korean actress, Park Shin-hye, who played Cha Eun-sang. Together, they made such a cute young couple in a Cinderella story that makes one fall in love. Never mind that Tan can be that typical spoiled conglomerate son sometimes, and Eun-sang can be that annoying damsel-in-distress who can't make up her mind and fight for herself most of the time. They portrayed 18-year-olds from opposite backgrounds whose entwined environments prevent them from enjoying young love, so what do you expect? But when they're being cute, they are so naturally adorable together, they just make you smile whatever your circumstance. Tan is so funny and adorable when asserting his feelings and trying to win Eun-sang's affection, and being hilariously possessive when he tries to be protective of her. Lee Min-ho became Kim Tan, truly 😍; and Park Shin-hye quickly became my fave KDrama actress, of course. 👍😊 

The series also starred a host of wonderful actors and actresses who were all great in their roles and whose on-screen chemistry was so spot-on that I felt... they were my second family. 😌😊 I did have a 'love-hate relationship' with Choi Yeong-do (played by Kim Woo-bin), but it's leaning more towards 'love' just because he was usually very funny. 😄 But, yeah, there were so many heartwarming moments, and this scene from Episode 13 was one of my favorites - totally hilarious! The adorable Jo Myung-soo, who was Kim Tan's and Choi Yeong-do's friend and played by Park Hyung-sik, was very funny in the scene pictured above. His chemistry with Kim Tan was at its best in the said scene. It didn't feel like they were acting in a KDrama at all. At this point, it being the 13th episode, it felt like watching your own friends engaged in a banter, and you can't help but be proud of being their friend. 😎😊

When I'm having a tough time, I just rummage through the episodes of this KDrama, especially episodes 2,3, 8, 11, 12, 13, 14, 18 and 19... and it gets me through the tough time with a smile. Just like Eun-sang, Kim Tan has become my, uhm... silver lining. ❤😊

***

Saturday photo

A candy for the eyes and the imagination...
...'so close, and yet so far'.

What?  

Has it been a full week now since my last post?  Hmm... what can I say, I'm getting better at this, ain't I? 😛 Used to take a full couple of months in between posts for me since... uhm, four years ago?  Has it been that long now?  Yep, four years ago when there was ample time to express one's self... four years ago when there was work-life balance. Hmm... feels like forever! 😣 

Speaking of work-life balance, I was really excited when I was called to a Planning-Workshop with peers.  No, I'm not a sucker for this sort of things... of course not, hello!  Every single second in my workplace is a 'planning-workshop' of sorts + action all at once. So, I do have my daily fix of this gig just because my workplace is all that challenging... and I do have a brilliant Team that makes the whole scene thoroughly delightful.  So, a very 'structured' gig is not really my cup of tea.  It's just that the venue was out-of-town, about three-hour drive from the City.  It was a lovely beach resort that I haven't seen in about twenty years.  I 'googled' it, and it wasn't anything I remembered from twenty years ago.  It was much more beautiful now, and that got me all excited!  😊

So, I joined the activity in good spirit... only to feel my excitement deflating and going south every second of the three-day gig.  I never even saw the sunset, and never got to dip my feet in the beach... just because we worked from 7:30 a.m. (yeah, even eating breakfast felt like 'a lot of work') to 8:00 p.m. (yep, dinner felt like work, too).  In the evening, I felt exhausted and brain-dead, that I just wanted to curl in bed and drown my 'sorrows' in music. 😫 Yeah, that definitely made me feel like a 'boring, buttoned-up principal' from the 'old school' rather than an 'innovative engineer' around really cool buddies who think outside-the-box and knew how to have fun... while hard at work.  

Well, I guess, there is a variety of things that make a variety of people tick.  Therefore, no point in bringing 'em together and insist on singular thought process... and still expect 'em to get many things done?  That is either 'brave' or 'naive'. 😐  To be fair, I don't really know what the 'formula' is, and I'm sure people tried so hard to be productive.  What I do know is that this particular formula does not work... not for me, anyway.  What can I say, the 'I-got-this-so-let-me-be' detached nature of millennials has caught up on me?  Then again, that's just me... and I'm not all that perfect.  So, I guess I'm the 'odd' one.  And yet, I feel like coaxing people to, "come on, now... it's the 21st century.  Outta the box now... it's really nice out here!  Come and see!" 😃

I'm probably just being cynical, sorry... so don't mind me.

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What I think

But, I think I know what happened there.  Someone was trying so hard to express their gratitude and affection to a squad that they built with blood, sweat, tears and a decade worth of energy, but were 'forced' by obstinate circumstances to leave behind their squad... just when the squad needed them the most.  Like the great 'general' that the squad leader is, the 'general' wanted to prepare the 'captains' to a fierce battle ahead.  More than that, the 'general' probably wanted to have the squad all for itself for a few days to assure them that they are ready for the battle, too... and to just bond, just share a heap of laughter over just-all-fun conversations.  But administrative 'facilities' do not allow even 'generals' to do this, so our 'general' opted for good ol' Planning-Workshop.  I think that all everyone in that Planning-Workshop really wanted to do was to just bond with the 'general', too!  'Cause ya know, there can't be a kick-ass captain without a kick-ass general!  Then again, in the first place... a 'squad' is not the same as a 'Team', y'see.  If you ask me, I prefer Team.  I do have one in my own workplace, and it's awesome!  So yeah, Punta Fuego was a classic case of 'the right people with the right feelings but in a mismatched circumstance'! 

The featured photo was one of the ONLY TWO photos I've taken in the three-day gig... and I'm a sucker for photos of beautiful sceneries!  Somehow, the beautiful sceneries were not enough to inspire creative juices to flow.  What a shame!  My fault entirely, I must admit... although I did enjoy a 30-minute dip in the infinity pool. And even that, did not inspire 'proper documentation' through photos.  But, yeah, there were two or three (maybe four, even five, actually) kindred spirits that made the whole 'ordeal' bearable though, God bless them! 😇

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What I wish

Do you know what's fun?  Well, it's the Graham Norton Show!  That episode with Dan Stevens after Matthew Crawley's demise in Downton Abbey was hilarious (well, most parts, anyway), so was that episode with Benedict Cumberbatch, Eddie Redmayne and Bryan Cranston; and that episode with Hugh Jackman, Michael Fassbender and James McAvoy.  But this here (below) is, I believe, one of the very best episodes.  You're welcome!  😎

    Graham to Hugh: "It's an odd look for a man, but you carried it off."

    Hugh to Graham:  "...so, I brought my favorite wooly jumper, but not my red 'lippy',
                                which I left at home."

    Bill: "Lippy?" (laughter)

    Hugh to Bill : "Yeah, 'lippy', what's that mean in America?"

    Bill to Hugh:  "I dunno!" (laughter)

    Matt to Graham: "I think that the key to my performance (in "Behind the Candelabra")
                              is I borrowed Hugh's 'lippy'."
    Graham to Matt:  "It gets around."
    Matt to Graham:  "And I was actually asked to wear wooly jumper in every single scene."

    Hugh to Graham: (sounding disgruntled) "How many guests have walked out of the show?"

Maaan, comedic banter at its best... such good time, indeed!  See, Punta Fuego could've been this fun! 😎😊

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About the photo:  Taken from the reception hall of the lovely Club Punta Fuego in Nasugbu, Batangas, Philippines. 

Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

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Tears...

...for the sake of shedding tears.
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by PAM


Uhm... do you watch HGTV's 'Cousins Undercover'?  Yes?  So, then you know that when you start shedding tears when the emotional house owners finally see their transformed house in spite of John Colaneri's hysterically giddy mood, you might just be too stressed out, and are just looking for an opportunity to let your frustration out without appearing like your're complaining, or that you're being a wuss! :)  And then you cry your eyes out until you admit to yourself that you're being silly.  So then you focus on the Italian good looks of Anthony Carrino (oy!), and you know, it'll be alright?  Right?  Right! :)  See, this is the most wonderful thing about being single... you can crush on all the Anthonys and the Harveys (Specter, of 'Suits', who else?) in the world, and nobody's gonna be rolling their eyes on you.  Hmm... did I speak too soon? ;)

Going back to the correlation between stress and TV tearjerkers, I think that, with the depth and breadth of my stress right now, this is what I need...

@23:34 min - 25:04 min
Fr. Walker : Why are you here (in the church)?

Mike Ross:  Because I'm afraid!

...to let some steam off.  Why?  Well, this 'Suits' episode is all about mistakes on top of mistakes, buried under the rush of realities that the characters needed to deal with every single day.  The consequence of their mistakes came biting the behind of every single one of them when something finally gave.  And it happened in this episode.  I can relate to the characters because I'm afraid I may have made a BIG mistake - I mean, huge - in choosing a person to help lead a very important initiative, one that's critical to our Organization's sustained growth... and I'm paying the price right now.  Per previous experiences with other people, I thought that I could help that person to want to "reform" by showing my confidence in that person to lead something important despite the person's awful leadership track record.  Idealism? Misguided optimism? Or, foolishness, perhaps, on my part?  Whatever it was, it was a misstep, because as it turned out, one wise person who warned me about "old dogs not being able to learn new tricks" was right.  What can I say, I chose to see the "goodness" in the "dog"?  Dear me!  Now, I realized, the "dog" isn't actually "old"... it's just deranged - by choice!  It's too selfish to lead.  And, I've put it off the leash!  What a disaster waiting to happen!  

I admit, it was a gamble... which I feel I'm losing right now.  That is, if I wouldn't be able to muster the courage to set aside 'mushiness' and cage the 'deranged animal' as soon as possible.  Needless to say, I am utterly disappointed with myself... not so much because I committed a misstep, but because I stubbornly believed that the goodness in every person, no matter how little, always prevails when common good  is at stake.  In this instance, I am convinced that this idealistic belief is not always true... apparently, for some people, selfishness prevails.  And, since I made the decision, no matter what, I am responsible for that misstep.  The good news is, it's not too late.  There is time to correct the mistake before this ugly head of consequences grew to a dispicable monstrosity.  So, yeah, pass me that box of tissue will ya, this 'Suits' episode is such a massive tearjerker, it's makin' me weep!  And, yeah, the screenplay, editing, acting and direction are brilliant, too.  Too good, they make me weep!  Some people have all the talents. *weep* 

See, idealism can't only lead to obesity... it can also bite your behind like a 'mad dog'! Oy, I need a puppy.

But, more than a 'puppy', I need to act - fast!

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Video credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video link.

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'Suits' is suitable...

...for swatting the blues away.
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by PAM


Yeah, I never thought the day would come when I'd be waiting excitedly for the new episode of my fave American TV series since... well, I don't remember when, and I don't remember which either.  It's that long ago!  Perhaps, back in the 'Dynasty', 'Knots Landing', 'The A-Team', 'MacGyver', 'Airwolf' and 'Star Trek' days.  OK, I gotta admit 'Friends' and 'Will and Grace' made me laugh so hard, they were my "comfort shows" at some point.  Alright, so there was 'Gilmore Girls'... and 'Modern Family' in between, and those are good, too... but they never really made me drop calls. 

And then, 'Suits' of USA Network came along... and TV (in English) makes sense again! :)

The series is both hilarious and kinda intelligent.  Harvey Specter (played by Gabriel Macht), as the ruthless top "closer" of NY is awesome, albeit despicable at times, but never unfunny and always manages to put on the charm... and so is his genius protege, Michael "Mike" Ross (played by Patrick J. Adams) - awesome, I mean.  The two make a handsome pair for wits and style... contrasting in personalities and ways, but they always end up winning (well, almost always) - for better or worse!    

Harvey Specter = clueless?  Nah, not possible... but it is!

This series is so fun... therefore, when the going gets tough, I turn to the Harvey-Mike duo and their cohort for some "flat screen entertainment" that doesn't leave one with an "idiot box" aftertaste - so fun, I tell ya!  But, don't take my word for it... try it! :)

Here's another slice, go ahead, have a taste...

"It's not tennis... it's sports."

And, why didn't that make me go ballistic? 

It's because it came from Mike Ross, that's why!  I = big fan. :)

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Video Credit:  Thanks, YouTube, for the video links.

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