Viva La Vida

I've been listening to this track for like, forever! There's just this natural high when I listen to the violin with a mix of a church-ish bell and of course the voice of Coldplay. It always puts me on the right mood. I feel so much energy from the lyrics that I kept on discovering ways and meanings to interpret it. I love classic music with a play of rock, and this is exactly what it is. I just love it ... For some reason, I can't explain.

It's Christmas!!

Yay! It's Christmas! ...and, I have work. Sad. Sigh.

Oh? Bongga! Got to love SM. Ü

I LOVE CHRISTMAS! I really do. I feel like a child again, really excited when hearing Christmas. That's why it's sad for me to work. Well, actually I don't have work on Christmas Day but I have work on the 24th, which really blows because I love preparing anything for Noche Buena. But, itchowkey... I have to get a nice performance at work anyway. Ugh... Adulthood.

I feel very happy talking to baby Jesus in my prayers. I picture him very fragile and cute. I feel problem free talking to Child Jesus, it's like the world is so new again now that he is born. So advance Happy Birthday! I love you! hehe

Hi Baby Jesus!

Also what makes me happy every Christmas is Family. I love my Family! We are not the picture of a happy and perfect Family, but I love us just the way we are. Our Family drama makes it perfect for me to appreciate the small and good things.

[INSERT HAPPY FAMILY PICTURE HERE]

Of course, friends... They make me happy and blessed. I wouldn't be who I am now without them. What I love about them is that they're really understanding and sweet. Even though we don't get to see each other as often as before (juvenile times... woot!), I know the friendship is there and it stays... Just like Family.

BUT... what makes me happy (as well..) when Christmas is here is the GIFTS!!! (Yay!) I love giving gifts and having gifts for Christmas, that's why I have made a tradition for myself. Colleagues and friends usually give their gifts weeks before Christmas, some open theirs the minute they had gifts but not me. My tradition is I always TRY to open them on our Noche Buena Feast, it's something I look forward to when the clock strikes 12. Not weird, it just excites the inner kid in me.

Photo not me. hehe Ü

This Christmas, I have received a lot of gifts from my new office and friends. I left them still unopened and I can't wait for Noche Buena!

Another Christmas tradition of mine is to give myself a gift. I just think of it as a gift from Baby Jesus. My first gift for myself this year would be a planner. And this FILED Planner is so CUTE!!! I cannot wait to write on them and color the doodles! I discovered it at Saab Magalona's blog and she's having a contest for the planner. But I think I'm not the luckiest when it comes to contests and raffles, so I'll just buy instead. Here's their website.

Filed photos are from Saab's Blog

Isn't CUTE?! there are doodles inside you can color.

It has a pen holder too. NOICE!

  Another gift I'm so obsessing about is the KOR Hydration Vessel. I love using tumblers, unfortunately my favorite one from Starbucks was gone. It made me really sad because it was a Valentine's gift from Honey. But itchowkey... I found a replacement! hehehe I'm  getting myself the small KOR Delta so I could easily bring it anywhere (and it's a cheaper! *wink). What I love about this bottle is this is not just a bottle... it's a hydration vessel! hehehe Seriously, i like it because its design, very futuristic yet chic. And I'm obsessed with any colored purple (it's not obvious in my blog design... right?) I wish I could get one before the year ends! Here's where you can order.

This bottle, because of it's price, would be my only drinking container for 2012. Choz!

Cute!

Another thing I'll buy myself this Christmas is the Swatch Bracelets!

Cute Right!? I want all five of them! (...as if I could wear them all at the same time?!?!) I just wish Swatch have them here in the Philippines. I saw it on their website and it's a bit pricey for this kind of bracelet. So if ever Swatch have them here I'm just going to buy the red one first... hehehe. My friend has a bracelet like this, a black one, but she found it in Greenhills Tiange. So if I can't afford all of these I'll just go to Greenhills. *wink 

I know Christmas is very near, like 5 days near - and I can't buy this in one spending galore just for me to have something on Christmas day. I'll just have them on my list and probably get a hold of them by the end of the year... or by the end of January... Or Feb. Arggghhh! I just want these stuff for Christmas! So If you are really true, SANTA?! This is what I want inside my Christmas Stockings, OKAY!? hahaha

Advance Merry Christmas People!!

Me, Apple and Steve Jobs

 

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations. -Steve Jobs


As I checked my Twitter today on my iPhone (hehehe I feel I have to mention my phone since it's a Steve Jobs post), I saw a friend's tweet... "RIP Steve Jobs". I wasn't really shocked because I knew he left Apple Inc. because he was sick, but I never thought that after few weeks he would pass away. I felt sad because I always watch his presentations on Youtube every time Apple Inc. would release a gadget or whatever. I like the way he presents, simple and informative. Most of the time when he talks on stage he wore casual clothes like jeans and a black top. Not too formal and classy which I like. What I also enjoy in his presentations was his humor and the delivery of information to the audience. He looks very casual and I think he's the person you would like to sit beside and ask about how this gadget work and so on and so so.

I knew who Steve Jobs was when I was in college. My professor in Advertising (whom I really liked because he was super smart) mentioned Jobs while he was lecturing. Our professor told a lot of stories about Steve Jobs that I started to like him and his innovations. I felt my professor loved him as well because he won't stop making examples of Advertising Principles out of Jobs. I also envied my professor's MacBook back then that I promised myself a laptop same as his when I have my own income. I broke my promise... I got myself a MacBook Pro (wink*). Well enough of me bragging, I just want to say that at first I wasn't really into Apple because I thought that it's just another expensive and over rated fashion. But when I learned who the person behind this IPod craze was, I became inspired. I turned out to be an Apple enthusiast. Although this "enthusiasm" costs me a lot (and I mean me-not-spending-on-anything-just-to save-up), I know it's worth it.

It's just sad that Steve's gone. I'm just a little anxious of what Apple is gonna be now he is gone.

Bye Steve.

The Blogger App

Yay! A nice thought came up on me, and I said to myself... Blog eeet! I thought of blogging using my phone and Safari App... eventhough I don't want to because it's a little difficult. So then I thought if maybe Blogger people had their own App already. And yep.... They did. I was hoping for this app a long time ago but it's not out there yet, and now thank God He answered my prayers (yeah... I'm over reacting). Coz if Blogger peeps won't do something like this I'll just go back to Tumblr (demanding?) I really want a platform to blog on that's accessible and fun and would be my Blogger account, since I don't want to change or leave this blog... well here it is now.

I like this App (heh.. next to instagram and Angry birds), makes it easier to post something with just the tip of my finger. It's just that sometimes I can't blog because the BF and I always fight over the laptop. Whenever an idea would pop out of my head, he's using it that sometimes I forgot what the idea was because I ALWAYS favor his laptop usage desires. I also don't feel like writing a post on any other computer, I only want my laptop... And... in this case, my phone as well. :)

I haven't really browsed over this App yet (since the first thing that showed up was this post-something-interface), but I hope this will be a nice spare-of-a-time App. I would like to minimize my playing time (coz I finished three Angry Birds game series already... oh yeah!) and blog instead so I could practice my writing. I think it's easy to blog now (well, i think... I haven't pushed Publish yet). Now no idea, story and posts will be forgotten. Hehe

Just Another Blog Entry

     I haven't been blogging for a long time now. Well, it won't matter since I'm the only person who visits this site anyway.. I just want to post this picture of mine to show how I feel right now (Proves you that I'm not a writer).. I'm not good with words or compositions, I just want to post this just for the sake of posting something.

        
     Should've made a photo blog instead. hehehe

First Header

Yay! Finally I had time to make a simple header. It's not yet complete, just the blog title...

Blogging is.. interesting.

Happy Easter Everyone! My Easter Gift.. Fireworks By Tanaga Peeps

We sang songs of Katy Perry at the night of Sabado de Gloria.. quietly.. and yes only subtle noises, because we Filipinos believe we should be on our best behaviors when it's a Holy Week. I'm not sure how we started to make a music video. So I'm just gonna offer this to Kuya Jess for his rebirth.. I hope you like it! 'Coz you're a firework Kuya :)

HAPPY EASTER!

Still Singing Pabasa.. Still The GREAT Pandesal!

I adore traditions! Yeah... I do like contemporary things, but there's something about traditions that make me feel a Filipino or part of something cultural or part of anything else. Just the feeling that I belong to this certain kind of people who did the same stuff, that kind of feeling... I think... makes me love doing traditions. It's also like giving respect to the elders who were part of these events. I also think there is this classy feel to doing traditions because you know it'll happen again and again and again. Traditions reminds us of where we came from and it helps us understand why everything around is this and that. Well that's how I think it is.

 One of the traditions I love doing is helping the Tanaga Circle. It's a community thing in our place in Bulacan where young peeps (ehem..) do stuff like what our elders did during their youth days. I think Tanaga Circle is almost 70 years (?), that's why it's a big responsibility for us to preserve the organization and it's existence. One of our first event for the year is the Pabasa.

People From Our Community Reading the Pasyon

We are not SLEEPY ...yet. zzz.

   Pabasa is a Holy Week affair in the Philippines where you sing the whole book of Pasyon or Passion of the Christ for a day without stopping (well... you can actually stop but make sure there's a reliever). Pasyon is a verse narrative of the suffering of Christ, so obviously no one can finish the whole book in one seating. But reading the Pasyon is actually fun because you sing the verses while refreshing your knowledge about the story of Christ (so it's not really boring at all, especially if you're around with cool people [ehem..]). This is also my means of sacrifice and giving back to Jesus, remembering what He did for us on His journey to save humanity (naks!).

 Of course in every Filipino event food is always around. As I have said earlier, Pabasa is a whole day thing and we, as committees, have to at least prepare something to empower the readers. Tanaga Circle is well supported by the community that's why food were just coming and coming and coming in. People there donated eggs, dinuguan (pork blood stew), Puto (steamed rice cake), coffee and sodas and a lot more for the midnight chow. Many of our neighbors also gave food for lunch, but I wasn't able to attend because I was still sleeping (I stayed up late for the Pabasa).

Eggs Section

Tanaga Members preparing food

 Because of work, I came in late at around 11 PM. People already started reading when I arrived there, so I sat in and tried to catch up with the beat they were singing. After a while I went to the food area where friends and relatives prepared food. Eggs were served sunny side up or scrambled, depending on your request (breakfast buffet style! haha). The dinuguan was great! Steaming hot and tasty... perfect when paired with Puto. Then comes the steaming, freshly baked Pandesal!

Mauricio's Pandesal... Classic but still the best

 I rarely eat this Pandesal because I live in Manila and it's only best eaten when it's freshly baked from the Pugon (wood fired oven). They only sell this I think at 4:00 AM, and you can buy it straight from the Pugon or from the delivery boys on a bike with their slightly annoying little bike horns. I have tried a lot of Pandesals already from Pan de Amerikana of Marikina to Pan de Pugon, but nothing beats the kinalakihan (shoot... hard to translate...) or the Pandesal you grew up eating since childhood (? hehe). Yes, Pan de Amerikana's Pandesal is tasty and HUGE same with the Pan de Pugon and the rest but Mauricio's Pandesal is different in its small ways. It may be small but it's very tasty. There's this slight crunch on the crust and a very soft and a little chewy feel on that white area of the bread.

This Pandesal is part of the traditions we do in Bulacan. A bite from this humble bread reminds me of my Lolo and Lola preparing breakfast. Another bite would be a memory of some funeral (funeral...  because we sometimes stay up and wait for the fresh Pandesals). Another bite would be a memory of me and my cousins cracking up eating pandesal at 5:00 AM drunk (hehe). And last would be the Pabasa where people I know from our community is actively joining, helping and singing to preserve our Catholic and community tradition.


x
Mac Clemente

TANAGA Shirts!

I still have other pending designs, will post some within this week (promise!).
If you have other suggestions, feel free to comment.....

Preparing TANAGA for the Flores de Mayo 2011

 Summer is here again.. and if you're from the province you'll know there'll be a lot of community activities that will happen especially in the month of May.
  Our neighborhood is very dedicated in preserving what our elders did for the May Flower Festival. That's why generations after generations, we try to make TANAGA happen. I've already been a part of this youth organization, actually one of the presidents who lead the batch in 2007. Now that I've grown, I still try to be a part of the activities and try to teach younger members how to handle the works.

The TANAGA Cross

 TANAGA people, like other Catholic families with Poon or Santos (images or statues of Kuya Jess, Mamay Mary or Saints), have it's own Cross. I think the Cross is already 70 years old already (I think..). Every year, we have a 9 day procession visiting houses of volunteered families who wants to have the cross insise their households for a day. On the 9th day, the president of that batch will have the privilege to keep the cross for a year. We believe that having the cross in our houses will make us feel really blessed (we had it in our house for almost 4 years? hihi). TANAGA also has different activities, depending on what the president would prefer (or how much the budget can handle). TANAGA peeps have the MOST celebrated Sagalahan in our town (yeah!). We try to look for beautiful girls willing to participate in the procession to offer flowers to Mama Mary after (some girls were volunteered, that's how good we are). Sometimes if there's axtra in the budget, we have celebrities as our Reyna Elenas.

Child Celebrity of GMA 7 Kristal Reyes

 This year, TANAGA's president is a very close friend of mine. I'll be giving my support to him as he did when I was in his shoes. I hope there'll be lots of people willing to help him too. I can accept donations here chor! (kidding!!!).


HERE ARE THE SCHEDULE OF ACTIVITIES:

May 6 - Start of the 9 Day Procession
May 7 - TANAGA Circle Dance Contest 2011
May 14 - Morning Mass, Fiesta ng TANAGA 2011, TANAGA Ms. Gay 2011

Schedule for the Sagalahan 2011 still tentative.

For more Photos of TANAGA check out my Multiply site.

Giving Loot Bags to Kids

Palaro: Agawang Buko

 

Officers Joined the Basagang Itlog

Ms. Gay TANAGA

That Orange Box with B

YEAH!!

I'm starting my own blog.. After years of bloghopping, finally i want to have my own. I want some place to VENT out (as what they all say). I hope this will turn out OK though I'm not a writer.. I'm just a blabber. Forgive my grammar, spelling and construction.. It's just me writing.. hehe. NO JUDGEMENT!! blah!


Sincerely Yours,

Mac Clemente