Wayward Pines: My Favorite TV Show of the Week

For the week ending May 29, 2015, the suspense TV show, Wayward Pines, is my most favorite TV show.  The episode I saw shows how the people killed the character played by Juliette Lewis who was slowly freaking out!  It looks like a very interesting show and I should be watching more of it soon as the French Open is over.  Nine out of the ten slots in my top 10 shows this week are tennis matches!

Here are my ten favorite TV shows this week -

#1 Fox Channel - Wayward Pines - Juliette Lewis killed

#2 Fox Sports 2 - Ivanovic v. Doi

#3 Fox Sports 2 -Serena vs. Friedsam

#4 Fox Sports 2 - Mladenovic v. Kovinic

#5 Fox Sports 2 - Sharapova vs. Stosur

#6 Fox Sports 2 - Mladenovic v. Bouchard

#7 Fox Sports 2 - Shvedova v. Ivanovic

#8 Fox Sports 2 - Sharapova v. Kanepi

#9 Fox Sports 2 - Safarova v. Pavlyuchenkova

#10 Fox Sports 2 - Makarova v. Chirocco

Fabe Summer Bikini Show

It's So Hard to be a Gay Dad!

I admit I was also disgusted with what the hosts advised to the gay dad but on hindsight, now that I'm raising two kids, I realized I have suppressed almost all of my outward gayness precisely to avoid any of that teasing, especially when I'm in their school premises.  

I remember a funny incident while I was watching Laura's play in Miriam and this devastatingly hunky macho daddy of one of the kids was making small talk with me and we were together during the whole show!  Di ko alam kung bakit sa dinami-dami ng tatay duon, ako pa nilapitan niya!! Inside, I was really swooning and dizzy because you can smell his manly scent and he was so handsome and hunky and all I wanted to do was rip off all his clothes and......... you know the rest.  

Pero ayun, I acted like a dude and I had to do my Meryl Streep moment!  Ayusin ang acting!  Wag magsashay and dapat MABABA ang boses!  Pero what can I do?  Andaming cute daddies noh, and the best way you can get close to them, is to act like them, which I can do naman!  

Wish ko lang eto dialogue namin!  "Pare, kumusta anak mo? Ano role niya?  Ang gwapo mo today pare ah, pakiss and hug naman dyan!"  Charot!!  

Book Review: The Summer of the Bear by Bella Pollen

I only realized now that with the books I read, I tend to gravitate towards family drama, more than any other genre. I really thought I loved reading about murder mysteries (which I did growing up), but as I got older, I noticed that my tastes have changed a bit - and that a more f**cked up a family is, the more interested I am in exploring their story! (And that's true even in the TV series and movies I watch!)

The Summer of the Bear is pretty interesting in many different ways. The story is set in Bonn, when Germany was still divided into east and west, and since I'm such a big fan of the Cold War, the book offers a glimpse into how it was to live in Berlin, when it was still East and West Berlin - and it just confirms what we have already seen in movies like The Lives of Others.

More interestingly, the book is also set in the Outer Hebrides, these groups of islands in northern Scotland! I did search about the place in Google, and I would love to visit it one of these days. That and the Faroe Islands and Berlin of course!

Anyway, the book is a bit complex since it has espionage and sibling rivalry and a perceived suicide and an escaped bear all in the mix! Each of the characters are given a fair share of character development so you care about all these 3 siblings, their Mom who's free falling into madness and their Dad whose labeled as a traitor by the country he's serving!

And of course, there's the setting. I mean, how many books have you read about the Outer Hebrides! The inhabitants in these islands are characters themselves, really worth the read!

Anyhow, there is a twist in the end which ties up the story satisfactorily. You end up closing the book and wishing that these kids you've read about have learned something about their life experiences.

Celebrating the Feast of Blessed Alvaro del Portillo

Today was the feast day for Blessed Alvaro del Portillo and a mass was celebrated for him. I was a bit worried that Laura and Dylan would be restless since Opus Dei masses are notoriously long and meditative - and like today - was done in three different languages - English, Filipino and Latin.

But their Auntie Mimi was pretty impressed at how well-behaved they were, considering how warm it was inside the church! We had to go out for two water and bathroom breaks though as the mass lasted for almost two hours!

The Opus Dei community in Manila is very sizeable pala as the church was packed! That's a whole lot of conservatives for you!

The New Poster for the Sequel of That Thing Called Tadhana

The new poster to the sequel of the movie blockbuster That Thing Called Tadhana.

Pwede di ba?

San naman kaya kami pupunta?

My Mother's Day Anecdotes

Since it's Mother's Day, I would like to recount some funny moments I've had with Mama.

#1 Like any mother, it took Mama some time to wrap around her head that her favorite son is gay. I remember when she saw a picture of me and my then bf, Mr. A, on my desk, the blood just drained off her face, as if she saw something that was so embarrassing, and she left my room in a hurry.

Of course now, things have gone to the other extreme! She would say to me, "Oh, I went to this party and I met this doctor, very handsome and smart. I got his number baka you'd want to know him!" Me - "Ma, I can take care of my own lovelife! You don't have to bugaw me to every single guy you meet!"

#2 Me - "Ma, meet my friend Rodney. He works in the embassy."
Mama - "Hello! How old are you na?"
Rodney - "33 po."
Mama - "May asawa ka na?"
Rodney - "Wala pa po."
Mama - "May girlfriend ka na ba?"
Rodney - "Ah, wala po."
Mama - "Boyfriend?"
Me - "Ma!! (looking at her reproachfully)
Mama - "Sabi nya kasi wala syang girlfriend, e baka boy gusto niya! Wala namang masama dun."

Nakakaloka si mother!

Delicious Coffee from Famous Belgian Waffles

I discovered how delicious their coffee is - just the right amount of cream and sugar!  They call it Strong Malaysian Coffee.

Surviving Hell Week

I just came through one of the hellish weeks of my adult life and I just want to thank my friends who helped me get through it! You are the guardian angels of my life!

Actually, my brother warned me na not to do it but I just wanted to know how strong I am to withstand immense pressure and stress. Ayun, a combination of positive thinking, a lot of prayers, careful planning and a lot of generous friends helped me get through it!

Not advisable to get through it again, considering that I'm hypertensive and might die of a heart attack anytime soon. But I love a good challenge once in a while. I just want to know how calm I can be when all the world around me is crumbling to pieces!