Peace of Mind and The Godfathers

I can honestly say that I've come at peace with myself because I've forgiven and let go of all the wrong doings of my enemies. It's an easy thing to say but it's even harder to do, but everyone deserves a second chance even if they don't ask for it. For years, I've had such a heavy heart for a certain individual and just the thought of forgetting what they had done to me never came to mind. For so long, I have wanted them to suffer as much as I suffered when they caused me such pain. But I didn't know how I would do this. I wasn't sure if it was worth spending a second plotting against them and planning my revenge. It was just recently that I found out the situation this individual was in and let me tell you that the severity of what they are going through, even I wouldn't wish on my worst enemy. Right there and then, my thoughts about this person changed from hating them to sympathizing them. The thoughts of trying to hurt them emotionally suddenly vanished and I just felt like I wanted to support them any way I can. I never imagined speaking to them, let alone trying to comfort them but fate, destiny, karma or whatever you may call it, has a funny way of bringing me closer to them. I've learned that life's too short to spend anytime hating/disliking anyone, so I'm just trying to be positive as best as I can.

Anyway, just thought I'd share that. Sorry for the lack of postings lately but hey it seems like I've been getting a number of visitors who have been choosing the 'Not Like' option for some odd reason. It's all good though.

On a happier note, I probably had the 2nd best date with the ladyfriend this past Friday. We first had breakfast at Cora's Breakfast & Lunch. I had this cinnamon toast looking thing with some sausages, egg and half a plate full of fruits (Note: I ate my first kiwi fruit and I am officially not a fan of it). After that, I took her to Riverwood Conservancy formerly known as Mississauga Garden Park. It's an amazing place to just look and admire nature. It kinda sucked because we were in nice clothing and you really need to wear something comfortable. We saw a number of wildlife from squirrels to chipmunks to a random doe we saw, which my girl acknowledged as "Bambi's mother"...yeah I know she died in the movie, but whatever, I'll give her that one. After that we went to No Frills to do my groceries and that whole experience made me realize how much I enjoy doing simple things with her. We finished in record time and we never missed an item on the list my mom gave me. Our last destination in Mississauga was at Kariya Park. The park honours the twin-city relationship between Mississauga and Kariya, Japan. I'll post pictures later so you guys can see the 'Japanese' tough to the park. We almost got attacked my a flock of Canadian Geese and I fully blame my girl for wearing a hot pink shirt that day because they looked like they were about to attack her. In that same day, we went downtown Toronto for an art exhibit at George Brown College. It wasn't my type of setting only because people seemed so sophisticated and whatnot. But yeah, we enjoyed ourselves and the food that was served there...hmmmmmm roast beef sandwich and smoked cheese. To end the night off we watched "He's Just Not That Into You" and man that movie is jokes. I didn't finish it and I've yet to borrow it from my girl to see what happens in the end. Definitely recommend that. Overall, I loved that day. It's definitely worth planning all of that.

Saturday night, I went to All Stars for some chicken wings. A couple of the Godfathers were there w/ their ladyfriends, the rest were MIA because they were at a graduation. But yeah, had a good time meeting Christina (you know who you are) and she's really nice to Flow, but hey I still have to run her through the screening process. I thought I would order just the regular Honey & Garlic flavoured wings but I thought I wanted to try something new (the ladyfriend insists that I try new things). I had what they called over there the 'Pandora's Box' and man, it's probably my 2nd favourite flavour after Honey & Garlic. The taste of it is pretty much like H&G but it had a nice spicy kick to it which is not too bad for me. We ended up reaching the graduation so some of the Godfathers were there (Rolando and VIP was still MIA) and I saw my girl along with our other friends. Overall a goodnight to spend with everyone. I couldn't miss another chill session because I've been MIA from all the other functions for the past week. Had to make this up to them.

You might be wondering who The Godfathers are. Funny thing is they don't know they're the Godfathers, I kinda just made it up today and it just stuck. Well it consists of MC, Flow, Franco, VIP, Rolando, Big K, AD3 and me. Just a bunch of us guys who grew up together and have created bonds throughout the years. There's a number of non-members who are affiliations but we'll discuss that later.

Sunday morning I went to the dentist with the family and I just had a filling done. Initially I thought I would've had my teeth cleaned but we didn't have much time because we got there at 10:30AM and we left at 1:00PM. So next time that's probably what I'm goin' to get done. We had Harvey's after, nothing too special about that. Sunday was just a beautiful day but it just felt nice being lazy and lying around. It was an okay Father's Day as well, but whatever it's just one of the marketing schemes that our society has embraced.

It's 11:19PM right now, I'm not sure what time I started posting because my friend gave me a call saying that they had broken up with their significant other. I don't want to go into too many details but I earnestly believe that they have done the best thing for them and their relationship. They have been talking to a 'potential' so the whole situation for them right now is pretty much bitter sweet.

So that's pretty much all for now. I'll post up pictures of our adventure and I'll try to upload more things in the future.

Until then, peace mofos.

Pinoy

Happy Mother's Day!

Just wanted to do a quick post for Mother's Day. I gotta show love to my mom, my grandma and my 2 aunts. I am privileged to have 4 moms to look after me. They raised me up and made me who I am today. I don't tell them enough that I love them, but I hope that the little things I do for them at least counts for me saying that I love them. Peace.

P.M.

Couple's Day Off

Just chillin at H&M waitin for the lady friend to try on some clothes. She just finished her last exam for the year so she's doin some shopping therapy. We had Spring Rolls for lunch and it tasted as good as ever. The downtown location seems to taste better than the one near Square One. I bought my very first cardigan from Forever 21 and I'm definitely convinced that the Canadian collection for men is better than the one across the border. Anyway, we're off to see 17 Again at Yorkdale. But before that we're goin to stop by American Eagle to buy my mom's present. Peace out mofos.

P.M.

BIG UP MONDAY - May 4th Edition

So I found sometime at home to do a Big Up Monday and I'm sorry that it's a bit late. Anyway, things have been pretty hectic lately - hectic work schedule, responsibilities, relationships etc. Nonetheless, I haven't been this occupied in a while. I was just recently offered a new job as well at a different department. I think it will open more opportunities and experience for me in the long run. I also that hope I can finally stop working and start having a career instead. Life couldn't get any better for me at this point in time. I'm blessed beyond belief.

To start things off, I have been watching a number of movies here and there. Some I've watched 5 or 10 times in my life, while others I just recently discovered through my dad (he's a real movie junkie and movies are probably the biggest thing we have in common). With that said, I thought I'd point out some of the movies I've watched recently.

X-Men Origins: Wolverine

Now, I've been a big fan of X-Men as long as I can remember and let me just say that this movie was a bit of an upset for someone like me. As a movie straying away from the X-Men Trilogy, it could've potentially done well but there was just a lack of depth in the story line and characters. Most of the times, I found myself thinking, "WTF is going on here?! That's not what happened!" and I honestly felt they let down a lot of the hardcore X-Men fans out there. Now, I don't want to give away too much of the movie especially to those who haven't seen it, but half of the skills/powers that Deadpool had in the movie, he didn't even have in the comic books that I read. Anyway, still a good effort for pulling off a new twist with the Wolverine story line. I, unfortunately, will only give it a 2.5/5. It would've been a 3, if I hadn't seen the bootleg version. By the way, which ending did you see after the first set of credits?

Forever Strong

This movie was a real surprise for me. Initially, I didn't want to watch this movie when my dad asked me to watch it with him, but after watching it, I can say that it's one of my favourite movies. I'm not sure why I never heard about this movie until now because it says it was release in Fall 2008. But anyway, the story is about a juvenile delinquent who plays American rugby but gets sent off to juvy. He eventually learns how to be a better person when he is brought on to a rival team. That's just the 'jist' of it and I really hate giving away the story. It stars Sean Faris, the guy from Never Back Down (also a favourite). I think he has the potential to be the next big actor if given the right role. Anyway, this movie gets a 4/5 for me. Definitely a must rent for anyone.

The Wood

One of my all time favourite movies about friendship, brotherhood and becoming into a man. For those who have seen it, you all know how funny and real this movie is. I felt like I was connected with every single character this movie had. You have the guy who always screws up, the guy who always thinks he's the best and the guy who brings the whole group together. This is what most movies are lacking these days...realistic characters. Anyway, I'm not going to get into that.
Well the whole movie is basically about a bunch of guys growing up in 'The Wood' (aka. Inglewood, California) facing what regular teenagers face this time and age - girls, girls, girls. And also about life in general and growing up to be a man. I don't think this movie could be any bettera and to top it all of, it was laced with an outstanding soundtrack (from Ahmad's 'Back In The Day Remix to Whodini to R. Kelly to Luther Vandross' If This World Were Mine'). I will give this a 6/5, nuff said.

Well, this whole month there are just too many things I'm looking forward to in theatres. Here's what they are:

• Star Trek (2009) - It has Spock and it's directed by McG. You say 'Who's McG?!', I say get out of here.
  
• Angels & Demons - A very controversial film, I might watch it just for the heck of watching it
  
• The Brothers Bloom - I just have a huge crush on Rachel Weisz
  
• Terminator Salvation - Coming out on May 21st, 2009, which is on my 23rd birthday. Now you know where I'm going to be on that day.
  
• Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian - First movie was surprisingly funny and brilliant. It was only a matter of time before a second movie came out.
  
• Drag Me to Hell - Scared the f*ck out of me. Gypsies are scary. Lesson learned from watching the trailer 'Be nice to everyone...especially to old ladies that have poor dental hygiene.'
  
• Disney's Up - Boy scouts are the sh*t for the summer.
  

For sure I know that I'm going to be poor this month :P. Which movies do you think will be a hit in the box office for the next couple of weeks?

Second on today's Big Up Monday list - Video Games. If I haven't posted yet how much of a nerd I am when it comes to video games, then I'm just going to say it now - I'm a nerd when it comes to videos games.

Lately, I haven't really been involved in anything hardcore. Except maybe Pokemon. I put Killzone 2 on hiatus (even though I bought the 2 new maps they had available for download). I'm currently putting in a lot of hours on my DS and evolving all the Pokemons that I have. I know I sound like a loser right now, but if I'm going to be pationate about anything, it's going to be either about video games or art. In this case, it's about video games.

I'v recently downloaded a couple of DS games as well:

• Super Robot Taisen OG Sage: Endless Frontier - Just literally downloaded it today, I haven't immersed myself too much into it. But it looks like there are 36DDs on the lady characters.
  
• Rhythm Heaven - I haven't played it but the lady friend says that it's fun. I think it's the game where they had Beyonce in the commercial.
• Grand Theft Auto : Chinatown Wars - The best game on the DS.
• Henry Hatsworth in the Puzzling Adventure - What more can you ask for when you can play as a senior citizen who wears a magical fedora that causes him to turn 30 years younger and has a cane that can shoot bullets?
• Pokemon Platinum - Nuff said.
• Gardening Mama -From the guys who brought you Cooking Mama, they just couldn't stop at the kitchen and now they've taken your garden by storm. Haven't played it only because I think the game file is hands-off territory laid out by the lady friend.
  

For those of you wondering, "How does he have so many games?" To answer that, no I do not buy my games, I just download DS ROMS for free. I have not spent a single penny on a DS video game since I first bought my DS console. Get at me if you are interested in free DS games.

As for the PS3 console, like I said, I have put that on hiatus. I'm not home most of the times, so I don't have the time to play on my PS3. However, I do download a couple of demos and downloadable content here and there. I'm currently updated on all the available Little Big Planet costumes. Most recent download is the Egyptian themed costumes. Here's an example of some of the costumes which I currently have (these are kind of old). One of my favourite packs.

The costumes are what's got me hooked onto the game. I'm not into the whole ground breaking level making concept they have going on, but I can't hate on them for giving that option to the players.

I have my eyes set out on a couple of games coming out on the PS3 within this month and I've categorized them into Rent First, Must Have and Rent First then (if amazing) Must Have:

Must Have

• inFamous - It's a must have because my brother is going buy it and will therefore end up in my collection. That and I think this will be another open-world game similar to GTA4.
  

Rent First

• Terminator Salvation - Just want to try out the whole co-op portion of the game
  
• Bionic Commando - A complete remake from the old school Bionic Commando, want to try out the new grab and go gameplay they have going on.
  

Rent First then (if amazing) Must Have

• UFC 2009 Undisputed - If this game is easy to pick up then for sure I'm going to get it. The demo was hard to get around.
  
• Cross Edge - A crazy concept these Japanese makers came up with of putting characters together from different games and creating a potential classic RPG game.
  
• Damnation - If the graphics are not half bad and the whole 'vertical' gameplay hits the right note then this game will be a must have for me.

Well folks, that's the end of today's Big Up Monday. I didn't put up a music section because it's too damn late. I'll probably have that section up for the next Big Up. I'll add in a couple of upcoming news either local/international news, celebrity news or just random news. Hope you had a good read. Enjoy the rest of your week. Peace.

Here is today's Babe of the Day - Jamie Chung (the only thing worth watching from the Dragonball Evolution movie). I had to put 2 pictures because one would not do her beauty any justice.

P.M.

OH SNAP! And I almost forgot, Happy Birthday to my Mom. I don't tell her that I love her, but I love her.

Credits: IMDB, Gamespot, LBPCentral, Chickipedia

No Title

Damn, this week is goin' so slow for me each day. Probably because I don't have my usual Wednesday off. Anyway, I recently got into Pokemon again (Pokemon Platinum)...yeah I'm a nerd. Too many new characters to remember, however I still remember the old ones from Pokemon Red/Blue. Everyone had that game back when it came out in the 90's.

Well last night I cleaned up my closet and decided to throw out some things that I didn't need. While I was cleaning up, I found a couple of things which gave me a feeling of nostalgia:

• 20+ issues of Maxim, still in mint condition (consists of mainly brunettes who have graced their covers)
• a number of comics books - I'll post the titles later on
• some pictures I've had from way back in the day (middle school & high school era)
• a box full of little gifts from my 'ladyfriend'
• a number of PC games I used play - can you say World of Warcraft?

Anyway, my closet looks clean...for now. I still have to sort out my shoe boxes tomorrow. I'll give an update later on. Take care for now.

P.M.

Here's for the ladyfriend - I'm not sure if you know my blog exists and I don't know if you keep up with it...but I just wanted to say that I love you. Cooooooool!

The One That Got Away

It's not every day when you read something amazing and it just makes you think. Not in the sense of thinking how good and articulate the words were put together, but in the way that it stimulates the way your mind thinks about certain things.

I recently read this article which was posted by someone on Facebook. Personally, I know how much this article means to them - I feel for them and fully respect them for it. Well, enjoy the read. Hopefully you guys will get what I'm talking about in the end.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY
Source: The Manila Times
By: Mark J. Macapagal

In your life, you'll make note of a lot of people. Ones with whom you shared something special, ones who will always mean something. There's the one you first kissed, the one you first loved, the one you put on a pedestal, the one you're with and the one that got away.

Who is the one that got away? I guess it's that person with who everything was great, everything was perfect, but the timing was just wrong. There was no fault in the person, there was no flaw in the chemistry, but the cards just didn't fall the right way, I suppose.

I believe in the fact that ending with someone, finding a longtime partner that is, does not lie merely in the other person. I can actually argue that an equal part, or maybe even the greater part, has to do with the matter of timing. It has to do with you being ready to settle down and commit to someone in a way that goes beyond the little niceties of giddy romance.

How often have you gone through it without realizing it? When you're not ready to commit in that mature manner, it doesn't matter who you're with, it just doesn't work. Small problems become big; inconsequentials become deal breakers simply because you're not ready and it shows. It's not that you and the person you're with are no good; it's just that it's not yet right, and little things become the flashpoint of that fact.

Then one day you're ready. You really are. And when this happens you'll be ready to settle down with someone. He or she may not be the most perfect, they might not be the brightest star of romance to ever have burned in your life, but it'll work because you're ready. It'll work because it's the right time and you'll make it work. And it'll make sense, it really will.

So that day comes when you're finally making sense of things, and you find yourself to be a different person. Things are different, your approach is different, you finally understand who you are and what you want, and you've become ready because the time has truly arrived. And mind you, there's no telling when this day will come. Hopefully you're single but you could be in a long-term relationship, you could be married with three kids, it doesn't matter.

All you know is that you've changed, and for some reason, the one that got away, is the first person you think about.

You'll think about them because you'll wonder, "What if they were here today?" You'll wonder, "What if we were together now, with me as I am and not as I was?" That's what the one that got away is. The biggest "What if?" you'll have in your life.

If you're married, you'll just have to accept the fact that the one that got away, got away. Believe me, no matter how fairy tale you think your marriage is, this can happen to the best of us. But hopefully you're mature enough to realize that you're already with the one you're with and this is just another test of your commitment, one which will just strengthen your marriage when you get past it. Sure, you'll think about him/her every so often, but it's alright. It's never nice to live with a "might have been," but it happens.

Maybe the one that got away is the one who's already married. In which case it's the same thing. You just have to accept and know that your memories of that person will probably bring a nice little smile to your lips in the future when you're old and gray and reminiscing. But if neither of that is the case, then it's different. What do you do if it's not yet too late? Simple find him, find her. Because the very existence of a "the one that got away" means that you'll always wonder, what if you got this one?

Ask him out to coffee, ask her out to a movie, it doesn't matter if you've dropped in from out of nowhere. You'd be surprised, you just might be "the one that got away" as well for the person who is your "the one that got away."

You might drop in from out of nowhere and it won't make a difference. If the timing is finally right, it'll all just fall into place somehow and you know, I'm thinking, it would be a great feeling, in the end, to be able to say to someone, "Hey you, you're the one that almost got away."

P.M.