Wanna feel something?

No...you dirty minded children, not literally.  I meant, do you want to feel something in your heart? 

Because if you have a couple hours to spare and don't mind letting go of some of your belief systems....just for a little bit..... have I got a movie for you!

The Broken Circle Breakdown

Seen it? No?  Well, get out there and watch it.  I KNOW that it will not be for everybody but it should be....it's that beautiful.   Then again, maybe it's just me.  Maybe it's my bipolar, ADD, belief system and life experiences that made this such a moving experience...but I doubt it.  I think it fits a lot of our molds...at least, a lot of the people I've known over the years. 

There is nothing to compare it to though perhaps it's a Steel Magnolias meets Girl with the Dragon Tattoo meets Meet Joe Black meets O' Brother Where Art Thou.  That was too many "meets" I know - so sue me.  It's a Belgian film so be ready for subtitles but the music?  You don't need subtitles for that - the music is unbelievable.  Describing it as strictly bluegrass does NOT give it justice.  Please for the love of all things holy (no pun intended) do NOT let the words "bluegrass" and "gospel" keep you from watching this movie or listening to the soundtrack. When they do "If I needed you" together on stage...it's almost too much for a heart to bear.  

I don't want to spoil the movie...or the soundtrack by giving away too much.  I do want to say that a lot of the music and some of the emotions remind me of the people I love and of my childhood.  It would take too long and is perhaps to personal (even for me) to go into the context behind that.  Just take my word for it.  I will warn you that, no matter what you feel about religion or politics (there's a smattering of both in here), this movie will stir those emotions in you.  I *think* it's best viewed with an open heart and a willingness to understand that everyone approaches tragedy and loss differently....and that we should let them.  But that's just little ol' me....

It's not a perfect movie.  It tends to be a little disjointed and some might find it preachy (though not in the typical sense) but it's worth your time.  

Top 20 Memorable Moments from 2013

Welcome to a new year everybody!  It's 2014 - we're in the mid-20-teens, can you believe it?  But before we get too far ahead of ourselves, let's take a look back over 2013 and try to recall some of the more memorable moments (for good or ill).  If you're like me, you spend the entire first day of the new year watching either marathons of your favorite tv show or best of/worst of countdowns.  I love those shows - you either feel inspired (Malala Yousafzai) or like your life is awesome by comparison (Manti Malietau Louis Teʻo). I couldn't decide whether to focus on the good, bad, or ugly so I opted to go with "memorable" - cause that gives me the liberty to highlight just about anything.  So here we go in no particular order and not necessarily memories shared by millions....

20. The year of the tongue

Miley's tongue made so many appearances that three guys created a website called Miley Cyrus' Infinite Tongue.  Check it out - it goes on forever...literally.

19. NFL Bad Lip Reading: One of the funniest viral videos I've seen in a long time. 

      -"I found Fido.  Hey I found Fido you guys!"
      -"oooh I'm white"
      -"I brought a potion and it's gonna work great cause it's gonna make you run. And you brought your potion right?"

18. "Who am I to judge?" - Pope Francis turns out to have a conscience and the courage to use his voice.  That's not to say Catholicism (and religion in general) don't have a long way to go in terms of tolerance but hey, it's something.

17. The Boston Bombing - like I said, "memorable" does not necessarily mean "good". 

16. Iraq: The story that disappeared from the headlines.  Almost a thousand Iraqis died in December 2013.   Nearly 10000 died the past year (the most since 2008).  What was broken remains broken and the country appears permanently shattered by inter-ethnic persecution and violence.

15. YOLO, Twerk, Cray cray, Poppin tags, Selfies = I'm too old for this shit.

14. "We are the not dead" - Fascinating Gallery of soldiers before, during, and after war

13.  Woman Finds Dog During Interview After Huge Oklahoma Tornado

12.  Liar liar Lance on Fire: Lance turns out to be the DB we all thought he was.  Biggest loser in Armstrong's game of lies?  His Charity organization, Livestrong.  Commercials like this one still give me the heebs:

11. Naked Frisbee Guy: While our husbands were out on their Thai fishing trip, my friend Lorren and I decided to go on a nice peaceful walk on the beach.  When what to our wandering eyes should appear but an elderly naked Frisbee player with his fully dressed Thai female companion -- and their dog. Though the "family" saw us approach from several yards away, he never fully covered up.  He was, however, polite enough to cover his man parts when we were within a few feet....with the Frisbee. 

10.  Justin Bieber's poor judgment is not limited to late night antics.  Unfortunately for all of us, it bleeds over into his wardrobe....

Character from Mario Brothers or a hat?  You decide.

9. Snowden - what ever side you're on, this was/is big news.  There is a lighter side to this story, however, because the world's most famous whistleblower/traitor was formerly the boyfriend of this little chippy.  Hard to be Mr. Serious-holier-than-thou when your best girl uses cupcakes to cover her tee taws..... 

8.  Cassie becomes an extremely well-traveled wiener dog when her humans move to the Philippines

 

7.  I discover there exists "Asian" food that I don't like - and I'll be surrounded by it for three years:  Filipino Food.  I'm sorry to all my local Filipino friends but adding salt, garlic, or sugar to something does not necessarily make it better.  I had high hopes (despite hearing about the food ahead of time) but sadly, I have yet to experience a good Filipino meal.  Below is one of the staples of Filipino menus, Chicken Adobo (but you can also find pork, beef or seafood adobo - bleh).  Me no likey....

Chicken A-No-No

6. "Playing hide and seek with a cuttlefish sucks."  Just watch it.  Thank us later.

5. And speaking of Cray cray:  The God Particle or What the Hell is Higgs Boson?

4. Russian Meteor aka Go Go Gadget Social Media: How cool was it to see all the different videos and pictures of this asteroid raining down on Russia like a boss!?

3. Mandela brings the world together, one last time.  R.I.P 5 December 2013

 

2. The L&Z Halloween party comes to Manila - and scares the hell outta people

1. We move our whole life and our pup about a million miles away from most of our family and friends.  In May 2013, Z and I started a brand new adventure and while Manila certainly has had its ups and downs, it's always better to go through a big change like this with someone you love.  As always, one of the most important rules of life remained true in 2013 - home IS where your heart is.  My heart is spread out to many different places but my home? My home is always where Z is and I wouldn't have it any other way.  Thank goodness the feeling is mutual.  Otherwise....awkward.  

Happy 2014 everyone!  Hug the ones you love and send shout outs to those you'll have to hug later.  Much love!  Z, L, and Cassie the wunder wiener.

"You Oughta Know" where my "Broken Road" leads..."There You Go"

Confused yet? 

A while back, I wrote a post about TV Pick Me Ups.  "Friends" was the one show that could make me laugh when I felt like my little teenage world was turning inside out and upside down.  In that same vein, we all have certain songs (don't lie...you know you do) that hold memories for us (good and bad)...some that got us through hard times and some that just make us snot-swipin' sad.  

I feel like sharing these things is like giving you guys and gals a peek into the junk drawer of my life and you know how I like to over-share so here's my song list of days gone by.  Please share your faves if you have some or, even better, those songs that you love to hate....and don't forget the "why"....that's the best part!!!

As always, judge away....you can't hurt me ;-).  

Forever and Ever Amen - Randy Travis, 1987: Summer at Granny's house on a porch swing with my tape deck. 

You Oughta Know - Alanis don't-piss-me-off-or-I'll-chop-off-your-wee-wee Morisette, 1995: A girl, a boy, another girl - 'nuff said.

Tie: I Want A Little Sugar In My Bowl/Do What You Gotta Do - Nina Simone, original recordings vary but in this case, the year in question is circa 1998: Sophomore year in college on a grassy green knoll in Denton, Texas with a certain red headed older boy who fancied himself,well....a bit of an artsy drunk.  There was flavored beer and sunshine - classes were skipped, time was wasted.  Ah but wasted isn't the right word...I have him to thank for the introduction of Nina to my music repertoire and while I don't always think of that grassy knoll or that red headed boy when I hear her voice, I feel like music is better because she existed.  I don't believe it's possible to drive around in an old Cadillac convertible without Nina on the radio ---- it should be illegal.

There You Go - P!nk, 2000 - On the way to some gay dance club in Dallas with a girlfriend (not THAT kind of girlfriend).  Feeling empowered and strong and like I could very possibly stop driveling over this stupid guy I was in love with.  Turned out it was a momentary lapse of sanity -- I stayed with said stupid boy for 5 loooong years.  Still....at least P!nk made me think about dropping him like a bad habit.

26 Cents - The Wilkinsons, released in 1998 but true impact felt in January 2004: A penny for your thoughts, a quarter for the call, and all of your momma's love.  What more do you need in a song to help keep you wrapped in love when you've just set out across the country to start your life....away from all of your family (especially momma)?  There's a lot to this story but, my fair blogstalkers, I'm keeping this one locked up a bit....it's that special.

Broken Road - Rascal Flatts, 2005: Yeah, I know it's overrated as a love song and certainly as a wedding song but guess what?  My way WAS narrow and the road?  Broke as all get out.  But everything, and I mean everything, I endured led me straight to this man that I love and while fate can be a hard thing to believe in, if you knew our story, you'd be hard pressed not to believe in true love.  He's it for me and dammit...I earned it. 

The House That Built Me - Miranda Lambert, 2010: I miss you Granny.

Man...I could go on forever. 

But I want to hear YOUR playlist.  C'mon...gimme somethin....

I can't wear pointy shoes anymore...and 35 other ways my mid-30s differ greatly from my mid-20s..

1. My flats now officially outnumber my heels.

2. My freckles are combining to form one, large superfreckle.

3. I will never experiment with dark hair colors - gray is only well concealed by blonde.  Sorry my brunette friends.  It's a fact.

4. Vodka is (still) not my friend and more importantly, I am finally realizing she never really was.  Bitch.   

5. I rarely stay up past 11 or sleep in later than 7. 

6. I floss....more than once a day and without anyone telling me to. 

7. I unashamedly buy prunes at the grocery store and actually like the way they taste. 

If you buy this bag, you can trick yourself into thinking you're eating "plums" and not prunes.  Let's not get all attentiony to detailsy ok?  I know they're the same.

8.  My idea of a fun birthday is going to a midget restaurant and going to bed early enough that I can still make the Saturday morning market at 0730. (Seriously, that's what we're doing tonight.  Going to the "Hobbit House" - please try to tell me you're not jealous.  LIAR!)

9. My coffee maker cost more than most people's yearly salary in the Philippines. 

10. I still spend hours at the gym but I have realized life is too short not to have a piece of cake every once in a while. 

11. On the rare occasion I am spotted at "the club", I am usually trying to locate an empty barstool because...#12.

12.  I can't wear pointy shoes anymore....or let's be honest, ANY heels for more than 2 hours.  Screw you heredity and bad decisions!! Screw you!  

13. People are FINALLY doing the math.  She's 35?  Yeah...maybe she's really NOT having kids.  

14.  I think I'm in a different census bracket.  

15. My oldest nephew is in college....and has been for a while now.  This must hurt my sister worse than it does me. BWAHAHAHAHAHAH!!  

16.  The outside of the card that my husband gave me this morning says, "To the 35 year old woman who lives with me." WTF?!?!  I shudder to think what it says on the inside.  Then again, it's atop a Hermes bag so how bad could it be??

17. OMG 17! I don't even remember you anymore!

18. I no longer tight roll my jeans although I did give into the skinny jeans trend some time ago.  I am ashamed....(yes, I know that tight rolling was not a 2003 kinda thing but a 35-item-long list is tough ok??)

19. My toes are perpetually polished....and almost always by someone else!  BAM!  I found a 35 year old perk. 

20. I cook.  Like....a lot.  Real meals and shit. 

21. I barely remember what it's like to live in Texas but I will never stop being a Texan!

22. I haven't cried at the sound of a Matchbox Twenty song in over 10 years but I still sing along (er...yell) with P!nk.  That bitch speaks the truf!

23. I no longer consider tight jeans and a halfsy top wardrobe staples.  That is HALF true.  

24. I am a responsible and dedicated pet owner.  Consider this an open apology to Harley, Chevy and Rufus - who I loved but didn't really know how to take care of. 

25. There it is - 25.  TEN EFFING YEARS AGO?!?!  What the hell happened? Well, everything, thank god. 

26. In six months, I will have been away from "home" for 10 years. 

27. I looooooooove grocery shopping.  I liked it in my mid-20s but I couldn't afford anything so, as you can imagine, not so fun.  Now I could (happily) spend a whole day at Wegmans or Harris Teeter or Kroger or Target Superstore.  Sigh...I miss 'Murrica. 

28. I am a wife...and a pretty good one most days. 

29. I regularly plan for retirement and can visualize the library I will build in our dream home....on a lake...surrounded by animals...and family...and....you get the idea. 
 

That picture is like porn to me.

30. I don't thoughtlessly destroy furniture on creative whims.  Hello decoupage!

31. I covet...and can actually afford a full set of Le Creuset cookware.  

32. I have transitioned into quality vs. quantity.  At least, in my mind I have.  Hard.to.let.go.

33. I am pretty good at keeping plants alive.  When I first started dating Z, he had me watch his cactus "Clint" when he went out of town.  I left Clint on the patio - in the winter - in Virginia.  Whoops.
 

RIP Clint

34. I realize I still have a lot of growing up to do but I try to be a better person every day because even though I hope I have a lot of livin' to do, you just never know. 

35. I am happy.  For real....really happy.

How has your life changed in the last 10 years?  Hey FB friends and family...feel free to respond on my actual blog.  I can ask you to do this because, dammit, it's my birthday! :)

What's your TV pick me up?

When I was a Sophomore in high school, I can vividly remember being so broken hearted and confused that I could barely breathe.  Nothing, I repeat, NOTHING could bring me up out of my teenage girl funk. 

Then one Thursday night, I was sitting alone in my room watching TV (thanks mom and dad for spoiling me so much that I had my own phone line AND TV in my room) and Friends came on.  I don't remember what episode it was exactly or whether I had watched it at all before but something they said or did made me laugh...out loud.  I had been crying so hard that my eyes had nearly puffed shut (as they tend to do when I cry; I guess I figure, go hard or go home).  Then suddenly, I was brought out of the depths of despair by a TV show and I was LAUGHING!*** It was at that moment that I realized that the boy that had broken my heart (and would do so several more times in the years that followed) wasn't the last boy I would love and that life would...somehow...go on.   It's all very dramatic, isn't it?  But that's what being a teenage girl is.  Drama.  

If I'm erring on the side of full disclosure here, I would say that I am still prone to fits of inexplicable tears.  Well, they're explicable to me but that is beside the point.  What I'm trying to say is that, from time to time, I give in to the blues.  I wail and sigh and play sad songs and then something happens.  Cassie does something so ridiculous I couldn't possibly keep crying.  Z says "let's play tennis tomorrow" ... how can I stay mad at someone who wants to play tennis with me?  I am HORRIBLE at tennis so he must be a saint.  And then sometimes, my funk is broken by something on television.  Friends has long since gone off air but I own the first season because I think I owe it to those five wacky kids.  That, and it's still funny.  I chuckle EVERY SINGLE TIME I think of the couch moving episode.  "PIVOT!  PIVOT!"

I don't really watch a lot of TV anymore.  Weird time zones and a general lack of time to vegetate are at the root of that I suppose.  But there are a lot of things on TV that instantly make me smile or in lieu of smiling, make me feel like my life ain't all that bad (ahem, can you say Intervention and Hoarders??).   Same goes for movies - I have a RomCom, Audrey Hepburn, 80s movies, and horror movie collection that is unparalleled but in the interest of simplicity, let's just stick to TV.

What are your TV pick me ups??

***some may call this bipolar but I think that may be a bit presumptuous. 

Sala Restaurant - European Fine Dining in Makati

Hubs and I were looking for a nice place to celebrate our anniversary in Manila and after reading several reviews, I chose Sala Restaurant -- billed as fine dining a la Europe.  To be honest, after a couple of weeks eating at restaurants where the phrase "too much salt" clearly isn't part of the vernacular, we were just looking for something....normal.  We got that (and more) at Sala.  I wouldn't say I was bowled over by the meals themselves but the dessert - best I've had in a looooong time.  But I'm getting ahead of myself.  Let's go back to first impressions. 

Sala is small.  Super small.  Quaint might be a good word.  It's literally a "room" which makes sense given I think that's what "Sala" translates to - at least partially.  There's nothing offputting about the size, don't get me wrong.  We were just surprised.  The restaurant is located off of a VERY busy and cacophonous road but once you're inside, there's not a hint of the hustle and bustle of the world outside.  As many people have said before, Sala would be a great place for a business dinner or (as in our case) a romantic dinner.  

The staff were friendly but not oppressive, as can often be the case in Manila.  Sometimes too much is just too much ya know?  The drinks came quickly and were strong which is always a good thing when you know you're going to pay a little bit more.  

I was trying to be a good little blogger by writing down the descriptions of all of the food but, sadly, I left my little notebook behind and never went back to pick it up.  Long story short, the following is either from memory or from their online menu (which isn't that accurate because their menu is changing all the time).  Anyhoo...here's the little complimentary appetizer the brought us which I'm sure I'll do NO JUSTICE by describing it as a sweet tomato and goat cheese toast thingamajig: 

Our appetizers were fantastic although, again, I forget the lovely descriptions the restaurant used.  Mine was a creamy scallop soup and Z had a meat and cheese plate (I am sorry Sala - truly sorry.  I never said I was a professionally foodie ok?  Stop judging! Ok .... I'm better now.)

I had truffled white risotto with Jerusalem artichokes, sweet shrimp, and blue swimmer crab topped with a crisp tiger prawn.  It did not suck.   Though a fairly small dish, the risotto made it hearty and I finished and was neither stuffed nor hungry - perfectly prepared for dessert :).

Hubs ordered roast sea bass fillet with sweet shrimp, fennel, tomato, saffron and spinach orzo.  He thought it was great but I found it a bit fishy for my taste.  Then again, I'm one of those people who likes her fish to taste either like cocktail sauce or wasabi so maybe I'm not the best judge. 

And now for my favorite part and I'll go ahead and say I'm a bit biased here because I LOVE rhubarb.  I don't know many people who have even had rhubarb outside of my family but my mom used to make this wonderful rhubarb cake.  I'd ask for it all the time but rhubarb can be hard to find in the states.  I've NEVER seen it on a dessert menu but Sala had a dessert called "All About Rhubard" and all I can say is ....I think it changed my life.  It was SO SO SO good.  I'm not a huge dessert person both for health and just a general preference for salt vs. sweet but this was spectacular.  It was a rhubarb flavored crème brûlée, rhubarb sorbet and a warm pecan rhubarb crumble - that last one was like a mini-cobbler and it was so good, I almost wept. 

And here we are .... on our way to fat and happy

So what if I'm biased!

I'm still allowed to brag!

My mom is a published author...several times over.  Although, unless you were into historical romances in the 80s, you probably wouldn't have read her books.  I have no doubt that she would have continued in her success as a writer if life...and us kiddos hadn't interfered.  Now, finally, after some fierce prodding and miraculously getting her to retire, she's back at it and I couldn't be happier....or more proud.  

Before you harumph at the historical romances, let me tell YOU something.  First of all, she has so much more depth than steamy sex scenes.  Second, who needs depth when you have the 50 Shades chart toppers. Third of all (in my head, that reads perfectly), she's not really writing historical romances anymore.   She has dabbled in different genres and I think she's always wanted to write a mystery or thriller because really, that's what she likes to read most.  

Long story short, she has been sending me snippits of one of her older novels that she's sorta re-writing and I'm just blown away at how beautiful the imagery and descriptions are.  So much so that I felt like I should share just a couple.  

[Caveat: But first, you should know that just because what you're about to read will knock your socks off, does not mean you should go stealing it and using it in your own amateur writing endeavors.  This shit was born in the noggin' of my creative and intelligent mama and will belong in HER novel once published.  Any thievery is verboten!  I will not hesitate to send my vicious wiener dog after you.  Your ankles will never be the same. This may all sound silly but it's been done before...you can never be too careful.  Well, maybe the wiener dog part hasn't happened before but there's a first time for everything!]

Gasp and/or sigh as appropriate: 

"The rustling cadence of the breeze through the tops of the tall trees had stilled, as had the near-constant noises of birds and small animals in the forest around her. It was utterly still and completely quiet. The total lack of sound was unnatural."  

"This odd assortment of primitive structures kept its secrets well, he thought."  - in reference to Mayan ruins.

 "It was an unease without a definable source, the leading edge of nervousness, of panic."    

I think that last one is my favorite.  "...the leading edge of nervousness..." Wha??!  I mean...I know exactly what she's talking about but I never would have come up with such a beautiful way to describe it.  You'd buy that on amazon or at Barnes and Noble in a heartbeat, right?  Right! me too :)