Carlo pulls a "Britney"

I'm so totally over my hair. Yep. Just like that: I've let go of my biggest vanity.

never again (riiiight!)

I woke up this morning in the Pangrati section of Athens in someone's bedroom. Yes, some of you are probably thinking, "So what's new?"

It was a girl's bedroom. WTF?

Woke up barefoot but fully clothed with no recollection about last night. All I remember was that I had gone out with two of my bunkmates--Chris (very hot 18 y.o. from Vancouver) and Luis (36 y.o. from Spain)--we started in the Plaka district and somehow we made it from bar to bar all the way east. We were downing ouzo and tequillas left and right.

My cell phone alarm went off at 7:45 am. It was early. Just wasn't early enough to catch my morning ferry to Mykonos.

I tried to make my exit without waking anybody up. It took me 10 minutes to figure out which door out of about 8 or 9 in the room was the exit. I finally figured that the one that wouldn't open and lead me into a room of more sleeping college girls was it.

I had to wake her up. The apartment itself had to be locked from the inside with a key. She had the key. Slightly relieved and terribly embarrassed.

Then I couldn't find my shoes. I walked out into the hallway, down the staircase as she locked the door. No shoes. OH SH*T!

I walked back upstairs but could not remember which apartment I had just left. I rang the bell on the door that I guessed was the one. Buzzed twice, no answer. I was freaking out. Then I heard her voice again (shame on me for not having bothered to even ask her name).

"They were in another room. You took them off last night and crashed on the couch."

Double relief. One, it confirms that I did not sleep with the american college girl and two, YAY! I don't have to walk back to the hotel barefoot!!!

After an hour and an half of trying to find my way back to the hostel, I realized that Chris hadn't made it back home last night either. He got back 30 minutes after I did.

The cold shower did little to relieve my throbbing (and probably newly deceased brain cells) but somehow I managed to get dressed, pack, say bye to the boys, check out and head on over to the travel agency to salvage what I could from the expired ticket I had in hand.

No suck luck. The ticket is non-transferrable. On top of the money I had blown partying last night, I had to buy another ferry ticket to Mykonos. I could have declined. I could have decided to go somewhere else. But the hotels in Mykonos and Santorini have already been booked. I would end up losing more money if I cancel my plans.

So I shelled out another 46.

Right now, I'm sitting outside my hostel room, stealing someone's wjavascript:void(0)i-fi signal and hoping to have it long enough to publish this entry. I have to sit tight because my ferry isn't until 4:30 pm and I have nowhere else to go that would give me free internet access and pure silence. I guess I should be thankful just to have a place to park. The lady downstairs was kind enough to leave me alone, considering I had checked out at 11:30 am.

Not so pleased with myself at the moment.

If not for my sheer childish excitement about Mykonos, I would be really, really, really depressed by now. Definitely NOT partying tonight. Unless a hot, olive-skinned island boy asks me out. Or any cute Aussie backpacker who had access to a shower this morning.

Oh, Athens!

Europe & the ex-smoker

My backpacking experience obviously does not come without issues. Smoking, in particular, waves a giant flag.

Jesse Taylor. Smoker: YES. European: NO. In Europe: NEIN.
This is my only available "smoker" pic at the moment.

"Everyone smokes in Europe, Carlo. I had quit smoking and was good for a few days or so until I finally gave in." My good friend, BU, told me as I wolfed down the last few bits of this awesome Turkish dinner he had prepared the night before my departure.

I'd been smoke-free since March 2007, very happy about it (thank you, Allen Carr!), and honestlly have since not craved a single cigarette. As Mr. Carr book promised, I did not suffer any withdrawal symptoms. I do, however, have these weird dreams of smoking.

In each dream, I don't realize I'd been smoking until I throw my cigarette away. Then I freak out so much that I wake myself up. So even though I feel far from "weak" I have this very conscious fear that it could still happen.

Ever since I started this trip, my fears have elevated. Like most ex-smokers set on staying smoke-free, I fear reverting due to:

• peer pressure
• sheer boredom
• intoxication
• mild tipsiness, heavy second-hand smoke inhalation
• sheer weakness (see last 4 items)
  
• stress and anxiety
  
• any other unforseen issue that may arise
  

I'm within the second week of my trip and at my 9th European city (Prague). So far, no moments of weakness, about 4 of "those dreams" and zero cigarettes smoke.

I can only hope for the best. If I fail, it will just have to be another journey back to being smoke free. But this is my chance to prove something to myself. This may also perhaps inspire BU himself.

Here's hoping I will succeed.

just another day in London

I haven't really done much aside from catching up with sleep and resetting my (retarded) circadian rhythm. Managed to take some photos while accompanying BB on his city bus tour.

::gag::choke::mini-puke-in-mymouth::

Here are some of them. The rest are on my flickr page. Click any photo to access the entire set.










I absolutely dislike city bus tours. For one, taking photos while riding these things leaves you too nauseated to do anything else. Had indian food.

Last night went very well. GK fooled me into thinking he was stuck somewhere and then showed up at my hostel. Too bad I wasn't there. Haha. BB and I were taking a stroll and got a little lost around Russell Square. We managed to meet up 20 minutes later. He was supposed to meet a friend and delayed that appointment so he could stop by and say hi.

He looks exactly like he does in his photos and sounds exactly like I imagined he would from his blog entries. He has such a great mind. Ok. I'm having another mail order bride moment--so what?

Can wait to hang with him in Berlin. Loving this trip so far.

you know you're in Europe when...

...it takes all of this just to recharge your MacBook!
It has officially sunk in. I'm in Europe.

Not too excited about being in London (my first stop) but definitely excited about a a few things while I'm here:


1. My Euro trip has begun: There's no turning back. Well, I can, but that would be hella embarrassing, wouldn't it? I'm thrilled, optimistic yet absolutely scared for my life.

2. Gerd is in London this week: I've known this beautiful man for YEARS and I'm finally going to meet him in person tonight! This makes me sound like a mail order bride, but I can't help but be giddy about our little rendezvous. He will be hosting me and my travel buddy, BB, when we go to Berlin.

3. My very first hostel experience: We've checked into Generator Hostel. This is my first official hostel experience and I'd have to say so far, so good. It looks like a total party place. Noisy dining hall, cheap fried dinner, soda machines, scary showers stalls, lots of half naked straight people walking around--boys AND girls. Everyone seems to be chill and really friendly. You have to pay for everything here--even your towel. Drinks are cheap at the bar considering you're paying in pounds. We're sharing a room with Justin, an Australian backpacker and Japanese software engineer whose name I can neither pronounce nor spell. Both very sweet.

Justin is on his way out tomorrow. While packing, he offered me his spam and bug spray. Aww. The gift of spam. Speaks volumes of this budding love between us. Gave him my number for when he visits NYC. Hope he brings more spam and less deet.



Things are off to a so-so start. I have some form of jet lag, which is weird since I hardly sleep. I'm, however, thankful that it's happening while I'm in London since I'm not compelled to do a lot of sight-seeing here.

Europe, here I come!

Aaaaaand we're ready to roll. I'm writing this entry while on a flight to London.

It's pretty amusing how I've begun to embrace this whole backpacking concept. I mean, I've boarded my flight reeking of pit sweat. I'd spent earlier today running around, cleaning the apartment, buying last-minute supplies for my trip and just sweating in general.

I had this big, retarded smile on my face as I put my cheesy Rick Steve's backpack on the overhead compartment and as I sat down and strapped on my seat belt.

"I used to ALWAYS dress nicely for any flight. Even puddle jumper ones!"

Lame, I know. That's why boarding this flight felt so liberating. I'm dressed like a hippie and I reek and there's nothing anyone can do about it. Tee hee!

Speaking of this flight, can I just say I HEART British Airways? I've picked two movies (getting ready to start the second one in a few) and they still have not stopped giving me booze. And yes, I'm flying economy class.

Would have been a treat to stink up the first class cabin, though. ;-)

Europe, here I come!

Oh, Sheena!

This is a tribute to rotary phones, landlines, long-distance love affairs and anticipated "Dear Johns" and well, curly bangs.

Technology and style may have evolved a lot since then, but gosh darn it, people are so damn predictable!


"Telephone" by Sheena Easton

what I am

"I am what I am
I don't want praise I don't want pity...

...it's my world that I want to have a little pride.
My world--and it's not a place I have to hide in.
Life's not worth a damn until I can say,
'I am what I am!'"

It’s one life, and there’s no return and no deposit.
One life, so it’s time to open up your closet.

ronnie gets frisky

My friend, Ronnie Khalil, is a hoot. Check him and the funniest boys in Florida at www.miamicomics.com.

Recognize the shirt?

end of an era

I want to cry. I want to just lose it and kick and scream.

There's so much frustration, anger, disappointment and feelings of betrayal lingering inside and picking at my brain. I wish I could lock myself up in my room for an entire day and just be numb. Heck, I'll take one minute if I can have some peace of mind.

But I can't. I have a heart to mend. A sick grandmother. A job to keep. I have debts to pay. Money to save. A new home to find and a current one I need to leave behind. A career to find. A mentorship that could mean my future. I have commitments I've already made to friends and family. Promises made to fairweather peers. The remnants of an ego I have left to salvage.

And then there's this reality I refuse to face--we BOTH refuse to face:

It's the end of an era. The worst part is that I have no clue why. I'd apologize but I don't even have the faintest idea what I should be sorry for.

I can't fix it if you don't tell me what's wrong.

But it's too late anyway. Yet I'm left wondering.

For now, a weary smile is all I have left to offer as I move forward and remember the lesson I was meant to learn this time around: those who really get to know me will grow to hate me.

You aren't the first--you are number three.

I wanna marry an urban ninja

I want one for my birthday!!!


I guess those unfinished USSR-era free housing structures still serve some purpose. But who the hell cares about that? These Russian urban climbers are HOTTTT.

sleepless but smiling

How can I not be with Paolo singing right in front of me.



sleep deprivation + internet addiction = tragic romantic delusions

clinton vs. obama

Whose side are you on?

 
Funny, but I thought we were all supposed to be on the same side.

B-Shorty a.k.a. Blake Lewis-Iyog

Yum.



I always thought beat-boxing was corny, but this boy seriously gives me a woody wet spot each time he does it.


There's also this one of a friend of his who I think is hella funny:

friends do not let friends drink and...HULA

For his 28th birthday, JPV decided to have his celebration at Waikiki Wally's in the East Village.

The drinks were like the male strippers working the simultaneously occuring bachelorette parties upstairs: huge and very strong. Needless to say everyone got tipsy oh-so-very quickly.

A woman came into our private room and performed a hula number as she chanted the meaning of her graceful body movements: "This is my story... about my beautiful land."

Not to be upstaged at his own birthday party, JPV found a way to take back his spotlight:

JP's Story

and you thought "Thriller" was scary?

First off, how does one get his hair so...bouncy and full of volume?!?

Bollywood has always been a good source of cringe-worthy amusement for me.

Not because I think Philippine cinema is any better. For one, Bollywood makes more money. Second, we definitely have our fair share of cheesy "bastardizations" of western pop culture. Especially when it comes to movies that have the somewhat inevitable musical production number in medias res.

While I have yet to show you proof of my own home country's shameful exploits, I still believe this video definitely takes the cake!

I was told that the video clip below is from a Telugu movie produced in India. Considering this was written and dubbed in a dialect that isn't Hindi, Urdu or Punjabi, I am not at all certain if I should be referring to it as a "Bollywood" film. It does, however, follow that distinctive formula.


Bollywood, Follywood! Prepare to be amused (or terrified or whatever):

"Goli Maar"
a scene from the movie "Donga"



Scary, huh? Here's something scarier: I caught myself chanting "goli maar..." and shaking my head to some imaginary beat as I was getting dinner ready. Sooooo not cute!

what would you put up with...

...to be with someone who rocks your world?



Couldn't help but notice this random message posted on a suggestion board while enjoying a nice gluten-free double chocolate crumb cake with BFSBR at Babycakes.

Nope. Not dating a vegan. Not even dating at all. It's not the actual message that had an impact on me, but the charge of frustration that permeated through the paper and right under my skin.

It made me think of the times I've (tried to) date someone whom I had very few things in common with or lives a lifestlye that--regardless of its legitimacy--is totally foreign to me.

And then I thought of the things I had to give up along with the compromises I had to make and I started to wonder if any of it was worth the effort. I had to cringe at the memory of the lengths I had gone through to please these "ex-objects" of my affection. While some initiatives were more necessary than others, the bottom line is constant. None of these relationships had worked out.

As little children, part of our training to grow into civilized individuals was to learn how to share what we have and meet people halfway in order to build and maintain relationships with the people around us.

Somehow I feel I had missed a lesson or two on how it should be done when in a budding romantic relationship.

See, the more I found myself sharing and giving in for the sake of harmony and romantic longevity, the more entitled the other person just seemed to become. While entitlement grows directly proportional to the giving, it seems to be inversely proportional to one's desire to reciprocate another's generosity.

And then you have the ones we identify as "takers" who seem to have a knack for finding the right person to shack up with. Some of them enjoy one very long term relationship after another with hardly any effort. There is a level of resentment or perhaps loathing for who these takers are and what they undeservingly have. They are envied for getting away with so much with little physical and emotional investment.

Do nice guys really finish last?

Maybe. In my case, I choose to keep on running. Hopefully, that will give me a headstart on the next race. ;-)

"Three of your babies, please!?!"

I don't just want your baby, Elliot Yamin. I want three of them little Elliots pitter-pattering around with their tiny feet, crooked teeth and funny mousy ears singing in their would-be tenor voices just like daddy.

To celebrate the release of Elliot's single, Movin' On (now on iTunes!), I'd like to you why he will be the the future daddy of Elliot Jr, Elliot III, and Elliot Charles McTwink Iyog:


"Star Spangled Banner"



"Somebody To Love"



"Heaven"



"Open Arms"



"A Song For You"

help us find a missing friend

03/05/07 - UPDATE: Sad news, folks. Martin Espaillat's body was found Saturday, March 3rd, in a park in Clifton, NJ. He had committed suicide. I haven't had the heart to ask my MZ the specifics, but thank you, all who signed the petition that finally mobilized the authorities to search for Martin. May his soul rest in peace.

VIEW AND SIGN PETITION

More info on Martin

This is a message I received from a good friend of mine asking for help to find her friend who has been missing since Valentine's Day. Would hate for this to happen to any of my friends and I can only imagine the frustration and anxiety Martin's mysterious disappearance is causing those closest to him.

Martin Espaillat has been missing since Wednesday, February, 14th 2007. He left his home in Clifton that morning to take a NJ Transit train to his job in Jersey City. He never arrived at work that day and no known person has seen or heard from him since.

A missing persons report was filed on Friday, February 16th, 2007 by Martin’s sister, Mildred. Since then, most of the avenues of information on his whereabouts have been investigated such as bank, train, and store surveillance, e-mail accounts and phone records, all leading to dead ends. It is getting down to almost the three week mark of his disappearance and no full scale police search in the city of Clifton has been attempted.

The purpose of this petition is to strongly persuade the Clifton Police Department to search an area in Clifton known as “The Gates of Hell.”

VIEW AND SIGN PETITION

This area is a series of underground tunnels and hidden compartments. We suspect that searching this location might lead us to Martin Espaillat. Because this area is designated as a no trespassing area, a major police led, supervised, and/or warranted search of this area MUST be done as soon as possible. Martin Espaillat’s life is at stake.

If you have seen him, or have any information please contact Mildred Espaillat at mildred@happyviper.com. You may also contact the Clifton Police Department at 973-470-5262.

he who can't dance can (sometimes) be so HOT

So let's hear it for the boy...



Having a cheesy moment here. I couldn't get the song out of my head tonight and I figured doing this might help. I know Chris Penn is no longer with us, but damn, was he one red-hot, sexy, uncoordinated piece of midwestern meat! Perhaps one day I can cut loose--foot loose--with a hottie like that.

wet boys are fun

Checked out Bana this weekend and it was totally worth the trip...

the higher power of the american prude

American censorship strikes again. You may disagree with me on this one, but I hardly find the word, "scrotum," offensive. It is the "official" name of a body part. That's what's written in school books, so what is up with all this unreasonable modesty?

Kids need to be taught to refer to genitalia in a manner that allows them to understand that these are merely body parts and not the "sin machines" that religion and culture dictate. Besides, refering to penis as "pee pee" and vagina as "porky" hardly sounds decent, either.

Banning Susan Patron's Newbery-winning "The Higher Power of Lucky" does not protect a child from whatever your imagination conceives that might cause harm. Neither does pretentious modesty.


“The people who are reacting to that word are not reading the book as a whole,” [Pat Scales]said. “That’s what censors do — they pick out words and don’t look at the total merit of the book.”



February 18, 2007
With One Word, Children’s Book Sets Off Uproar
By JULIE BOSMAN

The word “scrotum” does not often appear in polite conversation. Or children’s literature, for that matter.

Yet there it is on the first page of “The Higher Power of Lucky,” by Susan Patron, this year’s winner of the Newbery Medal, the most prestigious award in children’s literature. The book’s heroine, a scrappy 10-year-old orphan named Lucky Trimble, hears the word through a hole in a wall when another character says he saw a rattlesnake bite his dog, Roy, on the scrotum.
“Scrotum sounded to Lucky like something green that comes up when you have the flu and cough too much,” the book continues. “It sounded medical and secret, but also important.”
The inclusion of the word has shocked some school librarians, who have pledged to ban the book from elementary schools, and reopened the debate over what constitutes acceptable content in children’s books. The controversy was first reported by Publishers Weekly, a trade magazine.
On electronic mailing lists like Librarian.net, dozens of literary blogs and pages on the social-networking site LiveJournal, teachers, authors and school librarians took sides over the book. Librarians from all over the country, including Missoula, Mont.; upstate New York; Central Pennsylvania; and Portland, Ore., weighed in, questioning the role of the librarian when selecting — or censoring, some argued — literature for children.

“This book included what I call a Howard Stern-type shock treatment just to see how far they could push the envelope, but they didn’t have the children in mind,” Dana Nilsson, a teacher and librarian in Durango, Colo., wrote on LM_Net, a mailing list that reaches more than 16,000 school librarians. “How very sad.” click to read the entire article...

Ms. Understood

I'm not famous. I'm not rich. But I feel more blessed: I don't have a whole slew of vultures ready to pick at my flesh each time I fall.

Not a Brit fan by any means, but can we find another way to feel better about ourselves other than preying on people like her?

Valentine's Day: Cooking for One

Valentine's Day can be equally depressing for some people. This makes me grateful for the fact that I do enjoy being single and really don't mind cooking for one.

Whether you're having a romantic dinner with the love of your life or choking on cocoa powder alone in your kitchen, try to not end up calling 911. :-)

Enjoy yet another commercial holiday, folks!

BBC Comedy Hall of Fame: Catherine Tate

This clip from the Catherine Tate Show got me in stitches. A tad offensive, but I think it's meant to poke fun at people who lie about their skills and the idiots who blindly follow their lead.



The Translator

"...where is my sandwich?!?"

miss cleo messed up

ooh, dear...

I know the whole Miss Cleo thing is so 1999, but can you blame me for indulging?


"Miss Cleo" by Milan
"Miss Cleo, I think what you're doing is wrong, low-down, dirty and rotten. And I'll give you one chance to prove me wrong--tell me, where is Osama Bin Laden?"

Amy Sedaris is a total dick!

I swear: Amy Sedaris never fails to crack me up. This time, she plays Paulie the Penis in an animated sex ed movie called Puberty Pals. Something about her voice just gives me the giggles.

And yeah--watch out for the va-jay-jay... it got me rolling on the floor in laughter.
"You might have an odd dream about some special lady where you touch her in that special place that smells like the sea..."
Bwahahahahahaha!

rebuffing Buffy

SHE'S BAAAAACK! Yeah, well--again.

Joss Whedon decided to release a comic book series to cover what would have been Season 8 of TV's Buffy the Vampire Slayer series. I was too excited not to pre-order the first 2 issues. I don't feel so bad, though. I have a few other ones who did the same thing.

There's this couple who are both good friends of mine who bought 3 of each. They each get to keep one copy of each issue to read while the third ones remain sealed. Not a bad idea considering how much BTVS has helped revolutionize the writing and energy of current prime time drama/thriller series.

I'm a dork and darn proud of it!!!

Speaking of being a dork, we even came up with dork names:

me = Frisky McDork
KS = Cinnamon Dork (don't ask)
LL = Evil Bitch Dork (a.k.a. EBD)
NL = Dorkaholic

Harry "Happy Trail" Potter

"Turn! Trample them! Stiff in the wind. My mane, stiff in the wind!!!"

::wink::

Does this count as cradle-robbing?

Yep. Looks like Daniel Radcliffe--a.k.a Harry Potter--will be playing Alan Strang (and will most definitely ride a horse naked) in an upcoming London stage revival of Peter Shaffer's Equus.

How quickly they grow up. ::sigh:: I mean.. YAY! :-)

Funny. I got to play Alan Strang once in college, but it was a scene study and I didn't have to be naked. Tee hee. On a serious note, I do love this play.


P.S. I can't really put my finger on it, but I fucking hate this chick:

call me a hypocrite...

but I REALLY enjoyed hanging out at T New York tonight:






and--::gasp::--SBNY, too!







Everyone is entitle to the occassional M.O.W. (moment of weakness). I can't think of a better way to swallow my pride.