9 Lives of an Extraordinary Man

MAKAPAGBAGONG BUHAY.

…… simulan nang maayos ang blog na nasimulan.

…… sumirsoyo? WANTING FAME? then get serious.

…… maging responsable.  Maraming umaasa.  Magpost kapag may oras.

…… tumino.  Yung totoong pagtino. Hwag magbiro.

…… magpatuloy sa mga sinimulan. DON’T QUIT!

…… paghusayan. Maging sensitibo sa kung ano ang nararapat  at hindi kung ano ano lang ang pinopost.

…… higit sa lahat, simulan mo ngayon na mismo!

My Own Lit 101: WANTED: VALENTINE’S DAY DATE

22 Valentine’s Day na walang pag-ibig, walang ka-date. It doesn’t mean na wala akong naging syota sa loob ng mga taong iyon.  Aaminin ko na, sige na, yung unang 18 years na buhay ko wala talaga. Nakakatawa, di ba?  Eh ganun talaga late bloomer ako when it comes to having a relationship, I’ve never had one nung high school and college days. Oo may mga crushes, sangkaterba pero love, ayaw ko muna. Concentrate muna sa studies. Nagsunog po kasi ako ng kilay ng husto nung mga taong iyon. Eskwela-bahay-eskwela-bahay ang drama ng buhay ko. Pagkatapos ko sa college at nagkatrabaho na dun ko lang sinubukan ang ma-inlove at magkasyota. Pero ayun, OLATS! Wala man lang tumagal. hahaha!  Ang masaklap pa kung kelan magva-Valentine’s Day dun pa sila nawawala, kaya pag Valentine’s Day at mag-isa ako at walang ka-date o ka-holding hands, ok na lang din sa kin, sanay na yata ang immune system ko. Ewan ko rin parang di naman sya namimiss ng buong sistema ko. Manhid na kaya ako o talagang nasanay na lang.  Ewan. Basta ang alam ko at ang totoo ngayong Valentine’s Day, MAG-ISA AKO!

Lit 101: WHY COUPLES START TO LOOK ALIKE

Birds Of A Feather
Why Couples Start To Look Alike
By Melissa Noble for YourTango

Everyone knows a couple or three who seem to eerily resemble one another. This resemblance could be in an overly spooky sibling kind of a way, or — body type, height and nationality notwithstanding — some duos just kind of look alike and you can’t really put your finger on it.


For many years researchers have attempted to dissect the science of attraction. The results have varied widely; some scientists swear opposites attract, others lay their bets that it’s our similarities, not our differences, that cause us to shack up. Well, the latest study to sprout out of the University of Michigan seems to confirm the latter — we desire what’s familiar, and may even mature to look more like our partners the longer we stay together.

Psychologist Robert Zajonc flipped through a series of couple photographs, first as newlyweds and then 25 years later, and found that the older the couples grew, the more they morphed to look like each other. One explanation is that we reflect the facial expressions of our partners, and so our visages grow similar patterns based on the muscles we use. But it’s also likely they sort of looked alike to begin with. In a 2006 study, people were asked to assign personality traits to random head shots. Couples were mixed in, but the respondents weren’t told who was dating whom. The results overwhelmingly suggested that couples were often thought to have the same kind of temperament, just based off split-second judgment.

On a superficial level of course this makes sense. God-given genetics aside, more often than not one’s overall look is tampered by how you choose to style and present yourself. Perhaps for some couples keeping up appearances and a svelte figure are priorities. Some like to be flashy. Others not so much. So those who choose to spend time with one other often naturally share a similar taste in aesthetics.

Goodbye, Blondie!

Haizt!

I just can’t help but to sigh. Isa pa ulit: haizt! Grabe! Parang kelan lang. 

It would have been two months since I decided to dye my hair blonde.  Actually I never meant to make it blonde really, I want it white.  I’ve been dreaming of having a white hair, hindi uban ah, ung totally white as in, parang sa mga matatanda, from roots to tips.  For me it’s kinda cool and very unique, very different from the usual and common hair colors.  Astigin!

I would say I’m an old-fashioned guy when it comes to hair dying.  When everyone around me seems to have a dyed hair, I’m the only who had maintained a natural black hair, not until last July 2010 when I decided to take the risk and sacrificed my smooth and shiny black hair, which I’ve been keeping since my childhood days. (Di naman sa pagmamayabang, lots of people esp the girls envied me for my hair, which was truly smooth and shiny back then, “shampoo lang ‘yan”, sabi ko.) My first hair color was a red brown.  It’s somewhat brownish na reddish na mapapansin lang pag nasinagan ng liwanag o ng araw.  I enjoyed it for only 6 months.  Nakakasawa, gusto ko lalong mapansin.

That’s when an old idea of having a white hair came up to my mind again.  I’ve searched pictures of guys with white hair, tinignan ko kung babagay ba sa akin ung kulay.  Here are some pictures that actually inspired me more:

That was November.  Kagagaling ko lang sa isang hiwalayan, hindi naman masasabing relasyon dahil hindi naman talaga ganon yun, hiwalayan ng isang relasyong….. magkaibigan (friendship: in case mali ang pagkabigkas mo) AT hindi iyon ang topic ng aking blog ngaun. Ok, going back,  syempre hiwalayan, senti mode, moving on stage, humahanap ng paraan para makalimot at mawala ang sakit na nararamdaman ( ang drama na lang!!!),  at isa pa nalalapit na ang Disyembre, malapit na ang Christmas Party namin sa office, that was , December 9. I have to think of something that would surprise everyone in the office. An old idea came up, magpapakulay ako at this time yung mapapansin na ng lahat, I would dye my hair WHITE!

December 9, 2010. The party was at 6:00pm. At dun lang din sa mismong araw na yon ako magpapakulay para masurprise talaga ang lahat, “kahapon lang itim pa buhok nya, ngayon puti na!” 11:00am, after mag-gym, direcho agad sa salon. “Magpapakulay ako, white!” I showed the colorist a picture of what I wanted my hair to be like. To achieve that color, they had to bleach my hair first and don’t you think na ganun lang kadali ang lahat. “PUTANG INA, ang sakit!” That hair bleaching really sucks! Not only it is time consuming (at least 1 to 2 hours ang bleaching time), it also hurts so much, parang binuhusan ng asido ang anit ko at talagang MAHAPDI! Fuck! I never knew it would hurt this much! Wala naman akong magawa, andito na ako eh, nakasalang na, magbaback out pa ba naman ako, bahala na! Then after an hour or so, the results came to be visible. Ayun, yellowish na kulay na buhok ko. Tinunaw ng putang inang bleach na yan ang melanin sa buhok ko at pinatay ang bawat strands ng buhok ko, tinunaw pa pati anit ko. “Akala ko ba magiging white ang buhok ko?” reklamo ko pero mahinahon lang at parang namamalipit pa rin sa hapdi ng anit ko. “Hindi pa tapos, sir, pauna pa lang yan. Next procedure po, papatungan na natin ng WHITE at sir, MAS MAHAPDI po iyun.” That moment was really fucking bullshit.  Binanlawan. Yellowish na. Mejo nawala ang hapdi. Salamat. Hep hep hep, di pa pala tapos, may MAS MAHAPDI pa palang procedure. Pak! Salang agad. The white coloring was applied, gently, smoothly, eating  most of my time.  I waited for another hour and a half.  Then tapos na, shinampoo at binanlawan.  Mind you, hindi na ‘to yellow, manilaw-nilaw na ‘to.  Akala ko magiging white talaga ang buhok ko, hindi naman daw magiging pure white, some parts are white, others are whitish yellow and the remaining others are somewhat brownish yellow, which is due to the previous color that was applied to me that came to be too strong even the bleaching and another coloring procedure cannot washed it away. Para daw maging pure white, babalik pa daw ako at ibi-bleach pa ulit ang buhok ko at least 2 to 3 sessions more. Fuck! Sa tingin nyo ba babalik pa ako pagkatapos ng putang inang bleaching na yun. Hindi na uy!

 At sa awa ng Diyos, naka-attend ako ng party,surprising everybody including my Team Leader and my teammates. And let me share to you some pictures:

I love my hair.  Yun na lang ang nasabi ko. Though it’s not what I’m wanting it to be, I mean the color,  I still love it. I feel contented. Something new. Something impressive, I supposed. People in the office were impressed, others were shocked: “Anong nakain mong lalaki ka?!” It’s something unusual.  I came to love it.  Nung una mukha tong buhok ng manika, patay! As in patay. Ang anit ko lang naman ang nagsugat sa sobrang hapdi ng bleaching chemical na nilagay, ang sakit sobra! At mahirap syang i-maintain.  I never used shampoo for 3 days, just as what the colorist suggested to me, only conditioner.  Till now conditioner pa rin. Shampoo, siguro every after 2 days.  It grew smooth and healthy (parang commercial lang ah).   A lot of people commended me for having such a beautiful hair, blondie na nga tawag sa kin. Ba’t ganon, ako lang ba sa Pilipinas ang may blonde na buhok at parang ngayon lang sila nakakita ng blonde na Pinoy? Marami naman akong nakikitang mga tambay, mapabata man o matanda, na blondie ang buhok, eh bakit ganun sila magreact as if they have never seen a blonde ever before? Napapansin ako dahil sa buhok ko saanman ako pumunta, sa LRT, sa jeep, sa bus, sa trabaho (client na nga ang tawag sa kin,hahaha (ung mga client namin kasi na foreigner, they’re all blonde), sa kalye, sa underpass sa Ayala, sa resto, sa mall, at kung saan-saan pa. I remember, while I was waiting for a jeepney to ride on, there stopped in front of me a car with the driver saluting me and pointing my hair.  Nakakatawa, ‘no? I can’t believe it.  I was overwhelmed by the attention, by the complements I’m getting because of my blonde hair. Kahit mga parents ko, di makapaniwala at nagawa kong pakulayan ang buhok ng ganitong kulay samantalang ang alam nila ako yung taong di magpapakulay ng buhok kahit kelan. Ganun talaga, may mga desisyon tayo na minsan masaya din na wag ng pag-isipan pa, go lang nang go. Kahit na madalas pangit ang resulta, matutuwa ka pa din lalo na kapag di mo inaasahang magiging maganda pala ang resulta sa huli. 

But, always there’s a but, never a thing lasts forever. My original hair color is starting to appear as my hair grows longer. Medyo pangit na syang tignan, may black na ang dulo, di na pure blonde, di na ako makakaloko, haizt! Kaasar. One more thing, mag-aapply na rin ako for a new job and that job I am targeting to get hired into is something that requires a professional look, that is, being a teacher. Opo, I am planning to teach next school year.  Application starts this January, syempre sasalang kaagad sa interview portion, I have to impress the principal of the school, I have to comply with what being asked for the applicants: a professional look, a black hair. That’s when I have to say goodbye to my blonde hair. I know it would break my heart, kung kelan gusto ko na sya bakit kelangan dun pa sya kelangang mawala, nakakapanghinayang, but I have to let it go, it’s for a good cause. 30 minutes after ko itong i-post, didirecho na ako sa salon at magpapakulay ng black.

Goodbye, Blondie!

Till next time. (Though I know matatagalan pa bago ulit ako magpablonde uli……. baka nga malabo na.)

This Is Who I Am

Hi!

My name is Inigo.

This is my first time to have my own blog, to be a blogger. I’ve been wanting to have one before but got no time and I don’t have my laptop then. I think it would be a big hassle since I was just renting in a net cafe. I’m a Filipino, I speak the vernacular and I think it would just be appropriate if for some times  magtatagalog din ako. I’ll be using English and Tagalog. I don’t want my nose to continually bleed as I’m writing my blog. Gusto ko rin maging “pang-masa” itong blog ko na ‘to so a lot of people can cope with it and appreciate all the things I’m gonna be putting in here.

Ok, so much for a long intro. I think it would be just right and fitting if I would formally introduce myself first.

My real name is Zaldy Mariano Miranda. But I’m using Inigo as my second name and nickname at work. Most of my officemates would wonder where did I get Inigo, ang layo sa ZALDY. Ang sabi ko sa ilan nakuha ko sa isang lapida while I was wandering in a cemetery. “Weh, di nga?!” “Oo nga!” But the real thing is nakuha ko lang to sa pangalan ng anak ni Piolo Pascual. I don’t idolize him that much, it’s just that na-cute-an lang ako then I decided to adapt it as a second name. Others would call me “Nyigs”. Sa bahay, Zaldy lang.  Tawagin mo na lang akong Inigo, para di ako mabad trip sa yo, hehehe, joke. Ok lang kahit alin sa dalawa. There’s nothing wrong with my real name naman. Gusto ko lang magka-nickname. Hahaha. Maarte ba? Ganun na talaga eh.

I’m 22 years old. Birthdate, July 8 1988. I share the same birthdate with the wealthiest person ever lived in the world, John D. Rockefeller, to which I sometimes believe that someday I’m gonna be like him, if not wealthy at least successful. Aspiring to be both.  Born on the year of the Dragon, a Cancerian. I was born in Nueva Ecija but was raised and grew up here in Manila. I’m currently living with my family here in Malabon. Speaking of family, I live with my parents, a sister and 2 younger brothers.

I took Bachelor in Business Teacher Education in college. I studied in PUP (Polytechnic University of the Philippines, batch 2008. I’m a licensed teacher but am not practising my profession yet. I’m currently employed in a BPO company in Makati. Magdadalawang taon na ako sa company ko. V2T or Voice to Text conversion is the nature of our job, Australian account so since Australian time is ahead of 3 hours compared to us, we go to work on a morning shift.

I’m a movie enthusiast, fond of watching English movies. I have nothing against Filipino movies, it just that most of the time I watch movies coming from the US. At bihira na rin naman kasi ang mga magagandang pelikulang pinoprodyus dito sa Pilipinas kada taon. I love The Curious Case of Benjamin Button the most. I like the plot of the story, which is really rare. I’m also a Harry Potter fanatic. I also like The Chronicles of Narnia series. But most of the films I’m fond of watching are those films critically acclaimed, especially those Oscar-award awardee and/or nominated.  My favorite actress are Meryl Streep and Cate Blanchett. I find Amy Adams, Carey Mulligan, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Soairse Ronan films adorable and entertaining. My favorite actors are Robert Downey Jr., Brad Pitt, Leonardo DiCarpio, and Will Smith. 

Annyong haseyo! I love Korean, the South Korea of course. I like the food, the culture, the pop music, the films, the fashion of course. Any good thing about Korea, I like it. If only given a chance to choose a secondary nationality or citizenship, I’m gonna be a Korean. It all started with the TV series, Boys over Flower, which is evidently my favorite Korean TV series. This TV series, which is a phenomenon here in the Philippines when it was shown here in ABS-CBN last 2009, just impacted on me so great that I decided to start learning Korea and its language, the Hangul. I studied the language and the writing system through the internet, and after a week, because of that great enthusiasm and interest I had, I had learned and mastered reading and writing the Hangul in less than a week! Until now I can’t believe I’ve done that within 5 days. What an achievement, at least for me. Hehehe. I learned some basic expressions like annyong haseyo (hello), kamsahamnida (thank you), pogoshipoyo ( I miss you ), saranghaeyo (I love you), choayo ( I like you ), shibal (shit!) hahaha. See?! I like jjamppong, oh so spicy! Kimchi, sadly enough, haven’t tasted it though. But I’m gonna try it one of these days, siguro habang binabasa mo ‘to kumakain na ako ng kimchi with soju on the side. Inuman na! I love KPOP. I’m a KPOP fanatic. Super Junior, the best! SHINee, DBSK, 2NE1, SS501, UKiss (another best), and SNSD are some of the talented idols in Korea whose songs are all in my MP4 player to which I’m continually playing without getting fed up. If you like the music, might as well be fond with the movies also. Who could have not watched the movie “My Sassy Girl (of course the original version, the Korean one). I supposed every hopeless romantic Filipino who believes in the power of love and destiny have watched it and have liked it. I, for one, love it. Then there’s the film “Windstruck”, which is as supposed by many, the prequel of My Sassy Girl, Il Mare (which is the original version of the US remake film, The Lake House, starring Keannu Reeves and Sandra Bullock), The Classic (the movie I cried bucket of tears), Old Boy (the film that really marked on me, what a plot!), Monster, The Priest and so many beautiful, well-crafted critically acclaimed Korean films are my favorites. I would strongly recommend all these films that I have cited for you to add on your Never-To-Miss-Films list, I’m sure you would enjoy and like it. Don’t worry, may english subtitle naman eh. Fashion… For details, see www.ganzihomme.co.kr and www.vintagehwan.co.kr. These two sites best describe my obsession for Korean fashion.

I’m also into photography, but mind you, I’m an amateur so pasensya na kung di mo magugustuhan ang mga pictures ko. I’m still practising. I’m trying hard to be a photographer. Maybe I have to enroll myself on a photography class, you think? Favorite subject ko, myself, sarili ko. Hahaha. That why most of my friends tagged me a “camerawhore” and a “narci”. Kapag may kamera na, PAK! Alam na! Pose agad. Gustong gusto ko lang talaga pinipiktyuran ang sarili ko.  Narcissistic na ba yun? I’ve had daring photos sa beach (papakita ko pa ba, ano ba, nakakahiya naman!)

Nature tripping, outing, adventures, fun! If only I was only born with a golden spoon on my mouth, I would have travelled the whole world by now. Haizt! Kainis! But then you don’t need to be that wealthy to travel the whole world. Magsisimula muna ako sa Pilipinas. Bakit?! Marami as in super daming magagandang lugar naman dito sa Pilipinas, ah. We just have to discover them ourselves. Ayokong magyabang kasi di pa naman ganun kadaming lugar sa Pilipinas ang napupuntahan ko pero malay mo pag ako nanalo sa lotto, lahat ng sulok ng Pilipinas lilibutin ko (pero sana sa Grand Lotto ako manalo, Lord, ok na yung worth P700M, hahahaha sobra na!). I’m into swimming adventures but the thing is di pa ako marunong lumangoy! Toinks! Pano kaya yun?! Bakit, marunong naman akong sumisid ah… hahahaha. I’m trying to learn skimboarding, fun stuff, isn’t it? I still have to take swimming lessons. In God’s own time, I know I’m gonna be good in swimming.  Mountain hiking, another good adventure trip. I’ve traversed (ano daw?!) I have climbed (ok ayan na, mas madaling intindihin) the mountains of Antipolo. And so far…. so far… so far yun pa lang.. hahaha. Malapit na yung kasunod. 

Music. I just can’t live without music. I can’t imagine what kind of life there is without music. My life without it is so dull. Emo ako pag walang music. I’m starting to feel alone and bad memories, regretful memories start fill me in when I’m not listening to one. Bukod sa KPOP sounds, I have a folder on my player entitled “Party Music”, filled with RNB and dance music and club music; sounds that would make feel groovy, feels like dancing na even at LRT or MRT would make you hum, shake, stomp your feet, sway your head, raise your hands in the air. I like the music of The Black Eyed Peas, Jay Sean, Flo Rida,Bruno Mars,Jason DeRulo, Shakira, Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Justin Timberlake, ok sige na Justin Beiber, Katy Perry, David Guetta and Pitbull and of course Michael Jackson. Ang dami ba? I do have lots of favorite song as in many to mention, but one song I keep playing the most is Flo Rida’s Club Can’t Handle Me. Basta lahat ng sikat nasa player ko. Love songs are played when I’m in love, only when I’m in love or feeling in love, which is rare, most of the time kasi I’m a loner or madalas hopeless romantic and kung mamalasin pa, broken-hearted. What Goes Around, Comes Around by Justin Timberlake and Sheryl Crow’s First Cut is the Deepest are usually played during those periods.

Having discussed some of my likes, you might as well have an idea of what I’m going to put here on my blog, things or stuffs or ideas I’m gonna be posting here. All about movies (Filipino, US and other foreign films) with trailers, synopsis and reviews; the latest in music with MTV’s; Korean stuff (movies, music, fashion, food, language training, etc); photos (anything under the sun); outing, trips, places, escapades; and things about me (syempre blog ko ‘to, ako bida dito).  Magpopost din ako ng mga literaries and articles either own composition or other people’s composition, anything that is of my interest that is worth sharing to you, guys.

Excited na akong simulan. I’m thinking this is gonna be fun and enjoyable. Hope you will like it and will like me as well. Don’t you worry, as we go along with these stuffs, I assure you, you will learn more about me and will learn something from me. So pano, enjoy!