Bouie’s Neighborhood

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This morning I woke up to that combination of iffy sinuses and an itchy
back-of-throat that indicate the coming of a cold. My first for the year
(because surely it would be too much to hope that this will be the only cold
of the year). Truthfully, I did feel the signs at the ungodly hour of 1AM,
but did not feel like cobbling together a snack just so I could start taking
medicine.

In any case, I started self-medication after breakfast. The generic version
of Neozep is doing right by me. The occasional bout of sneezing also helps
in clearing a head that would otherwise be stuffed. Managed a nap - thanks
to the sleepy-making of the medicine, I guess - and woke up slightly grumpy
but otherwise feeling rather better than formerly.

Today was a good day. My expense logs for 2009 are current, and I managed
to file a collection of DVDs and CDs that have been waiting for a permanent
home since...forever. I set up a physical therapy appointment for Ma on
Wednesday. I installed gOS on the laptop, so now I can dual-boot...and
everything still works, oy. I treated my cold, I rested. I shifted my
bedroom storage system around a little bit, and that works, too. Checked
that I have the money for the Mass intentions, the bagged coins for deposit,
the prescription refills all written out; these are to be taken care of
tomorrow, along with the groceries.

What else...I know I had some other things in mind that I wanted to put
down. Ah yes! I thoroughly spoiled myself for most of the new Sherlock
Holmes movie by reading online reviews and commentary. I'm pretty sure that
this will be another "Star Trek reboot" kind of film for me, in that I will
be jamming my hands firmly over my mouth to stifle all the squeeing and
wibbling and carrying-on I will do. I am thankful that the moviemakers have
(a) not relegated Irene Adler to a mere romantic interest; and (b) have made
Mary Morstan, Watson's wife, delightfully feisty; and (c) appear to have
captured the very special love and friendship that existed between Holmes
and Watson.

Apparently, there are moments where even the most devoted worshippers of The
Canon have to suspend disbelief. Because the women in the theatres most
assuredly did not pay all that money to see Robert Downey Jr. as Holmes,
behave as clinically towards women as he does in the stories, O HALE NO.
And if the ever-chivalrous Canon!Holmes is somewhat less so in the movie?
Leave it be. It serves the plot, and all comes out well in the end, as most
of Holmes' cases do. *grin*

In short, when the movie has its release in Manila theaters, if any of you
see a mysterious glow in the sky over the Philippines? That would be me. :)
I have loved the Holmes stories ever since I stumbled over The Complete
Sherlock Holmes (annotated by Sir William Baring-Gould, be still my heart!)
in my middle school library. I will shamelessly admit to writing fanfic
about the stories - although please be assured that I never dared disturb
the OTP that is Holmes and Watson. *grin* It was more fun to have my OCs
find their own way, with Watson as a sort of benevolent uncle. No one will
ever see those stories now - in a fit of overzealous house-keeping, I burnt
all the manuscripts for those early fanfics. I still have the writer's
callous on my finger as a permanent reminder of all the happy hours I spent
literally penning those stories, and maybe, just maybe I'll try my hand at
it again. And maybe some will be fit to share, IDK.

******

Gradually working my way through my to-do list. Next major task is the
filing of papers, after which I can breathe a sigh of relief. Bringing
order out of chaos is tiring, but rewarding!

I got this inspiration from a column in The Singapore Straits Times I read today.
So I'm doing my own list.

1. I won't buy a designer bag.

There was a time I was thisclose to buying an LV carry-all. But I'm quite happy with my humble, very functional Longchamps (I bought a smaller black one last Christmas) that are still lightweight even if I dump a lot of things inside.

Besides, I remember NB when we accompanied MG in scouring Bangkok's designer bag shops last year.

"Why would you buy an LV?" he asked MG. "Or any designer bag for that matter? If you buy one, you have to match it with your lifestyle. You can't go take the train or the bus in Beijing anymore. You need a chauffeured car. You need the right clothes. Even the right house. Buying a bag like that is just mafan (troublesome)."

To make the long story short, MG failed to buy a bag with us around.

2. I won't underestimate the power of the mind, dreams and faith.

Even if at times I doubt if they ever work. And I hope to see the proof that they do, this year.

3. I won't judge a book by its cover.

Because I might miss on a good person or, literally, on a good book.

4. I won't stay awake past 11 o'clock.

That's my cut-off, even if friends are online or there are lots of new Arashi videos on YT and other distractions on the Internet. Or even if it's World Cup time already (yeah right). So I hope to finish this list before 11 tonight.

5. I won't laugh or comment at a person's weight.

Seriously, what is it with Filipinos that the first thing they notice about a person is the weight? "Tumaba ka! (literally: You've grown fat)" is a common greeting back home. Which in my head, I always reply with the "F" word.

The first thing I did upon returning home from my almost 2 weeks vacation in the Philippines was check my weight on the scale and was aghast to see that I have gained a bloody five kilos. In just that short period. I'm glad I don't live in Manila, otherwise, I'd feel miserable everyday (which may be a helpful thing, if misery would make me lose my appetite and prevent me from eating and thereby lose weight and be as skinny as Kim Chiu).

The next time I am about to make a comment about someone's weight, I'd look at myself first. Maybe other people should too.

6. I won't say the F-word.

So there goes my reply to #5.

7. I won't waste time on annoying things and annoying people.

There, that's already like five seconds wasted typing that line.

8. I won't turn my nose up on a Hollywood movie.

Especially since The Green Hornet, with Jay Chou, is coming out this year.

9. I won't buy useless things.

Like the acupuncture guides I bought on new year.

Great, starting the year right indeed.

Maybe I should find some use for useless things instead.

10. I won't make a new year's resolution list.

Wait, isn't this a new year's resolution list?

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My 2010 horoscope said: "Keep the ball rolling and keep your eye on the ball."

I want to take that to heart.

And this Paulo Coelho card SPEAKS to me a lot especially at the phase I am in right now.

To be honest, I had second thoughts of watching The Founding of a Republic.

China Daily, the state English paper, is required reading for me DAILY and I didn't want to overdo the propaganda.

But curiosity got the better of me and so I went to Lido this afternoon to see the film that marked the 60th anniversary of the People's Republic of China (PRC) in October last year. (Side comment: I don't remember if I read it or heard somebody say, but notice how communist countries love to include "People" and "Democratic" in their names. Think DPRK too, a.k.a. North Korea.)

I must admit part of it was curiosity to see the big stars who were making cameos in the film as well. In fact, all throughout the movie, I was playing the "spot-the-big-star" game.

The film covers the period from 1945, shortly after WW2 ended, to 1949, when Mao Zedong was inaugurated as president of the new republic formed after the communists split with the Kuomintang (KMT) led by Chiang Kai-shek (CKS), who retreated to Taiwan.

Like this review, I was expecting the worst especially on how KMT and CKS were portrayed. I need to read and brush up on my history of the Chinese civil war but nevertheless, I was pleasantly surprised that CKS was shown to be somewhat of a compassionate leader in the end.

But I couldn't help squirming everytime the subtitles used "liberate" as the communists overtook most Chinese cities but as many reviews have pointed out, the nuance was lost in translation. Surely, liberation and communism don't go together, do they?

Now, I am curious what my Taiwanese friends think about the film. I'll ask them when I meet them later this week.

In the meantime... spotting-the-star was on.

In the first few minutes of the film, there was Jet Li, playing a Navy officer of the KMT. In the last few minutes of the film, there was Andy Lau, playing Yu Jishi, a KMT general who received the order from CKS not to attack Beijing anymore signaling the absolute defeat of the Kuomintangs.

In between, there was Eva Huang (I was amazed that I could recognise her) as a Xinhua broadcaster, Leon Dai as a military officer, Donnie Yen and Zhao Wei (Vicky Zhao) as China League leaders, Zhang Ziyi as a female communist leader, Tony Leung Ka-fai in a funny role as a bystander and Jackie Chan as a reporter. The roles of Eva, Vicky, Leung Ka-fai and Jackie were all fictional, however.

Not all cameos made it to the final product, though, like John Woo whose part was edited out. Tang Guoqiang, the actor who played Mao Zedong, really looked like him.

I'd say that Jet Li and Andy Lau's brief appearances were both given prominence, especially Andy's who had a close-up before fade-out to Mao Zedong's inauguration. Watching him on the big screen, I must say he really has a strong presence and it makes me want to watch Infernal Affairs again.

Between the two China, I have great respect for both. I am also an eager student of both. And if there's one thing that I learned from the film, it's that war is really mafan.

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I found an old blog I have forgotten I even had.
It was dedicated to someone I used to like.
And it's funny how five years later, I realise how naive and stupid I was.
But reading through the entries, I could feel the pain in the words I wrote.
The hopelessness. The love. And the devotion that on hindsight made me wonder why.
Indeed... someday we'll know why I wasn't meant for you.
And that someday has come today.
It wasn't just meant to be.

The future tells us what we didn't know then.
The past tells us how much we have changed.

Am on my second helping of leftover macaroni with bolognese sauce as I type
this up. It was a good New Year celebration - food, family, a well-chilled
bottle of Asti Spumante (*grin*), and just enough noise from firecrackers
for that traditional feeling. Everyone on the street had fun the various
fireworks displays being let loose by various residences in the village.

Of course everyone woke up late. Even the cats woke up late. *grin* It was
easy enough to tell that they were all wondering about why the humans were
up and about with all the lights on; but perfectly willing to accept the
situation as long as it meant extra snackies for all of them.

I am glad that 2009 is over, and hopeful that 2010 will be better. Though I
think that the one thing I am most grateful for out of the last year, is
that it is the year when Ramon and I finally paid off the last installment
on the credit card balances for all his hospital bills from 2006 to the
present. Well, except for the two nights in November 2009...but I see it as
my appeasement to Fate, lest things take on a too-rosy hue. It is
definitely good to be entering the New Year without the aura of desperation
and suspense that has shadowed the past two years, though!

Let's see. Good things were good in 2009:
- bought a new LCD TV (on installment)
- bought a new netbook (on installment)
- upgraded the main TV and bedroom TV to Digibox Cable
- downgraded the mobile phone postpaid plans
- upgraded the landline to a landline+wireless landline package
- bought a new mobile phone (LG's KP500 Cookie - on installment)
- kept husband healthy for 11 out of 12 months (and even then, he was only
in hospital 2 nights)
- celebrated 18th wedding anniversary
- celebrated 47th birthday
- celebrated parents' 60th (SIXTIETH!! My parents are GQMFs in the marriage
department, no lie) wedding anniversary
- and various other good stuff, I just don't remember the first six months,
is all. *grin*

For 2010, I'm thinking of turning into a hermit, except for a few select
people. No, seriously, I've come to the conclusion that if I'm ever going
to some of those back-burner projects off the ground, I'm going to have to
put up some picket fences and save my time for those projects.

Here's a short list of things I'd like to jump-start. Obviously it's not
likely I could get them all done by the time New Year 2011 rolls around, but
I would like to see some progress on them, at least:
- scan photos from ASEAN vacation (c. 1998?)
- scan photos from Switzerland vacation (2006)
- scan photos from China vacation (c. 2005)
- put photos into albums
- create video slideshows from photos
- finish scarf currently on the needles
- finish cross-stitch project
- buy a filing cabinet as a proper home for papers
- get Pica spayed and Pie neutered
- get started on proper skin care (and try to stick to it)
- etc., etc., etc.

If I can get at least *one* of these things done, that would be nice!

Hm. Feeling sleepy now. I think I'll go lie down for a bit before dinner.

I am spending the first day of the year at work.