Doggie Love 3: Mitten : Russian Cartoon

Last one on Doggies for a while - I PROMISE!!!

Last nite, my family and I were visiting a very good friend, Sandy and her family, in their newly purchased and renovated home - will save that story for another time - there we got to meet her 4 year old LAB, WACKY... he was BIIG but sooo much fun and so lovable.... am sad I did not get to snap a photo of him... much too busy chatting, and eating and Wacky was as well, playing and jumping on everyone and anyone he can....

Anyway, you already know about my LOVE for DOGGIES (see DOGGIE LOVE)and how lately I have been thinking soooo much about them.... all these thoughts of having one for a companion reminded me of this beautiful animation I first saw in JAPAN, years ago, the Russian Classic, MITTEN!!!

It is an awesome clay animation film--from Russia--about an only child, her single mom, and the red mitten that she pretends is a puppy. Made by Soyuzmult Film in 1967.
(Above Photo: Vinyl Toy Figures of the Girl and Mitten was issued and purchased in JAPAN)

Make Your Own Kind of Music

Got to see this movie, BEAUTIFUL THING, once more -- and was reminded how beautiful and tender the movie was.... and how it is a perfect example of MUSIC and MOVIE fitting together perfectly! The movie came out in the mid 90's and it was a very URBAN and REALISTIC coming of age movie, at the same time, somewhat fairytale love story.. All the characters are flawed and SO REAL!

The scene below makes great use of The MAMAs & The PAPAs, Make Your Own Kind of Music -- the LYRICS makes one feel it was totally written for the movie... of course, most of us knows the music preceeds the movie many years ago....

All Quiet in the Eastern Front!!!

Here in Manila... doing my time... family bonding and obligations... happy to say that things are fine with my MOM... she is in great spirits and is doing fine... got to visit my Dad's grave and pay mty respects - even before ALL SOUL's Day... even getting to have some downtime for myself - catching up on PRISON BREAK... and so far only one family drama... YEAH!!!!!!

The BEST part of being here right now is seeing all the GREAT XMAS displays -- and lots of it - up already.... The PAROLS... XMas Trees.... Bright and FESTIVE lite displays.... my Fave, Shangrila Mall is all aglow in XMas spirits already... see photo below...
AM LOVING IT!!!

So all these XMasness is putting me into better spirits... happy, festive mood... and looking forward to more brightness to come....
Hope all is GREAT, or at least QUIET, in your neck of the woods...

..am FLYING AWAY!!!!

Well, it is that time of the month again when I FLY OUT to see my MOM..... check up on her and this time I even get to visit my DAD's Grave as I will be in Manila for All Souls Day... These monthly trips are soooo tiring, not to mention costly... but such is life so there is not much more I can do 'cept to go with the flow of things... haaays, if only I can actually just fly the broom and back - that would surely save me $$$ and TIME.... oh well, DREAM ON!!!

It is soooo AMAZING how so much can happen and change in just a few days.... Wish it could be delightful and positive things but instead new frustrations and hurdles to overcome have risen... AM SOOOOOO FRUSTRATED and SOURED by one of the setbacks -- I feel, I cannot even think straight.... at this point right now, I just FEEL LIKE it would be easier to simply give up on HOPING... on EVERYTHING........ so I GUESS, it is good am going to MANILA and get some KIND of ALONE time -- time to think things through -- to see and re-asses my options...

Am just hoping & praying there will be NO NEW FAMILY DRAMAs, too -- to add to everything else.... Oh Life!!!

That I Would Be Good

...time and time again, I need to remind myself of this song and it's meaning... and this is one of those times....

That I would be good even if I did nothing
That I would be good even if I got the thumbs down
That I would be good if I got and stayed sick
That I would be good even if I gained ten pounds

That I would be fine even if I went bankrupt
That I would be good if I lost my hair and my youth
That I would be great if I was no longer queen
That I would be grand if I was not all knowing

That I would be loved even when I numb myself
That I would be good even when I am overwhelmed
That I would be loved even when I was fuming
That I would be good even if I was clingy
That I would be good even if I lost sanity

That I would be good whether with or without you

Halloween Comes Early.... a tad bit anyway....

Got an email from my dear friend, Mary today.... just our usual "dropping you a note" type emails - as we do on a regular basis... today she attached a photo of her Halloween themed desk at work - see above photo... gave me that excited feeling, warm fuzzy feeling as most calls it, I always do when I see displays of any sorts -- for any of the many Holidays I would normally go all out doing displays for...

Needless to say, it made me recall all the FUN Halloweens I used to spend in San Francisco... dressing up and hanging out with friends.... walking up and down the CASTRO St to admire all the costumes - elaborate or not so elaborate; and revel in all the excitement and festivities...

Aaaah.... Halloween, along with Dia De Los Muertos & XMas, is possibly one of the Holidays I miss most.... well, at least I have my very own little decoration here, all the way from San Francisco - courtesy of another good friend, Juliana....Thank God for friends who always remind me of all these simple things in life I love most....
PS: This one is Mary's Halloween display at home... Love It!!! Just got it today, Oct 23rd... brightened up a bit my otherwise GLOOMY DAY... Thanks Mary!!

Vicky Christina Barcelona : Movie Review

Over the weekend, I finally got to see Woody Allen's latest film - yes, it has just come out here - "Vicky Christina Barcelona" I was dying to see this film because I am a BIIIG FAN of Spanish Actress, Penelope Cruz and I read soooo much POSITIVE reviews, if not RAVES, about her performance here....

At first I was getting antsy as 1) I realized her name is not even one of the title characters names... and 2) almost 3/4 of the film before she actually came out.... But BOY - it was totally worth it... she made the film come alive even more.... her PASSION... her FIRE.... one of the few HOLLYWOOD films that actually knew how to use and showcase her talents.... for the most part, in other films, only her beauty comes through....

This is not to say that Scarlett, Javier and the other actors were not worth watching...everyone was just right on with their portrayals.... and this is one of those WOODY ALLEN films that really HIT all the RIGHT SPOTS... But it IS Penelope's film... she is the LIFE of the whole film - displaying so much raw emotions -- happiness, sorrow, hope, desperation.... an OSCAR, or at least, a nomination - I HOPE!!!

and I MUST say, having set the movie in Barcelona's BEST and most beautiful places was an added BONUS for me... seeing Las Ramblas, Gaudi's Parc Guell, La Sagrada, Barri Gothic, etc... was almost like being there again... and if you did not know any better, one can actually assume one is watching an ALMODOVAR film -- in English....

Yilan Outing

Saturday, the 18th of Oct. we decided to take a trip to City Of Yilan - just to look around...check out the different scenic spots, and of course some of the town's delicacies.... normally it would have taken an hour and a half or two hour drive from Taipei... With the newly constructed and opened tunnel through the mountains - it is not under an hour.... we had a late start so of course, the first stop was to hunt down some local delicacies... a bit of a late lunch / early dinner.... and that WE DID!!!
After satisfying our tummies, we drove on to satisfy our eyes... we decided to drive a bit more to the town of Jiaosi and hike up the mountains to view the famous Waterfalls - Wufongci (5 Peak-Flag)Falls It is the oldest and most famous scenic attraction in Jiaosi... and got it's name from the 5 peaks that line the background of the waterfall which look like a flag from afar.... Within the Peak is the St. Mary's Church and Villa Located at the top of Wufongci Scenic Area, St. Mary's Villa is considered by Catholic pilgrims as a sacred place. Legend has it that, Mother Mary once appeared to 5 climbers in the St. Mary's Pavilion here helping them to safely descend the mountain. In order to remember and pay gratitude to Mother Mary, an outside Grotto with a statue of her was erected on the side of the pavilion.
After the hike and with the sun having set already, we drove down to the town center, which is running amok with Hot Springs, after Hot Springs... this MUST be the Hot Springs capital of Taiwan...The Jiaosi Hot Springs won their fame early on during the Qing Dynasty when they were known as the "Tangwei Hot Springs", and were selected by Wu, Jhu-Fan, the Qing Dynasty Kavalan Magistrate, as one of the "8 most scenic spots in Yilan". On this crowded weekend, we were LUCKY enough to have been able to at least, soak our tired feet to some really soothing Hot Springs... Across the street from where we soaked our feet, Fried Tofu and Bing Tahui was calling us... the laoban (owner) was soooo kind, and must have taken a liking to us, we were treated to a lot of freebies... I seem to think that he wanted us to sit there as long as we can in order to attract more people to sit and dine.. and it worked as more and more people came... the laoban also took his time to chat up with us... told us some town history and told us of the many places to check out, and best hot springs to go to... notes for when we return, and he is so sure we will....

Heading on to the nite market for some more delicacies before heading back to Taipei, we came across a bakery super crowded with people -- we of course, had to pop in and check out all the commotions... and we were treated to some really nice Cold Tea and slices of different muffins and sweets... all courtesy of the shop... SUPER NICE and GENEROUS shop.... all in all, the township of Jiaosi, we have concluded, is a very KIND and GENEROUS town....

"till death do us part"

More tokidoki fun!!! This was sent my way by a friend who knows I LOVE tokidoki... very cute animation and GREAT use of all the characters in tokidoki world!!! ENJOY and Have a Great Weekend!!!

Uh Oh, I Don't Think So!

Just got back from the Supermarket - where I had one of the WORST and BEST experiences ever - shopping... this is my neighborhood supermarket, Carrefour... I go there practically 2 or 3 times a week -- to pick up this and that... so for the most part I know everyone who works there and vice versa... Never had any kinds of problems... I go in... pick up my things... pay... leave.... everything runs smooth as they should - always... TILL TODAY!

I should have known not to get in line to a new employee's counter.... But no choice... she was the only one not helping anyone... that should have tipped me off right of the bat... anyway I just wanted to get my milk and eggs so I go up to her...

-Never mind that she did not say hello or welcome....
-Never mind that she did not even, at least once, smiled... or even look at me...
-Never mind that she did not even ask me for my POINT card... in most places in Taiwan you do get a VIP Point card and you accumulate points for this and that later on...
-Never mind that she did not even hand me back my Point card properly... (she basically threw it on the counter back at me..).

I was trying to IGNORE all that, shrugging it off to the fact that she might be having a BAD day... and just wanting to get done with it and leave... but when I PAID for my things, handed her my Amex card, she took her sweet time swiping it... then just handed me the slip without saying a thing... and after signing it - she did the same thing with my card... threw it on the counter for me to pick up... that did it.... so I had to ask her in my own COMMAND of CHINESE: "XIAOJIE, nii you wenti ma?" (Miss, do you have a problem?)... without even batting an eyelash, she snappily replied: "Meiyou, nii you wenti ma?" (no, do YOU have a problem?).... WHOAH!!! I snapped... so I told her: "Wo bu zhidao wei shemme nii bu gaoxing, keshi wo shi curren eh?" (I do not know why you are so unhappy, but am a customer...)... to which she just replied: "Souyi le?" (and so what?)...

That did me in... nothing to do but cause a scene and call for a MANAGER - i demanded to speak to the Laoban (Manager).... and of course, the minute I asked for a manager she turned red and the expression on her face totally changed.... the manager came, as did the security guard...... and luckily, they were both someone have spoken with before in passing... just simple hello and smiles.... so right off the bat I knew I can explain my side... throughout the salesperson did not deny anything... just looked on with the "so what!" expression on her face.. which was obviously apparent to the manager and security guard too... and to top it all off, she did not even APOLOGIZE.... BIIIG MISTAKE...

To make the long story short, OK shorter, as I know this is already long, the MANAGER Apologized for her.... and then, pulled her aside an gave her a talk in front of me.... basically berated her.... even went as far as to say (with the Security Guy nodding in agreeance) that I am one of their FRIENDLIEST and most POLITE customer - and did not warrant to be treated like so... OKAY, hearing all that made it all up to me already, what she was saying was MUSIC to my ears.... MY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE QUICKLY WENT DOWN, for sure!
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So if there should be any morals to the story, it would be these two things for me:

1) Now and again, it is Good to stand your point... need not be an underdog all the time.... especially when there is a POINT to MAKE!

2) It is always good to be nice, polite and friendly -- as you never know when you will be seeing or needing the help of those others ,you come in contact with on a daily basis, again..
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Okay, Out of the SYSTEM.....
Happy Friday to you all!!!
Have a GREAT WEEKEND!!!

tokidoki wallpapers FREE!!!

As you all know, tokidoki & sharing are two of the many things I LOVE in this life... okay, my Obsessions, really... so am always happy to find a few things to add to the collection and share -- especially when they are FREE!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.... Log on here to see some really cool tokidoki wallpapers to use -- and let the FUN begins:
http://www.playphone.com/Wallpapers/tokidoki

You Call That An Exhibition??? Geez!!!

SOGO Department Store in Taipei, Taiwan just had a two week exhibition marking the 7th Anniversary of the momoko doll... I knew not to expect too much as most of the people there that I have dealt with in the past, does not know much about holding exhibitions... and I was right not to... LOLs!!! 7 years of momoko and they had 6 measly display cases... with each one holding two or 3 the most... one even had only one in the case...

As much as I was glad momoko was in the spotlight - I cannot help but feel SAD as it was hardly a good representation of how popular momoko is... (not even close to what JAPAN did to commemorate her 7th Birthday) All the while I was thinking - why did they not ask us to help??? surely there is someone in Taiwan who has a larger collection to loan.... if not us.... Oh Well, That is that.....

Anyway, below is the last EXHIBITION we helped mount in Taiwan... it was for the Chinese NY, 2007.... the theme was Susie & Global Dolls - so we had a variety of dolls represented -- over 500 dolls!!!!