SOME MIND BLOWING "ADJUSTMENT BUREAU"-LIKE STUFF JUST WENT DOWN

(alternate title: "It's Been A While Since I Last Linked Myself to Matt Damon")

Follow me down this rabbit hole, if you dare.

1) Out of the blue, a London daily publishes an article singing the praises of a spa resort in Palawan.

2) By complete coincidence, the night before that paper came out, the Embassy hosted the launch of a children's fantasy book that was set in and inspired by the author's stay at the very same island featured in the article.

3) Unbeknownst to us, one of the visitors at the book launch that night was a Filipina-British actress . . .

4) . . . famous for playing a Filipina-British nurse on a popular drama series . . .

5) . . . whose first 0:15 seconds of dialogue might sound familiar, because a certain blogger wrote the following over a year ago:

DAY TWO* getting several media inquiries about the events, but nothing matches a bbc call from a while back. the producers of the drama "holby city" phoned me to ask what's tagalog for "lots of love". apparently a pinoy character was calling home and that was her goodbye. i struggled for a minute (you try it!) and just said the closest thing we got was "ingat" or "mahal ko kayo". it was either that or the jologs "love lots".

6) . . . a blogger that in his dreams bears a striking resemblance to the star of a just-released fate/coincidence/cause/effect-themed movie described as " 'Bourne' meets 'Inception' "

I just "Bureau"-ed your mind.

SECOND ANNIVERSARY NA NAMIN 'TO CHONG

For those of you keeping track, you know that the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I mark the 2nd year of our wedded bliss right about this time of the year. (actually, if you've been keeping track of that....Stop it! Stop it right NOW! IT'S CREEPY!!!) So what's the secret to enduring happiness? Well, if you get the 80s reference in this post's title, you'll get that marriage is all about compromise -- especially come anniversary time. For our own weekend celebrations, for instance, the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I....

Watched something that only the Husband could possibly have enjoyed:

more than qualifies

Did some things both the Husband and Wife thoroughly liked:

To wit, dinner at Jamie Oliver's Italian restaurant. . .

note: compromise doesn't include the wife sharing the Jamie Oliver dessert with you

. . . then the award winning and critically acclaimed play Clybourne Park, a squirm-in-your-seat comedy of the highest "Oh no, s/he did NOT just say THAT!" order. (particularly watch out for the devastating "How is a [certain demographic] like a [certain hygiene product]" line.

for added fun, look around you as that line is delivered and observe which groups seem deeply offended and which groups appear to be wetting their pants in laughter.

And lastly, tried something that in a MILLION years only the Wife would have thought of:

how can something so wrong feel so.....WRONG

As if to affirm the trials the LLDD-Hyphen-L went through, the BBC soon reported that playing footsie with Nemo might not be the best thing out there. Did I mention the place offers similar therapies for the whole body? Um, yeah, they do.

Needless to state, for next year's anniversary weekend, we won't be ordering the fish at Jamie's.

WHERE'S COTSWOLD?

We got a chance last weekend to take a day trip outside London to the Cotswolds, an area so quintessentially English, you get an accent just by passing through it. Heck, most of the town and village names either sound like they're straight out of Middle Earth or else follow that unique "Name-Preposition-Geographic Feature" style that so stiff upper lipped-cool: Bourton-on-the-Water, Moreton-in-Marsh, Wotton-under-Edge, Stow-on-the-Wold, Shipton-under-Wychwood, Scotch-on-the-Rocks, Home-on-the-Range, Lovers-in-Paris, LLDD-Hyphen-L...

OK, I made some of those up.

Anyway, here's a sampling. The full gallery can be seen at free-account-upon-the-flickr

Bibury

The sign on the left reads "Historic Church & Toilets". Umm, I'm up for visiting a historic church, but that other one...

Bourton-on-the-Water

I'm happy for Janine and Sandra.

Stow-on-the-Wold

The local council did not take kindly to all my preposition-hyphen town name jokes

Broadway

Cotswolds, you're beautiful, but your tourism authority really needs to rethink its souvenirs.

AWESOME, STUDES!

For the past five years or so, the Embassy has been hosting a Christmas/New Year's party for Filipino students, yuppies and second generation Fil-Brits in the UK. It's a happy gathering, made depressing only by the fact you often find yourself to be the oldest/least attractive one in the room. Still, you can't help but be impressed by the staggering talent and educational accomplishment assembled. It was freezing outside, but there were a thousand degrees inside the embassy!

No, your eyes do not deceive you -- that is the King Azkal himself, Neil Etheridge, making an appearance at the end of the video. He was a really nice guy who made time for the party despite, he said, having to fly out of the UK shortly to play a national team match in Bacolod.

To which the LLDD-Hyphen-L replied, "Uuwi ka pa lang Pilipinas, Neil? Pwedeng may pasalubong?"

And with all the PhDs and sopranos and stud athletes present, it was only proper that the Embassy gave me a role at the party truly befitting my own professional, artistic and physical capacity.

mike stand!

150 YEARS...AND HE'S AGED BETTER THAN WE HAVE

Yep yep, that time of the year again when our batch tries to put together pictures of ourselves. We've long given up getting all posts to take part every year (or even taking part ever; we're looking at YOU, Los Angeles PCG!), so we decided that we would try to make this year's occasion more meaningful instead. Thus, this being Rizal's 150th year, all shots were taken with each mission's resident image of the good doctor. Good dorky, patriotic fun.

150 years from now, Los Angeles will finally join in.

London

If this batch member was cast as a Noli character, he/she would be: The obvious choice would be the smart, handsome and brave Crisostomo Ibarra, but let's go instead with Pilosopong Tasio if only because of this particularly-awesome-at-the-end entry found on ask.com

"Pilosopo Tasio or also known as Don Anastasio, portrayed in the novel as the pessimistic and the cynical. Pilosopo Tasyo was based off Anatasio Carpio who inherited titled lands around the small town of Camiling within Tarlac. Educated in Spanish Law, and born under the Catholic banner, Don Anatasio was a person constantly in struggle between his education and religion. In real life, Don Anatasio continued to practice Spanish Law by day, and an active subversive for the revolution at night. He was also a member of a secret masonic fraternity which provided overseas funding and support to the movement. A well respected figure and legend (akin to Yoda in Star Wars) within the Ilocano community."

San Francisco

If these batch members were cast as Noli characters, he/she would be: For no particular reason, Don Tiburcio and Dona Victorina just feel right.

Hong Kong

If this batch member was cast as a Noli character, he/she would be: For the life of me, I still can't tell if that image of Rizal is a standing tarpaulin poster that's actually there, or if it was just photoshopped into the picture. Either way, well done! Let's just write this off as a Rizal in exile period.

Madrid

If these batch members were cast as Noli characters, he/she would be: Basilio and Crispin (What, it's been a 150 years. Times have changed!)

Singapore

If this batch member was cast as a Noli character, he/she would be: Sisa.

Home Office

If this batch member was cast as a Noli character, he/she would be: Holy Noli! It's Maria Clara with....Rizal!!!!

(well, the Rizal-lookalike DFA Officer known as "Sexy Teng" anyway; he may be 150 years old too =)

SINULOG-UPON-ST. GEORGE'S

The Principal Celebrant at the event said it best -- when you're a traveller, the two most profound things you can bring with you are: (1) your faith; and (2) your culture.

(On behalf of the consulate, I would like to humbly add: (3) your passport. Please don't forget your passports, travellers.)

And so it came to pass that no less than six different Filipino communities in London came together and brought their faith and culture (and passports!) to the UK and successfully staged the first ever Celebration of the Feast of the Sto. Nino in historic St. George's Cathedral. As I had never been to the Sinulog, I thought it would be great if I could attend and bring my own image of a little boy.

The one on the left

The proceedings did not disappoint. The UK version of Sinulog apparently came about when the Principal Celebrant visited the Philippines two years ago and then came back to the UK and challenged the local FilComs to express their faith and culture in Britain as joyously as they did back home. Well then. A challenge to Pinoys to show devotion, dance and lay down some wicked beats? Heaven, yeah!

Challenge, you got Sinulog served. Viva!

IF THIS ISN'T PART OF THE LONDON GAMES IN 2012, THE OLYMPICS HAS TO TAKE A LONG HARD LOOK AT ITSELF

Everyday, we go through piles and piles of mail here at the office. Opening them is a time consuming process, and often what's written inside means more work for everyone. Some of the letters are very important, some are informational, some are outright junk.

And some, quite simply, make your entire day.

So many thoughts raised, I'm actually giddy. Having taken part in my share of college org sportsfest / office team building / village family day egg-related events, I've endlessly pondered: should you throw overhand for distance and accuracy, or do you go underhand for softer arc and less velocity? Should you catch with two hands for greater surface landing area (but increased likelihood of impact breakage), or do you attempt a one-handed snatch (and risk letting your chance run through your fingers, literally)? Finally, a place with goddamm answers!

And, yes, Russian Egg Roulette is as awesome as it sounds:

"Individual challenge against an opponent on a knock out basis.
Players sit opposite each other, across a table.
Each player wears a provided head bandana for protection. Inappropriate bandanas may not be worn.
The toss winner decides whether to go first or second.
A tray containing 6 specially selected eggs will be proffered. 5 hard-boiled, 1 raw.
Each player takes it in turn to select one and then smash the egg onto his or her own fore head until one-player finds the raw one."

(Although I would have allowed "inappropriate bandanas". You bad-ass enough to join egg Russian roulette, you bad-ass enough to rock any damn bandana you please)

It is now my official mission to find Pinoys in the UK who can join this thing and do us proud. Just like the Fil-Brit Azkals.

Egg, yeah.