...and candy-colored shoes

These shoes are made for gawking.

Later today, I bought a spanking new pair of Casual Friday's sneakers from Rustan's Gateway Mall using my recently-issued employee credit card (at 12 installments, 0% interest. Beat that!). Okay, it's an impulse buy and might repulse other people's fashion taste. But who cares?! I loved it when I first saw it, not minding the shirts and belts I have (or need to buy) to match it with. My shoe-buys fall in this scenario, leading to the inevitable. I just have to buy it. Which is so Carrie. Haha!

So it's off to Greenhills tomorrow in this spunky pair to meet Ish, Cres, and Bel. We'll discuss the details of our upcoming trip to KL in a week's time, catch a new movie (how's Wedding Crashers), and enjoy a lovely dinner in good company.

Great. Just great!

of candy-coated horror...

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Gateway Mall Premiere - SPOILERS ALERT

I haven't read Roald Dahl's classic novel nor have seen the first movie, which I believe was titled Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory, so this little review of Tim Burton's film is from someone who meets Willy, Charlie, all the other whimsical characters, and the enchanting (or is it?) chocolate factory for the first time. Really.

I found most of the movie too dark, grim and disturbing for very young audiences. Not only was I repulsed by Johnny Depp's Michael-Jackson visage and color (or less of), I was also disturbed by the menacing faces and haunting chantings of the Oompa Loompa crew and the individual fate of those four other hard-headed-you-want-to-punch-them-on-the-face "golden ticket" kids. I mean, okay fine, those kids deserve some punishment for being nosey, arrogant, gluttonous, and too-much-know-it-all. But hey, getting sucked up in a tube, turned into a blueberry that's more like a hot-air balloon, thrown in a ditch of factory garbage, and shrunk to a size beyond the senses are just too much for me to handle. I got scared. Literally. And during these times, I actually whispered to my seatmate (well, a colleague) that "I. am. scared" or "This.is.disturbing." Such a shame for a 23-year-old guy to say, eh, while the kids in the same theater were actually laughing at those scenes? Oh, well...

I am relieved though by the redeeming element in the film, Charlie and his good-natured heart and love for family, something which Willy did not have (or did not think he had) when he was a growing boy. It was Charlie's gentle inquisitiveness and innocence that made him win the prize at the end of the tour. And his golden heart that made him a winner in the longer run.

Rating: 4 out of 5 candy bars.

luxurious

Working so hard every night and day
And now we get the pay back
Trying so hard saving up the paper
Now we get to lay back
- Luxurious, Gwen Stefani

Then lay back it is. And lay back luxuriously at that.

Last night, like every other Friday (sometimes, Saturday) night for the past year, I went to Sanctuario Spa in Malate for a soothing full-body massage and luxurious whiling away at the wet floor.

Nestled along Bocobo Street, just a few meters away from the colorful nightlife of Nakpil and the thumping crowds of Remedios, is a 1940’s Malate mansion neatly restored and converted into a spa that literally serves as a sanctuary for tired souls.

What endeared me to this place are its lush landscaping, Zen interiors and elements, calming waterworks (two hot Jacuzzis and a cold wading pool), and skillful therapists, of course. The open spaces and expansive area afforded for the outdoor water facilities give each guest at Sanctuario Spa a soothing feeling, something which one could not get in an enclosed urban center. Once you step past this pebble-and-woodplank-paved walkway leading from the receiving area to the mansion lobby, you know you are transcending to a world away from the chaotic streets of Malate.

Each of my session begins with a leisurely warming up in one of the jacuzzis, then to the steam bath and sauna. A full-hour aromatherapy is up next, something expertly given by either two of my favorite therapists. All the back-cracking, the oiled-up body and the heavenly strokes take me to a state of blissful refuge, a rejuvenating respite from the hard beatings at work. To cap every visit, a dip at the cold wading pool gives a luxurious tingling sensation, something I want with me long after the massage is over and on the cab home.

Ah, life!

a little act of bravery

Finally.

After all these years of waiting, thinking, re-thinking, reading other people's blogs and getting inspired from each one, I've braved the blogging world and started my own space here. Here.

Okay, okay. So my blog title might sound high and mighty, or on the other end of the spectrum sound like "voices from beyond" (creep-e!); but these three words will kick-off the chronicling of my little acts of bravery - things that would either break or make me, things that mark personal milestones or mishaps, things that will keep me trudging that extra step and facing what's there in the next bend.

After searching long and hard for a fitting blog title, I feel that THIS. IS. IT.

I am at a point in my life when I am ready to make a high dive, head-first, and risk limbs and heart for a future that, as stated above, may either break or make me, mark milestones and mishaps, and keep me moving forward to that GREAT bend ahead.

So here's to a brave new start. And to an eventful beyond.