aaand i'm back....

spent the last month in the jungle, recreating a crash site in costa rica (yes, this is where that plane from palawan ended up!)....







and re-telling one man's journey and survival in the amazon...











the experience has been somewhat surreal, in a good way - working on a film set for a month, full of creative energies, in the middle of a jungle, away from the realities of outside world, with a great group of people who have become good friends :)

cute as cotton

remember how we would obsess over the baby seal when we were younger?

i guess we couldn't resist that pure image of white fluff + 2 beady black eyes.

then recently you've developed a liking for the bichon frise?

perhaps for the same reason?

then i came upon the angora rabbit... have you EVER seen one???

yup angora, as in the angora sweater.

feast your eyes...

*fluff*

xiao long bao

i thought it can't get any better than this: chili crab xiao long bao.

then, i saw this boarded up resto...

chickout the xiao long bao versions...

shwoaaah... long bao.

add'l breakfast

just thought i'd add this to my list...

granola + yogurt that comes in this...

just pop it open to split the cup.

neat eh?

breakfast

since we love breakfast, thought i'd share this cute resto with you...

it's on dempsey hill -- where warehouses were turned into quaint artisanal shops & restos... (think soho in the suburbs)...

here's what i had: roasted tomatoes, eggs, and sourdough bread...

this in an industrial-meets-artisanal place (think dean & deluca)...

but when in a less fancy mode, i just go for this...

i wish we had oatmeal in the starbucks back home.

cinematography

hey sis! how's the shoot going?

(confession: i haven't been posting anything since a part of me didn't want to put anything over my li'l tribute to miguel... but life does go on and here i am... but before we go about our random musings, indulge me with one last post that sorta-kinda-has something-to-do with mvf3)

a while back, i watched this film:

yup, it's that film produced & directed by tom ford.

and yup, it does show like a movie that would be produced and directed by him...

where everyone is impeccably dressed,

and every shot looks like an armani ad...

and characters are more like models...

architecture (especially the main character's house) is just as crisp...

and sets are, if not oozing with mid-century modern design, have that flambo flair that goes with fake lashes and big hair...

each shot is so pretty to look at, it's almost like watching a music vid...

all this, plus a great story, great acting, and everything in between makes up for one really good (and quite gay) film...

and so here, cinematography has never been quite as contrived (and fun to watch)... i wonder what miguel would say.

the film, coincidentally (or not), is about grief...

(before we move on... i just want to add onto that last tribute i wrote... and here goes.

on how to honor his life...

5. to create friendships, and not just make friends

-- as one friend poignantly explained to us (through tears) last saturday, miguel is just one of those few guys who not only had a ton of friends, but truly had a ton of friendships. this is so true. so on that note, i will really try to go out of my otherwise cold ways, and create friendships of my own, in honor of silly miguel.)

oh, here's the trailer:

rest in peace

maybe that sunset was miguel reminding us to appreciate the world by taking a breather and snapping a picture.

here's a photo he took during that weekend we spent with him in sta elena.

and even if it's so hard to say goodbye to one really lovable and funny friend, allow me to list down how (i think) i can honor his life by living the way he did:

1. to be accepting of everyone

(i remember one of our first nights out, we were with all these gays in malate; and they unanimously agreed that miguel is their favorite hetero-sexual. just goes to show how unassuming and genuine he really is.)

2. to be silly

(no need for explanations here)

3. to be there for friends unconditionally

(i can't remember or even imagine him ever saying 'no' to anyone)

4. to always say "i love you"

(his texts and phone calls would always end with these 3 words -- or sometimes "143" haha)

here's another one of his photos that weekend...

bye, miguel :) 143