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	<title>The Parody &#187; Mood Notes</title>
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	<link>http://www.the-parody.com</link>
	<description>Conversations on Style, Writing, Travel, Photography and everything else that makes Life amazingly beautiful. Online journal of Sasha Manuel.</description>
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	<managingEditor>sasha.manuel@gmail.com (The Parody)</managingEditor>
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		<title>The Parody</title>
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	<itunes:summary>Excerpts from a misrepresented life. Online journal of Sasha Manuel.</itunes:summary>
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	<itunes:category text="Society &#38; Culture" />
	<itunes:author>The Parody</itunes:author>
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		<itunes:email>sasha.manuel@gmail.com</itunes:email>
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		<title>Dear Sassa (a gift idea)</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/12/17/dear-sassa-a-gift-idea/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/12/17/dear-sassa-a-gift-idea/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 17 Dec 2011 12:00:57 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rambler]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.the-parody.com/?p=1543</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[Dear Sassa,
I knew you weren&#8217;t expecting a gift from me, much less something as elaborately prepared as this one, but I wanted to give you something personal to mark the occasion since you truly wanted to celebrate your 30th year. I decided to put together ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>Dear Sassa,</strong></p>
<p>I knew you weren&#8217;t expecting a gift from me, much less something as elaborately prepared as this one, but <strong>I wanted to give you something personal to mark the occasion since you truly wanted to celebrate your 30th year</strong>. I decided to put together a gift that I hope will make you laugh, and realise &#8212; <em>because of who you are</em> &#8212; turning 30 ain&#8217;t so bad.</p>
<p><em>Celebrating your 30th year with 30 things</em> can be a trying task but allow me this lighthearted attempt in putting together a <em>care package</em> which, as you can see, observes the number&#8217;s significance. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_1881.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_1881.jpg" alt="Care package, Gift Guide, Gift Idea | The Parody by Sasha Manuel " title="Care package, Gift Guide, Gift Idea | The Parody by Sasha Manuel " width="400" class="size-full wp-image-1549" /></a></center></p>
<p>Let me start off with <strong>(1)</strong> 12 paper clips, a paper clip per month to bind memories together in any given year. </p>
<p>Since you like taking photos, <strong>(2)</strong> a photo album can help store the pictures.</p>
<p>I encourage you to write down your plans, activities, thoughts and dreams on a <strong>(3)</strong> journal, or any piece of paper. Write them in such a way that you can either make them <ins>permanent</ins> by the use of <strong>(4)</strong> pens, use a <strong>(5)</strong> ruler to check alignment on some, or to measure the distance on another, or to create straight circles simply because it&#8217;s silly to do so. Use a <strong>(6)</strong> permanent marker to put emphasis on some points or all, and you can even use <strong>(7)</strong> colour pencils to make it interesting. Ultimately, it&#8217;s up to you. </p>
<p>Or you can also make them <ins>not-so permanent</ins> by the use of <strong>(8)</strong> pencils and I believe we&#8217;re all allowed, at least, 3 attempts before we can consider scratching out something from our list. There&#8217;s always a <strong>(9)</strong> sharpenerto keep you writing those semi-permanent plans. With a <strong>(10)</strong> highlighter, identify the ones you want to prioritise, and then <strong>(11)</strong> pin it up on your fridge to help remind you.</p>
<p>If you&#8217;ll need more than a fridge magnet to help with reminders, there are post its at your disposal. <strong>(12)</strong> One to help with tiny notes or to remind you of places you can go to and <strong>(13)</strong> another for tasks that will help get you where you want and need to go.</p>
<p>On the subject of scratching things out, I&#8217;ve allocated you <strong>(14)</strong> 8 Erasers. One for each day of the week, emblematic of opportunities when you need to correct mistakes, plus an extra one for those moments that one eraser simply won&#8217;t do.</p>
<p>I also included a simple picker-upper, <strong>(15)</strong> <em>Words of Wisdom for Teachers</em>. We all can&#8217;t have 100% good days so a little self-help thing can&#8217;t hurt. </p>
<p>Chalk will always be something that will remind me of you because of your profession. Have &#8216;em in <strong>(16)</strong> plain to serve its purpose, straight-up. And for the listless, uninspired days, wherein <strong>(17)</strong> a touch of colour might help, you&#8217;re pretty much covered, too. Of course, I didn&#8217;t forget to include <strong>(18)</strong> a board eraser, something to remind you that as you teach, you aren&#8217;t infallible. Admit, erase, and start over.</p>
<p>Since you&#8217;re constantly surrounded by books to read, either for work or leisure, a <strong>(19)</strong> bookmark will always come handy. Can&#8217;t wait for the next book you&#8217;d recommend that I read, too.</p>
<p>Pick up and read <strong>(20)</strong> <em>Pugad Baboy</em>, esp on days when only laughter can rectify soreness, and your mood is in dire need of a lift. You&#8217;re one of the few people I know who can appreciate something like this. Or go off and sharpen your mind in a different way as you solve the <strong>(21)</strong> puzzle. That, and because I want you to remember to take time off from work, play with the <strong>(22)</strong> jackstones! It might also be fun to reminisce a bit, right? Or go spend time with people and this <strong>(23)</strong> <em>Icebreaker</em> game might help. To let you know that asking the right question will help strengthen friendships and push you to keep on meeting new people.</p>
<p>Time for a bit of kikay stuff. A couple of <strong>(24)</strong> hair bands might be mighty useful to create the perfect teacher&#8217;s bun. It&#8217;s always good to keep a <strong>(25)</strong> hand sanitizer close by because you&#8217;re around kids a lot. </p>
<p>Time to take better care of your skin if you haven&#8217;t started on a skin regimen &#8212; <strong>(26)</strong> an anti-wrinkle eye cream and <strong>(27)</strong> a bottle of lotion. What can I say? You really have to accept that it&#8217;s all part of growing <s>old</s> up. </p>
<p>Of course, <strong>(28)</strong> lipstick! Do I need to remind you that you need to take time off to enjoying being a girl? Put it on and go out!</p>
<p>The <strong>(29)</strong> box that holds everything can serve as a place to keep memories and a reminder that there&#8217;s a way to keep things organised. </p>
<p>And, lastly, a <strong>(30)</strong> hand-written note. Technology has made communicating easy but I hope that a hand-written note is still appreciated over emails, calls, or text messages.</p>
<p>Here&#8217;s to embracing your age and getting a kick out of the realisation that there&#8217;s truth in the old adage, <em>&#8220;age is just a number.&#8221;</em> Let this simple gift serve as a great way to remember how far you&#8217;ve come and how some simple things hold a bit of wisdom when seen in a different light.</p>
<p>Cheers to a life that&#8217;s worth celebrating!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_1882.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/IMG_1882.jpg" alt="Care package, Gift Guide, Gift Idea | The Parody by Sasha Manuel" title="Care package, Gift Guide, Gift Idea | The Parody by Sasha Manuel " width="300" class="size-full wp-image-1550" /></a></center></p>
<p>- &#8211; - &#8211; -</p>
<p>For my readers, since it&#8217;s gift giving season, I had decided to share this note with you to serve as <em>a gift guide</em>. It was a themed care package I had put together as a birthday gift to my friend.</p>
<p>The idea is to come up with a box or a bag filled with stuff relevant to a theme you&#8217;ve chosen. It can be a set of <em>favourite things</em>, <em>color-coordinated</em>, <em>season-relevant</em>, <em>break-up/get-well kit</em>, or any other theme you can come up with. Trick is to tailor it around the person you&#8217;re giving the care package (gift) to. This will certainly make the recipient and the occasion feel special, or extra-special at best.</p>
<p>This is the sort of gift that doesn&#8217;t necessarily have to be expensive. A package can be composed of an assortment of IOU certificates <em>(think &#8220;dishes for a week,&#8221; &#8220;you get a foot rub,&#8221; or &#8220;slave forever&#8221; sort of thing)</em> that don&#8217;t cost much to make or fill it with a painting, doodle notes, hand-made knickknacks, or crafts! Yes, you can even bag candies or crisps if you know it will play a significant role in the theme of the care package you&#8217;re putting together.</p>
<p>Have you ever considered putting together a themed care package as a gift? What sort of theme have you tried? Are you done with your Christmas shopping? </p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.</font></center></div>
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		</item>
		<item>
		<title>Today, I Drew</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/09/26/today-i-drew/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/09/26/today-i-drew/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 25 Sep 2011 18:06:13 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rambler]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.the-parody.com/?p=1466</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[And seeing my hand soiled with lead elicited a smile. It&#8217;s not like I&#8217;m planning to make a career out of it. It&#8217;s just that there have been a series of events that led me to it. From buying a couple of pencils to artistic ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>And seeing my hand soiled with lead elicited a smile. It&#8217;s not like I&#8217;m planning to make a career out of it. It&#8217;s just that there have been a series of events that led me to it. From buying a couple of pencils to artistic encounters, the inclination to draw grew stronger.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1586-copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:0px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1586-copy-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="IMG_1586 copy" width="300" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1467" /></a></center></p>
<p>I don&#8217;t see myself as a qualified amateur much less a full-fledged artist. Placing 2nd at an art contest when I was 6 doesn&#8217;t really make me one. I can&#8217;t even say that it&#8217;ll be one of my hobbies from now on. I guess, it&#8217;s not something I truly wanted to do. If I had, I would&#8217;ve taken it more seriously and took art lessons, right? I didn&#8217;t. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1587.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1587-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="IMG_1587" width="300" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1468" /></a></center></p>
<p>I doodle when I&#8217;m bored, or when I&#8217;m looking to distract myself from sinking into the trance of deep thought. I sketched pictures of pictures when I was younger. It&#8217;s been decades since I had last held a pencil and drawn something in earnest.</p>
<p>But last night was inspired and magical to me.</p>
<p>It allowed me to loosen up a much tightly-winded structure of my mind a bit. I can still feel how I try to rigidly control my strokes though. Everything still feels calculated and linear. But that burst of inspiration as the image comes into focus, the messy birthing process and the chaotic style became less stressful.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1588.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1588-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="IMG_1588" width="300" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1469" /></a></center></p>
<p>Perhaps I&#8217;ve reached a phase when stills and words come up short to help me express what I need expressed. Or maybe, I just need to explore more ways to do so. What I can say is that the couple of hours I spent drawing brought me a sense of fulfillment.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1589-copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:0px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1589-copy-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="IMG_1589 copy" width="300" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1470" /></a></center></p>
<p>A passing fancy or not, I&#8217;m keeping my mind open to it. It&#8217;s always better to pander to one&#8217;s constructive pursuits and pray that these turn out auspicious to one&#8217;s interests.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1590-copy.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1590-copy-300x300.jpg" alt="" title="IMG_1590 copy" width="300" height="300" class="aligncenter size-medium wp-image-1471" /></a></center></p>
<p>Have you ever considered all the possible things that you may have a knack for? I&#8217;m still in the process of sorting things out myself. All because of this need to articulate thoughts, to somehow make matters uncomplicated or at the very least, out of my system.</p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.<br />
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		<title>5 Quotes from Recent Reads</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/09/23/5-quotes-from-recent-reads/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/09/23/5-quotes-from-recent-reads/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 22 Sep 2011 16:37:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Quotes]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.the-parody.com/?p=1448</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[There are days when my own thoughts are not enough to satisfy what message I feel I&#8217;m compelled to say. Those same thoughts are too chaotic and the restlessness it causes in me would only quiet down when I pick up a book and read ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>There are days when my own thoughts are not enough to satisfy what message I feel I&#8217;m compelled to say. Those same thoughts are too chaotic and the restlessness it causes in me would only quiet down when I pick up a book and read what others have got to say. These stringed words serve like formula which derives a more solid solution, establishes order in my mind. So I thought you folks might benefit from some of the bits I managed to pick up on some of my recent reads.</p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;The more you think about change, the more things you wind up changing; the more things you change, the better your whole life becomes.&#8221; &#8212; <strong>Mireille Guiliano, French Women for All Seasons</strong></p></blockquote>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_0071.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:0px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_0071-300x300.jpg" alt="Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track, Richard P. Feynman | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track, Richard P. Feynman | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1460" /></a></center></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;Do not remain nameless to yourself &#8212; it is too sad a way to be. Know your place in the world and evaluate yourself fairly, not in terms of the naive ideals of your own youth, nor in terms of what you erroneously imagine your teacher&#8217;s ideals are.&#8221; &#8212; <strong>Richard P. Feynman, Perfectly Reasonable Deviations from the Beaten Track</strong></p></blockquote>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1440.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1440-300x300.jpg" alt="The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Marakami | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Marakami | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1457" /></a></center></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;When the revelation and the grace were lost, my life was lost. Those living things that had once been there inside me, that had been for that reason of some value, were dead now. Not one thing was left. They had all been burned to ashes in that fierce light. The heat emitted by that revelation or grace had seared away the very core of the life that made me the person I was. Surely I had lacked the strength to resist that heat. And so I feel no fear of death. If anything, my physical death would be, for me, a form of salvation. It would liberate me forever from this hopeless prison, this pain of being me.&#8221; &#8212; <strong>Haruki Murakami, The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle</strong></p></blockquote>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1530.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1530-300x300.jpg" alt="The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="The Perks of Being a Wallflower, Stephen Chbosky | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1458" /></a></center></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;I&#8217;m different from other people, so the life I live will have to be different from theirs.&#8221; &#8212; <strong>Stephen Chbosky, The Perks of Being a Wallflower</strong></p></blockquote>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1574.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/09/IMG_1574-300x300.jpg" alt="Life of Pi, Yann Martel | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Life of Pi, Yann Martel | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1459" /></a></center></p>
<blockquote><p>&#8220;It is true that those we meet can change us, sometimes so profoundly that we are not the same afterwards, even unto our names.&#8221; &#8212; <strong>Yann Martel, Life of Pi</strong></p></blockquote>
<p>Reading. I&#8217;m really glad it&#8217;s one of the things I&#8217;ve come to love doing. I admire people who are able to put their work out there. Their ability to weave words and produce something that educates and entertains will always be something that I&#8217;ll forever be grateful for. </p>
<p>Your turn. <strong>What books have you been reading lately?</strong></p>
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		<title>Life is a Highway</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/03/07/life-is-a-highway/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/03/07/life-is-a-highway/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Mon, 07 Mar 2011 14:14:24 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Music & Artists]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Road Warrior]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.the-parody.com/?p=1379</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[It was a Sunday. Nothing extraordinary about that day up until a knock on my door and hearing my mum&#8217;s voice from the other side asking, &#8220;Do you want to buy a car?&#8221; It was astounding that I was able to respond accordingly &#8212; seeing ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>It was a Sunday. Nothing extraordinary about that day up until a knock on my door and hearing my mum&#8217;s voice from the other side asking, <em>&#8220;Do you want to buy a car?&#8221;</em> It was astounding that I was able to respond accordingly &#8212; seeing that I literally just woke up! &#8212; by reminding her that I&#8217;ve got priorities set and had dropped plans of buying one. But, apparently, the deal on the pre-loved automobile was way too good to pass up so regardless of the answer I gave. I ended up with a new old car. And I thought that it was an ordinary Sunday, eh? Yes, it happened <em>yesterday</em>. At least, the whole situation showed me who I got my spontaneity from. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0491-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0491-1-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1380" /></a></center></p>
<p>Anyone can drive and not all will. A number of folks simply can&#8217;t be bothered with learning how to drive, a few are forced to learn only out of necessity, and the rest because they find joy in driving and the feel of being on the road. I&#8217;d like to think I fall under the 3rd classification. I&#8217;ve always wanted to drive.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0514-9.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0514-9-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1385" /></a></center></p>
<p>I can recall watching my dad drive as he drove us to school each morning. I had looked forward to the year when it was my turn to sit on the passenger seat so I can watch his feet and visually learn how to shift gears. Occasionally, I would inquire after certain advanced driving techniques he&#8217;d use and, of course, a lot of basic ones. My dad would often give out tips on offensive and defensive driving (though he didn&#8217;t exactly use those terms), which I found useful when it was my turn to be behind the wheel.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0513-8.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0513-8-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1384" /></a></center></p>
<p>I was in 2nd year highschool when I tested out all the theories I had about driving. As most of you may have guessed, it wasn&#8217;t as easy as I thought it would be. I learned how to shift gears when I was in 3rd year but only truly drove, after going through a year on permits, back in 2001. Yea, I only became a licensed driver at age of 24. Pretty late for folks in my generation. And I had my first car at the age of 27 (a white Toyota Corolla, spiffed up <em>vroom-vroom</em> muffler, turbo engine and all &#8212; classic guy &#8216;drag&#8217; car, it was often described). It was a sad day when I had to say goodbye to him the year I had to leave for Australia. But something had to give to cover the travel costs. Ah, well. Had I not went, I wouldn&#8217;t be here, blogging. True story!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0515-10.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0515-10-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1386" /></a></center></p>
<p>Now, at 33, I&#8217;m happy to welcome my 2nd car, whom I&#8217;m calling <em>MrLynx</em>. Obviously, the name was lifted from the Ford sedan model, Lynx. It&#8217;s strange how it felt like history repeating, only in reverse. I wish I have the energy to explain it but I reckon I&#8217;ll save that story for another day.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0512-3.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0512-3-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1390" /></a></center></p>
<p>Maybe it&#8217;s for the best. Perhaps MrLynx came into my life for the very purpose that&#8217;s only becoming clear to me. I&#8217;ve always loved driving even with all the <em>you-won&#8217;t-believe-it-when-I-tell-you</em> experiences. Driving has always been a source of great comfort. With over a decade of experience, I own this sh*t. Of course, it helps that I&#8217;ve got my dad&#8217;s ultimate compliment under my belt &#8212; he christened me <em>Amado Junior</em> when it comes to driving and if you knew him and his driving skills, you&#8217;ll understand why I consider it a compliment (not just because he&#8217;s my dad, hehe).</p>
<p>With every new thing and esp since MrLynx is a car meant to be taken out, I took him for a spin. I decided to hang out at the usual Starbucks near my place, somewhat introducing him to my routine.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0493-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0493-2-300x300.jpg" alt="Starbucks, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Starbucks, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1397" /></a></center></p>
<p>Must either be that he liked the place too much that he wanted to stay the night or a hiccup as he adjusts to being with me, MrLynx actually stayed overnight since he refused to budge regardless of all ready efforts to prod him to come back into life (i.e. the car wouldn&#8217;t start, LOL). So come the following morning, I found myself repeating a scene from the previous night.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0498-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0498-1-300x300.jpg" alt="Starbucks, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Starbucks, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1388" /></a></center></p>
<p>After a few hours of waiting for the car to be up and running again, I decided that it&#8217;s time to give MrLynx his first bath (er, from the moment he came into my possession, that is). </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0500-4.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0500-4-300x300.jpg" alt="De2r Carwash, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="De2r Carwash, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1382" /></a></center></p>
<p>I&#8217;d love to claim that I wash my own car but I don&#8217;t. I used to. I will if there&#8217;s no other choice but for now, I&#8217;m availing the services of a local carwash station.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0504-6.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0504-6-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1383" /></a></center></p>
<p>Shampoo. <em>Check</em>. Wax. <em>Check</em>. Vacuum interiors. <em>Check</em>. Tire black. <em>Check</em>. Empty the ashtray. <em>Check!</em> I solemnly swear I will religiously schedule periodic carwash sessions after this. But must schedule a trip to the <em>casa</em> to have everything checked, e.g. oil, A/T fluid, etc. (yea, it&#8217;s a &#8216;matic which I&#8217;m not too keen about but.. ah, well.).</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0503-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0503-2-300x300.jpg" alt="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1389" /></a></center></p>
<p>I sat staring at MrLynx earlier today and I was engulfed with excitement from the countless imagined possibilities to make on the road. I had pictured the places we&#8217;d see, people we&#8217;d be with and the millions of pixels captured by <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2011/02/15/say-hello-to-mrsixty-a-canon-eos-60d/">MrSixty</a>, <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/18/photography-and-the-polaroid-pogo-called-mrpopo/">MrPoPo</a> and MrTots (whom you&#8217;ll meet one of these days). </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0172.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/IMG_0172-300x300.jpg" alt="Sasha Manuel, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Sasha Manuel, MrLynx, Ford Lynx Sedan, Hipstamatic Print by MrTots, Sasha Manuel | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" width="300" height="300" class="size-medium wp-image-1399" /></a></center></p>
<p>It&#8217;s a mixture of longing and fear knowing that the streets and circumstances are different now. But I&#8217;m accepting the things I know I cannot change. I&#8217;ll simply continue riding the wave, face life (and the streets) head on. </p>
<blockquote><p>♫ <em>&#8220;There is no load I can&#8217;t hold.<br />
Roads so rough this I know.<br />
I&#8217;ll be there when the light comes in.&#8221;</em> ♫<br />
(Tom Cochrane, Life is a Highway) </p></blockquote>
<p>Life is indeed a highway. I do want to ride it all night long.</p>
<p></p>
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			<wfw:commentRss>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/03/07/life-is-a-highway/feed/</wfw:commentRss>
		<slash:comments>11</slash:comments>
			<enclosure url="http://www.the-parody.com/podpress_trac/feed/1379/0/Life-Is-A-Highway.mp3" length="1" type="audio/mpeg" />
		<itunes:duration>0:00:01</itunes:duration>
		<itunes:subtitle>It was a Sunday. Nothing extraordinary about that day up until a knock on my door and hearing my mum&#8217;s voice from the other side asking, &#8220;Do you want to buy a car?&#8221; It was astounding that I was able to respond accordingly &#8212; s[...]</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>It was a Sunday. Nothing extraordinary about that day up until a knock on my door and hearing my mum&#8217;s voice from the other side asking, &#8220;Do you want to buy a car?&#8221; It was astounding that I was able to respond accordingly &#8212; seeing that I literally just woke up! &#8212; by reminding her that I&#8217;ve got priorities set and had dropped plans of buying one. But, apparently, the deal on the pre-loved automobile was way too good to pass up so regardless of the answer I gave. I ended up with a new old car. And I thought that it was an ordinary Sunday, eh? Yes, it happened yesterday. At least, the whole situation showed me who I got my spontaneity from. 

Anyone can drive and not all will. A number of folks simply can&#8217;t be bothered with learning how to drive, a few are forced to learn only out of necessity, and the rest because they find joy in driving and the feel of being on the road. I&#8217;d like to think I fall under the 3rd classification. I&#8217;ve always wanted to drive.

I can recall watching my dad drive as he drove us to school each morning. I had looked forward to the year when it was my turn to sit on the passenger seat so I can watch his feet and visually learn how to shift gears. Occasionally, I would inquire after certain advanced driving techniques he&#8217;d use and, of course, a lot of basic ones. My dad would often give out tips on offensive and defensive driving (though he didn&#8217;t exactly use those terms), which I found useful when it was my turn to be behind the wheel.

I was in 2nd year highschool when I tested out all the theories I had about driving. As most of you may have guessed, it wasn&#8217;t as easy as I thought it would be. I learned how to shift gears when I was in 3rd year but only truly drove, after going through a year on permits, back in 2001. Yea, I only became a licensed driver at age of 24. Pretty late for folks in my generation. And I had my first car at the age of 27 (a white Toyota Corolla, spiffed up vroom-vroom muffler, turbo engine and all &#8212; classic guy &#8216;drag&#8217; car, it was often described). It was a sad day when I had to say goodbye to him the year I had to leave for Australia. But something had to give to cover the travel costs. Ah, well. Had I not went, I wouldn&#8217;t be here, blogging. True story!

Now, at 33, I&#8217;m happy to welcome my 2nd car, whom I&#8217;m calling MrLynx. Obviously, the name was lifted from the Ford sedan model, Lynx. It&#8217;s strange how it felt like history repeating, only in reverse. I wish I have the energy to explain it but I reckon I&#8217;ll save that story for another day.

Maybe it&#8217;s for the best. Perhaps MrLynx came into my life for the very purpose that&#8217;s only becoming clear to me. I&#8217;ve always loved driving even with all the you-won&#8217;t-believe-it-when-I-tell-you experiences. Driving has always been a source of great comfort. With over a decade of experience, I own this sh*t. Of course, it helps that I&#8217;ve got my dad&#8217;s ultimate compliment under my belt &#8212; he christened me Amado Junior when it comes to driving and if you knew him and his driving skills, you&#8217;ll understand why I consider it a compliment (not just because he&#8217;s my dad, hehe).
With every new thing and esp since MrLynx is a car meant to be taken out, I took him for a spin. I decided to hang out at the usual Starbucks near my place, somewhat introducing him to my routine.

Must either be that he liked the place too much that he wanted to stay the night or a hiccup as he adjusts to being with me, MrLynx actually stayed overnight since he refused to budge regardless of all ready efforts to prod him to come back into life (i.e. the car wouldn&#8217;t start, LOL). So come the following morning, I found myself repeating a scene from the previous night.

After a few hours of waiting for the car to be up and running again, I decided that it&#8217;s time to give MrLynx his first bath (e[...]</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>sasha.manuel@gmail.com</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>Assassin&#8217;s Creed II and Angry Birds!</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/22/assassins-creed-2-and-angry-birds/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/22/assassins-creed-2-and-angry-birds/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sat, 22 Jan 2011 14:09:00 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Reluctant Geek]]></category>

		<guid isPermaLink="false">http://www.the-parody.com/?p=1334</guid>
		<description><![CDATA[A toss between the serious and the light. I am a closet gamer. I can be highly addicted to a particular game but I also can go for a lengthy period of time not playing any. It all depends on my mood, I guess. From ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>A toss between the serious and the light. I am a closet gamer. I can be highly addicted to a particular game but I also can go for a lengthy period of time not playing any. It all depends on my mood, I guess. From Atari days (coursed through the family computer, NES, and playing <em>StarCraft</em> back in 2000 and <em>Civilization</em>) to <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2008/03/31/i-blame-the-ps3/">buying my own first-ever game console, the PS3</a>. It&#8217;s never turned into one of the more passionate things I do. Sure, I like the games alright but I noticed that it&#8217;s just one of the options I consider whenever I need to <em>de-stress</em>.</p>
<p>When I bought the PS3 back in early 2008, I was hooked on <em>Guitar Hero III</em> and <em>Assassin&#8217;s Creed</em> but the latter proved to be the sort of game that I can see myself playing more of. I still can&#8217;t believe that I actually played it non-stop, hence, finishing it in 4 consecutive days (took breaks for food, sleep and trips to the loo. LOL). So, during a quick trip to the mall on errand day, I popped in at one of those game shops and gave in to buying the 2nd installment of the said Ubisoft game: Assassin&#8217;s Creed II Complete Edition for PS3.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2010-05-31-17-29-11-7895.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/2010-05-31-17-29-11-7895.jpg" alt="Assassin&#039;s Creed II Complete Edition | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Assassin&#039;s Creed II Complete Edition | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1335" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://playnewera.com">playnewera.com</a></font></center></p>
<p>I&#8217;m not the sort who&#8217;d shell out a considerable amount on a game but I did. I find that this game&#8217;s worth it. The story&#8217;s brilliant, game features are fantastic and yes, awesome graphics to boot. I had raved about it then and I&#8217;m still raving about it now. Still haven&#8217;t played it yet but I&#8217;ll get around to doing that real soon!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassins-creed.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassins-creed.jpg" alt="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1338" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://eatsleepgeek.com">eatsleepgeek.com</a></font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassin-s-creed-ii-4_1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassin-s-creed-ii-4_1.jpg" alt="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1336" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://fastdls.com">fastdls.com</a></font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassins-creed-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/assassins-creed-2.jpg" alt="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Assassin&#039;s Creed II | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1337" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://gamingmojo.com">gamingmojo.com</a></font></center></p>
<p>On the fly (esp during days wherein I can&#8217;t spend too much time in front of the PS3), I like playing mobile and computer games (Bejeweled, anyone? or perhaps a game of Text Twist?) and social games (Fashion World, Cafe World, Farmville, It Girl, Backyard Monsters, etc) on Facebook. But one particular game captured the heart of this quasi-gamer: <em>Angry Birds!</em></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/angrybirds_big.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:0px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/angrybirds_big.jpg" alt="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1340" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://rovio.com">rovio.com</a></font></center></p>
<p>First seen on the iPad and finished the free version on an iTouch, it&#8217;s a game that almost drove me to buy an iPad or iTouch. My nephew C and I would pore over it while we&#8217;re in the car stuck in traffic en route to some place during the holidays. </p>
<p><center><object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Bk_nqUQ0fc&#038;hl=en_US&#038;feature=player_embedded&#038;version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/1Bk_nqUQ0fc&#038;hl=en_US&#038;feature=player_embedded&#038;version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object></center></p>
<p>I never meant to buy the full version for MAC but my curiosity over the App Store icon included in a recent MAC software update lead me to charging $4.99 on my credit card. LOL.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/icon-mac.png"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:0px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/icon-mac.png" alt="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1342" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://enoda.co.uk">enoda.co.uk</a></font></center></p>
<p>Yes, the dock on <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2010/04/10/eve-has-bitten-into-the-apple/">MrBoo</a> now has an icon with that Angry little Bird on it! And I actually finished the 21 levels on the 1st episode in one sitting. Hahaha!</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/angry-birds-mac-update-gma950-support.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/angry-birds-mac-update-gma950-support.jpg" alt="Angry Birds for MAC, screenshot image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Angry Birds for MAC, screenshot image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1339" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://osxdaily.com">osxdaily.com</a></font></center></p>
<p>It&#8217;s not as easy as it seems but with a little knowledge of physics and putting in a little effort understanding the strengths of the Angry Birds then you&#8217;ll have the green pigs sweating like, er, pigs. Hehe.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/AngryBirds2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/AngryBirds2.jpg" alt="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Angry Birds, Rovio - Image | The Parody - Online journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1341" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Image: <a href="http://fareaststreet.com">fareaststreet.com</a></font></font></center></p>
<p>It&#8217;s a great game that both kids and adults will enjoy. I&#8217;ve seen parents play the game with their kids so that&#8217;s a fantastic thing, yes? Entertainment value is 5 out of 5 stars!</p>
<p>How about you folks? Do you consider yourself a gamer? What sort of games do you usually play?</p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.</font></center></div>
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		<title>A Reading Nook and New Books</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/12/a-reading-nook-and-new-books/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/12/a-reading-nook-and-new-books/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 17:21:47 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Books]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Photography]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Ah, don&#8217;t you love the smell and the feel of a brand new book? I do. I love looking at it and feeling the paper under my fingers. The idea of spending countless hours immersed in a story, getting acquainted with the characters and caught ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Ah, don&#8217;t you love the smell and the feel of a brand new book? I do. I love looking at it and feeling the paper under my fingers. The idea of spending countless hours immersed in a story, getting acquainted with the characters and caught up with plots. Reading has always been a fantastic escape for me, however temporary. It&#8217;s a source of my creativity too. Reading has consistently fueled my writing.</p>
<p>I&#8217;m especially glad that I got new books over the holidays. Some are even totally new to me. I like getting introduced to new titles and authors. It widens the scope of what I read. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/books_polaroid_pogo.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/books_polaroid_pogo.jpg" alt="Books - Larsson, Yardley, Collins, Niffeneger and Wolff | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Books - Larsson, Yardley, Collins, Niffeneger and Wolff | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1295" /></a></center></p>
<p>I actually already gobbled up a couple of books included in the photo. </p>
<p>Two of the titles, I bought:</p>
<p><strong><em>Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffenegger</em></strong><br />
I like how the author gradually tells the story in an unhurried manner. How she introduces each character and how familiar her writing style seems to me after having read her other book. I&#8217;m not finished with this one because I&#8217;m too excited to read the other new books. Hahaha!</p>
<p><strong><em>A Vintage Affair by Isabel Wolff</em></strong><br />
Romance that&#8217;s not too sappy. It&#8217;s a feel good read, actually. I believe that this books falls under Chick Lit (funny coincidence, really. You&#8217;ll see why as you read on) I like that it didn&#8217;t center around a broken relationship, a new guy or her fabulous new vintage shop. What&#8217;s too unreal was that everything was going in her favour in such a short span of time. Plus it felt like the author wanted everyone to have a happy ending too. Ah, well. Like I said, it&#8217;s a feel good read.</p>
<p>Gifted by my sister, <a href="http://www.shaicoggins.com"><em>Shai Coggins</em></a>, are the following:</p>
<p><strong><em>Will Write for Shoes | How to Write a Chick Lit Novel<br />
by Cathy Yardley</em></strong><br />
I wonder if she&#8217;s telling me to *really* write. Sure, I will gladly write for shoes but to actually sit down and finish an entire novel, Chick Lit or something else, I&#8217;m not sure if a pair of shoes is enough to tempt me. Besides, I&#8217;ll leave all the writing prowess to my sister. She&#8217;s the published writer and not I. Let&#8217;s keep it that way. It&#8217;s been an interesting read so far. It&#8217;s sort of dissecting Chick Lit for me. </p>
<p><strong><em>The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo<br />
by Stieg Larsson</em></strong><br />
We&#8217;ve had talked about this book, er, the series actually when we discovered that we both are planning to read them. She was gifted the 2nd book and she gave me a &#8220;going away&#8221; gift which included this title and the next one..</p>
<p><strong><em>The Hunger Games<br />
by Suzanne Collins</em></strong><br />
She mentioned that she had initially planned on giving me the entire set (3 books) for Christmas but plans fell through. She then proceeded to tell me why she wanted to give it to me (told me the gist of the story since I admitted to not being familiar with the trilogy) and I ended up <em>really</em> curious. I&#8217;m so happy she decided to give me the 1st book because if she didn&#8217;t, I might not have known how awesome a read The Hunger Games trilogy is! I&#8217;m not into the whole sci-fi genre but the trilogy touches that in a way that&#8217;s not too unattractive for my reading taste. Now, I&#8217;m SO hooked!</p>
<p>Yes, I immediately searched for the rest of the books as soon as I got the chance. It took me a while to find the 2nd one and, boy, I had to stop myself from jumping up and down when the cashier at a local NSB told me they&#8217;ve got it in stock.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/011111_60D_books.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/011111_60D_books.jpg" alt="Books - Krause, Collins | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Books - Krauss, Collins | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1296" /></a></center></p>
<p>Coffee table book &#8211; <strong><em>Photo Idea Index: People by Jim Krause</em></strong><br />
2nd &#038; 3rd books in The Hunger Games Trilogy &#8211; <strong><em>Catching Fire and Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins</em></strong></p>
<p>I&#8217;ve also grown a soft spot for hard covers too. I&#8217;m seeing my growing preference in buying these over paperbacks.</p>
<p>And out of my passion for reading and hanging out, I&#8217;ve gotten myself a new reading nook &#8212; if you look at the photo, it&#8217;s slightly visible in the background). I&#8217;ve always wanted a swing out on our porch and now, we do. It caused a dent in my wallet but it&#8217;s well worth it! Apart from the fact there&#8217;s a certain feeling that makes me feel good inside whenever I buy furniture, I do love spending my mornings (when I&#8217;m awake at that time that is) with a cup of tea or coffee or my afternoons with a cold drink and a book. </p>
<p>Life is good. <3</p>
<p><font size="1"><em>P.S. The two photos included in this post were taken by my two new toys &#8212; a Polaroid PoGo and a Canon 60D. I&#8217;ll tell you folks about them in a different post!</em></font></p>
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		<title>For Sentimental Reasons</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/11/for-sentimental-reasons/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/11/for-sentimental-reasons/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 11 Jan 2011 11:53:18 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rambler]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Christmas 2010 had been extremely special for me. During the days leading up to December, I&#8217;ve seen myself preparing for the occasion almost meticulously. I was aware that something really special was about to take place. What made it special? The entire family will be ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Christmas 2010 had been extremely special for me. During the days leading up to December, I&#8217;ve seen myself preparing for the occasion almost meticulously. I was aware that something really special was about to take place. What made it special? The entire family will be in one place during a span of 2 weeks, you see. Yes, I believe I already mentioned that majority of them came from Australia, US and Canada.</p>
<p>Planning for the Christmas gifts for each of them was a bit difficult at first. I knew that anything I buy in the mall can be easily bought elsewhere, hence, not really special. I had wanted to give them something unique and, hopefully, priceless. It&#8217;s my way of letting them know that I was very happy to have them all come home and visit. It&#8217;s my way of celebrating our family.</p>
<p><em>Light bulb:</em> Caricatures made by very talented friend, <a href="http://on.fb.me/gGGITm ">Jo Acierto</a>. <em>Thanks, Jo!</em></p>
<p>I tried to be all mysterious about it even when I had to ask <a href="http://shaicoggins.com">my sister</a> for photos of herself and her family. I&#8217;m glad that their reaction on Christmas morning was a reflection of how they appreciated the gift. Efforts were rewarded. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui1_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui1_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Whole Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Whole Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1280" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Every-ALL!</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui5_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui5_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="The Manuel Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="The Manuel Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1284" /></a><br />
<font size="1">The Manuel Family</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui8_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui8_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Siblings, Shai Coggins, Aaron Manuel, Sasha Manuel, Arnold Manuel | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" title="Siblings, Shai Coggins, Aaron Manuel, Sasha Manuel, Arnold Manuel | The Parody - Online Journal of Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1287" /></a><br />
<font size="1">The Siblings: Shai, Aaron, Sasha &#038; Arnold</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui4_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui4_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Lola with her apos | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Lola with her apos | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1283" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Lola with her apos</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui2_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui2_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Coggins Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Coggins Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1281" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Shai, J, C &#038; H</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui3_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui3_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Tan + Manuel Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Tan + Manuel Family | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1282" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Aaron, Sally, Ahren and Allyson</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui6_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui6_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Tita with her pamangkins | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Tita with her pamangkins | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1285" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Me with my nieces and nephews</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui7_FA_RGB.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/Shaui7_FA_RGB.jpg" alt="Tito with his pamangkins | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" title="Tito with his pamangkins | The Parody, Online Journal by Sasha Manuel" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1286" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Tito Arnold with the kiddos</font></center></p>
<p>I had wanted them to have something to remember the trip by and keep it for sentimental reasons.</p>
<p>Your turn. What did you get your family last Christmas? I&#8217;d love to know your reason behind the gift!</p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.</font></center></div>
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		<title>Family, Friends and a Season of Reunions</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/06/family-friends-and-a-season-of-reunions/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2011/01/06/family-friends-and-a-season-of-reunions/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Thu, 06 Jan 2011 13:23:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[December proved to be a defining time. Not only was it my birthday month, twas filled with fantastic opportunities to reconnect and re-affirm relationships with family and true friends. It brought back a rich history that culminated in a series of events that reunited old ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>December proved to be a defining time. Not only was it my birthday month, twas filled with fantastic opportunities to reconnect and re-affirm relationships with family and true friends. It brought back a rich history that culminated in a series of events that reunited old classmates, church-mates and, above all, family.</p>
<p><strong>Bene95 Reunion.</strong> However informal it was, people still showed up which was great. I got the chance to see a lot of folks I haven&#8217;t seen for ages! Twas fun taking a quick trip down memory lane. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/163124_1705297722866_1550704244_31705855_2510867_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/163124_1705297722866_1550704244_31705855_2510867_n.jpg" alt="" title="Sasha Manuel - Bene95 Reunion" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1255" /></a><br />
<font size="1">I heart this photo! [(c) Charles Montecillo]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/165016_137027956355688_100001454535492_210339_3196010_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/165016_137027956355688_100001454535492_210339_3196010_n.jpg" alt="" title="Bene95 long table" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1260" /></a><br />
<font size="1">It&#8217;s actually fantastic to see new faces this year. Everyone had a great time! [(c) Melvin Pulayan]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164620_137028736355610_100001454535492_210350_8363320_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164620_137028736355610_100001454535492_210350_8363320_n.jpg" alt="" title="Bene95 all" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1257" /></a><br />
<font size="1">I can&#8217;t believe some of us practically grew up together! [(c) Melvin Pulayan]</font></center></p>
<p><strong>WWCF Mini-reunion.</strong> A small get together of folks from the church we all used to go to (or presently attending) soon after my sister, Shai, arrived in Manila. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/157086_467246871649_570126649_6217689_1412392_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/157086_467246871649_570126649_6217689_1412392_n.jpg" alt="" title="Sasha Manuel, WWCF" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1254" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Thanks for this, Mona! @ Myron&#8217;s Place, Greenbelt 5 [(c) Mar Pimentel]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164705_10150333489580464_728935463_15804348_1382219_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164705_10150333489580464_728935463_15804348_1382219_n.jpg" alt="" title="WWCF all" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1258" /></a><br />
<font size="1">I first met these people when I was in my late teens. @ Fish &#038; Co., Greenbelt 3 [(c) Shai Coggins]</font></center></p>
<p><strong>Annual Cousins Only Christmas Dinner.</strong> Folks in attendance inflated since there were a few who were in Manila (Australia, Canada and Singapore) plus others who finally were interested enough to join the mayhem.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164822_10150094217004793_622834792_5715647_4358740_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164822_10150094217004793_622834792_5715647_4358740_n.jpg" alt="" title="Cousins" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1259" /></a><br />
<font size="1">I wonder when our other cousins will be able to join us? Next year perhaps? [(c) Penny Umali]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164530_10150094216149793_622834792_5715634_8313626_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/164530_10150094216149793_622834792_5715634_8313626_n.jpg" alt="" title="Sasha Manuel and Shai Coggins - Cousins" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1256" /></a><br />
<font size="1">Yay, a new photo with my sister! Hehe [(c)Penny Umali]</font></center></p>
<p>And, of course, the coming together of my family. We all live in different parts of the world so getting to spend Christmas and New Year with folks who came from Australia, US and even my younger brother who&#8217;s currently in Canada for a business trip is quite a tremendous feat. Twas reunion and the introduction for new members of the family to the rest whom they haven&#8217;t met in person before.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0061-Version-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0061-Version-2.jpg" alt="" title="Family Photoshoot" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1263" /></a><br />
<font size="1">It&#8217;s great to see the family growing beautifully! [(c) Miguel Olfindo]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_2128-Version-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_2128-Version-2.jpg" alt="" title="The Manuel Siblings" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1264" /></a><br />
<font size="1"> Yes, arranged according to age. Left to right! [(c) Miguel Olfindo]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0148-2.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0148-2.jpg" alt="" title="Sasha Manuel and C" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1269" /></a><br />
<font size="1"> I absolutely adore this photo of C and myself! <3 [(c) Miguel Olfindo]</font></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0074-Version-2-1.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/IMG_0074-Version-2-1.jpg" alt="" title="Family Rockstar" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1266" /></a><br />
<font size="1">This is my favourite family portrait! It&#8217;s my desktop wallpaper on MrBoo. Hehehe [(c) Miguel Olfindo]</font></center></p>
<p>These events have been a few of the great ways to end my 2010. Now, I&#8217;ve got 2011 ahead of me. From where I&#8217;m standing, the future is looking quite promising. I&#8217;m so excited!</p>
<p>If you were to look back on how the last few months of 2010 turned out for you, did reunions play a part in it too? What other events can you name which gave you opportunities to reconnect and re-affirm relationships?</p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.</font></center></div>
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		<title>Birthday Month and a Festival of Thanksgiving</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2010/12/01/birthday-month-and-a-festival-of-thanksgiving/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2010/12/01/birthday-month-and-a-festival-of-thanksgiving/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Tue, 30 Nov 2010 16:18:04 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Blogs & Blogging]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[Gallyvanting Episodes]]></category>
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		<description><![CDATA[December is indeed my birthday month and I always make it a point to celebrate it &#8212; unconventionally if I can &#8212; every year. The festivities became more pronounced as soon as I hit my 3rd decade. I distinctly remember quietly welcoming my 30th, celebrating ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p><strong>December</strong> is indeed <em>my birthday month</em> and I always make it a point to celebrate it &#8212; unconventionally if I can &#8212; every year. The festivities became more pronounced as soon as I hit my 3rd decade. I distinctly remember <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2007/12/24/celebrating-a-birthday/">quietly welcoming my 30th</a>, <a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2008/12/23/oz-welcome-and-celebrating-31-years/">celebrating my 31st with family in Australia</a> (I had to backtrack a bit to remember what I had done for my 31st birthday, hehe), and, the most lavish celebration to date, had a <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2009/11/22/in-my-birthday-suit/">birthday dress</a> esp made for me to wear to <a href="http://www.sashamanuel.com/cheers/">an intimate wine party I hosted for my 32nd</a> (too busy to actually blog about it at that time though, sigh). Now, plans for commemorating my 33rd looms ahead. Ideas are still rough but I&#8217;m optimistic that everything will work out. </p>
<p>I had toyed with the idea of doing a post on &#8220;33 wishes..&#8221; but I reckon, rather than wishing for things, I&#8217;d like to start off with an expression of gratitude, highlighting some of the many things that came my way this past year that I&#8217;m grateful for.</p>
<p><strong>Friends &#038; Family.</strong> Beautiful people I will always treasure and be thankful for.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/49599726/" title="sisters @ wirra wirra by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/28/49599726_38aff456e8.jpg" width="500" height="423" alt="sisters @ wirra wirra" /></a><br />
<em>Old photo of sisters. Circa 2005.</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/3127533609/" title="Australia 08 | Oz Welcome by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3261/3127533609_3a6d9804cf.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Australia 08 | Oz Welcome" /></a><br />
<em>Welcomed by the Coggins at the Adelaide Aiport, Australia 2008 with my sister taking the photo</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/9920_173156042024_699957024_4068213_2019394_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/9920_173156042024_699957024_4068213_2019394_n.jpg" alt="Mum and me" title="Mum and me" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1239" /></a><br />
<em>With my mum, taken last year 2009</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/4695547094/" title="Cands, Ricky, Mel &amp; Sasha by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4051/4695547094_fd0050ffa3.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Cands, Ricky, Mel &amp; Sasha" /></a><br />
<em>Highschool Barkada: (L-R) Candice, Ricky, Mel and myself. Not in photo: Dem, Joanne, Jason, and Jo. Taken December 2009</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/21855_268933562024_699957024_4802294_1663995_n.jpg"><img src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/21855_268933562024_699957024_4802294_1663995_n.jpg" alt="Padura Cousins" title="Padura Cousins" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1236" /></a><br />
<em>Cousins, nephews plus my baby bro. Taken December 2009.</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/26800_424360222024_699957024_5586432_7603600_n.jpg"><img src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/26800_424360222024_699957024_5586432_7603600_n.jpg" alt="CG: Sasha, Raissa, Marivic, Happy" title="CG: Sasha, Raissa, Marivic, Happy" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1238" /></a><br />
<em>CG: (L-R) Me, Raissa, Marivic and Happy. Not in photo: Kanch. Taken December 2009.</em></center></p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/21855_268809282024_699957024_4801458_5639347_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/21855_268809282024_699957024_4801458_5639347_n.jpg" alt="Thea, Hannah, Sasha" title="Thea, Hannah, Sasha" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1231" /></a><br />
<em>Thea, Hannah and myself. Taken December 2009.</em></center></p>
<p>There are more folks but I don&#8217;t have photos of them. Hehe.</p>
<p><strong>Style Ambassador for Nokia Philippines.</strong> I assumed the role late 2009 and expired early this year. Twas the first opportunity that helped me explore and strengthen my support for the efficacy of online media. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/3900180762/" title="At the Look of Style Event, Sasha by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2518/3900180762_0a03e143e1.jpg" width="332" height="500" alt="At the Look of Style Event, Sasha" /></a></center></p>
<p>Throw in a few other <strong>print and TV features</strong> that happened last year which I may have failed to mention to you folks (since I, ironically, hardly blogged here last year, heh): Feature on <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2009/04/17/style-manila-on-qtv-11s-qtube/">QTV&#8217;s Qtube</a>, Interview for <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2009/06/24/anika-makes-her-debut-on-style-manila/">QTV&#8217;s Fit n Fab</a> and that bit on <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2009/10/25/in-uno-this-month/">UNO Magazine</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2010/04/25/its-good-to-have-dreams/"><strong>Work fulfillment.</strong></a> It&#8217;s always great that folks recognise the hard work and passion you put in.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2010/04/10/eve-has-bitten-into-the-apple/"><strong>MrBoo.</strong></a> Owning a Macbook as been one of my lifelong dreams. Buying an MBP  to reward myself helped in reinforcing the idea of dreams and reaping the fruits of one&#8217;s labour. </p>
<p><a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/07/16/and-thats-what-i-call-a-published-tweet/"><strong>Mini-feature as a Twitter user on Philippine Star.</strong></a> This sort of thing &#8212; regardless of how big or small it is &#8212; always put a smile on my face. </p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/37818_419338699172_629279172_4370673_816335_n.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://www.the-parody.com/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/37818_419338699172_629279172_4370673_816335_n.jpg" alt="Philippine Star" title="Philippine Star" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-1232" /></a></center></p>
<p><a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/07/25/the-mirror-days/"><strong>Beauty Ambassador for Dove Philippines.</strong></a> Celebrating real beauty and being an acknowledged advocate is an opportunity that I was grateful for. Check out the videos I made for the <em>No Mirror Challenge</em>: <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/07/20/a-week-with-no-mirrors-day-1-and-2/">A Week With No Mirrors: Day 1 and 2</a>, <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/07/21/a-week-with-no-mirrors-day-3-and-4/">A Week With No Mirrors: Day 3 and 4</a>, and <a href="http://www.stylemanila.com/2010/07/22/a-week-with-no-mirrors-day-5-6-and-7/">A Week With No Mirrors: Day 5, 6 and 7</a>.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.the-parody.com/2010/07/19/the-traveler-mt-pinatubo-zambales-philippines/"><strong>Getting to experience Mt. Pinatubo.</strong></a> It&#8217;s <em>&#8220;one place I’d recommend you folks see at least once before you die&#8221;</em>. A very humbling, thought-provoking experience.</p>
<p>And the most recent piece of good fortune&#8217;s pie that landed on my plate was becoming the <strong>Featured Blogger for Fashion &#038; Beauty of Philippine Star&#8217;s <a href="http://www.philstar.com/unblogged" rel="nofollow">UNBLOGGED</a></strong>. You can read the first two articles that I contributed: <a href="http://bit.ly/fNEnsf "><em>In the name of all things pretty</em></a> and <a href="http://bit.ly/eUbbHN"><em>Wearing the animal print</em></a></p>
<p><center><object width="640" height="390"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/JtOgI85qRrg&#038;hl=en_US&#038;feature=player_embedded&#038;version=3"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowScriptAccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/JtOgI85qRrg&#038;hl=en_US&#038;feature=player_embedded&#038;version=3" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowfullscreen="true" allowScriptAccess="always" width="640" height="390"></embed></object></center></p>
<p>I can list more things that I&#8217;m thankful for and significant events in the past year which will make the festivities complete but the space just might not be enough for them (and I might have a problem remembering them all, gah). For now, I&#8217;m content with sharing these few things since it&#8217;s just the 1st day of my Birthday Month. I&#8217;ve got 30 days left to add on to the list. Besides, once I&#8217;ve got my birthday plans set, I&#8217;m sure there will definitely be more things to be thankful for.</p>
<p>How about you? What are the things you&#8217;re most thankful for so far? And, yea, which of the 12 is your birthday month?</p>
<p><strong>Listening to ♫</strong><br />
</p>
<div style="margin: 0px 5px 0px 5px;padding:5px;border:1px solid gray;background:#F1EDC2;"><center><font size="1">Feel free to subscribe to the <a href="http://feeds.feedburner.com/the-parody">The-Parody.com Feed</a> or get updates <a href="http://www.feedburner.com/fb/a/emailverifySubmit?feedId=559815">via Email</a>.</font></center></div>
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			<enclosure url="http://www.the-parody.com/podpress_trac/feed/1229/0/December.mp3" length="1" type="audio/mpeg" />
		<itunes:duration>0:00:01</itunes:duration>
		<itunes:subtitle>December is indeed my birthday month and I always make it a point to celebrate it &#8212; unconventionally if I can &#8212; every year. The festivities became more pronounced as soon as I hit my 3rd decade. I distinctly remember quietly welcoming my[...]</itunes:subtitle>
		<itunes:summary>December is indeed my birthday month and I always make it a point to celebrate it &#8212; unconventionally if I can &#8212; every year. The festivities became more pronounced as soon as I hit my 3rd decade. I distinctly remember quietly welcoming my 30th, celebrating my 31st with family in Australia (I had to backtrack a bit to remember what I had done for my 31st birthday, hehe), and, the most lavish celebration to date, had a birthday dress esp made for me to wear to an intimate wine party I hosted for my 32nd (too busy to actually blog about it at that time though, sigh). Now, plans for commemorating my 33rd looms ahead. Ideas are still rough but I&#8217;m optimistic that everything will work out. 
I had toyed with the idea of doing a post on &#8220;33 wishes..&#8221; but I reckon, rather than wishing for things, I&#8217;d like to start off with an expression of gratitude, highlighting some of the many things that came my way this past year that I&#8217;m grateful for.
Friends &#038; Family. Beautiful people I will always treasure and be thankful for.

Old photo of sisters. Circa 2005.

Welcomed by the Coggins at the Adelaide Aiport, Australia 2008 with my sister taking the photo

With my mum, taken last year 2009

Highschool Barkada: (L-R) Candice, Ricky, Mel and myself. Not in photo: Dem, Joanne, Jason, and Jo. Taken December 2009

Cousins, nephews plus my baby bro. Taken December 2009.

CG: (L-R) Me, Raissa, Marivic and Happy. Not in photo: Kanch. Taken December 2009.

Thea, Hannah and myself. Taken December 2009.
There are more folks but I don&#8217;t have photos of them. Hehe.
Style Ambassador for Nokia Philippines. I assumed the role late 2009 and expired early this year. Twas the first opportunity that helped me explore and strengthen my support for the efficacy of online media. 

Throw in a few other print and TV features that happened last year which I may have failed to mention to you folks (since I, ironically, hardly blogged here last year, heh): Feature on QTV&#8217;s Qtube, Interview for QTV&#8217;s Fit n Fab and that bit on UNO Magazine.
Work fulfillment. It&#8217;s always great that folks recognise the hard work and passion you put in.
MrBoo. Owning a Macbook as been one of my lifelong dreams. Buying an MBP  to reward myself helped in reinforcing the idea of dreams and reaping the fruits of one&#8217;s labour. 
Mini-feature as a Twitter user on Philippine Star. This sort of thing &#8212; regardless of how big or small it is &#8212; always put a smile on my face. 

Beauty Ambassador for Dove Philippines. Celebrating real beauty and being an acknowledged advocate is an opportunity that I was grateful for. Check out the videos I made for the No Mirror Challenge: A Week With No Mirrors: Day 1 and 2, A Week With No Mirrors: Day 3 and 4, and A Week With No Mirrors: Day 5, 6 and 7.
Getting to experience Mt. Pinatubo. It&#8217;s &#8220;one place I’d recommend you folks see at least once before you die&#8221;. A very humbling, thought-provoking experience.
And the most recent piece of good fortune&#8217;s pie that landed on my plate was becoming the Featured Blogger for Fashion &#038; Beauty of Philippine Star&#8217;s UNBLOGGED. You can read the first two articles that I contributed: In the name of all things pretty and Wearing the animal print

I can list more things that I&#8217;m thankful for and significant events in the past year which will make the festivities complete but the space just might not be enough for them (and I might have a problem remembering them all, gah). For now, I&#8217;m content with sharing these few things since it&#8217;s just the 1st day of my Birthday Month. I&#8217;ve got 30 days left to add on to the list. Besides, once I&#8217;ve got my birthday plans set, I&#8217;m sure there will definitely be more things to be thankful for.
How about you? What are the things you&#8217;re most thankful for so far? And, yea, which of the 12 is your birthday month?
Listening to ♫

Feel free to s[...]</itunes:summary>
		<itunes:author>sasha.manuel@gmail.com</itunes:author>
		<itunes:explicit>no</itunes:explicit>
		<itunes:block>no</itunes:block>
	</item>
		<item>
		<title>What is Your Greatest Fear?</title>
		<link>http://www.the-parody.com/2010/10/17/what-is-your-greatest-fear/</link>
		<comments>http://www.the-parody.com/2010/10/17/what-is-your-greatest-fear/#comments</comments>
		<pubDate>Sun, 17 Oct 2010 13:13:27 +0000</pubDate>
		<dc:creator>The Parodist</dc:creator>
				<category><![CDATA[Mood Notes]]></category>
		<category><![CDATA[The Rambler]]></category>

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		<description><![CDATA[Sometimes, I let my imagination run wild. I&#8217;m highly impressionable by the things I see and the stories I hear that it would come to a point that I actually would believe them to be true. Well, at least, the pull of believing them to ... 


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			<content:encoded><![CDATA[<p>Sometimes, I let my imagination run wild. I&#8217;m highly impressionable by the things I see and the stories I hear that it would come to a point that I actually would believe them to be true. Well, at least, the pull of believing them to have a shred of truth in them at least. Toying with the possibilities, playing with fate. </p>
<p>I&#8217;m probably asking this question because of a conversation I had with M and R a few weeks back then add the fact that I watched the movie, <em>The Hole</em>, last Friday. The thought of <em>personal fears</em> surfaced and I guess I felt like talking about them today.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/5083635532/" title="Koi Pond by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4106/5083635532_dbfb15b32a.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Koi Pond" /></a></center></p>
<p><strong>Swimming with fishes</strong></p>
<p>It has become a running joke with the folks around me who knows about this little quirk of mine. This fear of swimming with fishes have become the butt of jokes with friends and family teasing me mercilessly about it whenever they get the chance. Yes, folks, call me weird but I&#8217;m averse to swimming in any body of water for the fear of bumping into locals. Any fish that exceeds the size of 3 inches will freak me out. Even when there&#8217;s a glass separating us plus the idea of being in there with them creeps the hell out of me.</p>
<p>Of course, this doesn&#8217;t stop me from enjoying the water whenever I go to the beach. I still swim whenever I can but I make sure to do it in a somewhat controlled environment. I wouldn&#8217;t go snorkling or scuba diving. I&#8217;d kayak or ride the banana boat but you can bet your arse I&#8217;ll make sure not to stay in the water for too long.</p>
<p><center><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/sashamanuel/5083635060/" title="Fish Out of Water by angelisophia, on Flickr"><img style="margin: 0px 2px 0px 2px;padding:2px;border:1px solid gray;background:white;" src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4090/5083635060_235230965e.jpg" width="500" height="334" alt="Fish Out of Water" /></a></center></p>
<p>Though I really can&#8217;t say that swimming with fishes is my <em>greatest</em> fear, it&#8217;s certainly one of them. There are other things that would scare me out of my wits. I still sleep with the light on. I&#8217;d rather not watch horror movies. I&#8217;m deathly scared of ghosts and anything supernatural. Extreme heights (with the absence of any safety measure) will rattle me. I&#8217;m afraid to be alone in the house and have it burglarized. The list goes on but if we are to sum it up, I guess you can say that I&#8217;m not fond of the uncertain.</p>
<p>I try not to let all these affect me too much. I try not to let it control me; overpower me. I admit that there were instances that it paralyzed me to the point that I couldn&#8217;t sleep (I&#8217;d crawl up next to my mum when I&#8217;m really tired and couldn&#8217;t wait for daybreak) or even stay inside the place I was staying because of some certain fear. I know people won&#8217;t totally understand it, hey, even <em>I</em> don&#8217;t understand it sometimes but I do my best to cope and hope that one day I won&#8217;t be as scared as I initially was. There are certain things that I had learned to overcome so it&#8217;s possible, right? Like I said, I&#8217;m trying.</p>
<p>How about you, folks? Is there something that you&#8217;re afraid of? What is your greatest fear?</p>
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