12 Days before Christmas

One of my favorite Christmas memories was my first Christmas morning here in my house. I wrote a note to Santa asking for Micro Machines. Do you guys remember that? I was never a Hot Wheels guy. MICRO MACHINES FOREVER!!!

The reason why it's one of my favorite memories is because I vividly remember being vague. I just attempted to draw the Micro Machines logo. But in my mind, I badly wanted the Supercity Toolbox playset.

When I opened Santa's gift. I got it!!! It was the Toolbox!!! I didn't ask for it but it was what I wanted. I was so amazed Santa read my mind.  :)



Anyway, I searched for this online and somebody uploaded the commercial. Just sharing with you a Christmas memory :)


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mlRgbU3ZJ5g

Cheesy? I don't think so...

"I said... uh...? Spider-man, I said uh...?The great thing about MJ is... when you look in her eyes and she's looking back in yours... everything... feels... not quite normal. Because you feel stronger and weaker at the same time. You feel excited and at the same time, terrified. The truth is... you don't know what you feel except you know what kind of man you want to be. It's as if you've reached the unreachable and you weren't ready for it."


Looking back at the Spider-Man films, I think Spider-Man 2 was the best but there's something about the 1st movie. I think people were drawn to Peter Parker not getting the girl at the end of the movie. You cheer for the hero but he doesn't win in the end. I believe that they made it more realistic. The good guys don't necessarily win all the time and that's the beauty of it.

I remember writing about the relationship of Peter and Mary Jane in a previous entry. Yes, I am a huge fan of their relationship if you can''t tell. Haha. Anyway, it's a unique love story. I like the story in the movie because they mentioned that Peter liked Mary Jane since he was 6 years old. I think it's cute.

Going back to the quote, let me ask you this, is there someone that makes you feel stronger and weaker at the same time? No? Well, hold on, love is patient... Just wait a little bit longer. He/She is just around the corner.

Now I know why they say that it sucks being alone on Christmas... ANG LAMIG!!! Walang kayakap!!! Cheesy? Fine... Think whatever you want to think. Cheesy always wins! No matter how cheesy it is, people will never admit it, but cheesy always wins. :)

Food Recommendations

I promised I'd recommend restaurants where you can try out their awesome food.

Kindly let me just throw out my ideas. I'll group them by cuisine.

Japanese

1. Tajima in Harbor Center in Pasay. It's the one near PICC. It's a Yakiniku place and the Karubi is awesome!!! It may be a bit pricy...

2. Omakase in Tomas Morato or Libis. One of the best Pinoy-fied Sushi. They have lots of sushi creations and make sure to try the American Dream and my favorite, The Philadelphia Roll

Chinese

1. Tsu Zhou - The only one I know is in Promenade Greenhills. The only thing I order there is their frikkin SHAO LONG PAO!!! It's to die for!!!

2. China Bistro, Libis - I really hope this restaurant never closes. In my opinion, they have the best hakaw and chicken feet. Yes, I eat chicken feet. You don't? Shame on you!!!

Italian

1. Amici - I'm sure you've heard of this by now. Everything's good here and the prices are very reasonable :)

2. Cantinetta - This is like my team's favorite restaurant. Kapag may birthday, dito nanlilibre. It's only for special occassions. The tartufo pasta is excellente!!!

OK, to fast food.

Shawarma Places

1. Food Channel Shawarma - THE BEST.
2. Uncle Moe's - Second place.  (Sorry, not a fan of Mr. Kebab :( )

Pinoy

Cafe Lokal - There's one in Greenhills and Tiendesitas - BANGUS SISIG FOR THE WIN!!!

I'll add some more. I'll just update this. For now, I GTG!!!

My first Q&A on The Tangled Web!!!

Thanks for all the Questions guys!!!

Here are the answers :) (Click on the read more link)

Read more »

Lolo Ninoy's Camera needs to be cleaned

So this was found in Times and I asked my Mom if I could keep it. She said yes. Yehey! So anyway, I need to have this cleaned. :( It's pretty old and it was my Lolo Ninoy's camera. I'm not sure if he used this to cover the war in Korea. Probably not. But nonetheless, he was a photo enthusiast.




I started with basic photography last year and I got a Canon G10. I'm really not into the whole SLR thing yet. But anyway, here are some pics I took of my Lolo's camera. :)

So please please comment if you know where I can have this cleaned. It would be very very much appreciated!!!

Thank God for Charlie's Burger

So finally, finally, finally!!! Since I left work late and was hungry. I decided to finally try Charlie's Burger on the way home and OH. EM. GEE. WOW!!! The burger was made of 100% Grade A PURE AWESOME!!!

I don't know how to explain it but the first bite, it had all the flavors I wanted in a burger. I think it was the meat being so damn juicy. It was just heaven. You would stop talking to people around you and just focus on the burger!!! Seriously. Burger Heaven man!!!

Ok, it wasn't a perfect night. There was this Australian Root Beer and by all means, DO NOT DRINK IT!!! I didn't like it at all. Dapat may message. Charlie's Black Angus Burger - Enjoyed best with a glass of Ice Cold Coca-Cola!!! And the fries. They're not the best, but they'll do just fine. There were some fries that hadn't been entirely cooked.

But nonetheless, PLEASE TRY THE EXCELLENT BURGER!!! (Drools)


I promise you. It's one of the best I've tasted. Being a burger lover, it's pretty damn awesome.

Charlie's Burger is located in Kapitolyo, Pasig. It's near Cafe Juanita. It's right after the intersection and it's right next to a car wash.

Dinner with Tita Kris

I haven't really blogged about Tita Kris but this is just something pretty random.

I find it hard when people talk badly about her but the reality is you can't please everyone. It's either you like her or you don't.

Anyway, she's my coolest Tita and I love her for who she is. She speaks her mind :) Plus she's updated with all the trends. She's usually the one to tell her pamangkins on what the in things are. So what to wear and what not, she gives good advice.

So last Saturday, my parents went to this event. We were at mass and Tita Kris and Tito James were there. She found out that Jonty and I were eating alone so she invited us for dinner at her place. Food was AWESOME!!! JC Buendia sent her this native chicken dish and being the chicken guy that I am, I got lots of them. Hahaha.

The highlight for me was when she asked if we've seen New Moon. So I said yes and mentioned that the whole abs-filled movie was funny. She loved it! She loved the movie since she loved the books too. FYI, She's Team Jacob. Movie-wise. But Edward sa books.

After that, we talked about work and behind the scenes stories in the world of showbiz in which I'd like to call "The Buzz: Family Edition" hahaha.

Baby James was too tired so he slept early. Jonty and I just hung out with Josh afterwards. Tito James also gave the awesome Yellow Nike wristbands :)

It was real awesome of her to have us over for dinner. She's the coolest!

The Tangled Web vs. Twitter

I suddenly had this urge to write about my blog competing against my twitter page.

In terms of followers, The Tangled Web is nowhere near twitter.com/jiggycruz

Yes, I love my followers on twitter. You guys know who you are.

But I feel I owe it more to my blogger followers. Thank you so much for keeping up with my geekiness/hopeless romantic side of me. The Tangled Web is really where I put up my deep thoughts and feelings. Twitter is where I communicate to the world. But here on my blog is where the other Jiggy lives.

So to the blogger followers, mas love ko kayo!!! :) Hahahaha. Blogger + Twitter followers, you guys rock even more!!! :)

I was thinking of putting a little twist on my blog.

So for the regular followers of The Tangled Web, do you have any ideas on what to blog about? Do you want me to put my thoughts on something? Do you want to ask questions? Of course I can't answer all your questions but fire away and I will try my best to answer them :)

You can ASK ME ANYTHING!!! :)

To those who know me personally, just ask me when you see me.That means my blockmates, officemates, friends. Wag niyo na ko lokohin please.

This is for the blogger/followers :) Cut-off date for the questions/suggestions will be this Thursday, December 10, 2009.

Ok, now I'm a bit worried, baka wala ng magtanong. So fire away guys! :)

And thanks for reading my blog!!! :D

I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE (with the same woman three times)

I think the best version was when Jose Mari Chan sang it at the wake. I think that the love my grandparents had for each other was one of a kind. They brought out the best in each other. Lolo Ninoy was Lola's ONLY love.

She was telling me that he was really the most charming guy. I can imagine. Wooing her on her 18th birthday with a painting by Amorsolo was WOW!!! Plus Lolo's poems were awesome too. If he were here, I'd tell him SOBRANG CHEEESSSSY! Hahaha.

But the man was just awesome in wooing my Lola. I'm a big fan of their love story...

I HAVE FALLEN IN LOVE
(with the same woman three times)

I have fallen in love
with the same woman three times;
In a day spanning 19 years
of tearful joys..and joyful tears.

I loved her first when she was young,
enchanting and vibrant, eternally new..
she was brilliant, fragrant,
and cool as the morning dew.

I fell in love with her the second time;
when first she bore her child and mine
always by my side, the source of my strength,
helping to turn the tide..

But there were candles to burn
the world was my concern;
while our home was her domain..
and the people were mine
while the children were hers to maintain;

So it was in those eighteen years and a day..
’till I was detained; forced in prison to stay.

Suddenly she’s our sole support;
source of comfort,
our wellspring of Hope..
on her shoulders felt the burden of Life..

I fell in love again,
with the same woman the third time.
Looming from the battle,
her courage will never fade

Amidst the hardships she has remained,
undaunted and unafraid..
she is calm and composed,
she is God’s lovely maid..

Burgers, Hotdogs, Pizza? [UPDATED]

I think I've never written an entry on the best of the best in the Philippines.

I think if that there's no home cooked meal, the best things to eat, especially when you're a growing young boy are Burgers, Hotdogs, and of course, Pizza!!!

So let me run down on what I think are the best of the best.

BURGERS

In no particular order.

1. HOTSHOTS - It's one of the best in the Metro because of the CHEESE!!! Make sure you get the double pattied sandwich together with cream cheese and the friggin bacon bits!!! This one's a winner together with their curly fries and an ice cold can of Coca-Cola :) (Am I making you hungry yet?)

2. BROTHERS BURGER - I think that this one of the most premium burgers ever. Everything on the menu's awesome! My only take here is price. I felt that the diameter and thickness of the burgers became smaller... Sayang.

3. McDonald's Double Cheeseburger - Ok, don't give me any of that BIG MAC or Quarter Pounder debates. Double Cheeseburger wins because you get your money's worth plus you really don't put an extra 1/4 pound in your weight.

4. Good Burgers - The best veggie meat burgers in town! Be sure to get the 3 cheese one. You actually have the option to go chicken burger or veggie burger. I say veggie burger! You want to taste awesome? Then you have to try this. Panalo talaga.

5. KFC ZINGER - Ok, not really a burger but when you're in the mood for something spicy, this one takes the cake.

HOTDOGS

My brother and I will never forget Papaya King in New York City. It was the most amazing hotdog evaaaarrrrrr!!! Sigh...

Anyway, you guys remember the Coney Dog from A&W? That kicked ass!!! Sayang lang wala ng A&W dito...

OK, so my top dogs are, and in no particular order

1. S&R Beef Hotdogs. - Ketchup. Mustard. Relish. That's it. Plus Coke. Wala ng away.

2. Jolly Hotdog - OK, whoever doesn't eat the Jolly Hotdog, shame on you! Weren't you a kid??? There's something about the sauce in the Jolly Hotdog. It's just awesome!!!

3. SMOKEY'S Cheesedog - Find a Smokey's stand now!!! I mean it!!! Try this!!! Perfect!!!

PIZZA

If there's one type of food I can eat anyday or everyday na hindi ako magsasawa, it would be PIZZA. Love. Love. Love. Love Pizza.

1. Shakey's - THIN CRUST. GARLIC AND CHEESE. Diba??? Diba??? I love em...

2. Shakey's - Hi-protein Supreme. It has the ranch dressing so it makes it even more awesome. Eat this while watching a Pacquiao fight and it's the best!!!

3. Brooklyn Pizza - White Pizza. #$@$% ANG SARAP!

4. Yellow Cab - Four Seasons. Can't decide? This is the perfect Pizza Sampler.

5. S&R Pizza - The big slices make it better and my favorites are usually the ones you can fold. :) Hahaha. But let the oil drip first. Pepperoni forever!!!

Hmmm... Now. What to eat? I'm hungry.

Just something random

You want to know the most giddy song?

Listen to Michael Bublé's "I haven't met you yet"

=======================================

I'm Not Surprised
Not everything Lasts
I've Broken My Heart So Many Times,
I've Stopped Keepin Track.
Talk Myself In
I Talk Myself Out
I Get all worked up
Than I Let Myself Down.

I Tried So Very Hard Not To Lose It
I Came Up With A Million Excuses
I Thought I thought of Every Possibility

And I Know Someday That it'll All Turn up
You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid That I'll Give So Much More Than I Get
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

Mmmmm ....

I Might Have To Wait
I'll Never Give Up
I Guess It's half timing
And The Other half's luck
Wherever You Are
Whenever It's Right
You'll Come Out Of Nowhere And Into My Life

And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing
And Baby Your Love Is Gonna Change Me
And Now I Can See Every Possibility

hmmmmm ......

And Somehow I Know That it'll All Turn up
And You'll Make Me Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid I'll Give So Much More Than I Get
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

They Say All's fair
In Love And War
But I Won't Need To Fight it
?Get invited?
We'll Be United

And I Know That We Can Be So Amazing
And girl Your Love Is Gonna Change Me
And Now I Can See Every Single Possibility

hmmm .....

And Someday I Know It'll All Turn Out
And I Work To Work It Up
Promise You Kid I Get More Than I Get
Than I Get Than I Get han I Get

Oh You Know That Will All Turn Up
And I will Work So We Can Work To Work It Out
And I Promise You Kid To Give So Much More Than I Get
Yeah I Just Haven't Met You Yet

I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Oh Promise You Kid
To Give So Much More Than I Get

I Said Love Love Love Love Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet
Love Love Love .....
I Just Haven't Met You Yet

Finding the perfect gift for Christmas

It's that season of giving again. The hard part is finding that perfect gift for someone! You don't buy some generic thing. It has to be well thought. I really hate it when they say, "it's ok, it's the thought that counts!" But it means that you failed! You didn't get the right gift! Pressure much? Hells yeah!

I have a list of friends I want to give gifts to. But among them, there are around 2 people you don't want to disappoint.

As for me? I'm really not into the whole receiving thing. It's all about the giving! :) Seeing the person you gave the gift to smile will be worth it already.

So now, yeah, I'm pretty worried. I already did pre-Christmas shopping but I think they're not good enough... =/ Oh well. Will try again.

For exchange gifts or Kris Kringle, I just wanna get Fully Booked GC's and I'm a happy man!

Anyway, to end this entry, I'd like to share a Christmas story.

I believe it was 1989. My Lola gave me this big box. When I opened it, it was the Spider-Mobile together with a Spider-Man action figure. It was this 3-wheeled red car that had a hook in the front that you could pull then would retract. Miguel and I were the only ones old enough to play with toys since Jonty and Nina were babies at that time. (I can't find the picture on the internet :( )

I guess I owe it to my Lola since it was because of her I'm a Spider-Man fan. :)

Walang paghihirap na hindi natatapos

"There's no hardship that doesn't finish" - It's better in tagalog, I know.

I've been saying a lot about 2009 being a difficult year for me. It's definitely been a hard year. But I always look back at this saying. I guess it sort of tells you that there's always light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes you just have to be brave enough to walk towards the light.

I think my Lola doesn't want me to have a bad 2009. I think she wants all of us to remain strong.

It's the unexpected that makes you happy the most.

Remember the What Ifs entry?

Well, I think I answered it last night. High Risk, High Return.

Like I said, you just have to be brave enough to walk towards the light.

Keep your chin up guys. All will be well.

Being alone at home...

I'm usually home alone these days.

For October, my brother took a short vacation abroad and my parents are extremely busy! So now, I'm just at home, tweeting, surfing, and planning what to do for next year.

Now? My parents are busier than ever before, my brother has school and his schedule is just loaded. Me? I end up either eating alone or eating out alone. Hahaha.

So anyway, there was one particular night that I had to turn off all the lights in the house. As I was going up, the toilet in my Lola's old room (which is now the den again) makes a flushing sound. That was at 11:30 at night with all the lights off. $##!$%!^&& It can't be. I go outside and I ask Maris (who was been with us for so many years) if the toilet was busted... She kept on laughing but in a scared way... She didn't want to check the den but I said that we had to! NO WAY I was going in there by myself.

I find out that the toilet was busted. But still, right after closing all the lights and you suddenly hear that.

Lola, I'm sorry. I love you very much. It'd be nice to see you again but please not late at night... Takutin pa naman ako especially when I'm all alone in the house. I still miss you each and every day...

It's so quiet when alone. The best thing to do is to keep yourself busy.

Thankfully, I'm not home alone now :)

Just felt like updating the blog!

We all look like we feel...

"We all look like we feel" as said by Chris Carabba.

These are people who do not wear masks. I believe that if you really want to show your true feelings, then you go out and look like how you feel.

You feeling happy because of something/someone? Go show it! Show that person that you're happy!

You feeling sad because someone hurt you? Go show it! Be true to yourself!

You feeling angry about something? Don't keep the anger inside, that's bad for the health.

Anyway, I guess the point I'm trying to drive at is that I believe most of us don't want to show these feelings because we're afraid to get judged. Some of us may fear rejection while some may feel that they'd hurt someone.

I think the people who should know how you feel should be given that.

So here I am being honest, right now, I'm feeling really happy -)

Signed Stuff

OK, Last na to on James Jean. Just want to share the things I had signed :) I had all the stuff I wanted signed so it was mission accomplished for me!

I thought things like this just happen in comic-cons abroad but thankfully, Fully Booked made a lot of geeks so damn happy :)

He just sketched Snow White!!!

SMILE!

Fables: Covers by James Jean (Apparently, they don't print this anymore)

Lucky to have gotten a Snow White sketch on the "1001 Nights of Snowfall" book

Should I explain why I chose Runaways? Look at the title of my blog :)

One of the best BKV books ever! Had to have this signed!

I can't just forget UMBRELLA ACADEMY #1!!!

Visiting CSB for the James Jean talk

Yup. I'm still on a James Jean high! I took a leave from work today so I could listen to James Jean's talk today at the College of St. Benilde. The talk had limited slots and Jonty and I were lucky enough to RSVP on time.

Mr. Jean basically showed his art and how he was influenced and all that. It was nice to know that he was inspired from Comic Books. Wolverine #31 was the very first comic he read. Plus the thing he drew when he was 13 was inspired by Jim Lee's style. It was an X-Men drawing.

Look at what he can do now! (See below)

(THE X-MEN!!!)

(Wolverine #31)

James Jean has come along way and he's accomplished so much. It's just sad to note that someone asked if he'd return to comics. He won't :( He wants to focus more on painting and having art shows. But it's all good. He really can't limit himself to just doing covers for comics. Plus he won cover artist of the year for 6 years in a row now! Wow!

I learned that a lot of his artwork had a mix of pencils, Photoshop, and even Flash! He admitted that he didn't like Illustrator. He stuck with Flash.

(Jaime Daez and James Jean)

Also, Pinoy Comic Book artists attended the event. Heubert Khan Michael, Carlo Pagulayan, Stephen Segovia, Jason Paz, Ernest Jocson, Jay David Ramos, Harvey Tolibao and Philip Tan (who happens to be visiting the Philippines) dropped by. After James Jean, they had a panel discussion in the afternoon for the students in which Gerry Alanguilan joined.

(With Philip Tan!)

(Philip Tan and Gerry Alanguilan)

The Panel
Gerry, Philip, Ernest, Carlo, Jay, Heubert, Harvey

I think it's cool how Fully Booked organized this whole event for the fans. I mean, think about it. It's difficult to bring an artist here from abroad. They've brought in Neil Gaiman, Ben Templesmith, and now James Jean. Awesome!!! Who's next??? We'll have to wait and see... But if I had my choice, bring in BRIAN MICHAEL BENDIS, BRIAN K VAUGHAN, MARK MILLAR, OR JOE QUESADA!!! Hahahaha.

But thank you Jaime Daez and Fully Booked for this event! You guys made a lot of Fanboys and Fangirls happy! :)

Interviewing James Jean

Last Thursday, after Rock Ed Radio, I got a text from Erwin Romulo saying "Are you free Saturday, 5:45pm?" I asked him why. He then replied "This interview with James Jean."

That was around 12 midnight already and I just lost sleep. Holy crap! It was JAMES JEAN for pete's sake! I didn't pass that up.

So Erwin asked me to do the interview but I asked him if Jonty can also go since he's more of the writer. We got the GO signal from Mr. Romulo and the rest was history.

November 21, Jonty and I went to Fully Booked High Street at around 10:30. There were already fans lining up but thankfully, we got 10 and 11. Not bad for 2 Fanboys.

So the Cruz bros came back to the Fort at around 5 to meet up with Erwin since he was to facilitate the interview. Jed Segovia of Inquirer did the interview first and he even scored a White Violin sketch from Mr. Jean.

After his interview, it was our turn. We said hello to Mr. Jaime Daez and he remembered us for being the first guys to go to Fully Booked to see Ben Templesmith back in 2007. The man is an awesome fanboy. Plus he had a good memory!

We entered his office and it was full of priceless artwork from JG Jones, Dave McKean, Bill Sienkiewicz, and of course, James Jean.

As I entered, there was the 7 time Eisner Award Best Cover Artist winner, waiting in his seat.

The interview started after and the rest was history! Just grab a copy of UNO Mag once it comes out. You can read my interview there :)

(playing it cool)

(listening to the man's answers to my fanboy questions)

We didn't get sketches nor have our books signed. We respected the guy and we wanted to properly go through the process. So we fell in line with our stubs. :)

The interview was awesome! It was a fanboy's dream come true! :) Just look at me and Jonty's smiles below! Hahaha. Sayang lang blurred. But it's all good. According to Gerry Alanguilan, "Blurred is the new focused!" :)

(Blurred is the new focused. Photo by Erwin Romulo)

(Just look at Jaime Daez's collection! Frikkin AWESOME!)

Jonty and I got really really lucky with this one. We had an awesome time! Definitely once in a lifetime!

The what ifs of life...

I started catching up on "How I Met Your Mother" recently and I'm just around 5 episodes behind. I just need to start watching Season 5 now.

So anyway, I couldn't help but reflect on the "What Ifs". One of the props from the show is the yellow umbrella. We still don't know who the mother is though. But the yellow umbrella Ted found belongs to the "mother". So when the umbrella is shown, Ted narrates what if he didn't go out that day, what if he turned left instead of right, what if he didn't stop at the magazine stand? He wouldn't have met the Mother...

I have a knack for thinking of "What Ifs" just like Ted. I guess the Marvel Comic contributes to this...

OK, why am I thinking of these What Ifs?

I don't know, I guess that past month has got me thinking of some things. I mean, a couple of months ago, I was feeling so so low. Back then I was asking all the "Whys". But as time progressed, I saw how life worked... You'll be surprised. Everything happens for a reason. Now, I think things are turning for the better. I'm happy and I haven't been this happy for a while.

What if a different decision was made? Then I wouldn't be where I am now would I? :)

What if you're reading this now instead of doing something else? :)

Smiling at the camera

I had to go to some shoots for the family but last night was rather a bit more special.

I had a photo shoot with Jonty and of course, my lovely Mom :) She's being featured in a magazine so Jonty and I were part of it.

It was more comfy actually. The photographer made it easier for us. Plus they didn't put any lip gloss on my lips! "Guys should look like guys" said the photographer. YES! THANK YOU! I said in reply! Hahaha!

It'll be a while til the magazine comes out. 2010 pa. You won't miss it :)