This Side of Heaven... where angels love to tread!

Volcanic Iceland



Iceland has been formed by geologic eruptions. It is located Northwest of Europe and interestingly enough even if most of Iceland's mountains and the lands are snow-covered, it is considered a geological hotspot since it is located at the Mid-Atlantic ridge thus making the island volcanically active and also producing geysers and hot springs .

Blue Lagoon Geothermal Spa

Graham Hancock is known for his books like The Sign and the Seal, Fingerprints of the Gods, Keeper of Genesis (with Robert Bauval), The Mars Mystery (again with Robert Bauval and Johns Grigsby) and several more books.

Now, his latest book "Supernatural: Meetings with the Ancient Teachers of Mankind" brings us closer to the truth by going through the extra mile that other researchers would dare not do.

I have always love peanuts and it doesn't matter in what way it is cooked; boiled, dry-roasted or deep-fried. Back in the Philippines, peanuts can be had everywhere you go, so there is really no problem when one gets hungry and you need something to tied you over till you get home and have your big lunch or dinner. Besides, who could ever resist the smell of garlic and peanuts wafting thru the air?

Here in the US, you can get the dry-roasted peanuts packaged in cans or bottles. However, I sometimes look for the boiled ones or the deep-fried but it is really hard to find it here. The only place that I can usually get it is if we sometimes visit New Jersey where there are a lot of Filipino stores and that means maybe once a year or whenever my sister-in-law comes to visit us here in Boston and she never fails to bring us a big bag or two.

So a year ago, I decided to conquer my fear of trying to make homemade fried peanuts based on my memory of watching the vendors frying it in their big woks. After the initial trial and error, I was able to make fried peanuts and confident enough to serve some when we had guests for Thanksgiving...

So now, whenever I want fried peanuts, all I have to do is make it myself.

Here's the easy recipe that you can follow:

1 lb raw peanuts (can be bought in your local Asian stores)


Garlic (lots of it and crushed)


Oil for deep-frying (high heat)


Be sure oil is really hot before adding the garlic first. Then add the peanuts.


Stir the peanuts constantly to make sure that all the nuts are cooked evenly.


Cooked for at least 15 mins or until the nuts turn a bit brown and transfer the nuts out of the oil to prevent from further cooking otherwise, they will burn. Sprinkle with salt and let cool.

Dominique was watching this movie the night before and showed it to me the next day. The movie is entitled "Strings". This is one cool movie that I've seen in years. Forget about the computerized and animated film features that we, the movie audiences, have been bombarded lately. This film directed and written (together with Naja Marie Aidt) by Anders Ronnow Klarlund does not in anyway deviate from most movie themes; love, hatred, violence, peace, family ties, etc... but what sets it apart was that the characters were played by "marionettes". Though this is not the first time that a full-length movie was done on marionettes, this movie goes a little further with its awesome cinematography and attention to details that you wouldn't even mind that the puppets don't open their mouths when they talk.

A synopsis of the movie written by Daniel Williamson says: Hal Tara is the son of The Kahro of the city of Hebalon and heir to the throne. When The Kahro kills himself, Hal is chosen to taken his place to rule Hebalon. But the discovery of The Kahro's suicide letter, that his father's death was no suicide, and was conducted by rivals of the city known as The Zeriths, Hal disguising himself as a commoner leaves the city and sets out to find the Zeriths and avenge his father. But Nezo, The Kahro's evil advisor who discovered the Kahro's body sends a warrior known as Erito to join Hal and to kill him. Entering the Zerith's camp, unaware of his identity, Hal falls in love with Zita, a Zerith female warrior, unaware Nezo has evil schemes to take over ruler ship of the city and Erito's wife Eike and Hal's sister Jhinna have uncovered his evil plot.

Enough said, watch the movie in its entirety here.

This version of Michael Jackson's dance video "Thriller" has been viewed millions of times and is now gaining popularity worldwide. This performance was a brain child of Byron Garcia who is a security consultant for the Cebu Provincial Detention and Rehabilitation Center or CPDRC. I believe that since this was shown on i-Caught last night, this video would now become mainstream and get more viewers. You can see more of Byron's uploaded videos from here.

Imelda Marcos will always be remembered for her extravagance and colorful personality. Her rise to fame and fortune validates the childhood stories told to us by our parents when we were young and innocent, that fairy tales do come true. However, this tale does not have a glorious ending. She has been a symbol of a kleptocracy that has swept the Philippines since her husband, Ferdinand, was elected president in the early '60s and sadly, still continued with the dubious presidency of Joseph Estrada from 1998 - 2001.

Whenever Imelda's name is mentioned, it will always bring to mind her thousand pairs of shoes which I kid you not is true since a few days after the whole family hastily left the country, the new government in the country decided to have an open house in Malacanang so that the public would have the chance to see what was only talked about in gossips and by those in the know.

Her propensity for shoes has been fodder for jokes through the years and now here are 2 you tube videos showing her as a "working maid". I found these videos hilarious and hits you in the funny bone... However, there are some people who found it rather offensive and demeaning to the Filipinos and the nation as well. Please people! This was only meant as a joke and a parody of someone's colorful character. Since when did Filipinos lose their joie de vivre? Aren't Filipinos known for their great sense of humor? Don't we usually laugh at ourselves most of the time? This vital characteristic has made us survive the hardships (political and natural) that we have to endure and made us resilient people, thus, creating a Filipino persona that is well-liked, loved and appreciated wherever we are in the world?

The Filipinos need not worry. No amount of character assassination of infamous Filipinos would in any way hurt the individual since we know that our own individual personalities are far beyond these character portrayals. It is time to move on. The Marcoses may have plundered the country and it may take a while for us to get back on our feet again but they have never taken away our spirit which defines us as Filipinos; strength of character, hard-working, hospitable, strong religious faith and family ties and most of all optimistic. We all (whether living in the Philippines or abroad) are in this together to make our country become prosperous again so let us start looking at the bright side to find ways and means to uplift our country and our fellowmen.




Another parody is from the "On The Television" series which can be viewed here. Don't miss this one.

Karrol filling up an application form.

Waiting under the hot sun.


Karrol forwarded thru email last Friday, the 10th, an announcement about a casting call to be held Saturday for a new movie to be filmed mostly in Boston. The movie is "Bachelor 2" starring funny man, Dane Cook, and funny girl, Kate Hudson.

Though this seems like a long shot, but we did go the next day for Karrol to submit her application. My husband and I were also curious as to how they go about the process of casting people for movies, tv shows, commercials, etc... that we really didn't mind chaperoning our daughter.

Thankfully, the lines weren't as bad as when you see the auditions for American Idol. They didn't have to fill a whole stadium of aspiring performers. The line was only a block from the office, Boston Casting Call. At least we didn't have to wait that long, only about an hour and a half before she finally got into the building and in front of the casting directors.

Meanwhile my husband and I amused ourselves by people watching... First thing that I notice was that there were also a lot of elderly people auditioning (going back to the casting notice, it said that they are looking for talents 18 - 75 years old). No wonder! There were people of different ages, sizes, and looks. For some reason, I always think that these auditions were just meant for the tall, good-looking, and the youthful.

I was proven wrong when we saw all kinds of people auditioning; young and old, thin and very healthy, beautiful and some are facially challenged. You can pick out the veteran auditioners from the first-timers simply by their familiarity with other auditioners and their body language. Most of them exude an air of self-confidence like they already got the part or got in as an extra. Usually, the professional auditioners are part of the actors union where members' rights are protected and represented. Union auditioners usually can just go in and submit their resumes. However, this doesn't necessarily mean that they will get the part since I believe that everybody has to go through the actual audition process later on.

Some came prepared with their "Glamour Shots" photos making them really look so good and photogenic and very appealing. One came without any photo nor resume with her but was just there to chaperon a friend and just as a spur of the moment thing ended up submitting an application, too.

You can tell that the veterans feel that this is just another day while the neophytes look so starry-eyed and hopeful.

One of the fjords in Norway



Satellite view of the fjords in Norway




The very first entry on the list of 100 great world wonders are the Fjords which can be found in Norway. Honestly speaking, I am not sure how the editors determined which is first or which is last. I am guessing for now that they chose the places at random so that it does not make any of these amazing wonders more or less greater than the other.

To see videos of Norway, you can click here.
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+Fjord photo from http://www.scantours.net/

++Satellite photo from http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/

I had the chance to browse at MIT's Coop Bookstore last week trying to kill time to wait for my husband and daughter after office hours. Before you think that I was playing hookie from work that day, I had to leave work early just so I can make it to my doctor's appointment. Well that explains it... but back to my story, I was again checking their bargain book section and found this book (the last copy I think) "100 Great Wonders of the World".

I thumb through the heavily illustrated book and went gaga over the beautiful and amazing photos of the worlds great wonders. Published by Barnes & Noble, this book is all about 100 of the most wonderful and awesome wonders of the world that are either man-made or natural as selected by its editors. Even though there are more that a hundred great wonders in the world, this book still offers the kind of wonderment that will wow any reader. The book is divided into the seven continents: Europe, Asia, Africa, North America, Central and South America, Australia and Oceania and last but not the least, Antarctica.

I had to buy the book since it gave me more ideas where my husband and I could go after retirement. The more I flipped through its pages the more it fueled my desire to travel given the opportunity later on. If you ever see this book in your local library, borrow it or better yet, if you find the book in your favorite bookstore, buy it cause it's worth keeping a copy in your private collection.

I will try to blog about these great wonders to be able to share with you what the world has to offer.

I have taken to reading once again. For awhile there, this favorite hobby of mine had to take a back seat for several reasons. One, I was always tired and spent a lot of time relaxing (sleeping to be exact). Two, when I started blogging, most of my time was spent on the internet; surfing and browsing other blogs (to get ideas most of the time). And last but not the least, I lost my motivation...

However, lately thru serendipitous events, I have been drawn to some subject matters that has been of interest to me for sometime now. So, in order to satisfy my inner curiosity I once again delve into my stack of books and look for something that is calling to me.

My daily read from Crystalinks blog has pointed me towards the "subterranean world". Alec Maclellan's "The Lost World of Agharti" and Nicholas Roerich's "Shamballah" were seemingly beckoning to me to be read.