MY "UP" MOMENT **"UP"-DATED!!**

I've been so busy sorting through the tons of pictures from my Singapore trip, that I haven't been able to work no a new food post, so here's a non-food post to make sure ya'll don't forget me..

  

             Today's post is going to be a little different. In fact, since it has nothing to do with food, I'm going to have to say that it's going to be a lot different from what you're used to in my blog.  A video came out this week that caught my eye. It was first brought to my attention by the lovely Mrs. Joanne B., the wife of My Giant, Joel. She posted the video on her facebook account and tagged me in the video. As a sign that I picked the best "Foodie Community" to be a part of, even the Myfoodtrip.com Facebook page featured this video!

       It was a segment from "Good Morning America" about two guys, obviously with too much free time on their hands, that decided to see if they could actually make a house fly using balloons, just like in the Disney Pixar movie, "Up". Of course, they had to use 8 foot rubber balloons instead of your traditional party ones, but it was still quite an achievement.

     Throughout the day, I got a few people asking me, "Hey, did you see the real life "UP" on youtube?".  I found it amusing how my friends associated me with the movie. UP ranks high among my favorite movies of all time. And to be honest, it's the only movie that has ever brought me to tears more than once (3D glasses are godsend, btw). To this very day, I'm lucky if I can get through the first ten minutes without shedding a tear. 

      Though Rina and I were not Childhood sweethearts, I could totally relate to how Carl and Ellie Fredricksen were partners in everything they would do. At that time, we were having difficulty having a baby as well, and though I never said it out loud, I was slightly concerned that Rina and I might have the same trouble as well (Thankfully, as my mother and the rest of our family found out, that would not be the case). But it was the thought of losing Rina the way Carl lost Ellie that really hit me hardest. And it is that thought that brings me to tears every single time. 

       But my connection to "UP" didn't start there. Even before the movie was shown, I took a picture with my buddy Mark that became very popular amongst my friends. It was a poorly lit picture of me and Mark, taking a picture with the UP Standee in Greenbelt. The picture made my wife crack up, so she asked me and Mark to copy the poses, which we gamely did. 

     After this picture, Rina knew what her plans for me and Mark were for Halloween. Of course Mark and I were both willing participants, and the great part about it, is that we both ended up becoming the hit of the party! 

      Yes, I'm not ashamed to admit it, I went as "Russel" in Halloween 2009. Rina took care of the costume of course, and she really went all out to make it. But before you give my very talented wife ALL the credit, you should know that, although she was responsible for practically all the items that my costume consisted of, the awesome physique was all ME.

      Rina did an amazing job with the badges, drawing on them one by one! 

She even left a blank spot out for where the "Helping the eldery" badge was supposed to be.She even made me a "Wilderness Explorer" flag that she stuck on the back of my backpack!

      When there's a Russel, Mr. Fredrickson can't be too far behind, right? Even without the white hair, Mark made an excellent Carl Fredrickson! We tried putting powder on his hair, but it just made it look "dusty', not white. We both won the best costume prize, but I ceded the full prize amounting to P3,000 to him because he actually believed me when I said he had to wear the costume the whole day, or he'd forfeit the prize (I'm a jerk, I know, but I did make up for it in the end, didn't I?). 

     My buddy Ted went all out and went as Mr. Clean. Can you imagine how hard this was to put this ensemble together? It's not easy having to go to the grocery to buy a "Bareta" these days.

          My Giant, Joel on the other hand, couldn't pass up the chance to leather pants again.

        Rina, being the biggest Michael Jackson fan in the universe, genuinely got kilig when she saw him!

 

        So I was a celebrity for the evening, posing with my adoring fans. By the way, the cute girl on my right is none other than The Dough Puncher!

        Me and my bestest buddies.. It comes to no surprise why we get along, right?

    My "UP" experience did not end there. A few months after the party, the wife of one of my bosses', Miss Bunny, called me to inform me that none other than Ronnie Del Carmen of Pixar studios, and story supervisor for "Up" would be dropping by their office to give a talk. If I had anything I wanted signed, she'd be more than happy to have it signed for me. I thought that was awesome, so there was no way I'd let that chance slip by! Of course I got even more kilig when Miss Bunny told me "Natuwa siya sa picture nyo!". 

     In the end, I got my souvenir picture signed from the story supervisor of one of my favorite movies, who approved of my Halloween costume! Pretty cool, huh?

   Thank you to miss Beth of Lowe as well, for accommodating my humble request!    

     The next time I delay a post, I'll show you what I did for Halloween 2010!

(I don't want to give too much a way, but does the phrase, "This is Sparta!!" ring any bells?)

 **"UP"-DATE**

     Breaking news! I'm still in a daze.. hehe.. Miss Beth of Lowe sent Ronnie Del Carmen the link of my blog!

    Ok, first of all, I don't know what to get more "kilig" about.. Ronnie Del Carmen (Yes, I do have to say his name in full) sent me, my wife, and my buddy his regards, or the fact that Ronnie Del Carmen (told ya) had already read my post, on the same day it was published! Who would of thought he would stumble on unto my little-blog-that-could? It got me all excited about how far my little "project" can reach! 

    Adventure, truly is out there!

    Miss Beth, once again, from the bottom of my heart, thank you so much!