Today is not a good day. This morning, we had to take my dad to the hospital because he was feeling a sharp pain in the stomach area. We'll have to wait 'til tomorrow for the doctor's diagnosis.

Aside from that sad news, I also had to go through bad weather. My mom came back to the house from the hospital to get things for my dad. Just as we left home for the hospital, the rain fell down HEAVY! As in there's almost zero visibility on the road... everyone had their emergency lights on.

I was just going to drop my mom in the hospital and pick up my sister, but it turned out that I needed to wait 'til the rain stopped or at least tame down. The thing is, I was only wearing a purple pajama and Sanuk shoes. I was drenched all over the place! It didn't help that my mom forgot to tell me the room number so I had to inquire in the hospital's information booth. There I was in NKTI, a guy wearing green shirt, purple pajamas, and a pair of brown Sanuk shoes--ALL WET!

I swear I could possibly pass for the Joker if I only had facepaint on. People were looking at me at all angles, not that I mind. The worst part is that I had to spend almost an hour in the hospital all wet, wearing pajamas and "sorta" shoes. The aircon was killing me.

I also had to endure heavy traffic on the way back home because there was a mini-flash flood that was caused by the stupid rain.

Now, I'm not feeling so good. I hope this doesn't turn into a fever or something. I still have a million things to do tonight.

PS
I'm trying to survive the night by putting the 80s rock ballad, "Alone," on repeat. LSS after hearing Anne Curtis butcher my favorite Heart song! I love Anne Curtis! lol

Labels: self-thoughts

Ed came back in Manila last May 13, but he could only meet us on Friday. Having Ed and the other Singapore boys here in Manila is a big deal for us so we made an effort to be there. My sister just partly recovered from her fever so I was still contemplating if I should still go to Pilep's house to meet Ed. After confirming with my mom that she'll be coming home na, I decided to proceed to Pilep's.

Jem and Pay asked if I could get them along the way, so I did. When the three of us got there, only Oninz and I was there to meet us. Wala pa raw sina Pilep, Che, and Ed! Hahaha! Nag mall pala ang "grupong threesome!" Hehehe! No biggie though, specially when there's a big ass, well lit playground next to Pilep's house. You know, I really like what's happening around the Manila area. They placed a lot of colorful and bright lights all around that its really eye pleasing. And its really great that the politikos there built a playground next to Pilep's house. We ended up spending the time there. Haha!

Eventually, we saw Che arrived, running like she's being chased by a snatcher/holdaper. Haha! She told us that the two gays boys, Pilep and Ed, were at Cmart, buying food and booze. Pilep called and asked me if I could pick them up. We eventually got there and picked up the two. Ang laki ng pinayat ni Ed. Parang may kakaibang diet itong si nigga Ed ah! Nasobrahan sa...tooot! Hahaha! jk.

After the pleasantries, we went back to Pilep's house. While fixing the food and stuff, Dom called. She's asking if we could pick her up in the airport! Tangina ang layo!! Hahaha! Since I'm such a G-R-E-A-T friend, and since sagot niya raw kasi yung gas, I agreed to pick her up. I went with Jem kasi hindi ko kabisado yung daan from Sta. Mesa towards the airport. Another reason why I agree to pick up Dom is because para kumpleto kami that night. :)

Along the way, kwentuhan galore kami ni Jem. Medyo hindi rin pala kabisado ni Jem yung way so we ended up following an airport taxi that we encountered along the way. Haha! When we finally got to Dom, we were surprised to see her in full stewardess attire! Parang ang sarap pagtripan! Haha! We immediately made our way back, with kwentuhan and jokes.

After we got back, Dale has already arrived. A short while later, Drey arrived with his girlfriend, Dey. Its great that all the food hasn't been eaten yet! I was so hungry since I haven't eaten dinner yet. After a while, Drey and Dey bid farewell. May lakad pa raw ata sila the next day so they had to leave early. Ed and the rest decided to play Poker, while Che, Ai, Pilep and I decided to finish the bottle of Jose Cuervo. Dom was on a roll in Poker. She ended up winning all, beating Oninz, Jem, and Ed. Pay played the role of the dealer, while Dale was the "malas/badluck"... everyone Dale approached went bankrupt! Dapat talaga binigyan ni Dom ng balato si Dale! Haha!

After a while, we decided to call it a night. It was a great night, specially that we saw Ed again after a long time. After dropping the rest of the guys along the way, I headed back home. Tomorrow is gonna be the big "Then and Now" concert with Oninz and Chelips.

Labels: friends

So it was Oninz' birthday and he invited us over for a dinner blowout. When everybody was deciding the schedule a week before, we ended up with the loose plan of meeting in Shangrila for Oninz' birthday treat.

When the actual day came, medyo magulo pa rin yung schedule! Haha! I texted Che, and she told me that we were all supposed to meet in Shangrila because that's where we're going to watch the movie (Iron Man 2). So I left the house and drove towards Ortigas. Grabe, super traffic! It was the last campaign day for the politikos so they were littering the roads for a last hurray before the actual elections.

While wading through the traffic, Oninz texted me and asked kung nasaan na ako... late na kasi ako because of the heavy traffic. I texted him back and told him that I'm on my way already. He told me that "they were already in Megamall" during that time. By the term of "they," I assumed that it was already all of "them"--including Pilep and Che, who told me to go to Shangrila. I texted Oninz again just to make sure, asking him where I'll park, either Megamall or Shangrila. He told me to go and park in Megamall nalang! Haha!

So then, I finally got to Mega Mall and hurried to the Atrium for the meet up. Akala ko kasi ako nalang ang inaantay. I was surprised to see that it was just the three of them: Oninz, Ai, and Dale! Nagtaka ako kung nasaan sina Che and Pilep kasi sabi nila na "kanina pa sila andun at nakita pa nila si Bea Alonzo!" Haha!It turns out, may mis-communication pala sila ni Oninz. All that time, CHELIPS were waiting at Shangrila! Hala! Haha!

So we proceeded to inside Oninz' chosen restaurant, Chef's Quarter. We ordered dinner while waiting for Che and Pilep. After a while, the two finally came. They looked so tired! Haha! It turned out, they were walking around the area since morning pa. Grabe. At least we have the hearty dinner that Oninz ordered to make up for it. Haha!

After the great food, we proceeded to go to the cinemas. Dale needed to go since his job shift was at 10pm. After waiting a while for our screening, we eventually got in and watch IRON MAN 2. My impressions: the movie was great! I found the first one more "charming" though, but the second one still delivered. I really like Downey, Jr. as Tony Stark/Iron Man. The last second epilogue was okay, too. It showed Thor's hammer, obviously building up the upcoming Thor movie. Before seeing the epilogue, I was expecting it to be: 1. Captain America's frozen body being discovered by SHIELD; 2. Hulk heading towards the city where Iron Man is; and 3. Something about Thor. At least I was partly right with my third guess! Haha!

After the movie, we headed to the parking lot. Our next plan is to go to the Banchetto, an overnight street food bazaar on Emerald St. in Ortigas. However, Ai needed to go home because her mother is looking for her. So we decided to send Ai home before going to the Banchetto.

It was my first time to go to the Banchetto. I only heard it from Che and Oninz. Since we didn't know where exactly its located, we ended parking a few blocks away! Haha! Pero it was still fun because I missed walking around Ortigas during the late hours! Hehe. When we finally got there, I was surprised by the number of people! I didn't imagine that the place will be jam-packed! While walking around, I even saw my high school friend, Merf. About the food, there were all kinds of them. You have the usual street foods, appetizers, snacks, and even full meals. It was great. After eating some, we finally decided to go home.

A big thanks to Oninz for the birthday blowout! Tanda mo na pre! Hahahaha! jk

Labels: birthdays, friends

Finally, I got my projected, dream TV. Haha! A month ago, I was researching what 32" LCD to buy. I was planning to have my own TV to place inside my room. My desktop PC monitor just got busted up recently so I was planning to use my new LCD TV for PC purposes too, besides PS3 gaming, cable, and movie watching.

Based from what I gather from PinoyDVD Forum, probably the largest Pinoy forum regarding TV/DVD resources, the LG LH70 was the best pound for pound LCD TV for the 32" scale.

Why is this the best 32" LCD TV, in my opinion? For me, it is because of these features:

Bluetooth connectivity - connect any Bluetooth capable gadgets to your TV, like headphones, headsets, data storage devices, music players, etc.

USB connectivity - stick your USB device to play music, photos, and movie files (DIVX) on your TV.

Besides these two features, the most surprising feature for me is the TruMotion 120Hz. I wasn't paying much attention about it, but it was pretty stellar when I finally tested the TV myself. Kitang kita mo yung flow at galaw ng mga tao sa TV. I can't really describe it because I'm not that techie in regards to TVs.. basta parang napaka-dynamic nung projection. I connected my PS3 and was blown away. Lutang na lutang ang graphics as compared to my parents' 32" Sony Bravia which was just LCD ready.

Last but not the least, the LG LH70 is in Full HD. With all these features, plus the device being full HD, its a great buy for an LCD TV under 30K.

To say the least, I was blown away by this TV. I decided to buy from an online Multiply seller (who had a lot of great feedbacks from the LCD community). So if you're planning to buy an LCD TV, I highly recommend Remal Sales. They have the cheapest prices, and they offer FREE DELIVERY (within Metro Manila, i think). I had mine delivered yesterday. The delivery crew arrived as early as 8am. Kinatok na nga lang ako nung katulong namin kasi tulog pa ako.. kakahiya kasi naka briefs lang ako dahil sa init! Hahahaha!

Anyhoo, I highly recommend the LG Scarlet LH70 if you're looking for a GREAT 32" LCD TV. There are probably better options if you're looking for something above the 32" scale... but like I've said, this is the best 32" LCD TV in my opinion.

Labels: games and hobbies, haul

These are some of the gems I managed to catch on TV late at night while I was trying to make myself sleep a few weeks ago.

The Education of Charlie Banks

Directed by: Fred Durst (yeah, the Limp Bizkit frontman)
Starring:
Jesse Eisenberg
Jason Ritter

The story is about Charlie Banks, a typical neighborhood kid who witnessed a brawl involving Mick Leary, the neighborhood bad-ass. In the fight, Mick nearly killed his opponents so police was involved. Charlie is now ridden with guilt if he should point Mick to the police. He was hesitant because Mick is also a friend of Charlie's best friend, Danny. Another thing is that Charlie fears Mick's wrath in case his betrayal will be discovered. After a few urging, Charlie decided to betray Mick to the police. The movie fast forwards a few years later where Charlie and Danny are now college students living in the school dormitories. One day, Mick gives them a surprise visit. Charlie is now clustered as to why Mick is there. Does Mick know that it was Charlie who betrayed him years back? What is Mick's motive?

I didn't expect the movie to be good. It was one of those things where you take hold of the remote controller, start channel surfing, then landing on a channel to see a movie that's currently playing. It just so happen that I tuned in right when the movie started. Right from the start, I was hooked with the main characters' performances and decided to stay on and finish the movie. Eisenberg really did a great job as Charlie Banks. My favorite, however, was the troubled individual, Mick Leary, played by Jason Ritter. You'll keep guessing what he'll do next, and what he's really after. The movie is good, but its not perfect. There are a couple of pacing problems, and it keeps presenting scenarios that the movie doesn't really builds upon. It kinda acts as a coming of age film, but then it doesn't. Even though, I really enjoyed the movie. Kudos to Fred Durst for his first foray in film directing.

--

Charlie Bartlett

Directed by: Jon Poll
Starring:
Robert Downey, Jr.
Anton Yelchin

Wow, I just realized that the two movies I'm writing about features a character named "Charlie!" Amazing.

I wasn't able to start "start" the movie (my mom was the one watching), but I tuned in just in time to be "into" the movie. The story is about the titular character, Charlie Bartlett, a rich kid who got expelled from his private school because of an illegal act (i think he was making counterfeit ids, or so my mom told me). He transferred to a public school where he couldn't relate. Actually, he really couldn't relate to anywhere and anything because he's a teenager with issues. His dad is behind bars for unpaid taxes, and his mom doesn't discipline him much because she's afraid that he might rebel. Charlie just wants what most teenager wants in this point of their lives: attention. So, Charlie proposes a business deal with the school bully to start a campus psychiatric club where they listen to the students' problems, and supply them with the necessary drugs (yes, he's dealing prescription drugs inside campus). In a short while, Charlie becomes the most popular guy in campus. But there's more to it. He meets a girl who turns out to be the daughter of the schools principal, played by Robert Downey, Jr. The principal is the only person standing against Charlie's business. And the thing is, even the principal have his own case of problems and emotional baggage.

For some reason, I really enjoyed this movie. It's a clunky, coming of age movie but I got drawn with the cast of characters. Yelchin was okay as Charlie Bartlett. Robert Downey, Jr. was also in his excellent form (this is post-Iron Man era RDJ) as the school principal who deals with his daughter's rebellion, and his jealousy towards Charlie's bigger influence on the campus students. Great stuff. Like the 'Charlie Banks,' this is not a perfect movie, but a good one specially when you catch it by channel surfing at night.

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Misery

Directed by: Rob Reiner
Written by: Stephen King
Starring:
Kathy Bates
James Caan

Now this movie, I saw it years ago when I was still a kid. I remember a couple of years ago, I was trying to recall the title of this film. I could only remember the scenario, but I always remember it as one of the most excellent suspense film that I watched. Then a few days ago, I lucked out. I caught this one playing on Cinemax! And the title... Misery.

Paul Sheldon (played bu James Caan) is a famous writer who penned the romance novels starring a character named Misery Chastaine. He was on his way back to New York when he had an accident. He was driving in the middle of a snow storm when his car fell into a cliff. He was rescued by a former nurse, Annie Wilkes (excellently portrayed by Kathy Bates). Paul broke his two legs and his right shoulder, luckily for him, Annie rescued him and took him to her place. As Paul recovers, Annie introduces herself. She reveals herself as "Paul Sheldon's number one fan!" She's a fan, particularly of Paul's character, Misery. She informs Paul that she has already alerted the police and that help is on the way. Days go by, and the police still haven't arrive. At first, Paul thinks that Annie is just one of the typical, middle-age woman who's a fan of his works. It turns out, Annie is an obsessive psychopath! As days passed, Annie reveals that she has not alerted the police and that Paul is more or less a prisoner in her house who's tasked to re-write the last novel wherein Paul killed the character of Misery. Talk about obsession!

Like I've said, this is one of the most excellent suspense thrillers that I've ever watched. Stephen King really created a masterpiece with this one. The fact that the story is believable and could happen to anyone is enough to keep your attention. Just imagine a famous author, JK Rowling for example, getting into an accident and rescued by some lunatic. With broken limbs, she can only rely on the lunatic to survive. She's practically at the mercy of the lunatic who demands things like "Why did you kill Dumbledoooooore!!!!!! Write another book about Harry Potter!!!! Bring back Dumbledoooooorrrreeee!!!!!!!! Or else I'm gonna break your legs... again!" That's exactly what happened to James Caan's character in this movie. Being a captive of an obsessive fan of yours is really frightening indeed.

The biggest gem of this movie, of course, is Kathy Bates. She was excellent as the psychotic and obsessive Annie Wilkes. Although you can argue that James Caan was also great, Bates really stole the show. Also, I don't know if its just me but some of Caan's facial expressions in this movie is better suited for comedies like National Lampoon. He's got that 80s comedy punchline facial expression going on. That's my only gripe though. He was believable as the captive Sheldon.

A really great film. I highly recommend it if ever you have a chance to see it.

Labels: movie reviews

Directed by: Matthew Vaughn
Produced by: Brad Pitt
Starring:
Aaron Johnson
Christopher Mintz-Plasse
Chloe Grace Moretz
Nicolas Cage
Mark Strong

After the Tagaytay trip, the five of us (Jem, Che, Pilep, Oninz, and me) decided to watch Kick-Ass the next day. I've been hearing raves about the movie so I was all out for it. So there we were in Trinoma, the next day. True enough, Kick-Ass was kick ass.

The movie revolves around Dave Lizewski, your typical comic book nerd who's unpopular to everyone besides his equally unpopular friends. On their way home, they got mugged (again) by some thugs. Lizewski had enough of it, so he decided to dress up and become a vigilante to stand up to criminals even without powers or proper training. He orders a scuba diving suit and a pair of batons, and uses it to fight crime as the masked vigilante, Kick-Ass. In his first exploit as Kick-Ass, he got stabbed and ran over by a car. Undeterred, he decided to continue his plight. One night, on a mission to save a cat, he ran into a group of thugs beating up an individual. He decided to help the victim by fighting the thugs. Coincidentally, a group of kids managed to record a video of the incident and posted it on YouTube. Kick-Ass became an overnight sensation, and before he knew it, he's busy with missions. On one of his exploits gone wrong, he was saved by another vigilante named Hit-Girl... a pre-teen in costume who easily dispatches enemies with guns and blades. He also get to meet Hit-Girl's partner, Big Daddy. All is well until they discovered that the guys they messed with are thugs of a big crime boss. The story expands from there.

First off, I have to admit that I've never read the original comic book version of Kick-Ass by Mark Millar (same guy who did 'Wanted'). With that out, I must say that I'm pretty much impressed with this movie adaptation. The pacing is great, the story is great, the characters are great, the script is great... heck, even Nicolas Cage was decent in this movie.

I really appreciated the movies sense of humor. Also, the shock factor was great. I didn't expect it to be this violent. Just imagine Hit-Girl, a pre-teen who curse like a sailor and pulls of headshots like she's playing Modern Warfare! It's amazing! Actually, I can go on and talk about Hit-Girl because she literally stole the show. Chloe Moretz really did a great job portraying the ultra-violent vigilante. It's no wonder that Hit-Girl has become so popular overnight.

Overall, I really recommend this film. Again, bear in mind that I've never read the comic book. So if you're one of those comic book purists, you're bound to be disappointed (AS ALWAYS!) because I heard that the movie changed some things from the comics. But if you're a casual movie goer who doesn't mind the ultra violence, and the dark and crude sense of humor, then Kick-Ass is a really great movie! I must say that this is the best movie, SO FAR, that I've watched in the cinemas this year.

Labels: movie reviews

Finally, Myk has come home to the Philippines for the first time since he left for Singapore to work. He decided to get us all together and go to Tagaytay for an overnight trip!

Myk was planning for this weeks ago. He even called us one by one. When he called me, he changed his voice into a 'bombay' like individual... "Hello, is this Fil?! I'm calling in regards to the sex site membership." Pota, akala ko totoo! Hahahaha! Parang bombay talaga yung boses. Halatang sanay na si Myk sa bombay ah. Hmmm.

Back to the Tagaytay sleepover, Myk set it on a Friday (last Friday, actually) since he's going back to Singapore on the next day. Kitakits nalang daw sa Shell Magallanes. Since we're 8 all in all, we decided to bring two cars and split up the people. The people riding with me were Che, Pilep, Oninz, and Jem. With Myk were Anthony, Pay, and the always late, nigga Dale! Haha! I was actually surprised that Pay came with us! Most of the time kasi, hindi pinapayagan siya kasi strict yung dad niya. It was really great that she was able to come. :)

Sayang nga lang at hindi nakumpleto. Dom had work, and Drey had other plans. Sayang at hindi nakauwi sina Mark and Ed. Otherwise, it would've been a perfect barkada trip. ;)

Anyhoo, on the day of the trip itself, I only had 2 hours of sleep. I didn't even wake up to the sound of my alarm, but rather I woke up because of a bad dream! Haha! I immediately took a bath and headed to McDo Q.ave to meet up with CHELIPS, Jem, and Oninz. Once we're set, we immediately headed to Shell Magallanes to be able to avoid the harsh Edsa rush hour traffic. And as expected, intayan na naman ng matagal kasi may na-late na naman... SINOOOO KAYA YUN!?! Hmmm!! "D" ang simula ng name! Hahaha!

Myk arrived to greet us. It's the first time I saw Myk since he left for SG last year. Parang namayat ng konti. Pero ganun pa rin! He still had his trademark sense of humor and LAUGH OUT LOUD (as in literal) antics! Hahaha!

Once we were complete, we headed out to Tagaytay! It was easy going and no traffic. It was a really pleasant trip. After a while, we finally got to Tagaytay, and to the rest house that Myk rented! It was really great! It has 4 bedrooms, and each room had its own bathroom. Really good. When I asked Myk how much did he pay for the house, he told me it was 10k for a night... but he was able to haggle it down to 8k since "weekday" naman. Haha.

After settling down, and resting for a bit, we decided to go out and check the area. The place villa had a basketball court and a pool right at the middle. We decided to play some ball wherein I think I pulled something in my back area. I found myself writhing in pain for a while. The last time I experienced this was in highschool! Haha! Thanks to Pilep for massaging my butt! "Ahhhh, Pileeeeeep!" Hahaha! Thanks pre! Haha!

The girls decided to join in the ball game, so it was me, Pilep, and the girls versus the others. Of course walang rules yung girls kaya nanalo kami! Hahahaha! After a while, we got hungry. We decided to go out, and eat at Leslie's! Grabe, andaming food. We had fried fish, chicken barbeque, sisig, laing, and BULALO! The best ang bulalo ng Leslie's.

After eating, we headed to Robinson's grocery to buy booze and snacks. This was supposed to be Dale's treat since hindi siya nag-treat nung birthday niya. Haha! After that, we headed back to the rest house. Relax mode muna. Magic cards, Tekken, card games... it was all fun.

Si Anthony nakalaban ko sa Tekken, natalo ako sa simula! Akala ko magaling talaga, yun pala nanibago lang ako (ang yabang ko talaga! hahahaha!). Once I got back to my usual moves, hindi na nanalo ulit. Pinasa na sa iba yung PSP. Hehe. I also fought against Myk, pero halatang nanibago sa PSP controls kaya iba yung laro niya. Pilep is still the fiercest Tekken rival.. I barely won against him.. chamba lang talaga yung panalo ko. Bakit nga ba once lang kami nag laban that time? Onga pala, adik ang mga walang hiya sa Magic kaya nag Magic nalang sila! Hehe!

While the others are playing Magic, Che, Pay, Jem, and I were playing card games. Black Jack muna, tapos Myk joined us kaya naging "1,2,3...Pass" yung game! Ang ingay ni Myk! Haha! Palo raw sa kamay yung punishment pag ikaw ang matalo. Hehe. After a while, I borrowed Pilep's PSP and played 'Fat Princess!" Naadik ako! Hahaha! When I came back to the room, nagsisigawan na ang mga walang hiya ng mga mura at bastos na body parts! Hahaha! It turns out they were playing a new card game! ;p

Later that afternoon, we played basketball again while the girls headed to the pool. After the game, nag-swimming na rin yung iba. I skipped on the pool because I was feeling really tired and strained. I decided to rest it up inside, and then took a bath.

Come night time, we decided to go out and have dinner at Yellow Cab. We ordered 3 large pizzas. Sarap!


Once we got home, hinay hinay muna then inuman na! We had Jose Cuervo and a couple of beers. We decided to have card games, and have the loser take a shot! Haha! I think the first game was "1,2,3,Pass." Ang saya! Mas marami pa yatang nainom yung mga violators kesa dun sa mga actual na natalo sa game! Hahaha! Then to speed it up, we incorporated the drinking game into Black Jack. The winner of a set will pick who will take the shot. Haha! Ayun, napabilis na ang Cuervo, so we relied on beers after.

Later that night, the others went to sleep na. Those of us who were still awake had kwentuhan pa. I think it was Che, Myk, Jem, Oninz, and me nalang. All we had were beers so inom pa ng konti. I was a bit tipsy na rin that time. After a while, nag-room hopping pa kami para bulabugin yung iba! Haha! We ended up sleeping on different rooms. Si Anthony lang yung naiwan dun sa isang room! Haha!

When I woke up the next day, the guys were talking about an incident nung early morning daw. May nag-iskandalo raw sa labas ng villa gate. I must be really in deep sleep kasi hindi ako nagising. Haha!

Also, hinatid pa namin si Dale sa rotonda so he can get a bus back to Manila. He had an office outing so he need to go back early. When we came back, I slept again. Around 10am, we packed up our things na because we needed to go home.

So, we bid Myk goodbye. He was to go back to SG later that afternoon. The next time we'll see him will be on October. Uuwi raw sabay sabay silang tatlo nila Mark and Ed. I really miss those two na rin. Also, Pay and Anthony were riding with Myk so we bid them goodbye too. CHELIPS, Jem, and Oninz rode with me again as we headed back to Manila. We had a little stop over at Paseo in Laguna to check the Nike Outlet store.

Haay, ramdam na naman ang init pagdating sa Manila. After getting home, I found that my whole family left on a road trip. They had their own overnight trip! Haha! So I was home alone, and slept most of the day.

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Pics courtesy of Che..

Labels: friends, trip