tariray's adventures

This is it!!

2009-02-11T17:06:00.002+08:00

Noticed him, hated him, ignored him, hated his guts again, but i still ended up with him.. Love does move in mysterious ways. hehe.

After doodling with several long relationships, I finally tied the knot--with a short engagement. Unlikely to some, but as most of my friends say--not impossible with me..

Our wedding was at Tagaytay on a shivery friday of January.. it was so cold lumamig pati anit ko...my husband cried at the altar that it boggled me whether he was just happy or if at one split second wanted to bail out..

As long as Im happy.. YEY!!

now, if I could just find the time to upload some of the wedding pix..

Trick or Treat!

2007-10-31T13:34:00.000+08:00

And now, ladies and gentlemen...

MY UNDAS 2007 COSTUME:

AYOS BA?? BWAHAHA!

NOTHING

2007-10-31T13:07:00.000+08:00

My brother just came from a 3-day gimmick at PG, my mom just left yesterday for our visayan province and my friendships are leaving tommorrow for a "bitchy" extendend weekend. And me? NOTHING, NADA, ZILCH.

Though in all actuality this is a self-imposed hiatus, rooting to my undisciplined wallet. Took me 4 months to balance my current financial capacity-- zeroing on what I can and cant afford. An example of what I cant afford is to eat from fastfoods once a day for a week. In my past work, if I wanted something I would just skip eating out and just live on my delats on stock. But now, there are toll fees to think of. Not to mention the lure of the neighborhood mall offering distraction and relaxation from a tiring and stressful day.

Not that I have a zero bank balance, its just that I noticed that my status is not that balanced. The final straw was when I figured that I couldnt afford to join that "bitchy" trip. Oh drat.

On a lighter side, my car's got a full tank. If I could just drink gasoline, I would probably be drunk by now. Want a shot?

I beg your Pardon?

2007-10-27T20:46:00.000+08:00

I just dont get it.

You grant pardon to a person who is prosecuted and yet he insists that that he is innocent.

I do get the angle where the ailing mother isnt going to stay long.. being a Filipino, these things are considered important. This fact does give a sense of urgency.

But broadcasting that recieving pardon doesnt necessarily mean that he is guilty? Medyo malabo men.. why should you ask for pardon if you didnt do anything? Kala ko ba ang reason why you took this offer was because of your ailing mother? Pwede namang manahimik nalang.

Bakit pa ksi nagpardon pa. eh may verdict na nga. so ganun lang yun? Tsk tsk..

Re-Joyce!

2007-10-12T21:44:00.001+08:00

Sometimes the only time you realize that you're alone is when one of those who left you comes back to visit. Being a "self-help" kind of person, I seldom focus on the fact that all of my Kapatiran have left me here in Pinas, most of them studying their brains out. But once in a while I do remember that they left me (not that I wanted to follow--never crossed my mind), though this is highlighted when one of them comes back for vacation.

Such is the case for Joyce' homecoming this year, our first conversation mostly spent on arguing that it wasnt I that forgot about them BUT ME WHOM THEY LEFT BEHIND! hu hu hu. playful banter lang po.

It was such a treat to get together with her and Ruth the vet (her sister). I remember getting sick at the dorm and the Vet telling me to take more than the usual dosage of Vitamin C--I playfully argued that I wont take advice from an animal doctor; she sternly replied that there was no difference: hayop din daw naman ako! haha!

Oh gosh, this is the problem with these go-see-each-other-again moments.. I reminisce. I miss everyone.. boohoo...

Celebrity Look-a-like

2007-10-07T23:23:00.000+08:00

Well, to see that Grace Kelly and Zhang Ziyi were on the list didn't really surprise me (kapal ba? pagbigyan na, blog ko naman to e..hehe)

The REAL REVELATION was to see Jang Geum there.. hahaha!! Ahem ahem....Unti unting mararating.. Kalangitan at bituin... hahaha!

Pero the truth is, eto talaga ang tunay kong identity...

Onward March!

2007-09-20T18:27:00.000+08:00

With Ninong moving up to a higher post, I find myself alone with all of his accounts. Sure, he's just in the other side of the office floor but of course I cant act like a baby girl expecting him to help me everytime..after all, I was hired for this job.

Vacation days are over, and its time to march on to the tasks at hand. BM has been so far super supportive, making himself approachable to any questions or assistance I might need. Despite his own tier's chaos, it seems he enjoys fresh blood in his team. I actually dont feel 'alone'.

So whats the point of this entry? Wala lang. These days I slowly am getting into the groove of things in salesgirl's life. I find myself picking up the pieces Ninong left-- whether endorsed or not endorsed. I now face the tasks of sales tracking, forecasting, lost invoices and long distance driving. At times nakakabigla, but I put effort not to get rattled-this is my new world after all.. and I sense that this is just the tip of the iceberg..

Green Light

2007-09-15T20:34:00.000+08:00

FINALLY! Took the driving assessment again-- at a different testing center-- and PASSED! Ive never felt this great since my comprehensive exam for my masters degree.. grabeng pahirap! DEM YOU all who didnt believe in me! hahaha! Cant wait to see the report.. parang gusto kong ipalaminate..

Episode Title: PARKING LOT Part 2

2007-09-10T19:45:00.000+08:00

On another coding day, my friend , again left home early for a provincial assignment. Learning from her previous experience, she makes sure she has all the proper workwear before leaving. She even left earlier than usual so she can have breakfast at the gas station. Having had chicken sandwich, she then makes a mental note to brush her teeth at the gas station's restroom. Arriving at the destination's parking lot, and realizing that the mental note was forgotten, she scans the area :
toothbrush in bag-CHECK;
toothpaste in bag-CHECK;
drinking water in the car-CHECK;
car parked at left without passengers & no car parked at the right-CHECK;
car parked at a safe distance from possible onlookers-CHECK;
Security guard safely away from the car-CHECK!!!!
Go Go Go!!! Toothbrush na!!!!

Then her boss suddenly parks at the empty parking space at the right—he even waves at her briefly ==making her suddenly throw her toothbrush and muntik na malunok yung toothpaste sa bibig! Hahahaha!

ONCE AGAIN, Thank you Lord for portable sun shields and dark window tints.

LESSON LEARNED: Never brush your teeth at a parking lot when you’re going to meet your boss.

Episode Title: Parking Lot

2007-09-05T18:50:00.000+08:00

On a coding day, my friend, left home early for a provincial assignment. Whilst driving along almost halfway to the destination, she suddenly discovers that she left her "work" shoes at home! WATDAFAK! She's wearing her driving tsinelas with slacks and a formal long sleeved blouse. Super bagay diba? Why not bagong fashion statement! She thinks.. and thinks.. "what to do, what to do?" OKAY! Change into a non-formal shirt at the destination's parking lot. Dati syang girlscout kaya may baong pamalit. Good job! Great Idea! Yun nga lang while removing her shirt, biglang may nagpark na pick-up sa tabi ng car with about 5 guys..

Thank you Lord for portable sun shields and dark window tints.

LESSON LEARNED: Make sure you're wearing the appropriate workwear-from head to foot before getting into that car.

Revisiting Baguio

2007-08-28T16:54:00.000+08:00

Went to Baguio last weekend for our team's bussiness planning... and I couldn't help but remember the previous times I've been to the City of Pines. The last time I was there was last year to attend Ga Eric's wedding-- but I was too cold to bother with the view. Anyways, it was almost freezing that time, since it was early March. I even brought along my handy nebulizer then..just in case. Turns out the neb chugged out cold medicine-- haha-- ayun pati lungs ko gininaw!

This year I'm with my new officemates, and I couldnt help but miss my MNC friends (this topic deserves a separate entry). Well this is life--ganyan talaga. Stayed at The Manor at Camp John Hay: SOZY ba? and just looking around the whole place reminded me of the "old Baguio".. the one I remember as a child. Scanning through the Camp's view and breathing cold, crisp air through only one nostril (barado yung isa, may sipon ako e! hehehe) made me think of my childhood trips to this place. This is Baguio-- Pine trees, cold breeze and a stock of Neozep on hand.

But going to the city proper is another experience these days. Streets are too narrow and crowded. Too many buildings are everywhere. I didnt even notice the pine trees there. Its a real pity. I didn't even bother taking a picture when we were in the city. And of course when you're at SM, you feel like your at any other SM branch. Burnham park didnt look like the way I remembered it, though the City market was of course "Gulay Heaven".

Overall, its great to think that there are still places at Baguio that preserves the pine tree theme. It saddens me that we lost these places to urbanidad. How will my children relate to my stories of Baguio as a child.. children daw oh! hahaha!

Latitude D260

2007-08-16T10:44:00.000+08:00

As if to compensate for my misfortune (re:see my last blog), they finally issued my LT.. a Dell Latitude D620. Yehey! I've never been techie but my new work makes me mobile and tech is the fastest way to get in touch with everyone. But though its kind of exciting that I have my own LT issued, i still just see it as a tool to get reports done. I dont even have the urge to tinker or doodle with it the way RV did with her PC ( sabagay mas alam pa nga nya i-operate yung DVD player ko eh!). Maybe internet is just the perk that makes me use it, but then the only things I do is blog , email and chat with a selected few... never been an avid surfer. At least I can email and blog freely now.

Thought of getting a Wi-Fi catcher (yun ba tawag dun?) so I can work online even when I'm OO (out-of the-Office), and I have to buy a smaller bag--probably a backpack type so i'tll be more comfortable. Mas heavygat pa yung bag ko ngayon than the LT. mukha akong kargador! hahaha!

Major Roadblock

2007-08-09T13:57:00.000+08:00

Dem.

The major come-on I fell for when I accepted this new job was the promise of my own vehicle. It was promised alright, and this promise wasnt made to be broken.. except I couldnt keep my end of the deal.

Sobrang nakakahiya.

Though my bossings here totally understand and empathize, I cant help but think to myself how utterly "tatanga tanga" I am for failing my driving assessment exams TWICE! Naknang! Matalino nga at madiskarte sa ibang bagay tas driving lang tatanga tanga pa!

Not that I dont have my drivers license yet.. If there's one thing Im proud of its the fact that I acquired my license entirely on my own-- not with the help of any pontio pilato nor with any aid of "under-the-table" transactions. But of course I spent one whole f@cking day at LTO.

Evidently, in order for the vehicle be released, I need that driving assessment. And I apparently dont have it! Nevermind the fact that I drive almost every day now to Makati, Cavite, Laguna, paranaque. Ive already developed a trauma to that assessor, who seems to have a "God-complex" knowing that everytime I retake I pay the fee.

Thank you Lord for the understanding people around me. May I have more patience and courage to try and try again... but for now, I'll just have to borrow my father's car..

Syana in the City..

2007-07-12T14:59:00.000+08:00

Hello! I'm back. and I've been employed at my new work for a grandtotal of 15 days today! Yahoo! susuweldo na ko! haha!

And since i'm now working in the City, tis been quite an experience adjusting to the city environment. Haha! Ikaw ba naman ang mag aral then work sa Laguna for 14 years, where Target Mall was the most happening place in town-- before SM City SR..

certified probinSYANA's point of concerns (in random order) as a city girl:
1. wearing heels while walking along unevenly tiled sidewalks.
2. enduring the "so near yet so far" feeling while stuck in traffic.
3. enduring traffic everyday
4. queing for a ride home everyday(at least temporarily)
5. dealing with rapid changes in atmospheric pressure whilst in the elevator
6. dealing with rapid changes in atmospheric pressure upon stepping out of the elevator
7. working in a high altitude environment (26th flr) the whole workday (at least temporarily)
8. coping with the corporate attire needs
9. having to wear make-up lest I look like trapo beside everyone
10. keeping my wallet disciplined as I traverse Glorietta/Landmark everyday.

Haha! listahan na nga lang technical pa rin ba?

A Bum's weekend

2007-06-26T21:06:00.000+08:00

Served my last working day at the plant and I'm officially unemployed. I'm a BUM. Well, at least for 4 whole days.

How did this bum spend her time?

Well, I went home to the province to celebrate my grandma's 85th bday. There was a party infact. Aside from that I did some entertaining and so went and had lunch at the famous Tatoy's Manokan. And of course I slept. hehe. Then we visited some relatives at Guimaras Island and bought some sweet sweet mangoes and ate a feast again.. and of course I slept.

Coming back to Manila, I was scheduled to fix my stuff (the ones I hauled back home!) but again I slept. hehe. I just made sure that the "stuff" were all hidden from my mother's obsessive compulsive view! haha! BUT I also did some driving ha! and it'll be just a while till I can finish this driving thing..that's an accomplishment!

Starting my new job will be a real change and I just wanted to enjoy being a bum for a short short while. How can you not enjoy such moments? After all, you have nothing work-related to think about, yet you know that you will still have a job in a few days.

And so I slept. So soundly at that. hehe.

Why?-- a poem by Lollipop

2007-06-22T09:19:00.000+08:00

Just wanted to share a poem emailed by a colleague. Wag nyo na kilalanin si Lollipop baka madismaya pa kayo. haha!

"You don't have to answer why,
If you have to leave, but, say goodbye.
I am sure the reason is too personal,
But I am your friend, and my asking is normal.
All I can say before you leave,
Thanks for the memories, they're great, indeed.
If there is one thing that I hate,
No longer will we can work together, well that's fate.
But then again, I want you to leave happy,
So I will always pray for you,
my thoughts of you will never be empty.
I know God will always be upon you. "

Moving on..

2007-06-16T04:48:00.000+08:00

I've got one more post left to cover the BKK trip but this needs to be posted. I submitted my resignation letter last week and I'm moving on.

Last week I didn't really feel the pressure (how would you if your boss seemed to take it lightly and talked to you for a grand total of ONLY 5 mins?), but its slowly creeping up. This week word has already been out and colleagues from other departments are now asking the 4 Ws: What? Why? When? and Where?!! Though the first W isnt exactly a question, its more of an exclamation.

How exactly do I feel about this at the moment? Hmmn.. Sad, uncertain, melancholy.. and yet excited. But dont get me wrong, it was a decision to be made and I take time and a lot of thought in making any decision.

I'm officially TV-less right now since I took it out this afternoon. Got a lot of things to pack, several things still left to endorse at work. Thinking about it, I'm probably using blogging as a distraction to keep myself from pondering on "im-leaving-soon" thoughts. Oh well. Time's a ticking...and next week I'm moving.

Fishy Oh!

2007-06-16T03:50:00.000+08:00

When I was 3, I would stare at our neighbor's fishtank and shout "Fishy-oh, lipad!" thinking that fish flew to get around. This was probably my first known fascination for fin friends. Then later later on, one of my X's gave me an aquarium and gifted me with several fishes. X turned out to be a piranha and since then I've never really been fond of fin pets. Anyhow, the closest most recent facination for fish pets I remember now would be the "relationship" that developed between K Landi and that certain fish we had at the staffhouse. I would call it that since he claimed the fish allegedly "jumped-for-joy" everytime he came home. Go figure.

At BKK one of our itineraries was Ocean World. Since this was located under a mall, I figured this would probably be just a place full of aquaria. I was shocked to see that upon entering, it was like we were inside an aquarium! It's all coming back to me now, me chanting, "Fishy-oh! Lipad!"

Their collections of specimens were outstanding, just as their set-ups were. There were parts where you were above the fish, beside the fish, and even BELOW the fishes! Specimens ranged from crustaceans, freshwater fishes, deep sea fishes and even jellyfishes. I liked the way they illuminated the jellyfish tanks, it seemed like you were at the deep sea red light district! haha!

I was likewise in awe of the 2-storey deep tank where a diver actually submerged while everyone watched as if he was also a fish in a tank.. a fish with a microphone who answers questions of visitors from outside the tank! cool!

One of the highlights for me, aside from the diver-in-the-tank was seeing the sharks. It amazed me how close I was to them..just a glass away..so near yet so far..hehehe.

I would definitely recommend going to Bangkok Ocean World. No, its not just for kids and fishy people.. Its like getting a feel of how it would be like if you visited Nemo and Spongebob. And then you could also shout, "Fishy-oh! Lipad!!!"

I'm a B- Philippine Traveller

2007-06-15T20:32:00.000+08:00

My Lakbayan grade is B-!

Barbie was browsing through Glo's site and came across her Lakbayan post. Minutes later we're taking the test ourselves! di naman masyadong excited! haha!

Since my folks are Visayans, I considered myself well-travelled compared to my mostly Luzon-hailing friends. But upon taking the test and seeing which places in the Phil map I've been to, it just made me realize that there's so much more places in our country that I haven't visited kahit na passing through lang. Mental note: got to save up for those trips. Buti na lang may Piso fare.

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

Anak ni Zuma!

2007-06-14T02:40:00.000+08:00

FIRST... I was EXCITED....

THEN.... I was HAPPY to have finally taken this photo opportunity..

AND THEN.... I was APPREHENSIVE...

These next pictures are rare ones as I dont normally get panicky. However, I believe I have enough reason as the snake won't let go of me.. YIKES!!!! Ano pa kaya ang nararamdaman ng anak ni Zuma?

But overall, I was really pleased with our trip to the Snake farm at the W.H.O Collaborating Center for Venomous Snake Toxicology and Research, Bangkok, Thailand. This was one of the places I was really sorry to have missed out on during my last year's trip. I was really intent on visiting this place this time and really requested that we go there.

I wasn't disappointed. They had a very informative and well spoken english demo and lecture. The discussions were very lively and their specimens really interesting. They even demonstrated how to extract venom from snakes. The snake handlers were amazing, particularly the one handling and taunting the cobras. He WAS taunting the cobras, with no protective gear at that!

Needless to say, I will NEVER look at those plastic containers in the same way again after this trip...

Serious daw o...

2007-06-14T02:30:00.000+08:00

In order for us to see the "real us", we sometimes need to see through the eyes of another. I always considered myself as a "point-and-shoot" kind of person (in the context of photography).. hence my choice of a digicam: nothing fussy as long as the unit is fast, the battery life long and the color and image quality are ok. But as the evidence show, it seems I take photography more seriously than I thought I did. Ganyan pala itsura ko pag serious ako???!! Take note, bading na bading pa rin at tumitilamsik pa ang mga fingers! Bwahahaha!

(photo credits from rV and Barbie)

The AWESOME Thai Trip

2007-06-14T00:44:00.000+08:00

Last year I swore that when I went back to Bangkok, I would shun my uniform and go to the places worth going.. And so earlier this month I did just that with some of my best buddies "forever friend barbie" and "roomie V". But of course we wouldnt have done this adventure without the support of MJ!

Where exactly did we bring our feet? We rode the river boat along the Chao Phraya river where almost all of the tourist spots worth going were...

Then we went to see all the relevant Wats (temples) that we could muster walking (and riding)to. Of course the Grand Palace was a must to be visited.

Though a just chip off the floating market, the Bangkok Flower market was still quite interesting. Its really just like our local flower market, however most of their wares were garlands and other floral preparations used as offerings. It was also a first time for me to actually see a lotus flower. Too bad we didnt have time to really go to the floating market.. well, maybe next time..

We didn't pass off the chance to shop at the Chatuchak weekend market where rV and I bought silk sheets for our moms, and at Panthip "electronic gadget heaven" I bought several memory cards while Barbie bought the MP4 requested by our officemate. We rode the Tuktuk to the Jim Thompson House Museum (this guy revived the Thai silk industry) and we also went to the Snake farm and the really cool Ocean World. I'll most probably be blogging separately about the last two ones I mentioned.

And Oh!!! of course, we rode the subway to meet up with Khun Landi and Khun Didith who joined us to watch the Thai cultural show "Siam Niramit" and later treated us to an authentic Thai dinner. I'll be blogging about that separately too....

too many things to blog, so little time...

The Secret Meeting

2007-05-26T15:19:00.000+08:00

Sometimes its hard to keep a secret, especially for someone as talkative as I am. But when the occasion calls for secrecy lest plans of whatever sorts are thwarted; then secrecy, I think, is necessary.

Hence the secret meeting with my two closest "pacuz". Its quite weird for us to keep meeting each other a secret as it is always a happy moment when we meet with our usual get-togethers. But their trip to manila was with a purpose, and though the shopping part was a necessary side-trip.. what brought about their trip was quite important. We didnt get to talk much about that matter though, since we focused on just spending time together and doing the usual stuff--gossip, updating on whatevers going on in our lives, and of course choosing clothes that would complement us. It would have been such a waste if they were here and we didnt meet, and to that I agree. We couldnt take pictures though, since that would be "evidensya".

As I send them off at the airport I wished them good luck. For their secret plan has been known, and for reasons we cant fathom word has gone out. Magaling talaga ang mga tao, kahit na malayo malakas pa rin ang pang amoy! I bid them goodbye and kissed them both and hoped that our next meeting wont be a secret anymore.

The 2007 Fiesta Trip: The Pig

2007-05-22T23:58:00.000+08:00

I distinctly remember one summer when my grandma bought 2 piglets. I was about age 9 then, and so logically we (my sister and cousins) named the piglets Doy and Cory. We woke up to feed them every morning and even volunteered to wash them every afternoon. Come time for us to go back to manila, we hung on to the thought that next year we would see them again! And to our horror, the following year they were slaughtered like the pigs they were. My sister cried till she had asthma, refusing to understand why Doy and Cory should suffer for the hunger of people to be fed the following day. Finally, they explained (our uncles did this horrid task) that Doy and Cory are infact in pig heaven and that they were happy to have served their life's purpose. Dumb story huh? and we were 2 dumb children to believe it!

Its been years since I went home to my Lola's house to celebrate fiesta and this year as I went home I made sure I took pictures! Say hello to the swine who seems happy to have served his life's true meaning:

I hope to God that Doy and Cory are as happy as thi guy was!

OUT OF TOWN TRIP: Pangasinan

2007-05-19T19:24:00.000+08:00

OK. In order of occurence. That will be the way by which I'll update on the goings on for these summer months.

First on my list is Tix' wedding. And so the whole QA lab closed down (minsan lang to ha!) and troddled on to Dagupan! Of course, needless I say that before we ACTUALLY left, super dooper INTRIGA muna and pinagdaanan. Remembering these things now, I still cant reconcile why the hell we need to be accountable to people who are not even our immediate family members? Beats the hell out of me. Basta ako, I do what I want to do. wala silang pakialam dahil ako naman DAPAT ang nagdedesisyon para sa kapakanan ko. Whichever way I want to do things, I only owe to myself.

The wedding was sweet, and the bride and groom all giddy and excited. This is how people to be wed should be! Not crying and fighting like those other events.. Makes me ponder on how MY wedding might be celebrated ---- oops! thoughts on these are censored! HAHAHA!

Afterwards, twas an all girls gimmik.. and of course with a side trip to Hundred Islands. It was my first time to get there, and there were a lot of islands. I guess hundred nga siguro... I lost count eh. But abby, I think got to take pictures of at least sixty! haha!

The pictures were great and the water clear, cool blue. We brought our baon and barbecued the hot day away! Picture to death of course ang drama ng mga lola.

What just took our breath away was the "Paliguang bayan" wherein you had to pay 10 pesos to take a bath in the public toilet after coming from the hundred islands. As in literally, you had to hold your breath to survive. hehe.. Didnt take pictures of that, I guess I thought I didnt want to remember that place. hehe..

All in all, it was a great trip! Oo nga pala.. Congratulations to Mr and Mrs Maranan!!

BULAGA!!

2007-05-19T19:21:00.000+08:00

Oh yes, its a miracle. I finally forced myself to update. cant even decide which thing to blog first.. have done so many things in the last 6 months (whoah! cant believe its been THAT long!) that I cant even rate them in order of importance! Anyway, I'll probably just bog about the recent ones (as in summer gimmicks) after all, adventures naman talaga dapat ang binoblog ko dito diva?

Happy New Year!

2007-01-22T17:34:00.000+08:00

Yeah, I know its late. Three weeks late, in fact. But I didnt have the luxury of health when 2007 came blasting in..

The asthma and allergies I've been trying so hard to avoid last December caught up with me this January. Imagine having my buenamano from my clean slate of sick leaves for 2007.. minus 5 days agad! And just when I find the time to catch up on my pendings, here comes my tummy aching with matching LBM and vomiting. I am too exhausted getting sick. But I know that as long as the cold weather is still here, my happy days are still at risk. I hope I get over this sick spell.. Even I, find myself losing patience over this situation-- as if I can do anything about it.

Anyways, Ive got a lot of catching up on my blogging. These next few days I'll try my best to update on my past activities which I wasnt able to post after Christmas. Check nyo na lang kasi isisingit ko na lang siguro sa respective dates nila. I know its "madaya" but I still like seeing the episodes posted according to the dates they happened. Anyway, there's quite a handful of Christmas parties involved.

Forgive but not forget

2006-12-11T18:08:00.000+08:00

I unexpectedly saw a "brod" last Saturday and was happy to have seen an old friend. In between "chika" he invited me to his upcoming birthday party. I wanted to say yes, but I said I'd try.. then suddenly remembered that last year my "X" went to his bash and I was just glad to have missed the party. My friend said whynot go to his bash this year, whether or not "X" will be there, "hindi mo pa rin ba siya napapatawad?" To which I replied, "alam mo naman yata kung ano nangyari? Ikaw ba hindi mo sya isusumpa habangbuhay?" My friend smiled at me and said, "mas maganda kung magagawa mong magpatawad"

I have never been the grudging type, although I admit medyo warfreak ako. Only when provoked and only when I am in the right. But usually if its just small things, I know how to let go and move on. In this case, I have moved on (its not as if I still love him or something) but I never got over the fact that a person I trusted with my life would betray me to the point of humiliating me to my own self. This is not the "third party" kind of offense, nor is it the "iniwan ka sa ere" drama. To me those are forgivable acts maybe because these things do happen in relationships and these things involve decisions made by both parties.

I have always told myself that I will never give "X" the benefit of going over his head simply because I forgave him. I can never be friends with him again, even if I do forgive him. Forgiveness should be sincere and not forced. And thinking about this again has made me revisit my feelings on this issue.

Maybe since time has flied, it has mellowed my anger and hurt. Forgive him yes, but forget? Never.

Vitamin C

2006-12-06T13:00:00.000+08:00

Woke up this morning with my throat hurting.

uh-oh.. I thought I was ALMOST successful with avoiding any respiratory illness of any kind this season. Seems to me it'll try and try until it hits me.

My dorm mate once told me to take 1000 mg of ascorbic acid when I felt colds or cough coming. Just complement it with lots of water throughout the day and it'll do its best to put off getting sick. Tried it then and it worked. Been doing just that till this day, as long as the colds are not yet "full blast". Have I mentioned that my dorm mate was a Vet? hahaha! OK lang yun, hayup din naman talaga ako eh!

I better dose up on my vitamin C and hope it can still ward off the pathogens. Dont wanna be groggy with antihistamines and antibiotics this Christmas.. ayoko na maging adik sa Pasko!

Typhoon Again

2006-11-30T18:25:00.001+08:00

Just when the tree in front of our room starts to recuperate, and the roof of our company's warehouse are nearly finished.. here comes another typhoon. Forecasts say its stronger than Milenyo and Milenyo was, in my lifetime, one of the strongest typhoons I ever experienced.

I hope and pray that Typhoon Reming weakens, or this will definitely damper the Christmas spirit we have been slowly nurturing as December comes in.

At least this typhoon's no longer named after me...

To change or NOT to change

2006-11-29T12:39:00.000+08:00

Its so hard to decide on changing things we have gotten used to. Kahit simple gadgets lang like cell fone. You have to consider allot of things (at least I do).. Is it a need? Do I have the budget? Is the unit worth it? Do I have the patience to re-learn new functions and uses? Nakakatamad kung iisipin but then life is all about constant change. Been banging my head for the last 2 days thinking if I will push with the change or not.. timetable: this week.

Calm waters

2006-11-21T18:16:00.000+08:00

Sure is calm here right now...

Nothing so urgent to do, no piled up pendings and most of all I get to go home without smelling spaghetti from my hair!

I guess I'll just have to enjoy this calm while it lasts..and when the tides do come I'll be rested enough to say,

"Bring it on!!!"

Pacman does it again!

2006-11-20T16:20:00.000+08:00

I was rushing to go home yesterday to make it in time for Manny Pacquiao's boxing match aginst Mexico's Erik "El Terrible" Morales! And as expected, the streets of Metro Manila were again clear from the usual traffic.. tumigil na naman ang mundo ng mga Pilipino at nanuod ng laban ni Pacman.

And of course Pacman did it again, despite El Terrible's skill and track record. Ang galing mo Pacman! Akalain mong 3 rounds lang KO na! Nevermind that you're not that goodlooking.. that's not such an asset to boxers anyway!

Poor Morales, perhaps he did underestimate Pacman's power. For those who'd have seen the look on his face the last time he fell, it was so kawawa. Might as well that he conceded, sayang naman ang face value nya if ever!

Congrats again Pacman! You make me proud!

12 Things I did at Palawan

2006-11-17T19:47:00.000+08:00

KIVER kung wala akong assistant! I was so harassed I felt my skin was getting dehydrated! I really, REALLY need a break! MF cant do anything about it, absent without pay kung ayaw nya! So there, the trip materialized and despite the hectic sched it was still relaxing and rejuvinating-- anything away from work is! Special thanks to Peter for the complimentary city and DP tour! Take a peek at my first Palawan Adventure last weekend...

What did I do there?

1) Held the baby croc at Crocodile Farm

2) Befriended an Ostrich

3) Roared with the dinosaur at Baker's Hill

4) Hugged the big post at Mitra's home

5) Met my inaanak who sings and counts in chinese

6) Hiked to a Tropical Rainforest and Wildlife Reserve

7) Rode a trip through the Underground River

8) Visited the vietnamese village

9) Rode a jetty through Honda Bay to Arreceffi Island

10) Kayaked and played with starfishes

11) Relaxed at Dos Palmas Island Resort

12) Visited the Mangroves

In fairness, adventure nga siya diva??

Wanted: Assistant Micro

2006-11-15T19:32:00.000+08:00

With Pia's contract ending, I find myself alone again with tons of work to do.

I prepared for this naman, as its a cycle every 5 months.. but still here comes the unexpected. The first applicant I gave the go signal for turned out to be buntis. The second one was found to have TB. And the third.. she's buntis again! Ano ba pinaggagagawa ng mga batang ito at nagkakaganyan sila! Pati ako naapektuhan!

Magpa usok na kaya ako sa albularyo (as per RV's suggestion) at mukhang nakaka attract ata talaga ako ng negative energy!

Boo!!!

2006-11-01T20:14:00.000+08:00

Halloween Party!!!

Of course we couldnt pass up a chance to party again! Aside from the fact that its Dbols bday, its just a cool time to organize a theme party! Even the food went with the theme.. the menu being dinuguan, spicy nilagang pata, different kinds of barbecued innards and street food and of course barbie's beutiful desserts!

Dbols' bday cake was also scary as were all of us hausmeyts!

Boo!!!!

More Masters..

2006-10-19T19:07:00.000+08:00

Let's dim the limelights on Heny and take a look on the other Masters I met.

The first one I wont mention his name out of respect. Yes, of course he's respectful naman. Ang galing nyang artist.. he's a lithographist actually. Ang galing din nyang mag paint and he's been to different parts of the world for exhibits and stuff. Hanga ako sa kanya. The only hitch is that, ang dumi ng bahay nya! PRAMIS!! I know for a fact that I cant live in that house, not even work there. I've just been there for about an hour but no! di ko matake ang dumi-- alikabok, kalat, etc. Maybe that's just the way artists work. oh well...

The second one is Mr. Pagsi. 79 years old and still teaching freshman highschool and theater. I can say that I was sincerely touched by his words and wisdom. When I "grow up" I would want to be like him.. except for the fact na he has never incurred an absence from work even on his honeymoon! Di ko carry un..

The last and noteworthy one is the 1st Pinoy Everest Sumiteer Dale Abenojar. I actually thought he was ugly (my expectation was in the likes of Romy Garduce, hahaha!) and so I lost a Jolly Value meal to RV. What striked me is that he was the kind of person who has a certain "yabang" but strives so hard to keep that "yabang" and actually delivers. There's nothing wrong with that. Kumbaga, the yabang is well earned. His Everest experience taught him humility and he openly admits to his misgivings. Ano ba? nawalan na nga ng toe yung tao ayaw pang tantanan ng media! kayo kaya umakyat sa everest!

Ayan, na inspire tuloy kami ni RV mag rock climb...

Meeting Heny

2006-10-18T21:16:00.000+08:00

I do love to cook. I find it relaxing and challenging. They say I’m good, maybe I am. But for me, cooking is seldom an errand or something I need to do. It somehow soothes my nerves at the same time it makes me feel that I need to do my best so that the dish will turn out tasting great.

So needless to say, I love watching cooking shows and reading recipe books. I have learned allot from various references from cooking tips to presentation as well as the latest kitchen gadgets.

I have conquered white pasta, as well as lasagna. I now know how to cook perfect crispy pata and Kare-kare. Still on my list of recipes to master are Dinuguan and that perfect Chicken Galantina. Pastries I can handle too..But as for baking cakes… I’m under NI for this category—as in “NeedsImprovement”.

So when I heard that we were going to meet Heny, I was so excited. This is not Hetty the mascot ha! I'm talking about Heny Sison!

Not everyone probably knows her, but for a food lover (and for people who love to cook) the name Heny Sison translates to perfectly crafted cakes and pastries. I have loved watching her show every Sunday.. though lately I don’t get to watch because of work..

Just being in her professional kitchen excited me, so much that I didn’t pass the chance of having my picture taken in that kitchen!

It has been a “dream” of mine for the last 2 years to be able to take some baking classes from her school.. It’s a dream coz I dunno where to find the time to spare. And now I was in her school, meeting her and even eating cakes baked by her!

It was so nice of her to share her cooking with us. As I listened to her kwento of how she made it in the culinary world I somehow wished I could just drop everything and try and BE like her. Though educated with a finance background, she managed to steer her life into doing what she loved and she did it with flying colors.

Makes me wonder how long I will last in this career path.. One thing is now clear to me: I HAVE TO TAKE THOSE BAKING CLASSES..

Fieldtrip!

2006-10-17T20:15:00.000+08:00

The first activity for the Academy is the Tour of the Masters. For two days, we were to meet and interact with several Masters (of their crafts) with the objective of learning from their experiences and hardships that they have encountered along the way. Fine. Looked like a fieldtrip to me.

Watdafak, we needed to get up and be at “The Bus” by 6.30am! Don’t worry daw, breakfast will be provided. As if I can eat breakfast properly in a chugging bus. OK lang. No big deal.

But wait! Is says in the Employee code of discipline that sleeping during worktime is prohibited. Even if you were at “the Bus”.. Oh no! Ang laming pa naman sa “the Bus”

So there, they kept on babbling whatever things while “the Bus” was moving.. subconsciously I was waiting for one of them to ask kung saan ako bababa, sa LRT ba o sa Lawton? Hahaha..

OKTOBERFEST NA!!

2006-10-12T20:29:00.000+08:00

The title says it all.. tis the season to drink, drink and get drunk! And of course we have a perfectly valid reason.. Oktoberfest na kaya!!

As I get sight of the colorful tents being set-up at the neighborhood Paseo, I slowly crave for that ice cold, slightly bitter but satisfying bottle of beverage that we call beer. Drinking beer reminds me of happy times at LB.. that particular 3+1 promo that sent me, nigger and rum scampering to sizzlers as early as 4PM (happy hour ends at 6PM). We would order what we thought we could hold and then just ask that waiter guy to bill it up but serve the bottles on a staggered basis. That was the moni days… sigh…

Back to oktoberfest…this is just the right time to spice up our pre-Holloween routines.. August to early October can get so boring. Add to that the fact that for some reason its exactly during these months that we feel the “peligrong pinansyal”. So how the heck are we gonna get the booze if we don’t have any moolah??

“Kung gusto maraming paraan, kung ayaw madaming dahilan…”

Bottom’s up!!

Friendster's Back!!

2006-10-11T20:26:00.000+08:00

My first ever entry for this blog was about the day they took Friendster away.. from our office PC’s access. What a sad, sad day that was. Hushed tones, gloomy faces..since then I had seldom visited my account. Only doing so when I purposely go to internet cafés or when I visit my siblings’ place where they have cable internet.

But today we were shocked to have accidentally discovered that Friendster was again accessible! Oh yes!! You couldn’t wipe the smile of our faces and the glee in our voices! As if on cue, everyone immediately logged on to our respective accounts as if it was so important that we take this opportunity! Maybe there was a glitch in our MIS’ firewall, maybe someone accidentally left the system open, OR MAYBE the MIS guys suddenly just discovered the joy of friendster! Whatever the reason was, it was definitely something to be happy about! So far its still accessible, and it makes us wonder how long this will last…

My baby elephant

2006-10-10T20:17:00.000+08:00

Its not as if I havent seen an elephant at all.. of course a trip to the friendly neighborhood Manila Zoo would have sufficed. But there's something about being in Thailand that made seeing an elephant more special. They were normal fare there, they were revered and is the country's national symbol.

The lady guard's duty was hectic and so I realized on the 2nd day .My last fervent wish by then was for me to at least see, touch and have a picture taken with a live elephant.

And so my wish was granted while we were going through our TT market visit at Ayutthaya. There it was, standing at the sidewalk, my baby elephant. As I scrambled to get my camera, I remember reminding myself to capture the moment, make the most out of it and make sure I get to touch the elephant. Turns out, I dont just get to touch it, I even get to feed it! I was like a schoolgirl, feeding the baby e with some sort of cucumber with a wide grin on my face. Though baby e startled me at times-- he knew I had food so he kept bugging me to give him some.

I put off writing this post since I wanted to put an accompanying picture with it. I guess the picture will have to wait, as I only have a video of this event and my brother still hasnt extracted the image. At least I had some presence of mind to take a video, sayang lang dapat may picture din.

Thaina ang anghang!!

2006-10-03T16:18:00.000+08:00

As a bonafide Filipina cook and self declared food critic, a trip to another culture most definitely should include a "food-trip". Since my interactions with the outside world was limited by my bussiness trip, I had to do something in order to make sure I get to eat authentic Thai dishes. Thanks (again) to my friend Lex, a trek (yeah, we walked!) to Pola pola did the trick of satisfying my tastebuds' curiosity. Now lets see what he ordered for me...

That's the Tom Yum soup and papaya salad and whew were they both HOT!! These two dishes I will never forget as they are one of the spiciest I have ever tried. Well, I did ask for authentic thai.

I also got a taste of grilled prawn (but their prawn isnt like the prawns we have here-- their prawns were more similar to a Langostine-courtesy of Jamie Oliver!)

Another treat by Khun Nara, Khun Atom, Khun Pom and Randy involved a spicy carrot salad version, a soup with sotanghon. Oh! and I wont forget that take out dish DM gave us for lunch-- some kind of green noodles with roast meat combo. looked weird but tasted good.

Thai people seemed to be fruit people as fresh fruits were sold everywhere. They already cut these up to bite sized pieces and packed them in transparent plastic bags with free air. Their handling process looked hygienic naman.. dunno lang where the air comes from.

Same packaging style goes for street food. Noodle dishes were stacked high and different meat kebabs were also attractive. Got a taste of the noodle stacks but not of the kebabs.. I had the time to take pictures but no time to buy.. too bad.

Dessert was interesting. I never ordered those coco-milk preparations buti nalang-- dont really like them that much. DP gave us some kinds of cupcakes as snacks.

They had what looked like cheese (except its not cheese), fruit (except its not fruit--twas more like a hopia to me) or kaong on top . Masarap naman. Pero isa pang pinakamasarap was the watermelon shake we had. Sarap talaga. Howcome when I make the same shake here, the solids separate from the ice? I will have to figure this out, though the fruits at Thailand were really really good.

I hope I get to try more cuisines at different countries-- cooked there too ha! Kelan pa kaya yun?

Ang aking Tagapagligtas

2006-09-29T19:30:00.000+08:00

My Bangkok trip would've been a waste had it not been for my friend Lex. Siya ang aking tagapagligtas.

It seemed that the B wasn't in the mood for going around town. Maybe she was just not feeling well or maybe she was tired of out-of-the -country trips. NOT ME. I dont get to go out-of-the -country that much so I wanted to see allot of things there.

Lex is currently based at Bangkok, and what a coincidence that his office bldg is just about 5 mins from our Hotel! So when the Lady guard gets off duty-- here comes my savior to pick me up and show me around town! And he was so very willing at that! I always felt I was welcome, and that he also enjoyed having me as a guest.

The two nights he accompanied me around were the only times I got to go around Bangkok. The first night he fed me (as in parang kelangan ko talagang kumain) with Thai food.. so I get to savor the unique cuisine. It was just weired that we got to talk about home and about the time when we were growing up (we were neighbors)-- we had to do it at another country. We actually havent seen each other for more than 2 years now, we never see each other at home. Anyway, it was as if we always saw each other, no barriers, no embarrasments. Then he accompanied me to the Night bazaar for some shopping.

The second night we attempted to go to Patpong (where THE "BARS" are) but later both agreed that watching them put different items in their private parts wasnt our type of entertainment. At least I get to go to the area, he said. We again just went around the night market and he fed me again (this time at Burger King coz I was exhausted that day from eating spicy Thai food).

All in all, I was really really grateful that Lex was there to show me around. Too bad our other neighbor Jerwin wasnt answering our calls for him to join us. I hope I get to return the favor one time--Thank you so much Lex!

Lady Guards at Thailand

2006-09-25T20:42:00.000+08:00

No, I was not referring to REAL lady guards. I WAS, infact, referring to me and the B.

It started as a dream. I dreamt that the B would have a weird idea of having us wear the company uniform whilst on our OB trip. To Think is to Create. Or maybe I know her too well.

I prayed and prayed that we would get back to the hotel early enough for me to change and see the streets of Bangkok. The earliest I got was 8 PM.

So there. In almost all my pictures I was wearing just that. The latest fashion trend. So, deadmahin ang dress code. Magpapicture ng magpapicture.

And so the lady guards were on duty from 6AM-8PM. Sige na nga. At least nasa Thailand.

My first Thailand Trip

2006-09-18T19:19:00.000+08:00

"Is your Passport in order? We got the go signal for the Thailand trip," when the B told me that a few months ago, I cant deny that it got me excited. Oooh!! Thailand! That's some sort of, kind of out-of-this-country!!! Good thing I didnt dwell on the excitement since it took another 5months before the trip pushed through.

I found myself searching the web for places to see, food to eat and stuff like that. I even rushed my passport renewal then. Yun nga lang sana hindi na lang ako gumastos at inabot din ng 5 months bago natuloy.

But then out-of the-country is still out-of the-country so I should be grateful for this opportunity of not paying for my plane fare and accomodation. Never mind that I was on O.B. trip with the B. Never mind that I got to share the room with her. Never mind that there was the possibility of her asking me to share my shampoo and comb with her (which didn't happen, Thank God). Never mind that the only cable channels she seems to watch are Discovery Channel and National Geographic. Out-of the-country is still out-of the-country.

So to keep you in suspense I'll be blogging about this trip for the next few entries.... Im trying to keep my entries short and exciting.. Till the next entry...

Multiples of Three (third and final chapter)

2006-09-18T18:20:00.000+08:00

So ano ba ang akala ko sa birthday ko, FIESTA??? Tatlong araw kung i-celebrate??! hehehe

Actually, I really did plan on having a get-together for my birthday. That was why I was so surprised with the instant party my hausmeyts gave me.. I figured that was where "the celebration" was going to be. Anyway, we were all still looking forward to the party..

I planned it on the Saturday (since this was the last day of the work-week) after my bday. Dinner time since some of my office mates were still on duty till 4 PM. The venue was at my Parañaque home (mine daw o! sa nanay at tatay ko kaya yun. hehehe). We looked forward to it since its at a place outside the laboratory.. we seldom celebrated any of our officemates' bday treats outside the lab.

Of course I cooked. But the menu was more of a "Seafood Buffet" with crabs, prawns, squid and oysters so there wasnt a lot of cooking to do. My Mom just flew back from Iloilo and brought back the seafoods (which they bought fresh from Roxas and cooked immediately). My guests enjoyed the food. I even was able to solicit a lechon (dont ask where). I prepared some vegetable dishes and salads. Desert was different kinds of brownies and cakes.

Most of my officemates were there, as well as J (of course) and a few of our friends. I hate Nigger for not coming but my assistant Pia and the Peste boys were there too.. that made me glad. And oh yeah, Maxima was there. Lets just say she was my good deed for the day.

It did look like I had so many guests but then half of them are my Dad's visita. Maybe he thought it was his birthday not mine. Hahaha!

Happy birthday to ME!!!

Multiples of three (part 2)

2006-09-16T13:47:00.000+08:00

There are three parts for the "Multiples of three" series.

The second one was the surprise.

Since my big three-O fell on a wednesday, I had to report for work the following day. Things were normal at work with some late birthday greetings from friends. I confirmed my plans of having a party at home (see part 3 coming up) and invited them including maxima (i was trying to be good and kind). Since I was on duty till 8pm, I asked Abby if we were gonna cook dinner. She said yes and asked what we had in the fridge. I said I had some ground pork and we could whip up something and so it was set.

I was so hungry before 8pm that I said I'll just have my dinner break and proceed to go home after that. Called Abby to ask where she was so we can start dinner--she was out buying rice she said. ok, so I prepared and cooked dinner (without the rice yet) and went up to my room. My 2 roomies were there but in a few minutes left with their own excuses. So I was now all alone in my room but I didnt mind. I was sleepy and tired (and hungry).

Then Abby came and knocked in my room. As we proceeded to go down with the purpose of cooking rice, I was blabbering a kwento on the talaba my mom bought at Roxas. Then a camera flash surprised me!

Downstairs all the hausmeyts were waiting with food nicely arranged in the longtable.

What a surprise! It was a feast of cake, palabok, lechon manok, liempo, fruits, ice cream and of course the picadillo I cooked. We ate, gossiped and took pictures (and some videos) and enjoyed the night. It was so nice to spend time with friends . I missed Janjan, JPC and Randy though..

Thank you hausmeyts for the nice treat! Anyabyu all!

Multiples of three

2006-09-15T22:03:00.000+08:00

Whatdoyouknow!!

I just turned three-O last 30th of August which was a Wednesday the third day of the work-week. What a coincidence huh! I thought I shouldve tried to bet with numbers 3 and 0 in the local lottery! I figured this might be my lucky day..

I started the day with a breakfast date with Fafa J (I was on birthday leave of course). J had to work and had a meeting at 6pm so that was the only time we could spend together on my bday. Plus of course he gets to greet me personally early in the morning. Sweet.

Birthday started off well.. it just might be my lucky day!

Then later I thought it might rather be an omen.

First of all, as I travelled back home it was just so damn HOT that I thought I would get heat stroke! As it was, I couldnt leave work for several days since my bday fell on a wednesday. Then when I got home there was nothing to eat (for lunch). I told our kasambahay that I'll just eat anything and proceeded to turn on the A/C in my folk's room. I felt my asthma threatening to surface so I needed to rest in a cool, temperature-stable room. Then an hour has passed and I noticed that the A/C didn't really cool the room--wala na palang freon! Anyway, wala naman na akong magagawa so ang pinangarap na A/C ay naging E/F as in electric fan.

Then after a few hours my trusty nebulizer was already happily chugging off an ampule of Bricanyl. Good thing the E/C sufficed and I fell asleep.

I finished the day off with a date with my Papa (my real Papa not Fafa) with matching SMB (San Miguel Beer) at SMB (SM Bicutan) .

All in all August 30 turned out to be not my typical day.

Cant wait for next year!! Really now???!!

Come ride the Time Machine!

2006-09-01T15:56:00.000+08:00

My My My!!! how long has it been since my last post?? almost a year!!

Of course I have a perfectly good reason. AKO PA!

you see, one day I was walking home when I saw this contraption of a machine.

And so being the usyusera that I am, I went and took a look at it. Then I saw that it was some kind of a vehicle and so I proceeded to tinker with the control panel. and then I started feeling faint for a while and then it stopped. I went home and slept and woke up and went to work this morning.

But to my suprise, almost a year had passed! OMG!

Bwhahahaha!! Welcome back me!

Major Kwento

2005-10-12T11:34:00.000+08:00

ETO ANG MAJOR KWENTO:

Hay naku mga bakla, alam nyo ba naaksidente ako last week! papasok ako riding the jipney traversing the SLEX (bandang southwoods). When suddenly nag break ang jip, syempre napausog kaming lahat paloob, nagkadaganan na! Dun ako nakaupo mga 3rd from the door kaya di ako masyadong naipit. Eh di akala ko nun yun na yun, ready na akong magalit sa driver... but no! di pa pala tapos, umikot ikot pa yung jip sa daan (buti di turn-turtle), humampas ulo ko sa bintana, buti bukol lang inabot! ginawa ko, kumapit na lang ako dun sa braso ng mama na katabi ko tapos dinikit ko yung ulo ko sa braso nya kasi ayokong makita yung nangyayari (buti wala syang anghit pero i doubt if maaamoy ko pa yun at that time). Pero naririnig ko talaga yung break, mga sumisigaw saka yung bakal na nagsscratch sa bakal. Nung tumigil na yung jip, yung front half nasa island, yung end half nasa southbound pa rin. Buti na lang din magaling ang driver namin at di kami nakatawid sa northbound. May mga injured samin, yung naipit sa loob saka yung mga nahampas dun sa backrest ng driver... kung tumawid sa northbound yung jip baka may namatay samin. As for me wala naman akong sugat, may mga pasa lang ako sa legs saka yung bukol ko sa ulo.

Pero di pa tapos ang kwento ko, kasi pagbaba ko ng jip may car sa gitna ng southbound lane, and about less than a meter from the car may girl na nakahandusay sa kalsada! I was one of the first ones to go out of the jip so when I went down, yung ibang passengers ng car di pa nakakababa. Apparently yung girl na unconcious sa road galing dun sa car, seating at the back of the driver. wala na yung door sa side nya, palagay ko napitpit sa dor ng driver. Di makalabas yung driver kasi deformed yung door nya tpos naiipit din cya ng manebela, airbag and dashboard nya. All the 4 other passengers ng car injured and bleeding, pero concious and walking lahat. Eh super in-shock pa ang lahat, ako nga nanginginig. pero after what seemed like a few mins, parang wala pa rin akong nakikitang gumagalaw o nagchecheck dun sa unconcious girl. eh di nilapitan ko na and kinuhanan ng pulso.. buhay pa. tapos sabi ko, "hey hey, are you OK?" ( hehe cyempre di ko na nasabi yun no! joke lang!) pero di ko ginalaw kasi kakaiba yung position nya baka may broken bones. Tapos, humingi sakin ng tulong yung isang girl na nasa car, dalhin daw sila sa ospital.. ayun medyo gumana na yung brain ko at hinanap ko ang celfon ko and tumawag ako sa ofcmate ko (kasi yung brother nya sa PNCC SLEX naka assign). Di ko pa nga mapindot yung cel kasi ayaw sumunod ng daliri ko, nanginginig.

Maya maya may dumating na mga army-- as in army clothes with matching armas.. Northbound kasi sila, it just so happened na andun sila at that time..eh di akala ko saved na.. ineexpect ko marunong sila mag first aid, emergency rescue etc..SUS! nagpopoporma lang dun!! tapos yung isa nakita ko pinulsuhan yung unconcious-- eh di nakahinga na ko ng maluwag kasi may aasikaso na dun sa injured! BUT NO!!! maya maya tinakpan niya ng t-shirt yung girl!! eh pwede ba namang less than 2 mins ko lang pinulsuhan yun eh ang lakas pa ng pulso tapos patay na kagad!!! Eh di nagsisisigaw ang lola nyo dun, sabi ko "BUHAY PA YAN, BUHAY PA YAN!!" ewan ko lang kung kasinglakas ng iniisip ko yung ineexecute ko na sigaw pero ang weird lang ng tingin nila sakin. Nung dumating yung PNCC nnilapitan ko nga at sinabi kong buhay pa yung girl at i-check nga nila ulit! Eh di yun, buhay pa nga! pang asar yung mga army-kuno na yun! Kundi pa dumating yung PNCC di naorganize yung diskarte sa mga injured pati sa mga sasakyang involved!! Grrrr talaga!

Apparently, yung car nila ay Northbound... ayun nakaidlip siguro at napatawid sa Southbound lane! Mukhang night gimmik clothes ang porma nila.. kung papasok sila dapat sa office dapat iba ang get-up nila.. Monday morning yun eh, mga 6:30.. buti talaga di ako natutulog sa jip and magaling yung jip driver. Sadly, namatay din daw yung girl 2 hrs after she reached the hospital. Grabe, natakot talaga ako. Buti yun lang ang inabot ko, may mga 6 na pasa ako sa legs.. siguro tumama nung umikot ikot yung jip.. i really dnt know.

Pasensya na kayo sa nobela ko, ngayon ko lang kasi naikwento.. up to now nininerbyos pa rin ako pagnakasakay sa jip. pero wala naman akong choice.

yun lang.. im just happy im still alive. ;) Iknow, ang masamang damo matagal mamatay pero wish ko when that time comes, ayoko ng distorted yung itsura ko or putol putol yung katawan ko.

Whats with Acronyms??

2005-08-26T17:30:00.000+08:00

Well, they're fun to use.. and they're fun to figure out.

Take for instance that time we went to EK (Enchanted Kingdom), I saw a girl artista and couldnt place who she was so i pointed her to my friend, who in turn said," oh, its LLDL!!" I later realized that what she meant was "Lotlot de Leon". Fun diba??

In College I was called Qnie, which later was just shortened to Q. During a teaching stint, my students called me Ms D or Maam Q. When my friends get mad or suddently gets weird, we usually refer to him/her having a "small S" or a "big S" (S is for Sumpong) depending on the gravity of the foul mood. If she feels really bad, she's "NFW" (as in Not Feeling Well) and if she's smiling then she's "FM" (as in Feeling Masaya).

Then there are those who are FG (as in Feeling Ganda or Feeling Gwapo) and we just hate them. I have this officemate who's worse coz he's "FGLG" ( as in Feeling Gwapo Looking Gago). He recently was rumored to be attracted to another "FGLG" (as in Feeling Ganda Looking Gaga) and now I think they have a "MU" (as in Mutual Understanding).

Enough of them, lets talk about something else.. I havent been watching "KK" (as in Kamapanerang Kuba) since I'm always OT at work, but I make sure I get to watch "GR" ( as in Green Rose) and if possible "PBB" (Pinoy Big Brother). Hay naku, "A.S.S" (as in Ang Saya Saya) talaga makipag-usap ng ganito... "TNT" (Till next time...)

Answers to Questions

2005-08-05T20:15:00.000+08:00

I am merely responding to the entry that my friend "paruparung bukid" posted recently. Below are 2 questions to ponder at and here are my answers..

QUESTION 1: What are the things you enjoy, even when no one around you wants to go out and play?

QUESTION 2: What lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?

I have never been the person who fails to exist without the company of friends.. I guess I have been given th rare gift of being able to amuse myself in the absence of external stimuli.. to the point na they sometimes call me lukaret. hehe. Anyway, I never found it difficult to talk to people I dont know, be it while waiting in line at a government agency or even to fellow students during enrollment.

And what exactly do I do during time alone?? I like to read novels and watch videos. I like to cook and look for new things to cook and wonder if the recipe in the magazine does taste as great as it looks. I like to walk and wander at grocery stores even if I dont need to buy anything, or even if I dont get to buy anything.

And if I'm alone and feeling sad? A glass of coke with lots of ice and a pack of potato chips (or Chippy na blue or Granny Goose Tortillos na red) will make me feel better. Maybe the chips arent available so I'll eat M&M's peanut instead.. but those are generally my feel-good foods. And if no food is available?? I guess I'll just watch old episodes of Friends. Ganun lang ako kababaw.. hehehe.. and of course, drinking is always an option!!

The Human Barometer

2005-08-01T20:40:00.000+08:00

When my nose starts tingling and my throat starts to itch, the first question that comes to my mind is "may bagyo ba?!!" Usually there is. Pwedeng nasa may Taiwan pa or somewhere in Mindanao.. basta may Typhoon na nagdevelop na or nagdedevelop pa. Hence the tag "Human Barometer"

http://i4.photobucket.com/albums/y132/kwini/nebulizingQ.jpg

When I start getting early morning rhinitis, this means that the weather is changing.. and usually there's a tropical convergence of some sort somewhere within the Phil's area of responsibility.. AND its the time to start taking my antihistamine. Lest my allergy develops into an asthma attack and disrupts my normally scheduled life.

I come from a family with a medical history of asthma.. my maternal grandmother has it, my sister has it, my bother had it as a child,and my mother (like me) had a latent expression of this gene later in life. I grew up without any indications that I have asthma, and chided my sister for being sickly (to the point that sometimes I would think she was just KSP). She was always absent and weakly, and NEVER had perfect attendance in any of her classes since nursery up till she graduated college. I on the other hand, always went to class and was quite the active student. I would join physically challenging activities that my sister could never engage in.. even training to be a CAT officer in High School. My breathing was always clear and I neglected the feeling of having oxygen freely available for my breathing pleasure.

When started having attacks in 1999 ( I think) I blamed it on my thesis since I was working with several toxic volatile solvents. Now I have attacks twice a year, during the onset of rainy season and right before the Christmas season. During the latter I do my best to stay well, otherwise I wont enjoy the Holidays at all.

Its quite frustrating to be sickly when early in your life as an adult you're used to do anything-- from playing basketball to drinking alcohol till the wee hours of the morning. Now, I'm usually NGARAG from taking all those drugs (note: these are antihistamines, anti asthma, antibiotics and other "anti's" you can think of..) when my nose and throat get sore.

May opening kaya sa PAGASA?? Maybe I can use this darn sickness to good use...

Happy Hoys Day!!

2005-07-13T00:05:00.000+08:00

Its Joyce' bday today and so I would like to honor my friend's achievements kahit ngayon lang....

Ever heard of Avermectin?? thats what my friend experimented on, she spent sleepless nights and pondered over this "wonder drug" and EUREKA!!! Avermectin, the cure for cancer... hehehe

Kaya mo bang ipagkatiwala ang buhok mo sa isang baklang napakapanget?? Joyce can do it!! Kahit na walang tubig sa parlor ni bading, titiisin nya, magpapakulay pa rin sya ng buhok. Tsk tsk tsk, up to now di ko pa rin malaman where she gets her loyalty..

Ikaw ba ay may contact lens? kung meron, alam mo bang its possible to put 2 lenses in 1 eye??? Alam mo rin bang posibleng di mo mapansing inanod na ng luha mo ang contact lens mo?? kung ayaw mong maniwala, nagawa ni Joyce ito!! ako ang witness..

At ang clincher...
DO YOU HAVE WHAT IT TAKES TO STAND UP ON A PODIUM AND SPEAK GIBBERISH IN FRONT OF NON-SUSPECTING JAPANESE?? Watch and Learn....

Kaya nga love na love ko si Joyce.. she's one of a kind... HAPPY BDAY HOYS!!! Miss yah!!

Techie...NOT!!!

2005-06-27T12:02:00.000+08:00

I am not a Techie person. I have no affinity for electric devices nor for the new gadgets available.

I remember an instance when I always had problems plugging 110V equipment into 220V sockets. Hahaha.. kulang na lang himatayin ako sa takot na baka masira yung mga equipment sa lab. So what I did was to label all sockets and power cords with the appropriate voltage.. out of need, ika nga.

Even in the dawn of cellfones, I resisted buying or having one until I realized it was absolutely necessary. I hung on to my 5110 even if my officemates offered they would buy my unit for P500. Masakit din sakin yun kasi mahal ko yung fon na yun! But of course nung nanakaw sya courtesy of our neighborhood snatcher, I had no choice but to buy a new one. And the next change in my cellfone unit came about when my old one finally failed to function.

Whenever I have a new electronic gadget, I have no patience in browsing the equipment manuals. Except if its work related and I have to know the functions of a new lab equipment. But for personal stuff that I bought for myself, whether it be a cellfone or a TV, I usually just "discover" what the buttons are for. Heck, my roomate knows my DVD player's functions better than I do!! I just tell her to teach me what the remote control buttons are for and how to use them.. pathetic no?? parang ako lang nakikigamit. hehe. tamad kasi eh.

I know I should change this habit cause I should know my own belongings.. anu ba yung statement na yun!! hehe.. anyway, kahit na inaantok ako sa pagbabasa ng manual, I will try my best!! So for my latest electronic purchase... goodluck to me!!

Inggit ako kay Bojing

2005-05-15T17:54:00.000+08:00

Inggit ako kay Bojing. Nuong mga bata pa kami sya ang paborito kasi sya ang bunso. "Bunsoy" kung tawagin sya ng Mommy namin. Sinusubuan sya pag kumakain, at laging sya ang kawawa pag nag aaway kami. Sya kasi lagi ang kinakampihan, ako lagi ang masama. Sya lagi ang malayang nakakapili kung aling kulay ng bagong biling damit ang kanya (laging kanya ang red, ang sa akin ay green), at kahit bertdey ko ay may regalo din sya. Kelangan ay lagi ko syang binabantayan dahil sya ang baby. Kahit gustong gusto kong kumanta noon, hindi pwede.. si Bojing lang ang dapat na kumanta, maganda kasi ang boses nya. As for me, magsayaw na lang daw ako.

Ito si Bojing habang kumakanta bilang isang contestant sa isang singing competition

Nung lumalaki na kami, si Bojing pa rin ang mabait. Masama nga daw kasi ugali ko. Sya ay mabait, tahimik at magalang. Hindi sya makulit, malikot at maingay na katulad ko. Wala syang magugulong kaibigan, at hindi sya lumalabas ng bahay. Mahilig din syang magdasal at muntik na rin syang magmadre kung ginusto nya. Sya ang masunuring anak, samantalang ako ang maldita.

Pero kahit inggit ako sa kanya, love ko pa rin ang kapatid ko. Ayokong may umaaway sa kanya o nananakit. At dibaleng maganda ang boses nya, at least magaling naman akong mag lip synch. Miss ko na ang kapatid ko, kasi wala na sya dito.. isa syang OFW, nagtatrabaho sa ibang bansa (talagang dakila si Bojing.. hehe).

Si Bojing abang nakiki-ayon kay Statue of Liberty

Kahit hindi kami laging magkasundo, gusto kong malaman nya na kahit anung request nyang pagkain ay iluluto ko para sa kanyang bertdey bukas. Happy Bertdey Bojing!!

Fun sa Kabayan

2005-05-15T16:48:00.000+08:00

'Tis still summer, with the sun still fiercely lording it over... and though this entry is 2 weeks late, I'll still post it. The company outing is one activity that lets us enjoy work (at least on this activity you're still being paid for having fun! hehe). I didnt really think I would be joining the outing, thinking of other options to spend this day (as some chose to spend time at home). But since its still summer, and since its all paid for.. I chose to go! (Good choice!!) Some old people (READ: old in the company) still claimed that it was no fun, but I beg to disagree.. It's a person's choice if he /she will have fun or not... its something you decide upon even before the trip. So, though I had to work, the days before and after this outing.. I decided to have fun and I did!

During the bus ride.. feeling summer na ba??

With Roomie Jing and Roomie Me-anne

Parang nasa noontime show stage, already at the beach..

We couldn't resist doing this pose before we went home.. hehehe.. asa pa ko..

My Friend Ruthie..

2005-05-14T06:17:00.000+08:00

My Friend Ruthie is one of the best persons I know..

She's hardworking, honest and kind.
Hindi sya marunong magluto dati, pero ngayon naghahanda na sya pag birthday ni Jayson.

She seldom gets mad even if we tease her a lot.
Alam naman kasi nya na talagang malaki ang mata nya.

She always sees the better things in life.
Kahit inaapi na sya, na jujustify pa rin nya.

She loves her family and friends
Very good daughter ito, umuuwi pa rin sa kanila kahit na gubat na yung lugar nila. At kaming mga kaibigan ay inaaya din nya sa gubat pag pyesta (tsk tsk.. nakakamiss yung leche flan ni tita..)

She loves her husband
Eto po ay hindi ko talaga ma-explain..

She is a doting mom.
Talaga namang pipilitin na magsuot ng maong pants with matching belt ang anak na hindi pa nga nag wa-1 yr old.

Simpleng simple lang ang mga statement kong ito, pero malalim ang meaning nyan!

Ruthie has always been a friend whenever I needed her, and even though we're oceans apart.. not once have I felt that I lost my friend.

For you Ruthie, are wishes of love, health and happiness. Happy Birthday... I love you!!

Color my Blog!!!

2005-04-08T18:19:00.000+08:00

Nais kong pasalamatan, una sa lahat.. si Glo.. for teaching me how to put pictures on my blog.

As you can see.. ang taray na ng blog na ito.. may pa picture picture pang nalalaman ngayon!!! Sabi nga nila.. ito ay "SHALA" na ngayon ang online journal ko (from the root word SOSYAL= Shala... go figure.) . This is indeed exciting.. sobrang excited ang lola mo at biglang nagkabuhay amg boring kong template.. YIPEE!!

Nais ko ding pasalamatan ang aking inspirasyon.. si Ruth.. ikaw ang dahilan at nalaman ko kung ano ag isang blog.. Kung wala ka , ay wala kang blog. At kung wala kang blog, hindi ko ito makikita at hindi rin ako mangangahas gumawa ng sarili kong blog...aside from the fact na nafefeature ka na ngayon.. iba ka.. isa kang dream come true. hehehe.

At huli man ay magaling din.. pinasasalamatan ko si Abby... ang aking kaibigang walang sawang naging tulay sa amin ni Glo upang maisakatuparan ang aking pangarap na makapag-post ng pictures sa blog na ito..

Salamat, Salamat... I love you all.

Let's PG ourselves!!

2005-04-08T17:15:00.000+08:00

The summer months are in and its time to break the hustle and bustle known as work.. Every year, my goal is to at least go out and have fun where there's sun and sand. This year, the first destination was PG as in Puerto Galera. For a first timer like me (ok, ok... pasensya na po at talagang ngayon lang ako nakapunta jan..) I was actually amazed at how near PG was. Sanay kasi ako sa biyaheng Mla-LB kaya ok lang ang 2-4 hrs na land trip- including boat transfers. Ok naman pala ang beach dun, I've been to Boracay and for me pwede na ang PG. Plus madami ding mga pwedeng makita.. from sand and corals to beautiful bodies.. but no! wala akong nakitang papa material (ay susmaryosep, may fafa na nga pla ako.. erase erase..).

One thing I realized though, is that hindi ko talaga trip mag-snorkel. Wiz ko type ang magpakabilad sa araw.. manunuod na lang ako ng Discovery channel para sa view na yan. So what do I want to do sa beach?? maybe relax by a shaded cove, eat to my heart's delight, walk by the beach with ahem.. hehe.. and of course magpa picture, picture, picture!!!! All-in-all, going to PG was a welcome break.. of course masaya kasi I'm with friends..and fafa of course!

Chi-novela fad

2005-03-23T13:21:00.000+08:00

It all started with Marimar.. my love for foreign soap operas, that is. I dunno what caught my attention and curiousity. Maybe it was the way Thalia sensuosly moved her body, or perhaps it was Pulgoso who really mattered to me. One thing's for sure, I never, EVER, had a crush on Sergio. YIKES..

So thus started my love for these stories.. I weathered out all of Thalia's soap operas, then moved on to the local ones.. Baduy man, pero I admit to liking the Kristine Hermosa-Jericho Rosales' tvnovelas. There's something about their show's antagonists that really fuelled my attention.. but take note ha.. the contravidas were the ever so beautiful transformations by Jean Garcia and Eula Valdes! You go girls!! ;) Then I moved on to the younger Bea Alonzo-John Lloyd Cruz..Siguro talagang I like love stories kaya kahit local pinapatulan ko. Saka talaga namang may chemistry ang mga batang ito.. hehehe.

But what this entry is all about, is the fact that the Chi-novelas have finally caught my attention..
At first, I really didnt get as to why they were so GAGA over MG's (Meteor Garden) F4. I couldnt comprehend since I hated F4's signature hairstyles and fashion statements. But my sisters liked MG, and were downloading episodes from the net...
Appreciation for MG came late for me... just around the time when MG2 was out. I tried to watch MG2 but I couldnt understand, so I had to watch MG1 first. By this time, the whole "F4 look" was already widely accepted. Their Pepsi ads were also out by then, and some of the members already modified their hairstyles to an acceptable level (by my standards). So therefore, I conclude, medyo ok na sakin ang F4.

Then someone told me to watch a Korean Movie entitled "My Sassy Girl".... this was a turning point in my life!! (HAHAHA!!) Grabe, it's the best movie ever!! Kahit na subtitled, nag-enjoy talaga ang lola mo! I like action movies and in ths story, the girl always beats up her boyfriend! plus the fact na flip talaga yung story... saka ang ganda ganda talaga ng girl!! and nakakatawa talaga!! as in.

Cge na nga... now I like Korean telenovelas so much that I started to be more open about it. Kaya ngayon, my favorite show is Full House.. its another Korean soap opera.. I prefer the subtitled one than the one dubbed in Filipino.. hindi ma justify ng Pinoy dubbers yung intensity ng scene... hay!!! saka the girl is just so pretty, I can stare at her for the longest time.. The story is also not serious, funny actually. Di ko mapigilan ang tumawa ng malakas. I liked Full house so much that I actually bought a whole set of cds ng Full House. Kakaririn ko yun this Holy week break.

So what can I say about these chi-novelas?? Its bad for my health (ksi napupuyat ako) and my bulsa (kasi napapabili na ako ng own copy ko.. one set is usually mga 22 cds). hehehe. dibale, my happiness is priceless.. naks!

The Joke's on me..

2005-03-17T19:26:00.000+08:00

I conjured up this big joke/prank yesterday and I was so proud of it. I even showed my friends my handiwork and was so sure it would work! and it did.. it worked so well that the victim of the said prank had no idea that it was a joke until late this afternoon... and now I have to pick up the pieces and show responsibility for my prank. DRAT... so much for having fun... coz now the joke's on me. ;(

I am a Fire Breathing Dragon

2005-03-16T16:50:00.000+08:00

I am a Fire Breathing Dragon.

This is what my Chinese Astrology sign says.. according to my birthyear and birthdate. People born in the year of the Dragon (that's me) were described to be the most poweful, lucky and natural leaders. Powerful?? I wish I could be just that. Lucky?? I really never considered myself to be lucky. Sure, I once won a in our org's raffle-a-cake racket, and I recently won a pyrex casserole during the company christmas party, but that's as lucky as I could get.

As for a natural leader.. that I coudn't deny.. I've been a classroom president since grade 2 till high school, and even ran for SC president in High school. Since I was such a rebel in College, I just settled as a Committee Head for my Acad org.. but I could say that I could have gone for president if I was serious about it. Anyway, taking the lead in groups-whether big or small is a natural thing for me.. kahit na sabihin kong di ako makiki-eksena, di talaga mapigilan. As quoted: "Dragons possess a certain natural, charming charisma that ensures they can always influence their peers and often find themselves the center of attention in social situations." Ahem.

So I guess I am a Dragon?? I think so... dragon-like ang temper ko when provoked eh. Hmmn.. I think that's where the Fire Element comes in...People born during the years ending in 6, have FIRE as their natural element. "Those of you born under the influence of the Chinese Element Fire burn through life with your fierce charm, your impulsive enthusiasm and your restless emotions." O, Diba?? Eto pa.."In love, you're highly-charged -- even combustible at times! Hot tamales to the core, these dynamic individuals can see straight to the heart of an issue and make it work for them. You may seem single-minded, but you just refuse to be swayed from a cause they believe to be important." HOT TAMALES pala ha!! hehehe..

Yup!! I really think I am a FIRE DRAGON.. Not just because they tell me that the color red looks good on me (its supposed to be the Drago's lucky color), but because I know that I can see myself through all the characteristics described for it.

And of course, I do breathe fire from time to time...

Lay-out artist

2005-03-16T16:44:00.000+08:00

Ok, ok.. i am what you may call a "lay out artist".. I lay out all these plans and yet not do them. Just like my plan to frequently update this blog. I just laid out the plans, alright. So, even if I do have legit reasons for not updating, I wont mention anything. Siguro its just great if I just tried my best to update.. I really have lots of things to share, and discuss and react to... maybe I just dont have the will to sit down and write about it.
So now, I will.. try my best. Ayoko na magsalita ng tapos eh...

Sapatos - Mabuhay Ka!!

2005-01-21T13:28:00.000+08:00

Someone sent this through email and I just wanted to share it..
Read on!!
****
Bigyang pansin muna natin ang bagay na kawawang-kawawa sa araw-araw nating buhay- ang sapatos. ikw ba nmn ang mghapong apak-apakan, at ilakad- lakad. tapos minsan lng sha malinis o malabhan. kaya, sapatos- mabuhay ka! tuloy nyo pgbabasa nkakaaliw ito.

1. The overused shoes

When I went to Davao for Christmas vacation in 2001, I found what I thinkwas the best shoes I've ever had. It was a blue and white slip-ons with aflower on its strap. Margay ang tatak niya. Ang tagal ko na naghanap ngblue na kikay slip-ons at doon ko lang sa Gaisano Davao nahanap iyun. And Ibought the shoes for 500 lang! Feeling ko pa, suwerte ako dahil last pairna iyun. And it was my size!Sobrang natuwa ako sa kikay kong sapatos. At napakalambot niya! I wore theshoes everyday because they would match anything... denim, slacks, capripants, skirt, dress. Gamit ko siya in the office, at the mall, in church,even at the beach!Dahil araw-araw ko siyang nagamit, at nasuot ko na siya sa kung saan, itwas expected na wala pang isang taon ay sira na siya. Sabi ko, okay lang.May Margay naman sa Robinsons saka sa Landmark, siguro naman may ganoongstyle pa sila. Ngunit napuntahan ko na lahat ng display ng Margay pero walaakong nakitang katulad nang nabili ko sa Davao. Nakadalawang uwi na ako saDavao at pumupunta ako sa Gaisano, umaasang may makikita akong ganoonklaseng sapatos. Hindi na nga ako naghahangad ng eksaktong ganoon eh. Kahitna kamukha lang o kasing-lambot lang, okay na. Kaso wala.Iyong kikay blue Margay na slip-ons ko -- na malambot at may naka-angat nabulaklak sa strap, na bagay sa kahit anong damit ko -- ay sira na ngayon.Hindi lang siya sira, nangingitim na sa dumi, at hindi na kayang i-glue angpunit na talampakan. Pero hindi ko pa siya maitapon-tapon. Hindi ko alamkung bakit. Alam ko hindi ko na siya maisusuot uli, pero may reminder namanako na once upon a time, I had a perfect pair of shoes. Hindi ko nga langinalagaan.

Lesson learned:
Kapag nahanap mo na ang bagay o tao na sa tingin mo ay perfect na para saiyo, ingatan at alagaan mo. Huwag mong abusuhin. Kapag nawala sila, bakawala ka nang mahahanap na kapalit. At habambuhay mo na lang iisipin na"sana, inalaagaan ko siya."

2. The "maganda siya pero masakit" shoes

May fini-fit ako noon na sapatos sa Celine. Okay lang ang presyo. Magandaang material. Kikay ang hitsura. At kapag suot ko, nakaka-sexy ng paa. Mayisang problema nga lang... masakit sa paa.Pero cutie kasi siya eh. Saka on sale. At sadyang matigas ang ulo ko. Kayaayun, binili ko.Sa umpisa, okay lang naman. Keri ko. Saka masakit naman talaga sa paa angbagong sapatos. Pero habang lumilipas ang oras, lalong sumasakit. Hindisiya meant sa pangmatagalang suot. Habang suot ko siya, parang gusto kongumiyak sa tuwing humahakbang ako. Pagdating ko ng bahay, puro sugat atgalos ang paa ko. At ilang linggo din akong may peklat sa paa dahil sadiyaskeng sapatos na iyun.Kapag sa umpisa pa lang, alam mo na masakit na sa paa at hindi mo puwedengsuotin ng matagalan, huwag mo nang bilhin. Bakit mo pa itutuloy kung alammong masasaktan ka lamang kapag sinuot mo?Parang pakikipag-relasyon din iyan eh. May mga lalake na good on paper,bagay sa iyo, tipo mo nga eh. Ang kaso, panandalian lang siya. "Boylet"lang kasi unavailable siya. Bakit mo pa itutuloy kong alam mong eventuallyay masasaktan ka lang? Sana, habang maaga pa, iwasan mo na.

Lesson learned:
Kung sa umpisa pa lang, alam mo na masasaktan ka lamang sa bandang huli,huwag mo nang ituloy. Baka mag-iwan pa iyan ng scar na hindi mo na maaaaliskailan man.

3. The shoes that got away

May nakita akong magandang sandals sa Landmark. Mura lang, less than 500lang siguro. Kakaiba din siya kasi hindi siya iyong style na makikita mo sababaeng katabi mo sa MRT. Black and white siya. Polka dots ang strap niyapero hindi cheap ang dating. Ang kikay nga eh. tapos, two inches iyongheels niya. Sinukat ko minsan, ang ganda sa paa!Kaya lang, hindi ko siya binili. Kasi, kakaiba siya eh. Mahirap hanapan ngka-match na damit at bag. Saka kakabili ko lang kasi ng isang sandals kayasabi ko, next pay day ko na lang bibilhin ang polka dots na sapatos na yun.Madalas akong dumaan sa Landmark at nakikita ko ang sapatos na gusto kobilhin pero hindi ko mabili-bili. Ilang pay day na ang dumaan pero hindi kopa rin siya kinukuha para iuwi. Hanggang sa dumating ang oras na kailanganko ng isang kikay na sandals na may print. Naisip ko agad ang polka-dots namatagal ko na gusto bilihin. Pero pag-punta ko sa Landmark, wala na siyadoon. Naubos na. Ang ending, napabili ako ng ibang printed na sapatos nahindi ko naman talaga gusto pero wala akong choice kasi kailangan ko nanga.

Lesson learned:
Kung magpapaligaya sa atin ang isang bagay, seize the day! Sa kaka-delay,baka mawala lang sa atin ito at mauuwi tayong nagse-settle sa hindi namantalaga natin gusto. Mas mahirap pagsisihan ang mga bagay na hindi moginawa. Wala na yatang mas masakit pa sa thought na abot-kamay mo na lang,pero pinalampas mo pa.

Sino ba naman mag-aakalang may mapupulot pala akong leksyon sa mga sapatos?Kaya nga panay bili ko eh, para mas marami pa akong matutunan. Sa susunod,I will find lessons from bags naman para ma-justify din kung bakit sandamakmak ang bags ko.

- anonymous -

New Year, New Hope... for this Blog

2005-01-16T08:49:00.000+08:00

Well what do you know... its 2005 and I'm posting an entry. Applause naman dyan!! Obviousely, I havent been much of a blogger last month (as in zero blogs for the month of December 2004!! Hello??!!).. bawi na lang ako.

*****
My sister went home from the US (she teaches special kids there) and I was really suprised to see that she was so thin. Well, she has always been thin, but this time it borders on malnourished..teka, hindi kaya over naman ang description ko? anyway, it's just been 4 months but you can definitely see that she has food issues there. She doesnt know how to cook, poor girl. Therefore, my mom and I decided that we would fatten her during her 3 week vacay.. we cooked every imaginable food that she liked to eat-- she was so happy she that at times she didnt know which one she'd taste first. I'm just glad that'll never happen to me.. I know how to cook eh..

*****
For Christmas parties and such... I was assigned to set-up our venue for my department's party and we did one heck of a good job at it! This was the first time that they ever had a stage for the department party (or so they said) and I was really proud of our handiwork. we had lots of red and green baloons and floating glittering letters on the stage. It looked really good in pictures. Syempre picture to death ako.. mapicturan man lang ang pinaghirapan namin...

The company party program wasnt really that great, nacompensate lang ng 7pcs chickenjoy, 4 hamburgers, 4 softrinks and 4 apples. grabe, that's just the great thing about this company.. buong pamilya ang pinapakain pag christmas party! Just imagine, if I was married to a co-employee and we had no kids.. what will I do with 14 pcs of chicken and twice of everything else? anyway, ok pa rin coz for the first time in several years, I won in the raffle! di nga lang microwave napanalunan ko-- pyrex serving dish pero happy pa rin coz I got to be lucky amongst about >200 people! Paano pa kaya kung sa Lotto nananalo no?!

******
For 2005, my goal is to save more, be healthy and enjoy life. Not bad for a resolution eh?? Last year I swore I would get into an exercise regimen.. but well, at the end of the year naging more visible na yung flabs ko sa tummy!! Oh no! Goal ko pa rin to remove those bulges pero hindi na for this year... 4 months lang ang taning ko! HAHAHA! Ay! goal ko din pala ang mag-update sa blog na to..kahit twice a month.. O, naka-isa na ko for January ha!

Happy New Year everyone!!

Breathless

2004-11-17T17:19:00.000+08:00

Of all adjectives I can think of, today was what I can best describe as breathless.. as in breathless ang lola nyo today!!

Due to the incoming cold weather, I have been anticipating an allergic reaction this month. Why anticipating?? I have asthma, you see, and an allergic reaction usually leads to colds..which usually leads to sore throat, then cough.. hence the asthma attack. And of course, if I have an asthma attack, Im out-of-breath. Literally.
And today was such a day for an attack.

Of all days, bakit today pa!!?? I was jampacked with meetings and plant inspections today and I didnt have the energy cause I couldnt breathe well. Hayy... What could I do?? wala.. syempre kinaya ko na lang. My new learning for today? 13 hectares pala ang plantang ito instead of 7 lang as I thought I knew.

I cant wait to go home and do drugs. hehe. Drugs as in nebulize ha!

Emergency 117

2004-11-16T20:37:00.000+08:00

In the tradition of US' emergency number 911, the Philippines also has an emergency number to be accessed by Metro Manila residents: 117. I guess I've heard about this number a year ago, but have never actually used it first hand until 2 days ago. And in fairness ha, nakatulong sya.
My mom's cousins from Mindanao have been staying with us. Husband and wife are here to attend their son's University ceremony. The other morning, however, wife got the scare of her life when her son called at 2 AM, asking for help. Son was apparently running while calling on his cell phone, a dunk/addict running after him with a very long kitchen knife at hand. Sounds like a made up story?? Sorry ka na lng, pero this really happened. Son is a university student, and was at the U-belt area at the time of the call. On their way to their dormitory, he and 2 of his classmates were chanced upon by a drunk guy trying to extort money from them. They started to run away and thus the tale of the phonecall.
Meanwhile, while the mother was hysterical, we tried and called 117. Agent 0038 answered (HOY!! yun talaga ang binigay nyang pangalan!) and assisted our call, asked for the name of the victim and location of the incident then promised that he would immediately forward our call. After about 5 mins, he called us and informed us that the son and the knife-guy was already at the baranggay and that someone was already assisting them. Syempre, by that time, ang hysterical na ina ay on the way na to the whereabouts of her son.
It turned out that the call to 117 was just in time. Once the case was forwarded, police and baranggay people were immediately dispatched to search for the reported incident. They immediately appreheded the knife-guy and brought them to the baranggay hall. Had they not been immediately alerted, my cousin would have been knifed down.
I am not a big fan of the PNP or of the local Baranggay tanods, but rather, I am really appreciative that we already have emergency numbers now. AT MAY SUMASAGOT TALAGA!!! Which brings me to my next question... gwapo kaya si agent 0038??!! hehehe.

The Q is in

2004-11-10T19:01:00.000+08:00

Once again I scavenge for time to write an entry.. life's just too busy these days. I've been out attending a workshop-dash-training the whole week last week, and YES, it has been a refreshing episode in my otherwise near-routine life. COZ WHY?? Its just nice to be pulled out from your usual work environment for more than 3 days and to be able to meet other people who are NOT from your company. YEY!! Of course, more smiles from me as this means that more people are again decieved by my looks.. hehe..would you believe that for the nth time i'm mistaken as a "fresh grad" on her "first job" ?? Anyway, t'was time to mingle and meet new people and of course learn something new.. wow ha? as if super eager ako to learn something new.

Well actually, I was. The topic was quite technical, or specifically Mathemetical. and Im not very good at Math. So I decided that I would compensate my satisfactory mathematical skills with eagerness to learn--hehe. Of course, the topic was not THAT new, so parang refresher-cum-mastery na lang for me.

And as a bonus? syempre I got to meet new friends. Sometimes its tiring to pester the same old people so, last week, I had the chance to pester more people. Pero, take note, they liked me ha! ;) At least I got time off of my laboratory. I also got to spend time at home (read: my parent's house) and eat real food (read: non-fastfood/canteen fare). I also got updated with the latest OPM music (as if that's really great) and I now know that Sandara has an album and that her album is now Platinum (tsk,tsk.. this I can never explain). At least, updated ako.

But now I'm back at work and have a lot of catching up to do.. the next seminar's gonna be in the next two weeks so till then, I've got to catch up on my blogging!

Trick or Treat?!!

2004-10-28T18:22:00.000+08:00

No, I have not forgotten that I have this blog.. I’ve just been busy lately. Thanks to the upcoming UNDAS (All Saint’s Day) holiday, I have tons of things to take care of. As if naman super vacation ang drama—it turned out that only Nov 1 was declared a Special Holiday, and it fell at a Monday. Drat.

Anyway, as I toured the malls this last weekend, the Holloween “thing” is felt almost everywhere. Looking at the variety of costumes now available for kids, I thought, “ how come these weren’t available when I was a kid?” There were also lots of cool things available, like platic hairbands with built in horns or knives with matching blood.. and they're cheap ha! Before, the only available costumes were those rubber masks that cost a lot. Now, there are witch hats with frizzy hairs attached to it.. lots of make-up for kids and all possible insect pets in plastic and rubber materials.

During my elementary years, if you wanted to wear a costume on Holloween or to school programs, you had to ask your Mom to make one for you! So, inevitably, your presentability on this costume-wearing day will depend on your Mom’s sewing and craft skills. Let alone her Imagination!!! A friend once told a story of him being dressed by his mom with white long sleeves, black slacks with matching black bow tie when he was invited to a birthday party. Confused by this costume he asked his mom why he should wear this to a costume party. Ang reply ng mother,” Ayan anak, pag may nagtanong kung ano ang costume mo, sabihin mo Waiter ka.” Thank God my mom had more imagination.

So far, I don’t have any plans for this Holloween.. no parties to go to, I’ve no relatives here in Manila to visit, and most of all, my whole family’s gone for a vacation.. I wasn’t able to go cause they left last week and I have work..huhuhu. Just the usual Sunday rest day and one lone free day. Will I consider finally watching Kis Aquino's Feng Shui?! If I do, sobrang bored na siguro ako nun! Anyway, I’ll just have to cook up some mischief this Holloween!! Trick or treating anyone?? Basta ba hindi "waiter" ang costume mo!! hehehe

Of "BER" occasions

2004-10-15T19:51:00.000+08:00

After a long day at work, one normally finds oneself tired and ready to plop into dreamland! Specially if you're into work like mine, having to squeeze out 10 working hours a day--plus suddenly shifting time schedules and surprise Sunday duty calls. So, I go home (or to the place I call "home" on weekdays) and as I open the door, I unexpectedly smile. The cause of my reaction is not the sight of Marcus Schenkenburg waiting topless while sitting on the sofa, but a CHRISTMAS TREE, all 8 feet of it lit up!! It just literally relaxed me on the spot. The same was said by my officemates when they got home, (I'm staying at the company staffhouse by the way..) there's something about that conical tree with pin-sized lights that changes our mood immediately.. never mind that the lights didnt have those "Jingle Bells tune" that usually come with the bulbs. The music normally automatically plays in your head..

And, as if the tree was a signal of some sort.. a christmas countdown was posted at our office bull board, with matching christmas songs playing in the background. Kasehodang super sing si Jose Mari Chan the whole day, go pa rin ang pag play ng CD!! Then, everyone also seems to be so busy with work.. . and why?? coz we should all meet out project targets before the 2nd week of December, coz NO ONE works seriously anymore from then on!! well, except if its the choreography for the christmas party.. hehe. Someone HAS mentioned thinking of what scheme we will take up for our exchange gifts and I've heard another taking note of a possible christmas shopping schedule.. My, my, my... seems that Chrismas is catching up fast!!

But then again, I saw a black cat-and-pumpkin decor hanging from the front porch lights this morning as I left for work.. I guess we still have to go through Holloween before we get to Christmas.. ;)

What's New with Q?

2004-10-12T19:32:00.000+08:00

I just opened my email from a friend, and she asks," Q, whats new with you?"

My mind suddenly raced and thought and thought.. and then I suddenly realized, SHET! wala atang bago sakin?! That's kind of a shocker for a person like me, who seemingly has neverending things to tell, a bottomless pit of tales at the back of my head. Maybe age has caught up with me, or Ive just evolved into some version of a bore.. no, no, no...

Back in high school, our CL teacher (akalain mong nakikinig ako sa CL??!!) shared a very important phrase that could guide us in life.. it was "Carpe Diem", or "Seize the Day". I could say that I just did that everyday through college.. kaya nga ang dami kong kwento. Pero, I never imagined myself to become Boring ha!! I cant allow myself to get boring... hindi ko kaya...

So.. lets see.. what can I do to be interesting... hmnn.. I recently had a haircut.. and cellophane-- a first for me since my hair is what stylists usually refer to as "virgin hair"-- as in never been dyed and permed ha! That counts as something.. anu pa? I started this blog.. but then i do admit that sometimes i dunno what to write. kaya nga siguro i'm afraid i'm becoming a bore.. oh no!

What else, what else.. maybe I should try a new sport..something that would help me trim down those bulges down there whose presence I always denay but can clearly see.. Badiminton perhaps?? parang hindi ko feel.. parang di ako yun.. i'm more into rough, athletic contact sports.. What about wrestling?! hehe.. as if buhay pa ko after a trial round. I tried liking dogs.. and going near them recently.. You see, i'm afraid of them. My sister has a Retriever and J has recently bought a Pitbull so I have no choice but to try and like the pets.. so far, so good.

I already know how to cook, sew and lots of other domestic things. ... SUS, sng hirap naman nito, its really hard to maintain being interesting when your working and work eats up your time. Yhis is a tough one.. I need more time to think about how to reinvent myself... HELP!!

Comings and Goings...

2004-10-08T19:15:00.000+08:00

I've just learned that a close friend of mine just left the country. That's the 8th close friend I have who's left. The first few ones who've gone have made me feel melancholy, and after several of them leaving I thought I'd get used to the feeling.. hindi pa rin. Most of them have just gone to pursue further studies, some were for greener pastures. My sister, in fact, just left last july. Oh well.. I guess i'll just have to wish them well.

I think about whats making me feel sad, maybe its just the fact that everyone's leaving me behind. But that doesnt mean i want to go too. Oddly enough, I never seemed to ever have really wanted to leave this country. Maybe, talagang rooted na ako sa pagsisilbi sa bayan (charing!!). It's just that Ive neverimagined myself settling down in another country and culture. I am, as a matter of factly, happy with the way things are here. Never mind the dropping economy, the pollution and the piles of garbage. Maybe Ill be open to a working stint there, but permanently settling there?? i dont know.. I cant leave the warm Filipino hospitality, the friendly smiles and cheerful dispositions.. the overflowing food and the colorful fiestas. And most of all, the warm warm weather (ginawin kasi ako eh... he hehe..)

I miss my friends and will continue missing them.. but Ill always be a friend though time ans space may separate us.. hay.. ang drama ko.

Nerdy me

2004-09-30T18:25:00.000+08:00

With my highschool reunion just a few days away, a friend asked me, " e sinong first love mo?" To which I replied, "Tang*#ng first love yan!" ( I would have edited the swearing, but it wouldn't give the same effect when you read it!)

I didn't have any boyfriend back in high school. Only lots of crushes (I'd say we all have this..). I was the nerdy kind back then.. I belonged to those kids who came with all assignments answered, those who were frequently club officers. My classmates would pester me to show them my assignments. My guy seatmeate would even share his whole intermediate pad with me, tearing it in half with the aid of his laway (para straight! bwehehe!). I never had a failing grade then.. ooh!! I almost did! I was so busy with the Math and Science Club that I kept on skipping my Trigonometry Class (upon the request of the Club adviser, of course). I almost cried when my teacher said I got a 78, but then she said she could maintain my honor roll status if I gave her a new sci-calculator.. cool exchange huh?!!

Anyways, I was never considered pretty-- or social for that matter. All high schools have this "A group" of beautiful (or , in our case, feeling byutiful) girls and their partners strutting around campus as if they were godesses. I wasn't part of that group. I don't think I would have wanted to be part of their group anyways. With such a lot on my mind, who has time for that love crap! But I did have crushes, and sa pagkakaalam ko meron din namang nagkaka crush sakin (naks.) Life was just school and home. I cant believe I survived.

College turned out to be liberating for me. I got to be NORMAL. Sometimes I even turn out to be abnoy. hehe. And what happened to the nerdy me?? Shoosh. Gone. Kaput. But I'm happy, coz its great to experience life.. even when your drunk. he he. Specially when your drunk!

Friendster No More...

2004-09-29T17:52:00.000+08:00

Almost everyone I know has a Friendster account. In the beginning, I was hesitant to join this “kulto” but then I was convinced so I eventually created an account. And since then, visiting this site has always been a welcome break from my usual work routine. Finding old friends from elementary and high school score very wide smiles from me—of course except that time when my most hated EX from college actually tried to add me as a friend! HELLO??!! The nerve of him to actually ask me again to be his friend, when I already rejected him the first time!! Super pindot ang lola mo ng NO button, as if the mouse was stuck or something!! Anyway, its really nice to be in touch with old friends.. Friends ha!! Heck! My officemate even found his old crush at Friendster, and they’re getting married next year!

Oh well, the happy days are gone. Yesterday seemed like doomsday when we discovered that our Company’s MIS department has restricted this particular site from being accessed by employees. Oh yes, you’re thinking what I’m thinking… MAYBE THEY HAVE NO FRIENDS. Going around the company grounds this afternoon confirmed that my department was not the only one affected by this issue.. hush hush conversations were evident and lipreading revealed the words “wala ng Friendster..”. I mean, its not like we don’t work at all… its one of those things that give you an energy boost at the end of the day. So much for being happy and creative around here… BLAH!!!

Welcome to Tariray's Adventures

2004-09-28T19:58:00.000+08:00

I have always wanted to keep a journal of my life's little adventures (or should this word be prefixed with "mis-").. and have been inspired by my friend's (paruparong bukid ;) blog site. I thought, this is a great way for me to continuousely blabber to myself without even opening my mouth! After all, I am never really without any story to tell...