ano daw???

I came across a book entitled "the more the manyer - pinoy cliches and other words of wisdumb" by Tahanan Books sometime ago in powerbooks. kanina, di ko na napigilan ang sarili ko kasi tuwing madadaan ako sa powerbooks, nakikita ko sya at parang tinatawag nya ako (shiet ... haunted?? hehe) anyways, kakatawa kasi sya and everytime i pick it up and peek at the pages (peek lang ha, hindi basa to death wehehehe!), natatawa ako. why? well, to prove na nakakatawa nga sya (sana may ma-prove at nang ma-justify ang pagtawa-tawa ko sa powerbooks mag-isa), here are my top 10 favorite lines from the book:
1. Can you repeat it again once more for the second time around ? (ulitin natin, baka hindi naintindihan...)
2. That's what I'm talking about it! (sabi ko nga ... yun na nga yun...)
3. Every cloud has a silver lightning (ano yun? bagyo?)
4. Don't just do something! Stand there! (bawal gumalaw ha!)
5. The idea crossed at the back of my mind (na-traffic cguro...)
6. Give him the benefit of the daw! (huwat??? ano daw yun???)
7. I always go there sometimes (teka.... nalito akoh...)
8. Well, well, well, look do we have here! (well..well...well indeed! :P)
9. And where do you think you are off to running to? (malayo sa yo! ...)
and my peborit:
10. Hello? For a while. Please hang yourself. My Boss is out of town, would you like to wait?

And there's more ... hehehe =) kaya lang di ko na sya isusulat at baka ma-IPR chorva pa ako. If you want to read more, go grab a copy of the book. Available sya sa powerbooks =), btw, sale sila ngayon until the end of the month (libreng plug etoh... hahaha! halata bang adik ako sa libro?).

excuse me... are you MBA???

imbyerna! hahahaha!

last saturday morning while the gradcom of batch 09 (kami yun ... hehe ... formal introductions needed... mas may effect pag third person ang kwento...) was conducting their yearbook meeting sa MBA discussion room, one guy (who looked quite older than us ... pramis!!!) came over to their table and asked: "excuse me... are you MBA?" 8 pairs of eyes turned in his direction and they all basically said YES, iba-iba nga lang ... yes, why?  OO, why? pero isa lang ang sentiment ... poot hahaha! after that, he said, "ok, thank you", sabay atras, talikod at balik sa kwartong pinanggalingan nya. ay wait, before he closed the door, he told his groupmates, "they're MBA students.."

BAKEEEEETTT ???? mukha kaming undergrad?? (hhmmm, flattering... o baka kasi naka jeans and shirt lang kami halos lahat)... o mukha kaming nag-gate crash sa BA para lang magbalitaktakan at maghasik ng ingay at lagim sa MBA discussion room... pambihira....

anong napala nya? wala ... parang sya pa tuloy ang natameme. O cge, we were maingay ... granted, but he could've just asked us to tone it down, kasi they were discussing a case for finance ( i think..) we could've ended up remorseful and we'll try harder to keep the noise down. but noooooooooooooooooo.... excuse me, are you MBA????? are you insane??? asking 8 people that question??? parang galit sa buhay nya yung taong yun... (hahahaha! di kami war freak, pramis! ... kaloka lang)

isa pa, in all my years in UP hindi yata ako naka-experience ng nang-sisino ... SINO KA? parang ganun hahahaha! dapat pala cnabi namin hindi kami MBA, ano kayang gagawin nun, papalayasin kami? isa pa pala, they were 1-2 batches lower than us ... kaya guys, know muna your upper batches before going out and asking people who they are lalo na if the way you plan to ask them is not really friendly hahaha! baka umuwi kang may poknat...

excuse me, are you MBA?? yes... why??? we're you're upper batch... *irap, taas kilay ... poot ever* hahahaha!

di kami affected ... pramis ... nagkukuwento lang.

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 11)

Day 11 (July 6, 2008)

Sunday today =) yey! baket? wala lang happy ako... shopping day today eh hahaha!

So we went to church with Joy's family today. It was my first Christian service. Maganda sya, it wasn't what I expected kasi para cyang isang malaking cell group. The sort of thing we have during my days in UPSCA.  So I really liked it =).

Nag-bonding kami ng kids ni Joy ngayon, mula sa church hehehehe =) Zyjay and I were playing during the service hahaha! super sweet nung batang yun talaga.. tapos nun inseparable na kami hahaha! nakahanap ako ng playmate! =)

After the service may merienda pa sa parang session hall dun sa church tapos meron silang isa pang worship service may acoustic chorva. Again, kahit sandali lang kami dun, I really liked the service. Zoe was there na din kasi her sunday school activities ended na by that time. Zyjay had lots of cake ... natuwa ang bata kumain ng independence day cake! he ate around 3 slices yata! =)

After church we went to Costco to buy pasalubong and to look for the other stuff the people back home asked us to buy. We pretty much got everything pero super ayaw ko na bitawan ang iPod na kulay pink! haha! ... need mag-isip-isip muna ... hmmm... sapagkat laptop ang mas kailangan... need to rationalize expenses muna... shet ... that was a hard time hahaha! PERO... naibsan ang aking stressful to buy or not to buy iPod moment nang makit ko ang chocolate covered almonds! as in nagningning ang mga mata ko ... at yun na lang ang hindi ko pinakawalan... hahahaha! kahit pa sabi ni Joy na matutunaw yun .. i don't care haha!
So tapos nun, ang katuparan ng pangako ni M'Ed haha! we ate at I-Hop! =) dapat breakfast ang kakainin namin dahil yun daw ang specialty dun, kaya lang since we had merienda sa church, nag-lunch kami dun. The food was good =) yummy... I had steak and mashed potatoes =). Pagkatapos nun, natupad din ang prediction ni Joy ... ang choco almonds ko ay natunaw haha! pero i still don't care hahaha! peborit ko pa din sya!

After that, we went around a few stores muna for M'Ed's shopping needs. So yun, after that we went home to Joy's muna to start arranging the stuff we need to pack and list down th ethings we still need to buy. While Joy was doing some work Zoe, S'Arnel and I played Wii! aliw! mali... super aliw!!! as in nag-enjoy ako at si S'Arnel! nag tennis at bowling sila ni Zoe hahaha! nate-tempt na nga yata si S'Arnel bumili ng Wii eh =).

We went out again to buy the stuff we forgot and to look for Balikbayan boxes and buy dinner. We ended up in BBW ulet (for the nth time haha!) While waiting for S'Arnel, Joy, Zoe and I went to Starbucks muna located inside a Barnes and Nobles store. Ang ganda nung set-up nila... nate-tempt na nga ako mag-browse ng books kaya lang super mahal kasi dun eh, compared sa pinas.

Tapos nun, we finally decided to just buy fish and shrimp and cook dinner na lang at Joy's house imbes na lumabas pa kami or bumili sa Max's. We went to a Filipino supermarket and bought salmon, shrimps at kangkong ... ang kangkong na matagal inisip ni S'Arnel kung talagang kangkong nga ba yun at pinagtanong pa nya yun sa kinauukulan ha! di mapakali ang lolo ko at baka hindi daw kangkong ang mabili eh ang dapat daw sa sinigang na isda kangkong!!

matapos ang kangkong moment ng lolo ko umuwi na kami. Joy and M'Ed cooked dinner while S'Arnel and I packed the stuff we were going to send home. Zoe helped me with my box, while S'Arnel busied himself by making the boxes impenetrable ... o di ba??? totoo! nag-adik ang lolo ko sa pagbalot sa balikbayan box ng packaging tape para daw matibay... kaya ng puting balikbayan box ang naging semi-silver sa dami ng packaging tape hahaha! pero in fuhrnezzz.... matibay nga naman sya.

So yun, matapos ang lahat, nagdinner na kami ng super sarap na sinigang na salmon at chili garlic shrimp ni Joyski =) yummy yummy! dami namin nakain! That was one of the best meals I had dun!

After nun, uwi na kami sa hotel, super aga kasi ng flight namin the next day for Washington. I'm really going to miss the kids =(. Di na ako nakapagpaalam kay Zyjay kasi tulog na sya nun. Zoe was waving goodbye sa window until we left ... sana when I see them again, playmates pa din kami =).

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 10)

Day 10 (July 5, 2008) - Los Angeles

Back to work today. Joy picked us up from the hotel and we went around a few stores in LA to check on store procedures, product standards and stuff. So its basically a real work day today. I don't want to bore you with all the boring details but what we pretty much did is observe store practices then do product tests. By product test i mean we taste the products sold in the store. So i got an overload of Jollibee products ... as in super overload. Kaw ba naman, eh we went around 4 stores and we did product tests for all 4 stores... waaaaaaa! oh well, i liked the halo-halo... wala kasi sa pinas nun eh hehehe... and the iced coffees! its really yummy! if you're in LA, try our Jolly iced coffee, masarap sya, pramis!

BUT, we did manage to sneak in an hour or so of shopping hehe =). Nasa mall kasi yung isang store so we took the chance and went around a bit to buy the stuff that people back home asked for .. so yun, pati si S'Arnel na-engganyo naming bumili ng BBW hehehe =).

Lunch was super nice .. we ate at a japanese buffet restaurant c/o M'Beth, our country head in LA. Super duper yummy sya! Joy and I has a blast eating haha! buti na lang ala na sya allergies kasi andaming seafood! pyesta sa sahimi, maki at tempura ang nangyari sakin! hehehe =)

We also tried other fastfood chains and as usual tasted their products so, lunch lang talaga ang naiiba today. All in all, it was pretty much uneventful ... We went back early sa hotel so we could start packing na our stuff and the stuff we needed to ship out.

BUKAS ... itinerary: church and shopping ... hehehe... teka, may utang pang breakfast sa I-Hop si M'Ed samin ahhhh... tuparin kaya bukas? abangan...

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 9)

Day 9 - Los Angeles (July 4, 2008)

Happy Independence Day!!! nyahahahaha! It's a HAPYY DAY!!!! We're going to DISNEYLAND woohoo! (di ako excited ... hindeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee wahahahahaha! <<< sinapian).

seriously, super happy ako kasi makakadaupang palad ko na si mickey =). the last time na binalak kong pumunta sa disneyland when I was in HK last year, eh naunsyami... kaya ngayon, hangga't hindi nagkatotoo hindi ko iniisip (drama queen etoh hahaha! <<< nag-iinarte).

So eto na sya ... we went to a few stores first since S'Arnel wanted to work a bit and check out a few of our equipment in the stores before we go to Disney ... work effect muna hahaha! so mejo late na kami nakarating sa anaheim. pero i don't care! basta makapunta lang .. grabe! feeling bata ako as in ... kulang na lang magpabili ako ng lobo at cotton candy sa tuwa! hahaha! totoo pala yun .. someone told me kasi na when you step in the magical world of disney, as in instant yun ... feeling kid ka ulet ... kahit cna s'arnel nag-iba ang aura - pramis! he looks happy and free! o di ba!!! as in nabawasan ang stiffness ng lolo ko! kakaaliw!

pero eto ang glitch .. dahil 4th of july supeeeeeeeerrrrrrrrr daming tao! as in! ang pila sa rides took around 1 hour to 1 and a half hours = average pila time, tapos the ride is like 5 mins - 10 mins lang. pero i don't care ulet! ininda ko ang pila ng rides at kung anu-ano pa, pati ang pagkirot ng namamaga ko pa ring paa na may benda na ngayon na tunay at hindi na sya naka-bandanna (yey!) tiniis ko ... para kay mickey ... pero hindi ko man lang sya nalapitan =( ang layo kasi namin nung nag parade, pero okay na yun, masaya pa din ako .. belat ... hahaha!

we rode the amazing rivers chorva, kaaliw syang ride! may kwento eto at nagsusulputang hippopotamus na nambubuga ng tubig at ang daming PEPANT!!! woohoo =) (adik ...) tapos we went to Indiana Jones the next. It was the best ride I had doon. As in! saya sya... para kang kasali ni Indiana Jones sa kanyang adventures at feeling mo eh sasagasaan ka din ng higanteng boulder =) (sasagasaan na nga masaya pa din ako hahaha!)... tapos nun we rode the pirates of the caribbean ride - it was a relaxing ride, more of sights and stories lang .. pero nakakaaliw yung mga wax figures .. para kang nanood nung mga lumang palabas sa COD pag pasko pero mas high tech eto at nakasakay ka pa sa bangka .. with matching movements and song and dance numbers - - - worth the pila =).

next we got on the magic mountain ride - - - super saya as in super saya - take log jam and multiply it by 20!!! hahahahaha! yun lang ang masasabi ko .. pumasok ka nang tuyo, paglabas mo sabon na lang ang kulang, bagong ligo na ang dating mo hahahaha!

last ride we got on was the matterhorn - - its a fast ride with lots of twists and turns --- it was exhilarating (sosyal! - - salamat manong webster for this uber descriptive word hehehe). Pero I think the ride was bitin ... either that's really true o sadyang adik lang ako haha!

after nun, we were supposed to ride the submarine thingy kaya lang super haba ang pila at ang pila time daw is almost two hours - - ay pass na eto .. need na namin pumunta dun sa harap daw ng castle kasi malapit na ang fireworks chorva.

sa super dami ng tao, hindi mahulugang karayom ang paligid ng pagdadausan ng fireworks ... we waited ... and waited... and waited some more .. pero patigasan etoh, alang alisan!! hahaha! .. tapos biglang may nag-mega announce... "due to the weather, we may only be able to show the modified version of the show .. we hope you understand .. blah blah blah" sabi nung katabi ko... "what? they shouldn't have announced that ... now we know that we are getting the modified one .. as if we knew what the original one was ... " good point ... feeling mo tuloy naisahan ka hehehe.

so yun... start na sya, it was great ... and everyone was really into the fireworks thingy kaya lang parang halfway pa lang ... boom... they STOPPED THE SHOW ... shet ... kasi nga due to weather conditions .. pero in fairness, malakas nga talaga ang hangin and the disney people were just really being careful .. and realistic .. mahirap na .. pero we were still disappointed nonetheless.

so yun .. uwian na lang eto, di na kami nanood nung laser light show as originally planned, mukhang pagod na din kasi ang mga thunderbolts na kasama ko... kaw ba naman, buong araw ka na-hyper eh parang hindi naman sila ganun lagi hahahaha!

bago umalis, nakiusap ako na if i can go visit a disney store to get souvenirs. Umoo naman cla pero hindi na daw sila papasok, wait na lang daw nila ako ... ay pressure etoh!!! marathon ever ang ginawa ko sa loob ng store ... para akong bata na may dala-dalang basket at load ever ang ginawa .. i just rationalized the cost nung mejo halfway na hahahahaha ... kaya nagbawas ako bigla .. ala tuloy ako disney jacket =( pero hindi ko binitawan si mickey!!!! may mickey ako .. pinalitan ko nga lang ng mas maliit na size yung stuffed mickey ko kasi feeling ko mahaharass sya sa bag ko pag-uwi ko ng pinas hehehe =).

after nun we went out to get a ride home, pero sa kasamaang palad... alang taxi .. as in ala... di yata nila nabalitaan na naputol ang fireworks show kaya late na cla nagdatingan. ang ending .. lumabas na kami ng disney at naghanap ng makakainan. Well, across the park is a restaurant strip so mejo malapit lang naman sya. We ended up eating in Tony Roma's. As usual, the servings were super duper big, as in fiesta plate ... este fiesta bandehado size eto ! pramis! pero the food was good ... until that time feeling ko happy kid pa din ako .. na may dalang loot bag hahaha!

after nun, we went out to search for a taxi .. swerte naman, nakakuha kami agad kasi it was getting really cold, and i only had a shirt and a light jacket on. nanginginig na ang mga bilbil ko eh hahaha! ... pero sa kamalas-malasan (na naman) bago ako sumakay ng taxi .. cnara ni s'arnel ang pinto nya sa front seat at NAIPIT AKO!!!! ano na!!! walking danger magnet yata ang drama ko dito sa states .. pambihira!! pero luckily hindi sya masakit .. at hindi naman ako nabalian .. may magic ang pinto ng manong taxi at puro rubber ang tumama sa kin... God loves me today hahahaha!

so yun .. umuwi na kami at naramdaman ko lang ang pagod nang nakaupo na ako sa taxi. all in all i had a wonderful day! as in .. i really felt like a kid again .. thanks to the magic of disney =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 8)

Day 8 – Los Angeles (July 3, 2008)

I had a good hearty breakfast today sapagkat may breakfast buffet ang hotel namin ngayon!!! Yehey!!! (lets do the dance of joy!!!!). Simple lang naman cya pero happy na ako dun, sa New Orleans nga ala eh, 1 cup of coffee lang sa umaga tsaka unlimited supply ng green apples ang libre haha! =)

I ate waffles that I made myself (proud etoh!) pero nakagawa lang ako ng waffle pagkatapos ko basahin ang procedure na nakapaskil dun sa waffle maker at para maging sigurado eh nagtanong pa ko kay S’Ariel kung tama nga ba ang pinaggagagawa ko sa buhay ko. Ang resulta – tostadong waffle hahaha! Pero masarap sya (justifying haha!) ... pramis!!!! cross my heart and hope to ... to... hhmmm.. pramis! hehehe... Try nyo 'to : waffle with maple syrup, butter at peanut butter!!! Yummy!!! =)

So pagkatapos kong mag-adik sa waffle sinundo na kami ni Joy and we went out and checked our stores in the vicinity (sosyal … vicinity…. Thank you Webster for this valuable word haha!). That’s what we pretty much did the whole day, checking store procedures, product testing sa stores and checking documents. We went to our US head office and did the rest of our work there until the afternoon.

Kakainis nga lang kasi strict sila sa US kung ilang tao lang ang pwede sumakay sa sasakyan. So, since sina S’Ariel ay babalik na sa Pinas earlier than us eh need na nilang mag-shop. To make the short story shorter, susunduin nila ang mga bossing ko na galing Arkansas tonight at 2 lang ang pwedeng isama ni Joy sa kotse (gumugulo ang short story ko teka… rewind)… ganito kasi yan, may outlet store na malapit sa airport kung saan susunduin ang mga bossing. So, ang sistema, Joy will drop them off sa Outlet Mall tapos dadaanan na lang sila pagbalik .. whew!!! Naikwneto ko din … hirap magsulat pag bangag … need to catch up on sleep na …

Ang ending? Naiwan ako haha! Sapagkat pag sumama pa ko sobra na sila sa car … unless isakay nila ako sa trunk hehehe =) (pero in feyrness, inisip ko yun hahaha! Malakas ang tawag sa kin ng mall ….). Nagpaiwan na lang ako sa hotel para tapusin ang mga nararapat bago pa dumating ang aking mader boss at baka matanong ako kung anong pinaggagagawa ko sa buhay ko habang wala sya =). So yun, martyr ever ang drama ko sa hotel habang hinihintay ko ang kanilang pagbabalik.

When they arrived, nagdinner kami with Joy’s family sa Taipan, a Chinese restaurant na super like ko yung beef wonton noodles ... sarap!!! (hhmmm… puro pagkain ang pampasaya ko today ah! Haha!) Joy’s kids were super-duper cute! Ang laki na nila Zoe and Zyjay =).

After dinner we went back sa hotel at nagpahinga na. Unahan na eto matulog!!! Haha! Baka matanong pa ko eh hehehe =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 7)

Day 7 (July 2, 2008) – New Orleans / LA

Last day in New Orleans today =) am sooooo looking forward to LA, mejo tahimik kasi sa New Orleans tapos ala pa masyado mapasyalan. So ganun na nga, we flew to LA while two of my bosses, went to Arkansas for a plant visit. Yey! I have one night na ako lang sa room haha! (sama ko ba?) Eh kasi naman, roommate ko yung boss ko since we got here, so parang mula paggising hanggang pagtulog sa gabi eh mejo conscious akesh … you know… hahaha! So anyways, isa yun sa nilu-look forward ko … ang matulog mag-isa =)

When we got to LA, Joy met us sa airport and drove us to our hotel. We stayed in Quality Inn and Suites in Maple. It’s a nice place, comfortable enough, and homey =). Pero bago kami makarating sa hotel, kumain muna kami, ang request namin?? Filipino food!!!! Haha! Naloka si Joy!!! Pero grabe, namiss namin ang kanin at ulam. Buti na lang sa LA dami Pinoy at maraming Pinoy establishments. So we ate in Pinoy Pinay and we really enjoyed the food! =) parang nakauwi ka ang dating, plus the fact na we were surrounded by Pinoys doon hehehe =)

So, ang unang purchase ko sa LA pagkatapos kumain??? Hulaan nyo … hhhmmm… MALI! Hindi sapatos, tama na muna ang kasapatusan .. hehehe… ang una kong binili ay BANDAGES at SALONPAS o di ba???? Sapagkat namamaga pa din ang aking napetot na ankle and its sporting a new look – mejo may violet and green tinge na sya – parang talong ang combination. Kaloka – pero in fairness, nakakalakad na ako, and that’s what matters. Ibig sabihin lang alang nabaling buto – okay na yun, napilipit lang hehehe =). So yun, my mom went ballistic as in all caps ang text when I told her about the petot incident and she called Ghina (ang pinsan kong PT) kaya eto mega text na need ko bumili ng bandage at dapat daw may support ang ankle ko until the swelling subsides, plus a host of other instructions … itaas ang paa sa gabi … I-hot compress chorva chorva ….

We went grocery shopping in a Filipino supermarket … natuwa ako dahil may C2 apple kaya bumili ako ng apat!! Adik kung adik etoh atsaka eto ha .. only in the US … Goldilocks Biscotti! Sosyal! Ala sa Pinas nyan, sa pinas meron lang mamon tostado.

The day passed by quickly and we retired early .. need rest at bukas eh trabaho etoh. It was really great to see Joy again =) at super naaliw ako sa car navigation system chorva nya hehehe … may nagsasalita na “turn left … if possible make a LEGAL u-turn” … aliw!!!!

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 6)

Day 6 (July 1, 2008) – New Orleans

It’s a miracle!!! I can walk!!! Yey!!! Slowly nga lang … but still, hindi na ako parang kangaroo na kumakandirit ever!!!! Wehehehehehe! Thank you Lord! =)

It’s rinna’s last day today and she met us sa may lobby before she went off to spend a few days kina ate hess in ohio. We went to church today. The church is located near the French Quarter so parang pasyal na din eto, so to complete it, may fecture-teyking na naganap sa loob ng simbahan pagkatapos ng misa =) tapos fecture-fecture ulet sa labas ng church at sa may park. Tapos nun balik na kami sa convention.

So dapat pakitang gilas ako ngayon kasi bukod sa napetot ako, kulang pa ako sa enthusiasm! (kaloka ever …) so dapat bubbly and hyper ang dating ko .. makalaklak nga ng maraming asukal – sugar high ang kelangan dito…

I was able to attend a session I enjoyed today – sa wakas!!!! Wehehehe kaya happy ako =) tapos nun we went around the convention hall to catch the other exhibits. I discovered where the books are displayed!!! Piyesta!!! Kaya lang super mahal .. discounted na din daw yun … ala kasi masyado technical books available locally kaya aliw na aliw ako dun … enthusiasm pala ha ????

The day passed by uneventfully … we had dinner at a restaurant near the hotel that served good food =) yey! Nakakain ako ng kanin sa wakas! Actually, the restaurant was a second option. The first option was Ruth Chris Steakhouse – sabi kasi ng boss naming super sarap daw dun… kaya lag bukod sa mejo mahaba ang waiting list eh super mahal ang food … hhhmmm …. Steak o per diem considerations … obviously the per diem consideration won :P

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 5)

Day 5 (June 30, 2008) – New Orleans

Yey! Kasali kami ulit sa session today!!!! Pero sa kamalas-malasan ever .. NAPETOT ako! As in!!! tapilok ever. I knew na it was bad the moment I landed. As in nag-twist ang ankle ko eh L. Pano nangyari etoh??? Ganito yan … pagbaba ng bus tinanong ako ni S’Ariel habang naglalakad … kumain ka na? Hindi pa po .. blag … kabog ever, feeling ko may hinilang rug sa kinatatayuan ko … nawala daw akong bigla sa harapan nila hehehehe. And right then and there , I knew .. I twisted it baaaaaaddddd. Can’t walk for a few minutes pero dapat I-keri eto pagka’t kasama ang mga boss. Smile ever hahaha! Pero inside I was screaming MEDIC! MEDIC! Call 911!! (emote ever) pambihirang mga sidewalk naman kasi yung andun, pang higante ang height! Di tulad ng mga sidewalk dito sa tin, pang 5 feet lang, sakto sa may paa ko ankle ang sidewalk, eh dun ang taas kaya … oh well, sige na nga, isa’t kalahating bulag din naman kasi ako eh hehehe … buti na lang sanay ako madapa.

ETOH PA!!!!!! Sabi ko na nga ba eh… di ba kinontra ang sessions na gusto ko puntahan kaya nasira ang mood ko yday… eto ang nangyari sa obvious reaction ko kahapon. I was told na I lacked enthusiasm kasi I wasn’t really showing any signs of it yesterday hahaha! Haller you should know who said this di ba??? My gas … cge, dapat ultimate pagpapanggap etoh. I can’t even react without being reacted to (huh? Nalito ako sa statement ko …)

The day went by in a blur. Sayang .. excited pa naman ako umikot ngayon at today lang ako may session, yesterday kasi wala =(. Anyways, I realized that it was like any other food show I attended, mas extensive nga lang ito and the exhibits were more technical and the people you get to talk to are also technical compared to the shows back home. The exhibits were good and the freebies were way better than the ones in manila. My bosses were having a field day! Getching bag don, ng ballpen dito, sample doon at sample dito hehehehe =). I for one was not that into the freebies thing though I did get a few canvas bags, iniisip ko kasi kung pano ko siya isasaksak sa gamit ko pag-alis namin eh hehehe … remember 50 lbs lang ang allowed pag domestic flights, eh nung pagpasok ko sa US I was already around 60 lbs or so. Plus may dala pa kong samples for Joy. We got books din for the office so yun pa lang at mga sandamakmak na samples at handouts eh bigat na agad … and malakas ang kutob ko na ako ang kakarga ng load na eto kasi ang ibang boss ko eh pupunta pa sa Arkansas after this. Susko eh 2nd day pa lang namin sa convention ngayon e hanggang Tuesday pa etoh! Ang kwarto namin eh umaapaw na sa handouts at kung anu-anong chorva. Good luck na lang talaga.

My ankle swelled to twice its size by lunchtime. After my session nung hapon I asked if I may be excused and if I could go back to the hotel. That was around 3 or 4 na yata. Buti naman pumayag. I was literally jumping on one leg just to get from one point to the next. Buti na lang M’Elvie was really kind enough to walk with me and sumama na din sya pabalik ng hotel. Good thing din na there were shuttle buses to and from the venue to our hotels. Kung hindi talaga, stretcher na etoh.

When I got back sa hotel, first aid ever – cold compress na ito.. deadma .. kinuha ko ang malamig na bote ng juice sa ref at nilagay ko sa namamagang paa ko. Nang matapos ang cold compress hot compress naman. Anything to make the swelling subside. Masakit na sya super. I really needed to stay off the ankle, baka lumala. I knew it well enough when I saw the angle that my ankle went through na both sides were affected .. tama nga ako.

Pagbalik ng boss ko sa room ,she said, patingin nga ng paa mo .. and when she saw it sabi nya .. my God!!! Namamaga pala talaga!!! Haller????!!!!!! Sabi ko na nga ba eh. Buti na lang talaga pinilit kong magmagaling at mag-ikot kanina dahil kung hindi feeling nya pala eh nagpapacute lang ako… leche.

Buti na lang rinna was there and she waited until I can somehow walk and we ate dinner na lang sa hotel kasi hindi na talaga ako makalakad. Kaloka naman kung kakandirit ako papunta sa ibang restaurant di ba???? Feeling kangaroo etoh.

Anyways, naloka ang hotel staff when they saw me limping at tinanong ako kung san ako natapilok … nung cnabi kong sa convention center, obvious na they all heaved a sigh of relief .. baka kasi magdemanda pa ako kung sa hotel nangyari yun eh hahaha! They were very kind actually, they said na in case I need anything, anything at all kahit yung tungkod na cnabi ni rinna na hingin ko, they will give it daw. Hahahaha!

So yun ang aking 5th day here in the US … hhhmmmm .. .ang pagsusuot pala ng violet ay may masamang pagbabadya … bago matapos ang araw kasi mejo nagiging violet na ang napetot kong paa.

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 4)

Day 4 (June 29, 2008) – New Orleans

Sa wakas!!! Kasali na kami sa convention! May gagawin na kami! Hahahaha!!! The day started out okay, maganda naman ang exhibits pero I realized na para din syang yung mga shows na na-attendan ko sa Manila, mas extensive nga lang. What was worth attending were the sessions. Maganda yung ibang topics, pero haller .. when my boss asked what I wanted to attend, kinontra yung ibang gusto kong attendan. Attendan ko na lang daw yung mga hindi nya ma-aatendan … my gas! Eh 2 sessions na nga lang ang allowed sakin, dictated pa … nasira ang mood ko .. pramis. Kaw ba naman eh, pano kaya ma-pipique ang interest mo kung yung session na pinaatendan sau eh yung ayaw mo. Oh well … kasali yan sa pagiging aliping saguiguilid .. tanggapin ko na lang .. but she shouldn’t expect me to be way too excited.

We met a few of the suppliers and talked to most of them, set dinner meetings then went around the floor. Kakapagod din, ang laki ng venue, pero sabi nila, this was way smaller than the floor last year.

We had dinner at a local restaurant that served local specialties as in tipong creole, gumbo at kung anetch anetch pa…. I ordered cod fish, the others near me ordered rabbit … curious ako sa rabbit, pero di ko kaya orderin, feeling ko kakainin ko si bugs bunny hehehe. I tried a bite and it tasted like chicken pero medjo malansa sya. Di ko din mashado type ang local food nila. Halo-halo ang lasa .. as in halo-halo .. nakaka-confuse (no offense to others who like it ha … subjective kasi eh). Sa start okay sya, madali lang makasawa, ganun.

We headed back to the hotel after dinner … sa wakas tulugan na… kelangan na eh, mejo nosebleed na etoh, whole day spokening English na eto mga kafatid. Di na kinaya ng blood pressure ko hehehehe =)

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 3)

Day 3 (June 28, 2008) - New Orleans

We started off early today, pero my boss is super tamad na to go to the convention. Matutulog na lang daw muna sya .. sosyal!!! Sana ako din hahaha! Anyways, we walked to the Hilton to have breakfast (sosyal x 2) and to go check out if we could “attend” the pre-sessions for the convention being held there. “Attend” meaning singit, salimpusa, seat-in kumbaga. My boss said she can get us in … well the thing is the pre-sessions are paid sessions that cost around $500.00 … so you could not blame me if I was a wee bit skeptical … pero sabi nya kaya daw nya yun .. tingnan ko nga kung kaya nyang magpa-cute o madaan nya sa kanyang pinagmamalaking impeccable negotiating skills ang mga tao dito. Approach the person in charge - - hmm, talk daw to the speaker chorva – here he is … okay … hhhmmm…. I’m really sorry but we have to consider the fact that the people inside PAID to get in to these sessions so if you want, you can pay and attend the sessions … but .. blah blah blah … but … I’m sorry ma’am, but it think that’s not fair. With that last line, our chances of getting in the pre-sessions went poof! … hehehehe … di po pwede ma’am?? (adding insult to injury … haha! … well, the opportunity presented itself, sayang naman kung hindi ako makakapang-asar di ba?) … masungit yung speaker, di daw pwede,, hmp! Wehehehehe! Sana pala nakipagpustahan ako, may extra dollars sana ako ngayon hahahahaha! (S’ Ariel!!!!! Pustahan tayo o!)

Well, aside from that, the high point of my morning was breakfast. Nun lang ako nakakain ng matinong almusal. I had corned beef! =) (ay! Corned beef ?!? – di masarap yan eh .. pero well, yan ang gusto mo eh – bossing) Oh well, sabi ko eh gusto ko eh … bakit ba? During breakfast may nakapasok na mamang may sayad dun sa Hilton. Kaloka di ba???? Dire-diretso sya sa buffet table sabay kuha ng plato at sandamakdamak na bacon. Nung tinanong sya nung supervisor nun ng can I help you sir, ang sagot nya, I’m eating .. what are you going to do? Help me eat??? TARAY hahahahaha! Pero in fairness, natakot ako sa kanya … kasi malapit sya sa table naming nakaupo, eh nakatalikod ako sa kanya, tapos maya-maya nagsasalita sya tapos tumatawa. Ako naman, akala ko may kausap kasi super tuwang tuwa sya as in tawa with tipong hampas moment pa … ayun pala wala syang kausap as in wala!!!!! Naloka ako !!! natalo ako sa pagka-animated!!!! Kung iisipin mo, sa isang banda, parang ang saya ng buhay nya… kasi ala sya ginagawa .. or di naman nya alam ang ginagawa nya (may sayad nga eh) … pero parang ang saya-saya nya … kahit na ang kasama nyang mag-breakfast eh yung imaginary friend nya lang, ang saya nila di ba??

So, eh di hindi nga kami nakapasok di ba? (well, in the first place we weren’t really supposed to attend the pre-sessions kasi nga expo lang yung tickets namin) … anyways, we just walked to the convention center so we can pre-register na for tomorrow’s official opening. ANG LAYO! Naloka ako … hahahaha! After staying there for less than an hour, we walked back to the hotel .. again … ANG LAYO!!!! Pagod ever!

Pagdating sa hotel, dead to the world na ang boss ko …as in!!! she slept a good part of the day as in … namutla na ako sa gutom, tulog pa din sya. So nung tumawag si rinna (yehey! Sa wakas, dumating din! ) sama na ako agad so I can grab a bite to eat. Pero ang siste pala, ang mga ofcmates ng rinna eh gusto muna pumunta sa convention … hayyy .. okay sige, lets go, total lapit lang naman din dun yung mall. Pero gutom na ang mga bulate ko nun, pramis .. pero dapat smile pa din hahaha!

After half an hour, NAKAKAIN NA AKO!!!! Sa wakas!!!!! Hehehhe, tapos umikot muna kami sa mall. TAPOS, after a while … nag-ring ang phone ko .. TXT MSG from bossing – please buy us food since you’re in the mall …. Hayyy … the rigors (or rigor mortis haha!) of being the ONLY lowly employee in a party of big shots is being the errand person – the “go to” girl .. “ano po ang maipaglilingkod ko sa inyo mam/ser? type… so balik ako sa food court to buy their specific food cravings. Ambigat ha!!!! I needed to buy food for 4 eh! Tapos I walked back sa ULAN … hahahahahah! Good luck! Wag naman sana ako madulas or mapetot di ba??

I got back safe and petot-free sa hotel that night … pero my gas! Feeling ko napagod ako the whole day pero super uneventful naman ang araw ko… haaayyyy … sana bukas may maayos na pangyayari sa buhay ko … sana may kabuluhan na … hahahah!!!! Iniisip ko tuloy dapat Sunday na lang ako ang fly in di ba???? Nakapasok pa sana ako sa UP at nabawasan ang absent ko na need ko pa bawiin pagbalik ko … haaaayyyy….

The day started out okay actually, filled with snippets of fun sprinkled in between long walks and talks pero the afternoon turned sour as everything else went out of whack. Ala pa naman maikutan dito .. kakatakot din umikot lalo na pag gabi. Mejo probinsyatic ang dating ng New Orleans eh. Isa pa, may 2 shoes na ko the last 2 days eh. I need to break my buying streak … hahahahaha! Super strong conviction needed for this goal … as in….

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 2)

Day 2 (June 27, 2008) – New Orleans

Uneventful day… the day started off late, around 10 AM. Jet lag is catching up, especially with my boss. We ate brunch in Riverwalk Mall. I had a taco salad na super laki hahaha! Serving portions here nga pala are HUGE!!! So solved na ang tyan ko hanggang late afternoon.

We had the day off pa din and it got us wondering why we were booked this early kasi the convention proper start Sunday pa. There are pre-convention sessions but my boss and I were not part of it. Super sayang, sana nakapasok pa ko sa class ko nung Friday … haaaayyyy….

So ayun, we spent the day walking around, which lead to my feet being super painful na naman kahit na naka-flats na ako. Di pa yata nakakarecover sa kanyang kapaguran yesterday. My boss went to look for shoes, unfortunately her size is smaller compared to the average shoe size here. Fortunately (or unfortunately) for me, size ko ang size range ng paa ng mga tao dito around 7 and up. So, dahil masakit ang paa ko (justifying --- pero masakit sya talaga --- pramis!!!! ) I got white slip-ons. I actually wanted silver slip ons para cute (hahaha!) kaya lang ala na kong size, so white na lang. So now, I am walking around wearing my white slip-ons and my feet are happy and well on their way to recovery =) yey!!!

So the thing is, my boss couldn’t find a shoe that fits her. Ang ending, ang nakabili is ako at yung wife nung isa pa naming manager na kasama. So now, I think until she finds a nice shoe, we are going to be on the hunt for the perfect shoe :P.

Mahirap na mejo di mo ka-age group ang kasama mo kasi andali nilang mapagod at mawalan ng gana sa mga bagay-bagay. My boss was tired and just wanted to sleep and sleep kaya nung dinner, we basically stayed in. We ate sa restaurant sa hotel na super mahal ang price. I didn’t enjoy dinner much kasi I really wanted to go out sana. The food was good kaya lang yun nga, mejo ala ako sa mood (haha! Arte!). Anyways, dessert more than made up for it. If you happen to be in New Orleans, check out the desserts in Zoe Restaurant located in W New Orleans in Poydras Street. Super sarap ng Fig Cake – which was served with vanilla ice cream and placed in a wine glass – yummy! And the super sinful and super rich na Chocolate Decadence. Makakalimutan mo ang nasa paligid mo. Baka lang din sa case ko lang yun ,haha! I totally spaced out and yung cake lang ang pinagtuunan ko ng pansin …as in! It may be the chocolate or it may be the company … I don’t know for sure =)

Nga pala, we ate also yung beignets sa Café Du Monde. One of New Orleans’ attractions. Sarap din sya, fried square doughnuts liberally sprinkled with confectioners sugar – yummy! Lalo na pag mainit =). I ate it with their signature café Au Lait. The coffee is sweet na even without sugar pero it was good =) Puro pagkain ang kinukwento ko. Halata bang yun lang ang major attraction ng araw ko??

At dahil nga mejo hotel lang kami nung hapon, nakapanood ako ng “What’s Eating Gilbert Grape” starring a super young Leonarde do Caprio at Johnny Depp. Nice pala yung movie na yun. One good thing that came out of staying in was that I was able to read a bit for school. Yey!

It rained…. It really rained… sana lang wag lumakas at maging storm. Nasa likod lang naming ang Mississippi River. Ang pagtaas ang pag overflow ng Marikina at Pasig River kaya ng powers ko, pero eto?!? Ayaw!! My gosh! As in tankers ang dumadaan sa river na to on a daily basis so you could just imagine how deep and how big the river is… pano pag yan ang umapaw???? Ayokong isipin. Eto pang boss ko alang alam itanong sa locals kungdi Katrina, lalo tuloy akong naloka.

Inaantok na ako… grabe, ala pang 12 inaantok na ako. Nahabol na yata ako ng pagod .. finally … after 4 nights ng 2 – 3 hours sleep lang, it finally caught up with me. Akala ko pa naman nakabawi na ako sa plane, di pa din pala.

Dami pa ko kwento …… ano nga ulit ang cnasabi ko?? Ahhh kwento … zzzzzzzzzz…

Shipped to the US in Business Class (Day 1)

Day 1 (June 26, 2008) – New Orleans

Grueling travel experience. Super long time to reach New Orleans. I slept at 1:00 AM, woke up at 2:30 and was at the airport before 4AM. Our plane left Manila at 615 AM. Landed in Nagoya for a stopover that lasted for about 2 hours. Boarded again to go to Detroit. Flight time was 10 hours, then waited in Detroit for another 2 hours or so for our connecting flight to New Orleans which took around 2 and a half hours. Kaloka, I was wearing heels because my mom insisted that I wear them kasi daw I am travelling in business class. Gosh! Overrated ang image ng mga taong sumasakay sa business class. Sure, there were a few who were wearing ties and long sleeves, but most of them wore casual clothes na. Most westerners are even wearing sandals – tsinelas!!! My gosh, sumakit ang paa ko dahil heels daw should be worn for such flights – times really have changed … my mom needs to know that, dapat ilibre nya ako ng foot spa. Na-harass ang mga paa ko kakalakad. Oh well, as if naman ang taas ng heels ko hahaha!

Its my first time to fly in business class and kaloka! Sosyal ever! Aside from having your own video terminal, food and drinks abound. The meals were not the usual “do you want chicken or beef” fare chorva you get in economy but you get the whole gamut! May choice ka pa rin kaya lang kumpleto na eto, mula appetizer hanggang dessert! With overflowing drinks at may meryenda pa. What I love most is the reclining seat. You can almost lie down straight! Plus the fact na alang sumisipa sa likod mo habang natutulog ka.

Teka, rewind pala muna sa airports. The airports and customs officers were all nice, from Nagoya to the US. Mukha yata akong nawawalang bata at people here were extra nice to me haha! How do I know kasi I saw the difference when they talk to me and to the person before or after me … I may have a certain charm that I don’t know I possess … hmmm… or maybe I was just plain lucky that the people I happened to come across with are all super nice. One funny incident was in Detroit. The officer was all business telling me to remove my laptop from my bag, take off my jacket and my shoes… tapos when I placed my shoes on the tray, he looked at it and said “nice shoes” sabay smile … my gosh, my shoes were nice daw! At least they got noticed kahit na they almost killed my feet haha!

Fast forward to New Orleans… when we got there super harassed ever ang feeling ko – super pagod. Pero super gutom na din. We are booked in the W New Orleans – cute name di ba? The W stands for whatever/whenever and the people here are super nice. Dapat lang, the hotel is kinda pricey, good thing roommates kami ng boss ko. The room we are staying in is nice and adequate but not what my boss expected. Oh well, her previous hotel list includes the Marriott so she has higher expectations than I do. What I like about the room is the bed – ang lambot pramis! Tapos dami ko pillows!!! Adik eto … and we have a plasma TV na super laki … nice =) at may plantsa!! Hahaha – adik talaga eto … kaya lang, times are really hard now at mejo ramdam ang onset ng inflation kasi ultimo tubig may bayad … OO, may bayad eto … alang complimentary water di tulad dyan sa pinas. Super mahal ng tubig sapagkat ang tubig na nasa room ay galing pa sa Norway!!!! Biruin mo, tumawid pa ng ilang bundok ang tubig na yun bago makarating dito. Samantalang nasa may likod lang namin halos ang Mississippi River.

Speaking of tubig na may bayad … pati sa restaurant, ang house water ay may bayad na $0.25. sosyal! It’s a little over 10 pesos, eh satin may 500 ml ka nang bottled water nun. Super mahal ng tubig dito, ang 1 liter na bottled water ay $3.26. My gas! Parang isang gallon na ang presyong ito satin sa Pinas! Hhmmm… ala naman ako masyadong poot ano … lumalaklak pa naman ako ng tubig by the gallon .. tinitipid ko tuloy ngayon ang tubig. Mas mura pa ang COKE!!! … hhhmmm … coke … mag-adik na lang kaya ako sa coke?!? Hahaha! Pinagdala naman ako ni mama ng sandamakmak na antacid eh … kesa naman mauhaw ako to death (OA! – to justify the coke drinking spree I am planning to embark on sa mga susunod na araw, dapat mejo dramatic ang effect – bawal magreact blog ko to hahahaha!).

Sakit pa din ng paa ko pero sama pa rin ako sa kanila paglabas then we walked around the area after dinner. Papaiwan ba naman ako eh lakwatsa yun!?! At kahit na naka-slacks at blouse ako with matching ribbon sa may leeg ala may-ari ng hacienda o di kaya plantasyon and effect (Damian!!! … tara na sa vineyard!!! Dalhin ang karwahe!!), nag-tsinelas ako!!! As in! pero in fairness, mejo formal naman ng konti ang tsinelas ko (hehehe – justifying!). Napabili tuloy ako ng black walking shoes =) (justifying muli).. sale naman eh, tsaka super comfy yung nabili ko. The purchase was for a higher purpose – to ease the pain of my feet (justifying 3x).

O sya, tama na ang sapatos chorva, day 1 pa lang may sapatos na ko … MUST … RESIST … SHOPPING … yeah right … God help me … PLEASE?

Alang wifi sa room. Meron pero may bayad … sa lobby lang libre. Masubukan nga bukas. Di tuloy ako naka-online. Sa mga lola at kaanak kong hindi ko nachika kanina .. para sa inyo ang chika sa blog na eto =) para di nyo mamiss ang kadaldalan ko haha! In truth, di ako masyado makadaldal dito, mejo pa lang. What with the thunderbolts and lightning around? Bunso na naman ang drama ko, literally. Hindi pala bunso .. naliligaw na bata. Buti na lang dadating si Nini sa Sabado, at least may makakasama na ko maglakwatsa after the convention at dumaldal (during and after the convention .. hehehehe).

Antok na ko … pero nakita ko bigla ang deal or no deal at ang kalbong host nila sa TV.. nawala antok ko .. naalala ko si Kris Aquino … hiwalay na nga ba talaga sila ni James Yap?!? Yan ang huling tsismis na nakuha ko sa prof ko. Totoo ba? Someone confirm it please!!!!

Wish ko habang andito ako eh masilayan ko man lang si Fafa David Cook. Malay natin pag nakita nya ako ma-realize nya na kami pala ang soul mates hahahahha! (warning : bawal magreact – blog ko nga to eh hehehehe! Isa pa, masakit ang paa ko, pagbigyan na ang mga ilusyon …). Super sayang kasi parang ayaw kami pagtagpuin ng tadhana. The day they will do the Idol tour concert in LA, yun yung araw ng pag-alis ko papuntang Washington. The day they will do the concert in San Jose, ala pa din ako dun, parang a day or two days bago ako dumating sila pupunta dun … ano na???? Hay … dead ang plano kong makapanood ng Idol concert tour … hahaha … all for the sake of David Cook (Go Cookies! Go Word Nerds!).

Nagugutom ako … teka, kanina we ate sa Crazy lobster sa may Mississippi River. Sarap!!! Kaloka ang seafood dito! Sarap nung soft shell crab (tita asela!!!!! Super namiss kita bigla … buti na lang may Claritin akong baon, just in case). I ate Cajun crawfish etouffee (tama ba spelling ko? Basta its pronounced as EH – TU – FEY – sosyal!) sarap sya! =)

Nagugutom pa din ako … buksan ko kaya ang cookies na baon ni m’ed?? Hehehehe … sabi ko pa naman kanina hindi ako gutom … need … to … sleep … na….. may convention chorvaloo pa kami tomorrow. Buti na lang late na ang start.

Day 1 ends with aching feet, a plateful of crawfish with spicy sauce and rice and the ever expensive 1 liter of water … will enjoy the goose down feather pillows now … sleep beckons … blag … zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz ….. 

Friendships Revisited

Life introduces us to a number of people everyday
There are those we meet on the street
Those who we know by face, those we know through work or school.
And from these multitudes of beings, there are those who we regard as friends.

Who are these Friends?
They are those who chose to stay and be a part of our lives
Those who opened up their hearts and arms to us and
Those who we trust enough to share our lives with.

These are the people who know our core,
Who we really are, how we tick, feel, behave, breathe, act.
People who are willing to share time, resources, and their hearts
For what? For a piece of our own lives and our own hearts

A hug or a smile is all it takes to make a moment worthwhile
With friends, these are moments that strengthen ties
Friends are family, the siblings we never had
Or better yet, the siblings we CHOOSE to have.

Friendships like these extend beyond time and space, beyond life and the grave
For the heart never ceases to recognize true friendship
A friend will forever leave a mark in our lives and us in theirs
A connection forged that even time or distance cannot erase.


- for Kuya Paul, you are forever loved -

mahirap ...

mahirap magkunwari kung hindi mo kaya. mahirap magsinungaling kung di mo kayang panindigan at suportahan ang mga kasinungalingang binitawan. mahirap tumingin ng diretso at nang walang pag-aalinlangan sa mga mata ng taong iyong nasaktan o balak mong saktan.

mahirap magmagaling kung sadyang hindi naman kayang abutin ng kapasidad ng utak mo. mahirap magpanggap na kaya mong gawin ang lahat kahit na kitang-kita naman ng naka-paligid sa iyo ang kahirapang iyong nadarama. mas mahirap aminin sa sarili mong hindi mo kaya at kailangan mo na ng tulong ng iba, kung ang gusto mong palabasin at ipahiwatig sa nakararami ay kaya mong gawin at pagtagumpayan ang lahat.

mahirap maging sunud-sunuran sa mga kautusang alam mo namang walang patutunguhan. mahirap ipainitindi sa mga taong nag-uutos na sayang lamang sa oras ang mga bagay-bagay na alam mong alam din naman nila, pero pinipilit pa ring ipatupad sapagkat nasagutan na nila.

mahirap mapahiya. alam nating lahat yan. pero hindi ba't parang mas mahirap mapahiya dahil ayaw mong aminin sa sarili mo na nagpapanggap ka lang? o di kaya'y mapahiya dahil ipinilit ipatupad ang mga kautusang wala namang patutunguhan?

kung ang pagtingin ng iba ang mas may saysay mas madali sigurong magpanggap na lang, para mapangalagaan ang posisyong nakamtan. pero hindi ba't mas importante ang pagtingin at pagmamalasakit ng mga taong malapit sa iyo? kanya-kanyang opinyon yan .. ako'y nagtatanong lamang.

mahirap para sa aming nakakakita at nakakaramdam. sa aming mga sadyang naiipit sa mga sitwasyong inihahain lamang sa aming harapan. sana'y intindihin na ang layunin namin ay kaisa din naman sa layunin ninyo. hindi kami magpapakahirap kung sadyang gusto naming pumalpak, makasira't makagulo.

ang tanging hiling namin ay ang inyong pang-unawa. pang-unawang hindi namin kayang gawin ang lahat, na hindi kami perpekto. pang-unawang nahihirapan din kami at may mga damdaming nasasaktan. paminsan sana ay isipin nyo din na hindi kami nandito para pahirapan kayo, bagkus, kami ang mga paa't kamay na gumagawa ng mga proyektong ipinapatupad ninyo. madalas pa nga sa minsan, kami din ang utak sa likod ng lahat nang ito.

pero kahit isang pagpapasalamat sa magandang bagay na nagawa ipinagkakait pa. mas madalas na ipinagdidiinan ang mga kamaliang hindi namang maiwasang magawa. pasensya na, tao lang kami, na paminsan-minsan ay pumapalya.

ito'y isang paglalahad, ng damdaming pumipiglas. hindi lamang para sa akin ito, kung hindi sa mga tao na katulad ko ay nakaramdam na din ng ganito. ito lang ang masasabi ko, kailangan nating kayanin. kahit na paminsan, parang wala nang saysay ipakita at patunayang may kakayahan kang ayusin ang problema, gawin at ayusin mo pa din. subukan mong gawan ng paraan at pagtagumpayan ang gusot na nasa iyong harapan. gawin mo ito hindi para sa mga taong nabulag na ng kanilang sariling paniniwala, kungdi para sa sarili mo.

sapagkat sa huli, mas importanteng alam mo ang kakayahan mo. wag na wag mong bibitawan ang paniniwala mo sa sarili mo, yan ang isang bagay na hindi maaagaw ng iba.

how well do you know me? (penned under temporary emotional insanity)

how well do you know me?
you claim you know me well enough.
too well in fact, that,
you can interpret everything
and anything i say, feel or do.


i ask you again
how well do you know me?
do you know how i feel
when you say that you can read me like a book?
does it ever occur to you that you may be wrong?
and that there are sides of me
that you haven't seen yet?


has it ever occurred to you
that i might have changed?
have you ever thought that
by saying that you know me
it is quite the opposite ?


you say you know me well enough.
do you know that i am hurting
when you judge me and assume
that you know exactly what i mean
but in fact, you don't?


do you know how i feel?
when i try to explain my side
and you brush me off and say
"that is not what you meant,
this is the truth behind your words,
i know you too well,
that is not what you meant".


you claim you know me well
and i am hoping that you do
but there are times that you don't
please don't put me in a box
give me space to move.


I am not asking you to change,
but believe me when i say
that i love you well enough.
and that my motives for not talking
have always been in consideration
of how you would feel or react.


I am not asking for anything
God knows i am not
especially not another lecture
on how things should be,
will be and what should not.


I am merely stating my feelings
the only way i know how
i am only letting out steam
for feelings that want to come out


after all, you have always encouraged me
to say my piece in confidence
because no matter what happens
you will hear me out


so where does this all lead to?
i really don't know.
maybe i should ask this again,
one more time ...
how well do you really know me?
now, tell me,
what will your answer be?

Random Wandering Thoughts

have you ever wondered why things just pop into your head and you start to grab that thought and spend time mulling about it but in the end you realize that whatever it is that you're thinking about is meaningless?


why is it that people always ask you the question that you don't want to answer?


i'm not really sure if people are really insensitive or just plain dense when they throw comments like: " why are you still single?", "you look fat!", or "you look younger the last time i saw you".


most of the time, why do we end up doing the things we really don't want to do?


why is it that children find the most amazing and wonderful stuff in the simplest things? maybe we should look at the world through the eyes of a child to appreciate what we have and find wonder in the things we see everyday.


why is feeling sad termed as feeling blue? doesn't feeling blue, or looking blue for that matter, signal oxygen deficiency or sickness?


if one is happy are you feeling red? or pink?


headaches are like unexpected visitors. they are surprises that require medication.


stock knowledge works 2 ways. it can be in stock, in which case, the brain does not need to search or think further for an answer. it can also be out of stock, in which case, searching for an answer can only lead to a migraine.


why are planning sessions referred to as brainstorming sessions? hhhmmmm... go figure...

On Public Transportation

Sosyal ng title ko ... ingles iyan pero feel ko mag-tagalog.


Araw-araw na ginawa ng Diyos, sumasakay ako sa pampublikong transportasyon. Jeep, FX, tricycle, paminsan bus na din. Kung may pera, taxi, kung nasa EDSA o Aurora Blvd ang daan ko, MRT at LRT. Kulang na lang eh sumakay na din ako ng kalesa, kariton, bisikleta para kumpleto ang aking public transportation experience.


Pero, in fairness, nakasakay na ako ng kalesa nung bata pa ako, nung may bahay pa kami sa Quiapo. Ngayon kasi, nasa bulubundukin na ako ng Cainta, at wala kaming kalesa doon at baka kasi matigok ang kawawang kabayo kapag sa highway siya dumaan at makipagsabayan sa mga humaharurot na jeep at truck.  Pero come to think of it, para kang nasa Sta Ana racetrack araw-araw kung puro kalesa at kabayo ang sasakyan sa highway! exciting di ba?! andami na sigurong hinete sa Pilipinas kung ganon.


Ang jeep ang pinakasikat na mode of transportation nating mga pinoy. kahit saan may jeep. sa siyudad, sa probinsya, sa bundok na ang daan ay parang isaw sa dami ng liku-liko. Kaya ding tumawid ng mga jeep sa baha at sa mga mababaw na ilog na mabato-bato pa. kahit paakyat o pababa ang daan, kaya ng jeep yan! no wonder ang jeep ang tinatawag na king of the road. imaginin mo, kaya nyang gawin ang lahat ng yan!

Ang jeep din ang pinaka-makulay na sasakyan sa daan. Sa jeep mo makikita ang iba-ibang klase ng dekorasyon, both inside and outside. Sa loob ng jeep, may altar o kaya electric fan. Ang pangalan ng buong angkan ng may-ari ay nakasulat sa bubong. Paminsan, sa haba ng jeep, pati ninuno yata at apo sa tuhod, ay nakasulat na din. May disco lights na sumasabay sa indayog ng pagkalakas-lakas na tugtugin na galing sa stereo na nakalagay sa kahon. Sa mga patok na jeep, ang music ay yung sobrang lakas, na kulang na lang eh, mamasahe ang likod mo sa lakas ng vibrations chuva. Pwede ka ding mabingi, pero kung dead to the world ang iyong hearing o sanay ka sa pagkataas-taas na decibel eh okay lang eto. In fairness muli, kahit saan may jeep. Kaya kung naliligaw ka, ang jeep ang solusyon.

Sa FX naman, malamig (yun eh kung malamig ang buga ng aircon) at komportable ang upo (kung ang katabi mo hindi pang-dalawa o pang 1 and a half ang upo). Ngayon, andami na ding FX. Parang kabuteng nagsulputan ang mga ito mula nang naging in ang FX as public transport. Marami nang pila ang mga shuttle services na ito na kadalasanang tinatangkilik ng mga nag-oopisina sa makati at ortigas.


Last and not the least sa listahan ng sinasakyan ko araw-araw ay ang tricycle. The ever famous tricycle. kahit saang sulok din ng Pilipinas e may tricycle. Iba-iba nga lang ang anyo nya. Parang jeep na din ang mga ito kasi kaya na din nyang dumaan at makipagsabayan sa highway (kumapit ka nga lang at ipagdasal na wag truck ang maksabay nyo), umakyat-baba sa paikot-ikot na daan at sumulong sa baha. ang mga tricycle din ang madalas na sasakyan sa loob ng mga subdivision at mga residential areas. Marami ding mga pila ng tricycle na malapit sa mga eskwelahan, palengke, at paminsan sa mga mall (aba sosyal!). nasa gilid nga lang. hehehe =)


At dito natatapos ang aking artikulo ukol sa mga pampublikong transportasyon, na sabi ko nga e, sa araw-araw ng buhay ko eh, sinasakyan ko. Bakit ko nga ba naisip isulat ito? wala lang. I just felt na since part na sya ng buhay ko eh, why not di ba? (mag-explain ba)....

Of Cramming and Hysteria

The main purpose of an examination is to evaluate how much a student learned in a given subject. To be able to do this, professors formulate and devise questions to challenge the brain. During exams, the main purpose of student evaluation is satisfied, inclusive of the brain challenge part plus more. Because even the most dormant parts of the mind are set to work to comprehend and come up with the most probable logical answer. In short, during exams (especially during finals), all systems are in full battle gear, brain cells are on full alert, all senses are up and about and emotions are high (for some, if not most, emotions are going haywire) . Ranking high above the emotional ladder is nervousness (in most cases, near hysteria), especially if the studying done was insufficient.

In most cases, we all suffer from the common virus called cramming. All of us, in one way or another, have been through this or is still going through this (like me, at this very moment... haha). Let me see, what exactly describe what i am feeling right now? hhhmmmm... i am in panic mode ... nervous (borderline hysteria if i don't finish at least half of my required readings tonight) and still thinking about going to the mall to balance out all of these hair-raising notions of not being able to finish what i need to read and end up flunking. of course, going to the mall is not the most promising solution, but still, it seems to be the most relaxing thing to do at this point.

I know my professors expect a lot from us, and in turn, we should at least do well in the finals. well, doing good in the exams will mean more to us, since we need to maintain an average of 2.0 every year to stay in our program. but, it will also mean a lot to them. By passing, it will mean that they did a good job (and i swear, they did ... this cramming thing is more on time management on my part). Honestly, my professors are great and very considerate and that adds more to the pressure (nyaaaaaaaa....).

Time management. That is one skill i need to master. Not only to beat the hysterics and all the hullabaloo that comes with taking exams but also to be able to grasp and understand every facet of what i'm reviewing. Most times, i kinda forget what i reviewed after exams (don't we all go through that?) and end up reading everything again ... sad but true...

blah...blah...blah.... incoherent thoughts from a hysterical brain take over my fingers. signing off and hitting the books is the best option. and in most cases, the best solution is not always the option one wants to do, but what one needs to do.

If you have not experienced any of these ... good for you ... i have a few questions though, how did you do it? are you normal? do you have super supplements? were these supplements advertised? if it were, then we somehow missed it during those nights that we spent watching TV rather than studying ... sigh.....

seriously, if you haven't for the life of you felt any of these, my hats off to you. you are one super mortal.

blah ... blah .. blah... i seriously need to stop blabbing and start reading ...sigh ... nothing left to do but study ... may we all pass ...

prends

Sa panahong ito mahirap nang makakita ng mga taong makakaintindi sa ugali mo,

Yung makakasabay sa kalokohan at kaweirduhan mo. 

Yung tipong pwede kang batukan kung nararapat at pupurihin ka kung ang nagawa mo'y kapalapalakpak.

Yung pwede mong tawagan para may makausap ng tungkol sa wala at kung kelangan mo nang kausap tungkol sa problema.

Yung pwede kang maging tanga at magkamali nang hindi ka hinuhusgahan, sa halip ay tutulungan ka pang tamain ang nagawa.

Yung tipong kahit na milya-milya ang layo ng kinarooroonan, dagat man o lupa ang pagitan,

Hindi napuputol ang usapan, lalung-lalo na ang bigkis ng pagkakaibigan.

Kaya naman napakasuwerte ko kasi sa kinalaki-laki ng mundo, may natagpuan akong mga taong ganito. 

Laking pasasalamat ko sa Maykapal sapagkat ako'y biniyayaan ng mga kaibigan, na kahit ano pang mangyari alam kong nandyan lamang lagi sa aking tabi.

Umulan man o bumagyo, tsunami, red tide, martial law;

jeepney strike, EDSA revolt at coup d'etat ... at kahit dumating ang kung ano pa,Basta ako nakangiti pa rin, hindi dahil ako'y sadyang weirdo o manhid. Pero kasi alam kong may mga kaibigang naghihintay sa akin. Para magpayo, makipagkwentuhan, makinig, dumamay at yumakap. O di kaya'y para makipag-inuman ng kape o tequila at kumain ng puto at alimango hanggang mamaga.

Pero higit sa lahat, ang pinakamagandang hatid ng mga taong aking binabanggit, ay ang pagbibigay ng lakas at saya, para harapin ang bukas na may dalang pagmamahal, pasasalamat at pag-asa na ang lahat ng bagay ay sadyang maganda.