Who Knew

Someone sent me this little game where a set of questions are to be answered using your own collection of songs in your player.  Some of the answers I got were quite true and some are just hilarious!  Posted it on Facebook and tagged some friends and they found it quite fun too!  But you know what, my best friend and I found out that it's double the fun if someone else shuffles the songs for you.  :D

Hello World

Sometimes we feel like there is not enough time in a day for us to get everything done... so much work to be done, telephone calls to make, emails to read and reply to, functions and events to attend to, appointments, meetings, trips, deadlines, problems...  Sometimes the day haven't even started and we're already exhausted with our "to-do" list.

I'm Back!

Finally, I was able to open my blog!  Went to Syria and stayed there much longer than expected.  The six hour time difference made it impossible for me to catch up with friends online and to top it all, Facebook and blog sites are banned.  :(

But now that I'm back, I hope to catch up on things as much as I can before my next holiday.  Yipee!  :)

I Miss Those Times

... when there were only a few houses back in my hometown
... when everybody in the neighborhood knew everyone, including their pets

... when play means running around, climbing trees, play house, hide and seek

... when fresh milk was delivered right from the cow/carabao to our doorstep

... when we could just pick our vegetables and fruits right there in the backyard, not in supermarkets

Some Thoughts on Travel

I love to travel. I may be whining about it in my previous entry years back (My Life In A Suitcase), but you see, there's a big difference when you travel for leisure and when you travel for work. The chance to travel is one of the deciding factors why I accepted and managed to stick with my previous job for quite a long time.  And, I could say I am lucky to find such a job that permits me to earn a living and travel to different places at the same time, all major expenses paid for by the company.  I got to see amazing places, some of which I never imagined I would set foot on even in my wildest dreams.  At times as a bonus for myself, I would treat myself a getaway to neighboring countries if I have a free weekend from work.  I just love to see new places... I want to see the world!

Encounters at the Embassy

Here are some of the comments / conversations I overheard / participated in at the Embassy:

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One lady who was waiting for her Q number to be called, exasperated when she saw a lot of late comers crowding around Window 6, suddenly spoke out (with a touch of her local dialect accent), which ended up sounding like, "Arin't we sappows to wit for the Q number to be cooled?  Why is everybody jumping the Q at Window Sex???"  I almost laughed at this, really.

She wanted to say, "Aren't we supposed to wait for the number to be called?  Why is everybody jumping the Q at Window 6????"

Took Me A Whole Day To Renew My Passport!

Yes, it took me the whole of Monday to renew my passport.  Grrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Let me tell you the long story...  
(And I'm warning you, this is a loooooooooong!)

Feels Not Quite Right

Woke up today not feeling quite right... I felt a bit hungry and too full at the same time.  Actually, I think this started from yesterday, I had a late lunch of a plate of noodles, a sandwich and a bottle of orange juice.  That was a bit too much though and I did not finish everything because I felt so full and bloated and that funny feeling like I want to throw up (don't worry, I did not).  Anyways, it was like that 'til dinner so I decided to eat just a teenie bitm so as not to aggravate the situation.  But the feeling persisted and lasted til evening.  In the end, I slept it off.  Unfortunately I woke up with it still in my system. 

Bangus in Oil

Stumbled upon this recipe last night and thought I'd give it a try.  So off to the market I went as soon as I got myself out of bed.  Found the bangus (milk fish) I needed, the fish vendor uncle was kind enough to clean them  and cut them according to the portion size I need.  Got some bay leaves and chilis.  I couldn't find whole black peppercorns, they only had the coarsely ground type in the store I went to and I was too lazy to go to another store so I thought that would do (it's the same pepper anyway, hehehe).

Some Updates

As usual, I haven't been able to keep my word to regularly update this blog.  :(

A lot of times I really wanted to write something, but either I didn't have the time, or something more pressing is at hand, or I do not have the luxury of solitude to concentrate on the topic I had in mind.  At times also, I just lose the idea, like I already had the topic in mind and then it was gone in a blink of an eye.  I don't know if it happens to everyone, but it does to me.  But needless to say, I have so many excuses really and I can only blame me.  :P

Cracks On A Glass

"The cracks on a glass will only disappear once it is completely broken.  But then, you may not be able to put it back together again and even if you did it will never look the same again."

Thank You Guys!

Amidst all the criticisms related to the recent and tragic tour-bus-hostage-taking in The Philippines, I was overwhelmed to learn that these guys went in public, to speak up and defend a nation which is not their own, unafraid to share their thoughts and encourage the world to have an open mind and promote unity instead of hatred.

I Am Ashamed

Yes, I am ashamed about what happened.

I am ashamed about the recent tour-bus-hostage-taking drama in The Philippines. I am ashamed of the blame games and pin-pointing. I am ashamed of the mockery and hate being thrown our way. I am ashamed of how it went, how it ended and how we are still being criticized for it, by the whole world and by our own kind.

You Knew Better

I knew what I was doing
and I knew the consequences.
I knew where it was going
but I wasn't ready to be selfless.

You knew it wasn't for my best interest
that it will go wrong, somehow, somewhere.
You knew You have my faith and trust
for You have a plan and You always know better.

Live Like We're Dying

May we always find time
to appreciate
the people who love us
and the people we love.

May we never forget
to let them know
that we love them
and make them feel loved.

May we not waste this life
and live it to the fullest
because time is so precious
it can slip us by in a blink of an eye.

I Hope I Still Make You Proud

Last Sunday was Father's Day, as expected, a special video presentation was shown at the end of the church service and as I watched the video, showing father-and-child moments and the beautiful quotes on how great our fathers are, I felt this sadness slowly creeping into my heart. The harsh reality that I could no longer celebrate this day with you, that you are no longer here, always makes me feel like I've lost you all over again.

He Thought, She Thought...

It's true, men are from Mars, women are from Venus. We look at things differently, we digest information differently, we interpret differently, we verbalize differently, we react differently and we cope differently. We are so different in so many ways that most of the time, if not ALL the time, we do not understand each other. Men don't get women, women don't get men.

Comedy

Last night, I was chatting with my best friend, Ana. That isn't really something unusual because we always chat whenever we can. What was strange and unusual about it was the numerous typographical errors we made that night. Apart from misspelled words, there were missing letters or excess letters or a combination of those. And though we repeatedly tried to correct them, they still end up coming out wrong. But never mind the errors, we still understood what the other was trying to say. It was just really funny and ironic at the same time because we were talking about something serious and we are trying to be serious (for a change).

It was still a good day...

Yesterday, I received some alarming news. It concerns me and my health. At first, I felt numb and as it slowly sank in I started to get worried, until I felt sad and scared. I could imagine "Bad Day" playing on the background while I was going through these feelings. Then I stopped myself, otherwise I would start to cry. For the rest of the day I tried to ignore what I was feeling, tried to do something to prevent me from thinking about what I found out. And you know what...? I realized, even with the bad news, it was still a GOOD DAY and I thank GOD for that.

Thank you, Lord...

You Are My Sunshine

You are my sunshine,
my only sunshine
You make me happy
when skies are gray...

This song immediately came to mind when I saw these shoes! I was even discreetly humming the tune while I was trying them on and I can imagine myself skipping gaily if only I was alone. Hahaha. I felt happier just looking at them, so I told myself, "I must have these no matter what!" Ofcourse, myself cannot argue because in matters like this no one dares to get in my way, plus I hold the magic plastic card anyway. By the way, I am NOT (yet) a shopaholic. They are actually a good buy, considering they are comfortable, cute and inexpensive. I'd rather not say "cheap" because it is rude to call someone or something that. Am I being too defensive? Ok, I just wanted to make that clear, not a shopaholic. :-P

Put Me Under A Spell

Sleep, sleep, sleep... when will you grant me my wish of a long and peaceful slumber? I've counted sheeps, forward and backwards. Drank milk though it makes me sick. Tried different "calming" teas, candles and scents. Listened to mellow songs and instrumentals. Took hot and cold showers, they don't really make a difference. If there's anyone out there who could cast a spell... Please, please, please put me under a spell and bring me to dreamland....

Blind, Mute and Deaf

We were in the office, with nothing much to do (in short, we were bored), when suddenly one colleague gave an exasperated sigh. I asked, "Why? What's wrong?" He told me that his PC's speaker finally gave up and died and his last hope for entertainment is gone. Hahaha. We made jokes about what a pitiful state his PC is in, with the screen and speaker problems. Then I remembered the song Bulag, Pipi at Bingi by Philippine folk singer, Freddie Aguilar who is more famously known for the song "Anak". It's been a long time since I heard this song and I did not really know the lyrics so I decided to look for it. In doing so, I came across this blog "Story Behind Your Favorite Song" (http://favesongdiary.blogspot.com/2009/08/bulag-pipi-at-bingi-freddie-aguilar.html), I think it's a nice piece to read, considering the writer has added some personal touch with her stories and an English translation of the song was provided. :)

Imperfectly Whole

Another year over, another year ahead. Last year was a very difficult year, not only because of the economic crisis and career setbacks that seemed to affect almost everyone, but because it has been the most trying year for me, personally. So many things happened, most of them unexpected and painful.