Everyone, meet Vince...

bored

sleepy

asleep

getting to La Carlota from Cebu...the hardest way

For starters, either go to the Ceres depot at midnight in Reclamation or pray for a seat and decide to wait for the bus at the South Bus Terminal before 2 a.m. Be prepared to compete for space with luggage so many even the aisles is sure to be piled high with it. If travel time happens to be during the Christmas holidays, pay one of the many "pasalubong" vendors to save you a sure seat (which I didn't do for some personal reasons).If you are a female, and is travelling alone, expect a male seatmate to chat you up. Be polite. Answer questions and give a subtle hint that you prefer to catch some shut eye for the long trip ahead than making a small talk.

The road to Bato should have been a relaxing 3-hour scenic trip (Php 140) , but since it is still dark, there is nothing to do but sleep. Travel from Cebu City to Bato takes three hours. It takes 30 min for the barge (run by the Maayo Shipping, Inc: fare at Php 60) to fill out and another 30 min to cross the channel between Cebu and Negros islands. Lights from Tampi are actually visible from the other side, it must have been a sight to behold at daytime.

On Negros Soil, expect the bus to stop at every town from Bais wherever Ceres has a terminal. Fare from Tampi to Bangga Pation in the municipality of San Enrique is Php 160. Lunch is usually taken in Kabankalan where fresh catch from nearby Himamaylan is usually sold (I got more than a kilo of crabs for a measly Php 250). The road along Mabinay has improved much since two years ago. And it helps that Ceres trips plying the Cebu-Bacolod via Mabinay employ responsible drivers that managed to shuttle the vehicle through the zigzag roads without squealing tires (one bus of theirs plowed a number of trishaws on the hiway on the day I went home).

Inns and highland resorts dot the whole length of the road too, with billboards here and there to herald their presence.From Bangga Patio, La Carlota is only a little over than an 8-km ride by tricycle or PUJs (ETA is 1:00 p.m.).

Ceres Daily Bus Schedule

From Cebu South Bus Terminal to Bacolod via Mabinay: 2:00 AM, 7:00 AM
From Bacolod to Cebu South Bus Terminal via Mabinay:

Maayo Shipping, Inc.
Tampi, San Jose, Negros Oriental

Maayo Shipping lines have small barge, accommodating two ten-wheelers and three cars in a single trip. Passengers can opt to stay in the van for the duration of the crossing the channel or take a seat on the upper deck. Restrooms are basic but satisfactorily clean.

Daily Barge Schedule

Bato-Tampi and Tampi-Bato
AM - 5:30, 6:00, 8:00, 9:00, 11:00
PM - 1:00, 3:00, 4:00, 7:00

here i go again...three nights into my planned vacation date and now, i'm in that space of indecision, the outcome of which, God only knows. i might stick it out and wait for Saturday which is just around the corner, or grab a bagful of laundry and hop on the next available bus. yes, the only conrete item in my itinerary is taking the long but scenic way home via Bato/Tampi.
my mind is abuzz with ideas as where to spend the first weekend. boracay has been foremost on my mind but nobody seems to be up with the idea of spending day/s exposed to cool christmas air. so that remains to be seen as going alone is a sad option. definitely, attending the klasfesten is out of the question. i'm afraid that life would imitate art :)

batanes...

was the first Filipino made movie I've watched in ages. I couldn't recall the last manila filmfest entry I've been to but that must be like over a decade now :)
When the teaser was shown on tv a few weeks ago, the picturesque view of batanes island (the sparkling blue green water on a fine day, the foam as the waves crashed on the weathered rocks on rough days, the verdant greens on the slope of the hills, the idyllic lifestyle of the Ivatan) held me curious. Searching the net and the discovery it brought me (discovery that is ken zhu being cast) fortified my intent to see the film (a remnant of a long forgotten infatuation on Xi Men).
I have yet to read about what the creators wanted the viewers to see about the movie. Meanwhile, these are my thoughts (the realization of which occured in the state of near subconsciousness).
-it's finding love at the strangest circumstances.
-it's about women being of the same mind. Only a woman can understand another woman's pain and joy.
-it's about the universality of love; about love transcending cultural differences.

I think i should go stay in an island for a spell and wait for for my Kao to be washed ashore. It might not be original but it will be certainly strange :)

How could sorrow or goodbye be sweet?

Shakespeare must be out of his mind at the time when he inked the line. There is nothing sweet about parting. If anything, it is a painful experience that can be obcsured by recent events but cannot be totally forgotten.
Following dad's latest trip to the hospital, the doctor suggested that bjork and kitkat (which she saw while doing housecall on Wednesdays) will have to go. But where? And how?
Actually, both were eternal suspects in the seemingly endless asthma attacks. Yet, everybody is in denial about the fact. Four years of companionship between human and these domestic felines were a tad too long a time to not have forged a mutual kinship that wouldnt be difficult to sever. Discounting the fact that these domesticated animals were completely stripped of their inherent skills in hunting or climbing trees, the likelihood of their tastebuds withstanding ingesting unprocessed food remains to be seen. And the worse that could befall them, Bjork especially, is ending up as the residents drunkards' "pulutan".
If only...

maximum dates in a day

I think I could live with only three each day, of the sweet and chewy variety.
It’s not what you think. Far from the social thing that I’m sure you have in mind, I am actually referring to the sun-dried Iranian dates. Sis bought a pack recently to make a “date pudding” which she never got around to doing.
Eating it as it is, I think, did not diminish its gustatory value. But without comparison, it being my first time to taste one, I can’t be too sure. The fruit was about an inch wide and one-and-a-half inches long in its dried form. It wasn’t as wrinkly as a prune unless not refrigerated for days after the packet has been opened. Like “mentos”, it’s a bit crunchy outside and chewy inside. Its natural sweetness is so filling, three pieces were enough to keep me on my toes until our rather late breakfast is laid on the table.

My current favorite…

It’s reading “the perks of being a wallflower” while sipping a lukewarm café nova-cafe latté.

Café Nova - Café Latte was a “thank you” gesture from Fran who slept on my bed on the eve of her departure to Singapore. When I got back from a very long vacation, I found it buried neath my blanket together with the note that said “thanks”.
Café Nova is a specialty coffee produced by Super Coffeemix Manufacturing Ltd, the packet said. It contains freeze dried ground Arabica coffee beans, non dairy creamer, glucose to taste and none of those cancer causing sweeteners. The moment the mixture is dissolved in water, an aroma suggestive of a coffee brewing permeates the kitchen (the living room and the toilet as well). The taste is not far behind. It has a faintly bitter taste of a newly steeped freshly ground coffee which is tempered by a small portion of cream and sugar just enough to taste. It’s my favorite instant coffee now.

“The Perks of Being a Wallflower” on the other hand is a gift from Mae Grace, which she sent through the post together with 2 CDs of “Defective Mix” and one of “David Sedaris live in Carnegie”. It is my favorite book because…it’s a Charlie-esque thing to say J I kind of like the style of how the story was told. I haven’t read anything written that way before (like I have never read an autobiography as well written as Roald Dahl’s was). It starts with a “Dear Friend” and ends with “Love, Charlie”. It’s very personal. I don’t think I can be that personal even if I am confident that nobody would be interested to read my journal. My style borders to being cryptic that even I could sometimes not understand the real thing behind the words I’ve penned. Charlie’s growing pains though is a bit overrated than most people I know, including myself. He’s a tough one to have gotten out of the long, dark tunnel; scathed but very much alive and resolved to “participate”. My conclusion is, “Do not over task you mind. Better yet, get involved.”

statistics, decision making...

This Stats teacher I have in Grad school this term is something . I have yet to meet him (having been absent for three consecutive meetings since classes commenced last Oct 20) but he has already impressed me.
Based on statitics, maybe he already predicted that attendance wouldn't be complete for a spell (with holidays and all) that he dispensed with the lecture and gave out an assignment instead.
What's so special with the homework is that he required it to be handwritten which is a novelty at this age. His logic is elementary but it encompasses a wide magnitude of values that students nowadays (especially with the working force) fail (or refuse) to recognize.
If I spend two hours each day writing on paper what I have managed to scour from the amazing internet, it will take me at least two days to finish. Yes, the scope is quite a lot. That, and my poor writing speed (plus the auto mode of crumpling the sheets when I make even the littlest mistake), are the deadliest combo. It's a trifle difficult even when writing on both sides of the paper.
Then, it becomes a decision between saving the trees or saving time. Sigh!

just another sad chapter

As we live, we are making our own personal histories. Yet no matter how hard we try, history seems to manage to get past our conscious effort of avoiding it and come out repeating itself somehow.
Remember the time when your mom (or dad, or both) would tell you on a weekend (or holiday, or anytime that they're at home) to say that they're not home when a certain person (they don't want to entertain) come to visit?
Well, yesterday, I have become that person that an old friend (which friendship one that might be considered a tight one...or I might have assumed too much) didn't want to see.
In defense of my pride though, the visit was not at all intentional. But as their place was along the way to my Auntie's (it was a beautiful morning and the midday sun was hidden by big, puffy clouds, I opted to walk...like it was only one and a half block away from the shop), I decided against not making a housecall. And I thought that was a bright idea. I rationalized that a few hellos are in order considering a decade is one hell of a long time for 'friends' to have not seen each other.
Kids!!! They are vey bad liars. Pity! They have very little choice in telling the truth or not. No wonder we all grow up as deceitful, disloyal adults. Yeah, this particular 'friend' told 'his' (there, it's a 'he') daughter to tell me that he went somewhere (when earlier, the daughter went off apparently to fetch him) . Can you believe that!?!?
I raged for a spell, but that was it. It's not my loss (but as usual I couldnt get it off my head until it's published for all to read and express some sympathy).
I hate to see myself in that place where I don't want to see my friends anymore. I mean, for what reason should I shy aeay from everyone? It's unthinkable!!! Wow, I guess I need to see about that friend of mine I vowed not to see anymore :)

local politics

...has surprises of its own. Only in brgy 1, there are about 60 contenders in the 7 seats for "kagawad". It's a marvel how eager some are to be of "service".
In high school, being voted again and again in the student council post meant being popular but it doesn't necessarily equate to being a good leader. While it has very little implication (like some units in extracurricular activities necessary to land in the roll of honors which doesn't really mean s**t in college), a completely different thing could be said about public service in the real world.
Apparently these brgy-official-wanabees saw what bright future lie ahead for them in this age old arena. Looking at the incumbents reap the benefits of their positions, who could blame the neophytes for wanting a piece of what the others have been enoying at the expense of...?
Would you consider turning a blind eye on these events a crime? Consider this, what can one single tiny voice do when pitted against like elements that reek with malice and deceit?
Pray harder, I reckon, and down some pills to take this gnawing headache away.
Sigh!

I don't look it (that i'm sure) but I'm a granny once more. today, at twilight, I officially met Vince Plandres, my third paternal granchild. He was born on October 13 (I must have been still in Argao buying the famous "torta" while my niece-once removed- was in labor), one week earlier than the calendar predicted. He looked more frail than the 7lbs weight that he registered at birth. Maybe because he appeared to be not as horizontally challenged as his maternal female forbears. I tried to look for a bit myself in him but I couldn't seem to find one. But as I described how thick his mop of hair was, and how his whole body was covered with so much hair for an infant (or so i thought), tatay mentioned that i was as hairy (that i even had sideburns) when i was the same age.
Welcome, grandson!!!

So Far Away

A senti Bamboo? Why not?
Today’s the first time I heard their version of Carole king’s “So far Away”.
I hope though that this doesn’t mean the end to their original OPM compositions that first stole my heart away.

one of those days

I should let this pass but I just can’t. The boisterous laughter and the silly grin of that barbarian bore a nasty hole in my senses; I couldn’t just shake it off my thoughts.
The day started out pretty much special. The fact that I was up as soon as the alarm went off is something noteworthy as it wasn’t the norm in the last few weeks. Breakfast was paella ala “sampat” (with chicken breast, liver and gizzard) which cooked so perfectly that there wasn’t nothing left in the pot for the ants to scour.
But the scene changed abruptly and it wasn’t the least to my advantage.
So I was by the curb when a tricycle already packed with 3 passengers stopped. The driver insisted that I take the “seat” adjacent to the real seat. I refused about three times before he realized I wasn’t taking it. Well, not today. Not in my skirt anyways. It didn’t take long and he was back, swerving out of his lane and stopped right in front of me. It was to my understanding that he’s resigned to shuttling me off to my destination so I made a gesture of moving towards the cab, when out came his crazy laughter as he revved the motor and sped away. As if to say,”Who are you kidding?!?!” Others would have taken it none too seriously but this one apparently has taken much offense at the refusal.
Who was he kidding? I mean, who just lost a client? Didn’t he stop and think for a while about how many hundreds of cabs are plying that route? Nah, I bet not; fact I was already on my way to the gate before I even lost sight of his crazy self. Else, he would have thought twice before giving in to such an act so juvenile. My mistake was, after waiting for around ten minutes and having subjected my freshly washed self to a reasonable amount of dirt from speeding vehicles that cruised by me, I felt suddenly impatient and failed to see that it might have only been a ploy to annoy, to get back at me.
Sigh!

Mickey and Minnie mouse pillows are adorable but being in bed with the real thing and completely aware of it is an entirely different story. Heaven only knows what sort of creatures creep out of their hiding places once lights were out. Ignorance indeed is bliss but to be conscious when these things happen can be a little bit traumatic. Waking up to the unmistakable scurrying feet scaling the length of one’s torso is sure to make sleep as elusive as it is to an insomniac. Especially with the knowledge that the little bugger is just under one of the many piles of articles scattered around the little room, who would dare go back to sleep? Well, if the glaring lights on would not be so much of a trouble then there is some chance to catch some shut-eye. But if you’re not the kind, well, resign in the idea of ultimately losing sleep.

mystery unravelled

It's amusing how "news" travels. A bird told me that excitement will finally die on the eve that a niece turns 22.
While the enigma is finally off my mind, the knowledge was a bit disturbing, not to mention wrecking havoc to my eyesight. Both eyes must have been constantly rolling in their sockets all week :) Mind you, it's not on my being mindful about a lot of stuff, but it was ogling that mainly caused the rather unusual occurence.

newsflash!!! green-eyed monster running amok

The 'Green-Eyed Monster' caused much woe and this ugly serpent has not only singled out eros in its evil cause. Everything that made the mistake of passing it's way wasn't spared. Bonds that took precious time to develop are endangered of being severed.

how long can you hold your breath?

I've been holding mine for three days already and I'm turning blue. Why can't some stuff just pop and disappear right away like soap bubbles?

a limerick to a masseur

There once was a masseur from IMDS
who packed his stuff with a dream to chase.
Leaving a host of backs so sore
that only his healing hands could cure.

knocked out by some microscopic opponent...

though a bit under the weather, still i find myself doggingly dragging myself off the bed before noon and into the shower all week. it started with a series of really embarrassing sneezes (that prompted heads from other departments to stretch above their cubes and see who is responsible for all the raucous). the next day, my nasal passages were already congested. the saddest thing is that as much as i would have liked to stay home and bore myself to death, i felt compelled to finish all the deliverables required of me this week. it's starting to pile up but thankfully, they don't give me nightmares anymore.

master of none

have you ever had one of those days when you think and actually do scores of stuff at one time...thereby ending up finishing nothing at all. well, i'm in the middle of the same right now...like starting a blog on travel (i've been places and i thought of publishing the 'how to get there' and stuff), planning on my year-ender trips, polishing my sports scrapbook, crocheting doilies i'm giving mothers of friends for christmas, reading my newly acquired books (i spent a fortune on books and pasta last weekend-after tending to bill payments which took only a minute, i dropped by RSO and i couldnt help taking a whiff of cooking pasta by sbarro which did me in). The only thing I was succesful was at devouring a hefty serving of penne pasta i cooked (since red tomatoes elected to go out-of-stock that day and i only bought about 120 ml of tomato sauce, i put in cream-too rich and expensive for my pocket- and lots of cheese in it) while watching the 4th season of one tree hill.

Once a skeptic, always a skeptic...?

I don’t know what pleases me anymore. For one second there, I wasn’t deceived by the “glad tidings”. But despite my skepticism, I still ended up disappointed with the figures. I looked many times thinking that my eyes could have deceived me but truth stared right back at me with some crazy smirk that seemed to say “hell, what did you expect?” What’s a wallpaper to do but allow some flies to have a bit of respite from buzzing to and fro the floor (or ablute maybe) for a another stretch and pray that the colors won’t fade too soon.

And I thought people in the highly urbanized cities act differently from people living in the countryside. But was I so wrong about that.
If Nina’s singing could rouse a person next door (that would be me), then the culprits for the blaring audio must be deaf. Had it been any time of the day except before 8AM, it would have been tolerable. But, for crying out loud, the sun itself has barely risen yet! Barrio folks are luckier for having such spacious yards (into which the “noise” can disperse without causing the neighbor the unwelcome discomfort), something that city homes don’t have. I was tempted to rant but I thought that it, definitely, wasn’t a good way to start the day.

“The world's male chivalry has perished out...”

whatever made Elizabeth Barret Browning pen such a generalization, i would never find out but had she lived to this age and had been in my place minutes ago, she would perhaps be delighted to experience firsthand that chivalry is not yet a thing of the past.

to see a member of the male species go out of his way (like a basketball game) to retrieve an errant five-peso coin at the far end neath a coffee vending machine sure is not only a novelty but also a proof that gallantry still exist.

debut...

...coming out, baptism of fire, initiation...
that was what the 3rd san roque football festival (19 Aug) meant to us (maddie, ping and myself).
having met the rest of the team on the day of the tournament does say a lot about the middle left wing man (that's me) getting lost in the pitch, not to mention out of breath before even finishing the six-min halftime.
apppearances are deceiving. the fact that the rest of the teams are veterans in football fests doesn't mean that neophytes can't hold up against them. one lesson learned just by being in the game is that, no fancy footworks are required to make it. in fast paced games such as this, only three basic things should be in mind: stopping the ball, looking for an opening and either passing the ball to a team mate or kicking the ball towards the goal.
the third game (against san carlos) would be the most memorable for me. i had a near miss during the kick-in. my excuse was, this very tall miss was effectively blocking my view. When the ball from Gami rolled towards Gay, which she missed by a couple of inches, my right foot missed it by an inch :(

just remembering

a very dear price to pay for the love of the game
try blocking a flying ball (of undisclosed force and speed) coming from lao with every intent to make a goal and this is what you get.

preoccupation

There is something about Friday that sets it apart from the rest of the days in the week. Not freaky but something else I couldn't quite point my finger at. It's pleasant actually, in a odd way, like it's preparing the senses for the holidays ahead. Everyone's attention veers away from the business side of things and leans towards the exploration of latent arstistic talents and making up something like this.

some test this is

a lot of stuff came to mind as to what have caused such a hyperelevated blood pressure. systole at 220. is there even such a thing? probable causes looked into include:
-it could be food related...a greasy lunch maybe
-it could be the heat...yesterday could be the highest this week...even the pre-noonday sun could melt...
-it could be bad news...not so old news like a person's (somebody close) death
-it could be extreme depression...from the loss of a countryman in a recent boxing match

raging hormores...

has nothing to do with this juvenile outbreak at which the doctor has nothing more to say but shake her head in addition to prescribing an antibiotic which is usually applied to moderate or severe cases and that wouldn't necessitate a frequent trip for consultation or follow-up. this has come about as a consequence of

succombing to sheer curiosity in

finding out who ends up with this

pretty faced chad murray. it's funny how his appearances in house of wax or freaky friday or a cinderella story did not make the same impression. Those blue eyes of his, a girl can drown in it and

she can only be blamed for not being impervious to it. His appeal transcended that of his era, hence this silly old goose as an admirer.

"There is a time for everything,

and a season for every activity under heaven:
a time to be born and a time to die..."

Nene called while i was having a nap, after ingesting sinful portions of everything (rice, mixed vegies, roasted chicken, anchovies, salsa and avocado milk shake).

Tiyoy Paking passed away. It was a shock considering he appeared to be healthier than tatay is. The reliability of the diagnosis needs second opinion though, the verdict being the last stage of colon cancer. It's a good thing that his suffering was short-lived.
He was tatay’s official driver who stuck for a significant length of time, and it was a mean feat considering how difficult it was to keep up with schedules, not to mention “hot temper”. He’s been around since Volts started school until his retirement when I was in college. We, siblings three, practically grew up with him shuttling us to and from school on weekdays and riding through the boondocks of Araal or Himamaylan or wherever tatay's job took him on weekends. But one thing stood out in the numerous times we spent together. Back in high school and raging hormones, he’d give me the steering wheel and the stick shift to practice on way before tatay decided that I should learn how to drive. He would accommodate my many whims like accelerating so that we were practically at Tiyoy Rogelio’s tail and I had a clear view of Robel (my first really big crush) for blissful minutes. God bless his soul!

what's in a name?

funny but this equation refer to the ring of (rational) adeles; which explains why i'm always levelheaded :).
According to the number theory, the adele ring is a topological ring ( occurs in mathematical analysis, for examples as rings of continuous real-valued functions on some topological space , where the topology is given by pointwise convergence), containing the field of rational numbers (or, more generally, to an algebraic number field). It involves all the completions of the field.
The word "adele" is short for "additive idele", and is also a French girl's name. Adeles were called valuation vectors or repartitions before about 1950.

epilogue

(to the SC saga)
-witness the beginning of an imminent culmination (the avocado green shirt wasn’t so much hard to miss/kudos to everyone privy to this madness)
-the four-second stare taken to the next level (unobstructed front view along the aisle – as long as it took from end to end)
-sit at a strategic yet uncompromising angle in the lunchroom (close enough to eavesdrop and catch some glimpses)
-major downer verified (poor judge of fashion as evidenced by the miscalculated shirt length – in addition to cargo pants, hawaiian inspired polo, leather jacket, etc).

scatterbrained

While it hanged as the proverbial Damocles’ sword for weeks now, the inevitable emancipation has finally come. It proved to be more complex than anticipated; in the writing sense, that is. The words did not fail to come but putting them together in a coherent thought is next to impossible. It is absurd. Really!!!
But the day is still young. Who knows what will happen in the next 10 hours and 27 minutes

Farewell and thank you!

Wow!!! This made it final…
No more eyecandy to behold.

gone in 60 minutes

Just like that…best time beaten with the sole objective of making it on time…and get rewarded for it…if beholding the sight can be called that (a reward, that is).
Motivation in its purest form need not be repetitive (and grating to the nerves). It can be just a subtle suggestion or…silence, in its extreme form.
One message was all it took and the automatic mode was activated by some kind of complicated mechanism that even sleep deprivation could not thwart.
But as the season change in this distorted climate, the fleeting sunshine was no sooner obscured by dark clouds foreboding of an imminent rain. It took some measure of spunk to stare long enough to singe the waxed black mane which took a 270 degrees turn of the head (if that was even possible) but all of it was gone in 60 minutes.

understanding bjork...

is such a mean feat. it's more than four years since bjork was weaned from his dam with his now green eyes still closed. he seems familiar yet something's amiss. it's a wonder what goes through a cat's brain, except being in command of its body's physiological processes. he is very unpredictable. just now, he lies supine on the table right outside the shop and was resigned to the ministrations of a female passerby. while doing the same last night, my left hand was caught between his front paws and fangs that said they meant business.hence, these unsightly scratches which i sport right now. if he were a person, his autograph would have looked like this:.
name - bjork
sire - munich (from which he inherited his striking tabby color)
dam - puma (which genes contributed to his exceptional long glossy coat and tail disorder)
siblings - too many to mention (on either side)
birthplace - 2f mariño ancestral house, rizal st., brgy 1 poblacion, la carlota city, negros occidental, 6130 philippines
birthdate - 04 april 2003
pet peeves - running motors, bath time, heights (once climbed the acacia tree adjacent to the house and was not able to get off it for a day)
acquired taste - corn chips
embarrassing unbreakable habit - begging for corn chips from the shop patrons
embarrassing experience - the day the vet cut the 'you-know-what-must-not-be-named' off
greatest asset - shiny tabby coat (combination of good genes and nightly grooming)
greatest compliment ever received - always mistaken for a pure breed
hobby/ies - sleeping (about 20 hrs per day)
most romantic pursuit - getting home bruised and cut after a fierce duel of fangs and claws in the name of love
favorite scratch post - left rear foot of the newly refurbished settee
cribs - literal crib during infancy, master's warm tummy (ist three months), cushioned basket (rest of first year), fridge to (2nd year), neath the computer table (3rd year), shop hall table which looked like a display table from the sidewalk (presently)
special skills - toilet trained (unless the toilet door is closed of course); understand what a can of sardines meant; execute up, sit, stay and come commands
other oddities - limited to no hunting skills, neither nocturnal nor territorial, ignorant of what a mouse meant to the rest of the cat population

perks of being a gardener...

- watching this bud blossom into a delicate beauty

- breathing cool fresh oxygen from the recently watered photosynthesizing ornamentals

- enjoying the workout without the exhausting routine

- taking advantage of the skin-friendly untraviolet rays of the sun (that transform previt D3 into the bone vit D for stronger and more accurate kick during soccer scrimmage)

- spending sometime alone to mull about stuff, good stuff

and

- having something to write about :)

business risk

computer biz caters to a wide variety of activities, gaming being on top of the list especially for students. when the regularsare out, tending to the newbies is a welcome but risky option. this is based from a recent experience (like just 16 minutes ago). one kid just ran out of a Php 15 one-hour internet use. and of all the characters here, he looked the least likely to commit such a crime. it must have been really convenient with the shop door open and the keeper busy shutting the computer down. andwhat energy that lanky body possessed. bag, folder and all seemed weightless as he dashed into the street disappearing in one of the small pathways common along the major thoroughfares in the city. its funny how he bobbed his head out of his hiding place to see if the coast is clear. having stayed there long without appearing too suspicious, he decided to leave after minute or two.The shock on his face when he saw that someone went looking for him was almost comical. and when he heard the line 'ipapulis ta ka!', the poor boy was disoriented for a sec but off he went like fluffy's right on his heels with his nasty three heads. and he was gone, just like that!

my pet's pet peeve

i took bjork for company early this morning to water the plants and do a little gardening at the edge of the city. though i was warned of his phobia of running motors, that did not deter me from bringing him along. he once peed over nanay, i was told.
looking back now, the fear must have started the first time i took him. the destination was the city pound where he first experienced pain of unknown magnitude. that was the day i have him neutered with a noble purpose of saving him from himself (as the tomcat that he was, he upheld his dad's legacy of siring several dams after nights of pursuit and coming home bruised and all). time must have helped him forget the bitter experience. except for purring incessantly and digging his face into my behind, he did fairly well during the short ride.

about last thursday...

an erstwhile futbolero decided to come rejoin the afternoon fun on the pitch. the girls, who never lacked of 'worthy' opponents, welcomed the addition with some reservations. i, for one, wished to play opposite our guest. so, imagine my reaction when i saw the subject donning my color exactly (light blue, only his was striped with white). luck must have been laughing boisterously at my expense.
in fairness, not long into the game, i made a goal (not a spectacular one though, but i felt the force that i exerted on that kick) with joe (who was so not into the game for some reason) manning the goal, from a diagonal pass (from the center of the field to the right wing where i was). and i was recipient to equally good passes too which i miserably failed to deliver.
kudos!!! (to earl, that's "who"...in fairness, lira guessed right)

did you notice...

-that when you open a friendster friend update on yahoo, the user's primary picture is displayed in the mail?
-that when you click on the link (blog for example) in the friendster mail, no more websense nonsense pops up and the page is directed right away to the URL specified?
amazing eh!?!?
wait...where the heck do these things happen anyway? (one big mischievous grin ala the Grinch)

characters

kilobytes has a distinct set of clientile, the regulars and the newbies, predominantly male, from adolescents (kids from the school adjacent to the house) to young adults (including three science instructors) who have found their first love in the inanimate. the regulars trace their roots from the shop's soft opening, scheduled (or not) noodle parties, graveyard or holiday exclusives and such. they can be endearing in their youth and can be equally a pain in the !@#$% all at the same time
the drummer-drumming to the beat of the pulsating r&b numbers emanating from altec lansing speakers on one side of the wallis not a crime but the beating on the desk is. the vibration not only brings havoc to the hardware but to the peace of mind to the not so keen on drums and stuff.
the fashionista-school holiday or not, not a strand of hair is out of place on this lad's head. no wonder college girls teem the coffee shop during breaktime. kilobytes' brew is an attraction of its own but having an eyecandy in residence doesn'thurt business at all.
the loyalist-would never succomb to the lure of other gaming stations and would usually wait in qeueu until the ongoing match(frequently a 4v4 dota game) to conclude
the philantropist-for the love of the game would pay for the rental of any worthy opponent.
the freeloader - money could be an issue and is the type that would usually wait for an invite from the philantropist to get into the game.
the kibitzer-the species is everywhere, issuing instructions here and there but never get around to playing the game hands-on except on some occasion when a player leaves the station without finishing playing time.on other days, staying in the airconditioned room and listen to bisrock on the wmp seem to be enough reasons to linger.
the newbies-could be anyone who happen to pass by the neighborhood and finds a vacant seat, either for an hour of gaming orfriendster. yes, friendster is quite a staple here.
the deaf/mute-most of them, if not all, transfigure into this type whenever end time is announced. time and again, question as to time extension must be repeated to get either an affirmative or negative response. total concentration was the main alibibut in the operator's point of view, it's a ploy to extend play time without being charged for it.

was it a trap?

the discovery last night was really something out of the ordinary. why the sudden lax in security? there must be an underlying agenda in those calculating minds. hmmm!!!
but...there is something more pressing at hand. details will be disclosed in a day or two.

Classic Overdose

stumbling upon a goldmine is a stupefying experience. even in the absence of hexes, the feeling is akin to that of being transported to another place and time. great finds for today were sites that allow freebie hunters to download everything classic...from music to audiobooks to movies...even that which filmed by akira kurosawa...ain't that interesting enough?

what to avoid in starting a new day

- getting up late; excusable though when it happens to rain at dawn and snuggling deeper in the depths of the downy mattress holds a stronger pull than having to deal with frigid water from the tap. The short walk to work will be impossible anyways.
- not having breakfast; leaving the house with a full stomach gives some measure of confidence
- bad news...well who wants them?

what to write...

this is finally it. the inevitable has arrived. none of last week's sweet surprises. the night has come. eyecandy came no more, hence the culmination of one chapter in the life of this blog has commenced. it's going to be quite a challenge starting over.
on a positive note though, eventually the muse will find a more amusing and interesting subject to mull and write about. after all, life goes on. it's best to keep the pace and take one day at a time...

random thoughts on the fifth installment of harry potter

on the characters:

Luna Lovegood was immediately recognizable with the upside down Quibbler in her hands but she looked and acted far from being dotty.

Being an active Deatheater must be truly taxing. Lucius Malfoy's hair has lost most of its shine.

Dolores Umbridge looked like somebody everyone would want for a granny. Her voice teemed with sweetness, like that of karen's in "will and grace" that it can kill a diabetic person. The expectation to immediately hate her was slow to come. It has taken root only after after Harry's detention and slowly built up enough to think she deserved her sad end with the centaurs.

The Boys: Harry, Ron, and Neville's bulging biceps can be hidden no more. The sixth and seventh installments should be well underway now.

Grawp looked liked a troll but who really knows how a giant would look like.

Sybil. Nobody would do her justice than Emma Thompson did.

Kreacher is 'endearing' in an odd way. His grudging obedience is quite familiar.

The Dementors looked scarier than they already were. They looked like they really were capable of sucking out all that happiness in the world. With their heads uncloaked though, they've somehow lost a bit of their mystery.

on the setting:

I imagined the Ministry of Magic building to be as classic as Gringotts. Matrix-like lines and planes weren't so bad though. It made Bellatrix fluid escape through the floo graceful.

on some scenes:

Gary Oldman couldn't be any sexier than he did in the part where he was exchanging hexes with cousins Bellatrix and Lucius.

Seeing more of Filch is quite refreshing. The part in which he hanged one of the many new "rules" that nearly reached the rafters was quite amusing.

Is the transformation from quartz to glass a reversible process? Or it's something that only magic can do (voldemort and dumbledore's one on one)? The scene was reminiscent of "the covenant" when chase and caleb battled for supremacy...hurtling "rasengan"- like powerballs with some twist. David Yates must be a Naruto fan.

boo boos

i had my chance (yet again) and i totally blew it.
balked at the opportunity like a surprised filly; like the event was not premeditated. so much about planning. nothing just came out right. it's so silly and it's so not me. i wonder how it will be when my time will come...hmmm.
eyecandy might have been too late to keep the momentum of lunch gossip but the encounter has more than made up for it. darn hormones! they sure need some tips on timing...(like a delayed physical reaction would be a very welcome development).

maria's song

"Perhaps I had a wicked childhood

Perhaps I had a miserable youth

But somewhere in my wicked, miserable past

There must have been a moment of truth

For here you are,

standing there..."

...and the song ends there...for this maria...but if adding a customized lyrics is permissible, this would be it:

"...For here you are,

standing there giving me (a good view for yet another day)

Whether or not you should

So somewhere in my youth or childhood

I must have done something good"

now, what?

wow! the inevitable has finally arrived! but nary a word! how sad (sigh)

dwelling on the fact is depressing and words are hard to find (another sigh)

one thing is certain, lunch hour would be deathly boring without the eyecandy to build up the anticipation

where do the cleats fit in this?

go, figure!

The Catcher in the Rye

This book has been in my possession for over a quarter of a year now but I'm still quite a way off from the ending. Within the period, I have finished a Harry Potter installment, made a few sketches in my drawing pad, solved an unaccounted number of word puzzles and has been a subject to a host of other activities here and there.

The paperback is actually only less than an inch thick but reading it seems to require so much effort. Well, the fact that Holden, the main character, exuded so much negativity, must be causing it. His depression and insecurity are contagious that finishing even a chapter or two in one seating seemed too much to handle. Credits to JD though for drawing a realistic characterization of the protagonist that if you get to really know Holden intimately, you can see so much about him that is in one's self, a friend's, a sibling's, or an office mate's.

My only drive now is discovering if, like THE James Franco in Spiderman, he gets to redeem himself at the end of the story.

leather jacket in the tropics?!?!

well, acceptance depends on who wears it. if it happens to be eyecandy who lacked the correct judgement and dons something so inappropriate for a place that has never seen snow, well...sigh...in complete resignation...

one dose, cures all

it's the one thing that can be said of soccer.
whatever it is that's ailing...be it mental, physical, emotional or even spiritual , just being on the pitch makes a difference.
especially when the grass is green and thick enough to cushion even the grossest fall, walking barefoot gives a sense of oneness with nature. it's wonderful enough to witness the season change, but the littlest detail like a grass growing out of an arid lifeless patch of soil is a miracle worthy of some attention.
seven, a perfect number?
in soccer sense, it meant more than enough playtime for everyone. though terribly physically demanding, the sense of accomplishment is far greater; the teamwork, more intimate; the learning, more exhaustive.
with both mind and body wasted, expect a "dreamless" sleep and wake up refreshed and ready to take on whatever the world has in store for the new day.

a dreamer's worst nightmare

who wouldn't feel as bad as i did? just imagine yourself in my stead, losing precious sleep and forced to endure this unsightly excel file that kept flashing at the back of your mind. if it doesn't manage to drive you mad, it is more than capable to cause insomnia.
the issue is that i received a tad too many requests yesterday, and it being a Monday, i must have decided subconscioussly that that just doesn't feel right.

day off...

sweetest words...especially after a hard day at work. but despite its appeal, something is bound to outweigh its merits like the need to get a dose of eye candy...which will eventually be removed from its current display window. Not that it's expiration is imminent. Only that, the manufacturer deemed it more "appropriate" to be shipped elsewhere :(

now here's a real cat...

bjork...three years ago...

when his fangs were yet sharp to kill a rat

when his paws still itched to scratch his fave post

when his weekly groomed coat shone to perfection

when he was yet a philandeering tomcat

when bluetooth was still a novelty

waking up on the right side of the bed meant

-breakfast is ready (even it is just a remnant of the previous night's midnight snack)
-eating the first meal of the day with bamboo (crooning some new tracks) for company
-drooling over eyecandies everywhere, everytime (gong yoo on the desktop for one, and slavic cat on the lunch floor)
good things don't last forever though. eventually, stuff begin to happen like...
-spilling a half-full coffee mug everywhere (on one's self, the seat cushion and the workdesk)
-left wanting for breaks in the soccer game which would have translated to more goals for the team (cocky eh?)
-and need others be mentioned???

going korean

the fever lives on...beyond korean soaps.

soju, kimchi and braised chicken noodles (instant) have already found their way into a rather relentlessly diversifying diet.
noodles, be it udon, ramen or the good old miki have always been the first choice in alleviating hunger pangs in the middle of a must see movie in the dead of night even a long way before naruto invaded what was once one might call miserable tv lives.

kimchi is something to get used to, the 'aroma' especially.

soju is an entirely different matter. its being an alcoholic bev holds an irresistible appeal to certified drinkers such as this author :). watching the soap protagonist's head hit the table only after a few shots tickles the imagination. is that even possible? that definitely requires a confirmation, a verification of sorts, an experiment...which is already in order.

had enough

this week was the unfriendliest ever. the anticipation for the coming weekend has never been this painful.

ruffled feathers

who would have thought the the epitome of cool and confidence (at least inside this four tall walls) would allow a grain of uncertainty to forge a hole through that guarded exterior. and what do you call this entity that gloat in the 'glory' of assuming to have caused such a phenomenon? :)
getting noticed is somewhat elating as it is disturbing. elating for obvious reason/s. disturbing in the sense that...what comes after when anonymity is no more?

the curse is broken

yep...i made a goal!!! the goal was unmanned and with some presence of mind (which is not quite common...especially today after a dizzying 8-hr lecture in dfss), i went for it. it's a wonder it went through when i merely pushed it away from an opponent's incoming kick. just my luck!

workaholic inc...

membership entails:
1) devoting more than 9.6 man-hours each day pushing the plastic mouse on the desk
2) maximum radiation exposure via extensive teleconferencing on the mobile phone
3) acclimatizing in the extreme environmental working condition (too frigid or too warm A/C setting)
4) fortitude to endure mediocre cafeteria fare.

perks:
1) travel (to China)
2) lug a laptop (home)
3) (even more) flex time
4) corporate postpaid phone package
5) fat purse ?!?!

downsides:
1) failure to log in at friendster for more than three weeks
2) miss out on exhilirating, clean fun (soccer scrimmage)
3) break an expectant loser's day

eye candy...

oist!!! where art thou? it's 2 hours into midafternoon. Shouldn't you have been in that special place eons ago?

trip to boredom

...that's where i've been to the whole weekend. besides the lois and clark rerun which i enjoyed immensely, much effort on my part has been exerted to dispel with the inexplicable monotony to no avail. suddenly, nothing caught my fancy. nothing worthwhile to watch on tv is a given. oh, there's 'what about brian?' (feast to the eyes) but i had to activate my alarm so as not to miss it. enduring tv fare until barry watson's grin flashes onscreen was not an option. no book was good enough to read. simply said, nothing was interesting enough to rouse me from a gripping stupor. boy, i'm glad it's monday again.

i wonder...

... after having a long weekend back home, i find myself sick on the day i am due back to work. but i count this better than leaving the place after having a row with sis, which was often when i was still in college. we both agreed that it happened to make our parting less painful...less sad. but getting sick is some kind of a mystery still, at least on my part. well, it could be the reluctance in leaving the warm comfort of being surrounded with everything beautiful and the persons you love...and so i declare myself not fit to work today...let's call it my 'indepndence day' from a stifling routine :)

caught in the act...

a juvenile fetish which caught on...and held fast...unwilling to be left behind...forgotten in the obscurity of the past...

there is no mystery hidden in this rather atypical habit...only that it's comforting to feel the crunching cartilage neath the cool, soft brown membrane...

change...

...be it for better or worse is wont to meet an opposition of some kind.
Is it cowardice? fear of the unknown? or is this just an 'iska' cultural tendency to challenge power?
To assume the worst is but human. Though pessimistic it may seem, it has some merits that needs consideration. Not only does it prepare the psyche for the worst case scenario (now where did i hear this last? sheesh!!!), but it makes the job easier too.
To bitch and rant is an option but soccer is an even better sink. It does the trick fairly well without the downside of looking pathetic.
Whatever the future may hold, well it is best to keep mum about stuff and just make things happen.

'nice defense'

...coming from gary is noteworthy...especially when compliments like this one are hard to come by anymore. admittedly, i could be the worst goalie there would be if i choose to make a carreer out of it...blame it on the numerous and painfully memorable injuries the flying ball has inflicted on me through the course of my playing soccer. i've had my moments though. like tonight, i might have been hysterical to find the ball going my way many times but once i got the hang of it, i managed to keep the ball away from the goalpost and earned that 'nice defense' comment. of course, it helped that i made two goals for the team early on in the game.

keepsake

this is what my artistic inclines has managed to create in such a short notice. i added a note which said "when you see these things, think of me". well, what do we have here? naruto, cat, superman, charcoal drawing, lfc logo (football), and apo island rock formation. actually, this lacks one thing which i think i am most famous for, coffee. i have quite a rep; like one who consumes the most number of cups in a day. thankfully, my gastrointestinal walls are wonderfully made that it had withstood the caffeine and acid overload this far. this is for charry by the way, who's transferring to another department in a week's time. well, all the best to us!

as for me, i think i'll better pack up and get my own soccer scrapbook started. It's been ages since i last took a look at the materials. Time to make a go at it while the muse seems up to doing it.

if looks could melt...

...the slavic cat would have been reduced into a goo before he's even through with his BBQ. what business had he sitting on the same table and giving the ogler an unobstructive view of his eccentric table manners? well, cats are omnivorous (the domesticated ones i know...like bjork) but this cat in question seems to favor fruits as evidenced by his two servings of watermelon for dessert which, sigh, took him forever to finish. trivia: he ate the tropical fruit without removing the seeds first.

indulgence...

is one destructive force which i should have been familiar with already. but as foolish as i am, i kept forgetting the consequences of its domination and suffer them time and again. monday started not too good with my finding my laundry smelling foul already (after having been soaked in soapy water for three days already), the coffee vending machine out of service, the brewed one not too strong enough to keep me awake, and starting something without finishing it. i want to go home now but there's still one issue to settle before i can evaporate from here without appearing more delinquent than i already am. but i guess this is to be expected especially from a sloth filled weekend...so don't wail now.

that name...

...whether casually or intentionally mentioned, opens up a well of emotion that when left unchecked can be terribly embarrassing to say the least. the distance and the time apparently weren't sufficient to make the brainless heart forget or separate fact from fiction. not only it is difficult to keep a straight face in the circumstance, there is very little that can undo the involuntary reaction of ending up beet red. more than embarrassing, being caught in such a state is unspeakable.

toast to a new beginning

to see a friend's face brighten up with unfathomable happiness makes all the difference. even if it meant crossing seas and mountains, to stand witness at this once in lifetime event is all worth it.

an alternate getaway

it's mindboggling why the heat seems so unbearable when you're at home while nobody seems to mind it when at the beach? hmmm! after church today, i felt nauseous while under the shade of a tree waiting for a tricycle to pass my way. the pain between my eyes nearly made me throw up as if it would somehow alleviate the discomfort that i was feeling which i can attribute to nothing else but the stifling summer heat. it was a spur of the moment thought. coming here, i mean (you know where 'here' is). and it's worth every second of it. time to leave and face reality again.

take four

yes, this is my fourth attempt to publish this entry, the previous times being sorely tested by the voltage fluctuation which i've been told to be frequent during the festivities' peak..apparently this is the aftermath of it...that or that the supernatural just doesn't approve of this subject...hehehe.
after a really trying day at apo island, i took the 5:20 pm ceres trip to bacolod via mabinay, throwing caution to the wind. i napped in between worrying if i will have transport in the last 12 km leg of my 5-hour land trip. i was alone most of the time on the two seaters i took on the second row from the dashboard, on the right side of the bus. it was a boring trip, unless the roller coaster ride along the mabinay road can qualify for an exciting adventure. well, i might have enjoyed the dips and climbs and swerves and the screeching and stench of burning rubber but it had my head ache for a spell.
there was an exciting turn of event though as we resumed the trip after a real short stop in kabankalan. i spied a sweet smelling creature hailing the bus. who would have thought that he would elect to take the empty seat beside me (like the bus was only half full...urhm). and i was right. he did smell clean and fresh (as one who just got out of the shower). and i was 'conscious' (i never knew before last night that i am capable of this...nor even knew what the word meant) for a spell about how i smell having been in the sea all day (i changed while waiting for our ride to dumaguete city from malatapay without the benefit of a good rinse, by the road with only a 'tapis' for concealment...how's that for a first too?) but i worried too much. not long after he's settled, i felt a deadweight pressing me on the window pane. i wasn't sure if he was really sleepy or he was just trying to punish me for not giving up my window seat (i thought i saw him try take it from me). well the body heat was a comfort in dispelling the cold summer breeze and he did smell good (did i mention that already?), but i bet he didn't know that...hehehe
and as a consolation, he did look apologetic (about his being a bit of a prick...but a welcome prick)when i excused myself to pass by him at my stop.

when the cat is away...

...the mouse misses the adrenaline pumping chase???

...the mouse misses the cat???

...the mouse wallows in misery???

...the mouse questions the goodness of the saints (like san miguel)

...the mouse gets artistic and produce something like this (naruto)

...and when the cat comes around...

...the mouse breaks out in a cold sweat

...and the chase begins anew. :)

hyperactivity

it was only a few hours ago that i could barely move due to uhm (my monthly flow...what did you think?) but i just found myself all over the soccer field, singlehandedly dribbling the ball towards our goal when the opportunity presented.
they say, it must be the coffee that i imbibed earlier. well, it could be. but on deeper analysis, one conclusion comes to mind. there is this some kind of a monster that is automatically summoned from inside of us just by the sight of a soccer ball. if we were characters from naruto, (us/we, as i share the same experience as the rest of the girls in the team) we are in a dire need of training in taking control...some ninjutsu drills maybe :)
a one-on-one under kakashi's tutelage is not a bad idea...

don't try this at home

and we now officially declare the summer season open...and what better way to do it than go island hopping.
the muggy rainy mornings can be deceiving that whatever happens, go get your stuff and do your thing as planned, we did and what fun we had.
destination can be planned ahead or may be negotiated with the 'bangkeros' so it's the least of your worries.
don't let faulty gears ruin things for you...invest on a mask and snorkel equipment...it will be worth your while fraternizing with God's marvelous creations under the sea...mine leaked and i had to come up for air every 15 seconds...it can be really frustrating.
bring tons of sunblock lotion so you can explore (away from the shadow of the boat i.e.)and stay in the water to your heart's delight
the current can be strong so if you're not confident about your swimming skills, keep that lifevest handy.
there...where to next???

reizvoller's numero cero

taking the service area, waiting for the whistle from referee melix. this is adelskie's second volleyball match in her lifetime and reizvoller's second game in the league. against the volleybellas, the reizvollers emerged the winner after the second set.

back in the grindstone...

...and everything familiar yet strange.

-familiar routine of preparing for work and the reluctance to go through with it
-familiar faces in their respective places (making it easier for the stalkers to locate their unsuspecting prey)
-familiar workstation (which is dusty from lack of usage) minus the usual clutter
-familiar canteen fare which i swear nobody missed and dreaded to bear with until the next vacation

-strange that nobody wanted to play soccer or volleyball
-strange that email chats were rather short
-strange that there was very little 'pasalubong' exchange
-strange that (about work) my process seem to take very little time to finish
-strange that of all people, only my volleyball shirt got a wrong name on it

despite the strangeness of everything familiar, today's a good one for me. got an 'i love new york' shirt and superman returns dvd from mae grace, a wallet from dolly and scrapbook stickers from patsy for a real late birthday presents.

life is good!

bridging the gap

i woke up to multiple missed calls on my new phone which, for some reason, does not ring at all each time i receive a call. it just flashes its screen light which doesn't do me any good unless i am conscious or had my eyes glued to it or if somebody other than me notices the incoming call.
when i finally had the chance to pick up the call, it was jenjen to my great surprise. i remember the countless times i've invited her to join my friendster loop to no avail. what we missed in over two years of silence however was more than made up by a real early voice chat this morning which lasted ablout 2.5 hours. it's refreshing and gratifying to know that the bonds that hold old friends together is something that neither time nor distance can sever just like that
jen, it good to hear your voice once again :)(despite my cool facade, i could get sappy at times too)

gotcha!!!

the slavic cat is human after all just like us. now, where did i get that crazy idea that he's different from everyone else?!?!?! fine, he hasn't done anything that will put him on google or wiki search...but he was on friendster. even registered on the same year that i did. my research prowess is getting rusty it seems. i should have known better. apparently i was blinded by the peacock strut, which gave me and his other 'fans' quite a different impression of him...like he wasn't the type...haha

a cold blast from the past

hit me over breakfast. one of the treasures i found while cleaning dad's table were old letters and my journal from college. reading them again was more fun than nostalgic.
- world cup was introduced to me back in 94 but the football bug bit me only 12 years later.
- made more money as a student assistant than i do now (how pathetic)
- 1996 was my best year in college even ending up in the honors list for one semester
- stalking was then a preoccupation...a hobby that merited quite a number of entries in the journal (nothing's changed apparently)
- email was a novelty and snail mails were something to look forward to each week
- bands on campus tour include 'the dawn', 'introvoys' and 'yano'
- 96 was the year i lost my barbarism (having joined psjt)

third eye blind et. al...

is something i missed listening to and it's refreshing to be able to listen to their music again. it makes the clip ipod i spied at the mall the other day more interesting than before. if only it cost cheaper than 5k...sigh!
it's home sweet home and the only chore that i've done so far is organize the side table by dad's bed which became a home to a host of biting bugs...eech. how sweeter can life get? finally my sewing and drawing careers are looking at a brighter future with my having more time to spend...that if i don't get hooked in this addictive vice of blogging :)
the outdoors look inviting too, especially whiling in the boondocks cooling off the summer frying heat at some dipping pool but the prospect of travelling dusty roads to get to it is a major turn-off. so for the meantime, i will just turn a blind eye and deaf ears to what the airconditioner might do to the environment and tend to my own comfort first.

reizvollers (leila barros wannabes)...

is the name of the volleyball team that i am in. the intra-dep't volleyball league commenced this evening and we won our first game. it felt good to be in a team, better even to be in a real tourney and the feeling of winning the maiden game is exhilirating...
go! fight! win! REIZVOLLERS

lunacy's end...hopefully

doused awake with frigid waters, the madness was washed off from my system. i am both relieved and sad at the reliazation. well, i won't get myself into more embarrassing encounters like bluritng out some really stupid sounding comment about lunch but at the same time it would mean boring days ahead at the workplace without having somebody to stalk and talk about.
empty promises, broken commitments...for whatever reason...boy, don't they just suck big time and he's a master at that...work ethics is commendable though, it's a mystery if he still have a life...
nice shirt (blue polo, just small enough to catch at the hips - please, for the love of @#$%, never wear that baggy jeans again) though today...you're learning fast slavic cat!!! (Applause!!!)

home sweet home

it's good to be back, if only to learn that i lost more than two pounds walking about the shops around causeway bay and shenzhen these past three days. i missed my sheets, i was asleep as soon as my head touched the pillows. getting out of the bed was most difficult but i've been good. i managed to make it for lunch with pats, lira and doli. meals at the canteen couldn't be a sadder affair than flying miles only to shop or watch other shop :(

Spring in Hong Kong

Wow...shopping in three days spent away from home (as in out of the country) is not my idea of traveling! shopping is something that one can do anywhere including back home.

i hate to say this but i reckon i will feel better if i will. this could be my worst trip abroad ever. well, who wouldn't be after walking the whole day hunting for bargains (day after day)?

I would have gladly rendered my feet dead at the end of the day hustling the slavic cat out of the soccer pitch. But it was his peacock strut that pulls me back home...a thought that never crossed my mind while soaking in the beauty that Lantau is. could offer. But the last 48 hours have been nightmarish I couldn't find the words to describe it...

saying hello...

...is not that difficult to do after all...especially if it came out as a squeak...but his slavic ears would have picked it up...i wish
this blog's title should be changed into...tales of the slavic cat...

stars fall down...

...like comets and dying planets that brought us Kal-El. Others die and their souls form into the brightest stars in the constellation (Draco). While others still were catapulted to stardom and were careless about it losing (obscured) their brightness to others (too many to mention).

what of cats? they're believed to live 9 lives. One slav cat died last night. i never learn from the life's lessons, like 'not pinning one's hope for happiness' on others for one.

well i'm doomed. I will have to live through eight more yet :)

dont's - lifted from my 01-mar-07 friendster entry

How’s everyone’s week? I learned a tad too many lessons in the past five days
On insomnia:
-when in transition from night to day shift, DO NOT make up for lost sleep by staying longer in bed than necessary. Last Sunday, I slept through the worship service, waking up only for meals and quick toilet trips. Then, what happened? I woke up at 2 a.m. on Monday and failed to go back to sleep. I filled out pages of my journal and read about 3 chapters of ‘the catcher in the rye’ with only my phone cam’s light for illumination to tire my eyes. When that didn’t work, I decided that it was time to leave the comfort of my downy mattress so I watched ‘Legally Blonde’ while pressing my uniform. I did a little better on Tuesday waking up at 3 am. This did not make me feel any better as I could barely keep my eyes open at work (but I seem to be pretty sharp on the soccer field…hmmmm)
-alcohol doesn’t help, warm milk does. Now where did I get the idea that steeping my brain and bloodstream with alcohol would knock me down? On Tuesday evening, I bought a liter of beer which I hoped to share with Pats as bev during dinner. However, the combo did not appeal to her that I was forced to finish the whole thing by myself. Realizations on that day were: a liter of beer can’t get me down (is this something to gloat about? J) and neither can it cure insomnia.
On soccer
-DO NOT go where the socceroos (girls esp.) flock after the ball…to avoid getting hit by the ball right smack on the face and/or bruising unprotected shins from raised cleats. It’ll serve well to watch out for arms akimbo too.
-DO NOT push yourself more than what you can do. I woke up on jelly legs today. The cramps I’ve had last night while trying to stop the ball should have been enough to get me into the sidelines. But boy did I forget that I’m turning double 3 in a month’s time! Apparently, the spirit is willing but the flesh is weak already. Kids, start with soccer early so you’ll have more years to enjoy the sport.
On work:
-normal shift is the best way to go. Not only does it give ample time to prepare breakfast (claimed to be the most important meal of the day), walking from the main gate to the office at a leisurely pace won’t necessitate applying sticky sun block cream underneath the lavender scented talc. Since most of the peeps start business as late as 10 a.m. up, the peace and quiet at the office is a soothing welcome, a novelty, calming the nerves. No grating telephone rings, endless chatter, dizzying movement of people going to and fro. Graveyard shift is good too but it does bring eye bags, deathly pallor, acne outbreaks, dry skin…well, who wants those?

Владимир - who says he ain't adorable?!?!

that's slavic for my third cat's name, the first and second being munich and bjork respectively (german names i believe) :)

i have prided myself of being spontaneous and glib and witty (a conditioned frame of mind, thanks to angel; remember the lil guy from the 'work attitude and personal effectiveness seminar?) but i was proved wrong. apparently, i needed a refresher on the course as i seem to have lost 'it'. not that i have morphed into a complete moron. well i might have, occasionally. but i must say that this occurence is not rife if not exclusive. restricted, that is, to that slavic cat which peacock strut is difficult to take no notice of.

i get rarely intimidated but when i do, i'm a goner and i so hate the feeling. it has renderred me hypotensive on one rare occasion (that was when i was tasked to do a boardwork problem in thermodynamics which went off to a real bad start) that necessitated a three-day hospitalization. but i'd say that nothing could be more pathetic and embarrassing than to be renderred incapable of simple speech for any reason fit to be divulged.

i am certain Maureen McGovern can identify with this sentiment.

heck, somebody save me from slavic cats.

losing sleep...again

I hope that this is only one of those days that happen once in a blue moon. My sleep was cut short by a rather loud chatter from the main house. When I checked the watch that I kept on the window sill, it said 9:48 a.m. To think that I finally succombed to sublime subconsciousness at around 6 a.m. Not only that, the pump, which is only a meter away from my bed (separated by 6 inches of concrete wall) nearly drove me crazy. Apparently Ponching has not finished with today's load of laundry. I decided between screaming and keeping my cool. The latter won out. What I did was drape the windows with blankets, tucked my head at the corner of the bed, covered my ears with pillows. Thankfully, I promptly went back to sleep and said hello to the world with a smile at 1 p.m. I was so hungry and couldn't be more grateful to see some still warm rice on the table (Fran's an angel). The hotdogs were cooked at the minimum and I concentrated on filling my empty stomach.
Paracetamol and phenylpropanolamine make me feel lousy but they're a big help driving the cold away. Today, I can't remember sneezing nor blowing my nose anymore. I felt so down it actually crossed my mind not to play soccer anymore. I actually went back to bed after downing a rather big helping of chicken macaroni (which I prepared after lunch) but at half past 4, I headed for the shower like an automaton. I couldn't help myself. Subconsciously, I could be thinking that I couldn't wait another day to get into the field. :) Boy, we are pathetic. We are so addicted to the sport.
My playtime was around 1 1/2 hours. It was a good workout. Everyone must have had enough of accidents already, we had none of that tonight. I missed two good passes though and a million of opportunities to make a goal. Hopefully, today's exertion will render me dog tired at the end of the shift so I would be oblivious to whatever distractions when I reach r.e.m.

Different, somehow

...this day is. Though I was a bit late (clocked in at 8:58 a.m. Hmmm, that was close). It must have been the hunk overdose. Grey's Anatomy was on TV when I came home last night and Edward Burns was on Will and Grace after that. By the time both shows were up, it was already past my bed time. With my clogged nose, I endeavor to sleep early, if only to avoid the misery of dealing with this seasonal bout with cold (Climate change. It began to get really hot last week. Summer's definitely here) but sadly, I lost the battle to my fan syndrome.

How different could this day get? For a change, I wore black loafers with my khakis instead of jeans and sneakers. Grand, eh? This might be my subconscious dressing up to welcome my new old model phone which I'm going to have later this afternoon. Sure, I have survived two months off the sms and mms circuit but being connected has its advantages so I decided to end my sabbatical. Besides, the olds have yet to get comfortable with the internet. In the meantime, sms is still the preferred mode of communication.

night and day

"Momma always says there's an awful lot you could tell about a person by their shoes. Where they're going. Where they've been." - Forrest Gump

Looking at Vladimir's shoes up close yesterday, I could tell three things:
1) that the pair has not seen much of the world yet
2) that the owner is a stickler for order
3) that it's exposure is limited to concrete and carpet

My pair was a perfect foil for his:
1) it has seen better days
2) the owner isn't exactly a model of order
3) maximum exposure to the elements of nature: heat, rain, dust, rocky roads...user weight???

This is just a drop of water in a vast ocean of differences. Some, if not all, are big enough to intimidate those with weaker constitution. Alternatively though they work perfectly fine as worthy challenges to make better of one's self :)

eureka

I've been blogging for ages but i only knew today that blogger allows multiple blogs for a single account :)