turkey day

it's my first thanksgiving, since it's a holiday that is not celebrated in the philippines. since i'm here, i might as well join the festivities. so i've made flan to feed about 20 people, and i'm waiting for the ribs to cook. we're having ribs for lunch.

while cooking earlier, i got to thinking about what i'm thankful for. it turns out, i have a LOT to be thankful for. from the tiniest thing like being able to scratch my back, to the big ones concerning family. so here's my list:



the tiny stuff--

i am thankful that...
1. i can scratch my back without pulling a muscle
2. my front teeth have never been subjected to root canals
3. my skin is not prone to acne (thank you parental genes)
4. i am able to touch type
5. i can still see my toes
6. i do not fidget
7. i can jump start a car
8. i have good night vision

the medium stuff--

i am thankful that...
1. i am able to eat regular meals
2. my parents put me through school
3. i am healthy enough to work
4. i speak excellent english and tagalog, and passable ilocano :P
5. i was born pinoy

the big stuff--


i am thankful for...
1. my mom and dad
2. the best sisters any one can ever have
3. friends
4. the blessed life i've had (yes, despite the laments)
5. µ¥ ∫ø≈.

thanks Big Guy. for everything.

whiner's block

this phrase popped into my head this morning, and a quick google search turned up quite a few results. i didn't read the results, though, as i think i have my own definition.

whiner's block is what happens when you have nothing to whine about, or too much.

i think i have the latter. too much to whine about that i don't even know where to begin.

sigh. quick question.

if i whine about whiner's block does that mean i don't have whiner's block?

firestorm

the lights went out at approximately 11 in the evening last night. since i come from a country where power outages are more or less the norm, i thought nothing of it. i chalked it up to the wailing winds. most like, i thought to myself, it's just a safety precaution.

the silence in the apartment, however, meant that i could hear everything outside. it didn't take long for me to make out the sounds of choppers and sirens. my sister thought it was a car chase along the highway. i agreed.

it wasn't until around 1 am when the lights came back on that we were able to watch the news. the mountains behind the apartment complex were on fire. had it just been my sister, her husband, and myself, we would have waited it out. but we had baby mac. so we had to go.

i had always wondered what i would bring if i had to leave the house in a haste for one reason or another. i knew that my laptop was going, of course. plus my ipod which doubled as an external hard drive. my sister piled some clothes into a big bag.

i looked at my backpack which held all my chargers and electronic stuff. i considered what else to bring. pictures. my passport. my small journal. my rabbit necklace.

and that was it. i guess i'm fortunate that most of my stuff have more or less taken permanent residence in my backpack as i've been living out of a bag for a few months now. easy access.

i realized then that i've pretty much gotten rid of my packrat tendencies. or perhaps tamed them. i left my new books, clothes, small items that i would've taken with me had this happened last year. instead i packed food, in case we got stuck somewhere while in the car. i packed toothbrushes, my contact lenses, spare eyeglasses. water. soda. cooked rice and the banana bread i had baked that afternoon.

i packed necessities, and traveled light. before 3 am we were out of there.

we stopped along the road to configure our navigator because they had blocked the freeways. i took a quick photo with my phone. pardon the blur. the winds were too strong. i could smell the smoke, and strangely, it reminded me of christmas in baguio. burning pine wood.


our apartment complex is located at the foreground, where the lights are.

right now the fire is 20% contained. 8000+ acres have been burned. 1400 firefighters have gone out to help. 600 homes burned to the ground. i can only pray it gets no worse.

for now i'm glad we're safe and together, and we had a house we could go to. i pray for all those who are not as fortunate.

the idiot box

i have always been a big fan of the written page, not so much the boob tube. i'd take a book any day over movies.

since i got here, however, it seems like i've been spending most of my time watching tv. it could be because i've run out of books to read and the tv is more accessible than the nearest bookstore.

or it could be because the mindless exercise of sitting in front of the tv is just that -- mindless.

for the past few months i have had a lot of need for mindless entertainment, and the tv has happily obliged.

it actually kept me sane.

so i guess i'll be a bit more tolerant of the idiot box. i have a lot to thank it for. :)

now all i need is a bowling ball.

tick tock

people have been going at me to get married. you're not getting any younger is a phrase that has gotten old really quick.

it's funny. way back in high school, and college, and even in law school, my dad was worried i'd get pregnant out of wedlock, and probably have to get married because of it.

wonder of wonders, all my sisters are married with kids, and here i am, single and currently unattached.

i've had relatives telling their friends that i'm single and available and that i need a man.

correction. i don't need a man.

and really, i don't. i want one, maybe. i have my profession, my health, my family. i'm in a position right now to just go and do what i can and want to do.

but i do want to have kids, and soon. sayang naman ang lahi ko. :P

so... i will probably decide to have them, husband or not. it will probably make my parents cringe. or not.

who knows?

historic events

i don't know if it's just me, or i just manage to be at the right place at the right time.

when i was in italy, pavarotti died. on my way to australia, steve irwin died. i was in new york when wall street took a dive. and yesterday, the first african american president got elected.

it would be a totally egotistical claim that my presence in these places caused these events. (but since this is my blog, i am allowed to think it. hehehe)

still, though, it is nice to be somewhat part of these historic events. i should make those shirts that say "______________________(insert event here). i was there."

election 2008

election day back home is a big event. it's a non-working day, and police and military presence mandatory.

here it's business as usual, and there's a 16-hour marathon of house.

hmmm. elections and a house marathon. sounds like a good plan.

i do hope things remain peaceful.

how i want to be forgotten

a poem by christina rosetti. i had this written in my notebook when i was in college. i just came across it in a facebook post. still triggers memories.

Remember

Remember me when I am gone away,
Gone far away into the silent land;
When you can no more hold me by the hand,
Nor I half turn to go yet turning stay.
Remember me when no more day by day
You tell me of our future that you planned:
Only remember me; you understand
It will be late to counsel then or pray.
Yet if you should forget me for a while
And afterwards remember, do not grieve:
For if the darkness and corruption leave
A vestige of the thoughts that once I had,
Better by far you should forget and smile
Than that you should remember and be sad

how cute is this???

the california props

i've been in california on and off for the past 4 months. in that span of time i have seen a lot of informercials regarding this or that proposition, denominated by a number.

from what i understand the proposition system is a way for the state residents to vote on amendments to the state constitution. (correct me if i'm wrong)

interesting, isn't it? i do not know enough to speculate on the effectivity of such a system so i will just go by what i've seen.

as i've said, infomercials for the pros and cons of a particular proposition abound, sometimes one on top of the other. however, one particular proposition seems to have gone beyond the idiot box.

of all the proposition infomercials i've seen, only one particular proposition seems to have urged people to take to the streets. or at least it is the only one i have witnessed.



proposition 8. a proposition that would insert the following words into california's constitution:

Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.

whoa. this after that big do over ellen and portia's wedding (o di ba close kami).

a vote of yes would include that proposition. a vote of no would junk it.

the infomercials on voting yes put emphasis on the negative effect of same-sex marriages on children, and on the concept of traditional marriage.

the no camp's infomercials say, however, that getting married is a fundamental right that should not be restricted, regardless of who you want to marry.

my nephew kevin asked me what i thought.

i don't know if i should even go down the fundamental rights road, or the traditional marriage route. i probably wouldn't be able to come to a decent conclusion based on those arguments. any logical mind would be able to make a convincing play for either one.

i can't make a conclusion based on logic. but i do know that i've known same sex couples practically all my life, and some of them have married.

they are no different than straight couples, they have the same joys, woes, and concerns as regular people. they love just as much, and hurt just as much. and they have the right to live their lives and pursue happiness.

put yourself in their shoes. how would you feel?

if i were to vote here (thankfully not), i'd vote no. but that's me.

so, there's my two cents' worth.