everything i ever needed to know i learned from sesame street...(or the post also known as "because my brain has blue-screened")

in the car, on the way to lunch with my sister i noticed how beautiful the day was and how un...un...un-october. as i am wont to do when i encounter days like this, i start singing the opening theme from sesame street. at the top of my voice:

sunnnny daaaaaaaaay.....

it got me thinking. my formative years were spent with the gang from sesame street, and every time people ask me why i speak such good english (a question i inevitably encounter when out of the country), i answer that i learned from sesame street.

i did. we had limited tv hours and those were spent watching sesame street.

so what else did i learn? a rundown is in order.

well, i learned that:

1. skin color does not matter, not to children playing, not to adults working.

2. cooperation does wonders.

3. friends share

4. if you're a twiddlebug, you cannot fly to the zoo

5. nap time rocks

6. diversity makes for interesting friendships

7. trash is meant for the trash can (and oscar)

8. milk, when slowly pronounced, is mmmm-eeee-ll-k

9. everybody sleeps

10. sometimes it's okay to be afraid

11. when you don't know what to do, you can always ask for help

12. doing things by yourself is a sign of independence

13. there is an infinite number of ways to sing the alphabet and say your numbers

14. and finally, you can only be limited by your imagination.

i am sure over the next few days i will remember more. but for now this is all that counts.

so, does anybody want to buy an O?

no please.

in court today one lawyer said that all lawyers would be voting for gibo.

i objected. vehemently.

after the calamities and the absolutely wonderful handling of the administration, i am forced to ask.

have we not learned anything? we might as well call that department the national disaster creating council.

ay

was about to blog but i forgot what about.

kweng.

red horse, red cross, red tape

i think by now most people know that red horse is my poison of choice and people seem to identify me with it. so much so that when hok-bu posted a picture in facebook of two red horse bottles with a frosty glass filled with ice, i was the only person tagged.

i ragged him about him, of course.

about an hour later while i was trying to think of ways to generate funds for the pepeng victims, (the idea "piso for pig" to raise funds to buy a whole pig for the victims was thrown about in my head by the other mes, but was later junked. but that's another story) i saw a friend online. she's a journalist in kuwait and has a lot of contacts there.

thinking she may know what avenues i could take i asked her if there was any way for the victims here to get donations from there. she said yes.

all i needed to do was to send a letter to the organization there with the list of relief goods required. the letter must be duly endorsed by the red cross as the donations will be dropped off at the national office. plus i had to fax the letter asap as they will procure the goods this week, and airlift to the philippines next week.

great! i could write a letter. so i did. then i called the local red cross and began with:

kasi po i'm writing a request for assistance and i need an endorsement from the red horse

silence. oops. i corrected myself and continued my spiel. the lady there told me to just go there. when i got there she agreed to the endorsement. when it came to signing the endorsement letter, however, she said that she was having second thoughts.

according to her there was a directive from the secretary general that the local chapters are not allowed to contact the other organizations abroad. i simply told her that it should not be a problem as they are not the ones writing the letter, i am. the national office will be furnished a copy, the donations will be given to them and distributed by the local chapter. all i needed to do was to send them a letter so i could give them a list of the stuff required. that was it. i was just facilitating the communications.

she said she would need to consult the secretary general's office.

i was pissed. but fine, let's see what the sec gen's office says.

this was what the office said "may nhq naman bakit di sumulat sa nhq." i was dumbfounded. they wanted me to write them? and then what? by the time the letter reached the organization in kuwait (if at all) they would have already airlifted relief goods to the philippines. too late.

a series of text messages later riddled with "na-request na" "may allocation na" "para di madoble" "may standing agreement" "you will be acknowledged" really got my goat. in short she wanted to say that there was already a request for the same goods from the international organizations, there was allocation already, and my request would only duplicate the goods.

fine. i said to just make sure the people get the right goods, and i do not need the acknowledgment. i said i will just tell my friend in kuwait that the red cross refused to endorse. my final word to her was that the secretary general is disappointing.

so i told my friend in kuwait and she said that there was no request to the organization from the philippines as yet. it was the ambassador in kuwait who had approached the organization (yey, ambassador!). i went "huh?" so much for telling me that requests for assistance had been made.

in the end, i still forwarded the letter to them. they may refuse to consider it but at least they will have a list and some statistics as to the casualties here. i will still copy the sec gen and the local red horse cross. (blech.)

i was very disappointed. all it needed was one signature. i was not getting cash, i was not getting the goods directly, i was just making sure that the region would be included in the relief efforts and the appropriate stuff needed delivered. that was all. the national office would be receiving the goods, the local office distributing. they wanted credit to go to the national office? fine. they could have told me they will fax the letter themselves and put their signatures on it. i wouldn't have minded. all i cared about was that the list get to the organization. but i guess that was too much to ask.

i started the day with a good laugh over the red horse/cross thing. (incidentally, in the retelling, 90% of the time i've been saying red horse.) i ended the day feeling disappointed over red tape. this morning i am calmer, more rational, but no less pissed. i started with red horse, ended up with red tape.

so i've decided that i will go about the week and do all i can, and when all is said and done, i will get my red horse. at least it has never let me down.

hell hath no fury like mother nature scorned

i woke up yesterday to a bright, brilliant, sunny day. if i didn't know any better i would have sworn it was summer.

how deceptive it was, the breeze was ruffling the tree tops that made up the view in front of our house, the sun was blazing, the sky a clear clear blue. there were no signs of the storm that had ravaged my city and the provinces surrounding it.

i felt so removed from the rest of the area. we had power, water, phone services. dsl was shot but that was just a minor inconvenience. we even had cable.

after a few minutes of soaking in the serenity of the saturday morning, i finally tuned in to the news and confirmed my worst fears. the summer feeling was meant to mask the horror that had taken place in some areas of baguio city and benguet.

landslides had occurred in the dark of night, in the middle of a power outage, and a whole village was buried. the place called city camp lagoon filled up, true to its name. roads closed, people crying for help, families evacuated.

through all the footage and commentaries all i could think about was hell hath no fury like mother nature scorned.

it was painful for me to watch and i found myself giving a big prayer of thanks for being alive and safe, and a small prayer of thanks that the baby clothes and stuff we had put together for the typhoon ondoy victims were still in the car. at least we could give them to people closer to home.

i know we are a resilient people. picking ourselves up after this is a foregone conclusion. i only wish we also had long memories. sana magtanda na tayo. it's not too late.

repost for those who are looking for ways to help

--------------------
Subject: where to help!

repost ito from a blog. kung may mga blog kayo, repost niyo rin ito. if you wanna help out pero you don't know where to start, look for relief efforts in this list near your area. if you have places to add to the list, please do so.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


LOCATION BREAKDOWN FOR VOLUNTEERS AND DONATIONS FOR VICTIMS OF TYPHOON ONDOY.

QUEZON CITY.

- go to ateneo de manila university, katipunan avenue, and proceed to the college covered courts to volunteer. shifts are in three hour cycles. you can go as early as 6AM but it goes on the whole day.

- please bring packed/cooked food to 12 Denmark, Loyola Grand Villas, QC, and help @patriciahizon whose group was the only one helping the victims in tumana today.

- TULONG BAYAN, to volunteer, just go to Balay Expo Center in Cubao, Edsa cor McArthur, 8AM onwards. contact (02) 9137122 and look for Mary, May or Cam

- donations accepted in MIRIAM COLLEGE insa office.

- donations also accepted in UP DILIMAN student council office at vinzons hall.

- for the GMA Kapuso Foundation, you can drop your donations at Samar St. cor GMA Network drive, QC. Behind GMA complex. Beside Malayan Bank. Tel # 9284299, 9289351, 9827777.

- for those who want to volunteer for sagip kapamilya: call 4132667/4160387, or go to #13 examiner st., west triangle, QC

- the other address for sagip kapamilya is sct. bayoran corner tomas morato. look for Girlie Aragon or Jet at 0916-7227806 or 0929-5348176

- this is the REAL SAGIP KAPAMILYA ACCOUNT for your donations: banco de oro #56 300 20111 under abs-cbn foundation. to all those spreading fake accounts, please naman..



MANILA:

- DLSU along taft avenue will be accepting any and all kinds of donations starting 830AM.

- csb alumni also accepting donations at 9/f dls-csb school of design and arts building, along pablo ocampo street, vito cruz.

- UST is also accepting your donations, proceed to the Tan Yan Kee Student Center.

- donations can be dropped off at victory church in malate, call 5221212 or visit the victory website.



PASIG:

- MEGATENT, Meralco Ave, Ortigas beside Renaissance: need more volunteers and donations! Very big space! Open 24 hrs til Friday!

- according to @margaga, poveda school (beside galleria) opens 9AM tomorrow and is open to all volunteers and any kind of donations.

- according to @angel21kawaii, CFC Center in Ortigas is receiving donations in cash or in kind. Call (02)7270682-87 or 09195359036.

- donations can be dropped off at victory church in ortigas, contact 6311212 or visit the victory website.




MANDALUYONG:

- GAWAD KALINGA is accepting volunteers and donations, base is RFM gym in pioneer. Contact Raul Dizon 09178888109 and Felice Caringal 09178888304. for other GK sites you can help out, check out this blog.



MAKATI:

- White Space in Pasong Tamo ext. / Chino Roces is in need of volunteers to pack goods

- you can drop of your donations at Assumption College, San Lorenzo Village, Makati

- you can drop off your donations at the following stores in rockwell powerplant mall: aranaz, luca, greyone social.



TAGUIG or FORT area:

- donations can be dropped off at victory church in the fort, you can call 8171212 or visit the victory website.

- you can drop off your donations in embassy superclub in the fort.



PASAY:

- @elizabacud shares that Manila Doctors College will also be accepting donations. Bring anything that can help at Speech Lab., Macapagal Blvd, PasayCity



SAN JUAN:

- La Salle Greenhills, Xavier School, and ICA (right beside Xavier) are also accepting donations. Xavier will be accepting goods till 12midnight.



FAIRVIEW area:

- Help needed in Fairview and Novaliches. Please send clothes, food, water, meds & blankets to the Divine Savior Parish in North Fairview.



SOUTH (alabang, las pinas, paranaque):

- drop donations or volunteer at DE LA SALLE ZOBEL. Contact Ms. Angie Brazan at the Social Action Office 0917-8597602

- you can drop donations at the ATC concierge, call 8422782 or 7721860

- san beda alabang in alabang hills village is also accepting donations

- you can help pack donations 10AM at st. james church, ayala alabang village

- you may volunteer at Red Cross Alabang - ATC along Zapote Road fronting National Bookstore call 8097131 for info

- CFC center in Las Pinas City is accepting donations. it is near Verdant and in front of the construction of SM Center Las Pinas. Contact 09174493154 / 8460809

- There are two new drop-off points for relief goods. Recipients will be various areas, including flooded Parañaque & Muntinlupa areas. You can get in touch with Jeff Tagle (09178875824) and Katrina Villareal (09175298332) respectively for details.



BAGUIO:

- donations can be dropped off at the ABSCBN Baguio Office

- donations are also accepted at the Baguio Convention Center Executive Room from 10am til 4pm starting tomorrow til Friday. Volunteers are urged to come.

- Organizing a soup kitchen. Baguio donating vegetables to arrive via Victory Liner. Contact Dave at 09178396179.



BULACAN:

- RedCross bulacan accepts donations. It is located in Malolos Bulacan, near bulacan capitol :)



CAGAYAN:

- send your donations to the kkp office in xavier university, ATENEO DE CAGAYAN.



CAVITE:

- DLSU-Dasmarinas is also accepting donations, pls proceed to the 2nd floor of SBC Building



BATANGAS:

- DE LA SALLE LIPA is now accepting your donations, drop off point is at the college lobby.



CEBU:

- details on how you can donate are on noelle's blog or the living for a cause blog.



BACOLOD:

- For your donations, drop off center is at the Coliseum in the University of St. La Salle. 435-3857

- CAFE BREIZH wil be a drop off center for donations. text 09193651101 for details.



DAVAO:

- ATENEO DE DAVAO is accepting in kind donations for ondoy. drop off at the samahan office in jacinto campus.

- BANTAY BATA 163 davao located at matina,davao city is also a drop off point for any in-kind donations.



ZAMBOANGA:

- ATENEO DE ZAMBOANGA is accepting donations. You may bring them to the SACSI office. Look for Alma Curesma, 991-0871, loc 2224 or 2225.



for PETS in need of aid:

- @kimmydeleon is announcing that PARC is open for animals. Click this site for info of PAWS for helping from the flood. for the official website of paws, click here



for those in SINGAPORE:

- dropoff for relief goods is @ airfreight lucky plaza #03-09. can call 62351011, they are open up to 7pm.

- pinoys are mobilizing and gathering donations, visit this forum for more details.



for those in SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA:

- you can deliver relief goods to 303/5 Stromboli Strait, Homebush Bay 2127. you can also contact through twitter at @allorange if you want to arrange for a pick up in the city



for those in CANADA:

- TORONTO - pinoys are spearheading efforts to help, visit this website for details.

- WINNIPEG - the Philippine Community Centre of Manitoba here in Winnipeg Canada started to raise money for the victims today



for those based in BELGIUM:

- from @SayChiz, they can contact Shiera Catalan at +32485328811 if they want to donate goods for typhoon relief



for anyone in the UNITED STATES:

- you can call the ABS-CBN US Helpline at 1-800-5272820 to know how you can help

- also, you can donate through the kapuso foundation site: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.kapusofoundation.com/

- with your credit card, donate via the the abs-cbn foundation: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/donate.php

- CALIFORNIA - Island Pacific Supermarket is gathering donations to be shipped to the Philippines



for anyone else ABROAD who wants to help:

- you can donate through the paypal account link on this site: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.txtpower.org/2009/09/philippines-help-typhoon-victims-in-luzon-philippines/

- the official website of the PHILIPPINE RED CROSS has a complete listing of how you can donate to them: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.redcross.org.ph/Site/PNRC/wtd.aspx

- the ayala foundation is also accepting your donations through their website: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;https://www.myayala.com/ondoy/Default.asp

- you can donate through the kapuso foundation site: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.kapusofoundation.com/

- you can use your credit card to donate via the the abs-cbn foundation: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.abs-cbnfoundation.com/donate.php

- donate rice through the UN's World Food Programme through their official website: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;https://www.wfp.org/donate/ondoy



OTHER FORMS OF HELP FOR YOU:

NEED TO SEND YOUR DONATIONS? Mail & More, FedEx & Air21 outlets are now accepting donations. For locations please call 8794789 or log to their official website: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.mailandmore.com.ph

PAL IS OFFERING FREE AIRLIFT FOR DONATIONS. for details, click on the pal website: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;www.philippineairlines.com/news/free_pal_airlift_of_donations_for_ondoy_victims.jsp

TO REPORT MISSING LOVED ONES OR AREAS IN NEED OF HELP: call the SAGIP KAPAMILYA HOTLINES at 4110011, 4110012, 4110013.

HOTLINES FOR MISSING PERSONS:
marikina - 09209389914
qc - 09216555262
pasig - 09189356318
cainta - 09175606241.

DATABASE OF ONDOY VICTIMS AND EVACUATION CENTERS: click on the ateneotaskforceondoy website: http://www.facebook.com/l/79824;ateneotaskforceondoy.misa.org.ph/

FOR CAR TOWING NEEDS: HONDA and NISSAN offer free towing! call 09228504452, 09224452242, and 09228997959.

DONATIONS ON WHEELS!! if you have donations to give but no means to transport, contact 09189791229, 09177974098, 09326991794. don't worry guys, this is not a scam! its by friends of @jiggycruz!

WANT TO OFFER YOUR MEDICAL SERVICES? please submit your name and contact details to Dr. V. Gisbert 0917-8922807 and Dr. J. Sinon at 0917-5261345

besides, the centennial is on september 1!

inis.

ang SONA sa bahay

me: daryl, sino ang presidente ng pilipinas?
daryl: ikaw!
ate mia: teka, di ba sabi mo kahapon ako?
daryl: o sige, ikaw na lang.

mwehehehe. popular vote.

at dahil nanalo ang UP maroons...

oo alam ko isang game lang. pero parang appropriate na i-repost ang entry ko nung june 23, 2008. go Maroons! sensya na, happy lang. :)

~~~~~
sagot kay psyche

centennial ng UP ngayong buwan na ito. nalaman ko lang ang totoong date dahil nagpunta ako sa UP nung wednesday para kumain ng rodic's. hindi makatarungan ang traffic. tapos nakita ko na may mga nakapaskil na poster na centennial nga ng up. ok. fine. u-turn kami.

anyway, nabasa ko ang post ni psyche kanina: bumibigat ang aking kaliwang kamao.

madami sigurong nakaka-relate, at isa na ako dun. actually medyo tinamaan ako eh.

pero napaisip ako. bakit nga ba ako nag-UP? naging anti-establishment ba ako talaga? samantalang ang nagpaaral sa akin ng ilang taon ay subsidy mula sa gobyerno dahil barangay kapitana ang nanay ko? at matapos nun, naging konsehal naman ang tatay ko?

bukod sa subsidy ng gobyerno sa bawat mag-aaral ng UP, sweldo ng mga magulang ko galing gobyerno. may karapatan ba ako noon na maging anti-establishment?

wala siguro. pero yung tanong na bakit ako nag-UP, madaling sagutin. gusto kong matuto.

at marami akong natutunan, kahit iskul bukol ako na nadi-dismiss sa college of engineering every sem, hanggang sa natuluyang nasipa nung end ng third year ko, at matinding himala at dasal ang nagpatapos sa akin sa law school. pero hindi lang academics ang natutunan ko sa UP. mas madami akong natutunan na alang kinalaman sa akademiya.

ang natutunan ko talaga sa UP:

1. ala talagang black and white
2. hindi lahat ng nasa gobyerno, kurakot
3. hindi lahat ng nasa NGO, honest
4. hindi lahat ng makabayan, mapagkakatiwalaan
5. hindi lahat ng relihiyoso, naniniwala sa Diyos
6. hindi lahat ng naniniwala sa Diyos, mabait
7. hindi lahat ng di naniniwala sa Diyos, masama
8. hindi lahat ng magaling magsulat, magaling magsalita
9. hindi lahat ng magaling magsalita, magaling magsulat
10. hindi lahat ng di marunong magbasa, mangmang
11. hindi lahat ng pagkain sa kalye, madumi
12. hindi lahat ng madungis, nakakatakot
13. hindi lahat ng malinis, mabait
14. hindi lahat ng mabango, masarap
15. hindi lahat ng mamahalin mo, mamahalin ka pabalik
16. hindi lahat ng magmamahal sa yo, mamahalin mo
17. hindi lahat ng matalino, marunong
18. iyakin din pala ako pag nakataas ang kaliwang kamay sa UP naming mahal tuwing natatalo ang fighting maroons
19. kahit ilang beses nang natatalo ang fighting maroons, masakit pa rin sa kalooban
20. kahit 0-7 na ang standing, umaasa pa rin ako na mananalo sila at mag-cha-champion
21. ...


mahaba ang listahan, at di lahat naaalala ko. pero yun nga, wala talagang black and white...at malamang matagal bago mag-champion ang fighting maroons.

tanong ni psyche, anong klaseng tao ba ang dapat hinuhulma ng UP?

hindi ko alam. minsan ang sarap sabihin na ako, yung tulad ko. pero namaaaaaaaan, ang yabang ko naman masyado, di ba, samantalang ang nakasisiguro lamang ako ay... maganda ako. :P (blog ko to, alang kokontra)

pero kung ano man ang dapat produkto ng UP, sana, bilang minimum requirement, ay ang sumusunod sa blubuk- HONOR EXCELLENCE.

siguro, sa pagitan niyang dalawang yan, may asenso at pag-asa.

at balang-araw, mananalo rin ang fighting maroons.


hapi centennial, UP. sana maging karapat-dapat akong produkto mo.

-tina b.
**-77947
**-40603

looking for the mp3 of this. anybody?

Side A - Forever Stay.mp3 -

heyng

i find it surreal that i got a notification in my mail that the wife of an ex made a comment on a status update. weirdness.

yes, i want wider roads and taller buildings. why not?

the few times i read the newspapers i always find myself putting the darned thing down and shaking my head. yesterday was no exception.

i glanced at a day-old inquirer and was greeted with the sight of the acacia trees lining mcarthur highway along san fernando, pampanga. i actually smiled when i saw that there were paintings on the trunks, recalling how every time we pass through there, we tell the kids how beautiful the canopy of branches is.

naturally i read the article and found myself aghast at what i read. they are going to cut those trees and the paintings were done by artists protesting the road widening.

the DENR (department of environment and natural resources) has given a permit to the DPWH (department of public works and highways) to cut literally thousands of trees for road widening purposes. you can read the article here.

sure, the trees are not in danger of extinction. sure, the DPWH was required to replace each tree with 30 saplings, and oh, they didn't have the budget for it but they scraped enough to comply. wow. aren't they just so wonderful? saplings, in place of trees that are probably older than those idiots in power.

5,442 trees. some to be moved, most to be cut. for what? so we can cut the travel time from north to south? oh come on. in this day and age of conservation, let's make way for more cars, and less trees. bullshit.

oh, and let's not forget the hare-brained joint venture between SM and GSIS. the joint venture will build condotels in the mini forest in between UP baguio and the Supreme Court. oh they'll just cut about 300 trees and transfer about a hundred. no big deal. then they'll build condotels that will guarantee traffic in the area, and oh, dead trees. the city declared the area as a park and garden zone. so GSIS, in the interest of its members, sues the government. read the article here.

yes, we need more buildings and wider roads so we can buy more cars. we need more pollution, too. we don't have enough at the moment, you see. right now we still get a whiff or two of fresh air. let's do away with that, shall we? and we might as well stop calling baguio the city of pines.

and one day, i'm going to tell my grand kids to go to the museum to visit a real live tree. that may be the only place where they'll find one.

ready and a-rarin' to go

my birthday week was a bit hectic, and i don't think i accomplished much, work wise.

so here i am, still reeling from the effects of food and great company, and an impromptu concert from a soprano and two tenors. capped the celebration with ice-cold red horse... ah, the life.

thanks to mom and dad, my sisters, my brothers in law, and the guests who made the birthday celeb perfect.

but for now, back to work.

unblocking

i miss blogging. i miss writing, actually, not just blogging. it's just that i hardly have the time, and when i do, nothing comes to mind.

i think i need to make the effort. natatanga na ako. legal terms invade my every day english. ugh!

so, i resolve to write. a few words at a time, till it gets easier, and till it becomes second nature again.

till then, bear with me.

sigh.

it's almost midnight, the air is cool, the rains have stopped, and my bed awaits. yes it's good to be home.

the devil and the deep blue sea

with the world in an almost panic over swine flu, articles on the disease abound. as i was looking for articles that would explain the symptoms, and the treatment, i came across an article with this headline:

'Meningo' death alarms hospital staff

since i live in a place that was previously ground zero for meningococcemia, i was naturally intrigued.

i read the article and found myself going back to this paragraph:

Peralta stressed that there was no cause for panic as Lopez’s death was believed to be due to meningococcemia and not swine flu.

excuse me?

how could the meningo death not be cause for panic? the weird thing is that the paragraph immediately preceding said this:

The symptoms of meningococcemia are high grade fever, rashes, weakness, seizures and internal bleeding. Death usually occurs within 24 hours after onset.

again, death within 24 hours after onset. it's meningo, not swine flu. don't panic. 'cept it'll kill you within 24 hours.

weird, di ba? la lang.

source: http://inquirer.net

neglect

my blog is a victim of neglect. not that there wasn't anything worthwhile to write about. it's just that the moment passes, and then something else comes along.

it's been crazy at work and at home. there's just too much going on.

on the upside, i'm getting a new phone soon that has handwriting recognition. so maybe i can blog from it. maybe the writing will keep me sane.

wish me luck.

an elephant never forgets!

early this afternoon i received a message from birthday alarm, informing me that my ex, w, will be having his birthday on tuesday. i stared at the message and blinked. several times. in disbelief.

i had completely forgotten.

i never forget birthdays. wait let me rephrase that. i remember birthdays. i remember the birthdays of people- my family, my friends, and yes, the birthdays of my exes.

so when i realized that i had totally forgotten, i just sat and blanked out. it's strange, you know, and a little disturbing.

but then again, after everything i've been through, i suppose it's comforting to know that yes, i can forget.

but since i got reminded already, happy birthday, i guess. :)

memories of aristocart

i used to live in the dorm, way back in college. i lived on the weekly allowance i was sent, and budgeting the allowance was always an exercise in creativity, particularly when unexpected school expenses came up.

when money was pretty okay we'd find ourselves eating at rodic's (where you eat your best) where back then meals cost something like 65-75 pesos. or casaa, where the cost was somewhat the same.

beach house was also a cheap and yummy option, but only if you made it early enough to skip the lines. if not, you'll be late for class.

as money got tighter, however, meals at rodic's, casaa, and beach house became rare. eating at these places became "things to do" when the next allowance installment arrived.

so this is where the aristocart came in. i have no idea who coined the term aristoCART but it gave these eating places some sort of elegance, even though the food was, as the name states, found in carts.

the aristocarts were found in several places, mostly near the dorms. there was one behind the engineering building, one near narra, one near sampa, i think. meals went anywhere from 15 to 30 pesos. extra rice was at 2 pesos.

if you were near the dorm it was okay because you can just buy the food (packed in plastic bags) and eat in your room. if not, you can buy the styrofoam packaging and plastic spoons and forks for an additional 3? 5? pesos, which was crazy because you're on a budget and you can buy extra rice with that!

so what we did (at least what my then boyfriend w taught me), was we'd take the plastic bags to a table. they had a tambayan near narra with kiosks and tables. we'd go there and eat. it was an amazing process.

first he'd blow into the plastic bag with the rice, shake it up so nothing sticks to the plastic. (at this point i'd blow into mine).

then he'd open the plastic bag along the seam, spread it along the table, and make a square plate. if we had water he'd dampen the corners so the plastic sticks to the table.

depending on the ulam, the other plastic bags would be opened in the same manner or just positioned beside the "plate" half open for easy access.

then we'd eat with our hands. :P if you don't want to get your hands messy, you can ask for an extra plastic bag to eat with. just slip your hand into it, and use your hand as if it weren't covered.

:) i don't know how many people did it this way, but we did. and it was fun, and creative, and i always enjoyed the meals. some of those aristocart people can really really cook. i just wish i had pictures to post here.

it's been years since i've done it, and i miss it. maybe one day, even when money isn't tight, i'll visit an aristocart and eat there. but i think this time, i'll pay for the spoons.

my philippine bucket list

abigail tagged me on FB re: things i've done. this is my local bucket list. i've done most, and i'm sure there are other things that you guys think should be part of it. so, i'm appending my bucket list to the list abigail tagged me to do, and i'm tagging you!

(x) Walked in a flood
(x) Eaten balut (and penoy)
(x) Eaten kambing (goat), ( ) aso (dog) or ( ) bayawak (giant lizard) or (x) wild boar or (x) wild deer or () palaka (frog)
(x) Eaten adidas (chicken feet), ( ) helmet (chicken head) (x) or isaw (chicken intestine)
(x) Rode a Tricycle
(x) Rode a caritela
( ) Rode a trolley by the houses along the riles (railroad)
(x) Been to the Rice Terraces
( ) Been to Star City
(x) Been to Enchanted Kingdom
(x) Been to Shooting the Rapids
(x) Eaten with your fingers from banana leaves
(x) Eaten taho (soft bean curd with caramel sauce peddled in the street by vendors)
(x) Eaten aratiles or macopa - straight from the tree
(x) Attended Simbang Gabi ( Midnight Mass )
(x) Played patintero
(x) Played Tumbang Preso
(x) Played Piko
(x) Played Sungka
(x) Played with Spiders (Gagamba derby)
(x) Played Chinese Garter
(x) Played Chinese Jackstones
( ) Climbed a coconut tree
(x) Danced the Tinikling or any other native dance (itik-itik!)
( ) Got on a Jeepney where you had to stand (sabit)
( ) Rode top load on a jeepney (mayroon niyan sa probinsiya)
(x) Got on a jeepney
(x) Rode in a banca
( ) Caught fish in the canal during a rainy day
( ) Participated in Ati-Atihan
(x) Had a salagubang (beetle) for a pet
(x) Eaten fish head
(x) Got drunk from Lambanog (coconut wine)
(x) Attended/participated in any religious procession (e.g. flores de mayo, block rosary, salubong, etc.)
(x) visited an inmate at Bilibid prison
(x) Attended an inuman (drinking session)
(x) Gone to the beach in summer
(x) Gone to Baguio
( ) Gone to Sagada
(x) Gone to Palawan
(x) Gone to the the Visayas
( ) Gone to Mindanao
( ) Gone to Angkor Wat in Cambodia
( ) Gone to see The Grand Canyon in Arizona
(x) Lived in any other part of the Philippines, other than hometown
(x) Cut class (OF COURSE!)
(x) Told manananggal, aswang, capre stories during a brownout or rainy night
(x) Slept under a mosquito net
(x) Slept on a banig (mat)
(x) Polished the floor with coco husk (bunot)
(x) Tasted durian
(x) Eaten pandesal filled with condensed milk
(x) Dunked pandesal into hot coffee
( ) Rode a kalabaw
(x) Took a bath under a "poso" or by the "ilog"
(x) Took a bath in the rain
(x) Used a pumice stone when taking a bath,
(x) used gugo for shampoo
(x) Tumulay sa kawayan (walked on a bamboo pole)
(x) Kept Vigil at the Cemetery for Nov. 1st
( ) Had their first date in Luneta
( ) Gone inside Malacanang Palace
( ) Gone shopping at 168 Divisoria
( ) Was punished by kneeling down on rock salt or monggo beans
(x) Gone shopping in Quiapo
(x) Eaten champorado with tuyo
(x) Eaten Dirty Ice Cream,
(x) fish ball sa kalye
( ) Watched horse races at the karerahan
(x) Rode horses at Wright Park in Baguio
(x) Drank Batangas barako coffee
(x) Cordillera coffee
(x) Eaten pinasugbo, (x) otap, or (x) piaya, (x) buko pie,
(x) Greeted your grandparents or elders by kissing their hand or having them touch your forehead
(x) Seen Taal Volcano
(x) Called anyone "pare/mare", "tol", or "bos/bossing"
(x) Watched the sunset by Manila Bay

my very own places to visit and things to do:
()go to batanes
()spelunking in sagada
(x)go to the underground river in palawan
(x)visit callao caves in tuguegarao
(x)make a pilgrimage to manaoag
()join the sinulog in cebu
()go to pahiyas in quezon
(x)swim in the hot springs in calamba
(x)go rafting in pagsanjan
()go rafting in cagayan de oro
(x)strawberry picking in la trinidad, benguet
(x)have coffee in the cafe by the ruins in baguio
(x)eat pinikpikan (hehehe. apologies to animal lovers)
(x)watch a canao
(x)visit the banawe rice terraces
(x)swim in hundred islands
(x)horse back riding in wright park, baguio
(x)go to the chocolate hills
(x)touch a tarsier
(x)take the loboc river tour
()surf in siargao
()visit the pearl farm in davao
()go house to house and eat with strangers in a fiesta
(x)snorkeling in palawan/boracay/bohol
(x)sleep in a bahay kubo
()tabon caves in palawan
(x)have your picture taken with a crocodile in palawan
(x)watch the sun set in any of the beaches in the philippines
()take the taal lake boat ride
()ride topload on a jeep
()sumabit sa jeep
()ride a skylab
()ride a pugpog/kuliglig
(x)hang a sampaguita on your rear view mirror
(x)ride a boat in burnham
(x)ride a bike in burnham
(x)go to tam-awan village
()swim with dolphins/whales in camarines
()climb mt. pulag
(x)visit banahaw
()wind surfing in boracay
(x)go up taal basilica
(x)go to enchanted kingdom
(x)watch the silent drill in PMA

places and things to eat:
(x)royal bibingka in laoag
(x)vigan longganisa
(x)pastel from camiguin
(x)curacha from zamboanga
(x)sisig in pampanga (along da riles)
(x)puso or rice in banana leaves in leyte
(x)drink barako coffee
(x)have bulalo in tagaytay
(x)butterscotch and pinasugbo in iloilo
(x)batchoy in iloilo
(x)fishball/isaw/kwekkwek sa kalye
(x)balut (pati sisiw ha, pero minsan lang. nahilo ako)
(x)taho
(x)pan de sal and star margarine with sugar
()tuba in the south
(x)lambanog from quezon
(x)basi from ilocos
(x)tapuy from the cordilleras

---i'm sure i missed out on a lot, so please feel free to append. WOW PHILIPPINES, sabi nga. :)

what recession?

amid all the doom and gloom of the "global recession" i would have expected that all newspapers would have headlines related to it. but no. this made me grin so wide i almost split my lip:



again, what recession? :)

bucket list (tagged by bernadette on FB)

Things you have done during your lifetime:
( )Gone on a blind date
(x) Skipped school
( ) Watched someone die
( ) Been to Canada
( ) Been to Mexico
(x) Been to Florida
( ) Been to Hawaii
(x) Been on a plane
(x) Been on a helicopter
(x) Been lost
(x) Gone to Washington, DC
(x) Swam in the ocean
(x) Cried yourself to sleep
(x) Played cops and robbers
(x) Recently colored with crayons
(x) Sang Karaoke
(x) Paid for a meal with coins only
( ) Been to the top of the St. Louis Arch.
(x) Done something you told yourself you wouldn't.
(x) Made prank phone calls
( ) Been down Bourbon Street in New Orleans.
(x) Laughed until some kind of beverage came out of your nose
( ) Caught a snowflake on your tongue
(x) Danced in the rain
(x) Written a letter to Santa Claus
( ) Been kissed under the mistletoe
(x) Watched the sunrise with someone
(x) Blown bubbles
(x) Gone ice-skating
(x) Gone to the movies by yourself
( ) Been deep sea fishing
( ) Driven across the United States
( ) Been in a hot air balloon
( ) Been sky diving
( ) Gone snowmobiling
( ) Lived in more than one country
(x) Lay down outside at night and admired the stars while listening to the crickets
(x) Seen a falling star and made a wish
( ) Enjoyed the beauty of Old Faithful Geyser
(x) Seen the Statue of Liberty
( )Gone to the top of Seattle Space Needle
( ) Been on a cruise
(x) Traveled by train
( ) Traveled by motorcycle
(x) Been horse back riding
( ) Ridden on a San Francisco CABLE CAR
( ) Been to Disneyland OR Disney World
(x) Truly believe in the power of prayer
(x) Been in a rain forest
( ) Seen whales in the ocean
( ) Been to Niagara Falls
( ) Ridden or petted an elephant
( ) Swam with dolphins
( ) Been to the Olympics
( ) Walked on the Great Wall of China
( ) Saw and heard a glacier calf
( ) Been spinnaker flying
( ) Been water-skiing
( ) Been snow-skiing
( ) Been to Westminster Abbey
(x) Been to the Louvre
( ) Swam in the Mediterranean
( ) Been to an NBA game
( ) Been to a National Football League game
( ) Been on a TV show
( ) Sang for a meal
( ) Seen Jerusalem
(x) Learned a foreign language
(x) Shot a gun
( ) Kick Boxed
( )Water skied or Gone tubing
(xxxxx!) Had your heart broken by a failed relationship
( ) Written a book.
(x) Gotten in a fist fight
(xxx!!) Driven over 100 MPH
( ) Been arrested
(x) Been in a Car accident
( ) Been to the Desert
(x) Been on a Mountain top
( ) Drunk from a mountain stream
(x) Spoken publicly
( ) Gotten a Tatoo


hmmm. this list is distinctly american. must make a local bucket list. but must work first.

isang beer para kay noe

nami-miss ka pa rin namin, san ka man.

you talking to me?

hmmm. so one day i was waiting at the bus terminal, killing time before i had to take the bus home. i got a call from my sister and she informed me that i had a notice of hearing from the dotc, for allegedly hitting a car, and driving without a license AND driving an unregistered car.

heyng?

how is that even possible? 1-- i NEVER drive without a license (i feel naked, for some reason) 2-- i NEVER drive an unregistered car 3-- the car they said i was driving was kojak (my ever beloved kojak), whom i have not seen, much less driven in almost 2 years.

of course i was pissed. who wouldn't be? i called my dad since he was the one who sold the car. and then he made calls and then those idiots who bought my car said they couldn't register it for some reason or another. argh!

well i fixed it. i would show them wall-sized copies of my passport to indicate that i was not even in the country when the thing happened!

oh well. i eventually got my temper under control, and let it pass. and then yesterday, while i was checking mail, i got mail from a website asking to confirm my email address. it was addressed to JENNIFER Q.

again, HEYNG! if i were to use a pseudonym it would not be jennifer. no offense to the jennifers out there, but do i look like a jennifer to you?

thought so.

so who the hell would be using my email address? i accessed the account and changed the password. let her figure out how that happened.

it just bugs me. i'm sure it would bug you too.

all i ask is that they let me be me. if they want to be me? well too bad, tough sh*t.

(and before you make any scathing remarks, it's my blog after all. :D)

update on the previous post

heads will definitely roll. it's been 4 days. tsk.

when we called, they said "ay, hindi pala 48 hours. 5 days"

pwede ba sabunutan ko na lang sarili ko?

2 days without internet, and 2 days of making calls to the sec, bir, and rod. and of course, to the idiot phone company that cut our dsl.

the idiot phone company disconnected our dsl without notice, and without provocation.

called the manager and some idiot picked up the phone, put the headset on the table, and left. i put it on speaker and spent the better part of an hour listening to the manager try to explain to a customer why his phone got disconnected when he had no arrears whatsoever. i hung up (accidentally!).

finally got to talk to some customer service person and they claimed we had our dsl disconnected, then they said no, we didn't. our secretary had it disconnected. and then they said ah..., no, nobody had it disconnected, they're sorry, please wait 48 hours for reconnection. then when we called again, they said the building administrator went to their office to have OUR dsl disconnected, but they're sorry, please wait for another 48 hours.

48 hours! gardemet (as fams would say). we needed to research, and email, and print! yes, print. our office is wireless so we won't trip over wires that lead from one end of the room to the other. and there we were, slaves to the net, our office practically paralyzed.

to top it off, all the transactions we had with government agencies for the past two days went bust. arrrrrrrrrrgggggh!!!

i dread my phone bill.

as of this writing the thing is still disconnected. and if we don't have our dsl connected by tomorrow, heads will roll, with my sister wielding a very sharp, very heavy, very wicked ax.

reality chomps

5 months of vacation out of the country, 2 birthdays, 2 weddings, christmas, new year, and a series of special non-working holidays that seemed (to me at least) unmatched, and you can imagine what state my brain was in. or is.

my brain is mush. i work so slow my fingers leave me behind and type their own thoughts. i have to pause to recall the last thought i thunk 5 minutes ago. i stop in the middle of talking because i forget what i was going to say.

i guess what they say is true. the brain atrophies. i tried to keep my brain active and busy while i was on vacation. but somehow twilight did not provide the much needed brain stimulation i craved. csi, ncis, the unit, and csi marathons did not help any.

unfortunately, work does not wait. nor is it a patient and lenient mistress. it takes out its whip and mercilessly slashes at you, the tip pointing at the clock with each swoosh. and yes, you must obey.

it's been a week since the last major non-work event took place. since then it's been a struggle for me to keep focused. but i try, and i manage. with a little luck the brain will be well-oiled soon, and the machinery more efficient.

till then, i guess it's whapakkkk!

for all babies about to be born

wrote this after the september 11 twin tower incident. i just found it in my files while looking for another poem. :P so i'll just share it with the world and expectant mothers out there. :)


what will you see my little one
when you come to this earth
where terror is constant
from the moment of birth
a place where planes wreak havoc
and bring death from the skies
where land mines maim children
bullets end countless lives.
how can i protect you
from this race i call my own
how can i assure you
that someday you'll have grown
safe, unharmed
able to cherish life
able to embrace peace
able to scorn strife.
i dread your coming
but i welcome it more
i hope for the best
no matter what's in store.
but i promise you this
my dear little one
you shall know peace and love
while i walk this land.

feeling introspective

it's a brand new year. sometimes you just can't help but do some soul-searching. sometimes you find yourself standing in front of the mirror, taking stock of your life.

i found myself doing that yesterday, standing there after i flossed and brushed my teeth. i stared at myself in the mirror for quite some time.

i stared and stared and stared. after a while i came to a realization that really threw me.

syet. di pala pantay ang kilay ko.