What's up this week?

And it has been two weeks since.  A lot of things were there.

~ I haven't been watching a lot of tv lately, especially since Magkaribal ended.  But one night (I think) last week, there's something I noticed while watching "Kristine."  Well, aside from the fact that Kristine Reyes is pretty, that is.  It's just fun to think that the wardrobe budget is very easy and not that expensive.  Imagine, just sando and kamison most of the time every time I had the chance to sit down and watch.  Is it just coincidence?  Or is it really?

~ We were at the mall to buy 'some' groceries.  The lady at the entrance was handing me one of those baskets.  I refused.  Well, I don't know about you, but I really won't grab one of those baskets whether it's just less than ten or more than ten items.  I will get the cart!  My take is, why will I give myself a hard time carrying those baskets when the carts are always there?  Besides, there is no grocery law that that says you can't put less than ten things in the cart.  I'm talking about convenience and comfort.

~ A single bettor won the Php 700 million lottery.  He did it by lucky pick.  This is the eternal discussion everywhere.  The PCSO guy once said that don't rely on birthdays since it's just calendar numbers.  And I think he's right.  My take is whenever I place my bet, I always do it by lucky pick.  Ayoko mag-alaga ng numbers since I don't bet regularly.  Can you imagine the regret if your 'alaga' wins and you did not place a bet?

~ Remember Budoy?  Well, his favorite bed is this:

~ I have been reading "Angela's Ashes" for a while now.  I have been putting it down more frequently than I should.  I know I should have finished the book long ago, but it's just too hard to continue when all you read about is poverty, and not because they were poor, but because their dad simply do not understand how it was to be a father.  But, then again, Frankie said, "My father in the morning is still mine."  And my heart broke.

~ I have more notes about the book here, in case you're interested.  I hope you'll read the book once you read my notes.

~ I interviewed a college teacher last, last week for another feature in my Laguna Life blog.  But it's been two weeks and I haven't posted.  I just felt tired of writing.  It's probably the weather.  Or, if I am writer, is this what they call writer's block?

~ Remember my post about "Down, they go?"  I think it's really happening.  Notice that their time slot is now moved to an even later slot... just in time for merienda siesta, when every fan of these four tend to doze of on their rocking chairs.  Then, the OMG jackpot round is set to be aired the next day.  Then, the biggest irony of it all is.... the "lucky" home partner could not be reached (read: is not watching the show).

~ It was a year after my surgery last November 23.  The same date that the Maguindanao massacre happened.  We heard mass as a way of thanksgiving.  Just before the mass ended, the bell tolled 57 times to commemorate those 57 people whose relatives are until now are seeking justice.  It was this same mass where this song was played.  I felt really good because I have been wanting to hear this song for quite a time now.  Back in Dubai, Filipino masses were offered twice a month on a Friday, which did not fit my schedule.  And when I got back home, I was teary-eyed when I finally heard the mass said in Filipino.

~ The past posts about "What's up this week" are all here.

We are still singing the song

Panginoon, turuan mo akong maging bukas-palad

Turuan mo akong maglingkod sa iyo

Na magbigay ng ayon sa nararapat

Na walang hinihintay mula sa 'yo.

I haven't heard this song for a while now.  And oh, how it moves me.  The melody, the lyrics, the message.  It's the kind of song that I once missed so badly when I was out of the country.

A year to be thankful for.

At about this time last year, on the same date, I think I just regained my consciousness after a surgery that made me come home from Dubai.

Whenever I tell my friends that it's been a year, they couldn't believe it.  Time really flies that fast, they would say.

It's not easy to get back to my own feet again.  After having lost my job and recuperate from sickness and the surgery.

To those who knew what was there after the surgery, I will forever cherish the support that they have given when we found out about the biopsy result.  And I will also forever cherish their presence as I found out that the CT scan yielded an all-clear result.  I will also forever cherish all those things that they have given me in those times.  I can't believe how my friends tried to give whatever they can to show their support to our family.

Right now, I am trying to regain what I lost and I can't believe at the trust and confidence of all our friends and relatives to support me on those ventures that I am trying my hands on.  For those who understand more than I thought they would, my token of thanks and appreciation for that unbelievable support.  Whether it's a peso or a hundred, it's your support that counts.

Ok, it sounded like a speech to me.  But whatever, I really thank you guys.

A coffee from somewhere out there

My afternoon started right after lunch.

I had a very insightful meeting with someone that I will be featuring in my project.  I told her it won't take too much time, but it turned out that there were a lot of things we could talk about.  In fact, I told her it would only take about 15-20 minutes, but we talked for two hours and still we look forward for another meeting about a lot more other things.  I was even late for my other meeting set to this day.

Well, if you guys know me, late for me is a meeting where I cannot be there fifteen minutes before.

This other meeting was with one of my biggest sponsors for my project and you can find a glimpse of what went on here.  We talked at his office about his proposal for the first quarter of this year and I said that I will still have to qualify the proposal, since it's a bit leaning towards politics - which I am trying to avoid.

But anyway, he told me he would like a cup of coffee and a smoke and asked me if it was okay for us to go out to get one.  I thought he'd take me to the coffee shop in the mall which was quite near a recording booth.  Something I didn't like.  When someone's paid to record his songs in that booth, it was such a noise even if he sings good.  The speakers are just too loud and not really that conducive if you want to have conversations.

But no, he didn't.  He led me outside and into a small canteen beside the mall.  The place is called Masuwerte Canteen.  He ordered coffee and it was served in a styro cup, which remind me of those chais and coffees that I order in Dubai.  But, at least it isn't served in those empty coffee glasses like those Blend 45 days.

That was a good coffee!  I told him.  And he said that's why I brought you here.  Well, aside from the silence in the place, I enjoyed the coffee and we were able to talk about more of his proposals on that place.  It's actually beside the jeepney station beside the mall, the place where the jeepneys park while waiting for their dispatch.  It was quiet, not so many people, no sounds coming from speakers.

How I really love life's simple pleasures.

Where is the photo of the week?

You can still click on the Photo of the Week tag to see the past photos.  But as I was looking for a template on both this blog and the other project, I came upon and template designed for a photo blog and I liked it.

So, I created the blog and tried to post all those pictures that I can since I bought my digicam.  But some of them are from my Nokia 3230 mobile phone and most of the photos were taken when I was in Dubai in 2007.  Putting it chronologically was never a problem since the pictures are marked with date, but just the same, it's hard to put them all together all at the same time.  It took me about three or four days all in all to finish.  And it wasn't like it as consecutive.  I got tired so I had to pass on certain days.

So, just click on the link above, "Photo Blog" to take you to that blog, or you can click here and bookmark it on your browser.  That's what I am doing starting today instead of the 'Photo of the Week' posts.

Oh, but this doesn't mean I won't be posting pictures here anymore.  Of course, I will still do.  I just think that there are certain shots that are meant to be here, while others are just meant to be there.

As on this blog, please free to comment, so I know that you visited took a look at those photos.  I'd be more than happy to reply to what you have to say.

Watching the news is just like watching commercials

I have been noticing this for a few weeks now.

When you watch the news, you get something juicy but just get a bit of it.  The highlights were shown and then the trying-to-be-funny newscaster will tell you to watch the full story on his show later on this day and time.  Don't you just find it kind of funny that the news has become a place to advertise another show?  

The other funny thing is... okay, you took note of the day and date and you sit down and watch the full story.  But you end up getting no more than just additional information that were not as juicy as you expected, or not as juicy as they portrayed it would be in the news teaser.  

Funny how it again becomes just like any movie trailers.  They show you those funniest highlights as teasers, and when you go to see the movie, you find out that what they showed on the trailer is just it.  No other thing.

This takes me back when I was younger and the only channel available where we live is RPN channel 9.  The news was exactly at 6:00 pm and it was just for 30 minutes.  But you get what you deserved with that full 30 minutes.  Nowadays, it's a little short of an hour with extensive commercial breaks, and a teaser that's not a teaser at all.  Because the teaser is already the story.  

I admit I was with M.

I admit that I used Mozilla for about three days. But, that was just it.

It turned out that the real problem was the updates they did with Chrome. After that day, it was all good. Had the Chrome people made an announcement about such updates, I wouldn't have been clueless and doubted its reliability.

Now, I'm back with C.

I think it will be another long relationship before I try another.

Then there's E.

eBay had been bad to me the past month. It wouldn't allow me to relist my items so I gave up and just let the other items expire. I thought it was some issues with the personal account but I thought wrong. It turned out that my friend's store also had the same problem. She logged in to the forum and I did not. So, she brought me the news that all is well and good to go. I thank God for giving me friends like her.

So, tomorrow, the world of the Filipinos will once again stand still at about after lunch, up until Manny Pacquiao finishes his fight. Of course, the Filipinos will be for Manny, and the Mexicans will be for Margarito. Go, get him, Pacman!

After that, I'll be off to fix my eBay. I am quite excited, because aside from the old items that I will relist, I have been able to find another new line - affordable skin care products. There are quite several items and I think this will keep me busy until late at night. But I am hopeful that this will be the start.

In my real world, I am off to a bit of business this Christmas. I am taking orders for Christmas hams, particularly the Purefoods Hamon de Bola. This is really exciting.

What's up this week?

~ Let me see.  Just for this week, I changed the layout of this blog probably thrice.  It's just a work in progress.  But, I finally decided to be a minimalist.  I took out some things that I felt like taking out.  I wanted white to be the dominant color.  I don't want strong colors to go with it.  I have been one of those who wants earth colors than pastel.  This would probably stay for a while.  I'm a bit contented.

~ I forgot to tell you that the week before this, I got my highest score ever at Bejewelled Blitz.  It was 306,000.  For this week, it was just 256,000.  I don't think I would ever beat last week's score.  I am getting tired of playing.  But, wait, I need to spend my million coins before I stop, right?

~ Does torrent harm your computer?

~ In ten days, it's going to be a year since my operation.  I thank Him that I can still count the days.

~ My sister asked me the other day.  Can you sing "Through the Fire" while brushing your teeth?

~ Pidong is probably my most photographed pet.  Well, the fact that he seems like a model posing in front of a camera, here he is again.  I'll probably stop for taking pictures of him for a while.  I'm getting too much of him... lol.

~ I went out to meet someone yesterday.  But just when I was at the entrance of her work place, I got my mobile phone to ask for directions.  I got a message in my inbox from her telling me she had to go somewhere for some office errands.  That's okay.  These things I understand.  But certainly not the one totally ignoring your message and then seeing her at the top of my leader board at Bejewelled Blitz.  This is the time when busy is just such a lame excuse. LAME.

~ This morning, the lady I was supposed to meet yesterday sent me a message asking me if I am busy today because she wants to make up for yesterday.  Now, that's professionalism.

~ "In My Dreams" by Reo Speedwagon is such a song for me.

~ I am predicting that I will be busy next week.

Passport Picture

You saw him outside our window.

You saw him lying down comfortably complacently.

Now, he's wide awake, and bigger.

He's now about six months old.

My dad says he's hardworking. He catches everything that flies within his peripheral vision. His real owner says he catches all the rats in the house.

He eats like there's no tomorrow.

What's Up This Week?

There were attempts, but there were only a few successes.

~ My dog, Pepe, is a survivor. He has this rare neuro disease that afflicted him when he was young. The vet says if FARGO has a 75 to 100 rate of survival, this neuro (I forgot what they call it) disease's rate is 50/50. And he made it. But he has to live with that for all his life. It's like Parkinson's (but it's not Parkinsons) because his body moves involuntarily. All of them who saw him when he was just about three weeks old said that he won't make it until the next day. But he's now five years old and a very smart, good dog. As an example, I give him bread every morning and had to give it to him in small bites to make it easier for him to chew on it. Unlike humans, he takes care not to bite the hands that feed him. (Does this ring a bell?) He carefully bites on the small piece on my hand, taking care not to touch even a small part of his teeth anywhere on my fingers. Isn't he smart?

~ I don't want to call it a habit because it never was. When I was in Dubai, I rarely get hold of a newspaper, spreadsheet or tabloid. I once tried to buy a newspaper but only lasted a few days. I didn't like the way the contents were discussed. It almost always feels like there is something else on the news. But now that I'm back home, I keep track of the news through the free tabloid paper called 7days.ae. And one of the news today carried a shot of Tom Cruise doing his stunt as he supposedly swings from the height of the Burj Dubai. The thing is, the shot was said to have been taken from one of the view decks of the Burj. Therefore, you don't see him alongside the Burj. If I were to take a picture and have the access, I would have taken it anywhere near the Burj and not from the Burj, with a telephoto lens or whatever, showing Cruise hanging from a rope and the background is the Burj. Sigh.

~ Funny how people want to advertise their business without having to spend anything.

~ "Angela's Ashes" by Frank McCourt is truly a revelation for me. The fact that Frank was able to write a story about how some people of Ireland is poor makes me see that this is not happening only here in my country. It's not like it is a celebration to know that we both have this situation. This just helps us to realize that everything that happens in our country does not happen in our country alone.

~ Smokers nabbed as Saudi implements airport cigarette ban. Ever since I got operated, I have this thing for cigarette smoke. My opinion is, you can do it in the open air, that's fine with me. But pag nasa jeep, I actually call their attention and tell them to throw their cigs, please. I really hate people smoking while inside the jeep, especially if the trapal is down because it's raining.

They Never Learned

I wanted to write about this since the re-launch, but things were busy especially with the project. Although I got stood up by one of the featured teachers, my interview with my next one is really very enlightening. And everytime I get to talk to a teacher, it's like climbing one rung to the ladder of my respect for them. But that's another story.

Anyway.

They never learned. They even re-launched it. Oh, I am talking about the OMG Capsule.

And even if these people from this network didn't learn, their contestants did. Have you seen them fight till the end since the relaunch?

Don't ever think that these contestants are chicken when they choose to go home when there are only three choices left.

Given their reputation of trying to mislead the contestants, the security of going home with Php 100,000.00 +- is the best move. It's the smartest move against the misleading game. So much for the crap of misleading the contestants.

This time I'm not going to say, "There you go."

I want to say, "Down you go."

This Time, it's Budoy

This time, it's his turn.  Even though I see Pidong sleep like this almost all the time, I still find it funny.  Then, it's even funnier to see Budoy like this.

Budoy is already four years old.  He's away most of the time, but will surely be back for dinner, even if  he's late.  He has to have a handful of Whiskas in the morning and as a midnight snack.  Otherwise, his chronic diarrhea will come back and you will pity him just seeing him suffer from it.  He doesn't want to be patted most of the time, but takes his time to  make lambing by brushing his body on your legs while he passes by you.  We know it his way of showing his love.  He knows where he has to sleep although at times, he'll try to seek new comfort in other soft sofas and beds.

Knock, Knock

Sa maybahay ang aming bati

Merry Christmas na mal'walhati

Kung pag-ibig ang maghahari

Araw-araw ay magiging Pasko'ng lagi

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