Sometimes things just turn out your way, and when that happens, expect a lot more disturbing surprises up ahead. Take work, for example, the more you get involved in your work the more the boss notices that you haven't been doing enough. Such irony considering that when you do not put in the effort, things seem to go your way and work out just fine. I suspect it's because you're suddenly thrust in the spotlight that the expectations become greater, rather than being behind the scenes and just showing up at the office merits a pat on the back.
*****
It's officially day 3 and I'm fine. As resolutions go, this one's becoming a piece of cake. Yes, it's a secret and I'm committed to not telling anyone lest the pressure should set in and ruin everything for me. I'm aiming for 100, that should take me well into the 'ber' months. I'm keeping my fingers crossed just in case.
*****
A few weeks ago, I bought a pillow. It's one of the new additions to my home. I didn't really need it but I just wanted a fluffier, softer support for my nighttime reading purposes. Now here's the thing about getting what seemingly is an innocent item, it proposes a lot more that you find yourself not content with the set-up that you originally have.
Having had the luxury of this fine pillow, I now want more. One of the items that I want is a new bed. The cheap metal frame that I got two years ago is no longer enough, and I want one of those heavy, bulky beds. Of course with the bed follows the mattress. A plump 10-inch soft mattress would suffice I guess, and sheets of Egyptian cotton too. But why stop there? Of course I have to match my wall to the general feel of the new bed, a bit of orange to the wall and a bright red ceiling, perhaps? Not to mention new drapes for my window. I've also been looking at carpet tiles for the floor, they're a bit pricey but not having to wake up to the cold, hard tiles is probably worth it. How about a new lamp? And a side-table for that matter. A divan for the bed-end, and a poster of sheep charging through green fields.
When does it end?!
*****
My boss got me today. Knowing my moratorium on carbs, she brought a jar full of chocolate truffles. I was strong, the delectable delights were successfully avoided. What bothers me is that she gave everyone on the floor a piece, then offered me the last 4 pieces. I waved them off, then she let a smirk onto her face and put the jar on her table in my full view.
A few weeks ago, she tried this little stunt with pizza. Unfortunately for her, pizza (along with beer and halo-halo) were exempted from the moratorium. I chowed down on 3 slices with minimal effort and she was left aghast at how quickly the crumbs fell on her table.
Her small victory gives me the creeps, eventually I know I'll give in. It's a matter of procuring the right kryptonite. Better lace up those running shoes, just in case I've to add another exemption to the list.
*****
It's the sister's birthday in a few days. Normally no one in our family gives a crap about it. We're not the sweet and caring family model that seem to be the norm. Yet this year, I'm thinking of giving her a gift. Nothing fancy (and certainly nothing expensive!) but I just thought with all the DVDs, books, magazines and other things that I stole from her all these years, it's probably time I gave something back.
Okay, here's what I'm thinking: Either a cheap utility bag for all her beach stuff, a book (second hand, of course), a french press (which I will eventually "borrow") or a bottle of dishwashing detergent (well, I have a dozen at home, need to dispose of them sometime).
My only fear is that this will usher in a new tradition of gift giving among the siblings, not something I'm totally comfortable with as we keep forgetting each other's birthdays, anyway. This is actually one big reason that I'm still undecided on a gift other than detergent. Oh well, I'll let you know in two weeks. Until then, detergent has my vote!
Tuesday, June 30, 2009
Monday, June 29, 2009
Six (Reprinted)
Loneliness is probably one of the most taken for granted feelings in a person's existence. This I realized while mindlessly sitting on the couch. It is during these times when you're alone do you realize and appreciate some of the best moments of your life.
1. The tight embrace of a person that you really care about.
2. The sheer joy of being able to get that thing that you really really wanted.
3. The laughter, whether with or at yourself. All those times seem so precious.
4. Telling someone you love them for the last time.
5. Winning something that you truly worked hard for.
6. That time when your parents were sincerely proud of you.
7. Making someone smile despite their lowest moments.
8. Getting a thank you.
9. Your first pet.
10. Seeing a long lost friend again.
It would seem that loneliness brings out the best moments. No wonder I find a certain type of joy in my darkest hours, and knowing that you're at a loss makes you wonder what lies ahead.
1. The tight embrace of a person that you really care about.
2. The sheer joy of being able to get that thing that you really really wanted.
3. The laughter, whether with or at yourself. All those times seem so precious.
4. Telling someone you love them for the last time.
5. Winning something that you truly worked hard for.
6. That time when your parents were sincerely proud of you.
7. Making someone smile despite their lowest moments.
8. Getting a thank you.
9. Your first pet.
10. Seeing a long lost friend again.
It would seem that loneliness brings out the best moments. No wonder I find a certain type of joy in my darkest hours, and knowing that you're at a loss makes you wonder what lies ahead.
Thursday, June 25, 2009
I Pity the Fools!
May called up this morning out of the blue as I was driving to work, late as usual. The birthday extravaganza was scheduled on the weekend, plans for wii games, drinking and socializing. Apparently, that wasn't the only reason for the call, curiosity played a key role in her dialing me up.
A few days back, desperate for some perspective on a situation that I was tangled up in, I gave her a call hoping for a conversation over some drinks. She was unavailable then and so a raincheck was issued. I didn't want to give details so I left just clues on the topic. Living with a feline, I guess curiosity must have infected her and triggered a barrage of questioning which I had successfully parred with heckling and a disrupted cell phone signal.
Okay, so why did I think of contacting them (and them to mean including Jane who shares a pad with May)? Well, unlike some of my other friends, they are more or less insulated from certain occurrences and trivial matters pertaining to the situation at hand. This provides me with the convenience of a third party opinion that has yet to be influenced by gray matters. Though of course I have to take into consideration some bias that may result from them hearing only my side of the story (stories?), if only for the purposes of hearing from an outsider (to some extent) they offer the perfect set of ears and invaluable opinion.
*****
Hmm, maybe I should tell the story of how I met these two "victims". May and Jane are holdovers from the "recent-ex-era". Jane was a friend from goose school while May is her best friend since their college days at the nest of oxygen-deprived eagles. They share an apartment where Dyan used to stay as well. Fortunately, they were alcoholics just like me and thus I enjoyed mooching beer and liquor off them.
Thankfully, my parasitism survived the break-up and I continue my shameless dependence on their alcoholic generosity. Now, I use them for more than just alcohol, including invading May's Baguio apartment for free accommodations and forcing Jane to illegally download disney animated classics for my entertainment. (Hmm, must remind myself to force Jane into burning them for me on dvd)
You may wonder why I am pretty open about this when they might chance upon this particular post of mine. Two things: 1. They moved to a different pad, thus they still don't have an internet connection, severely limiting their virtual range. 2. I don't think they actually read this blog anyways, undoubtedly due to the boredom that it brings as well as its propensity to induce severe vomiting and alcoholism all at the same time.
Well, it's now Thursday and the extravaganza is scheduled for Saturday. Though I doubt that we'd have a chance to get to the serious stuff, it's another great opportunity to mooch off unsuspecting friends.
A few days back, desperate for some perspective on a situation that I was tangled up in, I gave her a call hoping for a conversation over some drinks. She was unavailable then and so a raincheck was issued. I didn't want to give details so I left just clues on the topic. Living with a feline, I guess curiosity must have infected her and triggered a barrage of questioning which I had successfully parred with heckling and a disrupted cell phone signal.
Okay, so why did I think of contacting them (and them to mean including Jane who shares a pad with May)? Well, unlike some of my other friends, they are more or less insulated from certain occurrences and trivial matters pertaining to the situation at hand. This provides me with the convenience of a third party opinion that has yet to be influenced by gray matters. Though of course I have to take into consideration some bias that may result from them hearing only my side of the story (stories?), if only for the purposes of hearing from an outsider (to some extent) they offer the perfect set of ears and invaluable opinion.
*****
Hmm, maybe I should tell the story of how I met these two "victims". May and Jane are holdovers from the "recent-ex-era". Jane was a friend from goose school while May is her best friend since their college days at the nest of oxygen-deprived eagles. They share an apartment where Dyan used to stay as well. Fortunately, they were alcoholics just like me and thus I enjoyed mooching beer and liquor off them.
Thankfully, my parasitism survived the break-up and I continue my shameless dependence on their alcoholic generosity. Now, I use them for more than just alcohol, including invading May's Baguio apartment for free accommodations and forcing Jane to illegally download disney animated classics for my entertainment. (Hmm, must remind myself to force Jane into burning them for me on dvd)
You may wonder why I am pretty open about this when they might chance upon this particular post of mine. Two things: 1. They moved to a different pad, thus they still don't have an internet connection, severely limiting their virtual range. 2. I don't think they actually read this blog anyways, undoubtedly due to the boredom that it brings as well as its propensity to induce severe vomiting and alcoholism all at the same time.
Well, it's now Thursday and the extravaganza is scheduled for Saturday. Though I doubt that we'd have a chance to get to the serious stuff, it's another great opportunity to mooch off unsuspecting friends.
Paradigm shifts
I've long wanted to organize this blog of mine into several different ones to keep a single line of thought or a theme per blog. However, I have discovered that there is no one unifying theme that would bind some of my blogs together, thus I have abandoned all hope of that. Looking at the title, "A lot of nothing to say" really is apt for this. Thus I am doomed to put thoughts of nonsense onto the screen for as long as I couldn't find myself something worthwhile to write about. The torture continues...
*****
Since I got Kermit (the green chunk of sheet metal which I call my car), there has always been this annoying yellow sticker at the rear exclaiming "PROBIKE". A legacy of its previous owner, I've hadn't found it as annoying as to tearing it off. This morning, however, I suddenly felt the urge when the same bright yellow sticker was similarly posted on the back of a pick-up truck. The owner took a glance at my own sticker and looked around for someone who seemed to be "PROBIKE". Needless to say I don't fit the description howsoever and pretended not to notice someone looking my way as I got into the car.
So finally, I stirred up the resolve to rid Kermit of the sticker. Found it harder than I imagined, this was definitely a high quality sticker that they made and it took around 15 minutes to scrape it off with a cutting blade. I wasn't able to successfully scrape it all off as the adhesive still clung to the glass, dulling the cutting edge and making my fingers as well as the glass sticky. I gave up, confident that a few days of sun would harden the adhesive and make it a lot easier to fully scrape off.
After this ordeal, I took a step back to inspect my work and found the rear end of the car rather dull, without the contrast of the bright yellow blip on it. Or maybe I was just too used to it that it now looked weird to me. I thought of buying another sticker more apt to my personality but am fairly sure that I'll never muster enough effort to follow this through.
*****
Just as in life, there seems to be a point when we get used to some things that suddenly not having it around seems most awkward. It is at this point that the laws of inertia wills us to resist change, trying to fight it off as best we could and holding on to the paradigms that we have always found ourselves to exist within.
I was watching Probe Profiles on the television last night, the life of Romeo Jalosjos was in focus. For those of you who do not remember him, he is the infamous congressman who was found guilty of statuatory rape. He was sentenced to two life sentences but only served 13 years in the penal system. The details, I won't go into, but what astounded me was his adamant refusal to admit guilt. Not that he claimed innocence, mind you. Rather, he claims that he was merely guilty of an act of lasciviousness and not rape.
I do not claim to be an expert in the field of law and morality, but isn't there something sickening about all this? He further claims that what he did was something that all men do, as if humping minors were the norm and that society should look at it as something of a natural phenomenon much like speeding on a yellow light or going full speed through pedestrian lanes.
The clincher? This guy got voted back into the House of Representatives by a landslide. Obviously, he along with a lot of other people believes he is innocent. This piques my curiosity about what other values, albeit twisted, are still imbued in the minds of the old-school macho Pinoy. Admittedly, I have to acknowledge that my dad is one of these dinosaurs. Growing up, without the benefit of Christian values that they taught us so vigorously in Catholic school, I may have ended up with the same paradigm as the infamous congressman.
*****
Back in college, after being thrown out of the college of engineering, I landed in the college of social work and community development, the bastion of activism, progressive thought and gender equality. You can imagine my shock sitting in my first gender class, who would've thought that there was an entire movement involved in studying all the issues about gender and its development?
Okay, for the benefit of those who find my ignorance amusing, I am my dad's only son, and came from a decade of Catholic boys schools, not to mention six or so years studying engineering, a field traditionally dominated by men and have only recently seen its fair share of girls. The fact that I have 3 sisters plus a mother didn't give me enough of an insight into this sub-specie. (Okay, that was harsh and politically incorrect. Sorry.)
Going back, my first gender class began opening my eyes to this 'phenomenon' called women's rights. There were angry young women surrounding me, and I was scared of them. The terms 'womb-envy', 'gender-inequality' and 'marginalization of women' flew left and right. I was probably the most silent person in the entire class. It was so easy to make the mistake offending your purple-ribbon weilding professor with a green joke or just by acting all macho and "manly". Never did I wear a fraternity shirt in that class, as well.
Attending that class, I learned a heck of a lot about all these issues. It's pretty easy when you start out with zilch to absorb every bit of knowledge like a sponge. Though admittedly, you can't really change your whole perspective in a few years, the realizations that I gathered from this experience certainly gave me quite a lot of things to think about.
Having watched that feature on Romeo Jalosjos brought back the many things that I learned from gender class, and I looked back in wonder what I would've thought about the whole issue without it. Would I sympathize with the fucker? (Apt, is it not?) Would I put equal blame on the adolescent girl he violated? I don't know. Glad, though to have known the things I know now.
*****
Since I got Kermit (the green chunk of sheet metal which I call my car), there has always been this annoying yellow sticker at the rear exclaiming "PROBIKE". A legacy of its previous owner, I've hadn't found it as annoying as to tearing it off. This morning, however, I suddenly felt the urge when the same bright yellow sticker was similarly posted on the back of a pick-up truck. The owner took a glance at my own sticker and looked around for someone who seemed to be "PROBIKE". Needless to say I don't fit the description howsoever and pretended not to notice someone looking my way as I got into the car.
So finally, I stirred up the resolve to rid Kermit of the sticker. Found it harder than I imagined, this was definitely a high quality sticker that they made and it took around 15 minutes to scrape it off with a cutting blade. I wasn't able to successfully scrape it all off as the adhesive still clung to the glass, dulling the cutting edge and making my fingers as well as the glass sticky. I gave up, confident that a few days of sun would harden the adhesive and make it a lot easier to fully scrape off.
After this ordeal, I took a step back to inspect my work and found the rear end of the car rather dull, without the contrast of the bright yellow blip on it. Or maybe I was just too used to it that it now looked weird to me. I thought of buying another sticker more apt to my personality but am fairly sure that I'll never muster enough effort to follow this through.
*****
Just as in life, there seems to be a point when we get used to some things that suddenly not having it around seems most awkward. It is at this point that the laws of inertia wills us to resist change, trying to fight it off as best we could and holding on to the paradigms that we have always found ourselves to exist within.
I was watching Probe Profiles on the television last night, the life of Romeo Jalosjos was in focus. For those of you who do not remember him, he is the infamous congressman who was found guilty of statuatory rape. He was sentenced to two life sentences but only served 13 years in the penal system. The details, I won't go into, but what astounded me was his adamant refusal to admit guilt. Not that he claimed innocence, mind you. Rather, he claims that he was merely guilty of an act of lasciviousness and not rape.
I do not claim to be an expert in the field of law and morality, but isn't there something sickening about all this? He further claims that what he did was something that all men do, as if humping minors were the norm and that society should look at it as something of a natural phenomenon much like speeding on a yellow light or going full speed through pedestrian lanes.
The clincher? This guy got voted back into the House of Representatives by a landslide. Obviously, he along with a lot of other people believes he is innocent. This piques my curiosity about what other values, albeit twisted, are still imbued in the minds of the old-school macho Pinoy. Admittedly, I have to acknowledge that my dad is one of these dinosaurs. Growing up, without the benefit of Christian values that they taught us so vigorously in Catholic school, I may have ended up with the same paradigm as the infamous congressman.
*****
Back in college, after being thrown out of the college of engineering, I landed in the college of social work and community development, the bastion of activism, progressive thought and gender equality. You can imagine my shock sitting in my first gender class, who would've thought that there was an entire movement involved in studying all the issues about gender and its development?
Okay, for the benefit of those who find my ignorance amusing, I am my dad's only son, and came from a decade of Catholic boys schools, not to mention six or so years studying engineering, a field traditionally dominated by men and have only recently seen its fair share of girls. The fact that I have 3 sisters plus a mother didn't give me enough of an insight into this sub-specie. (Okay, that was harsh and politically incorrect. Sorry.)
Going back, my first gender class began opening my eyes to this 'phenomenon' called women's rights. There were angry young women surrounding me, and I was scared of them. The terms 'womb-envy', 'gender-inequality' and 'marginalization of women' flew left and right. I was probably the most silent person in the entire class. It was so easy to make the mistake offending your purple-ribbon weilding professor with a green joke or just by acting all macho and "manly". Never did I wear a fraternity shirt in that class, as well.
Attending that class, I learned a heck of a lot about all these issues. It's pretty easy when you start out with zilch to absorb every bit of knowledge like a sponge. Though admittedly, you can't really change your whole perspective in a few years, the realizations that I gathered from this experience certainly gave me quite a lot of things to think about.
Having watched that feature on Romeo Jalosjos brought back the many things that I learned from gender class, and I looked back in wonder what I would've thought about the whole issue without it. Would I sympathize with the fucker? (Apt, is it not?) Would I put equal blame on the adolescent girl he violated? I don't know. Glad, though to have known the things I know now.
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Words from the Wiser
There has got to be something seriously wrong with my house. The amount of clutter that it has accumulated in a span of a week belies the fact that only one person lives there. The slob who has called this space home sure has such a busy schedule. Wonder where he is so I could give him a piece of my mind.
*****
Thought I called it quits with my FB account but out of boredom, I still check it out every now and then. Plurk I can live without, definitely since there's really not much action going on there so I've been stuck with all these responses and updates which I don't bother to open anymore.
This blog however is what keeps me online most of the time. I find it a bit fun reading back on what I have written in the past and try to see how far I've come since then. (Obviously, not a long ways) I try to put in a post each day but I'm still having difficulty posting everything that I write. Partly because some of them make absolutely no sense (yes, even more nonsensical than those posted here) and some I'd rather not have people find out.
When I was young after a big fight between the folks at home, my dad and I were bathing the dogs when he gave me an important piece of advice: 'Never ever let anyone know everything about you'. I was around 12 at that time yet I understood what he meant. There are things that you should keep to yourself, and if you should let things be known, not to any one single person. MacGyver also had this in mind, just a bit differently phrased: 'Never trust anybody'. Well, he seemed to have done alright most times. And of course, we all know the Encyclopedia salesperson's phrase 'Information/Knowledge is Power' as well as my personal favorite from Saturday morning cartoons, 'And knowing is half the battle'.
Is it the thought of being totally exposed that gives us reason to keep things to ourselves? In Catholic school, which was sort of big on the whole sacrament of confession, I doubt if anyone ever told the priest ALL their sins. I know I didn't, in fact, my 'sins' were limited to a pre-selected list of mine which I deemed socially and spiritually acceptable to an extent and for which the penance would usually fall in the category of 5 Hail Marys, 5 Our Fathers and a smattering of Glory Be's. Funny priests get to appraise the exact amount of penance for every corresponding sin. Wonder if they carry a 'sin table matrix' as a guide in the confessional booth.
My point? There are just so many ways for you to make the mistake of exposing yourself to anybody and everybody on FB and every other social networking site. Though not intending to, someone else might 'tag' you or mention something about you that isn't really what you want other people to know. A few weeks ago I had to 'untag' some compromising pictures of myself from other people's albums out of fear of misconceptions that may arise from it. Turns out I hadn't done it soon enough and some of the concerns that I had were blown out of proportion. Well, that's over, thankfully.
So as a mid year resolution, I turn back to the words of the wise (John, Menemis, G.I. Joe and the Britannica salesperson) and try to keep bits and pieces of my personal life to myself. Not that I don't trust people, I just want to limit the amount of embarrassment that I am usually prone to. Now how does Our Father go again?
*****
Thought I called it quits with my FB account but out of boredom, I still check it out every now and then. Plurk I can live without, definitely since there's really not much action going on there so I've been stuck with all these responses and updates which I don't bother to open anymore.
This blog however is what keeps me online most of the time. I find it a bit fun reading back on what I have written in the past and try to see how far I've come since then. (Obviously, not a long ways) I try to put in a post each day but I'm still having difficulty posting everything that I write. Partly because some of them make absolutely no sense (yes, even more nonsensical than those posted here) and some I'd rather not have people find out.
When I was young after a big fight between the folks at home, my dad and I were bathing the dogs when he gave me an important piece of advice: 'Never ever let anyone know everything about you'. I was around 12 at that time yet I understood what he meant. There are things that you should keep to yourself, and if you should let things be known, not to any one single person. MacGyver also had this in mind, just a bit differently phrased: 'Never trust anybody'. Well, he seemed to have done alright most times. And of course, we all know the Encyclopedia salesperson's phrase 'Information/Knowledge is Power' as well as my personal favorite from Saturday morning cartoons, 'And knowing is half the battle'.
Is it the thought of being totally exposed that gives us reason to keep things to ourselves? In Catholic school, which was sort of big on the whole sacrament of confession, I doubt if anyone ever told the priest ALL their sins. I know I didn't, in fact, my 'sins' were limited to a pre-selected list of mine which I deemed socially and spiritually acceptable to an extent and for which the penance would usually fall in the category of 5 Hail Marys, 5 Our Fathers and a smattering of Glory Be's. Funny priests get to appraise the exact amount of penance for every corresponding sin. Wonder if they carry a 'sin table matrix' as a guide in the confessional booth.
My point? There are just so many ways for you to make the mistake of exposing yourself to anybody and everybody on FB and every other social networking site. Though not intending to, someone else might 'tag' you or mention something about you that isn't really what you want other people to know. A few weeks ago I had to 'untag' some compromising pictures of myself from other people's albums out of fear of misconceptions that may arise from it. Turns out I hadn't done it soon enough and some of the concerns that I had were blown out of proportion. Well, that's over, thankfully.
So as a mid year resolution, I turn back to the words of the wise (John, Menemis, G.I. Joe and the Britannica salesperson) and try to keep bits and pieces of my personal life to myself. Not that I don't trust people, I just want to limit the amount of embarrassment that I am usually prone to. Now how does Our Father go again?
Wednesday, June 17, 2009
Invasion!
Someone just invaded the privacy of my gas station hangout. She asked if we could share a table so that she could also use the outlet for her laptop! The nerve of some people! Hmm, but she is kinda cute. And she seems to have a sense of humor as well. Hmmmmm...
A good thing that we are seated facing each other, thus our laptop screens face away from the other so she can't see what exactly I'm typing onto the screen. She asks if I have a connection, apparently she can't log in to the free and unsecured wifi signal. I wish she's lying and actually just wants to start a conversation. So I say "Yes." and immediately type away again. Wow, a loser I am.
Now she's asking if the connection is slow. (This is real time, people!) I say yes again and let my eyes look into her's a little bit longer. Around 2 seconds, then look down upon the keyboard once again. WTF?! Yes, I know. Shush... I said I did, didn't I?
Well, the moment's passed, she's dug herself into her laptop screen. Dummy! The security guard approached and informs her that her coffee is ready inside. Arrgh!
*****
Well folks, you've just witnessed what goes inside the mind of an average male when his privacy is suddenly invaded by a cute female. Okay, so average is kind of stretching it, let's say mildly insecure male.
So where is she now? She's finished checking her mail and is enjoying her coffee inside. Darn... hadn't even asked her name, let alone her number. Oh well... I wonder if she comes here often?
*****
Now that that's over, I can finally get on with this stupid post of mine. How fortunate. Then again, my mind keeps replaying the previous situation all over again. It's like a mental "Create your own story" book where the ending is always a happy one. However if by chance it happens again, I'd bet I'll still be doing the exact same thing.
A good thing that we are seated facing each other, thus our laptop screens face away from the other so she can't see what exactly I'm typing onto the screen. She asks if I have a connection, apparently she can't log in to the free and unsecured wifi signal. I wish she's lying and actually just wants to start a conversation. So I say "Yes." and immediately type away again. Wow, a loser I am.
Now she's asking if the connection is slow. (This is real time, people!) I say yes again and let my eyes look into her's a little bit longer. Around 2 seconds, then look down upon the keyboard once again. WTF?! Yes, I know. Shush... I said I did, didn't I?
Well, the moment's passed, she's dug herself into her laptop screen. Dummy! The security guard approached and informs her that her coffee is ready inside. Arrgh!
*****
Well folks, you've just witnessed what goes inside the mind of an average male when his privacy is suddenly invaded by a cute female. Okay, so average is kind of stretching it, let's say mildly insecure male.
So where is she now? She's finished checking her mail and is enjoying her coffee inside. Darn... hadn't even asked her name, let alone her number. Oh well... I wonder if she comes here often?
*****
Now that that's over, I can finally get on with this stupid post of mine. How fortunate. Then again, my mind keeps replaying the previous situation all over again. It's like a mental "Create your own story" book where the ending is always a happy one. However if by chance it happens again, I'd bet I'll still be doing the exact same thing.
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Coffee talk
Slept early, woke up early and now am here at the gas station having my second cup of coffee. Why? I don't know. Well, actually I do but that's another story.
*****
Feeling somewhat guilty that I haven't made the effort to have my old mobile sim card replaced. To think that a lot of people are probably trying to contact me there for work makes me nervous about what I've been missing these past few days. I have to admit though that it is kind of refreshing to be incommunicado. Well, that's over and later this afternoon I'm heading over to the mall to have get a replacement sim card.
One of the things I do miss about my old sim card is the internet connection at home that it affords me. If you'll notice, have posted multiple posts in one sitting, a consequence of not being able to go online and post these in a more accurate and timely manner. One thing I did notice was that I could survive days without having to check out the many social networking sites that I am registered on. When I finally was able to get a connection, imagine me being swamped with all sorts of updates. Didn't bother to check them all out and am actually thinking of ignoring them altogether, such a waste of time I think.
*****
Since I will be visiting the mall later, I've thought of a list of things that I should buy. Shopping? Yes, finally resolved to get some stuff that I desperately need. Casual brown shoes, new slacks, maybe 3 shirts, have put off buying these. I still don't know how much all these are going to cost me though, and haven't prepared a budget yet. I'll also be visiting Fully Booked and try to see if they have Train Man on the shelves.
Got me thinking back to the last time that I bought anything for my wardrobe and the only thing that comes to mind are a pair of handkerchiefs that I bought as gifts for Christmas but didn't give. Man, how urgent is this shopping spree?! Hmm, must also make time to get the cologne I'll be buying from RJ since I've none on hand.
*****
Yesterday I made a list of the things that I should do at the office. Want to know how many I actually was able to do? 1. Was swamped with all sorts of other stuff that I didn't have time to do any of the others before I had to meet a client in the afternoon. Talk about productivity on a Monday.
*****
Have been having the weirdest dreams these past few days. Sort of like a 90's extravaganza of sorts. People I haven't seen in a decade were there, and we were talking as if we were the closest of friends. Then I distinctly remember me playing with my dog, Bob. He's long gone now, sadly but having seen him in a dream surely made me think back to the days when I got him as a gift from Mimi.
So what does it all mean? Too lazy to google them for now and I suspect that I wouldn't be doing so at all. I wonder if they have anything to do with recent events?
*****
Feeling somewhat guilty that I haven't made the effort to have my old mobile sim card replaced. To think that a lot of people are probably trying to contact me there for work makes me nervous about what I've been missing these past few days. I have to admit though that it is kind of refreshing to be incommunicado. Well, that's over and later this afternoon I'm heading over to the mall to have get a replacement sim card.
One of the things I do miss about my old sim card is the internet connection at home that it affords me. If you'll notice, have posted multiple posts in one sitting, a consequence of not being able to go online and post these in a more accurate and timely manner. One thing I did notice was that I could survive days without having to check out the many social networking sites that I am registered on. When I finally was able to get a connection, imagine me being swamped with all sorts of updates. Didn't bother to check them all out and am actually thinking of ignoring them altogether, such a waste of time I think.
*****
Since I will be visiting the mall later, I've thought of a list of things that I should buy. Shopping? Yes, finally resolved to get some stuff that I desperately need. Casual brown shoes, new slacks, maybe 3 shirts, have put off buying these. I still don't know how much all these are going to cost me though, and haven't prepared a budget yet. I'll also be visiting Fully Booked and try to see if they have Train Man on the shelves.
Got me thinking back to the last time that I bought anything for my wardrobe and the only thing that comes to mind are a pair of handkerchiefs that I bought as gifts for Christmas but didn't give. Man, how urgent is this shopping spree?! Hmm, must also make time to get the cologne I'll be buying from RJ since I've none on hand.
*****
Yesterday I made a list of the things that I should do at the office. Want to know how many I actually was able to do? 1. Was swamped with all sorts of other stuff that I didn't have time to do any of the others before I had to meet a client in the afternoon. Talk about productivity on a Monday.
*****
Have been having the weirdest dreams these past few days. Sort of like a 90's extravaganza of sorts. People I haven't seen in a decade were there, and we were talking as if we were the closest of friends. Then I distinctly remember me playing with my dog, Bob. He's long gone now, sadly but having seen him in a dream surely made me think back to the days when I got him as a gift from Mimi.
So what does it all mean? Too lazy to google them for now and I suspect that I wouldn't be doing so at all. I wonder if they have anything to do with recent events?
Monday, June 15, 2009
Getting windmills off my mind
Walked to the “lumpia store” just now and they’re closed. Seems like they only open during the weekend when tourists and vacation-goers are most populous. Sundays these visitors usually are on the way home and don’t necessarily stay for a snack in this place. I’m a bit disappointed, of course and just order some instant coffee from the resort’s café.
Every ten minutes or so, the resort’s guests come by the restaurant to check out and head home to wherever it is that they came from. Gone are the noisy videoke machines that for two days were blaring out “Careless Whisper” or “Terminal” and what is the supposed crowd favorite, “Pagdating ng Panahon”. Can’t say that I miss these tunes when they practically drown out the peace and quiet that I enjoy. Also absent are the surfboards, as most of the surfers have headed out to whatever day job they hold. Of course, my group is still hitting the waves and will be back anytime now. Hopefully my decision to forego a timely lunch is wise and that they have yet to eat lunch, would be a bit awkward to be eating alone while they are all resting before the trip back.
*****
On the way back to the resort from the “lumpia store”, I took notice of the windmill that the resort next to ours had. In the beginning I thought it was merely for aesthetics, but upon closer inspection, it was actually an ingenious deepwell water pump. I recall watching something on the discovery channel that this was the original purpose of all those windmills that you find in Holland. They pumped water out so that it wouldn’t flood (as much, anyway) their below-sea-level nation. Am actually a bit dismayed that they also had an electric water pump, probably their primary pump with the windmill serving as a backup. Would have been quite neat if it was the other way around.
Each chance I get I watch this show on the Lifestyle Network featuring a “go green” theme where they re-fit homes in California to be eco-friendly. I remember one show where they installed wind turbines alongside solar panels to produce electricity. These sources are connected to the commercial power grid and in as much as their homes benefit from the local power generator, they also contribute their own generated electricity to it and get rebates for the amount of energy that they are able to supply. Great concept, and makes me wonder why the people in the P.I. haven’t caught on to this concept yet.
One reason that I can think of is that our own power grid is not at all efficient and suited to such a system. The capital costs alone of refitting our own system to allow such would balloon to such immense proportions with all the added kickbacks and red tape that it would entail thus making it all a doomed cause. Also, for a third world nation to invest in such technology may be ill-advised when most of the country isn’t electrified anyway. Most of our cities are situated in areas that do not get steady wind currents, and with a long rainy season solar power would not be as cost effective as in other countries. Hmm, reading back I realize that these are based on hunches at best with no research whatsoever. I could be wrong…
*****
Wow, that previous entry may have some sense in it, wouldn’t blame anyone suspecting that I lifted it from someone else’s blog. So am I this bored that out of blue I suddenly depart from the usual nonsense that I spew and venture into something that has something to do with current issues and public interest? Oh my, I’m shuddering at the thought that this may be a trend for future posts. Must remember to slap myself silly whenever I even begin to write about something with some sense. My already limited “readership” may be reduced even further when they discover how much of a geek I really am.
There must be something that the clerk put in my coffee. Might need to wash it out of my system with a beer.
Every ten minutes or so, the resort’s guests come by the restaurant to check out and head home to wherever it is that they came from. Gone are the noisy videoke machines that for two days were blaring out “Careless Whisper” or “Terminal” and what is the supposed crowd favorite, “Pagdating ng Panahon”. Can’t say that I miss these tunes when they practically drown out the peace and quiet that I enjoy. Also absent are the surfboards, as most of the surfers have headed out to whatever day job they hold. Of course, my group is still hitting the waves and will be back anytime now. Hopefully my decision to forego a timely lunch is wise and that they have yet to eat lunch, would be a bit awkward to be eating alone while they are all resting before the trip back.
*****
On the way back to the resort from the “lumpia store”, I took notice of the windmill that the resort next to ours had. In the beginning I thought it was merely for aesthetics, but upon closer inspection, it was actually an ingenious deepwell water pump. I recall watching something on the discovery channel that this was the original purpose of all those windmills that you find in Holland. They pumped water out so that it wouldn’t flood (as much, anyway) their below-sea-level nation. Am actually a bit dismayed that they also had an electric water pump, probably their primary pump with the windmill serving as a backup. Would have been quite neat if it was the other way around.
Each chance I get I watch this show on the Lifestyle Network featuring a “go green” theme where they re-fit homes in California to be eco-friendly. I remember one show where they installed wind turbines alongside solar panels to produce electricity. These sources are connected to the commercial power grid and in as much as their homes benefit from the local power generator, they also contribute their own generated electricity to it and get rebates for the amount of energy that they are able to supply. Great concept, and makes me wonder why the people in the P.I. haven’t caught on to this concept yet.
One reason that I can think of is that our own power grid is not at all efficient and suited to such a system. The capital costs alone of refitting our own system to allow such would balloon to such immense proportions with all the added kickbacks and red tape that it would entail thus making it all a doomed cause. Also, for a third world nation to invest in such technology may be ill-advised when most of the country isn’t electrified anyway. Most of our cities are situated in areas that do not get steady wind currents, and with a long rainy season solar power would not be as cost effective as in other countries. Hmm, reading back I realize that these are based on hunches at best with no research whatsoever. I could be wrong…
*****
Wow, that previous entry may have some sense in it, wouldn’t blame anyone suspecting that I lifted it from someone else’s blog. So am I this bored that out of blue I suddenly depart from the usual nonsense that I spew and venture into something that has something to do with current issues and public interest? Oh my, I’m shuddering at the thought that this may be a trend for future posts. Must remember to slap myself silly whenever I even begin to write about something with some sense. My already limited “readership” may be reduced even further when they discover how much of a geek I really am.
There must be something that the clerk put in my coffee. Might need to wash it out of my system with a beer.
Taking a plunge
Despite the harsh midday sun, I decided to take a dip in the resort’s swimming pool. I was to take a bath anyway so why not take a little swim before the shower. I immediately realized how heavier one’s body felt in the freshwater as opposed to the salty waters of the sea. Treading the 10 foot depth became such a chore so I took laps ensuring a break to catch my breath on the kiddie side of the pool at the opposite end.
Suddenly the effects of a few hours of sleep and too much alcohol and inactivity caught up with me as I began to feel my hamstring cramp up. I had to take it easy, it would be so ironic for me to drown myself in such a small pool when my companions were surfing the open seas. I took large but slow strokes, mindful of trying to breathe at regular intervals in small volumes so I don’t tire out so easily, the same technique that I use when I jog. It went well and the 20-minute workout I gave myself was quite satisfying.
It is said that swimming is a great way to exercise as it involves almost every muscle in your body, I agree with this as the equivalent of a 60 minute jog seems to be a 20 minute swim for myself. Yes, wimpy I know, that is probably the full extent of my stamina either way and after that I would require a really long rest, preferable with cigarettes and alcohol.
*****
After a quick shower, I take a little rest and smoked. I could still feel my hamstring getting warm and relaxing so I stretched my legs and looked really spent by this time. I was also getting hungry as the lunch hour approached but thought I’d have lunch with the rest of the group when they got back to the resort, hopefully sometime soon. As with yesterday, the waves should be dying right about now and they would have to come back in an hour or so, maybe I could pass my hunger with a cup of coffee in the meantime.
At this time I wish I had brought some DVD’s to watch, all that I had was the porn DVD that has been lodged in my laptop’s disk drive since Joenard crashed at my house last. No, I didn’t watch it! Well, maybe last week but it wasn’t “A1” quality according to my dad’s stringent criteria for reviewing porn. Not even a “very good” actually, so that’s that. What I did have in mind was the DVD’s that I recently stole from my sister which included the aforementioned Big bang theory season 2 DVD.
So now I rest a bit in the airconditioned room to cool off my body a bit before having that cup of coffee. Then again, it’s too hot for hot drinks and my mind wanders to cold beer. Hmm, I wonder what effect beer would have on an empty stomach? I spend the next 10 minutes pondering this possibility but conventional wisdom is leaning towards coffee. There’s nothing more stressing than having to take a dump while on the SCTEx which has no rest area with a restroom throughout its’ entire length.
My next choice: Brewed or instant? Ahh, the choices are endless!
Suddenly the effects of a few hours of sleep and too much alcohol and inactivity caught up with me as I began to feel my hamstring cramp up. I had to take it easy, it would be so ironic for me to drown myself in such a small pool when my companions were surfing the open seas. I took large but slow strokes, mindful of trying to breathe at regular intervals in small volumes so I don’t tire out so easily, the same technique that I use when I jog. It went well and the 20-minute workout I gave myself was quite satisfying.
It is said that swimming is a great way to exercise as it involves almost every muscle in your body, I agree with this as the equivalent of a 60 minute jog seems to be a 20 minute swim for myself. Yes, wimpy I know, that is probably the full extent of my stamina either way and after that I would require a really long rest, preferable with cigarettes and alcohol.
*****
After a quick shower, I take a little rest and smoked. I could still feel my hamstring getting warm and relaxing so I stretched my legs and looked really spent by this time. I was also getting hungry as the lunch hour approached but thought I’d have lunch with the rest of the group when they got back to the resort, hopefully sometime soon. As with yesterday, the waves should be dying right about now and they would have to come back in an hour or so, maybe I could pass my hunger with a cup of coffee in the meantime.
At this time I wish I had brought some DVD’s to watch, all that I had was the porn DVD that has been lodged in my laptop’s disk drive since Joenard crashed at my house last. No, I didn’t watch it! Well, maybe last week but it wasn’t “A1” quality according to my dad’s stringent criteria for reviewing porn. Not even a “very good” actually, so that’s that. What I did have in mind was the DVD’s that I recently stole from my sister which included the aforementioned Big bang theory season 2 DVD.
So now I rest a bit in the airconditioned room to cool off my body a bit before having that cup of coffee. Then again, it’s too hot for hot drinks and my mind wanders to cold beer. Hmm, I wonder what effect beer would have on an empty stomach? I spend the next 10 minutes pondering this possibility but conventional wisdom is leaning towards coffee. There’s nothing more stressing than having to take a dump while on the SCTEx which has no rest area with a restroom throughout its’ entire length.
My next choice: Brewed or instant? Ahh, the choices are endless!
Cooling Down
And so this will become the last day of the long weekend getaway, with the morning mango shake hydrating me after drinking hard liquor the whole night, I am less bitter about the Monday coming up ahead. I thought I’d use this time to just relax by the resort while the rest of the people go and make a last minute dash to the island for pictures, surf and generally just getting some fun. Old age maybe?
*****
This trip was actually a plan B, with the Sagada trip mentioned in my previous post something that I really looked forward to. Between the beach and the mountains, I’d have to say that I’m a mountain resort person, the cool breeze and lazy mood generally fitting my personality. But anytime that the beach presents itself is just alright for me as long as there’s no pressure to exert myself. I’m such a lard-ass.
*****
While everyone else was busy gearing up and putting sunblock all over themselves for surfing, they caught me cooped up in the room, playing chess on my computer. It dawned on me that playing chess was the last thing that anyone would want to do on their vacation on the beach, but I didn’t bother to explain to them that I have a score to settle with that darn computer player. Well, a lot of scores, actually and I’ll admit to a lot less than the truth.
I think they’ve caught on to the things that I enjoy while on vacation as no one made any attempt to lure me away from the game. I do get distracted however when “normal” people witness me at my geekiest and so I lost again. Thus my mango shake break before I once again attempt to beat my nemesis.
*****
There’s one thing that I really planned on doing here that I am not able to and that’s to jog. Simple enough with little excuses, but the fact that I left my running shoes at home complicates things to say the least.
Why did I leave my shoes? It started out with a late night drinking spree and me almost being left by my companions. I was still very much drunk asleep by 6:00am which was the cut off time for the trip. I woke up at 6:01am, and frantically checked if I should already start my DVD marathon of Big bang theory’s second season. They were just about to leave, being parked outside my house. They gave me a 5 minute grace period and I had to literally shove stuff into my bag and run like hell out of my apartment. Imagine having to think about what to bring while struggling with a hangover, on auto-pilot, my beach-list mind didn’t include running shoes so here I am.
The only consolation is that I haven’t found a suitable new place to jog in, and would be jogging in the same place I did a few weeks ago in case. Well yeah, whatever.
*****
This trip was actually a plan B, with the Sagada trip mentioned in my previous post something that I really looked forward to. Between the beach and the mountains, I’d have to say that I’m a mountain resort person, the cool breeze and lazy mood generally fitting my personality. But anytime that the beach presents itself is just alright for me as long as there’s no pressure to exert myself. I’m such a lard-ass.
*****
While everyone else was busy gearing up and putting sunblock all over themselves for surfing, they caught me cooped up in the room, playing chess on my computer. It dawned on me that playing chess was the last thing that anyone would want to do on their vacation on the beach, but I didn’t bother to explain to them that I have a score to settle with that darn computer player. Well, a lot of scores, actually and I’ll admit to a lot less than the truth.
I think they’ve caught on to the things that I enjoy while on vacation as no one made any attempt to lure me away from the game. I do get distracted however when “normal” people witness me at my geekiest and so I lost again. Thus my mango shake break before I once again attempt to beat my nemesis.
*****
There’s one thing that I really planned on doing here that I am not able to and that’s to jog. Simple enough with little excuses, but the fact that I left my running shoes at home complicates things to say the least.
Why did I leave my shoes? It started out with a late night drinking spree and me almost being left by my companions. I was still very much drunk asleep by 6:00am which was the cut off time for the trip. I woke up at 6:01am, and frantically checked if I should already start my DVD marathon of Big bang theory’s second season. They were just about to leave, being parked outside my house. They gave me a 5 minute grace period and I had to literally shove stuff into my bag and run like hell out of my apartment. Imagine having to think about what to bring while struggling with a hangover, on auto-pilot, my beach-list mind didn’t include running shoes so here I am.
The only consolation is that I haven’t found a suitable new place to jog in, and would be jogging in the same place I did a few weeks ago in case. Well yeah, whatever.
Writing atop an anthill
My feet dig into the grayish sands in this beach town resort. Crabholes, or so I call them, can be found every meter or so but don’t seem to threaten anyone. I’ve seen some of the semi-translucent creatures emerge from their holes and wonder if these holes were meant as a trap to some unassuming insect or just a cozy nest where they can chill by the beach. As my foot digs further down, mimicking the habit of these crustaceans, it is attacked by a single red ant. I raise my foot up for further inspection and the critter is cringing, almost willing its whole exoskeleton to impart some significant amount of pain upon me. Of course, I pick the ant off and throw his (or her) into one of the crabholes. Would the resident crab make a meal of it or just disregard the now dead and mangled insect as another grain of sand eludes me and frankly I could care less about it.
There seems to be a whole lot of ants around. Generally they don’t seem to bother anyone except for that evil one I picked off. I earlier dropped off the smallest of crumbs and it was immediately pounced upon by at least 5 of these insects. I look beyond the general area of my foot and find more just wandering around, quite unlike the orderly lines that those living off my kitchen make. Is it the general carefree lifestyle of the beach that made these ants evolve into unguided, unruly and purpose-less creatures?
Co-existing with the reds, the black seems to be their usual flighty selves except that just like the red ones, they don’t seem to be acting as an efficient and organized unit themselves. Maybe the beach does something to most beings. I dunno.
*****
Strange thing I witnessed earlier today. An outrigger boat burned. At first I thought someone was maybe cooking something onboard, even then such an absurd thought. But then the boatman jumped into the water, stranger still. He flopped around the water and struggled to douse the fire by spraying water onto it. Who would have thought that getting water onboard a boat actually saves it? I’ve always thought it the other way around.
Well anyway, the fire was still raging and the man struggled all by his lonesome to tip the boat over. After maybe five minutes of struggle, he did. You’d expect the fire to drown out, right? Wrong. It seems that there was still air trapped within the cavity of the boat. It was fitted with outriggers and thus won’t sink that easily. So the man still flailed in the water in a panic, still trying to put out the flames. Maybe he would’ve had more of a chance of success had he continued with that flailing instead of all that effort to capsize the thing. Other boats took notice and hurriedly rushed in to offer help. Well, the guys trying to help were still on their boats, what sort of help could you expect? They didn’t really keep a bucket handy so they watched and made a semi-pathetic effort to help spray the craft. Another five minutes and they finally stopped the inferno.
Of course, they had to tow the boat back to harbor. A pity for the boatman, I would imagine that the boat afforded him his meager lifestyle and having his boat burn was a real bummer. I’m still wondering though what happened? Maybe he spilled some gasoline and lit a cigarette? Beats me. Sort of thing you just don’t expect happen to a boat that is half submerged in the sea. Strange things indeed happen, count me a believer in Murphy’s Law.
*****
Am debating with myself on whether I should go take a swim or just lounge out the remainder of the afternoon here in the hut. Conventional wisdom says that since I am at the beach then I should at least take a little dip. But seeing how the waves hurl the surfers here airborne and how steep the water suddenly gets deep is giving me reason not to. If only this were some other beach with gentle waters and a really shallow waterline I would not have given it much of a thought.
Since I haven’t ended my post here yet and you are reading more, I leave it to you to guess what I decided on. No-brainer, of course.
*****
The people at the adjacent hut have been drinking and singing all day. I wonder how long they can hold up before finally letting go of the microphone and calling it quits. Funny thing is that the guy currently on the microphone has yet to relinquish control for the last 20 songs or so. I don’t think anyone has noticed him but me. You’d think he was in a concert or something. I wonder if he were alone at home, would he still be singing to himself or does he crave all the attention (in his mind, at least) that he is getting? Some instances you just wish the electricity went out.
There seems to be a whole lot of ants around. Generally they don’t seem to bother anyone except for that evil one I picked off. I earlier dropped off the smallest of crumbs and it was immediately pounced upon by at least 5 of these insects. I look beyond the general area of my foot and find more just wandering around, quite unlike the orderly lines that those living off my kitchen make. Is it the general carefree lifestyle of the beach that made these ants evolve into unguided, unruly and purpose-less creatures?
Co-existing with the reds, the black seems to be their usual flighty selves except that just like the red ones, they don’t seem to be acting as an efficient and organized unit themselves. Maybe the beach does something to most beings. I dunno.
*****
Strange thing I witnessed earlier today. An outrigger boat burned. At first I thought someone was maybe cooking something onboard, even then such an absurd thought. But then the boatman jumped into the water, stranger still. He flopped around the water and struggled to douse the fire by spraying water onto it. Who would have thought that getting water onboard a boat actually saves it? I’ve always thought it the other way around.
Well anyway, the fire was still raging and the man struggled all by his lonesome to tip the boat over. After maybe five minutes of struggle, he did. You’d expect the fire to drown out, right? Wrong. It seems that there was still air trapped within the cavity of the boat. It was fitted with outriggers and thus won’t sink that easily. So the man still flailed in the water in a panic, still trying to put out the flames. Maybe he would’ve had more of a chance of success had he continued with that flailing instead of all that effort to capsize the thing. Other boats took notice and hurriedly rushed in to offer help. Well, the guys trying to help were still on their boats, what sort of help could you expect? They didn’t really keep a bucket handy so they watched and made a semi-pathetic effort to help spray the craft. Another five minutes and they finally stopped the inferno.
Of course, they had to tow the boat back to harbor. A pity for the boatman, I would imagine that the boat afforded him his meager lifestyle and having his boat burn was a real bummer. I’m still wondering though what happened? Maybe he spilled some gasoline and lit a cigarette? Beats me. Sort of thing you just don’t expect happen to a boat that is half submerged in the sea. Strange things indeed happen, count me a believer in Murphy’s Law.
*****
Am debating with myself on whether I should go take a swim or just lounge out the remainder of the afternoon here in the hut. Conventional wisdom says that since I am at the beach then I should at least take a little dip. But seeing how the waves hurl the surfers here airborne and how steep the water suddenly gets deep is giving me reason not to. If only this were some other beach with gentle waters and a really shallow waterline I would not have given it much of a thought.
Since I haven’t ended my post here yet and you are reading more, I leave it to you to guess what I decided on. No-brainer, of course.
*****
The people at the adjacent hut have been drinking and singing all day. I wonder how long they can hold up before finally letting go of the microphone and calling it quits. Funny thing is that the guy currently on the microphone has yet to relinquish control for the last 20 songs or so. I don’t think anyone has noticed him but me. You’d think he was in a concert or something. I wonder if he were alone at home, would he still be singing to himself or does he crave all the attention (in his mind, at least) that he is getting? Some instances you just wish the electricity went out.
Lumpia Wrapped Memories
Any kid around the age of ten would probably tell you how much they just hated going to the doctor’s office. The concept of leaving the house to let a stranger poke and do what they will upon you is just too high a price to getting better. Like all kids, my thoughts on how to get better involved a lot of ice cream and chocolates. However there was one thing that I specially looked forward to after a visit to the clinic, and this was the old lady outside the clinic selling lumpia toge.
This has always been a favorite food of mine. Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and dunked in hot and spicy vinegar, I remember having the capacity to eat a good number of these in one sitting. (Well, I actually just stood there on the street while eating it, so is the better verb ‘standing’?)
In between doctor appointments, there was another steady source of lumpia for me just outside of the school gates. While the other kids ran to the game-and-watch-guy or the lady selling all these assorted toys, I took time to count out what was left of my allowance to buy and eat around 4 or 5 of these. My allowance then amounted to just 5 pesos back then, a jeepney ride costs 1 peso but I would walk home just to get the most out of the experience.
By the time I got to high school, I had lost most of my sources of lumpia. The lady outside the doctor’s office was no longer there and changing schools meant bye bye to my daily after school dose. Sometimes my mom would make her version of it but it just didn’t taste right. Didn’t have the heart to tell her though as she took pride in her making what she knew was one of my favorite foods.
I was reunited with my favorite lumpia when I got to college. There, women and kids hauling basket fulls of lumpia, banana-que and turon roamed free through the campus and even inside the buildings. I was fascinated with the sheer size of the lumpia which they sold, opening up my horizons to sardine-can sized varieties that were allowed to “swim” in a thin transparent plastic bag. Fortunately, (well, depends on how you look at it, really) this gave me a steady supply for a great many years. I specially chose the darker more toasted ones, extra crispy wrappers that held their texture despite prolonged exposure to the vinegar. If I were to make a list of the things that I miss most about college, this afternoon delight would surely come in amongst the top 5. (No, the math and physics buildings won’t even make it to the top 1,000 list)
Sadly, my lumpia feeding frenzy stopped as soon as I graduated. The times that I can savor the complex textures and spicy taste of it come very few and far between. Sometimes catching a glimpse of a lumpia vendor is enough to make me stop traffic so I could buy my fill. I remember once I attempted to make one myself and turned out to be a disaster. The wrapper gave way and it was like eating fried nachos and bean sprouts.
Wait, you might be wondering why I’m writing about such a trivial topic. Well, 1. I’m eating a lumpia right now, 2. I’ve nothing better to use, and they’re (plural, yes) sitting right in front of me (for now), 3. It tastes great though a bit on the oily side, 4. I got pretty hungry and have been thinking about it since I spied it from a store, and 5. In case you’re new to my posts, trivial things are all that I write about. Yes, there’s a story about this coming…
*****
I was seated on a bench by the beach, hearing the waves crashing down in fairly consistent intervals when I looked at my watch and realized I was supposed to be hungry. After considering my options for about 15 minutes, I decided to walk out of the resort and scour the nearby stores down the street. I distinctly remember bananas being fried and wrapped into turons on the drive to and how the woman wrapped the bananas reminded me very much of lumpia toge. (Beansprouts wrapped in rice flour wafers is my best description of lumpia toge, I could be wrong) Thought I’d go check it out and buy one and as I got nearer to the store. I inquired how much a piece costs and thought it to be a really cheap price. Out of an impulse, I asked if they had lumpia as well. She nodded, but told me that they weren’t cooked yet. I asked her again, unbelieving my ears and got confirmation that a batch was about to be cooked. She said it would be ready in 15 minutes or so and I decided to wait in a nearby store while sipping a soda. I waited a full 20 minutes just to be sure and when I came back, there it was!
I bought 6 pieces and took it back with me to the resort. It was fresh from the hot oil and needed to rest a bit before I could indulge. Then indulge I did, helping myself to large bites and letting the vinegar drip from the corners of my mouth. With each helping, the memories of my love for lumpia came flooding back to me and prompted me to take out my laptop and write all about it.
Well, that catches us up, I guess.
This has always been a favorite food of mine. Crisp on the outside, juicy on the inside and dunked in hot and spicy vinegar, I remember having the capacity to eat a good number of these in one sitting. (Well, I actually just stood there on the street while eating it, so is the better verb ‘standing’?)
In between doctor appointments, there was another steady source of lumpia for me just outside of the school gates. While the other kids ran to the game-and-watch-guy or the lady selling all these assorted toys, I took time to count out what was left of my allowance to buy and eat around 4 or 5 of these. My allowance then amounted to just 5 pesos back then, a jeepney ride costs 1 peso but I would walk home just to get the most out of the experience.
By the time I got to high school, I had lost most of my sources of lumpia. The lady outside the doctor’s office was no longer there and changing schools meant bye bye to my daily after school dose. Sometimes my mom would make her version of it but it just didn’t taste right. Didn’t have the heart to tell her though as she took pride in her making what she knew was one of my favorite foods.
I was reunited with my favorite lumpia when I got to college. There, women and kids hauling basket fulls of lumpia, banana-que and turon roamed free through the campus and even inside the buildings. I was fascinated with the sheer size of the lumpia which they sold, opening up my horizons to sardine-can sized varieties that were allowed to “swim” in a thin transparent plastic bag. Fortunately, (well, depends on how you look at it, really) this gave me a steady supply for a great many years. I specially chose the darker more toasted ones, extra crispy wrappers that held their texture despite prolonged exposure to the vinegar. If I were to make a list of the things that I miss most about college, this afternoon delight would surely come in amongst the top 5. (No, the math and physics buildings won’t even make it to the top 1,000 list)
Sadly, my lumpia feeding frenzy stopped as soon as I graduated. The times that I can savor the complex textures and spicy taste of it come very few and far between. Sometimes catching a glimpse of a lumpia vendor is enough to make me stop traffic so I could buy my fill. I remember once I attempted to make one myself and turned out to be a disaster. The wrapper gave way and it was like eating fried nachos and bean sprouts.
Wait, you might be wondering why I’m writing about such a trivial topic. Well, 1. I’m eating a lumpia right now, 2. I’ve nothing better to use, and they’re (plural, yes) sitting right in front of me (for now), 3. It tastes great though a bit on the oily side, 4. I got pretty hungry and have been thinking about it since I spied it from a store, and 5. In case you’re new to my posts, trivial things are all that I write about. Yes, there’s a story about this coming…
*****
I was seated on a bench by the beach, hearing the waves crashing down in fairly consistent intervals when I looked at my watch and realized I was supposed to be hungry. After considering my options for about 15 minutes, I decided to walk out of the resort and scour the nearby stores down the street. I distinctly remember bananas being fried and wrapped into turons on the drive to and how the woman wrapped the bananas reminded me very much of lumpia toge. (Beansprouts wrapped in rice flour wafers is my best description of lumpia toge, I could be wrong) Thought I’d go check it out and buy one and as I got nearer to the store. I inquired how much a piece costs and thought it to be a really cheap price. Out of an impulse, I asked if they had lumpia as well. She nodded, but told me that they weren’t cooked yet. I asked her again, unbelieving my ears and got confirmation that a batch was about to be cooked. She said it would be ready in 15 minutes or so and I decided to wait in a nearby store while sipping a soda. I waited a full 20 minutes just to be sure and when I came back, there it was!
I bought 6 pieces and took it back with me to the resort. It was fresh from the hot oil and needed to rest a bit before I could indulge. Then indulge I did, helping myself to large bites and letting the vinegar drip from the corners of my mouth. With each helping, the memories of my love for lumpia came flooding back to me and prompted me to take out my laptop and write all about it.
Well, that catches us up, I guess.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
GIRLY MY A$$!
RJ tells me that my blog is girly-sounding. How the heck did that happen? Aside from trying to make my posts more general patronage in nature, I don't think they have any feminine tone to them whatsoever.
I'm stopping short of asking anyone of you readers for your opinion. Shut up.
*****
My corner of the office is infested with mosquitoes, the small yet uber-pesky variety. I've noticed their numbers this week and have counted at least 3 buzzing all over the place. There could be more as I could hear people clapping their hands mid afternoon in the other areas as well.
After almost bludgeoning my hands trying to kill the blood-suckers, I take on a different tact. I went to the microbiological laboratory (yes, we do have one) and got a can of lysol. There wasn't any insecticide so I had to do with this. I liberally sprayed the entire area, consuming almost half the can outright in an effort to drown the bugs with disinfectant. After half an hour of smelling like a bathroom, I felt one of the mosquitoes sucking through my socks. Plan A failed. I asked my boss if I could smoke inside the office to get rid of them, of course this was refused. Plan B wasn't getting off the ground, sadly. The VP for Operations who is a metallurgist by profession and sitting near my area, had a suggestion: mouthwash. According to her, mosquitoes and other bugs get irritated from the smell of mouthwash and will leave the general area upon contact. Sounded like a plan.
I scour my more hygienically conscious officemates' locker in search of the elusive mouthwash. Finding a half-full bottle, I next went down to the laboratory once again to borrow a spray bottle. They offered one that they used to spray denatured alcohol. This could work, I told myself. I emptied the last of the alcohol, poured in half a liter of de-ionized water (excuse the semi-technical terms, I do work in a laboratory) and slipped in approximately half a teaspoon of mouthwash. I went back to my area soon after and sprayed away.
So what happened? Zilch. I should have had my doubts about it upon realizing that we actually gargle mouthwash and that it was in no way poisonous, but being desperate enough, that didn't mean a thing. So now my area smells like a mall's public washroom and every so often you'd hear me applauding to no one.
*****
Had I mentioned previously that the first appliance that I saved for and bought on my own was an electric fan? Well, that is kaput as of this morning. I settled it on an uneven table top and about a minute after setting it to the highest power level, it suddenly thrust itself backward and fell on the hard tiled floor. Too bad, I always liked that fan. Gotta stop by the mall one of these days and get another.
*****
It's been a hot sweaty day here in the south. After weeks of rains, the sun has made it back into the sky to scorch me. Now the wisdom of bringing a jacket to the office has become highly questionable.
Of course, there are worse things than to be sunburned while crossing the street. Definitely better than getting doused with hard rains while lighting up in the smoking area. If you ask me and my over-active sweat glands, however, the discomfort that the heat brings is significantly greater in magnitude to getting a bit wet with good old water.
Maybe that's the reason for all those mosquitoes basking in air-conditioning at the office.
I'm stopping short of asking anyone of you readers for your opinion. Shut up.
*****
My corner of the office is infested with mosquitoes, the small yet uber-pesky variety. I've noticed their numbers this week and have counted at least 3 buzzing all over the place. There could be more as I could hear people clapping their hands mid afternoon in the other areas as well.
After almost bludgeoning my hands trying to kill the blood-suckers, I take on a different tact. I went to the microbiological laboratory (yes, we do have one) and got a can of lysol. There wasn't any insecticide so I had to do with this. I liberally sprayed the entire area, consuming almost half the can outright in an effort to drown the bugs with disinfectant. After half an hour of smelling like a bathroom, I felt one of the mosquitoes sucking through my socks. Plan A failed. I asked my boss if I could smoke inside the office to get rid of them, of course this was refused. Plan B wasn't getting off the ground, sadly. The VP for Operations who is a metallurgist by profession and sitting near my area, had a suggestion: mouthwash. According to her, mosquitoes and other bugs get irritated from the smell of mouthwash and will leave the general area upon contact. Sounded like a plan.
I scour my more hygienically conscious officemates' locker in search of the elusive mouthwash. Finding a half-full bottle, I next went down to the laboratory once again to borrow a spray bottle. They offered one that they used to spray denatured alcohol. This could work, I told myself. I emptied the last of the alcohol, poured in half a liter of de-ionized water (excuse the semi-technical terms, I do work in a laboratory) and slipped in approximately half a teaspoon of mouthwash. I went back to my area soon after and sprayed away.
So what happened? Zilch. I should have had my doubts about it upon realizing that we actually gargle mouthwash and that it was in no way poisonous, but being desperate enough, that didn't mean a thing. So now my area smells like a mall's public washroom and every so often you'd hear me applauding to no one.
*****
Had I mentioned previously that the first appliance that I saved for and bought on my own was an electric fan? Well, that is kaput as of this morning. I settled it on an uneven table top and about a minute after setting it to the highest power level, it suddenly thrust itself backward and fell on the hard tiled floor. Too bad, I always liked that fan. Gotta stop by the mall one of these days and get another.
*****
It's been a hot sweaty day here in the south. After weeks of rains, the sun has made it back into the sky to scorch me. Now the wisdom of bringing a jacket to the office has become highly questionable.
Of course, there are worse things than to be sunburned while crossing the street. Definitely better than getting doused with hard rains while lighting up in the smoking area. If you ask me and my over-active sweat glands, however, the discomfort that the heat brings is significantly greater in magnitude to getting a bit wet with good old water.
Maybe that's the reason for all those mosquitoes basking in air-conditioning at the office.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
In headlights
It's pretty amazing how some things manage to still hold you in shock despite all the foreboding and anticipation. Just goes to show how much people will try to resist all manners of change until the very last moment. Take for example the case of the disappearing client that knocked the wind right out of me. Thought I had this in the bag, even had the contract to prove it. The email notification of them canceling their order had me staring at the monitor for a full ten minutes before I realized what they were really trying to say.
In panic, I nearly shouted at my assistant to get them on the phone, PRONTO! Hadn't thought of what I wanted to say yet but I was sure not going to let this go easy. The person on the other end of the line confirmed my worst nightmare, they weren't satisfied and wanted to try others out. Kinda sounded like my ex-girlfriend, that is never a good sign. I politely said 'I understand, but I'm sure that we could work things out if we sit down together lay our cards on the table.' 'Yeah, maybe we could. I'll ask my boss when he's available.' Drats, the message between the lines was clear as day, 'You could try, hombre. You could try but you're not getting anywhere with me.'
Ah the tragedy of it all. Years of hard work suddenly going down the drain. Four years ago, still green to the sales game, I had set out to nab this company and put them on my client list. Through the years I'd visit them, sit down and talk to them about what they needed and then get rejected. Late last year, I got a break as they opted to try out what I had to offer. Finally all that hard work paid off! The feeling of accomplishment was just too good, I had to savor it with beer and pizza. Then last week I got an email, they had a problem. No worries, everything could be fixed, and fix it I did, or so I thought. The guys in operations did a half-hearted job of it and thus they felt neglected. Now I get this email... oh boy.
I could finger-point all I want but that wasn't about to change anyone's mind. So why bother? I simply passed on the email to my boss who wanted an explanation. I gave her one, trying not to pin anyone in particular, this was still a team effort after all and the more I distance myself from the majority, the more alone I would be.
These past few hours I still keep replaying that email in my head. Couldn't help feeling that it was my fault, maybe I should have kept a closer eye on the whole situation. I make plans to get them back, and while I did, the realization of how hard I had to work to sign them up in the first place came crashing down on me like a heap of boulders. If there was going to be a next time, I'm pretty sure that it would take a gargantuan effort to sign them back in and double that to keep them. Is it all worth it? That was a dumb question, of course I had to do it. Not doing so was equivalent to letting everyone else go. I take out the dusty old drawing board and start all over with this odyssey.
But before I do, let me wipe off that shocked expression off my face first with a cold one and an even colder slice of pizza.
In panic, I nearly shouted at my assistant to get them on the phone, PRONTO! Hadn't thought of what I wanted to say yet but I was sure not going to let this go easy. The person on the other end of the line confirmed my worst nightmare, they weren't satisfied and wanted to try others out. Kinda sounded like my ex-girlfriend, that is never a good sign. I politely said 'I understand, but I'm sure that we could work things out if we sit down together lay our cards on the table.' 'Yeah, maybe we could. I'll ask my boss when he's available.' Drats, the message between the lines was clear as day, 'You could try, hombre. You could try but you're not getting anywhere with me.'
Ah the tragedy of it all. Years of hard work suddenly going down the drain. Four years ago, still green to the sales game, I had set out to nab this company and put them on my client list. Through the years I'd visit them, sit down and talk to them about what they needed and then get rejected. Late last year, I got a break as they opted to try out what I had to offer. Finally all that hard work paid off! The feeling of accomplishment was just too good, I had to savor it with beer and pizza. Then last week I got an email, they had a problem. No worries, everything could be fixed, and fix it I did, or so I thought. The guys in operations did a half-hearted job of it and thus they felt neglected. Now I get this email... oh boy.
I could finger-point all I want but that wasn't about to change anyone's mind. So why bother? I simply passed on the email to my boss who wanted an explanation. I gave her one, trying not to pin anyone in particular, this was still a team effort after all and the more I distance myself from the majority, the more alone I would be.
These past few hours I still keep replaying that email in my head. Couldn't help feeling that it was my fault, maybe I should have kept a closer eye on the whole situation. I make plans to get them back, and while I did, the realization of how hard I had to work to sign them up in the first place came crashing down on me like a heap of boulders. If there was going to be a next time, I'm pretty sure that it would take a gargantuan effort to sign them back in and double that to keep them. Is it all worth it? That was a dumb question, of course I had to do it. Not doing so was equivalent to letting everyone else go. I take out the dusty old drawing board and start all over with this odyssey.
But before I do, let me wipe off that shocked expression off my face first with a cold one and an even colder slice of pizza.
Monday, June 8, 2009
A great example of the hassles of being stingy
While waiting for a friend of mine to pick me up in Cebu a few days back, I went inside a bookstore and decided to browse around. Picked up this great book, it said "international best-seller" on the credits, and thumbed through a few pages. It was good, I found myself giggling on the aisles while flipping through the book. I can't say it was well written because technically, it wasn't really telling a story only inferring it. (That didn't seem to make any sense)
So what happened? You guessed it, I flipped the book to its back cover, saw the price tag and returned it back on the shelf. Didn't want to read more as I might just convince myself to buy it. A few days later, back in Manila I remembered the book and wanted to read more. I walk into a bookstore but they didn't have it in stock. Well, well, well, seems my cheapness got the better of me again. Now I can't get the book out of my mind and am obsessing over it. Why didn't I just buy the darn book in the first place?
This isn't the first time that something of the sort has happened, obviously. Sometimes, I'd window shop for something, save up for it because I know it was really worth it and then when I have saved enough, I march back into the store and leave empty-handed because I would suddenly will myself into thinking it wasn't worth it. This is the reason why I still don't have a stereo at home.
I've been wondering why this keeps on happening to me. So far haven't the foggiest.
So what happened? You guessed it, I flipped the book to its back cover, saw the price tag and returned it back on the shelf. Didn't want to read more as I might just convince myself to buy it. A few days later, back in Manila I remembered the book and wanted to read more. I walk into a bookstore but they didn't have it in stock. Well, well, well, seems my cheapness got the better of me again. Now I can't get the book out of my mind and am obsessing over it. Why didn't I just buy the darn book in the first place?
This isn't the first time that something of the sort has happened, obviously. Sometimes, I'd window shop for something, save up for it because I know it was really worth it and then when I have saved enough, I march back into the store and leave empty-handed because I would suddenly will myself into thinking it wasn't worth it. This is the reason why I still don't have a stereo at home.
I've been wondering why this keeps on happening to me. So far haven't the foggiest.
In a taxicab in traffic
As I write this, I’m inside a taxi making my way home from the airport. I had landed 3 hours ago from my flight coming from Cebu City and from the looks of things, it’s going to be around an hour and a half before I could get to home sweet home.
It’s a Friday night, the constant rain throughout the afternoon had not only caused the our flight from landing late at the airport but had brought about a horrendous traffic jam as well as flooding in selected areas of the metropolis. Out of boredom while willing the traffic to ease, I thought why not take out my laptop and write a few thoughts? So I locked the doors and turned on my clunky and very heavy laptop (which has brought me misery in my two and a half hour wait for the taxi) and thus this blog.
The taxicab that I am riding is getting more and more irritating with each stop-go situation that this turtle-paced traffic is bringing. There seems to be a problem with the clutch so whenever the driver eases on the clutch pedal, the whole vehicle jerks continuously forward. The hard headrest doesn’t help, feels like I’m being pummeled to and fro and the small legroom of the Toyota Vios keeps on cramping my legs which is already fatigued from standing in line earlier. To make matters even worse, I haven’t had a bite since lunch and it’s already eight o’clock. Wish I had more of those peanuts that they served on the plane.
*****
Cebu City, a few days ago I couldn’t say that the place excites me anymore. Been there quite a bit in the last half a year and though there are a lot of other places within the city that I haven’t explored, how much different can it be from Manila?
I did have a great time this last trip, though. Partly because I discovered that another fraternity brother of mine is already based there. That brings the welcoming committee up to four now! So as usual we had drinks and had many laughs, a great Thursday night, indeed!
In our conversation, they talked about other places in the province, and this piqued my interest. I have long wanted to explore the island of Cebu but the thought of having to spend loads of cash by traveling alone not only discouraged me, but because of the business nature of my trips, there is simply not enough time for all that traveling. But now that more people are here, this increases the chances of having a travel buddy to share the expense as well as the adventure.
*****
I’ve been eating and eating a lot during this particular trip to Cebu, taking full advantage of my boss’ presence. She has been making the rounds, holding lunch meetings and treating the people at our office there for snacks and breakfast. Of course, being her gopher-extraordinaire, I tag along and partake of these feasts. However, there has been one item that eluded me this time around, the famous Cebu Lechon. How I missed this delicacy is in part due to the busy schedule of mine that I haven’t had the opportunity to escape and troop to my favorite Lechon stand.
Somehow I don’t mind at all though, imagine how much more I would weigh now if I did have half a kilo of cruncy-juicy pork? Guess it’s something for the next trip, after all this would be the first time that this hasn’t been on the itinerary.
*****
Metro Manila has been experiencing rains and flooding these past few days, well there’s definitely none of that in Cebu lately. There, it’s the scorching sun all day and starry nights all night. I’ve been having sunburns just from crossing the street, while in Manila I’d be all wet just from puffing on my cigarette. I’ve been trying to decide which situation is the lesser evil but it’s more difficult than I thought.
I did come up with a winner, though. I am more likely to enjoy Cebu’s weather at this time. Rainy Manila is just too inconvenient, and with school opening and traffic worsening, it’s bound to be even more hellish than this past summer. (Oh, did I blog anything about the rainy Manila summer?)
*****
The taxi driver is cursing now, I’m not sure if it’s because of the traffic or his clutch. Could be both, I imagine. There’s just something about a traffic jam that amplifies even the smallest of pet peeves. In frustration, he changes the station to a more melodious one in contrast to the back and forth conversation of the AM, the topic of which by the way was about the traffic. Go figure.
Now, I’m listening to sentimental teeny bopper girl music. Taylor Swift, the Hannah Montana girl, Jonas Brothers, you know the type. I wonder how rude it would be to ask him to just change it back? Or maybe to another station? One that does not confine life to a decision on whether to dump a guy or not? Oh well.
*****
The traffic situation seems to be a lot worse than I had anticipated. We're about 3 kilometers from the airport (that’s a 33 minute ordeal, by the way) and people with large backpacks coming from the airport have begun to walk. No wait, they’re hailing a cab. They walked out of the airport this far to hail a cab yet couldn’t get one? So I’m lucky I guess to be stuck in traffic? For all I know I could be one of these people. And to think that it’s drizzling. The fatigue in my legs braving that long line for an airport taxi paid off, I guess.
I’m trying to figure out why there’s this traffic situation but am arriving at a big blank. The new one way counter clockwise traffic scheme around the airport must have something to do with this. The rotunda leading out the airport is packed with vehicles wanting to go in all sorts of directions. Why they changed the old rotten scheme for an even more inefficient one is open to anyone’s guess. We leave the rotunda, traffic eases a bit in our direction. Yay! Now comes EDSA, another hour at least. Think I’ll take a nap for a bit, all those kilometers of traveling and hours of standing still are taking its toll on me.
It’s a Friday night, the constant rain throughout the afternoon had not only caused the our flight from landing late at the airport but had brought about a horrendous traffic jam as well as flooding in selected areas of the metropolis. Out of boredom while willing the traffic to ease, I thought why not take out my laptop and write a few thoughts? So I locked the doors and turned on my clunky and very heavy laptop (which has brought me misery in my two and a half hour wait for the taxi) and thus this blog.
The taxicab that I am riding is getting more and more irritating with each stop-go situation that this turtle-paced traffic is bringing. There seems to be a problem with the clutch so whenever the driver eases on the clutch pedal, the whole vehicle jerks continuously forward. The hard headrest doesn’t help, feels like I’m being pummeled to and fro and the small legroom of the Toyota Vios keeps on cramping my legs which is already fatigued from standing in line earlier. To make matters even worse, I haven’t had a bite since lunch and it’s already eight o’clock. Wish I had more of those peanuts that they served on the plane.
*****
Cebu City, a few days ago I couldn’t say that the place excites me anymore. Been there quite a bit in the last half a year and though there are a lot of other places within the city that I haven’t explored, how much different can it be from Manila?
I did have a great time this last trip, though. Partly because I discovered that another fraternity brother of mine is already based there. That brings the welcoming committee up to four now! So as usual we had drinks and had many laughs, a great Thursday night, indeed!
In our conversation, they talked about other places in the province, and this piqued my interest. I have long wanted to explore the island of Cebu but the thought of having to spend loads of cash by traveling alone not only discouraged me, but because of the business nature of my trips, there is simply not enough time for all that traveling. But now that more people are here, this increases the chances of having a travel buddy to share the expense as well as the adventure.
*****
I’ve been eating and eating a lot during this particular trip to Cebu, taking full advantage of my boss’ presence. She has been making the rounds, holding lunch meetings and treating the people at our office there for snacks and breakfast. Of course, being her gopher-extraordinaire, I tag along and partake of these feasts. However, there has been one item that eluded me this time around, the famous Cebu Lechon. How I missed this delicacy is in part due to the busy schedule of mine that I haven’t had the opportunity to escape and troop to my favorite Lechon stand.
Somehow I don’t mind at all though, imagine how much more I would weigh now if I did have half a kilo of cruncy-juicy pork? Guess it’s something for the next trip, after all this would be the first time that this hasn’t been on the itinerary.
*****
Metro Manila has been experiencing rains and flooding these past few days, well there’s definitely none of that in Cebu lately. There, it’s the scorching sun all day and starry nights all night. I’ve been having sunburns just from crossing the street, while in Manila I’d be all wet just from puffing on my cigarette. I’ve been trying to decide which situation is the lesser evil but it’s more difficult than I thought.
I did come up with a winner, though. I am more likely to enjoy Cebu’s weather at this time. Rainy Manila is just too inconvenient, and with school opening and traffic worsening, it’s bound to be even more hellish than this past summer. (Oh, did I blog anything about the rainy Manila summer?)
*****
The taxi driver is cursing now, I’m not sure if it’s because of the traffic or his clutch. Could be both, I imagine. There’s just something about a traffic jam that amplifies even the smallest of pet peeves. In frustration, he changes the station to a more melodious one in contrast to the back and forth conversation of the AM, the topic of which by the way was about the traffic. Go figure.
Now, I’m listening to sentimental teeny bopper girl music. Taylor Swift, the Hannah Montana girl, Jonas Brothers, you know the type. I wonder how rude it would be to ask him to just change it back? Or maybe to another station? One that does not confine life to a decision on whether to dump a guy or not? Oh well.
*****
The traffic situation seems to be a lot worse than I had anticipated. We're about 3 kilometers from the airport (that’s a 33 minute ordeal, by the way) and people with large backpacks coming from the airport have begun to walk. No wait, they’re hailing a cab. They walked out of the airport this far to hail a cab yet couldn’t get one? So I’m lucky I guess to be stuck in traffic? For all I know I could be one of these people. And to think that it’s drizzling. The fatigue in my legs braving that long line for an airport taxi paid off, I guess.
I’m trying to figure out why there’s this traffic situation but am arriving at a big blank. The new one way counter clockwise traffic scheme around the airport must have something to do with this. The rotunda leading out the airport is packed with vehicles wanting to go in all sorts of directions. Why they changed the old rotten scheme for an even more inefficient one is open to anyone’s guess. We leave the rotunda, traffic eases a bit in our direction. Yay! Now comes EDSA, another hour at least. Think I’ll take a nap for a bit, all those kilometers of traveling and hours of standing still are taking its toll on me.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Rainy Lazy Days
Ever driven a car with a tinted windshield on a dark rainy night on black asphalt at 80kph? Not very reassuring to say the least. To top it all off, my wipers are in dire need of replacement, with each pass the glass seems even more blurry than the last. This rainy season, I wonder why I even bother staying out at night from the office to drive home amidst all these challenges.
Despite all these, I conveniently forget to do anything about it once I get home and sit on the couch. The forces of inertia are just too great when you're doing nothing but reading a book or watching the asian food channel. Come to think of it, I can't count how many times I've done absolutely zilch when the gravitational pull of the couch has me in its sights.
*****
I've been meaning to go jogging these past couple of days but the rains have provided me with a fantastic excuse. But then, I think of my hip hop abs dvd and suddenly I realize that I'm not too into it for the exercise. I just want to do it because I know that I can't. Do I make any sense at all?
*****
My high school friends and I are planning to go to Sagada for the long weekend. I've been tasked to make the itinerary. As soon as I clicked the send button after emailing them the details, I suddenly realized that we were kinda drunk when we got to this part of the conversation. Suddenly I doubted whether the conversation had any lasting memory in their minds.
The topic came up around the time we got to heckling each other about our last road trip up north three years ago. We realized that we had not had a real getaway since then and the fact that all three of them haven't been to this northern enclave high up in the mountains made it the ideal location. Myself being the only veteran of highland hell, promised to send them the plan and assured them that it was well worth the long weekend. Now I'm having my doubts.
If I remember correctly, we are probably the laziest group of people that I know. Our idea of a good time is simply lounging around, playing video games, drinking and laughing at ourselves. The fact that Sagada is reserved for the adventurous soul should have already disqualified it as a potential destination. Once we travelled all the way to the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, all we did was sit and lie on the beach for 3 hours on a tiny island. Real busybodies.
*****
My high school barkada and I met freshman year at the parking lot of our high school. We were classmates and had been waiting for our ride home for consecutive days and so by the miracle of utter boredom, became friends. Guess we were too lazy to realize that there were other people around so we kinda just stuck with each other through the years.
*****
Well anyway, I can only guess whether this trip will materialize or not in the next few days. Until then, I let myself fall victim to the trap that is the couch.
Despite all these, I conveniently forget to do anything about it once I get home and sit on the couch. The forces of inertia are just too great when you're doing nothing but reading a book or watching the asian food channel. Come to think of it, I can't count how many times I've done absolutely zilch when the gravitational pull of the couch has me in its sights.
*****
I've been meaning to go jogging these past couple of days but the rains have provided me with a fantastic excuse. But then, I think of my hip hop abs dvd and suddenly I realize that I'm not too into it for the exercise. I just want to do it because I know that I can't. Do I make any sense at all?
*****
My high school friends and I are planning to go to Sagada for the long weekend. I've been tasked to make the itinerary. As soon as I clicked the send button after emailing them the details, I suddenly realized that we were kinda drunk when we got to this part of the conversation. Suddenly I doubted whether the conversation had any lasting memory in their minds.
The topic came up around the time we got to heckling each other about our last road trip up north three years ago. We realized that we had not had a real getaway since then and the fact that all three of them haven't been to this northern enclave high up in the mountains made it the ideal location. Myself being the only veteran of highland hell, promised to send them the plan and assured them that it was well worth the long weekend. Now I'm having my doubts.
If I remember correctly, we are probably the laziest group of people that I know. Our idea of a good time is simply lounging around, playing video games, drinking and laughing at ourselves. The fact that Sagada is reserved for the adventurous soul should have already disqualified it as a potential destination. Once we travelled all the way to the Hundred Islands in Alaminos, all we did was sit and lie on the beach for 3 hours on a tiny island. Real busybodies.
*****
My high school barkada and I met freshman year at the parking lot of our high school. We were classmates and had been waiting for our ride home for consecutive days and so by the miracle of utter boredom, became friends. Guess we were too lazy to realize that there were other people around so we kinda just stuck with each other through the years.
*****
Well anyway, I can only guess whether this trip will materialize or not in the next few days. Until then, I let myself fall victim to the trap that is the couch.
Monday, June 1, 2009
Surf's Up!: Road trip to Zambales
Went to the beach yesterday with Kat, the waves were calling her, and myself with nothing better to do tagged along. I spent the better part of the 4 hour journey pondering the likelihood of me trying to surf but ultimately decided against it. Tried skateboarding as a kid, didn't like it and thus squashed any further hope of me on any type of board. (Skimboards, most specially) So what the heck did I do on the beach? I jogged.
Yes, I know it sounds stupid but I really had a lot of fun. Most of the beach was deserted and the terrain varied from soft sand, rocks, weeds and pine forests so I thought it was perfect for a trail run. I took out my trail shoes and went for it, never mind the puzzled look of the surfers all around. Imagine me donning shoes while they were all waxing their boards. I jogged for 45 minutes before my lungs decided to conk out on me and saw me crawling back to where I came from. The sea breeze was perfect for catching my breath and there was even the faint smell of pine trees from the coast.
*****
I came back to the resort and watched as the surfers played with the waves. I found it really interesting that these people have created a subculture entirely their own despite varying backgrounds, day jobs and ages. I counted around 30 surfers at this particular spot, and there were surely other groups at the many other surf sites scattered throughout the country. At this point I was really tempted to try it out but then I saw a wave hit a surfer with his own board and dropped the idea altogether.
*****
Kat finished up 4 hours or so of surfing while I was busy just people watching and keeping mental notes about them. There was this semi-celebrity surfer guy who I see on TV giving surfing lessons at Club Manila East, then there were the middle aged surfers who were clearly looking for an outlet from the everyday grind. Behind me, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two yuppies who just met, exchanging tips and bargains on their surfing accessories. The conversation started with one of the guys borrowing some surf wax, then came the barrage of english typical of the more affluent schools in the metro. ("Dude, like, where did you get that leash? Kuhze mine is malapit na sa breaking point.")
The rains came pouring down late in the afternoon just as everyone had had enough waves and were preparing for the journey back home. Not having rented a cottage or a hut, I was drenched in the cold shower while waiting for my turn at the water pump. No one seemed to mind the rain, so I hid my shivers from view as best as I could and patiently waited for everyone to finish cleaning up.
*****
Kat tells me that last year when they first went to this beach, there was nary a resort or house around and everyone simply settled on the beach and left all their gear in their vehicles while surfing. Well, things have changed a lot in a year as this place is ready to explode with new resorts on the rise.
I remember having been to some of the more established surf spots in Siargao and La Union and imagined this beach looking very much like those places. Well and good, more purchasing power to be spread from Manila to the countryside if that's the case.
*****
A huge concern on the trip back to Manila was my front passenger's side tyre. For the past week I've noticed significant drops in pressure on that side and have been meaning to have it checked out if only I weren't too lazy to do so. The rate of pressure decrease had risen on this particular road trip and I kept hoping to myself that a repeat of the incident during our New Year road trip wouldn't fall upon us. I had the pressure checked in Subic, and by the time we got to the Caltex along the NLEX, there was a 15psi reduction. Oh boy...
Thankfully I got the car limping back to Manila intact without any problem. I could only imagine having to change a flat tyre in the middle of the NLEX, right along the Candaba bridge where the shoulder wasn't that wide. Surely a lesson against procrastination specially when it involves the road-worthiness of my car. Now, do I actually learn from it is another matter entirely.
*****
Interesting to note that during the entire trip, there was a surfboard attached on top of my car. Looking at it from a distance, I never saw my car look so funny as that moment. If you simply looked at that sight, you'd imagine an athletic and active yuppie getting out of the driver's side door. But no, people saw me instead and surely chuckled a bit at the sight of this overweight and out of shape person who probably owns a surfboard for sheer show.
The board was attached by means of a soft rack held together by nylon straps. The straps were tied together inside the car, protruding from the doors. At the beginning of the trip, Kat had exclaimed that thankfully it wasn't raining. I pondered on this statement and wondered what difference would it make. Well, I learned that because the straps were fitted through the rubber linings of the doors, that meant water could seep into it, negating the water-proof sealing of these. So imagine what a joy it was having to drive 100 kilometers in the rain. Water trickled through tiny openings on all 4 doors and droplets soon came in and dripped on the floor and the seat covers. Yay...
*****
Well, to summarize I did enjoy the whole trip. Never mind that I didn't get to ride a surfboard on one of the newer surfing spots of Luzon, I did get some running time in an entirely new place, and Kat did treat me to Razon's for the effort of containing displeasure from the rain inside the car. Maybe next time I could tag along again and go running somewhere else, or just get the chance to drive to God knows where. First things first, gotta have that tyre checked.
*****
Quick update, finally got the tyre replaced... long after it went pfft and I had to run it flat and obliterate the thing. At least it did see me home last night, thanks for that.
Yes, I know it sounds stupid but I really had a lot of fun. Most of the beach was deserted and the terrain varied from soft sand, rocks, weeds and pine forests so I thought it was perfect for a trail run. I took out my trail shoes and went for it, never mind the puzzled look of the surfers all around. Imagine me donning shoes while they were all waxing their boards. I jogged for 45 minutes before my lungs decided to conk out on me and saw me crawling back to where I came from. The sea breeze was perfect for catching my breath and there was even the faint smell of pine trees from the coast.
*****
I came back to the resort and watched as the surfers played with the waves. I found it really interesting that these people have created a subculture entirely their own despite varying backgrounds, day jobs and ages. I counted around 30 surfers at this particular spot, and there were surely other groups at the many other surf sites scattered throughout the country. At this point I was really tempted to try it out but then I saw a wave hit a surfer with his own board and dropped the idea altogether.
*****
Kat finished up 4 hours or so of surfing while I was busy just people watching and keeping mental notes about them. There was this semi-celebrity surfer guy who I see on TV giving surfing lessons at Club Manila East, then there were the middle aged surfers who were clearly looking for an outlet from the everyday grind. Behind me, I eavesdropped on a conversation between two yuppies who just met, exchanging tips and bargains on their surfing accessories. The conversation started with one of the guys borrowing some surf wax, then came the barrage of english typical of the more affluent schools in the metro. ("Dude, like, where did you get that leash? Kuhze mine is malapit na sa breaking point.")
The rains came pouring down late in the afternoon just as everyone had had enough waves and were preparing for the journey back home. Not having rented a cottage or a hut, I was drenched in the cold shower while waiting for my turn at the water pump. No one seemed to mind the rain, so I hid my shivers from view as best as I could and patiently waited for everyone to finish cleaning up.
*****
Kat tells me that last year when they first went to this beach, there was nary a resort or house around and everyone simply settled on the beach and left all their gear in their vehicles while surfing. Well, things have changed a lot in a year as this place is ready to explode with new resorts on the rise.
I remember having been to some of the more established surf spots in Siargao and La Union and imagined this beach looking very much like those places. Well and good, more purchasing power to be spread from Manila to the countryside if that's the case.
*****
A huge concern on the trip back to Manila was my front passenger's side tyre. For the past week I've noticed significant drops in pressure on that side and have been meaning to have it checked out if only I weren't too lazy to do so. The rate of pressure decrease had risen on this particular road trip and I kept hoping to myself that a repeat of the incident during our New Year road trip wouldn't fall upon us. I had the pressure checked in Subic, and by the time we got to the Caltex along the NLEX, there was a 15psi reduction. Oh boy...
Thankfully I got the car limping back to Manila intact without any problem. I could only imagine having to change a flat tyre in the middle of the NLEX, right along the Candaba bridge where the shoulder wasn't that wide. Surely a lesson against procrastination specially when it involves the road-worthiness of my car. Now, do I actually learn from it is another matter entirely.
*****
Interesting to note that during the entire trip, there was a surfboard attached on top of my car. Looking at it from a distance, I never saw my car look so funny as that moment. If you simply looked at that sight, you'd imagine an athletic and active yuppie getting out of the driver's side door. But no, people saw me instead and surely chuckled a bit at the sight of this overweight and out of shape person who probably owns a surfboard for sheer show.
The board was attached by means of a soft rack held together by nylon straps. The straps were tied together inside the car, protruding from the doors. At the beginning of the trip, Kat had exclaimed that thankfully it wasn't raining. I pondered on this statement and wondered what difference would it make. Well, I learned that because the straps were fitted through the rubber linings of the doors, that meant water could seep into it, negating the water-proof sealing of these. So imagine what a joy it was having to drive 100 kilometers in the rain. Water trickled through tiny openings on all 4 doors and droplets soon came in and dripped on the floor and the seat covers. Yay...
*****
Well, to summarize I did enjoy the whole trip. Never mind that I didn't get to ride a surfboard on one of the newer surfing spots of Luzon, I did get some running time in an entirely new place, and Kat did treat me to Razon's for the effort of containing displeasure from the rain inside the car. Maybe next time I could tag along again and go running somewhere else, or just get the chance to drive to God knows where. First things first, gotta have that tyre checked.
*****
Quick update, finally got the tyre replaced... long after it went pfft and I had to run it flat and obliterate the thing. At least it did see me home last night, thanks for that.
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