Happy New Year!

Happy new year bloggers! I dedicate my first entry for 2010 to all those people who went to work on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day to make this joyous season very NORMAL to us!

I spent New Year's Eve with my beau, and then later on with my sister at Bonifacio High Street. While waiting for the clock to strike 12, my sister and I chilled at Caffe Puccinni. It was a good way to observe the people around us, especially those who stayed up late to work so that the rest of us could enjoy a very normal holiday. I mean the staff at the hotel who worked just as if it was an ordinary day. I mean the waiters who served our cocktail drinks so we can toast to 2010. I mean those three gentlemen who moved from table to table with their guitars to serenade the diners. I mean the security guards at The Fort who roamed the vicinity to make sure everything was kept in order. I mean that woman behind the parking ticket booth who waited up to the last car to leave the parking lot after the fireworks.

I may not be able to mention them all, but they were everywhere. These people spent precious moments away from their families, away from their loved ones, on a very special occasion to make the holiday season very special to us. Without their sacrifice, we could not have gone on with our usual festivities and traditions. It is no joke to work on a holiday, especially if it's New Year's Eve. And so I appreciate their efforts and sacrifice. Unknown to them, they have made a lot of people happy. At least, they made me happy.

Good luck to all of us in 2010! Cheers!

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Shopping at Greenhills Tiangge

I'm not really into shopping but last Sunday I had the urge to go to Greenhills Shopping Center just to look at what I could buy to add to my scant wardrobe. The tiangges in Greenhills are the next best thing to Divisoria and the 168 Mall. Although commodities in the latter two are really much cheaper, the tiangges in Greenhills also sell pretty cheap items, of course, coupled with your haggling and bargaining prowess.

I realized then, as I weaved through the throngs of shoppers, why I didn't shop that much. First, I hate crowds! I want to be able to walk at my preferred pace without any hindrances. That's impossible given a very eager Sunday crowd, narrow aisles, and commodities spilling out of the stalls and thrown in your path. Second, I was reminded that tiangges come with limitations, the most glaring of which is the lack of fitting rooms. The saleslady spread a blanket on one corner instead as a makeshift fitting room while I tried on one of their blouses. Afterwards, I had to settle at a handheld mirror to see how the blouse looked on me.

I would have wanted to buy a one-piece casual dress but I didn't want the inconvenience of fitting. I wasn't comfortable with removing my shirt and pants given the vulnerability of their fitting rooms LOL. So I bought one red blouse with embroidery which I was able to haggle for P350 (from P600, tsk tsk!). And then I bought a casual pair of slip-ons that's a clone of the Crocs Santa Cruz model, for P250. Not bad. That was all my shopping money could afford me. Methinks impulsive buying is fun sometimes. :)

Shopping in tiangges is very inviting because of the cheap finds and the thrill of bargaining. It is no different in Greenhills tiangge. I suddenly missed a friend of mine who was very good in bargaining but now resides in the States. I'm not an expert at it, but I can relay here what friends advise me. It might help you with your Christmas shopping soon.

First, don't haggle if you don't intend to buy. You will only irritate the saleslady if she gives in to your price but you are not wont to take it.

Second, expect tag prices to be steep offhand since they really give allowances for cheapskates like us :)  You could try your luck at bargaining for half the price but for sure they won't give it. But try to bargain for as low as you can and don't settle for the first discounted price they tell you. Chances are, there's still room to go lower.

And last, of course good social skills will really go a long way. The salesladies warm up to buyers who are pleasant to deal with. A little cajoling will help so that asking for a discount is not being a too serious conversation.

Happy shopping!

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Tips on How to Pass the ACET

So you want to study in Ateneo? You must first pass the ACET or the Ateneo College Entrance Test. Here in Manila at the Katipunan campus, the ACET will be from September 19 to 20. Provincial exams will be held on January next year. Here are some random tips on how to pass the ACET:

1. Avoid enrolling in review centers. The bulk of the examinations anyway will be based on stock knowledge. There's no use ramming down crammed information in your head. Saves you money and energy. If you know the answer, you know it. If you don't, then you don't.
2. Instead of staying up late to review on the eve of the exam, sleep early. Eat well before you leave the house. An empty stomach affects the brains.
2. ACET is a test of speed also. You have to answer as fast as you can given a time limit. Again, if you know the answer, then you know it. If not, trust your instincts and guess. The idea is to answer as much as you can. A guessed answer is better than leaving a number blank.
3. Yes, a big part of the exam is Math. Don't be scared. It will only rattle you. Answer as fast as you can because you will soon realize that you have to answer so many math items in a matter of a few minutes.
4. Bring at least 3 sharpened pencils to be safe.
5. Don't forget your exam permit! Gosh, that's such a hassle.
6. Psyche yourself. If you think it will be hard, it will be hard. If you think it will be easy, it will be easy.
7. Just do your best! You are not competing with anyone else but yourself.

Remember, the ACET is not the end-all and be-all of your life. How you fare in this test will not define your being. If you pass, congratulations! If you fail, it does not matter. For as long as you excel in any school you go to, you will go places.Good luck!

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Fully Booked Discount Card!

I finally have my own discount card at Fully Booked! It entitles me to 10% discount for every book purchased in cash, and 5% discount on credit cards. It doesn't apply to books on sale and consigned items but still, it's a Fully Booked discount card! So happy! Thanks much to my sister Rins, who btw, is a budding and talented cartoonist. You can view her artworks HERE. :)

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Let's Continue the Legacy of Cory Aquino

I was 9 years old in 1986 when the People Power Revolution erupted quite spontaneously to topple a dictatorial rule of 20 years. We lived quite near ABS-CBN in Mother Ignacia, and also near Times Street where the Aquino's used to live. I would see tora-toras (helicopters) hovering above our house without really understanding what they were, except that they sounded scary when flying quite low.

But through the years I began to understand what it all was about. The historical events were retold to me by my parents especially when Ninoy's death anniversary would come every August. I do not like history subjects in school but I would find myself listening intently when the EDSA Revolution is the topic. Maybe it was because it was recent history that unfolded in my lifetime. The key people being discussed were still alive before my eyes, like Fidel Ramos, Juan Ponce Enrile, and of course, Cory Aquino.

And so I grew up seeing Cory in the forefront of many political issues in the Philippines. I admired her intently for her meekness, humility and steadfastness to the truth. I am not a very prayerful person, but I envy a woman like Cory who really believed in the power of prayers and who could really lift up all of her fears and worries to the Lord. Last year, the news of her acquiring colon cancer sent all of us in shock. When her daughter Kris took a leave from SNN (a showbiz news show) indefinitely last month to be with her mom, I knew Cory Aquino's condition has worsened already even if public statements would say she was in stable condition. It was all just going to be a matter of a few weeks.

I was in Boracay last Saturday when news of Cory's death reached me. I was woken up at 6AM, barely 3 hours since her passing, when my friend literally elbowed me from my slumber so we could watch the news. And there it was flashed in our screens Noynoy Aquino giving the official statement of his mom's death. I was expecting it already, but it was still all hard to process in the early morning when just the night before I mixed beer and tequila in my system.

I wrote something in haste (the blog entry before this), scrambled for a wifi connection and posted it. It was all so overwhelming and I just wanted to say something. But now, three days after Cory's passing, I'm back in Manila and able to follow more closely the events related to Cory's wake and funeral. I listened to Kris Aquino give a blow by blow account of her mother's last days since Cory's condition worsened beginning of July. I tuned in to the necrological rites and listened to the 20 speakers who all had their own stories to share about the former Philippine president. And as if what Cory did for our country isn't enough yet to make me admire her so much, listening to the personal anecdotes of these 20 chosen speakers left me awestruck at her kindheartedness that obviously was really second nature to her.

Cory Aquino made possible what our world today will perceive as impossible. She was selfless, loyal to her country, and prayerful. She had an unwavering faith amidst the hardest trials she faced in her life, and truly believed in the innate goodness of every Filipino. In this time of prevalent corruption, political bickering, crab mentality and social divisiveness, who would still choose their country first over their families? But then again, that is actually the magic of Cory. She inspired Filipinos to put behind their personal gain for the best interest of the country. She inspired us to continue hoping even when it seems like it's a lost cause already. She would choose to clasp her hands in prayers and urge everyone to do the same.

The Filipino nation is once more in nostalgia with Cory's death. Once more it has stirred people to go back to the streets and relive what Cory (and her husband Ninoy) had fought for to regain democracy. I sincerely hope that this burning fever felt nationwide and around the world is not short-lived, but instead a lasting moving factor for us to begin change within ourselves. Because I fear that all the emotions surging high in all of us now is fleeting. In a month or two after Cory is finally laid to rest, what will we do? Will we participate in the presidential election next year and exercise our rights to vote? Or will we once again be apathetic and raise an eyebrow in our system?

Cory Aquino will be brought to her final resting place today beside her husband, Ninoy Aquino. But it is all up to us now to show the world that what Ninoy died for, and what Cory continued fighting for, are all not in vain. They believed in the Filipino people, and so should we begin believing in ourselves. Because only then can we truly effect change. Let us continue the legacy of Cory Aquino.

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Cory Aquino Dies at 76

I was woken up to the news that former Philippine President Corazon Aquino passed away. It still came as a shock to me although it was somehow expected already. For the past week, she was being heavily sedated with painkillers to make sure that her last few moments were made very comfortable to her, albeit silent in her sleep. She finally breathed her last while the family was praying around her at 3:18AM of August 1, 2009. It was the perfect way everyone knew she would have liked to finally join her Creator.

Cory, as she is more known, is one political figure I have seen and followed since I was young. I am lucky I got to live in her lifetime as compared to others who will only be able to read about her greatness in the history books. Hers was a very colorful life. She touched the lives of so many people around the world.

Cory in all her seeming frailty and innocence in the political arena stirred the Filipino nation without a blink of an eye to rouse reforms, end the 20-year dictatorial rule of the Marcoses and finally restore democracy in our land. No other woman could have been that influential. Deciding to run for president in the snap elections was the most selfless action she ever did for our country, never mind if she was very inexperienced. Her administration may have suffered many criticisms and had the most number of coup attempts but no one could destroy her courage, pure heart and desire to serve the Philippines. She remained unflinching to the very end of her term.

Cory Aquino was deeply admired throughout the world. She inspired non-violent means of protests. But more than this, I will always look up to Cory as a mother. Youngest daughter Kris Aquino made a lot of weak decisions that Cory may not have necessarily agreed with, but Cory showed her undying support through and through. It is always etched in my mind that scene wherein Cory embraced Kris after the latter faced the public to admit she acquired STD.

The Filipinos now mourn the passing of a great icon. Up to her last breath, the assassination of her husband Ninoy Aquino remains a mystery. But for Cory, it probably doesn’t matter anymore as she is now reunited with him once again after a very long wait.

I wonder who she would have endorsed for the presidential elections next year. We’ll never know now. But it’s certain she would advise the Filipinos to pray for clean elections and to let our consciences rule our choices.

Rest in peace, Tita Cory.

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Mumay's First Field Trip

Let me introduce Mumay. She's our baby lhasa apso. A lot of people think she's a shih tzu, but she's not, okay?! She's grown markedly in only a month's time that she's been with us. She's much heavier now and eats a lot. The previous dogs we owned were all daunted in climbing our staircase, and Mumay was no exception. In the first few days she would cry a lot in fear of taking those steps to reach us upstairs. She slipped down a couple of times and slammed her fragile body against the door behind. But she's so brave and didn't stop trying. In no time at all, she is now climbing our stairs confidently. And she's only three months old! Hay, I'm so proud.

Going down is another feat. She will take it one step at a time at first. Then, she will rush on in her last few steps ostentatiously and will beam at me with pride. Yay, that's my girl!

Mumay had her third vaccine and first antirabies shot yesterday. She got Royal Canin doggie treats and a new bowl from her vet (thanks!!). Afterwards, we brought her to U.P. for her first taste of the outside world. Too bad we weren't able to take videos of her but she was so fun to look at. She instinctively sniffed her new surroundings with caution and stayed close to us. But she warmed up fast and was soon chasing us around. She would also chase after the joggers and bikers around her!

Our baby got tired easily. We set home after giving her water. And then we realized that she dirtied her feet for the first time. She's been used to walking on clean floors only. So we wiped clean her paws before allowing her to climb up the bed. She immediately fell asleep after her dinner, obviously tired. It was a long day for Mumay but she was so happy! :)

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My Artistic Sister

My sister has been cartooning (drawing cartoons) ever since I can remember. However, back in our elementary and high school days, our mom had to prioritize our studies, and my sister's drawing desires had to take a backseat.

I remember how fondly she would draw cartoons, her hands moving in quick and accurate strokes on her sketchpad. But in all those times, her drawings will be hidden under her bed instead of being flaunted for display.

In school, her cartoons will be regular fixtures in the blackboard as designs during the quarterly parent-teacher association (PTA) meetings. During these meetings, it will not be unusual for the teachers to rave about her artworks to my parents instead of talking about her academic performance (hahaha!). But it does not mean though that she was performing weakly in school. Suffice it to say that we were both achievers then. ;-)

Anyways, time went by in lightning speed. And as we entered college, for varied reasons, my sister lost her interest in drawing. Soon enough, we were immersed in our own personal pursuits and thriving to establish our careers.

It has been more than a decade now, and then she suddenly comes up to me to say that she wants to revive her first love. She wants to start drawing again. The idea is simply rad! And thus, I give her the go, go, go signal. :)

I believe in her talent. With practically very little formal training, she can draw cartoons like a pro. You can view her artworks HERE.

Visit her site regularly as she will be constantly updating it. :)

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Encephalic!

Encephalic! It’s practically a new word to my ears. I know what stupid or brainless is, but encephalic? Apparently, it means pertaining to the brain. It doesn’t say anything about being stupid, but the big, fat man who shouted it for the whole world to hear, meant it in a very derogative way. I would have felt very smart to correct him and say that it should more appropriately be "unencephalic" to mean “no brain.” But as he was standing inches away from me, with piercing eyes and scary sagging cheeks, I couldn’t even manage to look at him.

My mom and I were barely seated and browsing the menu when this man upstaged the rote and monotonous Japanese greetings of the waiters. He was ugly. He looked like Hagrid with a shorter beard. The next thing I saw, the waiters were circled around a small trash bin and sorting out trash.

This man dined in the restaurant before catching a last full show. But for some encephalic reasons, his movie ticket was not in his pocket, bag or wallet. It was on top of the table. After eating, he walks off while the waiters mechanically cleaned his leftovers and used tissues.

Along with the movie ticket.

The outrage he displayed was simply super exaggerated. He disturbed everyone dining in that small restaurant. And he blurted out all this demeaning remarks to the staff. To everyone but himself.

You know what they say. The stupidest man is one who does not realize he is one.

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Losing Weight

I have a month left to achieve that perfect figure before I slip into my bridesmaid gown. I've been gyming (an invented term I'm fond of using to mean working out in the gym) for two months now yet my body seems uncooperative. I lost two pounds since I last weighed. But now I think I gained a pound back. My weight's as swingy as my mood. I lose one or two pounds, then gain it back easily before I can even jump in ecstasy. Trimming down for my friend's upcoming wedding is just a small thing though. I just want to feel good and feel pretty on that day :) But more importantly than that, I'm gyming because I'd like to take care of my health. I want to feel good about myself. I hate the feeling of getting tired easily, or feeling heavy. I want to stay fit for as long as I can.

Sadly, I think it's in my genetic makeup to get fat. I look at my mom and her sisters (my aunts) and it always brushes my head that I'll grow older to be like them (size-wise). I haven't even been to child labor yet I'm having a hard time trimming my tummy now. I've complained endlessly of exhausting all means of abdominal exercises available in the gym. I guess some of us are just not born to be sexy babes. Maybe some fats are more stubborn than the others. Wearing a two-piece suit in the beach may forever remain a dream.

I don't sweat easily, and I think this poses as one hindrance in losing weight. Sometimes I envy the people around me who could easily break into a sweat during a physical activity. During cold, rainy days, I can get tired from playing badminton without sweating that much. When gyming or jogging, I still have to wear a sweater. I have read conflicting information in the internet about sweating and I don't know what to believe anymore. There's one saying that people who don't sweat easily are not healthy people. Haller?? I'm healthy, excuse me. My gym instructor adds that fats are burned only through sweat, so it's a must to perspire to burn those calories. Still, there's another I've read that says it doesn't matter if I don't sweat much for as long as I feel body tiredness from a workout. Whatever. I'm still in the game of losing weight. Even if I never attain that va-va-voom figure, I'll be happy to merely lose 5lbs. There are no signs of bailing out.

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Racing With Time

I joined my second race last Sunday. It wasn’t a bad run, but I timed two minutes longer than my first run last March. I can’t exactly explain how this happened when I was sure I could beat my own time. Ok, make that half-sure. My friend, who ran the race with me, said she felt that the course we took was more than 5 kilometers (our entry level in the race). Does that rationalize for the two minutes? I don’t want excuses like that to cover up for my failure.

My friend admitted of cheating in the race. She took a shortcut when no one was watching. The shortcut saved her around three minutes. I guess we have different reasons for joining. She just wants to be a finisher. I don’t want to merely finish the race, but more importantly to improve my clock time.

It’s not as if the world ended and I’m sulking at my failure. I’m still in the top 40 percentile of the overall finishers. I overtook a lot of twenty-something girls in the race also. I could beam with pride :) But at this point, I still want to push myself to the limit, and see how far I can (still) go. If I can improve my time by 3-4 minutes, I’ll be really happy. But building up my endurance is not that easy. Lately, I realize that I am racing with Time. I’m not getting any younger and there are still a lot of things I want to experience before nature takes its own course and my knees begin to wobble.

I don’t want to sound like an oldie. I’m just thirty! I’m turning thirty-one in a couple of months. But I still want to be fit for the next twenty years of my life. So if Time wants to race with me, game on! I’m looking forward to my next race. Hopefully, I’ll do better then. :)

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Three Chapters Everyday

I once told myself that I will write for Youngblood before I reach 30, and I did. At another time, I said I wanted to learn how to commute and overcome my fears in taking public rides, and I did. I said I wanted to join a marathon, and I did (even if I only joined the 5km-run hehe) But now one friend of mine is suggesting a different challenge. When asked for advice on how to overcome my depression, she advised me to go to mass and to read the bible. Read the bible. She told me that I should read the bible everyday. Ok, she inserted the word "TRY." Try to read the bible everyday. She even attempted to inspire me by saying that if I read three chapters everyday I would have read the bible in one year! Ah, it's not an easy dare. Just sizing up the thickness of this book with my thumb and index finger is giving me the creeps already. I only opened the bible as part of reading requirements in theology classes in school. I couldn't recall anymore the passages I used to memorize just to pass my exams.

For a while there, I forgot about my depression and just thought about taking up on the challenge. Do I want to die without having read the bible? Maybe I could add this up to the list of things I want to do before I die. I'm still thinking about it. Three chapters before I sleep. Hmmmm.

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Judge not lest ye be judged

We were strolling along the Waterfront Road in Subic, watching the seemingly elite crowd who were renting jet skis for Php1900 per 30 minutes. I heard one woman ask her approaching daughter, "Why are you barefoot? Didn't I bought you beach slippers?" To myself I immediately muttered, "Didn't buy."

I glanced at the woman. She exuded an air of confidence and elitism. She, a woman who seemed well-versed in English, erred in grammar sans the pressure of a crowd. At this point, my bf commented that she was worse than Janina San Miguel, the Bb. Pilipinas contestant who suffered all sorts of mockery for her stumble in the Q&A portion of the said pageant.

I agree.

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First Christmas Together

This year proved to be quite eventful for me if only for the fact that I finally stripped off my fears and went ahead to jump in another relationship. For the third time. It’s been several months now and the big changes are still rubbing on me. And though everything’s not as smooth-sailing as I wanted it to be (damnation to the frolic gossipers!), we’re doing good, thank you.

I dreamt of marrying my first s.o. in my younger days, just like what happened to my mother. But time and experience told me it’s not that simple. My past two relationships lasted for some years before the unfortunate breakups, so that now I’m starting to feel the exhaustion of it all. For this third time, even with some initial hesitations, I decided to go for it again.

It was a difficult process for me, really, especially since some people were hurt along the way. But I came to this point where I know that I just have to think of myself for now and live by the decision I made.

And so, this will be our first Christmas together. No, I’m honestly not expecting something grand to happen. I’m just in this mixed state of disbelief, contentment and joyful hoping for better things to come.

Big changes. They happen at the most unexpected moments.

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Running

I feel like I am this athlete who waited for the resounding gunshot to snap me off my seemingly immobile stance and push me to run. I was unmoving for a very long time. Then I started running, and there's no turning back from there on. It's a race to the finish line. And as is every runner's ultimate goal, I want to reach the finish line though I don't necessarily emerge a champion. I'm a winner in my own right just by deciding to run and finish the journey.

I am not good in racing. I never win. But I'm proud to say that I don't stop in the middle and quit. I just go for it. I just let my legs carry me to my destination. And today, I started running again like I just can't stop, like my legs are transporting me beyond my control. And it doesn't feel like racing anymore, because who am I actually racing with but myself? I'm just probably running after my future and trying to grab it no matter how bleak the horizons seem.

I'm so scared, of where I will be and of what I will become. I'm so scared that by running too much, the dust that gathers behind might blur my vision at the back. I'm so scared that by running and running, I come across my starting point once again. I'm scared of the overwhelming permutation of possibilities ahead of me. I'm scared that if I'm not able to control my pacing, I might stumble and fall. I'm scared of running, but I'm running anyway.

I'm running towards a new life. Lots and lots of good memories trail behind me.

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Wishing for Libraries

There aren’t many public libraries in this country! This thought occurred to me just yesterday. See, I asked a friend from the States to buy me this particular book (The Shadow of the Wind) in amazon.com (Trivia: Ordinary shipping from Amazon takes a month. I’m expecting my book to arrive on the last week of May. Waiting is such an agony, but I’m so excited! Thanks so much to my friend and her husband who shouldered the cost and won’t make me pay back. Owe you one, big time).

The Shadow of the Wind is written in Spanish by Carlos Ruiz Zafon and has been translated only recently in English. It’s not yet available in Fully Booked or Powerbooks, and I’m crossing my fingers that it won’t be available any time soon. Otherwise, my copy from Amazon wouldn’t be such a treasure anymore (Hello!). And if anyone happens to find this book anywhere here in Manila, don't bother to comment. I'm not interested to know, ok? Ok!

My book order stirred the curiosity of this friend of mine in the States, which inevitably sent her to the nearest library to borrow a copy of Shadow of the Wind. And there it just hit me, why can’t our government invest in putting up public libraries also? I only know of the National Library, and I’ve heard so much about their limited and sometimes outdated resource materials. I imagine that if there were a decent and accessible library that our barangay or local government could put up, I will probably hang out there a lot instead of in the malls. Or how about actually having libraries inside the malls? Haha! I sound so nerdy. I know of lots of people who love reading but would resort to electronic books due to budget constraints. The idea of borrowing books will surely be a better option than grabbing e-books. I mean, yes, I’ve raved about e-books for a while there, and I still do, but real books are still better.

The only good libraries I know of are inside the universities, and your privileges expire once you graduate. It’s a shame. Reading doesn't stop in school. In fact it's so much better now sans the pressure of time and grades, and that's as nerdy as I can get. If we can rent cars and videos, I wish we can rent books or magazines also.

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Something Good from Milenyo

The recent typhoon Milenyo made us all crawl in darkness for three days. After the strong winds passed, we were left with no electricity, no water, no phone lines and cell signals. In our house, that meant no air conditioners, cold showers in the morning, no PCs, no internet connection, no cable TV, no radio and no text messages coming in that totally disconnected me from the world outside. I had no idea if my friends were in the same predicament or if ours was an isolated case. The regular Saturday EBs proceeded smoothly while I thought the games were cancelled all along. At night, we wrestled with stale air in our sleep. It was a rare moment of envy for those sleeping peacefully in open air on the sidewalks while we were constantly awakened by the heat. Although we have a generator, it was turned off by midnight. We were only turning it on earlier in the day, mainly to keep my bro's fishes alive. During these times of temporary power, we would all scamper to the nearest sockets to recharge lamps and cellular phones. With no cell signal however, my phone became as useful as a calculator and sudoku game only.

If the typhoon did any good, it is that I read that it washed out the mosquitoes carrying the dengue virus. In our house, we closed shop for two days. And that very pleasant change in my routine is something I welcome and actually look forward to every time. I was able to wake up late again with no pressure, and lazed around all day. In the evenings, it's funny to think that we were likened to chicks forced to huddle in a room lighted by a small bulb that is powered by a car battery. We dug up on two old word games, Boggle and Upwords, both of which are better alternatives to the online Literati game if only because any word that's approved by the majority is deemed a valid move. And so the ladies played (read: conjured all sorts of unthinkable words) while silently wishing for power and water to come back and make our lives normal again. But that temporary fit of abnormality is also something that the typhoon did good, don't you think so? And now, finally, it's back to your regular programming. :)

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Closer Look at the Urban Poor

Last night’s adventure was as close as I can get to the conditions of the urban poor. My friends and I went about to visit a lady for some business with her but truth to tell, I wasn’t exactly expecting the kind of place we ended up on. I was silently surprised that the roads we traversed turned narrower as we came closer to our destination. It wasn’t exactly a squatter’s area, but it surely was a humble dwelling of those people making ends meet from day to day.

I was able to park behind an otherwise beat-up jeepney (was it?). Then off we went at once down a slippery congested slope leading to the lady’s house. The path was dim. It was obvious that we were visitors not used to that kind of place. We were taking small and calculated steps each time. Sometimes, we were forced to cling to a wall during missteps down the uneven course. I feared that the wall I held on to with regret was stained with urine from some bystanders I passed by early on.

The lady’s house was small but brims with some 7 or 8 housemates if I’m not mistaken. There were 3 kids and the rest adults. I couldn’t make out the relations of each to the other but the lady who we came for was the mother of the children. I surveyed the rest of the household and no one seemed to be the father. Maybe he was still at work.

The house was a square piece of land with plain hollowed blocks as walls. The yero (galvanized iron roof) served as the ceiling already. Only curtains partitioned the abode into three areas. One-half was the bedroom, one-fourth living room and one-fourth kitchen. The bedroom was just several tables put together with pillows on top. Only one “bed” had the comforts of a thin sheet of foam. The “closet” was actually just a mountainous pile of clothes in a corner. One has to literally dig for the shirt they want to wear. In fact, this small girl spent some time whining, as she could not find her panty on the heap.

The toilet could be found just outside behind the kitchen. It was surrounded by only a low curtain for privacy; no roof on top. The small and bare toilet bowl sat next to two big drums of water. The lady who led me to the toilet apologized repeatedly for this “condition” though I really didn’t mind. I just silently wondered how the ladies of that house could take a bath there without feelings of uneasiness.

Since my friends and I (four of us) crowded ourselves in the small living room for most of the night, the rest of the household spent the whole time outside singing along in their videoke machine. It really is becoming a modern Filipino pastime. The only intermission was a simple dinner of sinigang na isda. I noticed that they only had spoons and plates; no forks. They push the food to the spoon with their thumbs. They finished eating quickly, wiped out the table clean at once and just as quickly resumed to their loud singing binge.

It’s not everyday that I see such kind of cramped living condition. It was still decent living compared to the more impoverished sleeping under the bridge or in a kariton. I was just being quite observant last night. Simple joys truly abound the place. For what is greatly lacking in material, they compensate for in a lot of other ways. The small girl who by this time found a panty to wear seemed to have no interest in videoke. Instead, she found her niche at a corner playing with toys by her lonesome. Though there really is not much room for privacy, I think one of the perks of a small house is that there’s no choice but to bump around each other and bond the whole time. I guess that was evident from what I encountered last night.

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A Material World

She’s in third year high school already. So that makes her around 15 or 16 years old. She’s old enough to know better. People her age are starting to develop crushes and experience crying over their first heartaches in life. But the material girl is still a child, and she cried over a cellphone she could not afford. She cried in front of me.

She was one big heavyweight girl, big frame and limbs, tall and unpoised; everything about her was big except for her teeny weeny brain which could not ingest simple ideas of practicality and frugality. Imagine a crying giant in front of you. The scene was totally ugly! It was so unbelievable! I was so pissed with her crying that my pakialamera button went on again and her mother sure got a good verbal beating of my piece of mind.

Her money was not enough to buy the brand new Nokia 6020 I was selling. And when her mother refused to lend her some for what she lacked, she cried. As the girl went to one corner with shoulders shaking in deep frustration, I told the mom that her daughter should learn that she could not have everything she wants at her whim. She was old enough to know better than to cry over a petty thing, especially that she has a phone already, what need does she have for a second one? The giant girl even challenged her mom, “Wala raw pera pero maya-maya lang pupunta yan ng SM o.” Oh yes! The world has gone crazy, and the mother went through hell and back to get the sum needed.

Why o why? The world has gone terribly materialistic with a surplus of mothers unfit for the roles they sadly carry for life. Pity the crying giant. Pity the loving mom who doesn’t realize the harm she does to her child. Pity this materialistic world.

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Corrections please

I can’t help it. I wanna unleash some uncalled for bitchiness because I’m silently irked with the mistakes I’ve been reading repeatedly in our badminton forum. I don’t claim to know it all, but at least I want to say the things I know for a fact:

1. Queuing is spelled like so, with one E between two U’s. It came from the word queue. If you want to add -ing at the end to make it a gerund or a present progressive verb, please drop the second E. It is sinful in English to spell it as queueing, or queing.

It applies to other words ending in ue. Argue becomes arguing; continue becomes continuing. What makes it different with queue and queuing???

2. It’s a happy world when one wins a game because there’s a small margin for confusion. The trouble begins in losing. I get really lost when I read “we lose” or “we loss.” Yes, after tossing, it is said to have been tossed. But after losing, it doesn’t mean you lossed! Get lost! And please don’t tell me you loose because that makes you a double loser! Yes, looser too!

3. We are a friendly badminton group helping each other improve our games. You can always ask us for an advice or pieces of advice, but forgive us if we cannot give you adviceS. If it’s advisable that you learn the proper footwork to quickly get to the shuttle with ease, it is definitely not adviceable, neither is it advicable! And lastly, please be advised that you are not being adviced!

4. Regarding the fact that the prefix ir- and the suffix -less are both negative affixes, it is safe to disregard -ir and just say regardless, regardless of how disregarding is the matter. Okay, since the word irregardless has been annoying me for a long time, I surfed on the net and found out it has become acceptable but is actually not a correct usage in formal writing. Why, isn’t it just absurd to attach 2 affixes with much less the same meaning in one word?

5. Do not spoil an occasion with an extra S. One S will always be enough.

There. I just want to let that all out of me.

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