ZZZzzzZZZ...

this one's pretty retarded:

...happened twice now...i eat a lot of chinese food (or is it just the seafood dishes?)...and the same bodily phenomenon happens to me...exactly the same order of events too...first i eat, then i get lost in all that eating, therefore i keep doing it, *LOLz*...and as soon as i wash it all down with soda, i feel something weird inside my head...as if a virtual roman candle/fire cracker materializes from somewhere deep in the convolutions of my cerebrum then shoots up hitting the top of my skull from within...exploding into a spray of tiny stars (happy 4th of july, brain!)...hello, ofcourse that is just my sick imagination attempting to describe how this chopstick-inspired dizziness spell begins with me...and how does it end?...me being totally knocked out, barely making it home...and falling into instant delta-sleep...believe me, this can give demerol a run for its money...then, after being sort of unconscious for about 10-15 years, i mean minutes...i wake up again.

what the hell is that??? is it just me? some say it's the seafood (info: seafood has a lot of allergens so the body produces drowsiness-causing anti-histamines to counter them, even if one isn't clinically allergic)...maybe that's what makes one sleepy...but wait, i didn't eat a lot of seafood that day...maybe it's the MSG...

Mono-Sodium-Glutamate?...or My Severe Gluttony???

i won't be surprised with the answer...   *sigh*

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By the way, I wanna say hi and thanks to Ging and Gina and the rest of my "ka-Friendsters" for taking the time out to read my blogs, post comments or send me sweet notes in my inbox.  You just don't know it, but you're making me really happy!

The Voice of Twilight

Recently, Daddy handed me a copy of an official document which I am not really interested about at this point. It was a freshly drawn contract between him and an american vehicle company which was going to lease our property for their showroom, sales/after-sales and customer service departments.  He gave copies to my two sisters as well. I accepted it as casually as he handed it while he said, "I am giving this because the lease contract is for twenty years and you have to know these things including the escalation agreement and other details".  He said it as matter-of-factly as he could but it didn't take me more than five seconds to get the message.  Twenty years.  He is 69 right now.  Mommy is 65. In twenty years, he will be 89...Mommy 85.  He didn't want to verbalize it but it was short of saying...by the time the contract expires, will they ever be around still? 

My early childhood memories flashed before me, where before Superman and Wonderwoman, my first superheroes were Daddy and Mommy.  They were big and strong and could even make anything possible.  Even a soft blow on a cut on my finger could make the pain go away, or a school project would be completed overnight on my last minute notice.  I felt a jolt in the pit of my stomach as I held the document that Daddy handed me.  All of a sudden, I am made to swallow the sad news that my greatest heroes are humans just like me.  I was coming face-to-face with their mortality. Even with my own, although this doesn't as much bother me compared to realizing that someday, my "Dah" and "Mee-mah" will grow older...and weaker...and even succumb to the  superheroes' final battle (oh, I can't even say it). It is part and parcel of the cycle of life.  It is something all of us have to face and prepare for.  I just never imagined it holding true in my own immediate family. The lease contract burst my bubble.

All my life, I have always tried to be a good child to them.  BUT, all these new thoughts made me feel that I have not done enough. And it's not even as a debt-payback.  It is for the simple reason that they deserve only the best, simply for being themselves.  Time is running.  I still have a lot of work to do. I will love them and serve them unconditionally while I still can (despite faults, occasional temper tantrums, adult memory lapses, the infamous consequences of generation gap, technological ignorance, blunders and all). 

I know that forever will never be enough, but I will try my best while I can, every moment, every second. 

Ma and Da, I'm sorry if I have not done enough. I LOVE YOU BOTH WITH ALL MY HEART. AND THANK YOU FOR ALWAYS BEING THERE FOR ME.

Let's play!

"We don't stop playing because we get old ... We get old because we stop playing."

— CATHERINE GLENNIE

The Great Wall

Heights don't scare me.  (I may not be as kick-ass as I dream to be but yeah, heights don't scare me).  There's a bunch of technically "less-threatening" things that scare the wits out of me, and that...I am embarassed to tell.

So wall-climbing had been one of the things in my To Do list for a long, long time.  I grabbed the opportunity yesterday as a spur of the moment thing.  I was in muscle-mode anyway, after hitting the gymn with my buddies.

I was so excited as I looked up the wall and I told myself that as a novice, if I reached even half the height of the wall, I'd be so happy.  My friend Raquel agreed to climb with me. She, who is not exactly a big fan of heights and who doesn't dig these stuff, agreed to climb for our friendship.   

We got ready.  My friends Noreen and Angie cheered on and a small crowd started to form below us (yikes!). I was doing quite well until I glanced sideways at Raquel and saw her doing a swift spiderman move and going up like it was second nature to her (hmmm, have you been secretly doing this, gurl?). That's when I paused and started to wonder how I was doing myself and suddenly, I realized I probably sucked  at it.  My confidence faltered, not to mention the tiny, half-a-lemon-shaped, grip-challenged rock mocking me from 80% of the climb.  My right hand kept slipping off it.  I gave up.

Raquel made it to the top.  I'm really happy for her because it's indeed something she never imagined doing.  In our duo, I have always been the action buff while she's the little-miss-lady-like-princess.  It's really quite a humbling experience for me, in a positive sort of way.  Well, I made 75% of the climb which isn't bad.  I'm actually happy with myself. No, I'm ecstatic because I wanted the experience so much more than the goal.  But looking back now, I realized that I should have pushed for the goal as well.  That's why I'm a bit sad for my friends who cheered me on and truly believed in me. 

That wall gave me a lot of lessons...

* Never give up. I kept looking back and thinking, if I had tried harder, would I have reached and touched the goal rock on the top? Maybe.

* When someone with experience talks, it will pay to listen and follow with blind faith.  TRUST. Raquel said this is what she did. She followed her coach blindly.  I was a little stubborn and even questioned what my coach had to say.  See what happened?

*Aim high.  This may sound so cliche but it's true that you can only reach as far as you dream.  I remember telling myself that if I reach half the length, I'll be happy. Apparently, that's mediocre.  Aim for the moon, so when you fall, you will still land among the stars.

*Your REAL friends will be willing to do anything for you. Suffer with you, maybe even die for you...move mountains...conquer their own fears.  Mine will climb walls, hehehe (and pay for my wall-climbing trip ...Thanks Noreen!)

*When you're almost there, don't stop.  It's okay to pause just enough to rest but not too long to lose it altogether.  (*SIGH* I have issues about this...in the next blogs to come...)

*Sometimes, don't think of yourself...achieve things for the others too, who have so much faith in your own capabilities.  Prove them right.  Usually, if they really know you, they know how far you can go.  Yet, this is somewhat contradicting the other cliche that says...Set your own goals and achieve them for yourself.  Don't let others be a pressure. For this, well, to each his own!

*Lastly, practice makes perfect. If at first you fail, try again.

               I can't wait for my next climb.

Non-kitchen Tips from a Chef/Restaurateur

"Give yourself time; it is important.  Burning out is a reality.  Stay healthy and always learn to take a step back.  Take time to figure out the good that you have done, instead of agonizing over what you did wrong."

- Todd English, USA Iron Chef

PS. This guy is a hottie. Hehehe.  As delectable as his dishes and as hot as his oven. Click here to check him out...uhrm...I mean, his recipes...

Nang-nang, ang saya-saya talaga!

Yesterday was a blast.  I spent it with my nieces Monique and Issa and my nephew Carlos.  We went for burgers and potato wedges at HOTSHOTS (I always love the Kamikaze...flame-grilled burger with tons of wasabi on the dressing ***winner!***), I got ice cream for Issa -- she didn't want a burger for lunch but to hell with a balanced meal (yeah right as if a burger is good enough)...it's their day and so I let them get whatever they fancied! We watched "Benchwarmers" and feasted on cheese popcorn and sour cream-flavored potato chips. Then we went to TimeZone, took fun pictures at the photo booth, played all the amusement and video arcade games that WE wanted.  I said we, because I had a say on some of the picks this time, the kid in me just had to be heard too!  Trust me, I went wild!!!  My all-time favorite is Snipershot or well, anything with guns and target-shooting (I'm pretty good at it so don't yah mess with me!).  So yesterday, I really had to keep reminding myself not to get too absorbed in my own game...I HAD KIDS TO WATCH!!!

Anyhoo, it's been a long overdue promise and I'm really glad I finally had this date with them yesterday.  It's fun to be a kid again for a day and abandon all forms of adult issue and worry.  (Hey, your inner child deserves to be pampered and happy all the time!)  I'm happy we had so much fun.  But the best part is, I'm happy they had so much fun!

I'm happy I was able to make them happy!!! (wow, am I saying "happy" a lot?)  Aside from the fact that I have just been re-affirmed that I can still give a mean performance at the Dance Revolution, matching that of a 16-year-old's. I swear, I will never ever stop doing it.

We brought home bags of candy and one teeny weeny stuffed dog. The cost of this date?

Food and Drinks, a Movie, and sky's the limit on reloads of arcade/game swipe cards = PRICEY

3 of them saying...

"Nang-nang (me), ang saya-saya talaga!" = PRICELESS

wAyYy 2 gOo, WPD!!!

My Police Clearance/Certificate has expired and so I had to go back to the Western Police District today.  I needed it badly for my upcoming "date with Uncle Sam".  Last year's procedure had been a breeze.  The staff were polite and accommodating.  In fact, it made me think, "WOW! Amidst the everyday red tape brouhaha that sadly, some government offices are known for, boy was I lucky!". Today, approximately a year after, I must admit I had my fingers crossed on the way to WPD.  I wondered, will they be as nice again?  I know it's pretty mean to have that frame of mind, everyday citizen complaints be damned, but at the back of my mind, I was thinking maybe last year was pure luck.  You know, like suddenly winning the lotto when reality has it that odds aren't in favor of you.

So I got there. They received me well despite the fact that it was half an hour to closing time. They were all smiling and mellow with their explanations.  Unhurried but not lazy.  The kind that gave away an atmosphere of patience and friendliness.  It floored me! I would hate myself if I say I was surprised, because I actually half-expected it. I HOPED for it!!!  I'm just really, really happy to have my expectations validated.  Here is a bunch of people who do not let themselves rot away no matter how out-dated or decrepit the working situations are.

The process was quick because it's just a renewal of the certificate clearing me out from any crime that happened during my 1989-2002 period of residence in Manila.  I overheard one time that if it's quick, perhaps they didn't bother to thoroughly check the records, which is a point against their credibility.  But that's way outside my case because I have already been previously cleared.  And since I have no blood relations whatsoever to Superman,  I do not in anyway possess the ability to go back in time to alter my crime history and to my detriment at that. 

Notwithstanding possible procedural glitches for now, the point is, this select bunch in the WPD has been patient, friendly, polite and accommodating, without asking for anything in return.  Isn't it a source of great joy and hope that there are people who take time to help and go the extra mile?  Surely, they must have been briefed, but the great thing is they live up to good service standards. That's a good start...It's a reason to remain hopeful! I pray that they get contagious enough to infect the other pups in their litter. Or even beyond! I know this may sound pretty mushy right now but I really feel like shouting "MABUHAY ANG PILIPINAS!!!"...Yehey!!!

This New Craze

I have recently developed a liking for reading other people's blogs.  Thought it would be a nice break in between writing my own. Plus, like I have said in a previous blog I wrote, I would like to believe that I do pick up a lot of good stuff from what others have to say. It's the greatest reality show on earth, filmed from within. Aside from my cousins' and friends' great pieces, I take pleasure in reading some good ones that I have accidentally link-clicked upon such as in blogspot.com and here in Friendster, I particularly think these two are cute: JB's Blog and Friendsterization by Daphne (they can be found at the featured blogs section).  *SIGH* I wish I can go global as well. Maybe someday when I am worth it. Maybe when there's less crap in my stuff...like in this one. *LOL* Because I'm about to relate an appalling story about this blog craze.  Yesterday, I stumbled upon two almost identical blogs posted by two people from different poles of the earth. Creepy identical, verbatim. I thought my mind kind of short-circuited again (does that ever happen to you?), or has gone totally berserk. It was either a case of "parallel universes" again -- hmmm, this theory is beginning to sell to me already (help!!!), or realistically, a severe case of thought plagiarism. I was horrified because I'm an overzealous defender of those who are cheated on or treated unfairly. It's supposed to be not that big a deal right, but I knew the offender, the one who copied -- well, talk about a shattered good initial impression.  Aawww poor little fellas who poured their hearts out. I mean, these blogs are like babies, they can't be stolen and easily passed on as someone else's! Or this cut and paste thingy. One can't just chop a baby's head off and super-glue it to another one's body and voila! a new baby. Oh forgive me for this brutal baby allegory. I can almost imagine how that might possibly feel (dream on, Clarisse, like strangers would actually be interested in your insipid ramblings, hahaha).

On the brighter side, I strongly believe all of us can always come up with originals any day.  Our hearts and minds are like big storehouses of facts and feelings that are waiting to be born, to enlighten others, entertain, or do as we please. From our own wombs and into the typepad.  Well, I don't want to dwell on this trivial thing anymore. I just thought I had to let it go...by writing it down.  Like I always do.

On a lighter note:  While I'm on this Friendster topic...I realized these past weeks how much we have already been "friendsterized" (as Daphne would say it).  I was taking pictures with my girl friends earlier today and we all screamed "Pang-Friendster!!!". Whatever happened to "Kodakan...Picture-Picture...or Pa-shot naman!"...huh? =o)