Rainy Days and Fridays

… Always make me dreamy, and homesick…. Here are some of the things I truly miss:

1. up-to-date music
2. pagkaing pinoy – sinigang, sisig, tokwa’t baboy, dinuguan at lengua na luto ni papa, baked mac ni mama, palabok, isaw sa UP, Lapid’s chicharong bulaklak, shawarma at burger sa Magsaysay
3. karaoke at billiards
4. roadtrips with papa
5. jamming at soundtrip with my bro
6. pinoy bands at UP Fair
7. 100-channel cable tv
8. kulagbaw, cancersticks, yeahzzz at org friends
9. movie marathon sa sinehan
10. my first guitar

Item #2 has taken the most space. Can I be any more obvious? :D

Karma

Do you believe in karma?

Everything we do is part of a chain of causation that stretches way back into the past and therefore essentially intended to stretch into the future. Nobody can flee from it because it is all over and eternal. And in due course, the effects will certainly be felt by the one who triggered it.

Ahh, the thrills and horrors of life....

Isn't It A Wonder

... how some people always feel the need to go the bathroom, though unintentionally, while in the middle of an online or a phone conversation with a specific person? :D
... that some people consider coasters a necessity? Or that their hangers and pegs are color-coordinated?
... that sometimes, those who know less, speak more? And vice versa?
... how some people, in dire need, say they can't find a job, when in fact they just won't settle for anything less or non-glamorous?
... how others claim they are religious, yet they do the exact opposite?
... how Thai women eat and eat, but don’t get any fatter?
... that pa-cuties exist?

Strange But Sweet

I have not seen you in 4 years, but here we are, walking hand in hand towards the carnival. We talk constantly, while studying the crowd and the rides. Then as we come closer to a small outdoor pub, you signal at the band playing. They look familiar, maybe from my college or yours, but I’m not really sure, so I just return a smile and a wave. The waiter accompanies us to a nearby table. You hesitate for a moment to order because I still have not decided what to drink, but then I tell you to go on, so you order a bottle of beer. Not really up for a drink, so I ask for a slice of cake instead (yes, in a pub). Still holding your beer bottle, you inch towards the platform where the band is playing, and whisper to the vocalist (call it a whisper, but I sure can hear it from here) “My Head Is My Only House Unless It Rains by EBTG”. Then, without any hints, you grab the microphone, and sing the song yourself. I want to laugh, knowing you have never sung in front of a crowd, and that the song is actually sung by a woman, but I realize you do it just to impress me. The words still echo in my head…

I’ll let a train be my feet if it’s too far to walk to you
And if a train don’t go there
I’ll get a jet or a bus
'Cuz I’m gonna find you
You’re gonna see my shadow soon around you
And my head is my only house unless it rains

We share the cake (a lemon chiffon with white icing and little strands of vermicelli) with a lone fork. You take a quick gulp of beer, and hand the bottle to me. I do not even care about the clean glass sitting right in front of me. I just drink from that same bottle, and give it back to you. We talk endlessly as we pass the bottle to each other. The moment is so intimate. It feels like we are lovers, and friends.

We walk out of the pub and into the crowd. Aware of each other’s closeness, and just walking past the rides; carousel on our left, spinning AND tilting up to 90 degrees, and what looks like a flying fiesta on the right.

Then the damn alarm clock rang.

Installing Love

Tech Support: Yes, ... how can I help you?
Customer: Well, after much consideration, I've decided to install Love. Can you guide me through the process?
Tech Support: Yes. I can help you. Are you ready to proceed?
Customer: Well, I'm not very technical, but I think I'm ready. What do I do first?
Tech Support: The first step is to open your Heart. Have you located your Heart?
Customer: Yes, but there are several other programs running now. Is it okay to install Love while they are running?
Tech Support: What programs are running ?
Customer: Let's see, I have Past Hurt, Low Self-Esteem, Grudge and Resentment running right now.
Tech Support: No problem, Love will gradually erase Past Hurt from your current operating system. It may remain in your permanent memory but it will no longer disrupt other programs. Love will eventually override Low Self-Esteem with a module of its own called High Self-Esteem. However, you have to completely turn off Grudge and Resentment. Those programs prevent Love from being properly installed. Can you turn those off ?
Customer: I don't know how to turn them off. Can you tell me how?
Tech Support: With pleasure. Go to your start menu and invoke Forgiveness. Do this as many times as necessary until Grudge and Resentment have been completely erased.
Customer: Okay, done! Love has started installing itself. Is that normal?
Tech Support: Yes, but remember that you have only the base program. You need to begin connecting to other Hearts in order to get the upgrades.
Customer: Oops! I have an error message already. It says, "Error - Program cannot run on external components." What should I do?
Tech Support: Don't worry. It means that the Love program is set up to run on internal Hearts, but has not yet been run on your Heart. In layman's terms, it simply means you have to Love yourself before you can Love others.
Customer: So, what should I do?
Tech Support: Pull down Self-Acceptance; then click on the following files: Forgive-Self; Realize Your Worth; and Acknowledge your Limitations.
Customer: Okay, done.
Tech Support: Now, copy them to the My Heart directory. The system will overwrite any conflicting files and begin patching faulty programming. Also, you need to delete Verbose Self-Criticism from all directories and empty your Recycle Bin to make sure it is completely gone and never comes back.
Customer: Got it. Hey! My Heart is filling up with new files. Smile is playing on my monitor and Peace and Contentment are copying themselves all over My Heart! Is this normal?
Tech Support: Sometimes. For others it takes awhile, but eventually everything gets it at the proper time. So Love is installed and running. One more thing before we hang up. Love is Freeware. Be sure to give it and its various modules to everyone you meet. They will in turn share it with others and return some cool modules back to you.
Customer: Thank you!

** A forwarded message from our family egroup **

OC-Talk

I love Sundays. I get to wake up in the morning without any qualms (and I'm no morning person *wink wink*), do my laundry, clean the apartment, prepare a decent meal, and exercise for 2 hours! The idea just puts me in a good mood right away.

The Magic of Simple Gestures

Small, yet warm gestures truly make my day. Here’s my top 7.

1. Friendly greeting from neighbors
2. Hello messages from friends
3. Praises from the boss
4. Quick cuddle with kids in the hallway
5. Holding the door when I’m racing to catch the elevator
6. A seat offered in the tube
7. A “you look great today” compliment

A Little Dose of Friends

The one where they said....

Monica: Hey, Joey! What would you do if you were omnipotent?
Joey: Probably kill myself.
Monica: Excuse me?
Joey: Hey, if Little Joey's dead, I got no reason to live.
Ross: Uh, Joey.... OM-nipotent.
Joey: You are?

Chandler: [to Joey who's removing his tie] Would you put that back on? Monica's gonna be here any minute.
Joey: But it hurts my Joey's Apple.
Chandler: Okay, for the last time. It's not named for each individual man.

Monica: [while on Chandler's back] Chandler, where are my boots, do you have them?
Chandler: Yes, why don't we look in one of my saddlebags while I chew on a bale of hay!

Monica: Well, this is the last box of your clothes. I'm just gonna label it, "What were you thinking?"
Rachel: Funny, because I was just gonna go across the hall and write that on Chandler.

Phoebe [Singing]: First time I met Chandler, I thought he was gay,
But here I am singing on his wedding day…

Another Long Weekend Coming Up

My friend and I started planning earlier where to spend the next long holiday in July (8-11) -- this time, it's called Asalha-Puja and Khao Phansa (Buddhist Lent Season). Now, what could we do with our budget for 4 fun days?

Plans A-D: Destination Kuala Lumpur, 3D/2N (A to D, because we thought of four options for the mode of transpo -- train, train and plane, plane with multiple transits, or just plane back and forth -- of course the latter being the most expensive, which is waaaaay out of budget)

Plan E: Crazy Shopping - just splurge on dvds, cds and clothes

Before we proceeded, we discussed about the pros and cons of each. For the Malaysia trip, aside from the airfare, hotel and food, there's the re-entry visa that has to be taken care of before leaving the country, which is a bit of a hassle (financially speaking). So cancel Malaysia.

Hmmm... plan E seems VERY interesting. But come to think of it, after a few hours of shopping in the mall, what do we do next? We reviewed our objective, which is to enjoy the 4 whole days. So again, cancel crazy shopping.

Then came Plan F... just thinking about it is exciting enough heheh. We've decided to go west of Thailand... to a lovely place called Sangkhlaburi (Kanchanaburi Province). A friend had long suggested a nice lakeview guesthouse in that area, and it does seem very appealing, especially on rainy season. So we've done some research in the net, and found this. The road trip to the province will take 2-2.5 hours, then another 4 hours to reach Sangkhlaburi. It's actually just a few kilometers away from the border of Myanmar.

Yep, I guess we won't be seeing a Plan G.

Kids: Little Devils or Precious Angels?

I am a part-time educator, dealing with kids aged 7 to 13, for 1 to 4 hours everyday. If I didn't have to work in the office for the rest of my 8-hour job, I'd go nuts.

There's a point when you just can't take the kids' whining and non-stop noise, that you feel like bursting into flames. Especially when they mock you, make up explanations, or start their delaying tactics, you just can't help but give them your most menacing-yet-calm look. So far, it still works, thank God for that.

But no matter how bratty and hyper they are, there are still moments when you can't get enough of them. Just the other day, I was teaching Paint in the computer to the first grade, and they were sooo eager to learn, one of the kids started to cry when he wasn't able to save his work. He went, "It's gone... My work.. gone". He was so cute, I wanted to laugh, but told him "mai pen rai" (nevermind in Thai) instead. The older kids have been busy with online activities. They're beginning to appreciate the weight of their efforts (they get online scores so they can monitor their performance), and it has given them a bit of stife for excellence.

Plus, I have a niece and a nephew whom I truly adore. They're just the cutest things.

Hmmm.... I still can't decide what they are.

Remembering Summer

Just thought this was worth posting.

Homecoming is always something to look forward to. And each time, your family and friends just seem to pick up where you left off. Which, in turn, makes it much harder when it's time to leave again. There really is no place like home....

*senti music*

A Very Long Weekend

One of the best things in Thailand is that it has numerous holidays in a year. We just had a 5-day vacation recently, to celebrate the 60th Anniversary of the King's Accession to the Throne. But I'm not gonna talk about that.

What can one do for 5 work-free, stress-free, no-waking-up-early- in-the-morning days? I bet you have more than enough in your mind, especially when you're working 24/7 (even on Christmas, jeez that sucks...) and the only rest you get is the 4-5-hour sleep you spend on your bed. Well, prepare for a mouth-watering experience.

Before the 1st official day of the holidays even starts, go out the night before and get wasted! Isn't it lovely to go home, really drunk or just tired, after listening to good jazz the whole night, and not worrying about the next day? You sleep till noon, have brunch while watching a good-enough-to-snooze-off movie. If you do doze off, fine. Otherwise, you can head for the shower, put on some freshly-ironed clothes and go to the mall or the park. It's also important that you have splurge money at times like these. You can either do some shopping, try a newly-opened resto, pick a book, cd or dvd, or just grab some items in the grocery. There are always bookstores where you can just hang out, with comfy seats and coffee. You can even update yourself with the latest showbiz buzz. So how is Shiloh Nouvel Jolie-Pitt doing now?

It's also nice to have used books shops around. With all that time you have, you could even stay there the whole day, and nobody would bother you. There's this lovely store I go to, called Dasa's, along Sukhumvit Road. It's somewhere between Emporium and Phil Embassy. Anyway, it's a little two-story shop, with all the good books. And they serve coffee, tea and brownies! I bought two books to last for the rest of my holiday, which was really perfect timing, because it rained almost everyday. So i just laid there in bed, soft music playing in the background, with the sound of rain hitting the glass doors. Anyway, if you're the outdoor-type, you can always catch a cab or ride the subway and go somewhere.

Now, who wouldn't want a holiday like that? Totally relaxing, peaceful. Hmm... I was too relaxed actually, that I found it sooo hard to wake up early again for work. Oh what the heck, I had a good time! :D