dooks15

Since I'm moving over to Bacolod, I have to sell my condo unit. It's a 2-bedroom corner unit with around 90 sqm of space. It's a real shame. I got it for it's great location, situated at the heart of Ortigas Center, directly in front of GCF Ortigas, a 5 minute walk away from Robinson's Galleria. It's still currently under construction so I'm selling it at preselling prices. Message me if you or your friends are interested!

We've finally started expanding the area of our furniture shop to include my lighting fixtures. We tore down the walls just yesterday. There's been endless hammering ever since. I can't wait to set up all my lamps and have all my chandeliers hung, but I'd give it probably 2 more weeks before that could happen. In the meantime, I'm getting high by giving myself a noseful of the fresh paint everyday.

Napadala na rin ako sa mga nag-post ng 25 Things. Sige na nga, sapagkat petiks ako ngayon at gustong magpapalipas lang ng oras:

25 Things About Me:

1) I'm terrified of heights and deep waters, especially if i'm carrying stuff. I'd keep thinking i'd drop and lose whatever i was holding.

2) I absolutely love reading very long novels. You'd have to tear me off my seat if I'm reading Tolkien.

3) When I was in fourth grade (I think), I joined the bookworm's club. During a general assembly, they had me wear a costume of a huge dictionary and speak in front of the school about the proper care of books. I'm pretty sure I was red in the face all throughout.

4) I have a very adventurous tongue: I love tasting spices, curries, all sorts of chilis, and many kinds of exotic cuisines...

5) ...Unfortunately I've developed a very weak stomach. A cup of strong coffee is enough to give me heartburn.

6) Sometimes right before I sleep, I would inadvertently wonder about how dying would feel like. I swear, it gives me the heebie-jeebies.

7) My worst nightmares involve fat and disgustingly massive sharks and other hideous underwater creatures.

8) I sat next to a panda once when I visited a zoo in South West China. The fur is not at all as soft as I thought it would be.

9) One Sunday morning back when I was in fifth grade (I think again, I'm really not sure!), I was enjoying my breakfast when my older brother told me a joke. I laughed and simultaneously sneezed while drinking my cup of milo. My nose bled into my milo while i was coughing out my drink. I got so upset I blamed my older brother who in turn got mad at me. It was my worst breakfast. Ever.

10) I learned playing piano back when I was six, but it was only when I got to my 2nd year in college that I learned to appreciate playing it. I'd play for an hour or so before dinner, and my grandma would come waltzing through the hall, dancing to the tune of the Blue Danube.

11) I love going to the beach. I wouldn't mind spending every single summer vacation wading out on the beach.

12) Once I spent the night in Sonya's Garden. I read both the Little Prince and Tuesday's with Morrie there.

13) When I was in grade school and high school, I'd hit the sack at around 9:30pm. Totally unimaginable nowadays.

14) Some particular person has been spreading rumors that I look like a certain weather reporter. *Snorts* Lies! Hahaha!

15) I'm terrible at parties. I lose self-confidence when I'm in a crowd. The day when I become the life of the party? That'll be the day...

16) I hated Art class back in grade school and I hated the teacher. They can both go to hell. Just kidding. Hehehe!

17) I suck at swimming. I could never get the breathing part right.

18) I love toblerone chocolate and mango pastillas.

19) I inherited two film cameras: my Rolleikin from my grandpa and my Noblex Prosport from my uncle Wyden. Love them both.

20) I'm a Sunday school teacher. I teach 1st and 2nd year college students at church. May God have pity on their souls. Muhahahahaha!

21) I was part of a hiphop dance group! I even performed several times. And yes, I don't know what got into me.

22) I love the sour taste of pickles. There was a time when I was four years old that I didn't have the appetite to eat anything that was served. They opened up a jar of pickles. I had nothing but pickles and rice. Mmmmmm, yummy!

23) My mom's family lives in Bacolod. We'd go spend Christmases and summers at our lola's house, playing with our cousins. The lazy afternoons there were legendary.

24) I studied in a seminary. I didn't get to finish my course, but I did get to write a thesis paper and even had the chance to present it at a forum.

25) I'm marrying my first girlfriend exactly one year from today.

I've got 2 tickets for Avenue Q's farewell run which I'm selling. They're both worth the P1,000 lodge seats. Reason: suddenly had a family affair to attend to on the same night.

Date: June 14
Time: 8pm
Venue: Carlos P. Romulo Auditorium at the RCBC Plaza (Sen Gil Puyat cor Ayala in Makati City).

 

I'm currently reading a book by Philip Yancey entitled "Prayer: Does It Make Any Difference?" First off, let me confess that I've never really considered myself a prayerful person. I pray before meal times, but since the food's right there staring back at me, I do it in a hurry. I've tried going to Wednesday prayer meetings, but I've always found myself counting the minutes before I leave. And now, since I've decided to start a prayer journal as my new year's resolution, I thought, "Hey! This book might help me keep journaling until February!" So after reading a few chapters, I've come to a conclusion:

I hate praying.

On chapter 3 of "Prayer" is a quote wherein C.S. Lewis once wrote:

The prayer preceding all prayers is "May it be the real I who speaks. May it be the real Thou that I speak to."

Ever the realist, Lewis questions the reality of prayer. What does it mean to really pray? What is the real purpose of prayer? Does it really work? In contrast, I've also found it bothersome how "fake" prayer can become. We've all read about the hypocritical Pharisees who pray on street corners, and I wonder how many professing Christians nowadays also just "go through the motions"? Count me as one of them!

I told you earlier that I pray before meal times, but it's more like "I pray before meal times only when I'm sharing the meal with family and loved ones". I assure you, you'll never catch me praying during breakfast, especially when I'm late bringing my brother to school. I'm also quite familiar with the dozing-off-while-praying routine. I bow my head, close my eyes, head for the second star on the right, and I'm in Neverland. The important thing is to listen for the cue word to know when to wake up. (That would be "Amen".)

Now if I were to follow Lewis's advice on prayer, then I should be real to myself and admit it: I don't find prayer enjoyable. In fact, I probably hate praying. It's hard to pray for a minute, much less for ten. I'd rather be doing something else... But what really ticks me off about prayer is how it's such a guilt-trip.

It's almost 3 weeks into 2008, and I've kept to my journaling... Ok, I've only made two entries to what ideally should be eighteen. Puh-lease. Give me a break. On those two occasions I realized how hard it is to pray and then get on with life naturally. Prayer is so disruptive to my normal lifestyle... given that "normal" is a euphemism for, ummm, not exactly biblical. (Yes, I know that's also a euphemism, so sue me.)

I can't really pray unless I confess it all. Unless I do that, I'm not real to myself and I'm not really praying. That's why I hate it. But I know I need it. That's why I still do it. It's like spinach. You don't really like it, but you know you need to eat it for a whole bunch of reasons we all know but still need to be reminded of.

Yancey's "Prayer" is a good book that really tackles what it means to pray and the issues people have with it nowadays. Hopefully with this book I'd learn not to hate prayer as much... but at the very least I'd keep on journaling until February.

I answered this last year, and I'm answering it again. It's also nice checking out what my anwers were a year ago. :) It's not as fancy as the previous year... but I'm hoping that my answers on this for 2008 will be much better. :)


1. What did you do in 2007 that you’d never done before?

Hmmmm... didn't do anything out of the ordinary... Oh yeah! I finally got to ride a banana boat and the flying fox in Boracay! :)

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

I said I'd be more active at work, and I think I did that, but I still find areas worth improving.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

Gina and Reiner gave birth to Alab Mateo. :)

4. Did anyone close to you die?

My Amah died just this month. :(

5. What countries did you visit?

Didn't go anywhere. Booooring.

6. What would you like to have in 2008 that you lacked in 2007?

More patience, persistence, and drive.

7. What date from 2007 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

September 23

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

Work-related: Being able to win back an old account after losing it to competitors a few years back, plus they've been ordering a lot. Hope it stays that way.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Had to eat humble pie when I visited a customer and she told me - in a nice but condescending way - how they bought from a competitor instead.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

Thankfully I've been pretty healthy this year. :)

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I bought this really nice shirt from Celio. It's a bit of a splurge, but it was worth it. :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Sophia, Lianne's niece, for being "so well-behaved" hehehe! :P

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

There's this certain German...

14. Where did most of your money go?

The bank. I'm trying to save up for the future. :)

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Boracay! I haven't been there since 1997. There was so much that changed!

16. What song will always remind you of 2007? 

Songs by Sugarfree and Vertical Horizon. :)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? happier still. :)
ii. thinner or fatter? hmmm, i think i was able to maintain, although didn't work out as much...
iii. richer or poorer? richer... but not rich enough...

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

Wanted to have played more badminton and volleyball.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

Staying up too late, just playing on the PC.

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?

Spent lunch with the King clan. But for New Year's eve, just staying at home, chilling. Nothing in the way of partying.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

Gee, I think that would be kuya kim! :P

22. Did you fall in love in 2007? 

Oo naman. :)

23. How many one-night stands?

Er wala!

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Hmmm... Iron Chef America? Hehe

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? 

Nope, I don't think so.

26. What was the best book you read?

This year, that would be "RIch Dad, Poor Dad" because for its usefulness.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Radiohead's got a new album which I find nice.

28. What did you want and get?

Board shorts! :D

29. What did you want and not get?

Hmmm, actually I've been thinking about this ever since Lianne made her wishlist:
1) Not sure if I want to get a pair of Sanuk, but they're kinda cool!
2) A bottle of perfume: I think Ralph Lauren smells nice :)

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

That's got to be Transformers!

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Turned 27, didn't really get to celebrate my birthday since I spent it studying with Lianne. But Lianne gave a great birthday gift, so it was all worth it. :)

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

If we were able to hit higher than our sales target, I'd be really happy.

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2007?

I was a bit more laid back, wearing havaianas and shorts more often. I got a lot of vintage rocker tees already, and I'm thinking of adding more polo shirts to my wardrobe instead

34. What kept you sane?

Slow Saturday mornings.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Ebe Dancel of Sugarfree. Wala lang, he's real funny. :)

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Hmmm, maybe Trillanes' walkout? It's confusing to know whether what he did was a good thing or not...

37. Who did you miss?

I guess I miss amah...

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Sophia! hahaha! :)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2007: 

You have to be financially literate.

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year: 

Hmmm... Wala ako maisip e... Pero since this is the year that I came back to Boracay after 10 years, ito na lang. :)

Tayo na sa beach
Tayo na't mag swimming
Bilisan mo na
Gusto ko na magsunbathing
Time to relax
Time to go slow
Makinig kay pareng bob
At sasabihin nito

Pagsapit ng dilim
Lumalamig ang hangin
Sindihan mo na
Ang bonfire natin

Today we brought Amah's remains to her final resting place. It was a sad affair, but on the bright side, I was able to spend some quality time with my family and a lot of relatives. I was glad to get to know them a lot more. For the 5 days of Amah's wake, I learned to appreciate my heritage a bit more (something I know Amah would be proud of).

While we were waiting for Amah's remains to be cremated (which took 2 and a half hours), the topic of the conversation drifted to some old Hokien rhymes dad and my uncles learned when they were small. They're absolutely funny once you hear and understand them. Here's a few lines. For those who understand Hokkien, I hope you enjoy. For those who don't, I'll try to translate as best I can along with their implied conotations.

A-pui pui diu diu,                       (Mr. Fatty fat bouncy bounce,)
K`ya be k`i Hok-Ch`iu!              (Rode horse going to Hok-Chiu!)
Hok-Ch`iu k`i bwe kaw,            (Hok-Chiu going did not reach,)
A-pui si k`iao k`iao!                   (Mr. Fatty died bye-bye!)

"Hok-Chiu" is Fujian's capital somewhere up in the mountains, and the distance is akin to going to Baguio from Mindanao. "Si k`iao k`iao" in the last line is actually funny way of saying "dead with both legs in the air", but then that's so long to fit in the rhyme. This next stanza I just heard a few minutes ago from my siblings. I laughed my head off as I heard it! XD

A-san san pi pa,                        (Mr. Thinny thin reed thin,)
chia sai p'eh ma'-pa!                (Ate **** with beef jerky!)
ma'-pa chia bo kaw,                 (Beef jerky did not eat enough,)
A-san si k`iao k`iao!                 (Mr. Thinny died bye-bye!)

This next one's a mix of Hokkien and Tagalog. It's funny cause you can sing it! Tell me if you wanna hear it, I'll sing it to you when I can. :)

Chia peng, chia be, chia hi chia hansi!             (Eat rice, eat congee, eat fish eat anything!)
Ai piyo, ai tsah, p`ai si em t`ak tseh'!                  (Love to tease, love to make noise, bad manners don't study!)
Sor~sorbete! Saging ts`am kape!                      (Ice~Ice cream! Banana put in coffee!)
Ka~muti! Pwede ulam sa tausi!                         (Swe~et yam! Can eat with tausi!)
Ay~yayay! Di mabuti~!                                             (Oh~no no! Not go~od!)

For my Hokkien friends, if you know any other Hokkien rhymes, let me know. I'm sure Amah would want me to learn some more. Hehe!

Message to my amah: Amah! Gwa na kaw hiya e si, lan lai p'ah ma chok! 

Gee, this journal's been a bit dusty... Anyway, thought of sharing a few thoughts I've had lately. You see, I've just started reading "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" this morning, and right off the bat, I'd like to say that it's just the right book I need to read right now given a few, urm, financial concerns I've been facing.

I've entitled this entry as "money talks". It's meant to refer to the kind of talks I've been having lately with my mom and several relatives, including a couple of titas. It's not unusual for them to nag give advice, but lately it's been quite more often than I wanted ever since amah's been confined to the hospital. Anyway, that's part of the reason why I bought a copy of "Rich Dad, Poor Dad". If I could stand beside myself, I'd pat myself on the back and say: "Good move, Kingli!"

I won't talk about the book per se, but probably just one or two lines in the book, let me paraphrase:

Poor dad says, "Love of money is the root of all evil."

Rich dad says, "Lack of money is the root of all evil."

Now I'm a Sunday school teacher so a line like that would just about turn me off right away. How is lack of money the root of all evil? Does it mean that poor people are more inclined to crime than rich people? That's capitalistic chauvinism at its best! But after reading a few more lines, I try to make some sense out of it.

Lack of money: how much money would you need to say you have enough? Now me, I'm not exactly south of middle class, in fact I'd say I'm pretty well-to-do, but I still do lack money sometimes. Do richer people lack money? I know this extremely rich guy whose knees would turn to jelly at the rumor of a bank run. He doesn't "lack" money, but I bet he certainly feels like he lacks it.

Love of money: this of course refers to greed. A lover of money is definitely a greedy person, but maybe the term "love" just doesn't paint the right picture... 

I mentioned earlier about my "money talks" with my relatives, Usually after these talks, I'd be a little upset. The feeling of lacking money is paralyzing. It's like a kind of choking sensation and I need room to breathe. I need space. I need time alone. I need an extra hour playing mind-numbing video games just to escape... that is, escape the fact that I need money. Need! I become so needy! 

There.

Right there.

Now that is what I think is a more accurate picture of greed. It's not "love" like you're rolling on a bed of five hundred peso bills. It's not the ecstacy of swimming through gold coins like Scrooge Mcduck. It's more like a hunger. A fear. An emptiness. A lack!

In a nutshell, "Rich Dad, Poor Dad" talks about a difference in perspectives, one that spells the difference between "I can't afford that." and "What can I do to afford that?" It's about mastering money, and not having it master you. So far I think this is a good and practical book, one that teaches you to get rich, and not greedy.

Nice website. Nice pics too! Get your own visual DNA. :)

I remember the film, "Pursuit of Happyness" featuring Will Smith and his kid. Real good movie/tear-jerker and not the least bit cheesy. Here's my favorite line, it was right after Chris Gardner's wife runs out on him:

"It was right then that I started thinking about Thomas Jefferson on the Declaration of Independence and the part about our right to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. And I remember thinking how did he know to put the pursuit part in there? That maybe happiness is something that we can only pursue and maybe we can actually never have it. No matter what. How did he know that?"

Take the test and tell me how happy you are. :)





You're a Contentment!


The Happiness Test

Brought to you by Tickle


"You're a contentment"?! What da heck kinda engrish is that??

Anyway, I got a 79%. Yeah yeah, so I got a pretty high score, but you know what? Read my previous entry, especially the line "so what so i've got a smile on, but its hiding the quiet superstitions in my head..." Yada yada yada.

So if you get a lower score than me, remember, it don't mean zip!

So why the heck did I ask you to take the test? Wala lang. Trip. Problema ba? Hehehe!

But if you get a higher score: Damn you! Hahaha! :P

So there. Happy? hehehe!

For those who know me well, I have this certain habit of being... um, how shall we say it... out of context. I think people would think me "slow" in the sense of not being quick-witted (ey! I'm not admitting that I'm dumb!), but that I'm funny at the same time (funny at my own expense apparently). The tragedy is that I'm usually too slow to realize I'm being funny.

This often happens with me misunderstanding something someone said, at which that someone would point, laugh, and comment on how cheap cotton buds are on the market. Here's one example:

Lianne and I were on our way back to Manila after spending the better part of the afternoon at Sonya's. Since Tagaytay is up in the highlands, pressure builds up in our ears as we go down the mountain. Now Lianne hates that kind of sensation, so she turns to me and says, "Nabibingi ka na ba?"

Now you see this is really a difficult question to answer. The only valid answer would be "No". You couldn't say "Yes" to that. The only other response you could say is "Eh?"

My answer was the latter.

Rather peeved, she asks again, "Nabibingi ka na ba?"

Like I said earlier, I have this way of being "out of context". Now it so happened that while I was driving on my way down, I was noticing the street vendors. They were selling sweets, those funny looking bananas, buko pies, flowers, etc. So I was thinking to myself whether I should buy buko pie for mom or perhaps buy some flowers for Lianne.


Lianne: "Wushuuu! Tama na lies Mark..."

...So when Lianne asked, "Nabibingi ka na ba?" I looked at the oncoming Colette's store and asked her, "Gusto mo ng bibingka?"

It took I think another minute or so before we got back on the same page.

*********************************

Sometimes things like these have no recourse but to turn out extremely embarrassing (especially for me). The incident at Sonya's Panaderia was no exception.

We found the bread irresistibly delicious that we thought of buying a loaf or two to bring home, so we went to their bakeshop/panaderia and had a look around. They weren't only selling bread, they also had cakes, some pickles, pastries and other stuff. Now this other stuff consisted of a pack of red and yellow bell peppers to which Lianne pointed out and asked, "Masarap kaya yan?"

Now here I am again lost in reverie after looking at those red and yellow bell peppers. I was suddenly reminded of the dining room in Grandma's house in Bacolod. It was a huge circular table that could seat a dozen people easily, complete with a lazy susan and a rustic chandelier. In the middle of the table was a centerpiece filled with various plastic fruits and vegetables: grapes, pears, apples, mangoes and - that's right - colorful plastic bell peppers. Keyword: plastic.

So when Lianne asked "Masarap kaya yan?", I smirked and turned to her saying, "Ano ka ba, di naman yan kinakain!" I was thinking, "Oh c'mon Lianne, how could you eat plastic bell peppers?" And then I saw that they had other packs of plastic tomatoes, and even more packs of plastic cherry tomatoes, and I thought to myself, "Wow, but they sure do look real..."

That's when the cogs in my head finally started turning. Then I looked closely at the plastic tomatoes. Then I looked closely at the plastic bell peppers. Then I looked closely at the indescribable face of the girl behind the counter looking at me as if trying to figure out whether she could help me look for the pack of marbles I lost.

Wow. Mali. Joey de Leon would have been proud.



Lianne insisted on taking this picture. That's me with a sheepish grin and the plastic bell peppers behind me.

Had a fantastic time on a roadtrip with Lianne last Saturday, 31 March 2007. We celebrated the occassion in true summer fashion: me in board shorts, Lianne in her summer dress, and both of us in havaianas and shades. See more pictures of our Tagaytay trip in my Multiply photo gallery.

So how was it? It was really good. We met up at UP and left at around 9AM and arrived 12NN, just in time for lunch. 



Here's Sonya's resto: light and airy, perfect for the summer feel.

The food was fantastic too:



The bread was served warm and we had lots of toppings to put on it: quesong puti, tomato sauce, a basil dip, shrimp paste, potted meat spread and some sprigs of i-dunno-what in what I think is olive oil.



Then there was the salad. It was kinda weird. It had the usual greens, eggs, cucumbers, and some crunchy stuff (which tasted real nice). Then there were also some ripe mangoes, jackfruit, melons and pineapples. I wouldn't think they'd taste good on a salad, but with Sonya's salad dressing, it all tasted nice. Oh, and they had sprigs of basil on the side and mint leaves hidden in the greens, those were surprising when you bit into them. :)



After the salad was the pasta. It came with mushrooms, capers, black olives, sundried tomatoes, chunks of chicken in thick cream, salmon slices and some ratatouille (say ra-ta-toowee! haha! it sounded so funny!).



Dessert was a thin slice of veeeerrrry moist chocolate cake topped with petals. It went well with the chamomile tea.



We never got to taste the turon and the kamote. We were so full already... :P


Too bad we couldn't go look around Sonya's Bed and Breakfast area since there was a function going on that Saturday, so we went for a walk in the garden instead. The flowers were all so beautiful. Lianne had a field day with her lomo now, didn't you Lianne?



Lianne: "Yup!"


Inside the garden were numerous benches, beds and alcoves. 



I particularly liked this one. Heehee! :P



If you want more cheese, you could check out more of our pics in my multiply photo gallery. We had so much fun that day now didn't we Lianne?



Lianne: "Yup!"

We have this huge event on Saturday called "Red Promenade, Blue Masquerade", a high school prom event for the GCF youth and friends. Here's a sample of the ticket...



...you could have it in red...



...or in blue. Since it's a masquerade, we need (that's right! ang galing mong manghula!) masks. Ate chette has a sample of a nice mask up in the youth center and she says that she got it in Divisoria. And since we'll be needing around 180 masks for everyone, we need to get more. That's why I took a leave today and headed over to great old Divi. And now I'm home to tell you 4 things I learned going to Divi.

1.) MRT/LRT rocks!

Before leaving the office, I had to explain to my sales people where I was going. I'm so glad I did so. The plan was that Luigi and I would commute via jeepney coming from GCF and going to Divi. We'd grab the Rosario-San Juan line beside Galleria, then take the San Juan-Divisoria ride. Sir Boyet said that that was a bad idea: their fixing the road along Legarda. Better to take the MRT/LRT instead. At first I was hesitant, but apparently it was a good plan. 

From GCF we walked over to the Ortigas MRT station near Megamall and stopped at Cubao Gateway. From Gateway, we took the LRT 2 all the way to the end of the line, Recto. All for the grand total of *cash register ring* P25! Dirt cheap transpo without the hassle! On my way home, I took the LRT 2 and stopped at the Gilmore station: a short 10 minute walk to our house. Kewl!! :D

2.) Wear comfortable shoes 

Now, when Luigi and I stepped off of the LRT 2 station at Recto, there was still a long way to go to Divisoria... made longer cause neither of us had much of an idea how to get there. So we walked.

and walked.

and walked.

and - uy! Binondo church! - walked.

and walked.

and lost our way.

and walked some more.

and - ayun! Ongpin! - walked.

Until we found the 168 mall! (feet said "yey!") When we went inside, there were rows upon rows of stalls.

So we walked. (feet said "boo!")

3.) Don't use your cell phone!

I can clearly remember 3 separate occassions where I flipped out my phone to call or to text. On the first, this guy pushing a trolley suddenly appeared out of nowhere and scared the bejesus out of me. On the second time, I was on the phone talking to Jam, deliberating what and what not to do. This pedicab beside me was saying something incoherent. It took around 10 seconds before I understood what he said: "Tabi naman diyan mga gumagamit ng cell phone." I looked around and I saw that I was the only one with the cellphone and I was blocking his way.

Finally on my way back to Recto station, I thought to myself: "hassle talaga itong cell phone, i-silent ko na nga!" After that half second it took me to put my phone to silent, I looked and I saw this cargador coming at me with a heavy load on his back yelling, "Tingin! Tingin!" Almost bumped into him! Grrr, hanubah!!

4.) Ta. Bo. Ra.

We didn't find what we wanted in the 168 mall. Every time we asked for masks, they kept giving up those cheap plastic masks or, worse!, those cartoon/anime masks (aaargh!). Neither did we find anything remotely like what we wanted in the New Divisoria Mall (except probably Jollibee where we needed lunch. Nahilo ako sa kakalakad...). Tutuban was no help either. We kept getting lost inside Tutuban. Pabilog kasi eh!

What we found, we found along Tabora, along the bangketa where all the strangest things are being sold (i.e. wedding giveaways and invites, various sea shells, those forearm covers (worn by astig taxi drivers), butterfly wings (worn by male waiters at heaven and eggs), and (that's right! ang galing mong manghula!) masks. Here's a sample of that mask:



...you could have it in red...




...or in blue! :)

Really hope things go well in the prom.

I got the following from an email. It's written by Fr. James Donelan, S.J. (ad majorem Dei gloriam!). It's pretty nice, I've made my own comments at the end.

Lianne and I had dinner over at Italianni's last night and we answered a list of 40 questions she answered at the end of last year. She and I agreed we'd answer them for this year and that we'd post the answers in our blogs. Sorry Lianne, I'm not posting all the answers I gave last night, it's just too cheesy!!! :P

1. What did you do in 2006 that you’d never done before?

I got together with Lianne; she's also my first girlfriend so there's a LOT of firsts here. (see? keso na kaagad e...). I also rode the space shuttle at EK and went to HK (finally!).

2. Did you keep your new years’ resolutions, and will you make more for next year?

Hmmm... I don't remember if I made a new year's resolution last year. This year I'll be more proactive at work... I hope.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?

nope

4. Did anyone close to you die?

thank God no.

5. What countries did you visit?

HK and Singapore.

6. What would you like to have in 2007 that you lacked in 2006?

board shorts. hehehe! :P

7. What date from 2005 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I have two: March 25 and June 28. :)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?

It's not really an achievement, but I attended a training seminar and helped out our Techco booth in the Globaltronics trade show in Singapore. Plus I suggested I'd personally go with my sales people out in the field more often and I'm doing just that now.

9. What was your biggest failure?

I fought with mom earlier this year, then I fought with dad a couple of months ago. Both of them were pretty major. But at least things ended well.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had my gut checked and there was a huge burn on my esophagus last January/February then had shingles later on. 

11. What was the best thing you bought?

my nike sneakers! so happy... :)

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Duh, e di si Lianne (banner year for me!). Also, maybe Andrea Roldan too, we had fun before she left (Thanks for the C.S. Lewis books!!!)

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?

hmmmm... I probably shouldn't post it here. hehehe!

14. Where did most of your money go?

Most went to the bank, but I spent a large portion of what was left to upgrading my PC and vacationing in HK.

15. What did you get really, really, really excited about?

Crap, sorry for the cheese guys. It's gotta be the time I finally decided I'd go for Lianne.

16. What song will always remind you of 2006? 

There are a lot of songs, firstly DMB's Lover Lay Down and The Christmas Song, also Up Dharma Down's The World is Our Playground..., and Coldplay's Amsterdam. Then there's Aqualung's Brighter than Sunshine, Keane's Somewhere Only We Know, John Mayer's Dreaming with a Broken Heart (I know it's a break-up song but still...), OK Go's Here It Goes Again, and Orson's No Tomorrow. (Dami pala ah! hahaha!)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you:

i. happier or sadder? happierrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!
ii. thinner or fatter? fatterrrrrrrrrrrr!!!!!!
iii. richer or poorer? richerrrrrrrrrrrr sana!!!!!! hahahaha!

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?

I have a cheesy answer but I'm not posting that. Um, shopped for clothes I really wanted. I'm always too stingy on myself... but then again ok na rin mag-ipon. :)

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?

slacking off at the office playing solitaire... :-(

20. How will you be spending New Year’s?

updating my blog. hehehe! will also go to the traditional clan reunion then play mahjong all night with tita, kuya and mom.

21. Who did you spend the most time on the phone with?

Duh! Now that would be kuya kim... :-P

22. Did you fall in love in 2006? 

Kita mo na kung bakit gusto ni Lianne na sagutin namin ito? hehehehehe! YES!!!!!!!

23. How many one-night stands?

[flips out calculator and thinks a few minutes...] zero

24. What was your favorite TV program?

Ghostfighter pinapalabas sa Animax! hahahaha! :-D

25. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year? 

Don't think so, and if I do, I don't remember, and even then it's not worth remembering... 

26. What was the best book you read?

This year? A lot! Hmmmm... There was the Kite Runner which Jong recommeded, (Good good read!!) then there's Kahlil Gibran's The Prophet, and also C. S. Lewis's collection of short essays. Oh, and Lianne lent me The God of Small Things. Tough read at first and it's sad, but I like it. Now that was a story wonderfully told.

27. What was your greatest musical discovery?

Up Dharma Down! and maybe secondly Franz Ferdinand.

28. What did you want and get?

Lianne, my Nike sneakers, and a pair of Havaianas!. :-)

29. What did you want and not get?

Board shorts!

30. What was your favorite film of this year?

Borat! (Very nice! Great success!)

31. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

Turned 26 this year, and I spent it with Lianne. We had dinner at Mezze then watched a movie at GB3. Couldn't remember what the movie was. I got too distracted... :-P

32. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

This one's also cheesy so I won't post this here too. Other than that... hmmmm... board shorts? hahaha! :-)

33. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2006?

Tried to be more sporty early this year, got myself a nike sneakers and a red Adidas jacket. I could already foresee that next year I'll be in (board) shorts and havaianas more often. But I'll probably get another ball cap... or maybe a pair of chucks. :-)

34. What kept you sane?

Reading: the source for all my serious musings.

35. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Barbie Almalbis... until I found out she got hitched. :-P

36. What political issue stirred you the most?

Well there was the proclamation 1017 earlier this February. Then there was that Abra congressman that got killed in the church right outside our subdivision just a few weeks ago. Can't imagine anybody wanting to plug someone full of bullets in the middle of the Christmas season...

37. Who did you miss?

My cousin Dave. Well, I don't miss him as in "miss him". But when there's a family gathering, there's that one seat that's empty...

38. Who was the best new person you met?

Haay naku, sino ulit nga ba ang nagpapasagot sakin nito? Si - L i a N N e - ! :-)

39. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2006: 

"Sarap palang magmahal." - yan na, wala nang kekeso pa diyan! hahahahaha!

40. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

Spring sweet rhythm dance in my head
Slip into my lover's hands
Kiss me oh won't you kiss me now
And sleep I would inside your mouth

Don't be us too shy
Knowing it's no big surprise
That I will wait for you
I will wait for no one but you

Look please lover lay down
Spend this time with me
Together share this smile
Lover lay down

Walk with me, walk with you
Hold my hand your hands
So much we have dreamed
And you were so much younger
Hard to explain that we are stronger

A million reasons life to deny
Let's toss them away
See you and me we
Lay down look see
She and he
By my lover's side
Together share this smile
Each other's tears to cry
Together share this smile
Lover lay down