obsessions

i've been obsessing over something lately. a simple curiosity about a specific person that has been fueled by circumstance and opportunity, and slowly cemented by undesirable negative emotions.

i'm not proud of it. it's out of character for me. yet, i find no small amount of guilty pleasure when i indulge in it.

but, the more i find myself dipping into that sordid well of unhealthy curiosity, the more i realise that it's going to lead into something dangerous, for my mental well being and mayhap for my relationships.

writing about it brings a measure of relief. perhaps, the fact that no one knows about it is one of the reason why i have held on to it for quite a time. no one knows so it can't do any harm, right? well, i'm finding out otherwise. the more i keep doing it in secret, the worse i feel everytime.

so this is one small step for me. i am taking myself in hand. next step will be telling someone about it. hopefully, i'll get over this... soon.

on egos

quoting someone: small town with small minds and big egos...

if i take a freudian stand on this, i can say: my ego is too busy playing referee to my id and superego to take notice of anybody else's.

adlerian constructs would point out that they probably need help mastering socially acceptable means of coping with their feelings of superiority. or perhaps, they have the "wrong" kind of superiority feelings.

the point is...grad school has made an impact on me... hahahah

that's my ego talking right there!

:P

...take two

kainan village, baybay, roxas city... they're open on Maunday Thursday... i wonder if they're open for the rest of the holy week...

Roxas Holiday... Take One

*******

Maundy Thursday... i've often wondered what maundy meant... and today i finally googled it (thank God for Google)...

The word "Maundy" is derived from the Latin mandatum meaning "command" - the
same Latin root as mandatory and mandate. This is a reference to Christ's
commandment to love one another, made at the Last Supper (the day before the
crucifixion) when Jesus washed His disciples' feet. - maundy.com

birthday resolutions

april fool's day has come and gone. and what did this day bring me? the following resolutions:

1. enroll in a yoga class. i can't seem to find the time to work on my asanas by myself so, while in the bathroom washing my hair, i decided to take it to the next level and just get myself hitched to a wellness club. there's a good one that offers classes every wednesday and saturday and since i know the owner, i figure, why not? i just have to take the time to drop by his place though... maybe i can recruit a couple people along the way and get a discount... hmmmmmmmnn.. who wants yoga lessons????

2. enjoy the social scene a little bit more. this one is timely. since there's the long holiday week ahead, i can pack more activities into my schedule and just go wild. have to contact the BFF and BBF to come with... and let's not forget the LD... in the meantime, the weekend will be eventful enough... cheers!

3. get married. yep.. the clock's ticking. and like i said, i planned to be married by 28. so! to make this work, figuratively, i changed my plurk and facebook status to: MARRIED. lol. beat that!

4. enjoy life! ...need i say more?

good sign

i just now realised that i haven't updated my blog for 20 days... the longest so far, in my memory... i'm trying to intellectualize this by thinking of the many things i've accomplished while out of limbo from the internet and not merely a sign of laziness on my part.

hmmmnnn i got into facebook just today and honestly i'm a little lost. but i did discover something. i can actually import my blog to its Notes section.... whoah! increased readership for me! hahahah

a concern though, can i actually deactivate the feed if i want to? hmmmm... all this talk about FBs terms that makes them own content uploaded by members is a little bit alarming for me...

******

Thanks to Pot for the picture.

unlimited

habang nanonood ng tv...

[important character blurts out a puchline]

aco2: ano daw?

aco5: [mumbling]

aco2: ano?!

aco5: sabi n'ya...[mumbling louder]

aco2: ha?!

aco5: ano ba?! hindi ako UNLIMITED ha..!


hinayaan ko na lang ang punchline sa tv... mas matindi pa pala ang banat ng kapatid ko...




*******


patience is a virtue.

ito ang paborito kong mantra. kapag umuugong na ang dugo sa tenga ko kapag tumataas ang presyun sa kakagigil sa mga bagay-bagay sa opisina, eskul, bahay, at madlang world ito ang palagi kong sinasabi sa sarili ko.

it works. usually. pero minsan hindi eh.

may mga panahon talagang masarap magtaas ng boses, umirap ng malutong, at magwala ng laser-beam look ala Cyclops sa kawawang nilalang na magkamaling magkrus sa paningin ko... [insert evil witch laugh here]

pagkatapus ay huhugot ng malalim na hininga...

[inhale]

at bubulong sa sarili...

[exhale]

patience is a virtue...



afterall... if what we say doesn't make a difference or create something positive, it will just be wasted breath.


and we're all living on a limited supply of those.

Culture Shock

Guest Post #4
Mga Kwentong Dubai Part 4
Ni: Codename Tasuki
Originally Posted 20 July 2006 BarkadaAdvisory YahooGroup

*******

Isa sa mga pinakamahirap na pagsubok na hinarap ko nang unang dating ko dito sa Dubai ay ang pagsaulo ng mga panaglan at mukha ng mga tao. Maliban sa mahirap ibigkas ang mga pangalan, halos nagkapare-pareho pa ang tunog. Ang mga mukha naman ay halos magkahalo-halo na. Kumbaga sa tinapay, sabay-sabay tinimpla at niluto sa isang pugon. Kaya… ang mga mukha nila ay mass-produced.

Halos malito na nga ako sa office dahil magkamukha ang aking Director at ang aming messenger. Kapag hindi naka neck tie ang boss ko, pwede silang ipagpalit ng upuan ng kanyang utusan. At maniwla kayo at sa hindi, ang pangalan ng boss ko ay Pramood. Samantalang ang pangalan naman ng messenger ay Vincent.

Syempre, kung may mga common faces, meron din namang mga outstanding looks. Kung kaya naman ang isa naming kasama sa office ay sobrang kinikilig sa kasama naming Lebanese.
Si Nati ay isa ding Pinay, may asawa at dalawang anak sa Pilipinas. Pero kapag nakikita niya ang kasama naming Lebanese, bumabalik siya sa pagkadalaga. Ilang beses na pinupuna ni Nati na ang mga ibang lahi ay yumayakap at humahalik sa isa’t isa kapag nagkikita, kahit parehong mga lalaki. Noong isang linggo, napabalita na ang Lebanon ay binomba ng Israel. Kaya mas naging malapit ang mga Lebanese sa kinilang mga Muslim brothers gaya ng mga Jordanian, Syrian, at iba pang mga Arabs.

Kaya naman nakahanap ng pagkakataon si Nati na kunwari makiramay. Nagsimula na siyang lumapit sa mga Lebanese at kunwari naki-osyoso. Isang araw, naitanong niya sa crush nya… “Why do you embrace and kiss whenever you see each other?”

Sagot ng Lebanese… “Well its part of our tradition.”

Di na nag aksaya ng panahon si Nati. Niyakap nya ang mamang gwapo at hinalikan. Sabay sabi… “You know, I am beginning to like your tradition.”

Pero huwag ninyong isipin na tayo lang ang naguguluhan sa kanila. Malamang, nalilito din sila sa atin.

Gaya ng isang Pakistani taxi driver na nasakyan ko noong isang araw. Di siya mapakali habang nagmamaneho. Siguro hindi na siya makatiis, tinanong niya ako… “Are you Chin? Chin?”

Sagot ko… “What’s Chin?”

Sabi niya… “Chin… from China.”

Sabi ko sa kanya… “Oh no. I am not Chin. I am Japs”

Napangiti ang driver at sinabi… “Oh, I see.”


Based on my true experience… igalang ang Copyrights.

i am so ENGAGED...

not with anybody in particular, but with life in general...

life is good and i'm loving it... yeah! rock on!! hahahaha


*******

for the sake of posterity, i'm gonna relay here the events of the past week which will forthwith be known as "Brownies and Valentines Week"...

Day 1: Sunday
- Lunch with Library Dood (LD)... had to rise to the challenging message about eye contact and missing you/missing me connotations... :P
- Dinner with the girls at Afrique's. Menu: triple mushroom pizza, ozzo buco with tomato sauce, meatball pasta... great catching up with the girls and office gossip (nahaha). set date for next saturday night out.

Day 2: Monday
- Lunch with Tygger-kun... unexpected visit... Menu: sisig and boneless bangus... hmmmnnn not bad... will definitely try the sisig again... :D

Day 3: Tuesday
- Dinner with BFF... after waiting almost an hour! held on to patience thinking that she needed a little slack considering her dilemma... Buto't Balat menu: sisig meal, pork barbeque, and salted egg salad... only the salted egg passed... yikes!

Day 4: Wednesday
- got stuck with checking time logs... annoying payroll preparation...
- made first batch of brownies... packed some for the BBF and BFF...

Day 5: Thursday
- Brownie points success!
- Waited over an hour for BFF... really irritating how she keeps me waiting. helped carry the groceries though... that appeased me, somewhat.
- pizza experiment at home with the BFF and BBF... nacho pizza!!!
- Baked second batch of brownies... for bragging purposes... bwahahahah

Day 6: Friday
- raincheck on BBF movie date... waiting for a good romantic movie...
- Family dinner... repeat of pizza experiment: bacon and tomatos, tuna and mushroom melt... yummy... nacho pizza is now officially on the specialty list... lol

Day 7: Saturday (Valentines Day)
- walk about at SM city (can't remember when i last went) and met LD while waiting for the girls...
- Tijuana! menu: tijuana special pizza, chips, fries, cheesesticks, Latino Fire... who say's a group date doesn't count as a celebration of Valentines???!!
- official singles group now known as: Tropang Latino Fire (care of DD)... hahahaha open for membership, next meeting M's b-day on Mar 6... lol

Day 8: Sunday
- full circle... took day off to make brownies for LD...
- met highschool peeps at Rob and inadverdently got invited to LD's house... wahahahaha life is funny!



needless to say... i had a blast and hit my target of topping last years Valentine's social calendar... wooohooo!!



*******


here's a little something from brother utoy's blog, a quote from Fr. Pedro Arrupe, SJ:



"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is,
than falling in Love in a quite absolute, final way.
What you are in love with,
what seizes your imagination, will affect everything.
It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning,
what you will do with your evenings,
how you will spend your weekends,
what you read, who you know,
what breaks your heart,
and what amazes you with joy and gratitude.
Fall in Love, stay in Love
and it will decide everything."


:D

apathy

lahat ng tao ay naguguluhan at nai-stress sa kani-kanilang buhay... pero ako... parang wala akong naramdaman... out of touch at out of reach ata ang stress detectors ko.


pero ang hindi maganda... nawawalan nmn ako ng gana.


sa skul, sa trabaho, sa blog, sa plurk, at sa lahat nlng... pinipilit ko lang... (tulad ngayon... nakiki-type lng po ang alter ego ko...)


minsan naitanong ko kng bakit ako ganito ngayon... pero hindi tumatagal nawawala nmn sa isip ko... at kawalan nga ang tanging namamalagi dito...


wala lng... talagang wala lng talaga...



*******



"Apathy can be overcome by enthusiasm, and enthusiasm can be aroused by two things: first, an idea which takes the imagination by storm; and second, a definite, intelligible plan for carrying that idea into action. " — Arnold Toynbee


but i don't much care if i get cured of this...


"The only people who can ever put ideas into context are people who don't care; the unbiased and apathetic are usually the wisest dudes in the room. If you want to totally misunderstand why something is supposedly important, find the biggest fan of that particular thing and ask him for an explanation. He will tell you everything that doesn't matter to anyone who isn't him. He will describe paradoxical details and share deeply personal anecdotes, and it will all be autobiography; he will simply be explaining who he is by discussing something completely unrelated to his life." — Chuck Klosterman




*******



peborit animal ko ngayon... si Ulang ang Gumagawa ng Wala...







(basahin nyo ang orange book ni bob ong...andun s'ya.)

paparazzi mania

"daw bata gamay ka, mam." sabi ng isang manager dito sa Property. (para sa mga hindi ilonggo ibig sabihin n'yan super kaduper uber to the max maganda ako... hindi kayo maniwala? ok payn. hmp! tanungin n'yo nlng sa iba kng gusto n'yo. bleh!)

sinagot ko s'ya, " ba't mo nmn nasabi?" (tagalog nlng para wala ng magtanong at klaro sa lahat...)

"wala lng", sabi n'ya. "kasi itsura mo eh." sabay chuckle (oo chuckle. hindi nmn gigols at hindi rin nmn guffaw yun eh. wak na hingi ng sample. amp na yan!).

hmmmnnn... peeling bananas, este, feeling superstar nmn ako... hak hak hak

siguro ito na ang tamang panahon para i-unviel ko ang mala-stalker kuha ng camera ni markky... wahahaha.. feast your eyes on these... (bwahahaha)

pinapakilala ko si marrky... ang certified coffee buddy ko! weeeh!

hahaha.. sa kanya ko natutunan uminon ng kape, straight! no cream, no sugar...! punta kami sa peborit naming kopeshop, coffeebreak, at mag order nang brew of the week... and take home the sugar and creamers! (pero hindi kuha sa cofebrek to.. sa dunkin lng kasi hatinggabi na eh.. sensya nlng..)

pero in seryusnes... hindi nmn sa lahat ng oras advantageous maging young and gorgeos. espesyali kapag nasa job description mo mag-disiplina at mangsita ng mga pasaway na empleyado... kakainin ka ng buhay sakali... pero may sekret weapon ako... try lng nila akong lunukin at mabubulunan sila... or ip not, ako na uuna sa kanila.. mas matalas kaya pangil ko.. rhaarr!

pa-sweetums epek lng ako.. pero i'll eat them for breakfast and spit out there blackened bones to build my house of terrors kung kinakailangan... ika nga, i may speak softly but i carry a big stick! wakokoh

and in fairness, me go signal ako sa mga bosing... ahahaha... gusto nila ang maldita side ko kasi alam nilang may mga taong uubra lng ang show of force. tsk tsk.. it may not be my style most of the time, but i can respect the necessity of extreme measures wherever needed.

but let's leave that aside... for now... dun nalng tayo sa koment ng ka-opisina ko...

hmmmmnnn... kelangan ko na sigurong magpagupit ano.. para nmn bagong look sa 2009...

tiger tygger tiger

my christmas can best be described by this cartoon:

i've been selfish and self-pitying, admittedly. and i neglected to thank my friends for being there for me. i expected to be hugged and comforted but i never quiet grasped the idea that i could have been someone else's "hobbes" as well...

and so its time to let go of my tygger...

but the universe must be hearing my wishes 'cause look what i got last night, the last night of the year:

i was asked to judge the neighborhood "macho-gay" search and they gave me this token. it was fun, seeing all those guys walking on-stage half-naked and making everybody laugh with their antics... the rain could not dampen their enthusiasm i tell you.


this mug gives me hope for the new year. it's a reminder that sometimes, life gives us a most interesting answer to our wishes.


i do believe i'm going to have an interesting year after all.


with new-found friends and old buddies on my side. opportunities popping up everywhere. yes, a most interesting year...


(~_^)

dot dot dot

photo by Victor Nuno


when this year started, i never imagined how it would all turn out. i remembered feeling optimistic and excited about it (near euphoria truth be known)... and now that it's coming to an end, i feel a little bit nostalgic. it has been an eventful year. and ironically still, this has been a most boring christmas for me. maybe that's just the universe telling me to slow down a bit, eh?



december 24...

• regular work day for me. busy, lots of people coming in and out of my office since it was pay day and people were getting their payslips. prepared some documents that the boss didn't get to sign (too late).
• got sentimental at the thought of not having any celebration at home. almost bawled my eyes out while chatting with joy.
• had my sister come pick me up at the office so we could have dinner out. just the two of us at home. she came just in time to cheer me up.
• dropped by Jet's and had dinner with him too. yeay! that was a high point. and... i saw eX3. woow! that was cool! chatted for a while and then went home.
• my sister went to mass with her bf so i went to bed early. slept through christmas countdown...

december 25...

• woke up around 9 am and had raisin bread, scrambled eggs, spaghetti (from the cousins next door), and coffee for breakfast.
• watched 4 episodes of prisonbreak's season 3 (care of good ol' Jet)
• noon time i had to prepare to go home to roxas. the bus "konduktor" asked, "studyante, miss?" wahahahahahaha oh boy! that made my day alright! that and the cute guy across the aisle looked up to see my answer. (lol) he went off at Passi... tsk tsk tsk... too bad.
• spent the 3 hours travel time watching Mummy 1 and half of Mummy 2 (Scorpion King). had a good laugh at least.
• arrived at Gramma's hungry and headachey. lunch was lechon and bread, with a banana for dessert... at 4:50 in the afternoon... sweet!
  

... and spent the next two and half days lazing around my Gramma's house watching tv, playing computer games, reading, and getting my fingertips blistered practicing "is it okay if i call you mine" on the guitar...


*******


while at my Gramma's i had a couple of alleluia moments.

i realized that i had grown away from their tight little world. their life revolved around their daily routine. and they had no other concern except that they be able to keep their delicate bubble of self-righteous contentment. they talk of events and grudges that happened over a year ago like it was just yesterday. they count the centavos and pesos that they spent over the blessings and people that they could make happy. they remember the bitter and acrid taste of insults over the sweet smiles and sincere thank yous that they encounter...

it makes me sad. and it made me understand them a little bit better. but it also scared me. because i knew that their way of life could as easily be mine and that their pessimistic and self-righteous words could still seep into my heart like slow poison...


*******

back at home.

everyone's excited about the new year. there's going to be a neighborhood party. thanksgiving mass, gift-giving for the children...

aaah, this is the spirit of christmas i'd been missing. the willingness to share, even from those with so little. yes... it gives me hope...

a fitting end to the old year. and a welcome beginning for the new one.

Para sa mga OC

"Finish every day and be done with it. You have done what you could; some blunders and absurdities crept in; forget them as soon as you can. Tomorrow is a new day; you shall begin it serenely and with too high a spirit to be encumbered with your old nonsense." — Ralph Waldo Emerson

ang araw na ito ay para sa mga OC. at ang linyang yan ni Emerson ay para sa mga feeling OC... oo kasama na ako jan... at wag kang magkaila, alam mong, isa ka rin dun.

:p



********

ganito kasi. may isa akong kasama sa office na ang binungad na kwento sakin pagkakita namin kaninang umaga ay ang kinuwento rin niya sakin nang huli kaming magkita, nung sabado pa!. Sa loob ko lang, nagtataka ako kung para sa kanya may naglipas bang oras magmula nang una naming na-discuss ang concerns niya. para kasing, naka-pause lang yung train of thought n'ya tas ng magkita kami ulit, hayun nag resume play na naman... (doh)

dahil nga kulang ako sa tulog wala akong magawa kundi mag tango nlng sa bawat salita n'ya. wala akong energy na magsingit mn lang ng opinyun ko. and dig this, gusto ko sanang matulog sa lunchbreak ko, pero pumasok sya sa office ko at sinarado ang pinto at nagkwento na nmn. goodbye, forty-winks! haaay...

pero may punto nmn ang concern niya. yun nga lang, parang sirang plaka na talaga. natorete ako at nawalan ng gana. yung arguement nya tuloy parang wala ng epek. subrang pabalik-balik na. alam ko na ba't ganun nlng ang reaksyun ng iba kapag sya na ang mag-umpisang magsalita. alam nilang wala ng katapusan.

pano kaya bukas? ganun parin ba ang bukang-bibig nya??!



*******

speaking of OC, I remember Orson Scott Card's book Xenocide and his description of a planet named Path and the genetically enhanced elite of the planet that suffered a form of OCD. In the book, those who were afflicted by OCD were considered Godspoken and were treated as demigods themselves. when the first symptoms of OCD appear in their children, they are subjected to a test wherein they either kill themselves or find an act of "purification" that would suffice to ease the overwhelming compulsion they feel.

much as in the real world, OCD can be quite crippling. we jokingly allude to it when we notice someone being overly neat or exhibits wierd tendencies like untwirling phone cords or aligning books or papers against table edges, but i've heard of people with the wierdest compulsions like making sure that the gas switch is turned off by switching it repeatedly up to 100 times.

*******

ikaw? ano ang act of purification mo?

After Party Favors

okay... so it's 11:16 pm and the party is officially over.

no alcohol. no tantrums. no stress.

door prize. consolation for the contest. aching calves and shaking hands for carrying the fishbowl and walking across the dance area for the last quarter of the evening.

yeay!!!

but still a little disappointed for not having won a major prize in the contest. believe it or not we were the most "serious" performance of the bunch. but like what my officemates keep telling us newbies, its not how serious you are with the performance its how you keep the judges laughing and entertained by your show of outrageousness and lack of inhibition.

we had no chance! bwahahahaha

oh well... at least we had fun and we did contribute something to the night.

albeit it stings to be lumped together with the drunken rendition of cha cha cha... boohoo!

oops! better sign off before i say anything not nice. teheh!

all for the fun of it! yeppeeh!



p.s. pictures to follow... yes! i did dance too! believe it or not!

:p :p :p :p

Vignettes and Gandhi

Every morning I like to watch the morning show Umagang Kay Ganda (UKG) on channel 10. I find the hosts upbeat and and the news and related features informative without sounding too dismal (or overly cheerful) about the state of our country's day to day struggles.

I was sitting there, eating my breakfast, when I saw the plight of the Negros farmers who've been on hunger strike for nine days now, trying to get the President and the nation, and maybe even the world, to see their struggle to claim a parcel of land that had been promised them under the Comprehensive Agrarian Reform Program (CARP). I could see their gaunt faces, stoic and poignant at the same time, trying to answer the host's questions without reverting to their local dialect, conveying their dismay at the President's inability to make good on her word. I almost choked on my coffee when one of them started to speak Hiligaynon - it was too close to home.


I blinked back tears and wondered if the government, indeed if the President herself, could remain unmoved by their bravery and dignity.


These are men willing to lay down their life for their cause. It would be a sad day indeed if their sacrifice goes unnoticed and their voices unheard.



*******

Whereas, in the office, some people remain apathetic and totality devoid of concern for their work. I'm not too sure if they do this on purpose, or if they're merely walking through the motions of their life without seeing the connections, hence the impact, of their actions on others.

I can't help getting mad at them. In fact, I'm sorely tempted to go on a rampage (that's how mad I am). But then, that would be totally unproductive. So... damage control it is.

If they show themselves to be unreliable then they better not be surprised at being treated as dispensable.



*******


"Your beliefs become your thoughts,
Your thoughts become your words,
Your words become your actions,
Your actions become your habits,
Your habits become your values,
Your values become your destiny."
— Mahatma Gandhi


So, if your destiny ultimately hinges on your beliefs, what is the difference between the farmers and my co-worker? And where will it lead them? And what about you and I? What do we believe in?


I believe that we can choose our beliefs. I believe that we can change our beliefs. I believe that it takes courage to stick to our beliefs.

And, it gives me hope knowing that we can be who we believe our self to be.



(~_^)

Anti-Social Tendencies

Last night, I went home to find that there wasn't dinner on the table.

Iloy: Di mo nakuha ang text ni Eron? Di kami nagluto.

Ako: Ano?! Eh ano kakainin ko?!

Iloy: Kala ko nakuha mo ang text?!

Ako: Aaaarrggghh!!! Obviously wala!

[walk-out]

I went out and texted everyone I could think of who would accompany me for dinner and may be spend the night with. I was so angry, I didn't want to go back home at all!

Turns out, all my friends where unavailable or totally unresponsive... ggrrrrr!!


NOTE TO SELF: Get a boyfriend... ASAP!



*******

But not just any male. I do have some standard to uphold. I've been waiting too long to just settle for any guy, thank you very much.


Boyfriend Checklist:

1. Someone who can commit with me wholeheartedly. I'm not gonna make you complete or you me. 'Cause, honey, we already are.

2. Accepts me for who I am. Read: someone who won't mind if I turn into my maldita alter ego...!

3. Makes demands of me without breaking my spirit. I want to be challenged but not dictated to.

4. Can make me laugh, and can talk sense. Preferably loves music and books, or at the very least has an opinion on it.

5. Respects and is kind to women, children, and animals. Patience is a virtue best displayed in these attributes and in the face of crying babies and toddlers throwing tantrums.

6. Must have a hobby (or interest) of some sort. I find that people with no hobbies can be boring. They have a tendency to take things for granted - no passion for anything...

7. Knows how to ride public transport and can handle getting lost in a new environment. Really, dude, i need a man with a good sense of survival.

8. Is able to disclose and be honest about anything... but also knows how to shut up at the appropriate time.



Disclaimer: This list can and may change at the whims and needs of yours truly.

Tinatamad ka rin ba?

Di ko alam kung bakit nkakaranas na naman ako nang katamaran at kawalan ng gana sa mga bagay bagay. Ito narin ang rason at bakit hindi na ako nakaka-post ng bago dito sa blog ko. Meron naman akong mga ideas at articles na na prepara, pero... ewan!

Kung sa salita pa ni Slackaholic, "Just tired of it all... sometimes."

At ang definition ng ALL ng itanong ko: "all. you know, everything. hehe. plain ol' every thing."



*sigh* haaay....



*******



But it got me thinking. What if depression na to?!! (praning mode)

So, naghalungkat ako sa mga notes ko at may nakita akong questionnaire tungkol sa pag-alam ng psychiatric disturbances specifically: depression and/or anxiety. Nakita ko ang General Health Questionnaire (GHQ 12) at sinagot ko ito para maalam kung kelangan na nga ba akong magpakunsulta sa propesyunal.


Etoh sya:




At ito ang sagot ko:

1. C 2. B 3. C 4. B 5. C 6. B

7. C 8. B 9. C 10. B 11. A 12. B


Eto ang scoring: A-B = 0, C-D = 1


Kapag nakakuha ka ng score na 7 pataas ibig sabihin ay "high probability" na meron kang psychological disturbance at pwede nang i-refer sa propesyunal...!


Hmmmn... Buti naman at 5 lang ang score ko ngayon. Kelangan lang siguro nang kunting counseling (read: barkada intervention. bwahahaha). Pero mas mataas ito kasi ng una ko itong sinagot mga tatlong buwan na ang nakalipas, zero (0) ang score ko.


*******


At para sa isang tao na bumibigay ng lunas sa mga emosyunal at psychotic na kababalaghan sa buhay ko, may gusto akong sabihin sa'yo:

"I hate that i miss you. It's one of the few things i don't like about you. But something's gotta balance out this unhealthy reliance i have on your soothing words of wisdom and, dare i say it, loving tolerance of my personal weakness. For all the truth we share, sometimes it's better that we keep some secrets to ourself as well, and a little distance to maintain some perspective. Otherwise, we'd end up in a dangerous place..."

Salamat.

(~_^)

Wanted: Hygiene

GUEST POST
MGA KWENTONG DUBAI PART II
NI: CODENAME TASUKI






*******


Sina Bell at Sheena ay iilan lamang sa mga sampung babaeng auditors dito sa aming kompanya. Si Bell ay Pinay samantalang si Sheena naman ay Indiana. Minsan nagsama ang dalawa sa isang audit engagement.

Sheena: Oh Bell, it seems that your hair is wet every morning. Do you wash it everyday?
Bell: Of course. How about you?
Sheena: Well, I haven’t washed my hair for five days now. Maybe tomorrow I will.

Confidence level: 95%


Si Shubu naman ay isa ding Indiano na nakasama ko sa isang cliente. Sa lahat ng mga kasama kong Indians, parang sya ang pinakamalinis manamit. Marunong din sya ng kaunting Filipino. Minsan pagkatapos naming kumain, nagkasabay kami sa banyo. Nakita nya akong nagsisipilyo.

Shubu: Pare… kamusta? Do you really brush your teeth every after meal?
Tasuki: Yes of course.
Shubu: Well, that’s a very good habit. Do all Filipinos do that?
Tasuki: Hmm… not all. But most of the times we do. And you?
Shubu: Well, I only brush twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. And when I’m only at home, I do not use that paste.

Confidence level: 99%



Based on my true experience… igalang ang Copyrights.


(June 7, 2006)







*******

Dahil sa post na ito nalaman kong dapat palang ipagmalaki ang hygiene practice ng mga Pinoy! :D
Woohoo! Wave your tooth brush in the air!

Mabuhay tayong lahat!

:D

Bookworm and proud of it!

I am a lover of books and I absolutely love to read. One of my earliest happy memory was when our grade one class was given the tour of the school library and I saw rows and rows of books, some shelves even shielded from grubby hands behind sheets of plastic. I remember lagging behind the class so I could browse the shelves and touch the spines of those beautiful volumes that were out of my reach until the third grade when we were allowed to get a library card.

And I remember one of the few instances when I got scolded in class. It wasn’t because I was talkative, or “pasaway”. It was because I got caught reading a library book, hidden below my desk, during my English class. I was in third grade.

My love story with the book is ultimately intertwined with school and the people I interact with every day. At kinder school I thrived on picture books and those how-things-work science volumes sold by door to door salesmen; at grade school was my Nancy Drew, Hardy Boys, and Bobsy Twins phase which later evolved into the Mills & Boon and Harlequin romance affair generously sprinkled with literary anthologies along the way. At high school I got heavily involved with Judith McNaught, Brenda Joyce, Iris Johansen, and all those other leading romance novelist. I also got my first taste of fantasy fiction with Robert Silverberg’s Lord Valentine’s Castle and Elizabeth Pope’s Perilous Gard, and got interested in psychology with William Sleator’s House of Stairs (heavy on behaviorism).

I could lose my self in a book. My classmates would all be talking and arguing but I could sit at my corner and never hear a sound.

When I reached college I got a little bit refined and read some classics: Shakespeare, Milton (I tried but never finished Paradise Lost), Edgar Allan Poe (one of my favorite), Jane Austen (before the movie commercialized her works), and other authors I could find in the library. I would max out my borrowers limit and gorge myself on weekends. Sadly, I never got around to finishing some of them because there were also text books that needed reading.

Trivia: I once heard it bandied about that there was a copy of the Kama Sutra in the reserved section of our library. This was in first year while taking a World History class. Our professor disabused us of the idea that the classic tract was only good for lewd drawings on sexual positions. Of course I had to find out if indeed we had a copy. I looked up the card catalogue and lo and behold it was indeed part of the collection. I surreptitiously traced the books at the reserved section but it was no longer there. *Think: Nicolas Cage at the Library of Congress looking for the President’s Book.*

Anyway, back to my timeline. It was also in college that I started buying books. I would carefully save my holiday “earnings” and splurge on second hand book shops. There was this nice shop at Gaisano City once. I remember it because that’s where I bought my three-in-one copy of Anne MacCaffrey’s Harper Hall Trilogy, hard-bound, which was later borrowed and never returned by a dorm-mate (I want to hunt him down still, “Kuya Niel Puga, give ‘em back!” huhuhuh). It was also where I found - and didn’t buy - Frank Herbert’s God Emperor of Dune (which is so hard to find now) and a paperback copy of Perilous Gard. Those were losses I suffer up to this day.

When I got work, and steady income, I gradually built up my SF collection. Sometimes I’d buy books I wouldn’t read. With work-related stress weighing on me, sometimes I’d much rather sleep than read. I’d occasionally read the romance novels my aunt gave me for pasalubong though: Nora Roberts! But it was also through my aunt that I discovered Neil Gaiman and Sharon Shinn, two of my favored authors to this day. My older brother introduced me to Orson Scott Card and William Gibson. Pol introduced me to Pol Medina and I heard about Bob Ong from my barkada.

I found that my family and friends were becoming my trusted sources of reading materials as my professional endeavor limited my time from browsing book shops. I’d visit May, a high school barkada, and come home with a huge bag full of cook books and contemporary novels; I’d visit my grandparents for the holidays and come home with books from my aunt. I’d swap books with my siblings and friends, never minding who owned which books and sometimes forgetting who borrowed my Neil Gaiman (Rolan are you reading this??). From my working sphere I was exposed to Stephen Covey and Don Miguel Ruiz and of course Mel, my source for Sandman and other comic books. And now that I’m back at school, my classmates have let me borrow their copies of Mitch Albom.

My love and respect for books have grown through out every phase of my life. Now, I’m trying to share that passion with my friends. But it’s so hard to find people who have the same interest. Most people nowadays are reliant on ebooks and soft copies, dvds, and internet downloads for entertainment. They’re quiet useful, I admit, but still nothing beats handling an old and yellowing “volume of forgotten lore”. And it’s so much harder to find people who are generous with their treasures.

If you’re within my vicinity and have the same passion with books as I do, please let me know and I’ll gladly share my library with you. We can discuss and share thoughts on what we’ve read, reread, rated, hated, loved, and treasured. Who knows, we’ll be able to create our very own Bookworm Haven right here in our own corner of the blogosphere.

(^_~)