Nanay Academy

Few days ago — napunta sa usapang Nanay ang kwentuhan naming hausmate sa bahay ni Lola. Sa usapang ito — napansin naming na maraming pagkakapareho sa dialogues ng aming mga ina pag ang mga ito ay nagbubunganga…. Fine.. baka dalawin pa ako ng Nanay ko…. nagagalit.(Ayan Nay ha… binago ko na ang wording… peace na tayo…) Anyway – balik sa kanilang mga dialogues… it makes us wonder kung anong mga factors ang dahilan sa pagkakapareho na ito. Magkaiba naman sila ng geographical location. Iba rin ang ethnicity. They have different parents with different partental style. Pero parehong pareho sila ng mga sinsasabi kaya aakalain mong sa pinag-aralan nila ito ng sabay. Posible nga kaya? Maari nga kaya na nung panahon nila — ang lahat ng gustong maging ina ay kailangang pumasok sa isang Nanay Academy?

Maaring nagtatanong kayo – ano ba itong mga dialogues na pareho sila…. Heto ang ilang sample….

– Ano ba? Tanghaling tapat na nasa tulugan pa rin kayo? Inabutan na kayo ng sikat ng araw di pa rin kayo bumabangon!

– Wag kayong mag-aaksaya ng pagkain. Masusuwerte nga kayo na inihahain na sa inyo ang pagkain. Yung iba ngang pamilya dyan – di nila alam kung saan nila kukuhain ang kakaininin nila sa araw-araw.

– Aba. Ang gulo ng kwarto nyo a. Parang dinaanan ng bagyo. Ano ba naman yung linisin nyo ang kwarto nyo.

– Habang nagpapahinga kayo – magtupi naman kayo ng damit. Para kahit papaano ay may natatapos na Gawain.

– O ano ang itinutunganga nyo dyan. Magwalis-walis man lang kayo. Tuwing Sabado’t Linggo na lang nga kayo makakatulong dito sa bahay.

– Bawas-bawasan nyo naman ang pagbibihis. Ano kayo.. mga artista?

– Aba… iligpit nyo naman ang mga pinagkalatan nyo. Para kayong nakakuha ng katulong a.

O ayan.. sample pa lang yan. For sure marami pa kayong maidadagdag dyan. Hmmm.. ano.. ngingiti-ngiti kayo dyan? Nasabihan di kayo ng mga dialogues na yan nung bata pa kayo no? Wag nang tumanggi pa. Tandaan nyo.. liars go to hell…

But that was our Nanay’s generation. Paano naman kaya ang mga nanay of today’s generation? Is it really true that one grows up and become one of his parents? Ibig sabihin nito – ang mga dialogues ng nakaraan ay maaring dialogues din ng ngayon…. At maari ring nang bukas? Hmmm.. ewan ko lang.. pero wag kayong mag-aalala….. magmamasid-masid ako sa pali-paligit. Nais ko rin naman malaman ang kasagutan sa aking mga katanungan. ☺

In the Presence of Royalty

I spent my weekend in the presence of royalty. Promise. I am telling the truth. Walang i-stir (erase..erase… masyadong 80’s ang term na “I-stir” no?).  How did this happen? Hmm… fine.. ikwento ko….pinipilit nyo ako e…

. J

Saturday — a day of rest… wala akong kahit anong plano. Meron pala – kailangan kong maglaba, maglinis (ng kaunti… as in kaunti lang talaga… medyo igagalaw ko ng kaunti yung mga kalat…), magpalit ng bedsheet at pillow cases… atbp. Stay at home lang talaga….. pero habang nagba-brunch ang mga hausmate ni Lola (kami yun) napag-usapan naming na parang masarap manood ng sine….. ayun….  Nagkayayaan… pagkalipas ng ilang oras… we found ourselves in GV Vivo City.. about to watch Beowulf (ayan.. tama na spelling nyan…..).   Isa lang ang dasal ko that time… sana di sya boring.. sana di sya boring. Fortunately – di naman sya boring.  It was a good movie actually.  Entertaining enough.  You have your horny king, young  and innocent queen, slutty seductive villain, disfigured monster and of course — Beowulf.. the son of.. ah…e…. his parents! Basta . Yun na yun. Its an epic so medyo epic ang dating hehehe.  It’s a CG  animation film.. the same technology used in The Polar Express…. so… medyo kulang ang emotion ng eyes ng mga character. Minsan… para ring naka-botox yung mga characters. And like any other epic movie — you’ll have your fair share of violence (ripping human bodies into two, disfigured monster literally chewing the head off a human, blood everywhere) and nudity (yup.. nudity….. Beowulf fighting in nude, Slutty villain emerging from the water wearing almost nothing,…  something for the men, women and in-betweens…).  What did I learn from the movie – Wag maging maingay — baka may mainis sa paligid at patayin ka na lang bigla.  Nice di ba… entertained ka na.. may moral lesson pa…

Sunday –  It’s a normal Sunday…. Nung medyo hapon na… naisip ko pumunta ng Orchard road… no definite plans really… I met a friend…. Medyo ikot-ikot sa Orchard when we decided to watch a movie… pangpalipas oras ba… but not just any other movie.. kailangan yung hindi masyadong mag-iisip.. yung hindi masyadong seryoso… ibig sabihin the movie shouldn’t be about war, poverty, child abuse,  global warming, natural calamity etc. Wala lang.. gusto lang naming maentertain.. hindi ma-depress.  We decided to watch Enchanted. Yup.. A Disney movie with your usual  Damsel in distress, Prince charming, Wicked stepmother, side-kick animal and Mc Dreamy.  It is a slightly different take on the usual Disney princess movies. In Enchanted  –  the supposed to be princess was pushed by the stepmother in a wishing well and emerged on  real life New York.  Still with her “animated”  quirks – she met Mc Dreamy and fell in love with him. Prince Charming followed  her to New York to rescue her only to find out that she was no longer her Princess.. however – he fell in love with Mc Dreamy’s  girlfriend and married her  in cartoon land.  And they all lived happily ever after! It was an entertaining movie… funny in some scenes. I especially love the Central Park scene where – in true Disney cartoon fashion – starts with a walk in the park and ends in a song and dance extravaganza. Giselle’s little helpers while cleaning the house is just gross.   Amy Adams is wonderful as Giselle… but I feel that Anne Hathaway would have done a better job. Mc Dreamy … well…. not much is required of him. He just need to look dreamy and sensitive. He did both rather well.  Isa lang napansin ko… even in scenes na basa ang buhok nya… it still look damn good! Hay – wish I can have the Mc Dreamy hair hehehehehe..  Aside from the scenes and the actors – I like the soundtrack as well. I am a sucker  with Disney soundtracks… di ko alam bakit..  probably the good tunes…. Lyrics that tells a story…. Disney princess voice.. ewan. Maybe it’s the child in me. I grew up watching Disney cartoons… and will probably die still loving it. Anyway … all in all…. If you wanted to be entertained…. and Disney fairytales does  not make you gag…

you may want to consider this movie.

So.. that’s the whole story on how I spent my last weekend in the presence of royalty.  A little tiring pero oks lang…  madali naman ako  naka-adjust sa royal life. Siguro I am a prince or a King in my past-past life. Hmmm…. reincarnation…. that’s a whole new blog entry… for now…

I must bid adieu! (insert curtsy here) J

Of Dogs, Spiders and Bees

1. Are you familiar with  those small dogs with bobbing heads na normally nilalagay sa mga sasakyan? Kung hindi  – poor you! Anyway — I took a cab this morning papasok sa office… and the cab has gazillions of these bobbing head dogs…. ok… fine… 5 or so lang…  but they are placed side by side na akala mo ay beauty pageant contestants.  Aside from this 5 or so dogs – meron ding mga pusa with the heads bobbing in left/right direction.  Naghahanap nga ako nung pusa na gumagalaw ang paw na parang nangbabatok… pero wala which is a huge relief. But that’s another story. Balik sa mga aso — I really don’t have any strong feelings against them… pero this morning — when I saw them lined up…. Heads bobbing… their piercing eyes looking at me …. I somehow feel weird. Yung feeling na parang people are looking at you.. heads shaking in unison kasi you did something wrong or embarrassing or dissapointing. You know the feeling?  And feeling ko.. saan man ako tumingin – sumusunod yung mga ulo nila.  Parang sinasabing — there is no escape…. san ka man magtago…. Titingnan ka namin! Weird. Pero lam nyo… kahit anong iwas ko… I can’t help but look at them.  Parang  sa tennis match na kailangan mong sundan ang bola.  It’s like I’m hypnotized or something. Hmp.  Nadagdagan na  naman tuloy ang kinaiinisan kong mga bagay. I cursed the person who invented the bobbing head dogs with eternal fart bombs! Hmp!  At pag nakakita ulit ako ng mga bobbing head dogs — I’ll rip their “judging” heads off their stupid lifeless body!(Insert evil laugh here)
2. Last week  — the original PC that was provided to me was replaced. I charged this to Divine Intervention. Or siguro kinukuha na ng Smithsonian Institute yung PC. Sobrang bagal nung PC na yun.  It was so slow — na kailangan ko mag-ahit ulit pag nag-boot na ito at ready for my use na,. Okay … that’s an exaggeration… but you get my drift. Anyway — they replaced it with a not so new Dell PC… which is – compared to the first one – really fast ! Remember – compared to the first one ha….  Aside from it’s super fast processor (again.. compared to the first one) — mayroon itong  very special add-on —- hindi natanggal ng admin yung GAMES!!!!! … Maaring isipin nyo na ang babaw ko… well… beggars can’t be choosers…hmm…. Rephrase… most beggars can’t  be choosers.  I am thrilled with this  new development ….. isa lang ang ibig sabihin nito… Spider Solitaire all day… and all night! Yahoo
3. Last night — after a long.. long…long  time….. nanood ako ng movie.. sa movie house…. How long? Hmm… di ko na matandaan ang last movie na pinanood ko… probably The Simpsons…. Isipin ko…  Back to yesterday — dahil sa may free time ako … I roped in a friend to watch a movie…. I initially wanted to watch Beowulf…. Pero parang hindi naming trip ang masyadong mag-isip… kaya   we decided to watch Bee Movie. It was one decision that I did not regret. The movie is very funny.  Story-wise — well its no The Incredibles…. pero okay na  rin naman.  Definitely — yung witty and very funny lines ang nagdala ng movie. Nakakatawa talaga.  I initially have hesitations  kasi si Jerry Seinfeild ang voice nung bidang Bee.  I would not want to pay $8.50 to watch a Seinfield rerun. But he was really great in the Bee movie. There is still a hint of  Seinfeild… pero sakto lang.  Parang saktong-sakto yung voice nya para sa bidang bee. If you want to be entertained — well this movie is definitely for you. I promise you …. this movie has a lot of BUZZ!

 

What’s in a Name?

Nakakabit na yata sa akin ang kamalasan kung pangalan ang pag-uusapan. Nope – hindi dahil sa mayroon akong pangalan na kahiya-hiya or katawa-tawa. Okay naman ang pangalan ko. Hindi maganda. Hindi rin naman pangit. Sakto lang kung baga. Medyo common pero oks lang naman….. SANA.

Bakit may sana pa…. dito na papasok ang sinasabi kong kamalasan. Nagsimula ang lahat sa birth certificate. Yup… isang pagkakamali na isinisisi ko sa aking ama. Bakit ba naman kasi hindi pa yata uso ang proofreading nung panahon na ako ay pinanganak. Mali ang spelling nga aking middle name at hindi pa nakalagay ang walang kamatayang “III” o da third. Yan ang version sa NSO. Pero kung sa cityhall ng kamaynilaan ka naman kukuha — makikita mo ang Da third… parang inihabol lang… pero Da Third na maliwanag. Consistent naman ang pagiging wrong spelling ng aking middle name.

Fast forward… year 2000…. Kailangan ko ng passport…. Syempre pa…. dito na lumabas ang importance ng proof reading. Kung nirepaso lang ang aking birth certificate bago ipinadala sa NSO.. di sana walang issue sa pagkuha ng passport. Pero hindi…. Dahil mali ang pangalan… walang Da Third… maling middle name…. Kailangan kong magpabalik-balik sa NSO para asikasuhin at makiusap na maniwala sila na ako nga ito… at hindi ako nagbabalatkayo. Sa sobrang dalas ko nga sa NSO office – halos bigyan na ako ng staff id ng gwardiya dun. Sa awa naman ng Poong Maykapal — pagkalipas ng ilang buwan ay naisaayos ko ang aking pangalan… may da Third na ito… pero mali pa rin ang spelling ng middle name ko. Punta naman ako sa DFA dala ang lahat ng papeles (tax certificate, school diploma,transcript of records, membership sa Juday fans club at kung ano-ano pa) na nagpapatibay na ako ng ulit ito.. at hindi nagbabalatkayo. Unang punta pa lang… luck is on my side na yata… ayun… sa wakas… nakuha ko na rin ang pinaka-aasam-asam kong pasaporte.

Nung nandito na ako sa land of Kway-teow…. Hirap na hirap ang lahat sa pagbigkas ng aking pangalan. Hirap kasi silang bigkasin ang titik “R”… kaya ayun… kung ano-ano ang tawag nila sa akin. Oks pa rin naman… basta malappit..pwede na. Hindi nga nila masabi ng maayos ang “Parking Area”… pangalan ko pa kaya. Hehehe.. pag sinasabi nilang ang Parking Area…. Walang “r” sa “Parking”… nung una ko nga narinig yun…. Napangiti ako.. biro mo.. an area just for ….. hehehe…..

Sa aking short stint sa Progresibong bangko…. Muli kong naranasan ang kamalasan….. mali na naman ang spelling ng pangalan ko na ginagamit ko sa pag-log on sa aking PC. Pinababago ko nga ito… pero sabi nung mga masisipag at mababait na admin… mahirap daw… pabayaan ko na lang daw… kaya ayun…. Mula day 1 hanggang last day… “Della” ang kailangan ko itipa ….. asus… ano naman ang hirap sa Dela… aapat na letra na lang nga… nagkamali pa…

Nung bumalik na ako sa Utsu…. Muli akong sinundan ng kamalasan… feeling ko nga curse na ito. Ano ba naman ang hirap sa pangalan ko…. Madali lang… pramis… pero hindi…. Mali na naman…. Mula sa mg e-mail… hanggang sa I.D…… medyo nabitin ang first name ko… nawala ang titik “O”. Fortunately — hindi ko na kailangan pang magwala…. ang mababait at masisipag na admin (this time hindi ako sarcastic) na raw ang mag-aayos nito. Ilang days lang naman daw ako magbabalatkayo bilang ibang nilalang…. pag-naisaayos na ito… muli na naman akong magiging ako… name and all……. And I am definitely looking forward to that day…. ☺

The King, The Queen and I

After so much delay… finally ay natuloy na rin ang paglalakbay ng mga housemates ni Lola. Me and my two other housemates went to Bangkok, Thailand. I was so excited as I have not traveled to a place (non-Pinas) I have never been to for quite a while now. Kung hindi ako nagkakamali – my last travel was Hongkong pa. And that was ages ago na… ok.. fine.. couple of years lang… pero since I tend to exaggerate… ages ako na yun….

Anyway – di naman talaga dapat mga housemates ni Lola ang original kong kasama… but due to some unforeseen circumstances .. di ako nakasama so original casting…. And eto nga… sa second casting ako natuloy. No regrets naman… I had so much fun.

I have been to Thailand before — sa Phuket nga lang… so I am still not sure on what to expect with Bangkok. Everyone is raving about shopping — pero I have heard this before with Hongkong — and I was terrible disappointed. So – para di masira ang aking travel – no expectations muna. Bahala na ika nga.

My first glimpse of Bangkok — is of course the new airport. Syempre – dito lumapag yung eroplano e. So ito ang una kong makikita. I was impressed with its size. Ang laki ng airport nila. It’s definitely bigger than Changi Airport… close in size with the new Hongkong Airport. It has this industrial/unfinished look. I am not sure kung yun talaga ang gusto nilang effect… or hindi pa lang tapos yung interiors nung airport. Anyway – its impressive. Although — medyo madumi ng konti. I think dito lamang ang Changi Airport — it is always clean. Medyo chaotic din dun sa new airport ng Bangkok — unlike Changi na quiet and orderly.


Nung papunta na kami sa hotel namin — feeling ko nasa South Expressway lang ako papunta ng Makati. Pinas na pinas ang surroundings. Kung hindi lang thai ang mga nakasulat sa billboards and signages — it can easily be mistaken as Pinas. Feeling at home tuloy ako. The ride from the airport to the hotel (Baiyoke Suites) took more than an hour and a half. Grabe. It was morning pero traffic sobra. Naku — OA sa traffic ha. Naku — pasalamat talaga ang mga Pilipino. Kung trapik sa Pinas — mas trapik sa Bangkok. Kahit puyat ako – di ako natulog during the travel to the hotel. Gusto ko kasing makita yung surroundings… and as I mentioned… Pinas na pinas talaga. Mula sa itsura ng mga houses and buildings hanggang sa mga sidewalk vendors.

Our hotel – Baiyoke suites – is located in the center of the tiangge shoppings. The hotel itself is not that grand since 3 star hotel lang… but the location is quite good. Paglabas mo pa lang… feeling nasa Divisoria ka na. The sidewalks are filled with people selling their wares — from shirts to shoes to inihaw na tilapia!

Pagkatapos na pagkatapos naming ilapag ang aming mga bagahe — takbo na agad kami palabas para maglunch. Sobrang gutom na talaga kami. At syempre – bilang ganti ng tadhana… wala kaming makitang makakainan. We had to walk around for an hour bago kami nakakita ng KFC. May mga ibang kainan naman – pero we decided to stick to the “known” places to eat muna. Sarap ng chicken — the taste is quite close to the Pinas KFC. Sarap!!!!!

After eating – we walked around again to shop. When in Bangkon — you shop. So who are we to resist. We went to this newly opend shopping center Central World. It is a huge shopping center. Comprarable to SM Mega Mall siguro. It has a Glorietta feel. Isetan is the flagship department store… and kung hindi ba naman swerte — they are on sale. Ang daming branded clothes na naka-sale. I bought a couple of short sleeves polo shirt… on 20% off…. Buy 3 take one free pa! It was really a steal! Afterwards — ikot-ikot pa rin … then we decided to take a break and had coffee at Starbucks. I bought a Starbucks city mug for my collection. Pagkatapos magpahinga – ikot na naman. May napuntahan kaming lugar na parang ang daming tao.. tapos may mga pulis pa. Syempre – dahil true blue pinoy kami — nakiusyoso kami. It turned out that the official opening of the mall was that day. Kaya ang daming high profile guests. Gaano ka high profile? Well… the Thai Royal family was there lang naman. I saw the King and Queen… nope…I am not kidding.. the King and Queen of hearts… este of Thailand was there. I was able to see them quite close… mga a few yards away. What a treat! Sobrang swerte di ba? Nung dumaan na ang entourage…. Ikot ulit kami. We went to Marks and Spencer…. The price is the same as Singapore.. so wala ako nabili…. Nung nasa loob na kami — medyo may commotion na naman….. dadaan pala dun ang Hari at reyna. For the second time that day — I saw the King and Queen up close — as in kung dudura ako… kaya ko silang tamaan. Nice di ba? Pero alam nyo – di ako masyadong impress sa itsura ng hari at reyna nila. Ewan ko ba… I don’t find them “royal” looking. I was expecting them to be quite regal looking… parang commanding ang presence. Kung hindi lang siguro nagkakagulo at walang nagsabi sa akin na hari at reyna sila… pwede ko silang mapagkamalan na ordinaryong middle class lang. They are a far cry from Queen Elizabeth… or Princess Diana…. Wala lang.. Opinyon ko lang naman yun….

After the royal sightings. ….. lakwatsa pa rin… visited a couple more shopping centers… wala pa masyadong purchases….but very happy. We bought some ammunitions sa grocery (water, chips, candies) then decided to walk back to the hotel… a long walk back to the hotel if I may say so. My feet is killing me na… kaya naisipan naming kumain na lang sa hotel imbes na maghanap pa sa labas… I had a forgettable dinner… After dinner…. Yun namang mga tiangge sa paligid ng hotel ang inikot naming. Ang daming mura!!!!! Shopping heaven talaga.. I think its better than Tutuban or Greenhills. I did not buy anything – kasi isip ko na mag-shop pa naman kami kinabukasan after the half day city tour. We decided to call it a day… and returned to the hotel.

The next day – we woke up early since susunduin kami ng 7:30 a.m. for the half day city tour. We had a buffet breakfast 46 floors up….. we have a nice view of Bangkok while eating a superb breakfast… Bacon, eggs, toast, butter, hot coffee and the Bangkok birds eye view… what a good way to start the day. While eating — we saw a lot of places that looks like shopping malls… so tinanong naming sa mga waiters yung mga names… around 4 more shopping centers pa pala ang kailangan naming puntahan and we only have that day. Hmm… half day city tour? Or Whole day shopping? Hirap ba? Not really…. Whole day shopping siyempre. We decided to ditch the tour … wala naman bago dun e… Floating market? E sa Pinas… pag bumagyo… hindi lang market ang floating, pati schools, churches, houses etc.. Lahat floating. Reclining Buddha? E di magpapapicture na lang ako na nakahiga… voila!… reclining Buddha! Hehehe….. Unanimous decision.. SHOPPING! SHOPPING!


Actualy – I was feeling sick the night before… tapos when I woke up.. I had this terrible sore throat… pero nawala ang lahat ng yan ng nasa shopping frenzy mood na ako. We visited a few more shopping centers. We took a cab to MBK center…. Inikot naming ang lugar… and had luch there as well. The Pad Thai was great!!! Best I ever tasted. Afterwards – a short distance was the Siam Center. Beside it was the Paragon Shopping Center. MBK is more masa… Siam Center and Paragon is more of an upscale place. Paragon Shopping is a destination by itself… there was a garden inside the mall… the theme food place was great… and it even has an Oceanarium. We visited the Oceanarium and had a blast looking at different seas creatures. We even tried the 4D movie… it was short but funny. I didn’t like the “4D” effect though… di kasi sure kung malinis yung tubig na ini-ihip sa mga mukha naming hehehe. Di kami masyadong nakaikot sa Siam Center and Paragon Mall as we still have one more shopping center to go to… and ayaw naming maipit sa rush hour traffic. Around 3 p.m. we decided to head back and visit Platinum Mall which is just a few blocks away from our hotel. Platinum mall is very much like Tutuban Center… Tabi-tabi ang stalls selling items at really low prices. I bought a few items here. Sabi nga nung housemate ko “wagi” daw kami. We then decided to head back to the hotel para idispatsa ang mga bags na dala naming then head out para mag dinner. Habang naglalakad-lakad kami sa kalye… naisipan naming to try out Thai street foods.. We bought inihave na isda, inihaw na pork, inihaw na shrmp, sausauge likle food na grilled din, rice and Coke zero. We head back to the hotel and had the best meal ever sa aming hotel room. Sarap!!!!!! Not to mention really cheap!


After dinner — we went out with one mission – find the Hard Rock Café…. Hotel concierge said it’s a t Siam Square… so we took a cab and we asked na dalhin kami sa Siam Center. Ok.. fine… ako na nakaisip na ang Siam Square at Siam Center ay iisa…. No need to throw stones at me. Tao lang ako…nagkakamali…. Syemre pa… hindi naming nakita ang Hard Rock café sa Siam Center…. Nagtanon-tanong kami … and went to the direction pointed to us. Oppps….. had a quick stop-over sa Dunkin Donuts! Have I mentioned that their Dunkin Donuts is comparable … no… loads better than Pinas? Believe me. I am a Donut expert and the Bangkok Dunkin Donut is definitely better than Pinas… Its no Krispy Kreme… but it’s a class on its own.

Okay… back to the quest for Hard Rock Café….. We asked around… had a few wrong turns… but in the end found the place. Nope – di kami kakain sa loob… Bumili lang po ako ng shot glass for my collection. Since nandun na rin — bumili na rin ako ng t-shirt with Hard Rock Café Philippines na print… hehehe… joke lang… syempre Bangkok. Bumili rin yung mga housemates ko… so we had to coordinate not to buy the same prints/style. Baka akalain ng mga tao — naghihiraman kami hehehe. After the success of our quest .. balik na kami sa Hotel… pero inaya ko ulit sila ng isa pang round sa mga night market tiangge. Yung sandaling ikot turned into an hour or so of shopping. Dami ko na namang nabili. My wallet is definitely considereably thinner…. Not to mention the credit card bill! But it is so worth it. Since magagabi na… and we have a very early flight the next day…. We decided to head back. Syempre — after all the saya… lungkot na… we had to pack… this is the part of the trip that I hate… and I hated it more — since hindi magkasya sa maleta ko yung mga nabili ko. Kailangan ko pang makilagay sa bag nung housemate ko.

The next day – we woke up early … then head to the airport… sayang nga yung buffet breakfast. Kung hindi lang mahuhuli kami sa flight…. Sinulit ko talaga yung buffet breakfast na yun. The checking-in was uneventful… had this pricy breakfast at the airport lounge.. then lipad na pabakik sa Singapore. It was the end of a truly tiring trip. However – truth be told – I loved every minute of it. Will I go back to Bangkok? Of coure —- May 2008 perhaps? And this time — I will be more ready — a bigger bag, saved more money, and a longer stay!

Balik Bahay… Balik Buhay?

Day 3….. as expected wala pa akong ginagawa bukod sa magbasa…. Magbasa… at magbasa pa. Di po ako nagrereklamo. Alam ko naman na ganito talaga ang pagdaraanan ng lahat ng mga “new employee”. Ang di ko lang magets… iniexpect ba ng sangkatauhan na maintindihan at matandaan ng “new employee” in context ang lahat ng pinabasa sa kanya, Paano kung ang new employee in context ay tulad ko na nagkukunawari lang na nagbasasa?

Anyway — dahil sa balik bahay na ako…. Ini-expect ko na magbabalik buhay din ako. Ano ang “balik buhay” na sinasabi ko. Balik sa buhay Utsu. Ano ba ang buhay Utsu … malamang na tanong ninyo. Ahh… para itong isang pinoy teleserye. May bida — ako. May kontrabida – mga taong sumasalungat sa kagustuhan ko. May tuwa — pag nakukuha ko ang lahat ng gusto ko. May lungkot – kapag nagwawagi ang mga kontrabida. May action – pag nagtutunggali sa mga pulong. May horror – mga mukha ng mga taong kinaiinisan ko. Minsan may religious din – pag dasal to the max ka na mameet mo ang mga deadlines. Siyempre di mawawala ang romance — pag gusto mong yakapin ang mga manggagamit (business users) dahil sa madali silang kausap. Di lang yan…. Meron ding mga nagkaka-amnesia — yung mga nakakalimot sa mga napagkasunduan na . Meron din mga nabubuhay na patay – mag requirements na na-drop na pero pagkaraan ng ilang araw ay muling nabubuhay bilang same requirement (same character ) or iniba ang pangaalan (may kakambal pala… o nagpapanggap na ibang character).

Saya di ba? Puno ng excitement ba. No dull moment. Pero kailan nga kaya ako magbabalik buhay. Dasal ko lang… sana medyo matagal pa. Sarap din kasi ng basa lang ng basa… I was able to catch up on my sleep … ☺

Unang Araw, Bagong Simula

Bago ang ano pa aman – Happy Halloween sa lahat! Pasensya na rin at medyo natagalan bago ako muling nag-blog. Nabagsakan kasi ako ng katam (aran) kaya nagkasakit ako sa bato (gan). Bukod pa dun – kailangan ko ng rest and relaxation dahil sa sobrang konsumisyon na inabot ko sa aking previous employer. Detox ba muna. Para handa sa susunod na mga paghamon sa buhay.

November 1 – hindi lang po ito All Saints Day para sa akin. Ito rin ang unang araw ko sa aking bagong-lumang work. Magulo? Bago – kasi after ng aking short but sour stint sa Progresibong Bangko ng Singapore – naglipat bahay na ako sa ibang workplace. Luma – kasi nagbalik bahay ako sa bahay ni Kuya. Nope. Hindi sa Big Brother house…. Sa Utsu. Balik- Utsu na ako. Kaya luma din. Granting na ibang grupo ako ngayon… pero same application pa din naman ang aking hahawakan. Kaya luma rin talaga.

Bakit ako nagbalik bahay? Hmmm… anong sagot ang gusto nyo… pang interview (I would like to challenge myself and crap… more crap…. And more crap)…. O sagot na practical ( Pera pera lang naman ang buhay). Hehehe…. O joke lang… baka dumami ang mangutang sa akin. True reason? Pag napuno na ang salop… dapat nang lumipat sa ibang salop…. Kaya ayun.. since Siyudad lang naman ang handang tumanggap sa akin… tinanggap ko na rin…

Novemeber 1 — unang araw ng aking pagbabalik… panibagong chapter sa aking buhay sa Utsu…. Para bang Maging Sino Ka Man… Book 2 na… technically ha….. hindi counted yung paglipat ng grupo since Utsu pa rin naman yun… hindi kasama ang 2 months vacation kasi Utsu pa rin naman yun… ngayon umalis… at bumalik… so Book 2….. o…. wala nang kokontra.

Tanong nyo… ano kaya maaring mangyari… tingin ko … the usual…. Marami akong aawayin at susungitan…. May mga bagong kaibigan na makikilala…. May mga oras na maiinis… May mga araw na matutuwa…. Bottom line…. Balik bahay…. Balik sa dating Buhay!