four digital and one SLR camera were no match to this energy-pack; at this rate, i was already using the sport function, but they still turned out blurred. *sigh* i should have known, simply sliding down is way too boring, hm?
this morning, i was irritated. now, i am fuming mad! i just got off the phone from an overseas call to my parents and i am still racking my brains for a memory of a certain fr. glenn cosico but bad as my memory is, i know i have never met a man of that name in recent history. this cretin went to my parents and told them an elaborately spinned tale that he’s going to take his vows at the end of the month and that i promised him estola which he should collect from my parents. to cut the story short, this “holy man” just swindled 9 thousand pesos out of my parents’ pocket. dammit. i don’t even know what the f*ck an estola is. and blame my parents’ trust for anything or anyone from the church. or allegedly from the church. grrrrr, they didn’t even bothered to confirm it from me before they handed the money over!!!!! my dad limply said, “he’s going to be a priest. he calls you ate ruth. he said you knew his father.” tales, tales tales! heck, if that low-life regularly reads this blog, he might even be able to map out my ovulation cycle for you. *shudder*
arrrgh! why am i such a liar-magnet these days?!?
autobahns are blocked. train schedules are cancelled. thousands will not make it to their workplace in time. some, probably not at all. the main hospital is closed. police, secret agents and fire stations are on high alert. no, frankfurt is not under terrorist attack. it’s just the main man of america coming to town.
he’s supposed to be on a campaign to win over european hearts. am not sure he’s going about it the right way.
***
at ikaw, may payo ako sa iyo: gamitin mo ang utak telepono oras mo sa mga bagay na mas makabuluhan, mga bagay na dapat mong pagtuunan ng iyong panahon. hindi sa mga bagay na ikasisira ng iba. lalo na kung ang ibang yon ay ako. palalampasin ko ulit ito. pero namumuro ka na. pero yung susunod, baka hindi ko na ipag-patay-malisya.
it’s up! huli man daw at magaling, magaling pa rin, hehe… it’s four days late, but hey, everyday should be like valentine’s, right? fall in love all over again with our february issue of pinoyexpats! see me there! (dun na lang ang comments, please? and be gentle; remember, it’s a literary experiment, hehe)
this year started with me uncharacteristically wanting to list down resolutions, but alas, it’s already mid-feb and i’ve yet to nail down one single thing i promise to do this year. like what i told meeya, it’s just so difficult to promise something you know there’s more than a slight chance of breaking. and i hate broken promises, as much as i hate being cornered into doing something just because i declared it a promise.
on the other hand, i love making lists. shopping lists. things-to-do. schedules. outlines and tables of contents. i love jotting things down, partially because i can’t be expected to remember to buy a bag of potatoes, a tub of yoghurt AND a bottle of shampoo, without forgetting one or the other. and yes, i’ve got post-it’s everywehere.
so whether to remind me of my personal goals, or to reflect at the end of the year on how closer i’ve become to satisfying them, i’ve listed down some things i’ve always wanted to do but never got to. my theory is that by writing them and making them public, i’ll finally get round to accomplishing them. or at least take the first steps toward them. this list is dynamic; i’dd add some more and delete those which don’t ring palatable after a while. and unlike new-year-resolutions, i’m giving myself more than a year. for some, it may take a lifetime, possibly.
things to learn:
knit.
edit digital videos.
another language (spanish?).
the salsa or the rhumba.
swim more than 20 meters.
yoga/pilates.
more than point-and-shoot photography.
speak german like a local (assuming we stay in germany for the next few years)
things to do:
have another child (not necessarily my biological one).
organize jan’s photo album.
set-up/organize a charity project.
enlarge, frame and hang some of jan’s photos.
send a balikbayanbox, once and for all.
sign up for a DSL.
re-connect with old friends and relatives.
see bohol and pagudpod, among others.
my zodiac sign is ‘leo’. whether you consult a feng shui expert or an astro-diva’s horoscope column in some non-descript tabloid, you will be informed that leos are flamboyant, bold extroverts, the kind who’d part a crowd in hot-red costume that screams “hey, look at me, the life of the party is finally here!” which is why i don’t believe in horoscopes. anyone who knows me for 2 minutes would never guess i’m a leo. hm, perhaps i was just born a few days early and was meant to be a ‘cancer’? or is my “earthly branch” i.e., being born in the year of the rat, just getting the better of me? hm, pretty confusing.
so it was just plain curiosity, it being a chinese new year and all, that prompted me to see what the year of the rooster has got in store for me. and hear, hear…
The Frugal Rat - The “Concealed Charmer”
Strong emotions effect your good judgment and anxious Rats may feel ambushed without an exit at times. Beware of suggested investments or questionable ventures. Throughout 2005 devote time and energy to concluding projects which you are passionate about. In February your luck shifts abruptly and skyrockets upward to position you on top of the world. Romantic bonds strengthen as you become less fussy, making you enjoyable to be near. Avoid mixing too much logic with your love affairs. Ease off and take your sentimental life as it comes. Go ahead with professional projects, as the stars during 2005 will support your efforts. Those Rats whose occupation is related to chemistry, health services, hygiene, or scientific research will enjoy making progress in their careers. Your health remains good, however, keep a watch over your blood pressure. A year of new beginnings filled with happy family events even the possibility of a new addition to the family.
ok, let’s review: hm, the first three sentences are vague and general enough; should be applicable to anybody, anytime.
4th sentence: oh yeah, it did shift abruptly, but the top of the world isn’t it, exactly. hm, but there’s till more than half of feb left. maybe it’s referring to something else…
the next three sentences makes me feel like the shrew i have been the past weeks, hehe.. you got a bug in our bedroom, madam auring? er… shelly wu, pala?
whoopa, the next one sounds good! and the next–wait, my eyes just popped out! i have absolutely no clue how this will come about, but if it does, shelly, you’re in for a treat! pero teka nga, define “progress”?
i never had problems with my blood pressure, hm…
a year of new beginnings: how did she know? hubby’s gonna finish his PhD this year and that spells a lot of new beginnings, alright!
filled with happy family events: well, there’s definitely a lot lined up for this year…
a new addition to the family: oh.
i did say i don’t believe in horoscopes, didn’t i?
i get regular email newsletters from babycenter. it’s the nearest to a self-help guide i’ve been consulting the past few months. i could say that mostly, it has been helpful and when not, it has at least been comforting to know that other parents are also going through the same roller-coaster-ride called parenting. their latest issue lists down 7 signs that your child loves you. the third reads:
“Your toddler throws wicked tantrums. Nope, those screaming fits don’t mean he’s stopped loving you. He wouldn’t be so hurt and angry if he didn’t trust you so deeply.”
sporadic though his tantrums are, thank you, aphrodite, for filling jan’s heart brimming with love.
just when i thought winter is giving way to spring, here comes tons of that white fluffy stuff.
there’s something simply magical when you sleep under a cloudless, starry night and wake up with the whole neighborhood blanketed in 10 centimenters of snow. hubby woke me up in the middle of the night (ok, it was probably 5 am, but hello? what kind of people wake up at such hours?!?) just to show me the wintry scene out the window. and i go, “huh? snow? ok.” and snuggle back under the covers. yeah, right. magical, my foot!
much later you get up, wrap your toddler in 5 kilos of clothing and plod your way through uncleared and unsalted pavements with a buggy. i reach the kinderkrippe huffing and puffing simply with the effort of walking through all that slush. it’s like pushing a wheelbarrow in the desert. or plowing a rice field, after drainage. not that i ever did any of those, though, but well, you get the drift…
oh well, temps are rising (to a high of 1 degree Celsius). but hopefully there’s still some snow left later. time for a family-snowball-fight!
left or right. positive or negative. acid or base. often, there are two choices, two possibilities. either you’re here, or there. make a choice, make a decision. life is plagued enough of grey areas, we should make distinctions when and where we can.
i hate grey areas. that imaginary place where things are neither right or wrong. but, does it really exist? are there really things that are neither good nor evil? or do we just defer making judgment? perhaps for fear of making the wrong one, and being persecuted for it?
integrity, that’s what they have: people who make choices and stand by it. even when their viewpoints strongly opposes mine, i have higher respect for such people than those who choose to remain vague, taking neither side, preferring to be at the “middle”.
‘the middle’ such is a treacherous place to be. the ‘bull’s eye’, afterall, is not an exact point, but a considerable area in the vicinity of the center. basic mathematics taught us that “zero” on the number line is practically an imaginary point. and any chemist will tell you that the neutral pH is very unstable and difficult to approximate. should life be any different?
beliefs must not be cast in stone. but to have one, and be consequent about it: is that really so difficult?
I got tagged by Xtine so here goes:
Random 10:
1. Ocho-ocho (di ko pa naririnig ng buo ito!)
2. Tears of the Dragon - Bruce Dickinson
3. John Jacob Jingleheimerschmidt
4. Ikaw
5. Nothing Else Matters - Metallica
6. Carmina Burana
7. Brahm’s Lullaby
8. Burn- Tina Arena
9. I’m A Bitch
10. Theme from Con-Air (what’s the title na nga?)
1. What is the total amount of music files on your computer?
Oh this is easy: None
2. The last CD you bought is:
A Spa-Relaxation Instrumental
3. What is the last song you listened to before this message:
Apples and Bananas (Jan’s CD)
4. Write down five songs you listen to a lot or mean a lot to you:
a. Tears of the Dragon
b. Breathe
c. Freestyle LIVE CD
d. Soundtrack from What Women Wants
e. Soundtrack from City of Angels
5. Who are you gonna pass this stick to? (3 persons and why)
svelte rogue, the birthday girl
glo, the single-handed juggler
rhada, the birit queen
Let’s leave this to the songers…
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