transposable element

less than two years ago, i never thought i would say it but the longer we live outside of germany, the more i realize that it’s really not such a bad place to live in. there are many things i miss, and values that i appreciate more, now that i’m outside-looking-in. the approach to education (both “bildung” and “ausbildung”, the differences of which i just understood recently) and access to fair and sensible health insurance leading the list.

a few months ago, my mother in law asked me whether i could imagine to live in germany again. i replied a resounding yes, although i also admitted that maybe not just yet. i think of germany as home, the same way the philippines is, and when we go back, we’d probably feel like it’s going to be for good. and much as we appreciate all that the vaterland is, we’re not ready for that yet. where to next? i don’t know. we’re staying put for the meantime.

yet another reason why i will NOT vote for this guy. the nerve. he could argue that he used his personal funds for these. after all, with a net worth of more than P1B, he’s the richest senator of the country (magkano kaya worth ng term life insurance nya?). but still, it reeks of trapo antics. the people urgently needed help, and you ahd time to have your name printed on each and every pack of… what’s in there anyway??

Futsal is a variant of association football that is mainly played indoors. Its name is derived from the Portuguese futebol de salão and the Spanish fútbol sala/de salón, which can be translated as ’salon football’. In Madrid 1985 the name fútbol de saló and all other names the game was called were changed officially and internationally into FUTSAL.

that was the theme of jan’s 7th birthday party. technically, it was not futsal, just indoor football, having played on grass turf (artificial, i think, not unlike some of those bushy car mats) using a normal soccer ball. we booked an indoor soccer pitch at turf city, and it was just as well because it was rainy that day and the outdoor fields would have been muddy. and if it hadn’t been raining, it could have been scorching hot even at 4pm. we also booked a coach (and we were given two) from the little league to facilitate the warm up drills for the kids and referee a friendly match. i think the coaches did a fabulous job, introducing soccer basics to kids who were mostly beginners at the game. i wouldn’t be surprised if jan asks to enroll in soccer training soon (ka-ching!).

after almost two hours in the pitch, it was obvious that the kids had a whopping good time. they came out of the pitch sweaty, tired and hungry. we ordered a halal (at least one of jan’ buddies doesn’t eat pork) high tea mini buffet from delihub and a soccer-themed birthday cake from smiling orchid, which looked fantastic and tasted great, as always. in addition tothe ice tea we ordered, the pitch also provided ice-cold mineral water bottles and 100plus (a kind of isotonic drink for athletes) as part of the package, so we no longer had to cart most of the drinks to the venue; just added a couple of bottle of sodas and that was it.

it was a good thing that we were given the seating area at the back of the office. it was directly overlooking the pitch were the kids played so it was easy for parents to keep an eye on the game without having to appear like cheerleaders, hehe. the guests also naturally overflowed to the open veranda for extra seating and elbow room, especially after the game when the kids joined the parents to jostle for food at the buffet. after a “tea break”, the boys retreated from the buffet, chose the table farthest from the parents, and played a game of trump cards (or at least that was what they were called during my time) while the girls entertained themselves with song and dance. it was a good wind down after an energy-sapping toggle with the soccer ball.

it was really a great party, if i may say so myself. it didn’t take much to organize but jan really enjoyed it. most of the planning and booking were done online and a couple of trips for the party supplies (invitations, birthday candles, serviettes, etc). the lootbags were probably the one that took most effort, small toys having been bought all the way from manila! they couldn’t fit in a regular lootbag, so i just bought clear plastic lootbags and printed a thank you note using some soccer clipart. c’mon, you think kids this age pay any attention at all to the wrapping? all together, i think it took us just about a week to organize everything, though if i had the time, it probably could have been even better– more theme-related lootbag fillers, balloons, additional games, prizes. photos(!)– but honestly, in hindsight, i’m not sure jan would have really cared.

jan had a fabulous time, spending his birthday with his pals. as far as he’s concerned, it was a score! goooooaaaalllll!!!!

so we’re back from our philippine trip. i think this has got to be the most uneventful pinas vacation i’ve ever had, having been cooped up indoors the entire week. three typhoons in a span of a week made for a very wet weather. there went all my plans of outdoorsy activities for jan!

back here in singa, it seems that the weather gods are playing jokes on me. it was warm and dry alright, but the air stinks of acrid smoke. darn haze is back again and i’m blaming it for my itchy eyes and bout of colds. we need furnace filters that work the opposite direction, filtering air that goes into the flat rather than out.

there’s not much about it in the news, though, except some apprehension that it might affect the formula 1 video coverage. why am i not surprised? *rolls (itchy) eyes*

some people need retail therapy to counteract depression. not me. in fact, retail therapy, especially where clothes are concerned, now makes me depressed. when you have a recalcitrant wobbly bulge at your midriff, it kinda narrows down the styles you can wear and it becomes more challenging to find something that won’t make you look like a sack of potatoes. and when you finally find a style that you think might be suitable, you go to the fitting room and emerge about 30 seconds later, asking for “one size bigger, please”… um, twice. what can i say? i used to be a eur 34, y’know. used to be being the operative words.

darn, i think i really need to hit the treadmill. i can’t afford a wardrobe overhaul!

i’m starting to get the hang of facebook and i have to admit, i’m even starting to like it. i like the chat-like quality to it, being privy to your friends activities, photos, and to a certain extent, thoughts, on real time. and i can see why a lot have left blogging (or never really blogged) and turned to fb instead. you get to publish your thoughts without having to think about stuff like tags, pingbacks, blog/web directories, seo strategies, etc.

but me? i think i will remain a blogger. i can easily go without fb, but i like the sense of territory in blogging. my blog, my domain, my space.

when we were still in germany, november used to be my most hated month. winter has just started and unlike the other winter months, there was nothing in november to really look forward to.

now that we’re here in singapore, i think august takes it place. my eyes have been itchy the entire month due to the smog from the burning forests in indonesia as well as the burning of paper money just about at every corner here in singa, it being the ghost month.

now that jan is in school, there’s another reason for disliking august: third round of assessment exams! that means stress… for parents, not jan, haha, who seems to take schoolwork in stride.

the antidote? a couple of hours at ayuthaya. no, i didn’t fly to thailand, just a 10 minute cab ride to the spa at robertson quay. heard their pan pacific branch has better facilities, with jacuzzi, steam bath, walk in tubs and all. well, next time.

thanks to j+c for the voucher! much appreciated and the timing couldn’t have been better!