On our way back from the Brisbane Airport, I saw this billboard advertising their cheap fare to Thailand:
So cheap it will make you say, Phuket, I will go!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Thursday, August 28, 2008
I'm NOT ugly!
Ken and I are always telling Corina how pretty she is and one time, as I was telling Corina that she is pretty, I sort of thought about telling her that if somebody says she is not pretty, that she is just to ignore them.
Sabi ba naman e, "well, someone told me in my ballet class that I'm ugly." Nagulat ako and I was like "What??? Who???" She answered "Montana". And I asked her what she did then.
She said she just told the girl "I'm NOT ugly!" then went about doing what she was doing.
I then told her that she is beautiful, that everybody is beautiful. And she says, "I know" and smiles.
Sigh. Nasan ba yong Montanang yon?!
Sabi ba naman e, "well, someone told me in my ballet class that I'm ugly." Nagulat ako and I was like "What??? Who???" She answered "Montana". And I asked her what she did then.
She said she just told the girl "I'm NOT ugly!" then went about doing what she was doing.
I then told her that she is beautiful, that everybody is beautiful. And she says, "I know" and smiles.
Sigh. Nasan ba yong Montanang yon?!
Thursday, August 21, 2008
YOU KNOW BETTER THAN I
I thought I did what’s right
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear
You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don’t know
Is part of getting through
I try to do what’s best
And faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is to put my trust in you
For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was you who taught that bird to fly
If I let you reach me will you teach me
For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
I’ll take what answers you supply
You know better than I
You Know Better Than I (by John Bucchino), from Joseph, King of Dreams (featuring the voices of Ben Affleck and Mark Hamill, 2000)
I thought I had the answers
I thought I chose the surest road
But that road brought me here
So I put up a fight
And told you how to help me
Now just when I have given up
The truth is coming clear
You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
If this has been a test
I cannot see the reason
But maybe knowing I don’t know
Is part of getting through
I try to do what’s best
And faith has made it easy
To see the best thing I can do
Is to put my trust in you
For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
For you know better than I
I saw one cloud and thought it was a sky
I saw a bird and thought that I could follow
But it was you who taught that bird to fly
If I let you reach me will you teach me
For You know better than I
You know the way
I’ve let go the need to know why
I’ll take what answers you supply
You know better than I
You Know Better Than I (by John Bucchino), from Joseph, King of Dreams (featuring the voices of Ben Affleck and Mark Hamill, 2000)
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
SHAKING THE WOGS
"Did you shake the wogs?" Our very good old neighbor Flav asks me, while shaking both hands beside his face. At first I was like, "what the?" then common sense told me he was most probably asking me if I'm well now, having had the flu a few days back.
Yeah, I caught a nasty virus which started Sunday and last for 9 (yes, 9!) horrible days. During the last two days I was feeling so dizzy I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes but also couldn't stand lying down -- both positions make me giddy. Scary actually, because I don't know what to do to fight the giddiness. I just hate being sick and I hope I don't catch a similar one in the future, maybe I have to give those annual winter flu shots a go...
Yeah, I caught a nasty virus which started Sunday and last for 9 (yes, 9!) horrible days. During the last two days I was feeling so dizzy I couldn't stand for more than a few minutes but also couldn't stand lying down -- both positions make me giddy. Scary actually, because I don't know what to do to fight the giddiness. I just hate being sick and I hope I don't catch a similar one in the future, maybe I have to give those annual winter flu shots a go...
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
Dr. Who
I never thought I'd be interested in watching this show, but I am!!! Well, at least those episodes with David Tennant -- the coolest doctor ever!!! Yes, he just makes me feel like cheering whenever I see him on as Dr. Who. My goodness! I know that the show is sometimes a bit "low-tech" compared to other shows we have ("Exterminate! Exterminate!") but there's just something in it that keeps my eyes glued to the screen!
David's (first name basis, hey) first partner Rose, and then Martha Jones and Donna -- they're all okay to me. They have different personalities that blend well with the doctor's and each show they're in interest me. I would say I like Donna the most what with her funny persona and she's-her-own-woman attitude, but Rose's Doomsday episode still makes me cry...
And David -- oh wow, I love him! Despite some over-emotive tendencies (done on purpose), I just love him to bits! Ooowheeoohh weeeooohhhhooooh....
David's (first name basis, hey) first partner Rose, and then Martha Jones and Donna -- they're all okay to me. They have different personalities that blend well with the doctor's and each show they're in interest me. I would say I like Donna the most what with her funny persona and she's-her-own-woman attitude, but Rose's Doomsday episode still makes me cry...
And David -- oh wow, I love him! Despite some over-emotive tendencies (done on purpose), I just love him to bits! Ooowheeoohh weeeooohhhhooooh....
BINCHY
I wrote this blog a long time ago and I thought I'd post it here:
I met Binchy while I was working in HongKong Bank. He was new then, and was picking up his ATM card and I was the one who was available to entertain him that time. The moment I saw him, I recognized him. I asked him point blank if he was the guy in the fun Purefoods commercial, where he was so tall he had to bend forward to be inside the camera’s frame. He gave me this warm shy smile and said that yes, he was that guy. That started our friendship.
He worked somewhere in the upper floors of the building and whenever we had the chance, we would chat in the computer. There was nothing romantic about what we had – it was very platonic, the kind that a lot of people would love to have. A genuine friendship. He would probably the type of man I would like to have as a big brother (alhough he was about 3 years younger than I am) because he always showed concern and is always available for a conversation. One time, he even warned me to be cautious of one of his married officers in the bank who would, when he spots Binchy chatting with me, try to include himself in the conversation and send flirty messages to me. Well, that man actually likes flirting and he did have a reputation, but that’s another story. Maybe not even worth telling about.
Binchy and I were not really that close as in best friends, but close enough for me to call him a real friend.
On the day that the bank’s union called a strike, he immediately went down to Customer Services where I was, and helped me and my friend pack up our things and carried our bags outside. He stayed with us during the day and during the night of the picket. One time I saw a rare side of him – he and the other guys in the picket were having a confrontation of some sort and he had this look of grim determination. His face always had a smile but that time, there was no hint of a smile at all.
And then all of a sudden, he stopped showing up in the picketline. I figured he got himself another job, maybe, as others did at that time.
Years went on without hearing anything from or about him and then here comes my mom telling me that there was somebody new in Goodyear where she works, that that he came from HSBC – well, it was Binchy! My mother and her sister, Tita Alice (who also works for Goodyear that time), both had only good words about him. He was so happy to know that they were my relatives and would call them Titas. He would always greet them in the morning with a kiss on the cheek. My tita would say that he is a very charming person. Mukhang "kras" niya.
I even tried to match him with one of my sisters, but it didn’t push through.
I didn’t forget to invite him to my wedding and I was glad that he came to attend. I remember him wearing his barong tagalog, and holding a long umbrella, for it was raining hard that time. He was very tall so I could easily see him, and he had that usual radiant warm smile.
I heard that he got married and had a daughter. I was so happy to hear this news because I am confident he would make a great husband and father.
Sadly, his marriage didn’t last, I think, but people in their office would often hear him talking lovingly on the phone with his daughter.
As years went by, another Tita came to know him, and my sister’s 3M colleagues as well, because he plays badminton in some inter-company competitions. How small the world is!
When my family went to Australia, I was still thinking about this friend, for some reason. I sent him an email, thanking him for being a friend (I’m not sure why). But all his emails were simply quotations from the Bible. I didn’t even know he was religious, or maybe he just became one after a while.
Then one day, he sent me an email asking me about life in Australia. During the exchange of our emails, I gathered he wasn’t happy with his job in Goodyear anymore, and the tone of his messages were quite sad but accepting. He said he wants to settle in Australia as well, and I got excited about this – I was envisioning seeing him again and maybe accommodating him in our home if he needed a place to stay before he gets settled in.
Things however, were not meant to be. One day in February this year, I received a message from my sister that Binchy had a heart attack, had flat lined and they had to revive him. I was shocked and worried and sent messages to my mother and my friends to pray for him. I was praying a lot and was mentally speaking with him to hang on, not to give up.
On Feb 6 he hasn’t regained consciousness, I received a message that "his blood pressure and heart rate are still erratic, but his lungs are clearer, although his fever is still more than 40 degrees". A text message on Feb 7 said that they couldn’t initiate dialysis because they couldn’t find his veins as he is bloated. On Feb 8, 2008, 2:45 am, my friend JEREMY RICHARD V. MAYUGA, or BINCHY as he is fondly called, passed away. He was just 37.
It was such a sad day and I recalled how he looked like when I last saw him in my wedding. Such a fine fellow, such a good friend, such a warm smile. Such a short time.
I met Binchy while I was working in HongKong Bank. He was new then, and was picking up his ATM card and I was the one who was available to entertain him that time. The moment I saw him, I recognized him. I asked him point blank if he was the guy in the fun Purefoods commercial, where he was so tall he had to bend forward to be inside the camera’s frame. He gave me this warm shy smile and said that yes, he was that guy. That started our friendship.
He worked somewhere in the upper floors of the building and whenever we had the chance, we would chat in the computer. There was nothing romantic about what we had – it was very platonic, the kind that a lot of people would love to have. A genuine friendship. He would probably the type of man I would like to have as a big brother (alhough he was about 3 years younger than I am) because he always showed concern and is always available for a conversation. One time, he even warned me to be cautious of one of his married officers in the bank who would, when he spots Binchy chatting with me, try to include himself in the conversation and send flirty messages to me. Well, that man actually likes flirting and he did have a reputation, but that’s another story. Maybe not even worth telling about.
Binchy and I were not really that close as in best friends, but close enough for me to call him a real friend.
On the day that the bank’s union called a strike, he immediately went down to Customer Services where I was, and helped me and my friend pack up our things and carried our bags outside. He stayed with us during the day and during the night of the picket. One time I saw a rare side of him – he and the other guys in the picket were having a confrontation of some sort and he had this look of grim determination. His face always had a smile but that time, there was no hint of a smile at all.
And then all of a sudden, he stopped showing up in the picketline. I figured he got himself another job, maybe, as others did at that time.
Years went on without hearing anything from or about him and then here comes my mom telling me that there was somebody new in Goodyear where she works, that that he came from HSBC – well, it was Binchy! My mother and her sister, Tita Alice (who also works for Goodyear that time), both had only good words about him. He was so happy to know that they were my relatives and would call them Titas. He would always greet them in the morning with a kiss on the cheek. My tita would say that he is a very charming person. Mukhang "kras" niya.
I even tried to match him with one of my sisters, but it didn’t push through.
I didn’t forget to invite him to my wedding and I was glad that he came to attend. I remember him wearing his barong tagalog, and holding a long umbrella, for it was raining hard that time. He was very tall so I could easily see him, and he had that usual radiant warm smile.
I heard that he got married and had a daughter. I was so happy to hear this news because I am confident he would make a great husband and father.
Sadly, his marriage didn’t last, I think, but people in their office would often hear him talking lovingly on the phone with his daughter.
As years went by, another Tita came to know him, and my sister’s 3M colleagues as well, because he plays badminton in some inter-company competitions. How small the world is!
When my family went to Australia, I was still thinking about this friend, for some reason. I sent him an email, thanking him for being a friend (I’m not sure why). But all his emails were simply quotations from the Bible. I didn’t even know he was religious, or maybe he just became one after a while.
Then one day, he sent me an email asking me about life in Australia. During the exchange of our emails, I gathered he wasn’t happy with his job in Goodyear anymore, and the tone of his messages were quite sad but accepting. He said he wants to settle in Australia as well, and I got excited about this – I was envisioning seeing him again and maybe accommodating him in our home if he needed a place to stay before he gets settled in.
Things however, were not meant to be. One day in February this year, I received a message from my sister that Binchy had a heart attack, had flat lined and they had to revive him. I was shocked and worried and sent messages to my mother and my friends to pray for him. I was praying a lot and was mentally speaking with him to hang on, not to give up.
On Feb 6 he hasn’t regained consciousness, I received a message that "his blood pressure and heart rate are still erratic, but his lungs are clearer, although his fever is still more than 40 degrees". A text message on Feb 7 said that they couldn’t initiate dialysis because they couldn’t find his veins as he is bloated. On Feb 8, 2008, 2:45 am, my friend JEREMY RICHARD V. MAYUGA, or BINCHY as he is fondly called, passed away. He was just 37.
It was such a sad day and I recalled how he looked like when I last saw him in my wedding. Such a fine fellow, such a good friend, such a warm smile. Such a short time.
Our House
Somebody made an offer to purchase our house (actually a unit)!!! It was excitement mingled with a tinge of sadness as the agent dropped by last night to inform us about this. Subject to pest inspection and other somesuch, it's more or less a done deal. Now, hopefully by the time settlement is done, our new home is ready for us to occupy (cringe, cringe)...
There were 4 of them who came here, plus the agent Adam. The main people who would be living in our unit will be a couple (the lady is the daughter of the buyer), so yesterday I saw the parents, and the daughter with her husband/partner and their baby. The couple seems to be nice -- the h/p thanked me "for welcoming us in your home", while the daughter said the house looked easy to clean and maintain -- "just what I was looking for".
So there. Fingers crossed.
There were 4 of them who came here, plus the agent Adam. The main people who would be living in our unit will be a couple (the lady is the daughter of the buyer), so yesterday I saw the parents, and the daughter with her husband/partner and their baby. The couple seems to be nice -- the h/p thanked me "for welcoming us in your home", while the daughter said the house looked easy to clean and maintain -- "just what I was looking for".
So there. Fingers crossed.
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