Buwaya!!!

Nung unang balik ko sa Pilipinas, medyo nauuso na ang Crocs.  Di ko lang alam kung na-pick up na talaga ngayon.  Kasi kahit ako, medyo iffy nung nakita ko siya eh.  It’s butt-ugly.  Period.  Kaso, pag nasukat mo na, ay syet, para kang naglalakad sa marshmallow maghapon.  At feet-friendly talaga siya - apparently, dehins daw mangangamoy paa mo, at kahit ilang oras ka naglalakad, di mamamaltos o mananakit ang mga paa mo.  I haven’t got one yet but I’m a convert.  Once naisukat mo na, nakow, ewan kung di ka maghanap.  Wapakels ka na how you look once you’re walking on it.  Besides, once you get over the initial chunkiness of the design, it really is quite cute!

So, for general window-shopping purposes, eto isusuot ko:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For snow storms and general winter wear, eto:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For hiking, mountain-climbing (yeah, like that will happen!) purposes, eto naman:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For skirts and other dressy moments:

 

 

 

 

 

 

For beach or poolside action:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At para pambahay, neighborhood walks, o nearby pamamalengke:

 

 

 

 

 

 

Right.  That’s my Croc wish-list, thank you very much.  Now…calling the attention of Santa…halloooo???

 

The Fruitcakes Are Back

After six years, the Eraserheads are reuniting for a one-night concert…and we cannot even watch!  

Kainis.  To think na kapanahunan pa naman namin yun.  Tapos, it’s highly unlikely they’d all get back together, so that makes this concert doubly special.  Aaaaaaaaaaaarrrrgggggggghhhhhhh!!!!!

Hay…I remember yesterday…the world was so young (”go dance with lola” , syet, napa-Bear Brand commercial nako).  Ah, but indeed, it seems like only yesterday, when we were in college.  Life was simple and I haven’t even heard of the word “credit card”, and the E-heads were all over the airwaves.  They really were the pinoy Beatles then.

 

Diskarteng Tamad: Tapa

beef
soy sauce
vinegar
sugar
garlic
onion
ground pepper

• chop garlic and onions finely
• put in the pan together with the chopped beef
• there will be no sautéing involved, so don’t light the stove yet
• stir in soy sauce, vinegar, sugar and pepper (to have a better idea of how your tapa will taste, mix the liquid ingredients + sugar in a separate small bowl first, up to you whether to add more soy sauce, or vinegar, or sugar)
• incorporate the mixture thoroughly into the beef cuts
• cook under medium heat until beef is just right (not too tender, and not too tough)
• if there are any remaining sauces/juices from the pan, simmer until thick and pour over the tapa
• ready to serve with fried egg and fried rice

n.b. - if you are in the mood, you can fry the beef pieces first before serving (since this is a diskarteng tamad piece, i did not include the frying part…optional baga )

 

Lions for Lambs - 4 stars

I do not understand why this movie was panned by critics.  Have their standards gone too low that they cannot appreciate a movie that challenges their mind-set?  Let me see, “No Country For Old Men” got five stars from nearly all the critics (not to mention vigorous Academy nods) and it was almost sticky with all the blood from Javier Bardem’s killing spree - oh I liked it at first, but the ending blows.  ”Lions for Lambs” however, got two measly stars from Ebert, and not even a single one from Roeper (who gave Miami Vice, four friggin’ stars) ??!!  I have such high regard for critics that my mind is having a hard time wrapping itself around the idea that they’ve gone mainstream on me.  To base your criticism of a certain movie, on non-conformity to formulaic scripts, just isn’t fair.  

Of all people, I have no problem with fast-paced action, sharp comedy, or eye candy in movies.  Matter of fact, I’m still dreaming about Ryan Reynolds in “Definitely Maybe”.  But while I appreciate the fact that, one goes to the movies periodically, to get entertained, (heck, escapism is my mantra too…sometimes) you cannot obviate the need to confront unpleasant truths and be forced to rethink popular opinions at one point or another even in a venue such as film.  So for the longest time, I put off renting this film, thinking it might be too boring or preachy, and besides (disappointing) titles like “National Treasure 2″, “In Bruges”, and “Cloverfield” got in the way.  I’m glad there is a long queue to “Jumper” and that “Bank Job” is not yet available, which made this next on my queue.  Having braced myself for a snore fest, I was pleasantly surprised to find myself riveted from start to finish.  The only reason I gave this 4 stars was Tom Cruise (how do I put this…was too pretty for the film?) and the fact that they killed off the two soldier guys.  I know, I know…the realities of war…(*sigh*)

For clarification purposes, I am not, nor will I probably ever be, an intellectual.  Puhleez.  I can’t even maintain a steady, consistent argument with my husband, without all my points being butchered one by one.  But see, you don’t have to be of the cerebral persuasion to understand this film!  All the points to be made are right there, staring you in the face!  It’s a very scathing commentary on everything about the ongoing war, the apathy about it, and pummels both liberal and conservative arguments while raising valid points from each side.  I didn’t care for the ending, but for once, the ending didn’t matter at all.  The meat of the film was the discourse between Redford and his student, and Cruise with Streep.  

I cannot say that this is an eye-opener.  Most of the statements are not mind blowing, true, but they are jarring because (in the words of Chandler Bing) they are “smack dab in the middle of the truth!”  So apt, for example, you’d be hard put to come up with a more appropriate monicker for leaders like Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld than “lambs” and the armed forces, “lions”.

 

Packing for the Bears?

Wonder if he’ll chose to go with the Bears?  The Bears sure need a good QB right now.  If the past season is any gauge, Rex Grossman cannot possibly pull a miracle against the two formidable teams of SuperBowl XLII - the Giants and the Patriots.  If Brett Favre were to sign up with the Bears, this could be an interesting sports season for Chicago - what with the Cubs and the White Sox in pretty good form.  Forget about the Bulls for now, Derrick Rose just signed up last month so it’s too soon to tell.

With Brett Favre back in the field, this could be anybody’s game.  My hubby might even get his wish after all - a face-off between Brady and Favre.  

We’ll see… Lucky LT, SuperBowl XLIII will be in Tampa, Florida then.

 

6 Questions

I am so procrastinating right now…I’ve to do some readings and projects yet it is difficult to do something when you’re mind is not totally on it, so…meme muna tayo:

There were some rules prefacing this tag but I figured it’s mostly the same crap for almost all tags I’ve encountered so I just lopped it off.

So to answer the six questions in this tag:

1. What was I doing 10 years ago?
❖ working for more than a year; anticipating our second anniversary as a married couple

2. What are the 5 things on my to-do list today 
❖ required readings; go to north Chinatown for some veggies; cook nilagang baka, then ampalaya guisado; pass by RadioShack to look at some digital-to-analog converters; start on corporate research presentation; speak to bldg. super regarding spare fridge shelves

3. Snacks I enjoy
❖ cheetos (flamin’); raw almonds; buttered popcorn; squid balls; boy bawang; mrs vickers’ sea salt and vinegar chips; chicken wings; barbecued pork; isaw; tokwa’t baboy; this could be a separate blog entry you know…

4. Places where I lived
❖ pasay (4 yrs); laguna (15 yrs); quezon city (1 yr); pasay again (10 yrs); chicago (2 yrs and counting - although technically 1 kasi i kept coming back to the phils. every 6 mos.)  

5. Things I’d do if I were a billionaire
❖ (assuming this is in dollar terms) half of that goes to my husband; i’d put a few million in a trust fund for my brother; deposit several million into an account each for my mama, papa, and mommy; a UP college scholarship for 10 indigent students every year; real estate; couple of million in stock portfolios; the remaining millions will be in interest-bearing accounts for me to live off of; i could go on…

6. People I want to know more about
❖ if you wanna share, i wanna know

 

 

 

Late Night Commute

I finished my exam really late, last Tuesday night.  I wasn’t the only one though.  The exam was divided into four parts, with each part entailing a certain degree of physically browsing around the library for the relevant book (fortunately, the exam was held at the library ).  I found it hard to believe my other classmates finished early.  Well, they did start early.  But I digress.

So at 10 minutes to ten o’clock in the evening, I found myself walking towards the train stop and descending a flight of stairs to the platform to wait for the first of two train rides home.  Weird how there are still quite a number of people waiting with me.  As I settled down on the second train ride, it suddenly dawned on me - the lateness of the hour - and how I just walked past a group of boisterous, staggering in whatever direction, drunk, black men, without breaking stride.  If I weren’t so bone tired, I would’ve been scared shitless and walked the other way.  Thank goodness I was so exhausted, all I could think about was eating then sleeping.

I could just imagine hearing my mother chiding me about going home so late.

I have no qualms about doing this, back in my country - you know, the going home late thing.  Teritoryo ko yun eh.  But I am in a foreign land, with foreign people, and foreign values.  I really ought to be more circumspect about my comings and goings.  Next time, maybe.

 

What Do You Want To Be When You Grow Up?

Up until college, you can be asked that question.  But when you’ve gone and done the office routine for more than 5 years, you just ask yourself, “what do I want to do when I grow up?”.  I thought I was the only one with this question niggling at the back of their minds, and at this age too….apparently not.

Last Monday, one of my classmates, who was seating in front, asked that question of the lady seated beside her, and the lady answered, “I don’t know, I’m probably doing it already.”  Lucky her.

Childhood was a simpler time.  You could choose between being a lawyer, a doctor, a pilot, a teacher, and some other generic profession, and be done with the question.  It’s not that simple anymore, once you get older - and by older, I mean a decade past college.  There are so many “professions” now, you’d be hard put to make a single choice.  Some have combined, some have even evolved.  It’s no longer that easy to make a choice.

I used to want to become a lawyer…that was back in high school.  When it came time to choose my college course, and I saw Psychology among the choices, I began to doubt my plans.  For some reason, Psych beckoned to me, even if I don’t even have an inkling what a Psych course entails.  However, eventually, the choice was made for me (in that, I was told that the Diliman campus was not an option), so I went with a pre-law course, that was Political Science.  I could’ve shifted to other courses like Organizational Communication, or Behavioral Studies, but lazy that I am, I just opted to finish what I started.  I couldn’t be bothered to go through the whole shifting process.

Work beckoned and during those nine years, I tried not to let my brain stagnate by going on trainings, both paid for by my employer, and one I paid for on my own.  I figured all that time, that it’s a whole lot better to be a jack of all trades than a master of one.  Conclusion, I liked being a generalist.  Notice the lackluster term - like.  I’m not even sure of my own conclusion.  How utterly f****d up is that?

After 9 years, I left the familiar and ended up here in 2006.  It was all temporary at first as I shuttled to and from my country - what with my tentative status and all.  As 2008 entered and I got a more permanent status, I had to do a serious evaluation of my game plan.  What do I want to do when I grow up?

My last supervisor said I was good at business relations.  I was dubious at first.  What did she even mean?  She said, a career in HR for example, since I have good relations with my colleagues.  Ok, now we’re getting somewhere.  For once in my life, I was excited.  I liked the sound of that.  People kept coming into my small hole of an office for all types of reasons anyway:  gossip;  financial problem;  work matters;  bitch about something or someone;  stupid, meaningless banter;  techie stuff; matters of the heart or the hearth.  I barely got any work done because of it, but I loved it.  Why not make a career out of doing that, right?  Wrong.  It’s not that easy.  First, for all you know, you may be adding to their problems and instead of mitigating them.  Second, dishing out advice (even if it’s solicited) does not qualify you to be a shrink.  Even I, am not that stupid.  I know I need a solid theoretical foundation - which can only be supplied by a graduate education- to supplement my life experiences, in order to be a credible shrink.  Fortunately, my interest in Psychology resurfaced from the deepest recesses of my brain.  I now know what to do.

If I hadn’t been derailed back in college, I would’ve finished my BA and gotten some sort of experience out of it already.  It would just be a matter of taking graduate studies here, passing the test and getting a license to practice, and I would’ve been set.  Still, no regrets.  I’m not a could/woulda/shoulda person.  Whatever happened in my life in the past, happened because of my choices and my actions and I have no one else to blame for that.  I do not have any regrets.  If it took me more than a decade to realize what I wanted out of life, I will have to live with that.  Just so happens I’m an anti-social, late bloomer - tough luck.

So right now, I’m in school, taking this graduate certificate course, hoping to land a good job somewhere where they actually reward people for going the extra mile, and not just patting them on the back for a job well done.  When I’ve worked my way to a comfortable salary, and while paying off student loans, I will go and get that graduate degree in Psych and eventually, a license to practice.  If I get derailed again, I hope God will give me the strength to go back on track.

 

(not the) Taste of Chicago

Grabe.  Overrated.  Expensive.  So not going back.

Not even for this scrumptious-looking turkey leg.  HUGE!  (Laki no?  Palad yan ng asawa ko, pero lagpas pa rin yung leg!)  But I meant, huge disappointment.  Malansa, at walang lasa.  

The part I actually enjoyed?  Is when we left the park and crossed Lake Shore Drive to hang by the lake.  The sky was overcast but that didn’t prevent me from enjoying the air, the peace, …. and the ducks!!!

Ah, but the day ended all too soon and we had to make our way back to the apartment lest we catch the tail end of a thunderstorm.

 

Powered by Music

I found myself having this routine whenever I commute to school.  I would hurry up the steps to the platform and board the next Brown Line train, sit down, catch my breath, say a little prayer, take out my iPod and scroll to “The Moody Blues - Your Wildest Dreams” and off I go!  

For some reason, I find that song a very fitting start to my day.  Then I’d continue in that thread (New Wave, Pop) for several stations, and when I get off to transfer to the Red Line, I would switch to 80s rock and crank up the volume a bit to listen to “Journey - Don’t Stop Believing”, then continue with two more Journey or Survivor songs then back to Pop or Classical, whichever suits me that day.

Then on the train ride home, it’s 90s Pop, with the occasional disco track thrown in for good measure.  

Dunno, if this is another idiosyncrasy or this is a common thing for the multitudes who sport earphones, listening to music as they go about their days.  Still, it’s just interesting to note how starting off with the right track brings out that extra spring in your step or makes you pedal faster when you’re riding your bike, or just lulls you to sleep when you’re sitting in the library supposedly studying.  

Well, whatever it is, I just love the way music fuels daily activities, whether it’s just Billie Holiday wailing in the background while you enjoy a lazy weekend afternoon, Frank Sinatra crooning as you do some house cleaning, or chilling to Regina Spektor as you stir whatever is bubbling away at the stove…life seems plainer without the soundtrack of our lives.

 

Mushy Tag ni Dyes

Ok fine, doing this… It’s been 300 years since elementary and this is how the SlumBook chooses to resurrect itself…oy…

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RULES: 1. This tag should be passed on to your friends. 2. Visit the blog of the person you got this tag from. 3. Leave a comment on her/his tag post. Be sure to thank her/him for this tag. 4. Highlight and link all the list of people who accepted this tag by visiting their blog site. 5. There are 10 questions that you need to answer but you will be the one to write the 10th question for the next person you want to pass this tag. Here are the questions. Be honest with your answers.

1. How did you meet your husband?
~ Through mutual friends in college.  It was actually you, Dyes, who introduced us, if I’m not mistaken.  Pauwi na tayo no’n from school and we three took the same jeep towards Baclaran.  Hala, di ko na maalala ng maayos, it was ages ago!

2. Where did you go on your first date?
~ We had merienda at Gary’s.

3. When was your first intimate kiss?
~ that was my first (ever) kiss as well, and it was by the oblation.  Dude, this is so mushy!!!

4. How many girlfriends he had in the past? Do you honestly know?
~ 2 or 3, not sure.  Di naman daw niya naging girlfriend si Milan eh.

5. What is his ethnicity?
~ Asian (anubayun?!)

6. What is his favorite food?
~ Tortang talong, and a siding of ensaladang mangga

7. What is he like if he is mad?
~ He’s toned down a bit, but he used to look like he could kill somebody

8. What are the things he did you thought is the most romantic thing he’d ever done?
~ I’m spoiled for choice!

9. Describe how he proposed to you.
~ Third year college; just before I left for Palawan for summer vacation; in my cousin’s house; was already pregnant then but we didn’t know

10. Opposites attract, or In Sync?
~ Totally in sync.  I guess the fact that we’re of the same age has something to do with it.

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As the title suggests, Dyes tagged me, and since she already passed this on to the very people I wanted to tag (unless di mo pa to nagagawa, MPG?), alaws na!

 

Group Work

I hate group work!  I hate the initial awkwardness, the forced interaction, the whole group dynamics thing!  Why my teachers deem it necessary to ask us to form groups and do in-class activities or assigned projects, I still can’t understand.  At one point, one of them might have explained why grouping is necessary, but I must have blocked it out of my mind.  If it’s not obvious by now, I am a little (yeah, right!) anti-social.  Yet for some reason, I was thrust into the public affairs side of the fence in my previous job.  Ironic, right?

Groupings or group assignments are not so bad, if you are even remotely friendly with, like, half the class.  But since I am not, nor have I any inclination to, plus I’m not even from here, it is doubly hard.  I barely talk in class, unless there’s a nagging question in my mind and I have to ask it, and I cannot be bothered to make friends.  I mean, I went to school to learn the trade and not to make friends.  

I know, I know, that’s a bad mindset if you’re looking to score a gig in a nice firm.  I really need to network and develop contacts.  Still I know for a fact that I am not alone in hating group works or group anything.  I was so frustrated by this group thing that I unintentionally blurted out, “I hate group work!”.  Good thing I was seated way back (well outside the earshot of my teacher, and hopefully her field of vision as well), so only the lady beside me heard it and shot back, “Me, too!”.  

Aside from that though, this going back to school thing is not so bad.

 

Hot Dogs

B was flicking through channels when I heard the familiar voice of Rick Sebak.  Teka! Teka!  Sorry, alam kong ilang beses ko na yan napanood pero, please?  So ayun, pause muna ang readings at manonood muna ako.

This documentary entitled, A Hotdog Program, is one of my all-time favorite PBS programs…at least top 2 tier.  The first time I watched this was back at home…when we had cable.    Once or twice I’d chance upon it and watch till the end, but I never got to watch the beginning of the program.  Years later, when I set foot for the first time in Chicago, I had one request to make to B - since wala rin naman kaming income pareho - can we spend our 10th anniversary at Superdawg?  And so we did.  That, was the start of my brief love affair with hotdogs.  For three whole months, I had nothing but Chicago-style hotdogs for breakfast.  Nope, di magastos yun.  I just included a jar of sport peppers, hotdog buns, some pickle slices, pickle relish, mustard, and a pack of polish sausages in our grocery list.  Solb!  For three whole months yun!  Eventually nanawa rin ako and shifted to burgers and fried chicken.

When I started subscribing to Netflix, ayun, naalala ko siyang hiramin, and boy did I watch it!  Kung di lang ako kabadong tao, ginawan ko na ng kopya yun eh! (Eh kaso iniisip ko, baka may way ang Netflix na ma-track kung na-duplicate yung disc…di naman masyadong praning, no?)  So anyways, the next day, we were off to Broadway avenue and sitting inside this diner and munching on…yep, hotdogs!

Watching the program, I never cared much for the New York-style of eating almost plain, with only the usual ketchup and mustard, and sometimes sauerkraut (as with Nathan’s or Gray’s) for company.  Parang, blah.  Yun pang sa California, I think it was Pink’s, where they smother the whole sandwich in chili then top it off with bacon bits.  Whooo, damn!  That’s one killer dog!  Then there’s this casino in Las Vegas where they serve, possibly the longest wiener I have ever seen!  Oo meron din atang almost ganun kahaba sa Pinas, pero this is thicker, man!  I mean, wow!  I’m not saying  I can’t finish it, I mean, who am I kidding, right?!  But that’s got to feed at least two people, or three - kung di kasing lakas ko kumain.

By the way, if you’re vegetarian, I’d advise against watching this program.  There have been reviews about this program from vegetarians who were salivating by the time the credits rolled in.  I’m just saying…is all.

Pano ba to?  Naglalaway na ako eh.  Turns out I never got over hotdogs.  I might as well go for a Maxwell Polish later before going to class. 

 

Comm I

I cannot believe I’d remember Prof. Concepcion Dadufalza’s, Reading into Writing book!!!  Ok, I didn’t, exactly.  I was complaining about how tedious reading The Bluebook: A Uniform System of Citation is, and why someone bothered to produce a book dedicated solely to citing references properly, when B reminded me that there was a similar book when we were in college.  His precise words were, “…remember Dadufalza?”

Wow, that was a loooooooooong time ago….

 

Student Number

Tinitingnan ko yung ID ko nung isang araw.  Kailangan ko kasi yung number dun sa barcode para makahiram ng libro online.  Parang ang hirap kabisaduhin, napaka-unremarkable.  Medyo kasing haba lang siya ng social security number ko, although unlike the latter, di ko siya kailangang kabisaduhin.  Di ko tuloy maiwasang ikumpara sa huling student ID ko, yung sa UP.  For some reason, mas madali siyang kabisaduhin.  Como nga may sariling format, saka kailangan mo rin talaga siyang i-memorize

Tanda ko pa student number ko, pati student number din ng asawa ko, ikaw?  Tanda mo pa?  

 

Day 3

Takes me half an hour to reach downtown where my university is, and roughly an hour to get home.  Tama ba yun?!  Thing is, I have to take a semi-different route home as the Red Line is under some sort of renovation and won’t allow me to take the northbound side from my stop.  Buset.  Nevertheless, the excitement has not worn off yet…it’s wearing thin though, but that’s probably because they haven’t disbursed my loan yet.  

So, having taken my customary shower, I tucked in to some junk food and watched the Seinfeld rerun.  Thought I’d get in a bit of rest before I take a crack at some of the homework that needs doing.  

So ends my first week in my first term at X university.  Wish I could say I am looking forward to the weekend, but I have a ton of homework to finish before Monday so… nah!

 

 

Balik Eskwela

Fog covered most of downtown and outlying areas as my second day in school drew to a close.  Oh yes, student na naman ako, after more than a decade of not being inside a classroom…in a real school.  (Di counted yung MT course as it was an abbreviated training in a small centre).
 

Walang magagawa eh, present economic conditions continue to prevent me from getting employed. So taking my cue from two friends (who, before me, have both been in the same rut)  I took out a federal student loan and got myself enrolled at a university (which shall remain unnamed at baka may matiyaga silang employee who doesn’t have anything better to do than trawl through various blogs for references to X university and censure students - hay naku, praning na kung praning!).  Although, kung hiningan kita ng reference, knowing mo na ang namesung niya, kei?

My fragile self-confidence gradually ebbed as I went through my school-related errands and by the time the class ended at 9pm sharp, it was virtually in shreds.  I mean, come on, this is a graduate course, entonces, all my classmates have baccalaureate degrees with some, just finishing recently.  Eh when was the last time I attended school?  College, back in ‘96…ages ago!  So sharp pa ang mga utak nitish!  Plus, plus, they’ve all gone through Civics class, so that leaves me in the dark when constant references to American history are made.  Hay, buhay….parang life.

Nevertheless, I swore, I’ll do my best.  Never mind that this is just a springboard to another career.  Never mind if my teachers and classmates are having difficulties with my accented English (which, never ceases to puzzle me, dahil ang mga Pinoy ang may pinaka-malinaw na punto no?!)  Pinasok ko to, so paninindigan ko na.  So last night, pagdating ko galing school, naligo ako, kumain, nag-imis sa kusina at…nagsimulang mag-aral.  Di pala uso dito yung style ko nung undergrad ako na papetik-petik lang eh.  Either you come to class prepared (ie. you’ve finished the required readings) or the whole lecture will just be white noise to you and you end up staring into space when you’re surprised with a quiz.  Gaya kagabi, como nga di ako nakapag-basa, ang naisulat ko, “writ of surciary”, eh buset, writ of certiorari pala yun!  O di ba?  Mag-imbento ba ng sariling spelling???

At least today, I came to class prepared - having stayed up till dawn just to finish the required reading and take down notes.  Nakakapagod nga lang kasi I had to lug around this plastic bag of books I bought from the university bookstore.  Ay naku ‘day, walang silbi ang library dahil kundi mali ang edition, on permanent reserve, or wala talaga yung title.  Mag interlibrary loan man ako, aabutin pa ata ng linggo bago ko makuha, so wala nang saysay by then.  Byuti na lang, their bookstore sells used textbooks (laking discount din yun ah!) and you have the option to sell it back to them after you’re done.  Nice.

Malakas ang loob ko gumawa ng entry ngayon (although madaling araw na pala, shet!) kasi natapos ko na yung tatlong chapters na pinapabasa ni titser, with matching notes.  So di na ko masyadong tameme bukas.

Nakakatuwa, na nakaka-kaba, na ewan.  That about sums it up.  I hope I can finish this course with flying kulay para naman kaaya-aya sa prospective employers ko.

Now the question is, backpack with built-in protective compartment for a laptop, or messenger bag with separate laptop sleeve?  (Joke!)

 

Memo

*update* …ayan tuloy, pumalo na ng 80F yung thermometer ko…

Sabi, Memorial Day is the unofficial start of the summer season.  Sabi rin, the meteorological start of summer is when June comes around, this weekend.  Eh ba’t nangangatog pa rin ang tumbong ko?!!!

Wala bang nagpadala ng memo sa Chicago na summer na?

 

(Caregiver) Movies and Real Life

I’m not a huge Sharon Cuneta fan…well I’m huge, but not a Sharon Cuneta fan…but I sure am looking forward to that movie of hers, Caregiver.  Looks like another tear-jerker.  I dunno, for some reason, I find myself drawn to her less “hysterical” films - Nang Iniwan Mo Ako, Madrasta and now this new one. 

I was a caregiver once.  Well, for approximately 2 days and 2 nights.  It was something I will never forget and something I will never ever regret doing.  Wala akong makitang sideline nun.  It was less than 2 years ago and I was looking for a money-earning diversion.  Pang-shopping baga.  (Pauwi-uwi pa ako ng Pinas nun, if you get my drift).  Anyways, asking around brought me to an office in the north side in need of a temporary companion for an elderly lady.  I clarified, “companion ha?”, and they assured me that indeed, that is the case.  So off I went to this southwest suburb.

By the first night, I was crying alone at the dinner table.  My definition of companion, is worlds apart from the agency’s.  Duh.  First I called B and told him about my situation, then I called the manager and asked to be let off this assignment.  As expected, he cannot pull me out as nobody can be called upon to replace me at such short notice.  So I wiped my tears and continued with the tasks at hand.  The next day, the manager called again and told me that somebody will be coming tomorrow.  Whew.

I will not go into details here about what made me cry.  Medyo censored eh - not for those with a weak stomach.  Okay, I’m sure I can be classified as maarte, or better yet, maselan.  But let it not be said that I shy away from work if work has to be done.  I’ve been taught how to do everything from cooking, ironing, doing the laundry, basic sewing and house cleaning, and although life here has made the laundry and house cleaning part easy, I still do the chores.  But nothing has prepared me for that level of “caregiving”.  Wala, dude.  So hindi yung trabaho ang inayawan ko, yung certain “characteristics”.

That was an eye-opening experience for me and my respect for those who chose to go into that line of work, has increased a hundredfold.  Hindi biro yang trabaho na yan at hindi biro yung hirap at lungkot na malayo ka sa pamilya mo at lahat ng bagay na pamilyar.  

Sana lang mas maalagaan pa ng husto ng gobyerno ang mga OFWs.  After all, it’s come to that, human resources na ang prime export natin.

 

ill at Ease

Have you ever been in a situation where you’re the only one in the room who’s not white?  At first, I was puzzled by B’s reaction to this kind of situation/s.  He was very uncomfortable the whole time we were at this bbq joint (although that did not affect his focus on the baby back ribs at hand), and this is not the only time, it seems.  There was also a conference where he was the only Asian in the venue, the rest were Caucasians.  I asked him what the deal was.  It was just unsettling, he said.  

Back to the bbq place.  If he didn’t mention it, I wouldn’t even notice it!  After that, I became self-conscious.  Although, thankfully, the feeling passed, with my first bite on the ribs.  

At the end of the day, it really does not bother me.  I am not a very confident person, B is.  But in my case, this situation is not about confidence.  It’s conditioning.  I’ve already been placed in a similar situation several times for almost a decade, that it has become commonplace to me.  B, has yet to adjust.  Yet I plodded on and asked him, do they intimidate you?  He says, not at all.  He says it’s just weird being in a situation where he cannot be unobtrusive.  I guess that makes sense to me, we both love being able to observe rather than be observed.  That’s why we love eating at places with an unimpeded view of pedestrian traffic.

So before I tucked in to my ribs seriously, I had one more point to make.  ”Get used to situations like these, because in your ‘world’, there will be countless more.”  

Then, silence.  Comfortable silence.  You really cannot enjoy the ribs if you keep yapping.