It has been my personal tradition to go Trick or Treat every year with my sister at a posh village south of the Metro.
Three years ago, I just accompanied her with several of my kid cousins doing the rounds inside the village. I, myself, had a loot bag of my own. It was fun. It was the same two years ago when we visited several of those houses with their huge Halloween displays and mini House of Horrors.
Last year, it was more memorable, I suppose. I got to dress up in a scary costume and join my sister, who dressed up as Sadako of The Ring. She was spectacular in that costume, so realistic. People even posed for pictures with her. As for me, I was a dead person who died getting run over by a ten-wheeler truck. Well, because I was sweaty, the foundation wore off just as I boarded the car going to the village. I ended up looking like a faggot wearing lipstick.... a faggot who doesn't know how to apply lipstick very well because it is smeared around my mouth and just a little above my chin. I couldn't be a clown because I didn't have anything on my eyes and my cheeks.
I believe the costume was very much alright despite the draw back. At least, I got to be dressed up as something other than me, although unintentionally--a freaking idiotic faggot. Bah! Who cares? At least I got more candy than I did two or three years ago!
This year, I was very much looking forward to making the rounds again! In fact, I had a costume planned out. I would be going as Count Dracula! Yep, I know it is the lamest thing that someone could think of going as. But I firmly believe that I could be the sleekest Count Dracula you would be seeing this side of town. However, my sister was hesitant to go. For one, she--according to her-- is too old for such child's play. Second, she is sick. I counted on my friends who would be bringing their "adopted" kid brother along. They, however, weren't able to send me an SMS. They had to be elsewhere that day.
I was so frustrated by the idea that I would end up trick or treating alone, I decided to hit the mall with a few friends. I didn't even bother to don a costume. In the mall, I saw children walking in and out of the shops. They were Trick or Treating!
I mustered enough courage and walked in a shop. I fell in line and I proudly said, "Trick or Treat!" They asked me what I was dressed as. I told them that I was a kid dressed up as an adult! And for that, they gave me two lollies and some chewy candy! Not bad for a kid trapped in an adult's body!
Happy halloween to all of you!
Sunday, October 31, 2004
Saturday, October 30, 2004
Fighting Fire With....
...Construction workers. Yup, very un-stereotypical. It's like answering the question "how many people does it take to change a lightbulb?" (I don't quite see the similarities of the incident and the cliche, but I have this feeling that they are very much similar.) How? Why? Shouldn't it be the job of the "Brave Men of Ladder 49?"
I woke up at 4 a.m. and got hold of my towel for a morning shower. I wasn't quite sure why I woke up that early without bothering to look at the time piece. All I can recall was my brother waking me up, telling me to do so. As I neared the bathroom, I realized that I was shook off my bed for a different reason. There was an emergency.
Throwing my towel on th bedroom floor, I rushed upstairs to see what the problem was. And then, before anyone could answer, I heard firecrackers.... or were they gunshots? So again, I asked what the problem was. Apparently, during the night, an overhead powerline just in front of the house beside us broke, exposing a live wire in the process--a live wire that immediately caught fire.
My father went outside to look into it, as did my brothers and me, and several of our neighbors. It was New Year's Eve in a cold October dawn! The sparks created by two strands of wire touching each other provided a luminosity of a floodlight and a bang comparable to firecrackers (think Judas' belt). I rushed inside to call for emergency, while my brother switched off the main power source in the house. Leaving them on would put our house in more risk if and when the fire reaches the main cable.
I called the fire department and they informed me that it was not in their jurisdiction to put off flames caused by electrical wirings! So, does this mean that there are several kinds of firefighters? Hmmmm..... There's one for big flames, one for those caused by candles, one for putting out the flame of a match stick... etc, but none for a flaming live wire. So they told me to call up the local electricity provider.
For 30 minutes or so, I called them thrice just to follow up on when they could--ASAP--send someone over to fix the problem. If the fire reaches the main cable, which, based on my estimate, would take about 20 minutes, the whole street would be engulfed in flames. My father, realizing that desperate times call for desperate moves, commissioned my brother to get sand, and together, threw sand at the live wire. Great idea, although the flaming wire was way beyond their reach, nor the reach of the sand thrown. They were successful, though, in coming up with a sand rain.
It was a good thing that several construction workers were working on a house two houses away from us. My father asked for their help and they immediately got hold of three long slabs of wood. They managed to separate the two wires whose contact with each other were causing sparks and fire. The other one put off the flame by pressing against one of the slabs with his slab. It was also fortunate that there was an electrician on hand to cover the loose ends with electrical tape.
We were all relieved by this turn of events that each of us slowly went back inside our house. At this point, when everything was already alright, the electricity company's lineman came.
Now that's what I call fast reaction to an emergency situation. What has this country gone to? I really don't understand how one country, capable of coming up with the brightest of ideas, be so lagging in technology. A central company could have immediately directed the call to all relevant departments and dispatched someone close to the scene immediately.
So how do you fight fire the next time you encounter one? Don't call emergency hotline numbers as it will only prove futile. Rely on yourself and probably a handful of neighbors to think instinctively on what to do. Rely on construction workers.
How many construction workers does it take to put off a fire? Three. Just make sure to have my dad these to instruct them what to do.
I woke up at 4 a.m. and got hold of my towel for a morning shower. I wasn't quite sure why I woke up that early without bothering to look at the time piece. All I can recall was my brother waking me up, telling me to do so. As I neared the bathroom, I realized that I was shook off my bed for a different reason. There was an emergency.
Throwing my towel on th bedroom floor, I rushed upstairs to see what the problem was. And then, before anyone could answer, I heard firecrackers.... or were they gunshots? So again, I asked what the problem was. Apparently, during the night, an overhead powerline just in front of the house beside us broke, exposing a live wire in the process--a live wire that immediately caught fire.
My father went outside to look into it, as did my brothers and me, and several of our neighbors. It was New Year's Eve in a cold October dawn! The sparks created by two strands of wire touching each other provided a luminosity of a floodlight and a bang comparable to firecrackers (think Judas' belt). I rushed inside to call for emergency, while my brother switched off the main power source in the house. Leaving them on would put our house in more risk if and when the fire reaches the main cable.
I called the fire department and they informed me that it was not in their jurisdiction to put off flames caused by electrical wirings! So, does this mean that there are several kinds of firefighters? Hmmmm..... There's one for big flames, one for those caused by candles, one for putting out the flame of a match stick... etc, but none for a flaming live wire. So they told me to call up the local electricity provider.
For 30 minutes or so, I called them thrice just to follow up on when they could--ASAP--send someone over to fix the problem. If the fire reaches the main cable, which, based on my estimate, would take about 20 minutes, the whole street would be engulfed in flames. My father, realizing that desperate times call for desperate moves, commissioned my brother to get sand, and together, threw sand at the live wire. Great idea, although the flaming wire was way beyond their reach, nor the reach of the sand thrown. They were successful, though, in coming up with a sand rain.
It was a good thing that several construction workers were working on a house two houses away from us. My father asked for their help and they immediately got hold of three long slabs of wood. They managed to separate the two wires whose contact with each other were causing sparks and fire. The other one put off the flame by pressing against one of the slabs with his slab. It was also fortunate that there was an electrician on hand to cover the loose ends with electrical tape.
We were all relieved by this turn of events that each of us slowly went back inside our house. At this point, when everything was already alright, the electricity company's lineman came.
Now that's what I call fast reaction to an emergency situation. What has this country gone to? I really don't understand how one country, capable of coming up with the brightest of ideas, be so lagging in technology. A central company could have immediately directed the call to all relevant departments and dispatched someone close to the scene immediately.
So how do you fight fire the next time you encounter one? Don't call emergency hotline numbers as it will only prove futile. Rely on yourself and probably a handful of neighbors to think instinctively on what to do. Rely on construction workers.
How many construction workers does it take to put off a fire? Three. Just make sure to have my dad these to instruct them what to do.
Friday, October 29, 2004
Fighting Fire With....
...Construction workers. Yup, very un-stereotypical. It's like answering the question "how many people does it take to change a lightbulb?" (I don't quite see the similarities of the incident and the cliche, but I have this feeling that they are very much similar.) How? Why? Shouldn't it be the job of the "Brave Men of Ladder 49?"
I woke up at 4 a.m. and got hold of my towel for a morning shower. I wasn't quite sure why I woke up that early without bothering to look at the time piece. All I can recall was my brother waking me up, telling me to do so. As I neared the bathroom, I realized that I was shook off my bed for a different reason. There was an emergency.
Throwing my towel on th bedroom floor, I rushed upstairs to see what the problem was. And then, before anyone could answer, I heard firecrackers.... or were they gunshots? So again, I asked what the problem was. Apparently, during the night, an overhead powerline just in front of the house beside us broke, exposing a live wire in the process--a live wire that immediately caught fire.
My father went outside to look into it, as did my brothers and me, and several of our neighbors. It was New Year's Eve in a cold October dawn! The sparks created by two strands of wire touching each other provided a luminosity of a floodlight and a bang comparable to firecrackers (think Judas' belt). I rushed inside to call for emergency, while my brother switched off the main power source in the house. Leaving them on would put our house in more risk if and when the fire reaches the main cable.
I called the fire department and they informed me that it was not in their jurisdiction to put off flames caused by electrical wirings! So, does this mean that there are several kinds of firefighters? Hmmmm..... There's one for big flames, one for those caused by candles, one for putting out the flame of a match stick... etc, but none for a flaming live wire. So they told me to call up the local electricity provider.
For 30 minutes or so, I called them thrice just to follow up on when they could--ASAP--send someone over to fix the problem. If the fire reaches the main cable, which, based on my estimate, would take about 20 minutes, the whole street would be engulfed in flames. My father, realizing that desperate times call for desperate moves, commissioned my brother to get sand, and together, threw sand at the live wire. Great idea, although the flaming wire was way beyond their reach, nor the reach of the sand thrown. They were successful, though, in coming up with a sand rain.
It was a good thing that several construction workers were working on a house two houses away from us. My father asked for their help and they immediately got hold of three long slabs of wood. They managed to separate the two wires whose contact with each other were causing sparks and fire. The other one put off the flame by pressing against one of the slabs with his slab. It was also fortunate that there was an electrician on hand to cover the loose ends with electrical tape.
We were all relieved by this turn of events that each of us slowly went back inside our house. At this point, when everything was already alright, the electricity company's lineman came.
Now that's what I call fast reaction to an emergency situation. What has this country gone to? I really don't understand how one country, capable of coming up with the brightest of ideas, be so lagging in technology. A central company could have immediately directed the call to all relevant departments and dispatched someone close to the scene immediately.
So how do you fight fire the next time you encounter one? Don't call emergency hotline numbers as it will only prove futile. Rely on yourself and probably a handful of neighbors to think instinctively on what to do. Rely on construction workers.
How many construction workers does it take to put off a fire? Three. Just make sure to have my dad these to instruct them what to do.
I woke up at 4 a.m. and got hold of my towel for a morning shower. I wasn't quite sure why I woke up that early without bothering to look at the time piece. All I can recall was my brother waking me up, telling me to do so. As I neared the bathroom, I realized that I was shook off my bed for a different reason. There was an emergency.
Throwing my towel on th bedroom floor, I rushed upstairs to see what the problem was. And then, before anyone could answer, I heard firecrackers.... or were they gunshots? So again, I asked what the problem was. Apparently, during the night, an overhead powerline just in front of the house beside us broke, exposing a live wire in the process--a live wire that immediately caught fire.
My father went outside to look into it, as did my brothers and me, and several of our neighbors. It was New Year's Eve in a cold October dawn! The sparks created by two strands of wire touching each other provided a luminosity of a floodlight and a bang comparable to firecrackers (think Judas' belt). I rushed inside to call for emergency, while my brother switched off the main power source in the house. Leaving them on would put our house in more risk if and when the fire reaches the main cable.
I called the fire department and they informed me that it was not in their jurisdiction to put off flames caused by electrical wirings! So, does this mean that there are several kinds of firefighters? Hmmmm..... There's one for big flames, one for those caused by candles, one for putting out the flame of a match stick... etc, but none for a flaming live wire. So they told me to call up the local electricity provider.
For 30 minutes or so, I called them thrice just to follow up on when they could--ASAP--send someone over to fix the problem. If the fire reaches the main cable, which, based on my estimate, would take about 20 minutes, the whole street would be engulfed in flames. My father, realizing that desperate times call for desperate moves, commissioned my brother to get sand, and together, threw sand at the live wire. Great idea, although the flaming wire was way beyond their reach, nor the reach of the sand thrown. They were successful, though, in coming up with a sand rain.
It was a good thing that several construction workers were working on a house two houses away from us. My father asked for their help and they immediately got hold of three long slabs of wood. They managed to separate the two wires whose contact with each other were causing sparks and fire. The other one put off the flame by pressing against one of the slabs with his slab. It was also fortunate that there was an electrician on hand to cover the loose ends with electrical tape.
We were all relieved by this turn of events that each of us slowly went back inside our house. At this point, when everything was already alright, the electricity company's lineman came.
Now that's what I call fast reaction to an emergency situation. What has this country gone to? I really don't understand how one country, capable of coming up with the brightest of ideas, be so lagging in technology. A central company could have immediately directed the call to all relevant departments and dispatched someone close to the scene immediately.
So how do you fight fire the next time you encounter one? Don't call emergency hotline numbers as it will only prove futile. Rely on yourself and probably a handful of neighbors to think instinctively on what to do. Rely on construction workers.
How many construction workers does it take to put off a fire? Three. Just make sure to have my dad these to instruct them what to do.
Thursday, October 28, 2004
To Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I noticed that you have been posting comments on my blog for quite some time now. It may be better if you post your email address as well so I could personally thank you for your comments.
I actually ask my friends to view my posts and comment on them but very few actually do. Believe me when I say that I was surprised to see some people other than my close friends post comments on my blog site. And you, Anonymous, are one of the many who have always made my day complete.
It is very inspiring to note that my sentiments and practically my entire life reaches out to people other than those I have close contact with. At least now, I can say that I am already a true celebrity (technically, not yet, but I think I'm getting there).
Anyway, I would like to know you better. Are you, by any chance, related to Mr. Snuffalupagus (did I get the name of your relative correct?)? Coz it sounds the same....
To Jo-em, Emmerdale and the other comment poster, thanks for making my day brighter! But to you, Anonymous, you just seem to add more mystery to my everyday.... I hope to actually meet you one of these days.
Cheers,
City Slicker
I noticed that you have been posting comments on my blog for quite some time now. It may be better if you post your email address as well so I could personally thank you for your comments.
I actually ask my friends to view my posts and comment on them but very few actually do. Believe me when I say that I was surprised to see some people other than my close friends post comments on my blog site. And you, Anonymous, are one of the many who have always made my day complete.
It is very inspiring to note that my sentiments and practically my entire life reaches out to people other than those I have close contact with. At least now, I can say that I am already a true celebrity (technically, not yet, but I think I'm getting there).
Anyway, I would like to know you better. Are you, by any chance, related to Mr. Snuffalupagus (did I get the name of your relative correct?)? Coz it sounds the same....
To Jo-em, Emmerdale and the other comment poster, thanks for making my day brighter! But to you, Anonymous, you just seem to add more mystery to my everyday.... I hope to actually meet you one of these days.
Cheers,
City Slicker
Wednesday, October 27, 2004
To Anonymous
Dear Anonymous,
I noticed that you have been posting comments on my blog for quite some time now. It may be better if you post your email address as well so I could personally thank you for your comments.
I actually ask my friends to view my posts and comment on them but very few actually do. Believe me when I say that I was surprised to see some people other than my close friends post comments on my blog site. And you, Anonymous, are one of the many who have always made my day complete.
It is very inspiring to note that my sentiments and practically my entire life reaches out to people other than those I have close contact with. At least now, I can say that I am already a true celebrity (technically, not yet, but I think I'm getting there).
Anyway, I would like to know you better. Are you, by any chance, related to Mr. Snuffalupagus (did I get the name of your relative correct?)? Coz it sounds the same....
To Jo-em, Emmerdale and the other comment poster, thanks for making my day brighter! But to you, Anonymous, you just seem to add more mystery to my everyday.... I hope to actually meet you one of these days.
Cheers,
City Slicker
I noticed that you have been posting comments on my blog for quite some time now. It may be better if you post your email address as well so I could personally thank you for your comments.
I actually ask my friends to view my posts and comment on them but very few actually do. Believe me when I say that I was surprised to see some people other than my close friends post comments on my blog site. And you, Anonymous, are one of the many who have always made my day complete.
It is very inspiring to note that my sentiments and practically my entire life reaches out to people other than those I have close contact with. At least now, I can say that I am already a true celebrity (technically, not yet, but I think I'm getting there).
Anyway, I would like to know you better. Are you, by any chance, related to Mr. Snuffalupagus (did I get the name of your relative correct?)? Coz it sounds the same....
To Jo-em, Emmerdale and the other comment poster, thanks for making my day brighter! But to you, Anonymous, you just seem to add more mystery to my everyday.... I hope to actually meet you one of these days.
Cheers,
City Slicker
Monday, October 25, 2004
It Is Not Me
I looked at the mirror at the men's room today and I saw a different person. It is not me that I am staring at! (Cue Twilight Zone theme.) It must be stress or fatigue, but it really just didn't happen overnight.
It all started last Friday, when I crammed myself with too many things to do in so little time. Saturday, I took some of my colleagues out for a few drinks and got home at around 4 am. I wasn't able to go to the gym nor play badminton over the weekend. Yesterday, I started acting differently. It was an entirely different me that I dare not acknowledge. But I have no choice because that is the life I am currently living.
Last night, the starkest manifestation of my evolution presented itself to me as a shock. I brought one of my friends to a local massage parlor, the one where you get "extra service." He offered to treat me to a "massage." Alas, I declined! Me?!? Decline such an offer?!? Since when??? Well, since last night. I never imagined it would happen but it did. I was beyond myself last night. I was so tired and stressed out that I didn't even bother if the "massage" was free. I just wanted to go home and get some zzzs.
That alone shouts that I am not myself anymore.
And it didn't stop there. This morning, I woke up rather irated over the fact that my brothers didn't want me to go with them to pick up my parents and my grandmother from the airport. They wanted me to take our little sister to school instead. I figured, the driver could take her to school and I could absent myself from work in the morning. I would rather be there welcoming my parents and salivating over the chocolates they brought home.
And so it was that my entire morning became so affected by my morning rush of ire that I unintentionally wrote a very rude letter to our general manager. Talk about insubordination. The letter asked me when is the most convenient time for us to meet. I replied with a very staunchy, "I think we have to meet some other time...." Good grief! I thought I had to prepare myself to get my last paycheck by tomorrow. I guessed I had to pack my things immediately! It's a good thing that our general manager is so forgiving that she brushed the rudeness aside.
I tell you, right now, I feel funny. I don't feel like me. I need to hit the gym to regain my oldself. I don't even know who I have become!
So if someone asks me now who I am, this would be my reply:
"Who am I? I'm Spiderman."
It all started last Friday, when I crammed myself with too many things to do in so little time. Saturday, I took some of my colleagues out for a few drinks and got home at around 4 am. I wasn't able to go to the gym nor play badminton over the weekend. Yesterday, I started acting differently. It was an entirely different me that I dare not acknowledge. But I have no choice because that is the life I am currently living.
Last night, the starkest manifestation of my evolution presented itself to me as a shock. I brought one of my friends to a local massage parlor, the one where you get "extra service." He offered to treat me to a "massage." Alas, I declined! Me?!? Decline such an offer?!? Since when??? Well, since last night. I never imagined it would happen but it did. I was beyond myself last night. I was so tired and stressed out that I didn't even bother if the "massage" was free. I just wanted to go home and get some zzzs.
That alone shouts that I am not myself anymore.
And it didn't stop there. This morning, I woke up rather irated over the fact that my brothers didn't want me to go with them to pick up my parents and my grandmother from the airport. They wanted me to take our little sister to school instead. I figured, the driver could take her to school and I could absent myself from work in the morning. I would rather be there welcoming my parents and salivating over the chocolates they brought home.
And so it was that my entire morning became so affected by my morning rush of ire that I unintentionally wrote a very rude letter to our general manager. Talk about insubordination. The letter asked me when is the most convenient time for us to meet. I replied with a very staunchy, "I think we have to meet some other time...." Good grief! I thought I had to prepare myself to get my last paycheck by tomorrow. I guessed I had to pack my things immediately! It's a good thing that our general manager is so forgiving that she brushed the rudeness aside.
I tell you, right now, I feel funny. I don't feel like me. I need to hit the gym to regain my oldself. I don't even know who I have become!
So if someone asks me now who I am, this would be my reply:
"Who am I? I'm Spiderman."
Thursday, October 21, 2004
I Crush You!
I remember a few years ago, when I picked my kid sister from school, I heard her male classmate say, "Mary Anne, I crush you!"
Believe me, I was fascinated and overwhelmed, not so much by the gesture but by the way the kid composed his sentence. Who could blame him? I mean, crush is love in a lesser degree, right? And you would typically be saying "I love you," so why not say "I crush you?"
Nice going kiddo, but you have to get past three older brothers before you could actually crush my sister into loving you!
Speaking of crushes, I was working out in the gym last night, biding my time before going home. Lo and behold, who do I see? It's my crush from way back in high school. Believe it or not, there is still something in me that says, "Go on, tell her that you like her!"
She is a batch lower. Back in high school, I would always go out of my way just to catch a glimpse of her. I know she takes the train going home as I do, but we were always waiting on opposite tracks. I would stretch my neck like a giraffe just to see her from the other platform. She's not that tall, but she is, for me, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my entire life who is a non-celebrity. She is a Rose McGowan deadringer.
Last night was no different. I just looked at her from afar, thinking how I could start a conversation with her. But as many of you who know me may have guessed, the torpedo in me worked its way out.
If only I could ask her out for a date. If only I could ask her for a small talk over a cup of tea. If only I could muster enough courage and tell her upfront, "I crush you!"
Believe me, I was fascinated and overwhelmed, not so much by the gesture but by the way the kid composed his sentence. Who could blame him? I mean, crush is love in a lesser degree, right? And you would typically be saying "I love you," so why not say "I crush you?"
Nice going kiddo, but you have to get past three older brothers before you could actually crush my sister into loving you!
Speaking of crushes, I was working out in the gym last night, biding my time before going home. Lo and behold, who do I see? It's my crush from way back in high school. Believe it or not, there is still something in me that says, "Go on, tell her that you like her!"
She is a batch lower. Back in high school, I would always go out of my way just to catch a glimpse of her. I know she takes the train going home as I do, but we were always waiting on opposite tracks. I would stretch my neck like a giraffe just to see her from the other platform. She's not that tall, but she is, for me, one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen in my entire life who is a non-celebrity. She is a Rose McGowan deadringer.
Last night was no different. I just looked at her from afar, thinking how I could start a conversation with her. But as many of you who know me may have guessed, the torpedo in me worked its way out.
If only I could ask her out for a date. If only I could ask her for a small talk over a cup of tea. If only I could muster enough courage and tell her upfront, "I crush you!"
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
Ship Without a Captain
Yesterday was our first day to physically have no captian on board. We were steering a ship without our skipper.
Sad to say, last week was officially our former boss' last week with us. She will be coming in occasionally, but it will be different. They will merely be apparitions to us who continue to thrive and live in the real world we call our office. Each time she will be passing by, we will most likely be able to smell flowers or candles or.... hmmm.... I guess it is a different being altogether.
As early as now, we are already feeling the emptiness of being orphaned so suddenly.
Personally, I just think of it as her being away for summer in a camp. Or being away for merely a week, and that next week, she'll be back.
Until the new skipper comes along, I guess we'll just have to learn to steer the ship on our own, with the voice of our captain blowing in the wind into our ears every now and then.
Sad to say, last week was officially our former boss' last week with us. She will be coming in occasionally, but it will be different. They will merely be apparitions to us who continue to thrive and live in the real world we call our office. Each time she will be passing by, we will most likely be able to smell flowers or candles or.... hmmm.... I guess it is a different being altogether.
As early as now, we are already feeling the emptiness of being orphaned so suddenly.
Personally, I just think of it as her being away for summer in a camp. Or being away for merely a week, and that next week, she'll be back.
Until the new skipper comes along, I guess we'll just have to learn to steer the ship on our own, with the voice of our captain blowing in the wind into our ears every now and then.
Tuesday, October 12, 2004
Aloha
Aloha, in Hawaii, means both hello and goodbye. That's what I learned from watching Miss Congeniality. It even pulls off an aloha joke which goes, "So when you answer the phone, you say 'aloha.' But when you end the conversation, you say 'aloha,' and the conversation starts all over again." Or something to that effect. Ms. Rhode Island definitely found it to be funny.
Anyway, this piece is not about a Hawaiian or about pineapples. It is about hellos and goodbyes.
Just recently, we all got word that our boss resigned from her work to join another company. I still quite remember how she welcomed me to the team not so long ago (it was just, in fact, under a year when I joined her team). I have grown accustomed to the way she does things around the office, her "coaching" style of management, so to say. She is not much of a talker, but she has her funny moments. And to me, and to all of us I suppose, more than a boss, she has become a very good friend.
And now, she is saying aloha to me once again. Not the hello aloha but the goodbye aloha. When I first got wind of her decision to resign, I was devastated. I thought, "Where in the world will I ever find another boss as good and as understanding and as ideal as her?" But hey, who can stop her? She is, after all, transferring to greener pastures. And when I say greener, it is definitely greener, with all the green money she will be earning.
Gone are the days when we would prod her to join us for a late-night badminton game. Gone are the days when we would go down to get some breakfast at McDonald's. Gone are the days when we would go get coffee in a nearby cafe. Gone are the days when I could freely do my blog to relax my mind for a while.
I will definitely miss all those things. I will miss my daily msn chatmate. I will miss saying my daily good mornings and goodbyes. She was, and will forever be, one of the best bosses I've ever had. She will always be my elder sister. She will always be my friend.
So I'm saying aloha to her. Not aloha goodbye, but aloha hello. Because now, despite the fact that she will be leaving the company, she will be coming back not as our boss, but as our friend.
So roll out those coconuts and pineapples. We'll be having a luau!
Anyway, this piece is not about a Hawaiian or about pineapples. It is about hellos and goodbyes.
Just recently, we all got word that our boss resigned from her work to join another company. I still quite remember how she welcomed me to the team not so long ago (it was just, in fact, under a year when I joined her team). I have grown accustomed to the way she does things around the office, her "coaching" style of management, so to say. She is not much of a talker, but she has her funny moments. And to me, and to all of us I suppose, more than a boss, she has become a very good friend.
And now, she is saying aloha to me once again. Not the hello aloha but the goodbye aloha. When I first got wind of her decision to resign, I was devastated. I thought, "Where in the world will I ever find another boss as good and as understanding and as ideal as her?" But hey, who can stop her? She is, after all, transferring to greener pastures. And when I say greener, it is definitely greener, with all the green money she will be earning.
Gone are the days when we would prod her to join us for a late-night badminton game. Gone are the days when we would go down to get some breakfast at McDonald's. Gone are the days when we would go get coffee in a nearby cafe. Gone are the days when I could freely do my blog to relax my mind for a while.
I will definitely miss all those things. I will miss my daily msn chatmate. I will miss saying my daily good mornings and goodbyes. She was, and will forever be, one of the best bosses I've ever had. She will always be my elder sister. She will always be my friend.
So I'm saying aloha to her. Not aloha goodbye, but aloha hello. Because now, despite the fact that she will be leaving the company, she will be coming back not as our boss, but as our friend.
So roll out those coconuts and pineapples. We'll be having a luau!
Thursday, October 07, 2004
That's What I Need
I have heard so many songs in my life and I have related to pretty much a lot of them. That's what makes music so fascinating. It really mirrors the reality of life: the way we feel, think, act, what we experience in our day-to-day living. The following song done by a local artist has been around for a few decades now, and yet its lyrics never seem to cease to haunt me. Maybe because I often feel that way. And I have always been in search of people who will be able to fill the void that I often feel, normally during my suicidal state of mind. Note that the term I used is people. I am not in search of a particular person but several people who will be able to do the things stated in the selection.
A Friend
I've still been searching
And long have I waited
For someone to like me as me
To laugh with, to cry with
To be just beside with
A friend that's who I need
To fight with, make up with
To know that you need them
Believing that they need you, too
To walk hand in hand with
To argue to talk with
A friend that's who I need
And even thoughI make mistakes
And never do anything right
A smile, a hug
Can change all that
And everything will be alright
Someone who'll share all
my dreams and ambitions
Someone who'll love me as me
I need this person
Someone to rely on
A friend that's who I need
A friend that's who I need
*************
Come to think of it, a girlfriend will fit perfectly into that description. However, for a girlfriend, what the song doesn't state (but is very much required in my standards) is that someone who will not burn your credit card down to a crisp, or someone who will not drive you nuts. Does someone fit that description perfectly? I'm not sure if such a being exists. Until then, I will be waiting..... and waiting....
....still waiting.....
A Friend
I've still been searching
And long have I waited
For someone to like me as me
To laugh with, to cry with
To be just beside with
A friend that's who I need
To fight with, make up with
To know that you need them
Believing that they need you, too
To walk hand in hand with
To argue to talk with
A friend that's who I need
And even thoughI make mistakes
And never do anything right
A smile, a hug
Can change all that
And everything will be alright
Someone who'll share all
my dreams and ambitions
Someone who'll love me as me
I need this person
Someone to rely on
A friend that's who I need
A friend that's who I need
*************
Come to think of it, a girlfriend will fit perfectly into that description. However, for a girlfriend, what the song doesn't state (but is very much required in my standards) is that someone who will not burn your credit card down to a crisp, or someone who will not drive you nuts. Does someone fit that description perfectly? I'm not sure if such a being exists. Until then, I will be waiting..... and waiting....
....still waiting.....
Wednesday, October 06, 2004
Weird Sighting
The last time I saw squirrels was two years ago, in my aunt's backyard in Long Island. So imagine my surprise when I saw a couple of squirrels doing a High Live Wire Act in my sister's school this morning! I mean, you never see wild squirrels running around in this country, do you? Our driver thought it was a big rat. When I looked harder, I noticed it had a bushy tail, and it had a companion! They must be squirrels! Unless, of course, the local rats have evolved into much graceful and amusing creatures.
Hmmm..... It's really very weird. What will I expect next? Snow in this country? When will that ever happen. Hmmmm..... maybe there is a possibility that we'll be having a white Christmas after all!
Hmmm..... It's really very weird. What will I expect next? Snow in this country? When will that ever happen. Hmmmm..... maybe there is a possibility that we'll be having a white Christmas after all!
Rip Van Winkie
I've never felt more refreshed my entire life (or for as long as I can remember).
I went home quite early yesterday because of a very bad stomach. Immediately after arriving home, I took a trip to the throne room with much success. I logged on my computer and felt another urge. So I made a trip to Jerusalem once again, and I felt so exhausted after that.
I intended to attend class last night after my first ordeal. After the second one, however, I felt too exhausted. I sprawled on my bed, aiming to just take a nap. My stomach still felt queasy. It was still 5 in the afternoon.
Imagine my surprise when I woke up. It was already 6 in the morning! The stomach ache was gone and I felt extraordinarily refreshed. It's as if I slept for a hundred years!
Well, there goes my school attendance for the night.
I went home quite early yesterday because of a very bad stomach. Immediately after arriving home, I took a trip to the throne room with much success. I logged on my computer and felt another urge. So I made a trip to Jerusalem once again, and I felt so exhausted after that.
I intended to attend class last night after my first ordeal. After the second one, however, I felt too exhausted. I sprawled on my bed, aiming to just take a nap. My stomach still felt queasy. It was still 5 in the afternoon.
Imagine my surprise when I woke up. It was already 6 in the morning! The stomach ache was gone and I felt extraordinarily refreshed. It's as if I slept for a hundred years!
Well, there goes my school attendance for the night.
Monday, October 04, 2004
Double Whammy
There are opportunities and there are opportunities. Some rain on you as if it were pouring like a tropical storm. Some just fly by like the wind in a dry summer air.
Last week, I was supposed to go to Singapore to cover an event sponsored by a local PR agency. I had to turn it down because I promised a friend that I'll meet up with her. Incidentally, she lives in Singapore and will be here for four days. I have already set that appointment weeks before news about the trip came about.
Unfortunately, the meeting never materialized. She had to go back to Singapore after only 24 hours because the sister-in-law of her husband died. Too bad I missed the Singapore trip. I might have been able to meet up with her in Singapore had I not passed up on the chance. It was really a very great opportunity to pass up, especially since offers like these pass me by just once in a blue moon. I would have been able to see Sentosa again, and probably the Night Safari.
But, as they say, what goes around comes around. I am sure there will be a next time. The next time may come in the form of me meeting up with her or me being able to return to Singapore. Until that time, I will have to gloat about last week's double whammy.
Last week, I was supposed to go to Singapore to cover an event sponsored by a local PR agency. I had to turn it down because I promised a friend that I'll meet up with her. Incidentally, she lives in Singapore and will be here for four days. I have already set that appointment weeks before news about the trip came about.
Unfortunately, the meeting never materialized. She had to go back to Singapore after only 24 hours because the sister-in-law of her husband died. Too bad I missed the Singapore trip. I might have been able to meet up with her in Singapore had I not passed up on the chance. It was really a very great opportunity to pass up, especially since offers like these pass me by just once in a blue moon. I would have been able to see Sentosa again, and probably the Night Safari.
But, as they say, what goes around comes around. I am sure there will be a next time. The next time may come in the form of me meeting up with her or me being able to return to Singapore. Until that time, I will have to gloat about last week's double whammy.
Plans for The Year Ahead
It's October. In a few month's time, it will be 2005. I am not really keen on coming up with New Year's Resolutions, especially not this early. But I do have plans. I am not sure if it will all materialize but nevertheless, I came up with them. Just in case I need to do certain reality checks in the future.
- Finish my MBA
- Take up dancing lessons (ballroom and street)
- Take up photography
- Get a girlfriend
- Have a "to-die-for" body
- Get my teeth fixed (straighten them up a little) and whitened (damn tea stains)
- Start my own business
- Migrate either to the United States or to Australia
I just wish these plans would materialize by next year. I need to do everything on this list before I reach the ripe old age of 30. Yup, I consider it as a ripe old age in my case because I believe that I have already undergone mid-life crisis, making the 30s and 40s my prime years. I'll probably be six feet under beyond that age.
I Am an Eel
I just realized something. I am an eel.
I am a Piscean. That makes me a fish. I love the water, and I don't like the idea of eating fish. I feel that I am violating my own species.
I was born in the Year of the Snake. This makes me a snake. I do have a tendency to grip people until I strangle them to death. Of course, this statement is just figurative, otheriwse, I would have been in deathrow way before I could even start with this blog series.
I think being an eel makes me more electrifying and energetic. Uhm, well, uh..... Ok, maybe I am not an electric eel after all. Nevertheless, I am still an eel.
I am a Piscean. That makes me a fish. I love the water, and I don't like the idea of eating fish. I feel that I am violating my own species.
I was born in the Year of the Snake. This makes me a snake. I do have a tendency to grip people until I strangle them to death. Of course, this statement is just figurative, otheriwse, I would have been in deathrow way before I could even start with this blog series.
I think being an eel makes me more electrifying and energetic. Uhm, well, uh..... Ok, maybe I am not an electric eel after all. Nevertheless, I am still an eel.
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