Christmas 12252015

Christmas Day this year was spent in the office, one hour shy of completing my normal shift but I had to go because I wanted to spend sometime in a church as I did last year. Except I didn't go to my peaceful sanctuary because I left later than planned so I opted for the nearer church.

We had free lunch meals ordered from Cafe Nenzo as in last year. I love the fish fillet with garlic and butter. The cheesecake was exciting at first but the heaviness of cream cheese made me just gulp down the whole thing with water. The chocolate cake was one of the best ones I've had, to think I don't even like chocolate cake. But this one had just the right sweetness and the cake itself was moist. Yummy!

While to many working on holidays suck, I welcome the opportunity because I am more productive when I am alone. I get a lot of work done and I think better when alone.

Before heading home I dropped by Booksale to claim my reserved books: Pillars of the Republic and The Journals of Lewis and Clark. The latter is something I have been wishing for but it was always priced in the P150-P250 range so now that it dropped to P50 I saw my chance of having a copy. The other book is not much of interest to me but the blurb says something about common-school development before the American Civil War. Lately I have become interested in developments of systems and institutions as opposed to my earlier obsessions on origins (that's why I took up archaeology in the first place).

Walking on major roads, one can see the ugly side of Christmas. No wonder I am always gloomy and in a bad mood at this time of the year. Metro Manila is turned into one big stinking garbage city thanks to the undisciplined people and also to the MMDA's little effort in apprehending the violators of the Anti-Littering Law.

As I was looking for my last jeepney ride, I chanced upon one empty but on the inner lane so I hopped inside. The driver asked me where I was headed to because he was about to go home already. Just so happened that he would pass by near where I live so he told me there was no need to pay even though I insisted many times. So I just wished him a Merry Christmas.

Metro Problems and More

It's November and it's hot. Yesterday it drizzled a bit which lasted for just a few minutes and it was back to being hot again.

There have been news of another El Niño which is expected to last until mid-2016. It's scary how symptoms of climate change are making their presence felt more and more. With water shortage, we can expect fewer harvest which means less food and higher prices of commodities. I wonder how future generations will cope given the ignorance and indifference of the people toward these challenges.

It's the third Ber month already. And Metro Manila is experiencing worse traffic problems. DPWH really has to start construction of the expressway from the south to the north at this time of the year. I am tired of labeling the government as incompetent. Methinks this is its way to maintain the status quo, to ensure that people are too tired to think critically and to dumb down the masses.

And they are doing a pretty good job with the help of the media.

I may be wrong but this is not a far possibility. Majority of "educated" people stop learning and reading after getting their diplomas. Who can blame them when they have other roles to fulfill. It is, however, unpardonable to not even engage in discourses that tackle important issues. It seems that people are already contented with whatever junk the media is feeding them.

For instance, there should be more topics on how to improve the quality of life of each Filipino. We can start off by observing about the current situations and understanding the circumstances we are in. We can narrow this further by looking into different sectors. For instance, we regularly experience the perennial traffic jams in urban areas like Metro Manila. We understand that there are several things which contribute to this: lack of discipline on the part of drivers, too many private vehicles, road conditions, irresponsible commuters, etc. What I would like to see is people drilling down deeper into the problem, not propose interim solutions like road expansion or expressway construction. Let's be realistic. If the number of private vehicles increase, there will come a time that building more roads would only bring more chaos.

How about something like influencing people to walk or to bike or to commute? There will be strong opposition to these since we all know that Metro Manila is one dangerous place where criminals prey on unsuspecting victims. Or how about a propaganda targeted at women that men who own cars are not cool because it shows how insensitive they are to the plight of others. Driving a car contributes to pollution and traffic. Instead of glamorizing car owners, they should be shamed for their vanity.

Because, just why are young men eager to get their own cars? To impress women, that's why. And women, oh women, please do not choose a lover based on what he owns. Stop being materialistic and look at a person for what he is rather than what he has.

And so I guess this is one of the many reasons why boys despise me. Because I would reprimand them when they try to impress me with their flashy cars. I even knew of one "environmentalist" who drives his car even with no other passenger and I often hint at his hypocrisy, telling him to commute instead but he wouldn't. The same goes for his friend who dated me and who retorted that he didn't want me to be drenched in the rain so he'd rather drive for me. @.@ The horrors! I despise such low view of women. I certainly don't need those "comforts". Methinks they are being sissies and making excuses to make it seem like they care for the girls. Ugh!

And yeah I can be a nagger. Because I believe it is the duty of one to speak her mind when she sees something is wrong. But woe to her who lives amongst those who choose to live in lies, imprisoned and chained to worldly desires! Must I lose hope. Don't want to though honestly I am getting all the more disappointed [and cynical].

September 2015 Part 2

Earlier this week, posting something on Facebook got a former officemate commenting about how much she could relate to my post. That and with her complaining about how little time I have for friends. It was just too cute to pass up so I made sure to meet up with her. [I very rarely post anything sentimental these days but I just missed someone so bad. He was someone I just met in one of my travels and we would chat every now and then on Facebook. Then late last year he asked me out on a movie date. Dunno if that qualifies as a romantic date though but he paid for our tickets.]

We met up in Shangrila Mall. The original plan was to watch a movie because Cine Europa was on and has just ended yesterday. Who would have thought that many Filipinos are getting interested in foreign films other than the ones from Hollywood. While I am happy about it I am also bothered that there will come a point in time wherein it would be difficult to grab tickets because of the crowd.

And for the first time in my life I didn't get one because I got stuck in the toilet. Times when I have to use the toilet I hate being female. It sucks having to wait for women who take so long inside the toilet. I wonder what they do inside? One can relieve herself in less than a minute!

Because I wasn't able to get a ticket, K and I agreed to just have our late lunch. Our choice was Johnny Rockets in the East Wing. Everytime I pass by that resto I would always make a mental note to save up to have a taste of their burgers. But then imagine my disappointment when, ordering their Grand Canyon, I discovered that it wasn't so grand at all. The bacon was not fried to a crisp and was badly sliced too thickly and was hard to chew. The patty had nothing special in it. The bun was soggy. I felt pitiful eating that junk and I couldn't help but miss my favorite burger place. And it's ridiculous to spend P645 for that burger. But anyway, lesson learned. I will never drop by that place anymore. Even the fries are pitifully lacking in flavor compared to Wendy's! Sigh. That's money down the drain. Seriously.

Johny Rockets' not so grand Canyon

We did a bit of window shopping with me checking out stores selling baking stuff. It's been a dream to bake and that dream got revived when I got Nestlé Professional mixes for making panna cotta, crème brûlée, and chocolate mousse. My first attempt was a flop and people at home didn´t like it. Bruised my ego big time but then again they never really appreciate anything I do so that´s no surprise. Will just make desserts for others then.

Then off we head to K´s place. MRT was down due to technical problems. ON A SATURDAY, I have to emphasize. Seriously, what the heck is the MRTA doing??? So we took the bus and for the first time in my life I was happy not to spend over an hour in EDSA.

We swam a bit that night then off we went inside the sauna room where we talked a bit about life in general but mostly focusing on love life. Because at this age, both of us are a bit preoccupied about finding a decent guy who can be with us in this lifetime. (Ugh! That's a somewhat gross topic when you write about it but it's the truth...) When a girl entered, we stopped talking for a while. LOL.

That night, we watched 時をかける少女 the animated version. It's a drama comedy about a girl who suddenly could turn back time. Every time she did, there's always at least one negative incidental consequence (love that phrase which I conjured up just weeks ago when we had visitors at the office LOL!). And if there's one thing she learned, it's that "time waits for no one". Makoto has always been boyish and was upset when a friend asked her out. Trying to evade his feelings, she turned back time many times. Yet in the end, realizing the sacrifices made by Chiaki who turned out to be the original time traveler, she accepted his feelings. Except theirs is not a happy ending because they belong to different time periods. (Awwwww)

Then more chatting. We seem to have the same view that girls who flirt get boys faster than decent girls do. Just whatever happens to boys these days? I'm not playing self-righteous here but I do believe that I am brought up with principles. I don't even let boys pay for everything when I go out with them. Do boys really need girls who depend on them? Can't they stand independent, strong-willed girls? Are boys really that insecure to ever want to have an achiever for a lover? [As a drifter, I question if I am an achiever sometimes but then again looking back, having hurdled a lot of difficulties and having faced a lot of challenges, I can confidently say that I've leveled up a lot. In that respect I can say that yes I am an achiever. People will have different notions of what it means to be an achiever. I may not be my own boss, I may not have won an important award, but I've come to the point wherein I can proudly say that I am proud to be me.]

The following day was a Sunday and we woke up before 6AM to attend the earliest Sunday mass. Then off we went to Legaspi Sunday market to have a taste of their offerings. I got to taste those awesome Polish dumplings and even talked to the Polish guy who was manning the kiosk. Very friendly guy. When I remarked that Polish is one of the most difficult languages to learn, he agreed and even let me guess how a word is pronounced. I did poorly, obviously. [And I wondered if maybe I should pursue a degree in linguistics...]

There were too many foods we wanted to try but prices are on the expensive side. A meal costs P150 on average. I wanted to eat laksa, roast duck, oyster omelette, and lasagna. In the end we settled for 6 pieces of assorted Polish dumplings. (Our fave was the one with truffle oil. I superrrrr LOVE it!) We also had takoyaki which disappoint for its lack of real squid inside. The liter of carabao's milk I bought was sad to say, a letdown. I've had better carabao's milk at a cheaper price, too. But we both agreed to go back there for the things we weren't able to eat. [Right now I drool at the thought of oyster omelette. Sigh! To think I just ate one last Friday when my sister treated me to Sincerity in Banawe which by the way, deserves a blog entry, too!]

takoyaki

Polish dumplings and Vietnamese spring rolls

We went back to her place feeling drowsy from eating [and because we had little sleep]. Since we're both feeling sleepy, we slept on the roofdeck while in the poolside. LOL. The cool breeze was wonderful but when it was time for a swim it felt cold. It was wonderful to be in the water again, though. I love how I could already swim short distances. Will just have to build up my stamina and breathing techniques. Then sauna again. I love it when I sweat a lot.

After everything we went out in search of Japanese food but all Japanese restos close from 2PM onwards til 5PM. So we bought some groceries at the Japanese store. It was my chance to buy my favorite curry noodles but I fought the urge because I was on a budget and I chose to buy some canned goods and curry powder instead. A Booksale visit was also part of the itinerary as well as eating at my favorite Thai kiosk at Makati Cinema Square. I super miss that place. It was where I first fell in love with pad thai. Too bad they don't have tom yum.

beef wanton noodles

my favorite eatery in MCS

It rained hard on the way home. It was a wonderful experience nevertheless, to catch up with a dear friend and to just relax on a weekend. 

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Despite the many bad luck I encountered, I felt lucky because I got a crush's cellphone number. He's way older than me and I think he's mature. [Okaaaay this feels like something written by a highschool student. Ugh! Pardon my giddiness.]

January

January is coming to an end and I have yet to add anything other than what I did in December last year. 2014 started with a personal vow not to wish for the usual things I ask for, so I can give my heart a rest and stop expecting things to get better. 2013 ended with a promise to focus on the self and continue to reconnect with people whom I care for.

Reading my diary entries in highschool and early college years made me aware of how much I changed. I didn't realize the big change in me all these years, always thinking that I remained the same. But comparing my erstwhile angry, furious, self-centered writings to those at present, I can say that I have definitely become more compassionate and more tolerant of other people.

Perhaps, reading more about Buddhism and visiting Buddhist temples struck something in me. That life is illusory and empty used to be only a theory, but now a principle I hold, so I try to create meaning for myself in this world of constant change, to help me cope with my daily existential grievances. Pain is a passing illusion and relief is always just around the corner. Just be patient, I always tell myself. Perhaps my daily engagement with the very inefficient transportation system here somehow changed me a great deal. To escape great discomfort, I allowed my mind to wander aimlessly and come to myself when I am about to get off the train. No-mind practicing at its best.

Back from my first IPPA (Indo-Pacific Prehistory Association) Congress, held this year in Siem Reap, Cambodia from January 12-18, I was left utterly stunned and restless from all the amazing things I learned about archaeology in different parts of the world, more so about methods in archaeological science, a field I want to specialize in because however it is difficult to admit, I realized I love lab work more than the field.

I wanted to write so badly about Cambodia, but I didn't know where to begin. On cold nights when you feel too lazy to do things, I couldn't even look at the pictures I took for fear that I might just stare for hours on end hoping for muses to visit me so I could begin to write. It seemed like a dream. Yesterday's dream. I used to think that I would certainly cry when I walk on the grounds of Angkor Wat and touch the ancient temples' walls. When I was there, I only stood, overwhelmed, breathless, aiming to breathe in all the memories, wishing for time to stop so I could spend more time recording, touching, investigating. Now back in Manila, it felt surreal, like a beautiful dream you didn't want to wake up from.

Just four days after my return, my sisters and I flew to Boracay for that much-needed getaway. Boracay was never on my bucket list of places to go to, because of my perceived notion that the island is already very much commercialized. Indeed it is, but it was there where I found the finest white beach sand yet. My feet happily tread on the beach, sometimes deliberately burrowing deep to wallow in the creamy sand-saltwater mixture. And the winds! How they blew! The sunset blocked by hundreds of paraws... The lights at night, the blue sky... There is more than one reason to go back.

Just got back from Boracay this Monday and headed straight to work despite feeling extra sleepy and tired. But it's all so worth it.

Now if only I can start writing about my recent travels....

June 2013

How time flies! Half the year is done and yet there are too many things to do and accomplish. It's still a wonder I was able to post entries in my blog last month,but if my dear readers notice, most are just about travels which are way past the deadline. Still, I hope readers get something from reading my posts.

Heavy rains start to visit us and so I see the need to rise up earlier than usual and to report to work early to avoid the rush hour in the afternoon. Our MRT system sucks big time and it doesn't help that we have irresponsible, undisciplined commuters. Buses are not the best choice especially when it rains since major thoroughfares get flooded way too easily and one simply doesn't want to get stuck in bottleneck traffic for hours on end.

Last month, I finished watching Game of Thrones Season 2 and finally got hold of a copy of Season 3. When HBO aired the penultimate episode of Season 3, the internet was abuzz with spoilers the following day. An officemate spilled the beans on the death of two important characters so I was in a dilemma as to watch Season 3 or wait until the year is finished so it won't be long before they release Season 4. Then again, my reading pace of "A Clash of Kings" has been slow thanks to my suddenly hectic schedule. I told myself to finish the book first before proceeding with the third season.

A friend and I attended the showing of Wanko - The Story of Me, My Family and Rock at the Japan Foundation. Before heading to the venue, we had early dinner at Lola's Best which was just across Pacific Star. There really is nothing special about the food and the servings are too small. Anyway, the movie is a touching story on human resilience and animal loyalty. It's an inspiring story about how a family starts a new life following a disaster that wrecked havoc on their beloved island. At times funny and most times touching, it's the sort of movie that one will love to watch over and over again.

In line with a promise to myself to reconnect with people who played an important part in my life, I finally met up with my highschool friends after almost 5 years of no meetups. It's fun to reminisce about highschool life with people with whom you share fond memories.

Add to my hectic schedule is my acceptance to tutor a friend. We would chat online and discuss French grammar and such. It's a somewhat nice way for me to refresh my memory and it forces me to think of efficient ways to teach the language.

On June 24, I went to a friend's house for the San Juan Fiesta. We had so much fun singing karaoke. It's my first time to experience a Pinoy fiesta and I'm relived to find that it's not as crazy as I thought it would be. My friend told me that in the morning of the feast day though, people would throw buckets of water at random people. It's a good thing we went there after office hours.

Last, my proudest achievement this month is that I succeeded in practicing frugality. The last two weeks of June are a testament to how I can spend less, by focusing on important things (like food and transportation) and by resisting the urge to buy books. It helps that one of my projects this year is to read at least 50 books from my collection. The first half of the year has passed and I am nowhere near my target. (Fail!)

Suicide sa LRT

Kaninang umaga ay lubos na naapektuhan ang libo-libong commuters ng LRT 1 dahil sa suicide ng isang babae sa EDSA station.

Grabe lang. Hindi mo alam kung maaawa ka ba sa babaeng iyon dahil baka may dinadalang mabigat na problema at pinili na lang na iwaksi ang sariling buhay. O kaya naman ay magalit nang lubusan dahil pipili laang siya ng paraan ng pagpapatiwakal ay iyon pang makakaapekto sa maraming tao.

Sana nag-isip siya bago siya bago niya ginawa ang balak. Halos 4 oras na hindi full operation ang LRT dahil sa kanya. Habang nasa loob ng tren ay maririnig ang mga tao na sinasagot ang mga bosing o kaya naman ay mga colleague na may "technical problem ang LRT kaya ang bagal". At siyempre, ang daming nahuli sa trabaho dahil sa pangyayaring ito, at ibig sabihin ay makakaltasan ang sahod nila.

Grabe lang talaga. Hindi mo maiiwasang hindi magalit. Sana nagbigti na lang siya sa loob ng bahay niya o kaya naman ay tumalon sa ilog. (Oo na, wala na akong puso. Pero ganyan naman parati, sinasabihan na "walang puso" ang mga taong nag-iisip talaga, samantalang ang hindi nag-iisip ay siya pang dapat kaawaan. Tsk!)

Emoing: It's More Fun in the Ordinary Bus!

The "It's more fun in the Philippines" slogan is very contagious. So tonight I write the most emo lines. Write for example, "It's more fun to emo in an ordinary bus!"


It all started early this week when I happened to get inside a bus which played my favorite songs. One of them was David Pomeranz's "On This Day" which spirited me away to the land of fantasy. As the wind blows through my hair, I close my eyes and savor each word and each melody. This is one of those songs that easily arrests one's heart. The first time I heard this on the radio many years back, I thought to myself, this IS my wedding song. And even at present I still tell myself, this is really really THE wedding song.

And tonight the bus I took played "Out of the Blue" by my favorite band ever, Michael Learns to Rock. Ever since I heard their "Nothing to Lose", I craved for their every song. In highschool, I considered buying original CDs of just two bands and one of them was MLTR. (The other one was Linkin Park.)

Every time I'm inside the bus, I cannot help but think of my love life and the lack thereof. And when there's nice music, all the more do I think of my future love life. I think about supreme happiness and sadness derived from love. I think about the many broken hearts, the reasons why couples break up, the passion of loving someone to the point of breaking... Of these my favorite is the last. Because passion for me is what keeps a person alive amidst the absurdities of life.

So who says taking an ordinary bus is no fun? The speed, the wind, the roar of the motor, and occasionally the nostalgic songs...