LIPAD PARUPARO LIPAD!

THANK GOD FOR YOUR JOBS!

2009-12-04T20:38:00.001-08:00

If you think your job stinks, think again!

So....? :-)

TEACHER EFREN, CNN HERO OF THE YEAR, MABUHAY KA !

2009-11-23T04:08:00.000-08:00

ZOE UPDATES

2009-10-26T00:55:00.000-07:00

Yes. That's my precocious li'l pumpkin four-year old ZOE. If you try to look back at my previous entries about her you'll see how helpless and innocent she is and how she's suddenly turning into an adult..hehehe...Look how she poses for the cam!

She's now enjoying her toddler life at a preschool near our village. She can now recite the alphabet, count from 1 to 20, dance and sing NOBODY BUT YOU, POKER FACE and BOOM BOOM POW, and name all Kapuso stars and a number of the Kapamilyas. She does her naughty antics and gimmicks and then say "Hehehe..joke lang.."

On her birthday this coming December, she wants a Michael Jackson theme party. (Remember that she goes ga-ga over MJ eversince she was two?) She says she plans to wear the same jacket that MJ wore in his Thriller video. Des (her mom) and I thought, "That's actually a marvelous idea!" So right now I'm trying to google everything I can to conceptualize her birthday party. We don't want the usual cutesy-kiddie party but something that people will talk about. Hahaha.

This wondergirl never cease to amaze everybody in the house with her "adult" ideas. Oftentimes I would tell her, "'Lam mo Zoe, hindi ka ata 3 years old..25 years old ka na eh!" In which she'll respond, "Oy tati, three pa lang ako noh! Ano ka ba?!?"

Here are some vocabulary words that you'll never think a 3.5-year old could use:

- Nasalanta (as in "Bakit nasalanta sila ng bagyo, ha Tati?")
- Brakes ("Mommy, gusto kong gift yung bike na may brakes ha?")
- Boring ("Boring yan! Ayoko nyan!")

And her favorite expressions:
- "Ganito lang yan. Ano ka ba??" (It's like telling us how STUPID we are..hahaha..)
- "Okay lang yun."
- "Gusto mo bang masaktan?!" (Best explains her picture above)
- "Ay potek!" (But of course, we're guilty about this for using this expression..you know, potek as substitute for "p*ta"..)

Gawd, she's growing up so fast. 'Wag lang siya mag-asawa at ten years old. Teehee.

I'd Rather Leave While I'm In Love

2009-10-06T20:23:00.001-07:00

Aptly dedicated to you, J...

ISLAMBUK

2009-09-25T02:41:00.000-07:00

Found this in Hannah‘ s site and copied it. Mukhang masayang sagutan. Reminds me of my good ol’ high school days. Hehehe. Salamat, Hannah! :-)

1.Where did you take your profile picture?
At my ex-man’s house.:)

2.What exactly are you wearing right now?
White blouse with an avant-garde picture of a woman and black leggings. Black Hava flip-flops.

3.What is your current problem?
Hmm. My bum days aren’t over yet.

4.What makes you happy the most?
Playing with and taking to li’l Zoe who blabbers like a 20-year old adult. Freaky.

5. What’s the name of the song that you’re listening to?
“Fixing A Broken Heart” Whaddaf…courtesy of the jologs Internet Shop where I’m sitting right now.

6.Any celeb you would marry?
Hmm…How ’bout Kevin Bacon? *giggles*

7.Name someone with the same birthday as you?
My cousin Michelle…and my pop’s former boss…Ismael Mathay..of all people..

8.Ever sang in front of a large audience?
Oh yeah…Like, ending my repertoire with “Thank you, Araneta!”

9. Has anyone ever said you looked like a celebrity?
Nadia Montenegro and Arlene Muhlach..heeyyy..back in our high school days, okei?! (defensive ampotek!)

10.Do you still watch kiddy movies or kiddie TV shows?
Gusto nyo kantahin ko pa mga theme songs eh!

11. Do you speak any languages?
English and Tagalog. French. I wish.

12. Has anyone you’ve been really close with passed away?
My Father . *sobs*

13.Do you ever watch MTV?
Occasionally.

14.What’s something that really annoys you?
Hmm. Third parties. *guffaws*

===============
Chapter 1:
===============

1.Middle name:
Meñez(from the Meñezes of Capiz/Aklan..nakksss..yabang..)

2.Nickname(s):
Pearl, Pher, Mar-ya (pop’s pet name), Tati (by Zoe)

3.Current location:
Internet Shop sa tabi-tabi

4.Eye color:
Dark Brown.

===============
Chapter 2:
===============

1.Do you live with your parents?
Yeah. Forced to. Hehehe…

2.Do you get along with your parent(s):
Forced to. Nyahaha.

3.Are your parents married/separated/divorced
Mom’s widowed.

4.Do you have any Siblings?:
I have one younger sister.

===============
Chapter 3: Favorites
===============

1. Ice Cream:
Anything chocolatey. Oh..and avocado too.

2. Season:
Summer. Kung may autumn dito, yun.

3.Shampoo/conditioner:
Pantene. Sunsilk. Palmolive. My hair can take anything.

===============
Chapter 4: Do You..
===============

1.Dance in the shower?
Yeah. Breakdance.

2.Do you write on your hand?
When the situation calls for it. Wag lang permanent marker.

3.Call people back:
Yes.

4.Believe in love?
Oo naman. Yung iba lang kase nako-confuse between that and lust. Hahaha!!

6. Any bad habits?
I snore!

==========
Chapter 5: Have You..
==========

1.Broken a bone?
I wish. Someone else’s sana…

2.Sprained stuff:
My left elbow when I was a kid.

3.Had physical therapy:
Psychiatric lang. Bwahaha. *Curls hair with left hand*

4. Gotten stitches:
Sa brain. Saka sa heart. (Bitter na naman e..)

5.Taken painkillers:
A lot! :-)
6. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling:
I wish. But first I gotta learn how to swim.

7.Been stung by a bee:
Nope.

8.Thrown up at the dentist:
Nope. The dentist did.

9.Sworn in front of your parents:
Yeah, a lot. And got good spanking too.

10. Had detention:
Nope. :))

11.Been called a hoe:
Nope. I do the swearing part. Hahaha

===============
Chaper 6:Who/What was the last:
===============

1.Movie(s):
Iskul Bukol the Reunion

2.Person to text you:
Si….wag na lang..baka may mag-react…Nyahaha!!

3.Person you called:
No one. :)) Lagi akong naka-unli.

4.Person you hugged:
Zoe bebe

5.Person you tackled:
Done a few weeks before.

6. Person you talked to on IM?
Si Ian :-)
7.Thing you touched?
Myself. Joke!

8. Thing you ate?
Kamote-que

9.Thing you drank:
Mountain Dew

10.Thing you said:
“Kuya extend pa ko”

===============
Chaper 7: Future
===============

1. Where do you see yourself in 5 years?
Slaving hard in the academe and putting up my own pre-school

2. 10 years?
Running my own pre-school and having a family

3. 50 years?
Retarded. Este retired.

4. Where do you hope to live?
Paris

5. Do you want to be famous?
May magagawa ba ko kung sumikat ako? Duh?!

6. Do you want children? Or maybe animals?
Two kids who hopefully don’t behave like animals

7. Who do you think you will marry?
Hindi pa siya nagpapakita. Or baka may bumalik. Or baka naman nag-evolve na sa tao. Who knows.

HATE MAIL!

2009-08-26T19:12:00.000-07:00

HUWAG KAYONG UMASTA NA PARANG WALA KAYONG GINAWANG KASALANAN SA KEN! KAYO PA ANG NAGMAMALAKI! LEAVE ME IN PEACE! YOU &$*@)S!

LIMANG MGA GAWAIN NA KINAMUMUHIAN KO!

2009-07-17T01:21:00.000-07:00

Meron mga bagay-bagay o gawain na sadyang kinamumuhian mong gawin pero kailangan. Eto share ko ang ilan:

1. Magbukas ng mga bag of chips, shampoo at ketchup sa sachet. Hate ko tong gawin lalo na pag may TEAR HERE tapos wala namang cut para yun ang guide mo sa pagbubukas. Kailangan pang gamitan ng 'teeth power' para mabuksan! Grrrr!!!

2. Maghintay ng masasakyan. Kahit saan. Sa bus stop o sa terminal man, sobrang nakakaiiinniiissss mag-abang! Natext mo na lahat ng tao sa phonebook mo, nangulangot ka na, suminga, nagkamot ng pawis na kili-kili (pasintabi po sa mga kumakain), pero wala pa ring bus o jeep!

3. Umakyat ng hagdan dahil sira ang escalator o elevator. Oo na. Tamad na ko. Eh kase ang escalator ay para naman talaga sa mga taong tamad mag-burn ng calories. Eh sa ayoko ng ganong pagbabawas ng taba eh! Bakit ba! kaya inis ako kapag OUT OF ORDER ang escalator.

4. Magpaliwanag sa mga taong di makaintindi o sadyang shonga (read: TANGA, DUMB) lang. Yung tipong lahat na ng klaseng paliwanag, kulang na lang magsalita ka ng lahat ng lenggwahe para maintindihan ka. Na-paraphrase mo na ang gusto mong sabihin, ilang version na ang ginawa mong pag-esplika, pero ala pa din. Duh.

5. Magsalansan ng sinampay at magtupi ng mga ito. Dahil ako ay nabibilang sa mga taong ayaw sa routine, at ito ay isa sa mga routine kong maituturing, HATE KO TO. Pagkumpunihin mo na lang ako ng mga sirang bagay (pwede bang 'broken heart'?? Yiii...) wag lang 'to.

Hayan. Simple lang sila pero talagang ayaw ko sa mga ganitong gawain. Ayoko.

LIMANG MGA GAWAIN NA KINAMUMUHIAN KO!

2009-07-17T01:20:00.000-07:00

Meron mga bagay-bagay o gawain na sadyang kinamumuhian mong gawin pero kailangan. Eto share ko ang ilan:

Hayan. Simple lang sila pero talagang ayaw ko sa mga ganitong gawain. Ayoko.

ZOE UPDATES

2009-05-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

Haayyy...Look at my dear li'l pumpkin...so grown up and so independent..She's now 3 years and 5 months and is about to go to pre-school this year.

The other day I scouted a school for my precocious niece. I looked for a place just a few blocks away from our abode so it wouldn't be much of a hassle for her. Our neighbor suggested that we try this small Christian school outside our village. It wasn't exactly the PERFECT school that I envisioned for Zoe to study in but anyways, I brought her along so that she could more or less decide for herself if she wants it there. (Now Zoe can be veerrryyy meticulous at her age, mind you!) I happened to talk to the Head Teacher who turned out to be Zoe's future teacher should we make up our minds and settle her there. I found out that she's a trained Montessori educator like myself and, modesty aside, teachers under these category can really be BIGATIN! I've so much respect for these people because I have undergone this super-intensive training that got me eyebags and sleepless nights of studying Piagetian and Montessori theories and approaches. Para kaming nag-thesis uli. The teacher assured that she'll be using the said approach in her classes and have ordered some Montessori materials already. Perfect. So definitely, I checked QUALITY TEACHER on my list of CONSIDER THESE THINGS FOR PRE-SCHOOL.

So here's my list and how I went about evaluating them:

2. TUITION AND OTHER FEES PLUS THE PAYMENT SCHEMES. Hmmm..minimal...okay I guess it justifies everything listed on the paper.

3. THE CLASSROOM. Size? Checked. Ventilation? Checked. Safety? Checked.

4. FIRE EXIT. Yup. They have one.

5. SAFETY OUTSIDE THE CLASSROOM. Okay, There's an inner gate for the preschool room and an outer gate for the entire school. Good.

6. SCHEDULE. 9 am 12 nn is fine with me. Ate Charina can stay with her the whole period and make chika with the other yayas. Hehehe.

7. BOOKS. Ameeyyzhheennngg. The pre-school kids will definitely have the time of their lives with the SEVEN books that they'll be using for the entire school year. Jeeezzz....And I thought it'll all be just FUN AND PLAY.

8. THE ENVIRONMENT. The school is surrounded with lush greeneries. Rice fields infront and trees all over the place. Cool. Now you get the picture of how PROVINCIAL our place is. Hehehe.

Owkei...I guess that's just about it. Next time Des the Mom will join me and see the place herself for final approval. I won't be paying for the tuition after all. Whew.

ENJOYING THE SIMPLE THINGS

2009-03-28T21:47:00.000-07:00

Ever since I lost my job a few months ago I have been bumming around in the house whenever I have no appointments for job interviews. I got to do things that I wasn’t able to when I had work. Let me enumerate them:

1. Playtime with my one and only li’l pumpkin niece Zoe

Had fun playing doctor-doctor with her kiddie doctor kit, rock musician (Zoe is!) complete with the toy guitars her mom bought for her, and carinderia attendant with her toy kitchen gadgets. Hihihi…ohh to be child again J

2. Jog around the village with our angel Charina (as I’ve written in my previous blog entry)

Proud to say that I was able to shed a few extra pounds with this activity. Nakkkss!!! Hah! Hey you ex-man, come and see what you just lost!

3. Make-up sessions with Ate Charina

Obvious ba ang closeness naming ni Ate Cha? Hehehe…wala akong choice eh..siya lang ang pwedeng utuin sa aming home..Hihihi..Joke…Niwey, she bought a Revlon (shala!) make-up kit from a neighbor and she asked me to teach her how to apply make-up. What do you expect? She’s only 18 and she’s blooming into a pretty young lady! (Go Ate Cha!)

4. Cooking experiments in the kitchen

I have subjected my household to a daily culinary torture. They were actually surprised to see me bloom into a trying hard chef which was a far-cry from the Pearl they knew back when we were still in Parañaque. Hmm…I owe it to my stay in my ex-man’s place for quite some time J

5. GMA Telebabad in the Afternoon

For those of you who are KAPUSO, you know what I’m talking about. There are about four consecutive telenovelas after Eat Bulaga which I became fond of. Whadda…that’s about four and so hours of tireless non-stop drama!

6. Siesta time with Zoe

Ang sakit pala sa mata ng tulog sa hapon. Waahhh!! Baka lumobo naman ako ng husto!

7. Going senti over old photos

Meeeemmmooorrriiieesss….light the corners of your mind….move over Barbra Streisand! Have you ever tried this before? Para ka lang engots na binubuklat ng unti-unti yung pages ng photo albums mo..then tears start to well up in your eyes as you go over your childhood and teenage pics..sabay sabing…Gawd, I’m really getting old…

8. Availing the unlimited text of your mobile phone network

I started subscribing to unli when I became a bum. Forwarding cutie quotes and melodramatic messages weren’t exactly my fave. But when I began feeling bored and idle I discovered the fun and benefit of this unli craze that’s very much sought after today.

9. Blogging and surfing the net

Although I am already doing this even during office hours (hala ka!) I now have the time of my life to blog and surf for as long as I can without fear of getting caught. Wehehehe…

10. Picking kaimito form the neighborhood tree

Eto ngayon ang kinalolokohan ko. Saka correction, with permission naman ang pagkuha namin. Weelll…therapeutic siya…therapeutic in the sense na, pag may nakikita kong hinog na bunga sa puno, parang ang sarap ng feeling. Parang achievement siya on my part na makakuha ng prutas- straight from the tree. Hahaha! Ang babaw ba? Eh kaya nga simple things ang usapan di ba? Wag na ngang mangialam!

So there. I just realized that sometimes when you seemed to have ran out of reasons to live FUNCTIONALLY, there are things that you are missing somehow when you bury yourself from the piles of work you have on your work station. Just when you find comfort and enjoyment from a cup of coffee from Starbucks or from Yellow Cab deliveries, makikita mo rin pala ito sa isang simple at payak na kaimito.

CHECKLIST # 2: REKONEK!

2009-03-05T15:22:00.000-08:00

Checklist # 1 of my MOVING ON LIST was all about keeping my physical self fit and healthy sans the ugly flabs and double chin coz' when the BIG GUY up there decides that I should meet the man of my dreams he'll fall for me instantly and at first glance. NOT! Just kidding.

Anyway, now I'm proud to say that I am FINALLY moving on after the storm. I just came to a realization that no matter how hard I try to win him back I couldn't actually hold his heart and his decisions (that's exactly what I told him in my last text message). I mean, I'd be forever tied up to this fantasizing emotion that he'll come back in my arms and just forget everything. Yeah, yeah. I sucked. Say what you want to say. Sige pag-nainlab din kayo you'll understand what I'm getting at.

CHECKLIST # 2 is all about re-establishing my relationships with the rest of my loved ones- my family, my old friends, and hopefully, begin new friendships wherever I maybe. I guess it's about time I'm making up for my absence especially from my family who's been making tampo already coz' I haven't been too visible in gatherings and other special occasions. Same with my old friends. A month ago my kaberks from RMM, Beth and Charrie, visited me (yesss! moral support!) and had a sleep-over in our Cavite abode. The next day, we went swimming at a resort near our place. It was so much fun! Sobrang na-miss ko talaga sila! After about three looong years huh!

Then recently I attended a get-together of my BuhayKristo email group (see photos) and had dinner somewhere in Makati after I met with a former colleague (okay, okay BOSS..hehehe). Kuya Romi and his wife Ate Rose from US came for a medical mission here and decided to meet us up. I was so blessed to have met once again the BK gang: Jaypz, Kuya Benj, Mama Glad and LJ. Sabi ko nga I'll be regularly visible na uli i our BK Bible Studies. Wow...humahaba na ang to-do list ko ah.

Well, so far so good. Part of the healing process, 'ika nga. No room for sulking and bitter-bitteran. Not healthy. And besides, que sera, sera. Kung kami, kami. Hahaha. Asa.

CHECKLIST # 1: ENERGY!

2009-02-04T22:07:00.001-08:00

I got up at 3:30 AM this morning, disturbed by a recurring dream of two significant people who recently figured in the most traumatic, roller-coaster experience of mi vida loca. It was not nightmarish, just some scenes from the past when everything was oh-so-fine and when I can still define what real friendship is in the deepest sense of the word.

At that same time our ever-faithful, zany kasambahay, whom li’l Zoe fondly calls Ate Joy (or Charina, or Cha) was already up and about, preparing breakfast for my bro-in-law who had to leave at 4:30 AM. I thought, hmm, I might as well carry on my plan of losing these flabs and start brisk-walking around the village. Ate Joy asked if she could go with me after bro-in-law leaves for work. (You see, she’s also on the heavy side) What a great idea! Heck, of course you can! I told her. So off we traipsed along the quiet roads of our village, not missing any street coz’ I wanna maximize my time and effort, all the while thinking how much calories I am going to burn for today. Ate Joy was in slippers, so I told her to borrow my mom’s rubber shoes for tomorrow’s session and the next J

It was therapeutic since I also used the time conversing with God as I jogged and walked and jogged and walked around the basketball court in our clubhouse. We ended the session by teaching Ate Joy some stretches and tae-bo moves I learned when I was still engaged in aerobics about eons ago. I have to admit, I had so much fun!

We went back home at around 6 AM and found Zoe already in the living room and waiting for her mom to leave for work. After which she led me to their room so that she could play with Pooh and her other tropang stuffed toys: Toto (Big Bird), Pikachu and Barney while I browsed over sis’ audio cd’s and played Chain of Fools by Aretha Franklin- my top favorite for dancing. I noticed that my three-year old niece Zoe was getting into the groove, flapping her arms and head-banging. Hahaha. Gawd. It was so hilarious! So I got up and danced frantically with her, moving around in circles like sillies. Gee. I wouldn’t trade this moment for anything else. Hehehe.

What used to be a sore feeling that morning when I woke up was replaced by a revitalized energy and hope that the rest of my bum days would be something worth-waiting for. Thanks Ate Joy and my pumpkin Zoe gurl!

CHAIN OF FOOLS (Aretha Franklin)

2009-02-02T02:59:00.000-08:00

I just figured out that this song could pretty much be MY song too! Hehehe. Watch the video and read on...

Chain, chain, chain,chain, chain, chain
Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools
Five long years I thought you were my man
But I found out I'm just a link in your chain
You got me where you want me I ain't nothing but your fool
You treated me mean oh you treated me cruel
Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools

Every chain has got a weak link
I might be weak child, but I'll give you strength
You told me to leave you alone
My father said come on home
My doctor said take it easy
Whole bunch of lovin is much too strong
I'm added to your chain, chain, chain
Chain, chain, chain, chain,
Chain, chain of fools

One of these mornings the chain is gonna break
But up until then, yeah, I'm gonna take all I can take
Chain, chain, chain, chain, chain, chain
Chain, chain, chain, chain of fools

ON MY OWN

2009-01-28T13:18:00.000-08:00

“Try It On My Own”

I’m wiser now
I’m not the foolish girl you used to know
So long ago
I’m stronger now
I’ve learned from my mistakes which way to go
And I should know
I put myself aside to do it your way
But now I need to do it all alone

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don’t care if I’m right or wrong
I’ll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I’ll keep it real you know
Time for me to do it on my own
Yeah yeah, mmm, yeah yeah

It’s over now
I can’t go back to living through your eyes
Too many lies
And if you don’t know by now
I can’t go back to being someone else
Not anymore
I never had a chance to do things my way
So now it’s time for me to take control

And I am not afraid to try it on my own
I don’t care if I’m right or wrong
I’ll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I’m gonna keep it real you know
Time for me to do it

Oh I start again go back to one
I’m running things my way
Can’t stop me now, I’ve just begun
Don’t even think about it
There ain’t no way about it
I’m taking names, the ones of mine
Yes I’m gonna take my turn
It’s time for me to finally stand alone, stand alone

I am not afraid to try it on my own
And I don’t care if I’m right or wrong
I’ll live my life the way I feel
No matter what I’m gonna keep it real you know
It’s time for me to do it
See I’m not afraid

To do it on my own…

BIZAARE LOVE TRIANGLE: Anatomy of a Cheating Husband

2009-01-12T19:06:00.000-08:00

I chanced upon this while I was trying to seek for answers as to why this unfortunate incident happened to me (or us). As of this writing though, I'd like to tell you that all's well with me and the other girl involved. Now that I have brought this out in the open, I just want to share with this article based from an episode in Oprah regarding CHEATING HUSBANDS.

Read on and hope you learn something from it:

When Your Husband Cheats with Your Best Friend

It's every wife's worst nightmare. The ultimate betrayal—what would you do?
When your husband cheats with your best friend

From The Oprah Winfrey Show "When Your Husband Cheats with Your Best Friend"

Chandra remembers the day she married David as a "beautiful" winter wedding, complete with the perfect dress, great friends and family. Years later, David and Chandra, parents to three young children, continue to surround themselves with trusted friends.

Over the years, Chandra says one friend in particular became a big part of her life. "I felt like her big sister in a way," she says. "[David and I] went camping with her and her husband. … I trusted her." When Chandra's best friend moved away with her husband and baby, Chandra was heartbroken. Not long after the move, the friend and her baby came to visit David and Chandra. Upon their arrival, Chandra says something seemed off. "She almost seemed mad at me, like I was kind of in her way, and I was irritating to her," she says.

Chandra also noticed that David was spending a lot of time alone with her friend. "In the back of my mind I thought, 'Okay, something's not right.' I just had a feeling … a gut feeling." Then came the bombshell. Chandra read her best friend's diary and discovered that she was having an affair with David.

At first, Chandra's best friend and husband denied that their affair was physical. Then, Chandra learned the truth. David says he never had feelings for the other woman until she moved away. Then, he started chatting with her online and their relationship progressed from a friendship into something more. "I confided in her instead of my wife," David says. "It happened very quickly because we knew each other. It wasn't like I was meeting somebody off the street. [She and her husband] were our best friends, and I knew what she was like."

The emotional affair became physical just three days after Chandra's best friend and her baby arrived for a visit, David says. David says he slept with Chandra's friend multiple times during her visit—once in a car and once in their home…while his wife was upstairs.

"I could have bet a million dollars [that] this would have never happened to me," Chandra says. "Let alone with a close friend." After nine years of marriage, David says he strayed because he felt boxed in and didn't feel like he was heard in his marriage. While Chandra tried controlling him, David says the other woman made him feel good about himself, helped his self-esteem and told him the things that he wanted to hear. Now, David realizes he's "a very selfish person" and wants more discipline in his life.

"I do want to be controlled because I'm not in control of myself," he says. "It's about pride for me. I've got a pride issue that I've got to deal with." Since the affair, David has also had trouble reconciling his actions with his beliefs. "This has been a real moral bomb in my life. I'm a church-going, Bible-believing person, you know? Morally it hurts me. I said to my wife last night it feels like cancer."

Psychologist Dr. Robin Smith says pride isn't David's problem…it's anger. "Affairs are often full of rage and hostility," Dr. Robin says. "They are a way that people communicate, without saying a word." Instead of looking back through his marriage for the root of his problems, Dr. Robin tells David to think back even further. "All of us get wounded in childhood.

You did not create this kind of self-destruction in your life, in your wife's life, in the lives of your children without a wound starting in childhood," she says. "Who pulled the rug from underneath you? That's what you've done to your family, and we learn that behavior somewhere. … Someone teaches us how to be mean." "I love my father, but my father … he doesn't listen to my mom," David says.

"He doesn't respect her. He doesn't listen to anybody." Dr. Robin says David's childhood pain is the real cancer in his life. David's tearful admission is the beginning of his healing, she says. "The fact that you just spoke that truth, now you're on your way to freedom."

David says he has not been in contact with Chandra's friend since their affair was exposed. "I have no desire to ever talk to that woman again," he says. "I do love my wife. I do know it's about me and my problems."

Dr. Robin says David also needs to learn to love himself so that he doesn't fall victim to the "fantasy" of an affair again. "[An affair is] an illusion. It's not real. She's not real. Whatever she told you about yourself is not real," she says. "Your low self-esteem must be healed from the inside out, and your wife can be a partner in helping you heal, but she can't heal you." Chandra says her marriage is still on shaky ground, but she and David are trying to make it work. "There's a lot of hurt there, and there's a lot of betrayal," she says. "We're working on it. But, you know what? I want to see him be who I know he can be."

FINDING OUT THE HARD WAY

2009-01-06T17:40:00.000-08:00

A year ago I had a blog entry here about a boyfriend who has a girl bestfriend and they were so close the bf's girlfriend started to doubt their closeness. Turns out that the gf's suspicions were true. You can just imagine how the girlfriend's world crumbled down to find out she was actually the last one to know. And so I dedicated this to her..for him...and vice versa...

Finding Out The Hard Way - Cynthia Rhodes

I can't take all the blame, now can I
It takes more than one to lose such a fine line
That lies between, that holds together
I'll turn the night to turn the tide, oh! ...

Chorus:
And I'm, findin' out the hard way
It's gonna take some tears
A little bit of heartache
We're like islands in the stream
Watchin' all our dreams start to fade
Fadin' away ...

A moment gone is gone forever
It's like water through your hands
And you go spin the wheel of misfortune
Watchin' in turn, with livin' you learn
And oh!
(Repeat chorus)

Bridge:
I keep reachin' out
I've come up empty handed
And then I let you down
But then I leave you stranded
(Repeat chorus)
Adlib:

And I'm, findin' out the hard way
It's gonna take some tears
A little bit of heartache
We're like islands in the stream
Watchin' all our dreams
Start to fade, fade away ...
(Repeat chorus)

Start to fade, fade away
Start to fade, fade away

CHUGI 2

2009-01-01T00:22:00.000-08:00

As for me, pagpasok ko ng Tuesday ay binulaga rin ako ng de putang singkit na manager. Hindi ako nagpabulaga. Puta ka, manager ka nga pero di mo ko kayang paikutin sabi ko sa sarili ko. Gagawin raw nila akong MANAGEMENT SECRETARY. Whaddafuck?!? Eto ang conversation namin:

DPSM (go figure): Pearl I’m sure you already know all about this…
ME: (Poker face) Uh-huh
DPSM: We decided to place you in the Management as Secretary.
ME: Are you serious? You tell me first why you dissolved the Training Department without prior notice. You know, without informing us beforehand.
DPSM: It was the management’s decision. It’s called redundancy. We felt that we could just actuallly tap the team leaders to do the training instead.
ME: What happens to my people then?
DPSM: They’ll go back to Operations and start calling again (sic).
ME: This is really bad, Ms._________. This is unfair. These people worked so hard and they were able to produce quality agents. I’m sure you’re aware of that.
DPSM: Yes, yes of course.
ME: Then why the sudden decision? You didn’t give them ample time to absorb and think about it!
DPSM: Im sorry about that. But it’s really Boss’ (CEO) decision.
ME: I’m not sure if I could take your offer. I’m sorry but I wouldn’t sign that document (movement form).
DPSM: But you already had enough time yesterday to think it over because you were also informed by your colleagues about it right?
ME: Yes but I also have the right to weigh things first right?
DPSM: Okay then we’ll give you time to decide and let’s talk again before the end of the day.
ME: I’ll have to talk to the HR Manager first.
DPSM: Sure.

So hayun.Hindi ko pinirmahan yung Notice of Personnel Action (NPA) na tinatawag. Nakasaad duon na ililipat ako ng posisyon from SENIOR TRAINER to MANAGEMENT SECRETARY.
Kita nyo naman ang difference di ba? Klarong-klaro na demotion yun. Pucha, hindi ako nag-aral ng apat na taon sa kolehiyo at naghirap sa Master’s degree ko para utus-utusan ako ng mga lecheng managers ng kumpanya. I’ve nothing against secretaries, pero alam ko naman ang kalibre ko at hindi ko minsan plinanong magsekretarya. Ipilit ba!

Next kong kinausap ang bobang HR manager namin na kinamumuhian din ng kanyang mga sariling subordinates dahil daig pa ang Malabanan sa sipsipan. Kinumbinse nya rin akong pirmahan ang form.

BHRM (go figure again): Pearl ano na desisyon mo? Ganito kase yun. Nakita kase namin yung credentials mo at alam naming chicken feed lang sa yo yung job. Kesa wala di ba? Mahihirapan ka maghanap ng work kase Pasko…hindi nagtatanggapan…
ME: Yun nga problema eh. Ginipit nyo kami! Yung mga tao ko walang choice kase mga wala pang experience yan sa labas. Kaya takot magresign. Ma’am unfair labor practice ito! Kung ganito pala ang mangyayari sana may one month notice man lang kayo. You can look it up in the Labor Code if you want.
BHRM: (Silent for a few minutes) Redundancy ang tawag sa ganitong move Pearl (Pucha kayo kaya ang redundant!) Saka di naman sila madidisplace eh.
ME: So yung kaso ko paano? Are you still going to give me the same rate?
BHRM: Of course naman (Talagang of course dahil for sure naisip nyo na na mayayari kayo sa DOLE pag nagkataon. Hmmm…nag-iisip kahit paano…)
ME: Ok ganito na lang.
At this point nag-isip ako nang matindi. Ayokong madisplace ng alanganin. Pag nagresign ako hindi ko pa make claim kaagad ang 13th month pay ko which is on the 20th. (December 15th at that time) Next month pa yun maibibigay sa ‘ken.

ME: Gagawin ko yung inoffer nyong job sa ken pero I’ll file my resignation effective December 20th. For the mean time I won’t sign that form. (Shempre ayokong matali ng ano mang contract. Neknek nila.)
BHRM: Sige, sige. I understand.
ME: Okay. Thank you.

Akala siguro nila mga tanga kame. Naipit lang kami sa sitwasyon. Feeling ko pati timing plinano. Magte-13th month pay na. Hindi agad-agad yan aalis, sabi siguro nila. Pero eventually we’ll get rid of them. Hayup sila. I’m sure karmang bonggang-bongga ang mangyayari sa mga responsableng demonyo na ‘yan. Malinaw na malinaw sa amin ang totoong dahilan. Nalulugi na ang kumpanya at nagbabawas na sila ng mga tao.Dahil hindi kami napakikinabangan directly in terms of production, ‘lam nyo na, PERA, we were the first to go. Pero di kami papayag na aalis kaming walang dignidad. Lalaban kami kung kinakailangan.

CHUGI

2009-01-01T00:19:00.000-08:00

Anong mararamdaman mo kung isang araw magigising ka na lang at malalaman mong dinissolve na ang inyong departamento at ang mga kasama mo ay isa-isang pinadala sa iba’t-ibang grupo tapos ikaw inilagay ka sa isang posisyong ni sa hinagap ay di mo akalaing paglalagyan mo?

Ganyan ang nangyari sa ‘min Lunes ng linggong ito. Absent ako nun kase may sakit ako. Pinatawag yung mga tao namin. Nga pala, FYI, nasa Training Department kami nabibilang. Naunang kinausap yung head namin na tinuring na naming tatay dahil sobrang bait nya- professional yet very approachable at galante. Nagtaka yung mga kasama ko kung bakit. Tapos sila na yung kinausap nung singkit na manager at yun nga ibinalita na bubuwagin na ang Training at ibabalik ang mga trainers sa Operations department na kinabilangan nila nuon. Pilit nilang inalam kung ano talaga ang rason. Kesyo redundancy na raw dahil sa kanya-kanyang teams, tinuturuan na rin naman ang mga agents ng kanilang mga leaders while on the floor. Tang ina…eh yung mga team leaders na yun karamihan sa kanila mga pulpol at ang nag-train sa kanila nuon ay hindi kami kundi mga Pinoy na managers na nagmamagaling at kahit na ang tawag ng isang manager sa “mirror”ay “meror” at ang “pillow” ay “pelow”. Iginiit pa nya dati sa amin na mali kami ng sinabi naming “increase in the SALES” at sinabi nya na dapat raw ay “increase in the SELLS”.Putangna talaga.

Anyway, wala ngang nasabing valid reason ang de putang singkit na manager. At ang foul pa duon, pinagdesisyon sila right there and then kung willing silang bumalik sa operations or they have to go. Shet. Pinagawa sila ng isang desisyon na babago sa career nila sa luob lamang ng limang minuto.In other words ginipit sila. Isipin nyo you live and breathe Training tapos in a matter of minutes bigla nilang hihigupin yung buhay mo sa ‘yo? Di ba mega bad trip yun?

Umiiyak sila at humahagulgol na nagdesisyon na magpalipat na lang kase nga nagipit. Magpapasko pa naman. Lateral transfer raw yun.Punyeta. Paanong magiging “lateral transfer”kung lumalabas na parang “demotion” ang nangyari since mas mataas talaga kung tutuusin ang trainers sa agents? Kasingkitid ng mga mata ng mga putang managers na yan ang kanilang mga utak. Dagdag mo pa yung mga lecheng Pinoy managers na walang mga bayag para mag-isip at kumontra sa desisyong ito. Hindi ba nila naisip na mas angat ang katalinuhan namin sa kanila at puwede namin silang kasuhan sa kagaguhan nila?

KAIRITA

2008-11-17T00:51:00.000-08:00

Boyfriend has a girl best friend. Girl best friend loves to hang out at BF's place which irritates girlfriend to the hilt. Why? Because the former goes there even when girlfriend is not around. He even brings her home afterwards. Furthermore, GF finds out that GBF and BF often spend time together for coffee or movies while GF works her butt out in far Ortigas until 9 PM. And when GF and BF lunches out after going to church, GBF tags along.

So tell me, sino'ng hindi maiirita?

ZOE MOMENTS

2008-10-31T04:30:00.001-07:00

I miss Zoe...for those who have been my bloggiemates for a couple of years now knew who I'm talking about. She's my one and only two-and-a-half year old precocious niece who never fails to brighten up my day with her antics and one-liners.

'Though a little bulol, you would wonder how on earth was she able to grasp things around her and comment on them. Example:

(watching EAT BULAGA)
"Tati (her term of endearment for me), si Allan K, bakla siya no?"

(watching DVD of KC's and Richard's FOR THE FIRST TIME)
ZOE: (whispers to my ears during a mushy scene) "Tati, kiyig aku.." (Tati, kilig ako..)

ME: Crush mo si Richard noh?

ZOE: Hinde ah! (hits me on the lap)'Kaw kaya!
Hihihi!! (Covering her mouth like an embarrassed teenager)

(While eating bangus for dinner)
ZOE: Pag yunok ko tinik, mamatay ako?
ME: Oo, pag hindi natin nakuha sa throat mo.
ZOE: (Spits her food)'Yoko pa mamatay.

(While riding a tricycle going to the supermarket, she saw the resort we went to a month ago)

ZOE: Tati, Volet's oh! (pointing at the resort)
ME: Oo nga ano!
ZOE: Pero mas ganda yung Dobol (Double) V. (another resort)
ME: Baket naman?
ZOE: Dami tao diyan eh!

(I didn't know she has this little dream)
ZOE: Gusto ko artista (I want to be an actor).
ME: Sige nga panu pag sinabi ni direk na tawa?
ZOE: (Covers her mouth) Hahahaha!!!
ME: Eh sabi niya umiyak ka?
ZOE: (Covers her face) Huhuhu...
ME: Galit ka! Galit!
ZOE: (Shows a mad face) Grrr!!!
ME: Yesss! Pwede!
ZOE: Okayyyy! (Thumbs up)

Haayyy..Zoe...I'm excited to see you tomorrow beh...

BRYAN ADAMS, MARRIAGE AND OTHER ECLAVUS

2008-10-27T03:43:00.000-07:00

When you love someone - you'll sacrifice
You'd give it everything you got and
you won't think twice
You'd risk it all -
no matter what may come
When you love someone
You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone…

I was on my way home, half-asleep in an FX when I heard this heartwarming ditty by Bryan Adams. I’ve heard it several times before but haven’t really paid much attention to the details of the song until yesterday.

It transported me back to the time when I and the ex-man were so much in love, back when I clung onto his promise of bringing me to the altar, build a family and live happily ever after. I guess I stopped believing in fairy tales because mine ended just before it started. In a snap of a finger, everything changed. One minute he was so determined and assuring and then the next, he became so unpredictable. He said he wasn’t ready yet and he had other plans; and surprisingly, I wasn’t part of the itinerary. It all happened during our seventh year. That was three years ago yet until today, I have no idea why he chickened out on us.

I think that Marriage is for the brave and the selfless. Brave and man enough to stand on your ground, ready to face the risk of taking another soul into your life. Selfless to share everything you got, and even willing to give what you don’t have. That is why I salute all those couples who decided to take a plunge together into the marriage pool of uncertainties and challenges: my sis and Jake, Abby and Ton, and to all the others out there who have made up their minds to share their lives together. I just hope that it was a decision made out of genuine love.

As for me, I am still waiting. Waiting if God indeed has destined a man out there for me. Yes, I do feel lonely sometimes. Frankly speaking, I envy my friend who seems so happy and contented now with li’l Elise and her husband. She felt complete. Although I don’t personally believe that you need a man to complete you (contrary to Jerry Mc Guire’s popular quote, You complete me ). I think YOU COMPLEMENT ME would be more appropriate .

Sorry, that bitter root in my heart has resurfaced again. ‘to kaseng si Bryan Adams eh. But, no, I’m okay. I’m doing great. I have my sweet and caring family with me. I’ve got good friends, blog and text buddies who I consider my stress-relievers, and a decent job that gets me through the financial crunch.

Excuse me while I wait for someone to shoot the moon and put out the sun for me.

*Just a repost from an old blog entry. Medyo may pagkasenti kase...eh senti mode ako ngayon. Basta walang kokontra.

MY GROWN-UP CHRISTMAS LIST

2008-10-16T19:38:00.000-07:00

Malapit na ang Pasko....haayyy.....here's one of my favorite Christmas ditties.

I HATE YOU BONG!

2008-10-14T21:56:00.000-07:00

Nope. Bong is not my boyfriend. He is the good-for-nothing husband of my one and only younger sister.

Just a couple of days ago my mom texted me: “Pearl, maghihiwalay na ata sina _____ at _______”. I didn’t bother to ask why. I knew. My sis has already been brought back to her senses and finally ended her kamartiran.

Bong and D (my sis) had been married for almost three years. During this time, they’ve been fighting over the former’s happy-go-lucky lifestyle. He’d been out of work for about a year and depended solely on my sis; not only for his daily existence but the other extras as well: yosi and beer almost everyday. He only got a job courtesy of his dad who exerted extra effort to find one for him. Jesusmaryandjoseph.

The real trouble began when Bong was assigned in Leyte to scout for cell sites (he works for one of the telecom biggies). Normally he would stay at a certain place for two to three weeks; however, I sensed that something unusual is going on because he’d been in Leyte for almost three months and he rarely calls my sister. I later found out that li’l sis is thinking the same way too and so one time, she confronted the guy

Confirmed. May binabahay siya sa Leyte. That pesteng yawa!

And he had the nerve to do that inspite of my sister’s attempts to keep their marriage intact by being a devout housewife who juggles work and home chores to the hilt. And he was actually an absentee father to my li’l pumpkin niece Zoe, now two-and-a-half years old, who sometimes do not wish to sleep on their bed when Bong is around and does not want to talk to her dad even over the phone.

Scenario:

My mom’s cell phone rings

MOM: “Zoe, daddy o. Kausapin mo.”

ZOE: (having dinner) “’Yoko! Kain pa nga ko eh!”

Hah! That’s what you get from being an ass-of-a-dad.

And I don’t give a damn if he reads this. He probably doesn't even know what a blog is. One time he complained he had a "mindgrane" because his head hurt like hell. OMG.

Alam mo, Bong, I would always remember the times you hurt my sis, emotionally, mentally, gawd, and even physically. That every time you give her a call you suspect her of going out with other guys. And every time my poor sis comes home from work tired and sleepy (while you spent the whole day watching DVD’s and drinking endless bottles of beers) you’d cuss her and lock your bedroom door so she can’t get in. And you are actually in my parents’ house! KAPAL NG MUKHA MO!

I hate you Bong, for breaking my sister’s heart! Oh. And remember this:

What goes around, comes around. That is if you get what I mean. You dumb ass.

ZOE MOMENTS

2008-10-11T02:48:00.001-07:00

MORE CALL CENTER BOO-BOOS!

2008-09-25T19:15:00.000-07:00

Trainee: Ma'am this is GINA. (Using phonetics) G for Jesus (Whadda..!)..I for ice cream (OMG!)...N for ending (huhuhu...)..>A for Aileen...(geessshh...I'm not hearing this!)

Me: (After her call) Ahmm...Ms. Gina, please see me at my station.

---------

While listening to a Trainee's IVR:

Trainee : Hello, I'm looking for Mrs. _________.
Client: Yes, this is she.
Trainee: Oh, hi, Mrs. She...

---------

Telesales Trainee: Ma'am sige na PA-RE-JES-TER (paregister) na kayo para ma-avail nyo na yung services namin..

(Buti na lang hawak ko ang Customer Service and Collections)

CALL CENTER BOO-BOO

2008-09-12T22:48:00.000-07:00

Overheard during one of my usual rounds:

Trainee:(talking to a Pinoy client)Hi Ma'am! Pilipino po ba kayo??

I feel like committing a crime.

CHANGES

2008-09-08T22:32:00.000-07:00

Never have I imagined that I’d actually be mingling with the white-collared creatures in the corporate jungle. One minute I was in the bookstore browsing books on reading for preschoolers and the next minute I was already devouring books on soft skills and management.

For fifteen years or so I have tried to be the “dakilang guro” for some grade school and high school kids. It was only a couple of years ago that I suffered a worst case of burn-out and started to look for a high-paying job that wouldn’t require me to teach. I actually had qualms of quitting the “noblest” profession and venturing into a strange, new world of corporate suits and stilettos but the adventurous side of me just wanted to try luck. However, just when I thought I could finally get away from teaching, I sought for a trainer position in one of the call centers in the metropolis and I was able to get in.

Well, nothing’s really changed. It’s just that my responsibilities became broader and I have more migraine episodes to survive from. I have a certain group under my supervision and I hope that I could eventually raise good efficient leaders out of them. I take pride in these young girls who have been promoted into trainer status even if they look as if they have just gone through the adolescent stage. And I was like the Mother Hen to these ladies who occasionally pour their hearts out when they encounter problems with their families and their love life.

Generally, I simply enjoy where I am now. I believe I could maximize my skills and abilities here without actually being stressed and haggard unlike before. I like the people around me. I like the fact that I could sip free coffee and Milo in the morning when I come to work. I enjoy making tambay at the Sky Court, looking at the sunset or sometimes, the sunrise. (Amazing!)You know, simple perks. I’m also starting to like Kuya Raul, our maintenance man, who is also a walking load station, ready to supply us with e-loads and autoloads when you ran out of it. And of course, the free internet access of which I could use when I blog during my breaks. (Sorry, no Friendster and Youtube for us…huhuhu…)

I like me more than ever! :-)

BACK TO BLOGSPOT

2008-09-04T02:01:00.000-07:00

Hey you Blogger peeps! I'm back to my old home. I just realized my multiply site is rarely visited by blogger friends coz' they still have to undergo those registration chorvas. Quite a hassle, I must say.

So am back in this user-friendly, reliable blogspot. Teehee.

MOVING OUT

2007-08-02T03:13:00.000-07:00

I'm moving out to:
http://perlaparuparo.multiply.com

FOLLOW MEEEEE !!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, PAPA!

2007-05-17T01:08:00.000-07:00

It's Papski's birthday last May 15th. Supposedly his 70th. But God had other plans for him so he got to celebrate it up there with the Big Boss. How I wanted to write about him here but never got the chance to come up with the right words to say. I wanted my entry to be reeaallyy special- like a tribute of some sorts for him. Maybe next time.

To you, my dear Papski, I miss you dearly and I love you so, so much.
HAPPY, HEAVENLY BIRTHDAY! from all of us here: Mama, Det, Jake, Jessen and your lovely, cuddly apo, Zoe :-)

BACK!

2007-05-10T01:11:00.000-07:00

Okay okay...I decided to linger on and keep this blogsite...Just found a cutie template kase so I might "dwell" on this template for a while before I move to another home. So...yeah..I'm back for the nth time. More sensible entries later, k?

ANOTHER LINK TO FOLLOW :-)

2007-04-27T03:54:00.000-07:00

It's almost near...the day we've been looking forward to..this is it...
http://jessandpearl.blogspot.com

By the way, don't go to my multiply account yet..it's a mess.

MOVING OUT

2007-04-20T04:28:00.000-07:00

Follow me here : http://perlaparuparo.multiply.com

ADIOS AMIGOS!

LEA'S VIDEO

2007-02-03T02:11:00.000-08:00

See my previous post :-)

TWO WORDS

2006-12-13T01:28:00.000-08:00

I came across this video of Lea Salonga's concert in YouTube wherein she sang a heart-tugging song she rendered as her own personal vows during her wedding. I actually watched her wedding video in the same site...Graciousness....it was truly awesome!

I reaalllyyy, reaaally, adored this song and I thought of including it in my repertoire for my own wedding. Nope, I won't sing it. I'll have someone sing it for me while I walk down the aisle (awww...)

Here's the lyrics :

TWO WORDS
by Louie Ocampo

In a while, in a word,
Every moment now returns
For a while, seen or heard,
How each memory softly burns.
Facing you who brings me new tomorrows,
I thank God for yesterdays,
How they led me to this very hour,
How they led me to this place...

Every touch, every smile,
You have given me in care.
Keep in heart, always I'll,
Now be treasuring everywhere.
And if life should come to just one question,
Do I hold this moment true?

No trace of sadness,
Always with gladness...
'I DO...'

(instrumental)

Now a song that speaks of now and ever,
Beckons me to someone new,
Unexpected, unexplored, unseen,
Filled with promise coming through.
In a while, in a word,You and I forever change,
Love so clear, never blurred,
Has me feeling wondrous, strange,
And if life should come to just one question,
Do I face each moment true?
No trace of sadness,
always with gladness,
'I DO...

'Never with sadness...
Always with gladness...
'I...DO....'

I wish I could post the video of Lea's wedding but don't know how to. Anyway, isn't the song sweeeettt ???

PANGULONG PACQUIAO

2006-11-24T19:21:00.000-08:00

I'm just imagining possibilities here...since there's a lot of hullabaloos about Manny Pacquiao, his million dollar earnings from the ring, the rumors of his political ambitions (or is it his politician friends'?) , and the move to bestow him the title of a BAYANI, do we see a giant leap from the boxing arena to Malacañang Palace? Shall we now get used to hearing "Pangulong Pacquiao"?

Just the thought of it makes me wanna apply for a Mongolian citizenship.

I personally believe this whole Pacman hoopla is all ka-OA-yan (ober-akting) to the highest jologs level . Anyone who exalts Pacquiao as if he was out to save the Filipinos from eternal damnation should be thrown to the fires of hell. I think the fans were fooled to believe that everytime he enters the ring, Manny thinks about bringing home the tocino for his country ("Para sa 'yo, ang laban na 'to...") . I'd say, that's baloney. It's for the moolah, honey. Plus the fringe benefits that come with it. Think San Miguel. Datu Puti. Burlington. Extreme Magic Sing. Think Nike, man. Niikkkeee...

Kaya tama na ang Manny worship, pordiosporsanto. We've had enough of these politikos trying to ride on the li'l fellow's shoulders. You, yes you, Lito Atienza, sir. Stop spending Manila's funds on building up your "adopted son's" political career. You even contemplated on putting up a Pacquiao statue in Baywalk. Baka mamaya pati istatwa mo nandyan na rin. Hanubahhh?!?

By the way, I do not exactly abhor Manny Pacquiao. In fact, I watched his game with Morales. Okay siya. Magaling. But puleeezzz, enough of your "Para sa mga Filipino ang laban na 'to..." words of wisdom. Yeah, yeah. Okay, we thank you for that. But, man, be real...

Actually masama lang loob ko sa 'yo, Manny, kase binugbog mo si Morales. Papa ko 'yon.

2006-11-21T02:37:00.000-08:00

Toot-toot...toot-toot...
"Miss u...."

sender:
*** **** ****
0916*******
11:30 PM
November 13, 2006

AKO: Sino 'to?
SIYA: (Biglang agaw) classmate ko.
AKO: Ang sweet naman...
SIYA: Anu ka ba? Bata pa 'yan no...

Silence.

ZOE UPDATES

2006-11-03T19:13:00.000-08:00

I had Zoe all by myself this week. It was our sem break in school so I took this rare chance to be with the li'l angel for some bonding time. We haven't seen each other for a month or so coz' of her lola's (my mom's)condition and her other nana took charge of her for the meantime.

When I got to our house she was by the window, peeping, and probably thought it was her mom who alighted from the tricycle. She was so cute as I saw only her eyes curiously fixed on the vehicle, waiting for me to get off. As I opened the door, she wailed, perhaps disappointed that it wasn't Mommy but Tatits. Nangilala. It was like one and a half months since we last saw each other.

I tried to win her back by making all sorts of antics, making funny faces, nagmukha na nga kong krung-krung. After about five hours of making myself known to her (ANO BA ZOE? SI TATITS ITOH, REMEMBER!?!) she finally cooed and smiled at her crazy Tatits.

My li'l pumpkin has grown enormously since I last saw her. Actually she is only ten months old but she looked like a one-and-a-half year old kid. (No kidding!)In fact, she's got feet of a three-year old! (Her shoes would give you a clue!) She can now stand on her own and can do the following (Hehehe...i-enumerate pa raw ba):

- Sing along with the Huggies (o Pampers ba yun? )Comfort commercial.
When the voice-over sings "Amoy-baby....". Zoe goes, "Amaaahhh..babbaa..."
(Go figure!)

- She dances to the tune of Wowowee's Bumtaratarat.
She swings her head from left to right, up and down, while shaking both hands and stomping her feet. Try it out.

- When we get angry at her for doing something wrong, she knocks her head with one hand when we say "That's bad, Zoe! Don't do that again!"

- She raises up her arm when we say "Praise the Lord!"

- She can "fetch" something for me. (Ngeee...parang doggie naman.) Like one time I asked her to get my mobile phone which was a few distances away. She crawled towards it and when I said "Give it to Tatits please," she immediately returned to me and handed my ancient cellphone. Huwwaawwww!!! Ang galeng!

- She can eat five Marie biscuits in about one minute! (eh kanino pa ba magmamana??)

Geee...I could go on and on...AMAZING lang talaga 'tong giant baby namin. Sobrang bright. Bungisngis. I tell you guys. It's in the genes. It's.in.the.genes.

*HULING HIRIT*
Hopefully I can post some videos of Zoe bebe next time..Kakainis eh..di ako nakapagdala ng cam last time. (See her "THE ESCAPIST" movie clip. Ala-Houdini. Hehehe)

ANOTHER FEATHER IN CCA'S CAP

2006-10-26T17:47:00.000-07:00

Yeyyyy !!! I received word from the DepEd Division Office of Marikina that two of our high school delegates bagged 7th and 8th place in News Writing and Editorial Cartooning, respectively. They were won by Essen Miguel, a 3rd year student, who is our school paper's Associate/News Editor and Raumeree Francisco, a 2nd year student, one of our cartoonists. Again, even if they did not make it to the first five, I am just as equally proud because we were able to prove to them that a small, unpopular school such as ours can actually beat some of the finest and biggest schools around the area. (C'mon, this is my site so I have the right to BRAG...hehehe)

I know that without God's bountiful grace, we won't make it to the top ten so I give back all the glory to Him!

Ohh..here they are:

Pa-serious effect (Essen is the cute, chubby girl, second from the right, Ram is the charming young lady in the middle.)

Di naman sila masaya....slight lang...

PAY IT FORWARD

2006-10-05T03:34:00.000-07:00

Nakakatuwa...

Habang ako ay nakasakay sa maliit na dyipni pauwing Cogeo, may sumakay na matandang babae. Nagpumilit siyang sumiksik sa loob, bagama't puno na; siguro nagmamadali siya. Kaya lang talagang wala nang lugar kaya umupo na lang siya sa gitna, kahit walang upuan. Napansin nung isang lalaking nakaupo sa kanyang kaliwa na nahihirapan na si Inang kaya ibinigay na niya yung kanyang puwesto sa kaawa-awang matanda. Maya-maya, may nagbayad ng limandaang piso sa drayber. Nagalit yung drayber. Walang barya yung ale. Yung matandang nabigyan ng upuan pala ay may barya kaya't pinalitan niya yung limandaan. Pagkatapos, yung nabigyan ng barya, napansin na yung mamang nakasabit na may dala-dalang mabigat na bag ay nag-alok na kargahin yung kanyang mabigat na dalahin.

Aba...biglang kinurot ang puso ko...may pag-asa pa pala ang Pilipino. Malaki. Napakalaki.

HAIL TO THE TITANS!

2006-10-02T04:03:00.000-07:00

I just wanna get this off my chest coz' I am sooo elated and proud of our young writers who vied for a place in a district competition held last Wednesday and today. "Milenyo" obviously did not dampen their go-get-em spirits; moreso with the fact that these are all neophytes who ventured into the writing competition without the benefit of proper training. Three of them bagged the 6th, 7th, and 10th places in Photojournalism (English and Filipino) and Features Writing, respectively. Here, take a look at them :

....wild and wacky writers! woohooo!!

DA COMEBACK

2006-09-05T02:47:00.000-07:00

Found this in a friend's archives and I thought this would be an exciting meme to answer.

I listed down eight friends/loved ones in random and used their names to fill out the missing items in the questions that followed. The thing is, you have to follow the number codes that match their names.

Here it goes...

01. Jessen
02. Joy
03. Glo
04. Jo
05 Mei
06. Frea
07. Abby
08. Puset
09. Jake
10. Bam

01. what celebrity does ..5 look like?
Hehe..Mei…she looks like SAY of Pinoy Big Brother :-)

02. what is one thing that ..7 hates?
I think now that she’s infanticipating, she hates anything pungent

03. if ..2 jumped off a bridge, would you jump too?
No way, Jose’.

04. when and how did you meet ..3?
1985…We’re classmates in high school

05. what would you do if ..4 died?
cry my eyes off

06. what's a secret about ..1?
that's between us. :)

07. what can you see ..6 growing up to be?
A blessing 

08. do you have a nickname for ..8?
Puset, it is

09. what do you hate about ..9?
Everything..hehehe..peace my bro-in-law!

10. where does ..5 live?
Somewhere in Marikina

11. what does ..8 do for fun?
Text unli hahaha…..

12. who is ..10 going out with?
His wife, I guess…I hope…nyahaha

13. what's ..9's nickname?
Bongbong (he’s gonna kill me when he sees this)

14. what is one random fact about ..7?
She’s pregnant! Weee!!!

15. how long have you known ..1?
feels like forever... =]

16. why is ..4 your friend?
She’s my “kumare” and we’ve known each other for ages

17. is ..3 the love of your life?
She’s my forever confidante and coffee bud

18. what's an insider between you and ..2?
She knows some of my darkest secrets :-)

19. what are the last four digits in ..6's phone number?
My lips are sealed

20. what is ..10 known for?
A composer and a musician..and I used to ogle over him hehehe

21. how much do you love ..7?
I’ll always pray for her and her baby’s condition

22. what's ..5's middle name?
Geee…I don’t know…Sis?

23. where does ..9 shop?
My sis shops for him so I don’t have the slightest idea.

24. can ..8 keep a secret, and have you ever told him/her a secret?
Si Puset?? Nahhh….

25. describe ..4 in one word?
Dependable and selfless

26. what was the nicest thing ..2 ever did for you?
be my friend

27. have you ever been in a fight with ..10?
Yes

28. have you ever been to ..6's house?
I wish she’d invite me….hehehe

29. what's ..3's deepest fear?
cockroaches

30. what was the craziest thing you ever did with ..1?
break up and fall in love again.._can you call that crazy? :-)

I'm tagging everyone in my friends' list. Tada! I'll be back again soon!

PART 2: SAMU'T SARING KWENTO PARA SA LINGGONG ITO (Oh what a week that was!)

2006-08-17T19:05:00.000-07:00

Kwento # 1: NAKAKAINIS TO THE 10th POWER!!!

Malamang naranasan ninyo na tong mga nakakairitang insidente sa FX:

1. May nakasakay ako nung Monday. 500 ang pera niyang pinilit na ibinayad sa driver (Huwaw! Mucho dinero ang lolo mo!). Eh 25 pesos lang naman ang pamasahe niya. Natural nainis ang driver kaya tinanong niya kung may barya ba si manong pasahero. Heto ang panalong sagot niya. "Eh di ipapalit mo sa gas station". Nagkatinginan kaming mga kapasahero niya na tila nagsasabing, "WOW MEN! ANG KAPAL MO!" Utusan ba ang driver! Oh by the way, nangyari ito ng mga ALAS-KUWATRO ng umaga at ako'y nagmamadali nuon sa pagpasok! GRRR!!!

2. Nung Wednesday naman, pag-uwi ko, may katabi akong napakaingay ng bibig at nakatodo ang volume ng boses! Di ko alam kung nakatira ng shabu o sadyang pinakain ng nanay niya ng *poot-poot* ng baboy. (Di ba yun yung sabi ng matatanda na ipakain para raw dumaldal ang anak mo?? hehehe...) As in mula sa pagsakay namin sa terminal hanggang sa pagbaba ay umaarangkada ang bibig! Alam nyo naman pag uwian na eh yung iba'y gustong sumimple sa pagtulog pero di namin nagawa sa ingay niya! Eto ang panalo. LALAKE SIYA. Matipuno, japorms, guwapo! At ang kuwento nya, nagagalit raw sa kanya si misis kase NAGGER niya! Yung kasama niya panay sabi ng "Pare, ang daldal mo!" Pigil na pigil talaga tawa namin pero ramdam naming mga co-passengers ang tensyon sa loob ng FX. We wanna laugh out butts off!

3. Hindi naman ako involved dito. May isang pasahero sa harap ko (sa middle seat sila at ako ay nasa likod). Siguro sa sobrang pagod at antok ay nakatulog si GURLASH at unti-unting napahilig sa balikat ni LOLA na nasa kanan niya. Eh mukhang suplada si Lola Madonna (groovy kase ng suot eh), kaya biglang inalis niya yung ulo ni GURLASH sa balikat nito sabay sabi ng, "ANO BA YAN NENG!?!" Kawawa naman si GURLASH, nagising tuloy.

Kuwento # 2: SQUEEZING MY CREATIVE JUICES

I believe biniyayaan ako ni Lord ng creativity sa katawan kaya dapat lang na magamit ito sa natatamang paraan. Siyempre kapag isa kang guro, dapat marami kang alam na gimiks para hindi ma-bore ang klase mo. Ginagawa ko naman iyan dati at mukhang naenjoy naman ng mga istyudents ko. Pero nung linisan ko ang masalimuot na mundo ng showbiz, este, akademya, parang nahigop na rin ata ang creative juices ko. Kaya ngayong magtuturo na uli ako, kelangang pigain ko muli ang sarili ko upang makagawa ako ng mga bagay-bagay na maaaring makatulong sa paghatid ng karunungan sa mga mag-aaral na mabibiktima ko ngayon. BWAHAHAHA!!!

Kuwento # 3: FOOD TRIP

Kahapon naglagalag kami ni J mi amore after my work shift. Dapat sa Chef d'Angelo kami kakain kase favorite naming dalawa yun (especially the sampler, hehehe, shempre mura eh). Eh kaso wala pala sa Gateway kaya napilitan kaming kumain ng steak kahit wala ako sa mood kumain nun. Eh gutom na ko kaya pinatulan ko na. Gudnesgreyshus! Sumakit ang lalamunan namin sa alat ng pagkain! Sabi nga ni mi amore, para raw kameng humigop ng tubig-dagat ng Batangas dun sa soup na kasama niya. Wahhhh!! Nainggit tuloy ako dun sa katabi naming couple na solved na solved dun sa Teriyaki at Sushi nila! Waaahhh!!! Never again, Steak House! (hayan na-mention ko tuloy yung name!) Sa sobrang asin na pumasok sa katawan namin, lumafang kami ng Blizzard at nilasap naman ang sobrang yummy-ng Banana Split at Chocolate Chips flavors. Hihirit pa sana ko ng chichirya pero pinigilan na ko ni J. Nakahalata na.

Kuwento # 4: SI IAN NA TAGA-CEBU

Gusto ko magpasalamat kay Ian na nagpadala ng picture ng isang butterfly na ginawa niya just for me. (Awwww...ang sweet...)Kaya lang di ko ma-post at nagkakaproblema pag nirereduce ko ang size. Si Ian ay matagal ko ng online friend (sa chat ata kami nag-meet). He's a graphic and visual artist na kilala ata sa Cebu. He's married to an artist rin and has two kids. Involved rin siya sa Airsoft Gaming (whatever..di ko alam ang exact term) at ineencourage akong bumaril. Ayoko nga! Mahuli pa ko! Hinde, airsoft gun lang naman, di naman .45 o machine gun, sabi nya. Magko-cross stitch na lang ako.

Well, eto lang muna ang chika ko...puyat na puyat na ko at kelangan ko pang mag-beauty rest.

SAMO'T SARING KUWENTO (Mga Kuwentong May Kwenta)

2006-08-09T17:54:00.000-07:00

Kuwento # 1: Ang Pagbabalik

Nagdemo at nagpa-interview na ko sa isang eskwelahan sa Marikina kahapon. Ayoko na nga sanang bumalik pa sa pagiging isang chichur (hehehe..ok ok..teacher)dahil parang na-burn-out na ko. Labintatlong taon ka ba namang maghandle ng mga bata eh..Pero saludo ako sa mga gurong hindi pinagsawaan ang kanilang propesyon. Wow. Talking about commitment and dedication. Sila yun. Pero feeling ko sa iskul na to mag-aaral ang mga anak ko. Alam kong tinawag ako ng Lord para makapag-serve dito. I think i finally found my niche.

Kuwento # 2: My Korean On-line Students

Sa pag-alis ko naman sa aming kumpanya, heto mga mami-miss ko, among others:

Lia--- siya ay isang bright and sunny university student majoring in English Literature na artsy-fartsy na nag-iintern ngayon sa isang newspaper company as a writer. She's so malambing and thoughtful kaya luv ko sha.

William --- CEO siya ng isang HR firm (which he owns). Talk about BIG TIME. We often talk about the current goings-on in Korea, in the Philippines, and in some other parts of the world. Pag tinatawagan ko siya, it's either nasa spa siya or nasa mountainside at nagja-jogging (malapit kase ang VILLA nila sa mountains! Ang shala noh?!?) Basically, gusto lang niyang may kausap in English kaya hayun kinarir ko naman.

Lance ---- Another BIG-TIME. Manager siya sa isang IT Company. Hetong lolong ito, minsan mag-aanswer ng call ko nasa golf course siya. When it's his turn to get that shot, he'd say.."Oh, Pearl, hold on..it's my turn now". Pag-intayin ba ko.

Kevin --- PALIKERO. Ang conversations namin minsan ay umiikot sa mga babae, na minsan pa nga ay gusto pa yata akong isama sa harem niya (korean harem!?) laging tinatanong kung kumusta na application ko sa Korea. Hehehe. Sorry Kevin. Taken na ko. At wala na kong balak pumunta diyan.

Harry --- He's in middle school. From our conversations, mukhang mashadong na-shelter ng nanay. Mukhang may makings ng pagiging teenage baklita dahil madiriin at bukambibig ang "it might damage my skin". Mukhang yayaman si Calayan at Bello sa kanya pag napunta siya rito sa Pinas.

So, sila yung mga di ko malilimutang online students turned friends na rin. At ako naman ang mami-miss nilang grammar teacher, newscaster, counselor, editor (ng mga paper works nila) at shempre, confidante.

Kuwento # 3: USAPANG PANGHINAHARAP

Nung isang araw seryoso usapan namin ni J, my past-present-future man. Nag-consult kase ako about my career move (see Kuwento # 1) at nasabi nga niya na dapat mag-stay na talaga ko sa school na to because (o enumeration talaga to ha, as stated by PPF man.) 1.)Magse-save na kame together. 2.) Magsesettle down na kame, so dapat stable na ang jobs namin. 3.) Pag nagka-baby kame at lumaki na siya/sila, shempre dapat libre na sa skul, kase regular na si mommy. (Paging sis FREA! libre nga ba? hehehe..)Pero nakakatuwa talaga yung conversation namin. Na-touch ako. Forever na nga ito.

KUWENTO # 4 : MY FORMER STUDENTS TURNED CELEBRITIES

Malamang kilala nyo na siya. Si Nikki Gil. That girl na namimigay ng Coke sa isang commercial. Naging student ko siya nung Grade 1 siya sa isang Montessori school (which I wouldn't disclose, sorry). Ni sa hinagap ay di ko akalaing magiging artista yan kase NAPAKAmahiyain niyan. Sayang nga di ko na makita yung isang class pic nila. Halos nakatungo na si li'l Nikki dun sa pic na yun!

O eto, kilala nyo? Di naman siya gaanong visible, especially sa mga primetimes, pero siya yung host ng isang late night show sa Channel 7 before, now sa Channel QTV 11 na. Siya si Catherine Bordalba. I think Grade 4 naman siya nun nung na-handle ko class nila. She's also one of the girls in that COKE BEAT commercial. Ang hindi ko makalimutan sa kanya eh yung kanyang smiling eyes (obvious ba?). She's also intelligent, very active in extra-curricular activities, at may kapatid na cutie rin. Lalake siya. Yung mom niya mega-support sa kanila kaya talagang lumaki silang maayos at matiwasay.

And finally, si Yong-an.(yung naka-glasses) Nasa Going Bulilit siya ngayon at nangungulit. Again, suprised rin ako sa kanya kase di gaanong kalikutan yan when he was in pre-school and in Grade 1. But he's really brainy! Saka mabait mom nyan, lagi kaming tini-treat ng spaghetti or palabok. Hehehe. hi Misis Chiu. Miss na kita at ang yong generosity.

So, hayan sila. My celebrity students. Bongga dabah?? Eh ang teacher kaya kelan magiging star? You wish.

THEY THAT MATTERED TO ME, ET AL

2006-07-27T17:00:00.000-07:00

ZOE
Zoe just turned 7 months...ohhh...look at her...isn't she adorable?? She's already mastered the "close-open" (you know the usual stuff our parents and the older folks used to teach us when we were babies? come on..) and crawls at an amazing speed you won't imagine she's 8.5 kilos and all. She can also use the walker like a pro and can now roam around the living room without assistance. Promil kid ata 'to! Zoe also likes to pose in front of the lenses. Even when she was only this tiny, she already looks at the cam like she can already see. Born diva, this baby girl of ours.

There was one incident during her baptismal party when she stared at one of her lolas,gave her cutest killer smile and the granny cried! Perhaps sensing that something's wrong, she reached out her tiny, flabby arm to lola and gently pat her on the shoulder, causing the old woman to cry more! Humagulgol! Kakatuwang eksena! Haaayyy...si Zoe talaga...she just turns our world upside down.

MOM AND POP
I've been a prodigal daughter and a pain-in-my-parents-neck, so stubborn and hard-headed that they actually just gave up on me and just left me fending for myself, dahil yun naman ang gusto ko. Yet oftentimes I would end up to their doorstep when I felt alone and beat up. My younger sister and I were entirely different in many ways. I've always been branded as the "bangenge" one while the other was the "responsible daughter". Yeah, I am. Or rather I was. Now I am making up for all the heartaches and headaches I caused them. I juist hope that I would not suffer the karma when my child grows up and have a mind of her own.

MY SIS
Des is the more intelligent, responsible, driven sister in the family. She went independent at a very young age when she studied at the UP, having lived in a dorm all her college days. She matured faster than I did, even settled down earlier than I did. I always believe she's the better sibling, although she'd claim that she idolizes me when she was in her teens. Right now we're at odds for some reasons I can not disclose to you. I just hope and pray I'll be able to settle things out with her.

EX-CURRENT-FOREVER MAN
Confusing ba? Kase medyo complicated talaga. He was my ex turned current uli. So getz nyo na? To cut the long story short, we got back together again, finally, and hopefully forever (teeheee...), after a few 'ugly' incidents in between those years that we were apart. I mean, we've really been through some luv-ya-hate-ya times and the experience was so exhilarating, like a roller-coaster ride, so they say. I won't go further into details for very private reasons but I'm just quite relieved that I can actually say this now in the open, you know, that infamoous phrase "KAMI NA ULI". I'm also thankful to God that while we live our separate lives, He both made us stronger and better persons. In his case, I was just glad that he was now more mature and more responsible. We decided to let bygones be bygones, and move on to the next phase of our lives- together.

MY FRIENDS, OFFICE COLLEAGUES, BLOGMATES
These guys keep me from falling apart; as I've said they're (okay, make that YOU'RE) my stress-relievers who never failed to bring a smile to my sometimes-dreary world. I've long-lost friends though that I wanted to see again, but our schedules won't permit. God I miss 'em. And you, my blogmates turned real friends (special mention to Meigh, Frea, Abby--see you soon girls..hehehe) and those who frequent my blog like Puset, Singlguy, Momel and Irish. You brought color in my ho-hum life. *GROUP HUG EVERYONE*

There. I felt these people deserved a special tribute here in my blog. Sorry kung medyo nakornihan kayo. Pero ito talaga yung nilalaman ng puso ko.

Luv you my dear people :-)

MEME FROM MEI-MEI

2006-07-21T03:21:00.000-07:00

Mei!!! Here's the meme!!

Friends, blogmates, and kababayans...

THE RULES: If you comment on this post, I will…

1. Respond with something random about you.

2. Challenge you to try something.

3. Pick a color that I associate with you.

4. Tell you something I like about you.

5. Tell you my first/clearest memory of you.

6. Tell you what animal you remind me of.

7. Ask you something I've always wanted to ask you.

8. Pick a song that reminds me of you.

You then must post the same meme and my response in your blog.

Come on, try it!

Everyone who comments on this post will get something like this from me. Here's MEI's answers for me and my comments in italics:

PERLAS --

1. Random. Lorna T. look-alike ito eh! =D
Naku, sis, that was eons ago...when I had Lorna T.'s figure no...hehehe...

2. Challenge. Post pics naman in your blog, sige na! And sing sa anniversary ng church namen! choose one of the two =
Sing in your church?? Baka mabawasan myembro ng CCF...lagot ako kay ex-current man..wahahaha...

3. Color. Magenta. Ewan ko the color just came to mind.
Hey! That is soooo true! How did you know?!? Galeng! Actually anything with the violet shade :-)

4. Like. That you've opened up to me, i got to know you better and that I'm gonna meet you real soon!
Coz' you were easy to get along with and you can be trusted, I guess...oh yeah, looking forward to meeting you too!

5. First memory. Hahaha, we wouldn't want to talk about that here, don't we? hehe =D
Noooo...hehehe..basta tayo na nagkakaintindihan jan...sorry guys!

6. Animal. A colorful butterfly! mraming shades and with big wings!
Yes yes yes!!!

7. Question. Why do you love HIM so? *winks*
Seriously, it's really hard to explain...i just simply love him,
without knowing how, or when, or from where.
I love him straightforwardly, without complexities or pride;
so I love him because I know no other way
than this....(Sonnet XVII, Pablo Neruda)

8. Song. I am Beautiful. Sino ba kumanta niyan? Mariah? Parang bagay sa boses mo =)
Geee, thanks..will I take that as a compliment? Or simply because of voice lang! :-)

PEEL ME OFF :-)

2006-07-08T03:29:00.000-07:00

Ian, a dear friend from Cebu, e-mailed this meme to me. It was originally entitled 10 Layers of My Personal Hell but I’d rather not call it that. I thought it’d be best to share it with you. And I’m tagging all of you guys on my tagboard to answer this too. Yes, you!

LAYER ONE:
-- Name: PEARL
-- Birth date: June 26 19--
-- Birthplace:Manila
-- Current Location: Pasig
-- Eye Color: dark brown
-- Height: 5'2"
-- Right handed or Left handed: ambidextrous
---------------------------------------------
LAYER TWO:
-- Heritage: PINOY!!!
-- Weakness: gullibility
-- Biggest fears: being alone
-- Your perfect pizza: Yellow Cab
-- Goal you'd like to achieve: A simple yet comfortable life with my own family
-------------------------------------------------
LAYER THREE:
-- Most overused phrase(s): Thank you, Lord!
-- Thoughts first waking up: It’s gonna be a bright, bight sunshiny daayyyy !!!
-- Best physical feature: killer smile!!!
-- Usual bedtime: 10 pm.
-- Most missed memory: going out with my family
------------------------------------------------
LAYER FOUR:
-- Pepsi or Coke: coke ko to'!-
- McDonald's or Burger King: gotta go with Ronald on this one
-- Single or group dates : can still do both
-- Lipton Iced Tea or Nestea: Nestea
-- Chocolate or vanilla: Choco lover since birth
-- Cappuccino or Latte: latte
-------------------------------------------------
LAYER FIVE: Do you..
-- Smoke: Once upon a time
-- Sing: You’re talking to a diva, aight??
-- Take a shower every day: major bath in the morning, shower in the evening
-- Have a crush(es): many to mention (nakksss…slumbook!)
-- Think you've been in love: always
-- Like high school: ‘twas the best years of my life!
-- Want to get married: of course
-- Get motion sickness: when I was a kid
-- Think you're attractive: I guess..yeah….
-- Think you're a health freak: what’s that?? Hehehe…
-- Like thunderstorms: Never! I’ve always been scared of ‘em
-- Play an instrument: some drums...some guitar…
-------------------------------------------------
LAYER SIX: In the past month, have you..
-- Drank alcohol: yes
-- Gone on a date: uh-huh
-- Gone to the mall: yes. I always pass through it on my way home
-- Eaten sushi: yes...
-- Been on stage: not lately
-- Been dumped: Does a break-up count for that?
-- Gone skating: Never tried
-- Changed who you were to fit in: I’m as real as it gets
-------------------------------------
LAYER EIGHT:
-- Age you hope to be married: 35? teehee....
-- number of children : 3
--Dream Wedding is to be :huh??
-- How do you want to die: in my sleep..like Rose in the Titanic
-- What do you want to be when you grow up?: I wanna be a super mom
-------------------------------------------------
LAYER NINE: In a girl/boy, you would want..
-- Best eye color: light or dark brown
-- Best hair color: all except dyed
-- Short or long hair : clean-cut for guys
-- Height: at least 3 feet taller than I am
-- Weight: proportion to height
-- Best first date location: dinner date
----------------------------
LAYER TEN:
-- Drugs taken illegally: once and that was the last okay…
-- People I trust with my life: MOM/Dad/sis/Luvz
-- CDs that I own: most valued: GARY GRANADA, Bob Marley, and of course, Hillsongs CD’s
-- Piercings: one on both ears. Used to have 2.
-- Tattoos: just henna. Once I had a tribal sun and recently I had a butterfly
on my lower leg
-- Times my name has appeared on newspaper: twice? Thank God it was not a
tabloid headline hehehe…
-- Scars on my body: none

KANDILA

2006-06-26T01:03:00.000-07:00

"Ngunit bawa't puso'y naglalakbay
Dumarating sa sangandaan
Aling landas ang susundin ng puso?
Saan ka liligaya? Saan mabibigo?
Saan ka tutungo?"

- SANGANDAAN
Inanglaya

Tumanda na naman ako. Isang kandila na naman ang nadagdag sa mga hinipan ko. At habang tinititigan ko ang liwanag na nagmumula sa mga kandilang nakasindi, may parang kumukurot sa puso kong naghahatid ng pangamba sa hinaharap. Sa tatlumpu't limang taon na inilagi ko sa mundong ito, naging makabuluhan kaya ang lahat ng nangyari at ginawa ko sa buhay ko?

Maraming beses na kong nagkamali, nadapa, bumangon, nadapa uli, bumangon. Hindi naman ako natututo. Pero napapansin ko lang na sa mga ganitong sitwasyon ay tumitibay ako at patuloy na lumalaban sa mga dumaragsang hamon ng buhay. May mga bagay akong natututunan habang nararanasan ko ang mapapait na pangyayaring ito. Nasusumpungan ko ang mga katangiang taglay ko at mas nakikilala ko ang aking sarili. Madalas kaysa hindi na ako'y magkamali sa aking mga desisyon na pinagsisihan ko sa bandang huli. Ngunit taas noo ko pa ring masasabi na sa kabila nito ay buo pa rin ang aking pagkatao.

May mga taong nakasama ko nang matagal at sa biglang iglap lang ay nawala. Masakit, ngunit kailangang tanggapin na isa na lamang sila sa mga matatamis na alaalang itatago ko na lamang sa aking puso. May mga tao rin namang nagbalik sa buhay ko at nanatili na upang ipagpatuloy ang anumang damdaming nasadlak nuong una. Wala akong dapat pagsisihan sapagkat ngayon ay sumidhi pa ang damdaming ito at mas naging aalab.

Marahil nga ay naging makabuluhan ang paglalakbay ko. Walang nasayang na sandali. Walang pagsisisi. Nasa sangandaan pa rin naman ako; lahat naman ng tao ay ganun din. Patuloy na tumatahak sa mga sanga-sangang landas. Kailangan lang talagang maging matatag. Kailangang handa sa mga masusukal na daan. Pasasaan ba't sa dulo ng daanang ito ay naroon ang liwanag na sasalubong at aakap sa akin.

ANG DUYAN NI PAPA IPE

2006-06-26T01:00:00.000-07:00

*reprinted po from PEYUPS.COM. It was one of my articles which got published in the said site. I changed my *penname for private reasons :-) It's my lolo's death anniversary so i just thought this would be an appropriate tribute for him :-)

Ang Duyan ni Papa Ipe
by: *PERLAS
http://www.peyups.com

Siguro mga sampung taong gulang ako noon nang pumunta kami sa Bicol para bisitahin namin ang aming lolo at lola-mga magulang ng tatay ko. Nuong maliit pa ako, madalas silang sunduin ng tatay ko para magbakasyon sa Maynila pero sa pagkakataong ito, kami naman ang bumisita sa kanila.

Isang linggo kami sa Bicol. Masaya pa ako noong mga unang tatlong araw, pero unti-unti, nabagot ako. Sanay kasi ako sa magulo at maingay na paligid. Wala pa silang TV noon, radyo lang. Kaya para sa isang batang katulad ko na lumaki sa Maynila, madali akong nabagot. Napansin siguro ni Papa Ipe (ang aking lolo) na malungkot ako noong mga oras na iyon.

"Gusto mo, gawan kita ng duyan?", wika ni Papa Ipe.

Nabigla ako. Tahimik at walang imik kasi ang lolo kong ito. Pamasid-masid lang. Hindi nga siya gaanong magiliw sa mga apo niya.

Tumango ako. "Sige po, Papa." Pero sabi ko sa sarili ko, ano naman ang magagawa ng duyan? Mababawasan ba ang pagkalungkot ko pag sumakay ako diyan?

Maya-maya, bumalik siya sa aking tabi, may hawak-hawak na duyang yari sa abaca na hinabi. Yun bang nabibili mo sa Albay. Tapos lumabas kami ng bahay patungo sa hardin na pinaliligiran ng mga punong mangga. Ikinabit niya ang magkabilang dulo ng duyan at saka niya ako pinasakay. Tapos ay itinulak niya ito ng dahan-dahan. Ang sarap pala dito,bulong ko sa aking sarili.

"O, nagustuhan mo ba?" wika ni Papa Ipe.

"Opo. Salamat po," nakangiting sagot ko.

Ang dalawang nalalabing araw ko sa Bicol ay naging makabuluhan at masaya. Kapag nasa duyan ako, nandoon naman si Papa Ipe na nagkukuwento ng buhay niya habang inuugoy ako. Marami kaming napagkuwentuhan -- yung panliligaw niya kay lola, yung pagsasalo nilang pamilya tuwing tanghalian at hapunan (isang dosena ang kanilang anak), yung mga karanasan nila nung giyera, at kung anu-ano pa. Doon ko lamang nakita si Papa Ipeng madaldal at puno ng buhay. Minsan sa sobrang pagkukuwento niya ay nakakatulog ako.

Kasalukuyan. Naalala ko ang kabanatang ito nang bumisita kami sa bagong bahay ng mga magulang ko sa Cavite. Dinala kasi ng kapatid ko yung kanyang duyan na binili sa Albay. Humahanap kami ng magandang puwesto para mapagkabitan nito. Nang ikinabit na ng tatay ko sa dalawang puno ng mangga ang duyan ay humiga ako at nagpaugoy sa kanya. Parang nakikita ko muli si Papa Ipeng nakangiti at punung-puno ng buhay sa kaniyang mga kuwento.

"Pa, pag nagkaanak ako, iduyan mo rin siya dito ha?" sabi ko sa aking ama.

Siguro'y nabigla siya sa aking nabanggit. Sabay tingin at ngumiti sa akin. "Oo ba. Siyempre naman," wika ni tatay.

Sayang. Sana pati ang magiging anak ko ay maiugoy ni Papa Ipe sa duyan. Kaya lang wala na siya.

* * * * * * *

This article is from Peyups.com - The UP Online Community
Please include the author's name and the source of this article when copying or sending this article.

SAYANG SIYA...

2006-06-13T22:30:00.000-07:00

* I was trying to retrieve my old blogs in my previous journal when I chanced upon this particular entry that I wrote a few years ago. It seemed to have sparked the GABRIELA in me so I'd like to dedicate this to all the women out there- whether she's a professional, a student, a factory worker, or a "G.R.O."- we should not, in any way, be violated nor used as a merchandise by some dude out there who takes advantage of our gender.
Weakness can not be equated with womanhood. Never.

* * *

I was hopelessly and desperately waiting for an FX to ride in (as always) last Saturday when I chanced upon this very charming lady, in her teens, I guess, approaching each and every man that comes along her way and with her sweetest, enticing smile, she'd greet them with "Hi! I'm...(didn't get her name)". Some of the guys would only smile back and some would try to spark a conversation. Now there was one fellow, who looks decent enough for me and might have been charmed by this pretty lass so he sort of followed the girl, (who's now ready to go with him) but eventually changed his mind when a suspicious-looking fag approached them and mumbled something. I guess he scared the potential customer off.

I could've stayed longer to observe all these goings-on but a slick, maroon Adventure stopped in front of me, its driver holding a sign that read "*****". Since I was there for half an hour already and my varicose veins have gone berserk, I decided to hop in beside the driver. The FX lingered on the same spot for a few minutes so he could pick up more passengers. Perhaps the driver noticed me looking intently at the poor girl's direction (now talking to a D.O.M.! Eeewww!!!).

"Mam, maraming ganyan dito sa kahabaan ng Aurora. Mga bata pa yung iba".

"Talaga? Nanghihinayang nga ako dyan sa batang yan o. Ang ganda pa naman. Sana nag-artista na lang siya", I commented.

"Oo nga ho eh. Sayang siya", the driver added.

Sayang. Yeah, I think that's the right word. This girl should've been in school, wearing a decent uniform, and enjoying her college life; but the pangs of reality bite. Perhaps she needed money to support her family- and the easiest way to get it is to sell her young, innocent body.

Something was stirred in my heart. I wanted to reach out to her and take her instead; away from the madness she's in right now. I want to talk her out of the mess she got herself into. However, I'm in no position to do that; 'lest I wanted to get into trouble myself (she might be under a syndicate or something.) Well, I'm a woman. And we should no be violated in any way. One day, I hope, I won't see her around in that area anymore. I just wish and pray she'll be reedeemed from that hell.

TAWA NEMEN JEN!!!

2006-06-07T18:38:00.000-07:00

I gave this as a lesson to one of my Korean students who's already in the advanced level; that means he can already appreciate western humor. Most of these are grammatically-incorrect signs that you see in hotels, roads, and other establishments found all over the world. You would notice that these funny signs are located in countries that do not consider English as their lingua franca. (Surprisingly though, there was one sign that had poor grammar written all over it and it's in the United States! Washington D.C.!)

Anyway, I guess some of you had come across these signs in your email or in surfing the net one way or the other, but, hey, let's all have a good laugh at these! :-)

WHY I GOT DITCHED

2006-06-06T03:25:00.000-07:00

My friends are still wondering why I suddenly lost the position I've longed been aiming for. In fact most of them are not yet aware that I'm not in the academe anymore. Anyway, this is what actually happened....

I got the job last September. It was totally unexpected coz' at that time I was teaching in another school as a substitute teacher. I filed my application way back January so when the school owner called, I was like, "This is rather embarassing, ma'am, but which school is this? And for what position did I apply for?" She said, SCHOOL COORDINATOR. "Oh, okay. Sorry I thought it was already filled." To cut the long story short, she asked me to see her for an interview.

The owner was still in her 30's. We clicked the first time we met. So eventually, I accepted her offer after discussing all the compensation, benefits, etc. I started working on the documents, blank forms, the curriculum, the hiring of teachers, mutli-tasking to the max, since we haven't got any staff yet coz' it's an entirely new school. We had meetings with the rest of the board, and conceptualized everything. It's a dream come true for me. I always wanted to put up my own school.

Come January 2006. Someone sent over her resume' over our Jobstreet account.I was really impressed after running through her profile so I decided to set an interview and a demo teaching with her. She was definitely good. I told her that I'm giving her the free hand in the pre-school department since that was her forte'; plus, she also has a managerial background. Perfect.

Fate would have it when the owner found out she was a distant relative. (Let's call her Ms. R). For the next few days I observed that she has manipulative tendencies when one time, she started insisting that the pre-school curriculum be changed. I was a little insulted but I gave her the chance to justify her opinion. I studied the possibilities and gave her the nod.

Later on she started doing her own thing and I realized I am losing my authority over her. Then I found out that the owner and she began meeting in the latter's house for some "cousin bonding". I've nothing against it, except that, sometimes they would plan things about the school and then I was the last person to know. That really hurt- as a professional and as the designated school coordinator. Oftentimes the decision has been made already even before my opinion was consulted.

Our hired teachers would later complain about Ms. R's attitude. There was even one teacher who had a shouting match with her because she became very pakialamera already even with the grade school department which I was handling at that time while looking for someone to head it. I talked to MS. R and to the teacher, arranged a meeting with them, hoping to patch everything up. I stopped myself from confronting her yet about her "manipulative" streaks coz' I still want to gather more evidences of her actions.

Suffice it to say that she became so irritating that I decided to talk to the owner about it. And surprise! surprise! The owner called me over to the office, and broke the news.

OWNER: Pearl, I've something to tell you...
ME: Is there a problem? Coz' I also wanted to talk to you about something.
OWNER: I hope you won't take it against me but....would you mind giving up the
position for Ms. R?
ME: (dazed) Huh?? Did I do anything for you to decide like that?
OWNER: Well, nothing really...in fact, you were very effective and I am
grateful for the hard work...
ME: Well,then, give me a valid reason why I should step down.
OWNER: (hesitant to speak) Ahhmmm...it seems that Ms. R is stricter and more
capable for the position...she has a stronger personality...
ME: Is that final?
OWNER: I talked with my brothers (school board members) and they agreed...hey,
it's not because she's a relative...
ME: Yeah, yeah, sorry but that's what's running inside my mind...well, then, if
that's the case, I won't accept your offer and I'm leaving the school. I
don't wanna work in an environment like this...

(I opted to keep my mouth shut to prevent myself from speaking ill to them)

OWNER: Pearl, thank you....
ME: No...thank you.. (for insulting my profession and my character)

I left the office with a heavy heart. She was dumfounded as I was. I packed my things, waited for 4:00 pm, and left without saying a word, totally wrecked and heartbroken. I felt a sign flashing over my head saying "Loser! Loser!" Whaddaheck. You don't deserve me. I don't deserve to be a part of this sh*tty institution.

Survivor that I am, (of course with the help of my Father up there in the heavenlies) I looked for a new job the next day, filed my applications, and in the next few days, I got accepted as an online tutor.

No regrets.

I'm happy and contented with where I am now. And yeah, as of this writing, Ms. R has fired a security guard (for arguing with her), a teacher (yeah, you guessed it right, for arguing with her) and another teacher for not speaking English fluently.

And to that school owner, I say, GOOD LUCK NA LANG. Thanks for letting me go.

BRYAN ADAMS, MARRIAGE AND OTHER ECLAVUS

2006-05-28T18:55:00.000-07:00

When you love someone - you'll sacrifice
You'd give it everything you got and
you won't think twice
You'd risk it all -
no matter what may come
When you love someone
You'll shoot the moon - put out the sun
When you love someone…

I was on my way home, half-asleep in an FX when I heard this heartwarming ditty by Bryan Adams. I’ve heard it several times before but haven’t really paid much attention to the details of the song until yesterday.

It transported me back to the time when I and the ex-man were so much in love, back when I clung onto his promise of bringing me to the altar, build a family and live happily ever after. I guess I stopped believing in fairy tales because mine ended just before it started. In a snap of a finger, everything changed. One minute he was so determined and assuring and then the next, he became so unpredictable. He said he wasn’t ready yet and he had other plans; and surprisingly, I wasn’t part of the itinerary. It all happened during our seventh year. That was three years ago yet until today, I have no idea why he chickened out on us.

I think that Marriage is for the brave and the selfless. Brave and man enough to stand on your ground, ready to face the risk of taking another soul into your life. Selfless to share everything you got, and even willing to give what you don’t have. That is why I salute all those couples who decided to take a plunge together into the marriage pool of uncertainties and challenges: my sis and Jake, Abby and Ton, and to all the others out there who have made up their minds to share their lives together. I just hope that it was a decision made out of genuine love.

As for me, I am still waiting. Waiting if God indeed has destined a man out there for me. Yes, I do feel lonely sometimes. Frankly speaking, I envy my sis who seems so happy and contented now with li’l Zoe and husband Jake. She felt complete. Although I don’t personally believe that you need a man to complete you (contrary to Jerry Mc Guire’s popular quote, You complete me ). I think YOU COMPLEMENT ME would be more appropriate .

Sorry, that bitter root in my heart has resurfaced again. ‘to kaseng si Bryan Adams eh. But, no, I’m okay. I’m doing great. I have my sweet and caring family with me. I’ve got good friends, blog and text buddies who I consider my stress-relievers, and a decent job that gets me through the financial crunch.

Excuse me while I wait for someone to shoot the moon and put out the sun for me.

*Just a repost from an old blog entry. Medyo may pagkasenti kase...eh senti mode ako ngayon. Basta walang kokontra.

MAPAPA-WOWOWEE KA DITO

2006-05-25T22:00:00.000-07:00

Kung ang Wowowee lang sana ay nagpapremyo ng ganitong klaseng nilalang nuong nagka-stampede, malamang nakipagpatayan na rin sana ko dun sa ULTRA. Haayyy...Lord sana nag-duplicate ka pa ng maraming ganito at isinabog mo sila sa Pilipinas..

LIFE'S SIMPLE PLEASURES

2006-05-24T15:44:00.000-07:00

Mei asked me to accomplish this meme, so while I am impatiently waiting for the reunion pics from my friends (anu bah...baka abutan pa yan ng 20th year naten!!) I pondered for a while what puts spice in my regimented life.

Ten simple delights that I dig..hmmm..that would be...

1. nap time after lunch during weekends

2. watching DVD's while eating kaldero-ed (not microwaved, sorry) popcorn and endless cans of ice-cold Coke.

3. bath time (while belting out Sesame Street's , "Rubber Ducky, you're the one,you make bathtime lots of fun..." )

4. playing with li'l Zoe

5. waiting for Manong magbabalut for a dose of my favorite exotic dish (at least once a week)

6. coloring my coloring book (how else should I say it?? and yeah I have several coloring book in my room)

7. cooking dinner for the family and subjecting them to "culinary torture"

8. bashing (at anyone...hehehe...you're so eee-vuhhhllll, pearl)

9. going over old stuff like letters, photo albums, clothes

10. watching "Ginintuang Telon" every Saturday. FYI, this program has been showing old LVN/Sampaguita movies and I kinda enjoy seeing the young faces of Susan Roces, Eddie Gutierrez, Gloria Romero and Dolphy. You know, those movies where they would just break into a song in the middle of a tearjerking scene or dance the boogie, rock-and-roll, or rhumba (Juanita banana..Juanita banana...)?

That's it. Can't think of anything more. And now I want abby, momel, carla, frea (are you still there, girl?), singlguy, puset, steph, stealingstars (who dropped by my blog a few days ago) to answer the same meme. Sorry di umabot ng sampu.

HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

2006-05-17T16:43:00.000-07:00

I can't wait 'til Saturday. The much-awaited homecoming of our batch has finally materialized. There were several futile attempts by certain groups to gather the brightest, most good-looking alumni of class 1988 but I guess the right time has come.

I hope to see several personalities in this gathering. Top of my list is my high school "tropa" which includes Techie, Ana, Raquel, Gloria, Cecile, Lourdes and Clay. I guess Techie won't be there because she's in the States and she wasn't notified early on. Ana is in Muntinlupa, married with four kids. I haven't heard from her since time immemorial. Raquel is in Subic. The organizers told me they were able to contact her but were not sure if she's coming. Cecile is one of the "komite de pestejos" who prepared the audio-visual eklavu gimmick for the event. Lourdes, the baby of the group, is having second thoughts whether she'll go with her hubby (Charlie, another alumnus) or not. She has to take care of their FIVE kids. I repeat- FIVE. Clay will have the chance to say goodbye to us before leaving for Australia to be with Larry (her husband, an alumnus too) and their kidoks. Gloria, my closest pal, will be going with me. She's the panganay in our cicle. Maagang lumandi yan. She was 18 years old when she gave birth to Jezreel- my inaanak. She got separated at 21 and remarried at 34. She had numerous flings with other guys in between. Gloria is my confidante, my sister, my spa-manicure-pedicure buddy and my surrogate mom too (",)

I'll be blogging about my high school girl friends later on.

Now going back to my list. I also want to see my crush, Rico. (Geesssh...now I'm having those high school kilig feelings again...ahihihi..) I swear he looked like Clark Kent with that ooommpphh body and sexy eyeglasses. Kaya nga code name ko sa kanya nun SUPERMAN. ( Yiii....baduuyyy noh??! ) He was also a top CAT officer back then and girls would swoon over him everytime he takes over and gives commands to the entire batallion. Last thing I heard of him he was separated from his nagger-of-a-wife (ayon sa aking bubwit) which got me into thinking: so pwede na kame ???

Lastly, I wanna meet my former teachers again; those that left an indelible mark in my young life. There's Mr. Marquez (our gay Math teacher who once joked "Girls, get your Algebra book. Boys, your Alge-brief"), Mrs. Tuquib (another Math teacher who was also my KUMARE because we were neighbors back then and my mom became friends and I eventually became ninang to her eldest ) and Mrs. delos Santos, who was like a mom to our barkada. ( Epal kase kame kaya close kame sa mga teachers. ) Strange, but all my favorite teachers are MATH teachers and ironically, I hate the subject; in fact, I ABHOR it. Siguro nga masokista ko.

Haayyy...excited na ko. The reunion would be very simple. No big fuzz, no achuchuchu presentations of sorts. Just a gathering of the brightest, most gorgeous batch that our school has ever produced.

Hail, Alma Mater!

ZOE'S CHRISTENING

2006-05-04T20:56:00.000-07:00

Zoe Ysobel was baptized in the Catholic faith last May 29th right after her mom and dad tied the knot in civil rites- yes, the same day.

She was a little pasaway though during her baptism ceremonies which obviously irked the officiating priest...hehehe....siguro dahil nabibingi na yung pari sa lakas ng ingay niya, he told my sis, "Neng, itapat mo sa electric fan yan. Ang init kase ng suot eh." Hahaha. What can we do? She's allergic to heat. Konya-in-the-making.

Anyway, Zoe was pacified though when the mom did exactly what the priest said. Then when Father I-can't-remember-his-name poured holy water on Zoe's head, the li'l rascal cried to the max again. Sabi nga ni Ninang Malen sa sis ko, "Hoy Mare, natutunaw na ata si Zoe", which sent guffaws from all the Ninongs and Ninangs around her.

When I told my sis, her hubby and baby Zoe to pose for pictures in front of the altar, the future diva stopped crying ba naman and immediately cooed and smiled at the camera! Whatta...may pagka-showbiz pa ata ang pamangkin ko!

Well, all's well that ends well. Of course, reception followed afterwards. Hehehe. Parang invitation. Dami food. Pig-out, pare.

ZOE UPDATES

2006-05-04T20:29:00.000-07:00

Okay...while I am still thinking what my new blog would look like, I wanna brag again about my adorable, cute-as-an-angel Zoe bebe. Here are some of her latest pics. And heck, you would definitely agree with me that she oughtta be in baby commercials...Not that I wanna be a stage aunt..but hey, take a look!

UNDER CONSTRUCTION

2006-04-23T00:10:00.000-07:00

Please bear with me. The site is still under construction. Sorry for the incovenience. I hope to serve you better.

DARN TO THE NTH POWER!

2006-04-22T23:58:00.000-07:00

Obviously guys, this is an entirely new blog. The previous one just went poofed! I don't have the slightest idea how it got deleted in the blogsphere. Perhaps blogger.com peeked through my cocoon and decided to get rid of trash...hey, no bitter feelings :-)

On the second thought.....%#^$@* !!!!