take a break

asked directions from a traffic enforcer...

traffic enforcer:  'there's a con there...  you enter the con...'

me:  'what's a con?'

traffic enforcer:  'the orange!'

then he forms the shape of a cone with his hands...

me:  'ah, cone!  ok...  thank you.. '

E is the most used letter in the english alphabet...  he gave it a rest...  ; )

heads-up

driving along a uni-directional long straight road...

waze:  'watch out <inaudible> on road ahead...'

me:  'what did it say?'

mom:  'watch out.'

me:  'after that?'

mom:  'road ahead.'

me:  'hehe...  what did it say in between?'

mom:  'i just heard 'watch out road ahead'...'

me:  'i heard 'watch out,' too...  and 'on road ahead'...  what's the complete warning?'

mom:  'what does it usually say?'

me:  'it varies...  but there's no point in saying just 'watch out road ahead.'  there really should be a road ahead.  if suddenly there's none, then that's really grave...'

and then i heard a thud  ->  i drove over this depressed drainage grill on the road!  :O

oh, ok...  question answered...  ; }

man and machine

waiting for the green light at an intersection...  i'm in the middle lane; my aunt's vehicle to my left...  she rolls down her window...

aunt:  'you're turning right!'

me:  'oh?  i'm waiting for waze to speak...  it hasn't told me...'

aunt:  'it might be on mute...'

me:  'it was talking earlier...'

i checked...  i have a connection error...  :O

technology failed; a human saved the day....

all is well...  : )

transcend

so yesterday i received a birthday greeting from someone who will always be special.  greeting was almost a month late.  guy explains he got sick plus he forgot the password for his files.

oh...  ahahaha...  so i'm in the 'protected' list, eh!  understandable.  some things cannot be.  some things shouldn't be.

he wanted us to meet up.  actually, i've years back told him that i'm not going to see him anymore.  that hasn't stopped him from asking me out every now and then (♩ ♪  i find myself wondering about you baby  ♫ ♬  wahaha...).  to my credit, i've managed to say no (take a bow, self <heartbreak>).

anyway, this time i told him to take a rain check and collect NEXT LIFETIME.  i reminded him to make sure he remains free in the next lifetime until he meets me.  that way it won't be too late.  the timing will be perfect.  it won't be sad to belong.

pass it on

at a burger place...

me to mom:  'i'm still full...  let's just share an ultimate...'

mom:  'no...  let's have separate orders...'

me:  'you can't finish one...'

mom:  'we can bring home what's left over...'

oh...  ok...

we ordered three ultimates:  two to-go; one dine-in for my mom.  since i wanted us to have different orders (for plate-surfing purposes, hehe), i tried the supposedly spicy 'burger from hell' (it didn't turn out to be that spicy to me though).

i finished mine; my mom had half left.

hmmm...  i make it a point to finish what's on my plate unless it's really unpalatable.  i learned it from my grandma  ->  my mom's mom.

i'm thinking if she taught it to her grandchildren then she also must have taught it to her children.

1.  but yup, seniors do get exempted.

2.  bringing home your leftovers is equivalent to finishing your food.

all is well...  : )

payback

me to nephew: 'oh, have you been naughty? all your children are girls... they say you'll pay through them, right?'

nephew: 'just like grandpa [my dad]...'

ahahaha... toinks! ; p

wait, i do have a brother... does that mean my dad was a little nice? ; )

inertia

picking up my sister...  as i was approaching the gate of their office, the guard motioned for me to turn left...  and then he assisted me as i squeezed my car in the remaining space with a tree so close to my right and another one in front (no, it's not really supposed to be a parking area but there are so many, too many, vehicles there )...

once settled, i told the guard:  'i'm picking up <sister's first name>...'

guard:  '<first name> <last name>?'

me:  'yes...'

guard:  'you should have told me earlier!  i would have let you in...'

eh?!  i didn't have a chance to talk!  he right away directed me up the pavement from afar!

oh, well...  i'm already ensconced in nature...  soil under my wheels; trees i so carefully avoided hitting close by...  the only time i'll again break sweat to navigate out of this slot is when my sister and i are ready to go home...

i rolled my window all the way down...  might as well enjoy the wind in my hair...

try again

mom's friend:  'it's been so long since i last saw you!'

me:  'when did we last see each other, tita?'

mom's friend:  'at your wedding...'

me:  'oh!  hehe...  so long ago...  see you at my next wedding...'

;"p

fair deal

i hate it when people change arrangements at the last minute.  it's fine if something cropped up.  but if you change it just because you suddenly changed your mind, i think that is rude and inconsiderate.  it annoys me and turns me off.

i like to schedule my to-dos in the most efficient way possible.  you know time-motion studies?   well, not that level but something close.  i like to do things in the minimal number of steps.  i don't like wasted effort.  i don't like wasted time.  (btw, i do believe that time you enjoy wasting is not wasted time.)

last minute change of scheds irk me most, especially if you suddenly move it earlier, e.g., afternoon to morning, tomorrow instead of a day later.

a close second is change of venues.  i'm a sieve for locations.  i get lost navigating supposedly simple routes.  if i'm going someplace unfamiliar then, i like to check out maps and directions beforehand.  if you suddenly change the venue, that means all the googling i did are all for naught.

fine if you just switch venues within the same place.  for example, you change venues within a mall, i don't mind that at all.  at least i'd still be driving to the same mall.  maybe parking at a different wing or walking farther but i'm ok with those.  what i don't like is expecting to drive from point A to point B then suddenly being told it's now going to be from point A to point C.

tip, therefore:
next time you're going to ask me, just tell me something is tentative.  don't act like everything is definite only to switch to something else at the last minute.

warning though:
my response will also be tentative.  i say yes because i am given this set of information.  if the set changes, then my reply might not be a yes anymore.

now or never

i was about to clamber up the sink in my laundry area to take pics of the supermoon when i heard my brother calling at the door.  i walked over and there he was returning one of my memory cards.

he mentioned that they have no internet and the light on their desktop wouldn't turn off even if he has unplugged everything.

really?

i put down my camera and followed him to their place.  there i tinkered with the cables and modem plus network settings.  ta-daan!!!  we traced the light to the monitor plus got the internet working.

i went back to my place and when i looked up the sky, it was all just clouds!  whaaattt???!!!  closest in 68 years and i missed it?!  my, my, my, my (sharona! ;"p)...

oh, well...  i do have snaps taken from my parents' place earlier (not with the settings and composition i had in mind though)...  plus i did see it sans cam  <-  that is what matters.

nevertheless, reminder/note to self:
some things can wait.
some won't.
know your priorities.

man on the moon

supermoon!

♩ ♪  can you read my mind?
do you know what it is you do to me?  ♫ ♬

;")

second opinion

afternoon dad asked me to check the directions for Ensure Gold.

i read aloud:
"... put 195 mL of cold water in a glass..."

dad:  'cold water?  not hot?'

me:  'it says cold.'

dad:  'cold...'

i resume:
"Gradually add 6 level scoops (scoop enclosed) or 53.5 g of ENSURE GOLD powder, while stirring and mix until dissolved."

ok.

nighttime my niece came over.  dad again asks her to check the directions if it's really cold water.

eh?

hmmm...  okay.  just like when your team loses.  you say you'll watch the replay as they might win there.

; p

ppap

sister asking what dad wants to eat...

sister:  'there's grapes, papaya, pineapple, apple...'

me:  'pen!  pen pineapple apple pen!'

;"p

wrong tree

i call Dusit...

staff:  'sawasdee ka...'

me:  'good afternoon...  could you connect me to Flavors, please?'

staff:  'flavors?'

me:  'yup...  Flavors...'

staff:  'what flavors, ma'am?'

me:  'the restaurant...  oh, wait, The Pantry!'

staff:  'oh!  i'll connect you to The Pantry, ma'am...'

me:  'no, no!  sorry...  i was supposed to call Holiday Inn...'

:"}

what's in my bag

going out with my mom...

mom:  'this is not what i was supposed to wear but i had to change...'

me:  'why?'

mom:  'the first one didn't go well with my bag...'

me:  'why didn't you just change bags?'

mom:  'i'd rather bring this one...  it's lighter...'

haha...  lighter alright but heavy still...

mine, that is light  ->  really light...  it's not even a bag...  it's just a pouch the size of my phone...  the contents?

1.  a credit card
2.  an ATM card
3.  an ID
4.  my keys
5.  my phone
6.  a comb the size of my palm

sometimes i bring
7.  cash
->  P200 max
my mom is horrified, wahaha...  ; p

well, i've zoomed in on what's essential and don't carry excess weight.

baggage is optional.  travel light.

: )

life hacks

on the phone with a friend of my mom's (yup, they call me...)...

so we were having a pretty good chat and my mom's friend told me that she talks to me because she likes me (aw...  thanks...  :") )...

she says she's picky about the people she talks to...  she says she attended charley barretto's science of mind and man seminars years back and one of the things she remembers is the principle of osmosis  ->  'be careful about the people in your periphery for they affect you...  if they are negative or stress you out, stay away...'

me:  'oh, i go by the same, tita!  one of my favorites:

"not everyone deserves a seat at the table of your life."'

you don't have to associate with everyone.  you don't have to get involved in everything.

learn when to walk away from people and situations that threaten your peace, annoy you or hurt you.

life is simpler that way.  and better.

more than meets the eye

going back and forth from the bed to the balcony...

me to sister:  'you know why i keep on going out?'

sister:  'you're breaking wind?'

me:  'whaaattt???!!!  no!  i put the pocket wifi in the balcony and i'm repositioning it to get a better signal!'

sister:  'oh...  all the while i thought you were expelling air...  you keep on going in and out and there's nothing at all in your hands...'

oh.  my.  goodness.

:"}

boo

sister:  'what are you playing?'

me:  'nothing...'

sister:  'i heard tuko-tuko...'

me:  'yeah...  'twas the gecko...'

sister:  'a real one?'

me:  'yup!'

sister:  'how big is it?'

me:  'i haven't seen it...  i've just been hearing it...'

sister:  'i thought it was just something you were playing...'

me:  'nope...  it's a real gecko...'

sister:  'where is it?'

me:  'i dunno...  somewhere near?'

sister gets up and closes the bedroom door...  ; p