gotcha

friend received a lot of video greetings in facebook messenger...

friend:  'i'm just replying to these messages without watching the video...  would they know?'

me:  'well, if Seen timestamp is, for example, 10:53 and your reply is also 10:53 and the video is 2 minutes long then if they notice that they'd know...'

; )

misleading

i paid real property taxes at quezon city hall yesterday.  we usually pay previous year's taxes within the first quarter of the following year but last november 17, while waiting for the green light at the intersection of EDSA and quezon avenue, my mom and i saw being flashed on this electronic board a reminder to pay real property taxes by december 31, 2017 to avail of the 20% discount.  we thought the message was an official statement from the local government as it was part of the presentation citing quezon city's awards among others being played on loop onscreen.

well, it turns out deadline for the discount is still march 31.

a public relations officer at the payment venue said quezon city government personnel were currently meeting about it as they have been receiving a lot of calls regarding the deadline.  she said the message will be corrected within the day.

i have yet to pass that way again so i don't know whether the reminder has been updated.

anyway, that electronic board was supposed to be informative.  it turned out to be misleading.

next time *review*.

wasted

two data items that could provide useful information rendered inaccurate...  at best, indicative;
at worst, misleading.

GIGO  ->  garbage in, garbage out

what for?

i want to pick something up myself but my friend is saying he'll just be the one to deliver it to me...

me:  'your officemates might wonder why you got it...'

friend:  'i'll tell them i'll bring it to my mom...'

me:  'don't lie!  something like that that you're gonna lie?!  you'll eventually get used to it...  don't...'

friend:  'then i'll tell them it's for you...'

me:  'haha... don't!  you don't have to explain everything...  if they wonder then just let them...'

not all information are relevant...  material information you have an obligation to disclose; immaterial, you can keep to yourself...  : )

time-motion

me:  'what time do we leave?'

mom:  'can we make it in one hour?'

me:  'i'm not sure...  i dunno how traffic will be...'

mom:  'what did <brother> say?'

me:  'leave at 8:45...'

mom:  'then let's leave at 8:45...'

me:  'your clock or the real time?'

mom:  'cellphone time...'

hehe...  ok...

my parents' wall clock is advanced by 10 minutes...  they deliberately set it that way...  and then when they check the time, they often subtract 10 minutes...  wahehe...  makes me wince...  additional step that could be forgone...

me, the only time my clock will be ahead is if it accelerates on its own...  and if that hapens, i'm sure to replace the clock...

no dispensable steps for me...  i try to trim down processes as much as i can  ->  efficiency...  : )

attire

friend:  'you're getting daring now...'

me:  'what do you mean?'

friend:  'you're showing cleavage...  and stomach...  and thighs...'

me:  'the pics in facebook?'

friend:   'yes!'

me:  'gah!  those are old pics...  throwback...  and they're not daring...  i was in a pool...  i was in boracay, underwater...  those are normal outfits there...'

friend:  'i haven't seen you wear such clothes...'

me:  'we've never gone swimming together!  now if i wear my bikini to a restaurant, that is daring...'

; p

stick to one

looking for an outfit for our butterfly-print party...

me:  'miss, you have butterfly prints?'

saleslady:  'none, ma'am...  just floral...'

i move to the next brand...

me:  'miss, you have butterfly?'

saleslady:  'none, ma'am...'

next brand...

me:  'miss, you have butterfly?'

saleslady:  'none, ma'am...'

i move from brand to brand asking the same question and getting the same answer, i.e., 'none, ma'am...'

and then,
me:  'miss, you have butterfly?'

saleslady:  'none, ma'am...  just floral...'

me: 'aw...  have i asked you earlier?'

saleslady:  'yes, ma'am...'

so i've circled the place!

no butterfly prints.

i therefore just went back to the rack with ribbon prints and bought a top...  the ribbons resembled butterflies anyway...

after paying for my purchase, i went to this outlet within the same department store and guess what, there was a shirt peppered with butterfly prints!  waaahhh!!!  i just bought a top!

oh, well...  i decided to buy the shirt as well...

these are just clothes anyway...  i can have as many as i want...  unlike relationships where, even if you see someone better, you're not supposed to add to what you have.

unlike

talking food...

friend:  'go to lula's...  the kare-kare there is really good!'

me:  'kare-kare?  they say iago's is good, too...'

friend:  'where?'

me:  'iago's...  I, A, G, O...'

friend:  'oh...  how 'bout santiago's?  have you eaten at santiago's?'

me:  'i haven't...  what's their specialty?'

friend:  'specialty?  wait, no, not santiago's...  that's a funeral parlor...'

me:  'cadaver?!'

and just like that, i lost my appetite...  : }

caught on cam

asking a friend for an original file of our pic he posted in facebook (i don't want a downloaded copy; i want a jpg taken by the cam)...

he asks whether it's not from my camera...

i tell him we have pics from my cam but i haven't uploaded (uhm, my uploads are over a year late)...

he says he'll check...

suddenly i had doubts on whether the pic was taken from my camera after all...  i did send him some of the shots i took...

i revisit the post...  well, i was holding my cam in the pic!

it's not a mirror shot so it definitely wasn't from my cam...
there were only two cams involved so if it isn't mine, it's his...

some clues are conclusive...

case closed...  ; )

hello, boobs

i walk into an eatery to meet two high school classmates one of whom was my high school best friend.  she is based abroad but we're in touch in facebook.  we last saw each other a year ago.

best friend:  'you've lost weight!  your boobs are smaller!'

nyahaha!  that is how you greet me?!

i know there's a leg-man and a boob-man...  i didn't know there's also a boob-girl...  or maybe being a doctor she just checked me up physically?

anyhow, me, i'm a butt-girl...

cheeky..   ;")

don't risk it

i went to a bank noontime and when i arrived, i saw the guard hunched on the Express Assist machine.  the terminal is where bank clients encode details of their transaction after which a queue number will come out of a slot.

for at least a full three minutes, the guard, with his back to practically the whole room, was trying to fix the paper on the mini-printer.

i used to head security, IT security, not the security guards but they are part because of physical security.  you have to protect the infrastructure and control who has access to different areas.  i feel really uneasy seeing guards doing stuff that prevent them from keeping watch.

multi-tasking is fine as long as the other tasks would not be done at the expense of one's vital function.

we should always keep the stakes in mind.  security vs. a queue number?  the choice is clear.

hh:mm:ss

friend:  'where do we meet?'

me:  'either first floor or second floor...  you choose...  it's so small...  for sure i'll find you...'

friend:  'let's meet at the third floor...'

me:  'huh?!  the third floor has been closed a long time...'

friend:  'oh, it's closed?!  i didn't know...  good thing you do...'

me:  'i buy my peanut butter there...'

friend:  'okay...  let's just meet at the second floor...'

me:  'what time?'

friend:  'i'll just wash my face and brush my teeth then i'll leave...'

me:  'how long does it take you to do that?'

friend:  '10 minutes...'

me:  'okay...  i'll leave in 10 minutes...'

friend:  'what time do you have?'

me:  '11:23...  i'll leave 11:30...'

friend:  'not 11:30!'

me:  'why?'

friend:  'you leave 11:33...'

nyahaha...  so precise...

okay...  what second?  ; )

good and bad

i was sweeping the alley between the neighbor's and my brother's houses and i see two scavengers sitting in the open part of our property...

i remind them not to litter...

scavenger:  'we won't litter!  i, too, clean our place...  my grandmother's already old so i help her by doing it myself...'

me:  'wow, that's good of you...  you think of oldies...  some people don't...  they keep on leaving their mess even if they know my dad tidies up daily...  i try to clean it myself because if i don't, my dad or my brother would...'

scavenger:  'my grandmother's sick so i'm really the one who does the cleaning now...'

me:  'aw!  ' hope she gets well soonest...  my dad's not that strong anymore but he still cleans this area everyday...  he's been doing it for years...'

then i ask them to move a bit as i'm going to sweep the gutter...  one moves closer to the part of the gutter with black soil...

me:  'don't get too close... that's dirty...  that used to be like this <i point to the clear, concrete gutter>...  now you don't see the concrete anymore because it's been covered with soil...  it retains the water and the impurities sink in...  some brazen and thoughtless people dumped soil on both ends of our garage and did not clean up...'

scavenger:  'who?'

me, pointing to the neighbor through their window:  'them...  i told her when it was delivered to make sure they clean up lest it clogs the gutter...  well, their house has been finished for months and the soil is still here [in the gutter in front of my brother's house]...  maybe they expect my dad, my brother or me to again clean it up...

<i point to a spot with a "PLS. DO NOT THROW YOUR GARBAGE HERE" sign>

the sacks there, they were the ones who dumped those there, too...  it's been there for months...  so irresponsible and shameless!  don't be like that...'

scavenger:  'we're not like that!'

me:  'good!'

change topic

on the phone with a friend...

me:  'why are we talking about me?  you're the one who is sick...  we should talk about you...'

friend:  'i'm okay now...'

me:  'you have no more fever?'

friend:  'no more...'

me:  'you're not feeling unwell anymore?'

friend:  'not anymore...'

me:  'okay...  then we can talk about me...'

nyahaha...  self-centered...  ;"p

well-meaning

i was standing on a road island waiting to cross to the other side...  i was looking around when i heard the blowing  of horn...  it turns out the oncoming vehicle stopped and the driver was motioning me to cross...  i was along a pedestrian lane and he was giving me priority  <-  something not common hereabouts...

there were still a lot of vehicles on the next lane...  there is a stoplight on the previous corner and once that turns red the flow would be reduced...  there is another stoplight on the next corner and once it turns red, the vehicles would stop...  i therefore motioned the driver to go ahead...

he wouldn't!  with a smile, he insistently signaled me to cross...

aww, he was trying to be kind...  i did not have the heart to reject the gesture especially since he was holding up the vehicles behind him so cross i did...

well, i got stuck between two lanes as the vehicles on the second lane did not stop for me...

wahaha...  i was safe on the island!  it was maybe six inches above street level...    vehicles were going in one direction on one side of the island and in the opposite direction on the other side...  i was shielded by a pillar to my right and was under the shade of an elevated railway...  i was fine where i was but was too accommodating to stay put and now find myself in a position of danger...

lessons:
1.  don't lose the forest for the trees.
2.  good intentions don't always produce good results.
3.  sometimes you just have to say no.

let me count the ways

craving hopia...

friend:  'how many do you want?'

me:  'three?'

friend:  'i love you?'

me:  'haha...   okay, five.'

friend:  'i love you very much?'

me:  'hahaha...  six!'

friend:  'i love you very much, <toot>?'

hahahahaha...
siomai love for you;
hopia love me, too...  ; )

baby, maybe

text message from a friend:
"call me baby"

me:  'how come there's "baby"?  it used to be just "call me."  now you suddenly have "baby"...'

friend:  'i had in mind the song:
♩ ♪  hey, i just met you  ♫ ♬'

me:  'carly rae [jepsen]?'

friend:  '♩ ♪  and this is crazy  ♫ ♬'

me:  'yea!  carly rae...'

friend:  '♩ ♪  but here's my number
so call me, maybe  ♫ ♬

ooops...  yea!  that one's "maybe"!'

yeah, baby, yeah!
->  <austin powers  dance>  ; p

knowledge-sharing

i was in line at the cashier when i saw 'my juice' (hehe...  i drink it everyday) in the cart of the customer behind me...

me:  'excuse me...  there's a promo bottle of that.  taller.  20% more but same price.  it's on the lower shelf.'

lady thanks me, goes to replace her bottle then very happily thanks me again upon her return.

i saved someone some money today.  let's drink (juice) to that...  : )

asset and liability

friend informing me about our party...

me:  'what time?'

friend:  '5:00 p.m...'

me:  'so early?!'

friend:  'because you have a camera...'
[no, it's not about a security check.  it's because i like to take pics.]

me:  'if there's no camera?'

friend:  '6:00...'

then i won't bring my cam...  ; p

beyond the season

noticed what looked like christmas trees on a plate my cousin posted in facebook...

i asked whether it's already a christmas plate...

she said yes, adding they start using the plates come -ber months until the first half of the following year...

wow...  that's a whole lotta christmas!  : D

uhm, i used to have a christmas lantern and christmas lights at the garage in my previous house and they stayed there daily for years...  the lantern was big and the christmas lights were coiled around this bar near the ceiling...  i had a hard time putting them up and i know it will be difficult to take them down so i just left them there...  :"}

christmas everyday...  : )

one and only

friend:  'is <toot> special to you?'

me:  'huh?!  what do you mean?'

friend:  'you said the one in your heart is not in your fb...  i don't see him there...  so is he in your heart?'

hahahahaha...  what i wrote in my blog was if someone is more than just a friend, he won't be in my [facebook] timeline; he'd be in my heart.

but it doesn't mean that just because someone doesn't appear in my timeline he's already in my heart!  otherwise it would be too crowded there...  my heart has room for only one...  <3

standard

i've been calling the PLDT hotline for several nights now because of high pings in my parents' internet connection...  300 to 600!  they'd refresh and then it will go down to 2 digits...

well, PLDT tech support showed up at my parents' place.  when i told them (as i have been telling the hotline as well) daytime ping's fine and it only crawls nighttime, they did not enter the house anymore.

and guess what, they told me they've been told a ping of around 300 is normal.  really?!  what are we pinging here, the farthest country from the philippines?!

hello, PLDT.  hello!!!

standard

i've been calling the PLDT hotline for several nights now because of high pings in my parents' internet connection...  300 to 600!  they'd refresh and then it will go down to 2 digits...

well, PLDT tech support showed up at my parents' place.  when i told them (as i have been telling the hotline as well) daytime ping's fine and it only crawls nighttime, they did not enter the house anymore.

and guess what, they told me they've been told a ping of around 300 is normal.  really?!  what are we pinging here, the farthest country from the philippines?!

hello, PLDT.  hello!!!

more ways than one

teen 1:  'ate, do you know <name>?'

me:  'aw, no...  what's the surname?'

teen 1:  '<surname>...'

me:  'ay, i don't know anyone with that surname...  what's their street?'

teen 2:  'she's female...'

me:  'yeah...  the name sounds female...  what's their street?'

teen 1:  'we don't know...'

teen 2:  'they have a tricycle...'

me:  'oh, tricycle?  you can ask any of the tricycle drivers when you see one...  or you can ask the barangay...'

teen 2:  'never mind...'

me:  'the barangay is so near!  it's just there!  <i point to a fence 5 meters away>...  i'm going that way...  you can follow me...'

teen 2:  'it's okay...  never mind...'

me:  'how will you find her?'

teen 1:  'let's try the barangay...'

teen 2:  'no!'

teen 1:  'all we're going to do is ask you're already saying no?!  c'mon!'

teen 2 balks but teen 1 pulls her...

they follow me...

some people are more receptive than others...

it's not what you think

my parents were at this fastfood outlet and when they come back my mom happily tells me she bought me chocolate mousse...

me:  'thank  youuu!!!'  : D
(i love chocolate mousse...  and turtle pie...  and brazo de mercedes...  and so on and so forth, hehe)

i eat the mousse and, uhm, i didn't like it...  i found it too sweet (i like sweet but for mousse i prefer just very mildly sweet)...

i didn't tell her but later i will...  otherwise she just might keep on buying me said mousse...

of some other food, my parents have had this exchange before:

dad:  'why do you keep on buying this?  no one eats it!'

mom:  'i see you eating it so i thought you like it...'

dad:  'i don't...  the only reason i eat it is so it won't go to waste...'

: }

nothing special

friend:  'who's the guy in your fb?'

me:  'which one?  actually whoever it is, he definitely is just a friend...  anything more than that he won't be in my timeline...  he'd be in my heart...'

friend:  'then i don't want to be in your timeline...'

me:  'haha...  why?'

friend:  'so i could be in your heart...'

wahaha...  hope springs eternal...  ; )

to the max

friend:  'what do you want for christmas?  material...'

me:  'material?  hmmm...  is time material?'

friend:  'something that can be bought...'

me:  'dinner?  a nice one...'

friend:  'not restaurants...'

me:  'chocs!  no raisins, with nuts...'

friend:  'not food...'

me:  'haha...  water?  is water food?'

friend:  'what the...?!  what material thing do you want to receive for christmas???!!!'

me:  'wahaha...  you mad, bro?  i already have so much stuff!  maybe something that will disappear eventually...  toilet paper...  toothpaste...  soap...  body wash...'

friend:  'those things?!'

me:  'why not?'

friend:  'for christmas!'

me:  'y'know, my house is already so full...  i have no more space...  unless you're going to buy me a new house...'

nyahaha...

♩ ♪  baby, i'm worth it  ♫ ♬

; p

selfish

so the neighbor was again playing basketball past 11:30 last night.  my dad got up from bed, walked over to the neighbor's and reminded them to limit their game up to 10:00 p.m. so as not to disturb those who are already asleep.  he was firm but this time he was not loud.

my dad already flared up on these people last august.  i teased him then that his voice was louder than the noise of the neighbors he was berating.  he was scolding them at the top of his lungs close to midnight!

my dad's rant:

1.  kaiingay ninyo
->  you are noisy

2.  gabi na, may natutulog nang mga tao
->  it's nighttime, some people are already asleep
[it was 11:45 p.m.]

3.  ilang beses na kayong sinabihan
->  you've been told many times

4.  matagal na kayong pinagpapasensiyahan
->  we've been putting up with you a long time

5.  hindi lang kayo ang nangakatira dito
->  you're not the only ones living here

6.   may mga kapitbahay kayo
->  you have neighbors

7.  hindi ba kayo nahihiya?
->  aren't you ashamed?

8.  hindi puwedeng palaging pasensiya
->  not all the time people will put up with you

the last one my dad kept on repeating...

it's really not just noise that has been annoying him.  he (and i, too) has many times called their attention to a host of other things as well.

if we'll go by track record, the scene will be repeated again in the future...  some people are just brazenly inconsiderate...  may the things they do to others come back to them a hundredfold.

rough diamond

at a fastfood...  noticed a little boy watching me eat...

decided to have some fun...  i overloaded my spoon then took a really unrefined heaping mouthful...

boy's stare turned into a squint!

wahaha...

women come in all shapes and sizes and ways and temperaments, little boy...  and we are all a gem... <3

sun and rain

paid my phone bill at the mall...  i arrived just as the customer at the counter finished her transaction...  i was next and was done in a breeze...  : )

checked out stuff after...  picked up three items...  i was sooo happy with my intended purchase...  i really liked them...  : D

i proceeded to the cashiers...  eh?!  the lines were soooooo loooooonnggg!!!  waaahhhh!!!

i decided to just return the merchandise and leave...  :'(

♩ ♪  it's not always rainbows and butterflies  ♫ ♬

inform

going someplace...

me to mom:  'what's the address?'

mom:  '<street name>.'

me:  '<street>?  where is that?'

mom:  'they're just near <toot>'s house...'

uhm...  i don't know <toot>'s house...  actually, i don't even know <toot>...

: }

more than i could chew

friend:  'what did you have for dinner?'

me:  'sandwich...  peanut butter and cheesy spread...'

friend:  'you combined peanut butter and cheese?!'

me:  'gah!  no!  separate breads, different spreads...'

friend:  'haha...  okay...'

me:  'and know what, i ate half a loaf of bread...  you know gardenia's regular loaf?  half of that i consumed in one meal!'

friend:  'i thought you said pauper for dinner...
[i like to say:
breakfast like a king,
lunch like a princess,
dine like a pauper.]
were you hungry?'

me:  'not really.  but i noticed my bread's expiring tomorrow so i ate it all today...'

friend:  'what the...  you might suffer indigestion!'

penny-wise, pound-foolish...  :"}

generations

i first came across Titas of Manila in twitter a couple of years ago.  i found it amusing.

i also got to read articles about what certified titas supposedly are and there are aspects that i definitely could relate to, wahaha...

then last week a former officemate added me to the facebook group Classic Pare® Titos and Titas of Manila...  guess what, was i surprised to see that my nieces, who all this time i've still been seeing as kiddos, are in the group!

so my nieces are now certified titas themselves?!

waaahhhh!!!

i guess it's time to move to the next level...

"Apo, just saw ur Bora pics. Pls wear a shirt naman. Luv u"
-  @LolasOfManila

;"p

friend zone

on the phone...

me:  'what's that?  i hear splashing...  like waves...'

friend:  'rain...'

me:  'oh!  it's raining there?  where are you?'

friend:  'in your elbow...'

me:  'where?'

friend:  'in your elbow!'

me:  'elbow?  my elbow?'

friend:  'yes...'

me:  'i don't get it...'

friend:  'for others, it's "in your heart," right?  me, i'm just in your elbow...'

wahehe...  so near and yet so far...  ; p

as you like it

reminded a friend it's the last day to return the item we ordered online for his mom during the singles' day sale last november 11 (11/11)...
[aw!  sorry i was a bit off on this one...  reckoning date should be delivery date not purchase date]

he tells me there's no need to return as his mom is very happy with the item...

ei, good!  : )

before it was delivered, i told him to tell her to check it thoroughly upon receipt...

me:  'you can return within 14 days...  lazada has a satisfaction guarantee...'

friend:  'maybe i should order my wife from lazada, too...  satisfaction guaranteed!'

me:  'haha...  then pay through paypal so paypal will refund your shipping in case you decide to return...'

; p

make some noise

surprised to be tapped by my sister at a supermarket...  she said she heard me talking to a guy so she got to know i was there...

oh...  that...

so i was next (and last) in line at the cashier when i suddenly thought of getting this bottle of juice...

when i came back, i saw this guy about to push my cart away...

me:  'ay!  that's my cart!'

he apologizes and gives way for me to get back in the queue...

now i don't really know how this works...  i left my cart to get one item on a shelf five meters away...  another customer falls in line, sees my unmanned cart and was about to move it when i show up...  am i supposed to have lost my spot?  i wasn't sure so i decided to err on the side of giving and told him to go first...

he wouldn't though and told me i could go ahead...

me:  'you sure it's okay?'

he says it is.

me:  'it's perfectly fine with me to move behind you...'

he says i should go first.

i thank him profusely (i deeply appreciate considerate people)...

he assures me it's okay.

so that's the conversation my sister overheard.  without that, we might not have known we were at the same place at the same time.

everything happens for a reason...  : )

her everest

sister has pics with this car taken on different dates...

me:  'why do you take pics with that car?  you like it?'

sister:  'not really...  it's right where i pass...  i have pics taken simply because it's there...'

george mallory, is that you?  ; )

important

called PLDT customer service hotline (171) last night to report slowdown in my mom's internet connection...

(note:
the following figures are not precise...  unfortunately, i don't remember the exact pings from last night... i can assure you, however, that the figures stated here are correct in terms of the pings being in the 200+, 100+ then 30+ range.

me:  'ping is high...  271...'

customer:  'can you do speed test again, ma'am?'

i did...

me:  'ei, it became lower!   121!'

customer service:  'can you try again, ma'am?'

i did...

me:  'wow!  it's two digits!  35!  did you refresh?'

customer service:  'yes, ma'am...'

me:  'oh...  i've reported before that there's internet slowdown between 9:00 to 9:30 nightly...  before and after that, it's fine...  around 9:00 to 9:30, it crawls...  do i have to call for a refresh every time?'

customer service:  'yes, ma'am...'

me:  'can't you just do a refresh every 9 p.m.?'

customer service:  'it's not automatic, ma'am...'

me:  'hmmm...  so i have to call every time...  i've reported this before...  can you read to me what you logged in the ticket?'

customer service:  'ping is 35...'

me:  'huh?!  what happened to 271?!'

customer support:  'i disregarded that, ma'am, because i asked you to do another speed test...'

me:  'huh?!  you should include that because that is the reason i called...  i would not have called if ping were only 35...  i called because it was 271...  if technical support reads the ticket they might wonder why the customer is calling when ping is only 35...  include 271 and the 121...'

customer service obliged...

if you're going for brevity, make sure it's not key information you leave out.  that is misleading and would derail troubleshooting.  you don't solve problems that way.

hit-and-miss

my batt went empty so i charged my phone...

soon after i turned it on, a text message came in...  i think it was sent much earlier but then my phone was off so i wasn't able to read it right away...

i replied...

less than a minute later, a call from someone else came in...  the caller did not mention anything about being unable to get through earlier so i suppose it was a first attempt...

some timings are perfect;
some, off.

win some;
lose some.

kings and queens

joining my batchmates at the table during our high school's alumni homecoming, i noticed that the batchmate to my right had a sash printed with "Batch '81."

me:  'oh...  so you're Mr. Batch '81!'

then i saw that the batchmate to my left also had the same sash...

me:  'oh...  you're Miss Batch '81!  so you two are Mr. and Miss Batch '81!'

the other batchmates butted in saying they, too, have a sash...  then they gave me one as well...

ahahahahaha...  so it was part of our batch outfit!

reminded me of oprah:
'you get a sash!
you get a sash!
you get a sash!
you get a sash!
everybody gets a sash!'

; )

don't just stand there

i attended our high school's alumni homecoming last night...  come dinner time, i positioned myself behind the swan accent piece at the buffet and waited for my batchmates on the queue to appear in front of me so i could take their pictures...

the line was longer than i thought (i didn't see right away that it curled beyond a post) and so for quite a long time i was just standing there side by side with the servers watching other alumni get their food (i wasn't clicking away as i wanted to save my camera's battery for our batch)...

and then one of the servers poked me...  she pointed to my left and there smiling at me were two of my batchmates (i dunno why they were there...  the rest of our batchmates were on the right)...

me:  'ay!  wait!  i'll take your pic...'

and i did...

later at our table, one of the two was relating to another:  'i saw cynthia standing there...  i thought she owned catering...'

huh?!

hahaha...

in that case, food is on the house, guys...

bon appetit!

; )

save gas

on the phone...

friend:  'what time will you be there?'

me:  '<time>...  i have to be early because <toot>'s shirt is with me...'

friend:  'are you picking him up?'

me:  'no.'

friend:  'how will he get there?'

me:  'gah!  he's a <rank>...  i'm sure he'll find his way...'

friend:  'i thought you were going to pick him up...'

me:  'why?  if anyone has to be picked up, it should be me...  i'm the girl here...'

friend:  'haha...  true...  maybe i could ask him to pick me up...  i'll tell him to tell his driver to fetch me...'

haha...  go, girl...  then i'll just hitch...  ; )

not in tune

talking prophylaxis with my niece...  (she just had a dental appointment...)

then she started humming 'havana'...

me:  'that was number one in the U.K....'

niece:  'prophylaxis?'

me:  'hahaha...  havana!  camila cabello!'

♩ ♪  i knew it when i met him
i loved him when i left him

...

havana, ooh na-na  ♫ ♬

; p

how could you?

had my mom's and my SIM cards upgraded.  requested customer service to kindly insert my new SIM card in my phone and just give me my mom's as i didn't have her phone.

me to customer service:  'please make sure you don't switch our SIMs...  it would be awkward if my mom suddenly starts receiving my messages...'

wahahahahahaha...

who?
what???
where?
when?
why?????!!!!!

;"p

virtual friends

mom introduced one of the restaurant's chefs to her friend...

mom's friend:  'i already know you...  i see your pictures in her fb...'

haha...  reminds me of a former officemate...  so someone was waiting for me outside our building and my officemate tells me she greeted him  ->  then she suddenly remembered they don't know each other <-  she actually just saw him in my facebook account.

;")

unbeknownst

at a buffet food outlet...  brother pointed out to me where the drinks are...

hehe...  thanks...

actually, i know the place...  i even had a birthday celebration there two years ago...

my mom was telling me she told one of the staff it was her first time there...

the staff told her her daughter has been there several times...

the daughter is me...  : )

you may not always be a part of my day but you will always be a part of my life...  ; )

sashimi

at a buffet's japanese station...

sister, pointing to tuna:  'i'll have that, please...  just one slice...'

me:  'me, too...  but five slices, please...'

ei, i'm older...  and taller...  and...  whatever...  ;")

find ways

presented my frequency card at the counter...

cashier:  'ma'am has been buying just cakes!'

me:  'oh...  does it have to be different items?'

cashier:  'no...  it just has to be at least P90...'

me:  'just P90?  is it okay if you stamp me extra?  the cakes cost so much more than P90...'

cashier:  'sorry, ma'am...  just one stamp per receipt...'

aw...  next time i'll buy the cake in slices  ->  to be paid separately...  ; )

simple

sister:  'you had a haircut...'

me:  'i cut it myself...'
[i've been cutting my own hair for years now.]

sister:  'yeah...  it has to be shorter still though...'

me:  'really?  ok...  i'll cut some more later...'

there's no queue between you and yourself...  get things done quickly...  ; )

let your voice smile

friend texted me...

i called her in return...

<blah-blah-blah,
blah-blah-blah,
blah-blah-blah>

she seems to have forgotten something she used to know very well...

me:  'you've forgotten?'

friend:  '[because] i haven't seen you in a long time!  i'll be back in december...  you just wait!'

me:  'wahaha...  sounds like a threat!  as if i did something wrong...'

friend softens tone:  'okay...  december...  i'll be back...'

ok...  merry christmas...  ; )

what are you talking about?

drove by a condominium building...

me:  '<toot> has a unit there...'

cousin:  'studio?'

me:  'either one- or two-bedroom...'

cousin:  'units now are so small...  imagine, our living room's bigger!'

me:  'yeah...  but <aunt's> is big...  if you look at the floor plan posted near the elevator, it's so much bigger than the other units...'

cousin:  'yes...  some units now though the living room's so dark...  you have to open the bedroom door to let natural light in...'

me:  'designed for air-con?'

cousin:  'it's not that...  there are no windows in the living room...  just like <aunt's>...'

me:  '<aunt's> has windows!'

cousin:  'in the bedrooms...  none in the living room...'

me:  'she has windows in the living room!  behind the sofa...  that's all windows!'

cousin:  'the one in pasay?!'

me:  'haha...  no...  the one in [quezon city]...'

toinks!!!  ;"p

upgrade

on queue at the bank.  next teller asked customers to transfer to her counter.  guard approached me and told me i could move to the next lane.

me:  'aw, thanks.  but i'm already third here; i'll be fourth there.  i'd rather stay put.'

when you change, you change for the better.

good seed

scavenger knocked at the gate.  he was asking for 'kalakal' [stuff he could sell at the junk shop].

me:  'aw...  i've given mine away...  but i have pizza...  wait...'

so i cut my pizza in half (it's a big slice, the size of a dinner plate.), not quite evenly though so i brought the plate to him and asked him to choose which side he wants.

he picked the bigger size.

ok.

then i started eating mine.  i wanted him to see i was not just giving him leftovers but was actually sharing my meal with him.  was i surprised though when he put his pizza inside a plastic bag.

me:  'aw...  eat it now!  i just warmed that.'

scavenger:  'i'm going to bring it home...'

me:  'but it's best eaten now...  it might spoil if you enclose it in plastic...'

scavenger:  'i'll open the plastic...  i'm going to share it with my sibling...'

aww...  so young and so thoughtful!

me:  'how old is your sibling?'

scavenger:  'one...'

me:  'one?!  just eat the pizza...  i'll just give him a toy...'

so i went upstairs and got a mini-van (hehe...  yup...  i have such toys at my place...)...

me:  'here, give this to your sibling then just eat the pizza yourself...  while it's still warm...'

scavenger:  'no...  i'll bring the pizza home, too...'

aaarrggghhh...  so young and so selfless!

some adults could learn a lesson from this boy...

public and private

so someone texted my mom saying she showed her friend a pic of our pool in the province (it's just a simple rectangular pool) and the friend then wanted to take a dip and she told the friend she'd ask my mom.

my mom who has a hard time saying no to anyone said yes.

my dad went along with it but asked, 'why did she have to show others a pic of our pool?'

haha...  true...  that's private property...  there's a public pool there that people flock to supposedly because of its miraculous / healing properties...  why not tell the friend about that one?

this is the same person who offered my credit card for use by her friends, two of whom i don't even know!  and one, just days after i told her not to do something like that again!

she said it's so i could have points.

oh, wow!  thank you very much but i don't intend to take such risks for points.

she said it's her former boss and he's going to buy a watch.

okay, what does my credit card have to do with her former boss's purchase???

she said she's going to guarantee it.

guarantee, my foot!  a cousin herself told me that she has a collectible from this person that has remained unpaid for years!  this person is not qualified to act as guarantor at all!

anyway, only her first friend's purchase was charged to my card.  no, they do not have my card number.  i accompanied them to the store to swipe my card.  the latter two did not materialize.

now it's my sister she's texting to ride on her card.  my sister has been warned and has been declining her, nicely but firmly.

me, i'm just firm...  ; p

believe

weekend gourmet market...

seller offered me a sample of their product...

me:  'could you slice it smaller, please?  that's too big...'

seller:  'that's not big, ma'am...'

me:  'ay, hehe...  yeah...  i just mean it's too big for me...  i'm full...'

seller:  'this won't stuff you, ma'am...'

me:  'even then...  actually your sampler's ten times bigger than the samplers of the other vendors...'

seller:  'so you could taste the filling, ma'am...'

me:  'i can taste it even if it's small...'

seller:  'you have to try it this size so you would know it's really delicious...'

wow...  that's one confident seller...  : )

listen to your gut

supposed to relay a message to my sister-in-law...  i was already about to call her but decided at the last minute to just tell her in person as i was about to go home anyway.  (i live on the third floor of their house.)

so i knock on their door and guess what, they have leche flan!  : D

my love and my joy, hahaha...  <3 <3 <3

she offered me a practically untouched llanera and told me to finish it off.  (yes, i can finish a llanera in one sitting.)

me:  'you should eat this yourself...  i already had some yesterday...  it's good...'

sister-in-law:  'actually i don't know where it's from...'

me:  'it's from <province>...  try it...'

sister-in-law:  'we're avoiding that...  too much calories...'

me:  'you sure?'

sister-in-law:  'sure...  it's all yours...'

wow, thank youuuuuuuuuu...  : D

so finish it off i did!

i'm not counting calories...  i'm savoring sweets...  : )

post-purchase

i've been bringing my store-bought bottled juices to my parents' house but they never really drink it.

then my mom mentioned that fresh juices would be better for my dad.

so i got them a manual juicer.  (they already have a blender.  they don't use it though.)

for months, the juicer was just in their dining area unused.

so now i got them an electric juicer.

me to mom:  'i'm going to get back the manual juicer, you never use it anyway.  this one (referring to the electric juicer), if you don't like it, just let me know and i'll take it, too...'

my dad butts in:  'you know, you shouldn't expect me to operate those things...  just prepare the juice and i'll drink it...'

ooops...  ahahaha...  complete the package  ->  product plus service...  ;")

exposed

friend shocked to learn who wrote this certain message i posted in facebook...

friend:  'i never would have thought that was her!'

me:  'precisely!  that's why i posted the message itself (i did black out names)...  i did not describe...  i did not paraphrase...  i let her own words speak for herself...  there's actually more of that mentality in the rest of the message...  different topics that's the underlying mindset...'

friend:  'i couldn't imagine...'

me:  'yeah...  if i just told you you never would have believed me...  so i showed...'

at some point, things do come to light...

blind

sister telling our niece it's okay to have suitors just don't have a boyfriend yet...

me:  'it's okay to have a boyfriend...  just make sure you'll be responsible enough to handle it...'

niece:  'i don't like ugly...'

me:  'i didn't say go for ugly...  i'm not saying go for handsome either...  as long as he won't scare you when you wake up next to him that's fine...  and don't say someone's ugly...  for all you know you just might fall for the guy...'

people have different tastes...  and those tastes could change through time...

beauty eventually fell for beast...

when it comes to love, it's the heart that sees...  <3 <3

good and bad

friend earlier excitedly talking about her costume for halloween...  she was going to be a witch and she has asked someone really good to do her makeup...

she adds someone told her she would make a good witch and many agreed...

oh?  hahaha...

she then tells me being an angel would suit me...

eh?  ahahaha...  that one many would disagree...  ; p

action and reaction

my mom has told me to stop taking pictures of the neighbor's, to put it ever so mildly, 'antics.'

no, i don't set foot on the neighbor's property to take pictures.  i take pics of things within our property and in public spaces i have no choice but to pass whenever i leave the house.  (our houses are in a dead-end, one-lane street with a narrower dead-end alley perpendicular to the end of the street.)

surely, it is not as if i started taking pictures because of the neighbor.  i have been taking pictures for 38 years now.  for almost three fourths of my life i've been clicking away at anything and everything and anyone and everyone.  (i do ask permission for close shots of strangers not in a public gathering.)

i started when the medium was still film.  i switched to digital in 2003.  no, i don't have formal photography training.  the only photography lessons i had was in second year high school when we had a photography elective.  all i remember of that time was that we took silhouettes and head shots and developed the film ourselves.  i take more of snapshots really.  nothing magazine-worthy.

i have maybe two terabytes of pictures now.

the neighbor's comprise not even 1%.
- cotton buds, caps and tissues on our roof
-  dog lying in front of our gate (we have recessed gates so the dog is actually within our property.)
-  litter in our alley
-  pile of garbage occupying three-fourths of the width of our alley
-  gate wide open, morning, noon and nighttime, blocking 40 inches of the 70-inch wide alley
-  trash and leftovers in our drainage
-  vehicles blocking our garage
-  garbage piled in a public spot right under a sign that says, "PLS. DO NOT THROW YOUR GARBAGE HERE."
-  vehicle parked in a public spot in front of our garage right beside a sign on the gate that says, "PLEASE DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY."
-  vehicle parked right on top of garbage

it would actually be surprising if i didn't have a picture of these things.  we've been putting up with them for years.  others have screamed at the neighbor.  still others just quietly suffer them.  me, i take pics and blog.  (i have been blogging for ten years now.  and no, i also did not start blogging because of the neighbor.)

percentage-wise, i have not really posted about the neighbor that much.  i post about them only whenever i get fed up.  in which case i'd blog or upload one pic or several from different times.  it's not as if i take a shot now then upload right away.

talking about pictures in general, to me the posting is optional.  i don't feel a need to post but i do feel an urge to take a shot.

i'm sorry but i won't be indulging my mom on her request.  i like to say, 'trace to source.'   there won't be these pictures to take if they did not exist in the first place.  why restrict on my end?  i don't even post all of them.  i just have them on file.  and i'm not occupying, blocking nor defiling anything.

remember the mountaineer's creed?  take nothing but pictures...

you have control only over your own actions.  the other person's reaction is up to them.

that is how they act.  this is how i react.

you don't want to be punched, don't mess with a boxer.

descriptive

friend:  'i hope you'd blog about me...'

me:  'haha...  be careful what you wish for...'

friend:  'why did you say that?'

me:  'i blog about everything, the good and the bad...  you better be sure you'd fall under good...'

; p

nothing great

asked an aunt whether she is going to attend our high school's alumni homecoming.

aunt:  'no...  we don't attend homecomings...'

me:  'oh?  how come i saw you in one before?  you even had a presentation...  you danced...'

aunt:  'the 50th?'

me:  'i'm not sure...  maybe...'

aunt:  'oh...  it's because we had batchmates who were part of the organizing committee...  but there were very few of us that time...  we were just one table...'

me:  'just one table?  i remember the crowd was cheering loudly while you performed...  those were not your batchmates?'

aunt:  'no...'

me:  'wow!  if your batchmates cheer for you that's just expected...  but if strangers enthusiastically applaud your performance then you must be good.  you didn't know those people?'

aunt:  'maybe we did...'

oh, hehe...

unheard

my laptop speakers are normally on mute...

now i downloaded an audio book...  or so i thought...  when the progress bar reached the end, i couldn't find the downloaded file...

turns out i streamed the book instead of downloading it...

: }

whatever for

friend again telling me her daughter wants me to go with them to boracay...

me:  'i've been there thrice...  i'd rather spend my money someplace else...

actually i just again saw our helmet diving video in boracay...  i've been sorting my files...  it got resurrected, haha...'

friend:  'the one in a bikini?'

me:  'yes...'

friend:  'your belly button is showing?'

me:  'huh?!  i didn't remove my cover-up but at some point it did float so the navel was exposed...  why?'

friend:  'send me a pic...'

me:  'why?'

friend:  'i'm going to post it...'

me:  'and why are you going to post my photo?'

friend:  'so people would see your belly button...'

me:  'what's there to see in my belly button?'

friend:  'nothing...  i just want to post it...'

me:  'if anyone's going to post my belly button it should be me...'

friend:  'then post it...'

me:  'okay...  throwback...  next week...'

friend:  'that's all souls' day!'

me:  'wahaha...  drop dead?!'

okay...  next, next throwback...

) . (

; )

driver's license renewal

i renewed my driver's license at LTO mirasol yesterday.

this is how it went:

10:02 a.m.
at Public Assistance and Complaints Desk / Customer Service Representative License Unit
to get LTO Form No. 21, Application for Driver's License

i was 11th in line.
i didn't have to stay though as a guy handed me a form while i was still on queue.

10:05 a.m.
medical at
Aruga Medical Testing Center within LTO compound

a girl asked for my license card.

a guy then gave me a color blindness test

followed by an eye test
(one line of letters only, the 20/20 line),
left and right eye, other eye covered

then
weight check.

i paid P250 to the girl
and was issued a Medical Certificate
with an Official Receipt (Arugain ANM Medical Testing Center).
the girl also returned my license card.

i was the only customer at the place.

then i filled out LTO Form No. 21.

10:15 a.m.
back to the Public Assistance and Complaints Desk / Customer Service Representative License Unit

the guy on the desk wrote
Ren-Non-Prof
W-5
10:15
on the upper right hand of my form 21 and told me, "Window 5"

10:18 a.m.
Window 5
i submitted the form 21,
Medical Certificate with official receipt
and
license card being renewed

i was second in line.

10:30 a.m.
Window 4
photo
and
signature

i had a problem signing on the digital pad as i couldn't make my signature appear normally.  i'd press the stylus here and the line would appear there.  i'd form an S on the left and i'd get several diagonal lines on the lower right.

i kept on clearing the output and signing again.

i do know how to use a stylus.
i'm not sure whether it was the pad or the stylus that was defective. i was pointing it out to the girl at the window but she just kept looking at me.

when i somehow got my signature close to what it was in my old license card, she told me to stop as it was already acceptable.

10:35 a.m.
Window 10, Cashier
payable was P652.63
(P585 License Fee (NPDL),
P67.63 Comp Fee).
i gave P705.
change was supposed to be P52.37.
the cashier gave me P52.

my form 21 was stapled with a small piece of paper with queue no. 45 for renewals.
(they were giving a different set of queue numbers for backlog.)

10:42 a.m. they were processing queue no. 22 of renewal.

10:50 a.m., queue number 24.
10:55 a.m., no. 26.
11:14 a.m., no. 28.
11:26 a.m., no. 30.
11:32 a.m., no. 31.
11:38 a.m., no. 32.
12:17 p.m., no. 36.
12:35 p.m., no. 39.
12:41 p.m., no. 43.
12:45 p.m., no. 45!  : D

(holders of some queue numbers did not show up)

to Window 3
for data entry
photo
signature
and
biometric capture of all ten digits.  fingers on the left and right hand all at the same time and then the two thumbs.
completed steps at Window 3 by 12:55 p.m.

re data entry, the guy initially left out certain data written on the form:
-  just the name of the village was encoded, village number was left out
-  just the first names of the father and the mother, middle and last names left out.

i requested him to put our village number.

he said it is not indicated in my old license card.

i said it was because there was not enough space for the complete address when i renewed last so the processor did not include everything.  this time the address field is already longer so kindly complete it.

he did.

i asked why the parents' name fields show only the first names.

the guy said they don't appear on the license card anyway.

i requested removal of the spouse name as well.

the guy deleted the entry.

i requested him to put my TIN.

he did.

seeing just my parents' first names onscreen seemed weird to me so i asked if he could complete it.

he added their middle and last names.

1:05 p.m.
Window 1
releasing of license card

i checked.
everything correct except that it says i will NOT donate any organ.
hmmm...  i ticked organ donor in the form.

it also showed my blood type as B+.  not sure about this one.  i've always just put B.

anyway, my license was renewed from 10:02 a.m.
to 1:05 p.m.

valid till 2022.

wannabe

claiming the items i left at a supermarket package counter...

guard hands me the bottle of evian and goes:  'how does that taste, ma'am?'

me:  'oh...  it's just water...  but from france...'

guard:  'minty?'

me:  'no...  it has no taste...'

guard:  'just nothing?'

me:  'yes...  really just water...  but it's very smooth...  somewhat slippery...  and it's cold even if you don't refrigerate it...'

guard: 'the bottle is nice...'
(it's a christian lacroix evian bottle)

me:  'yeah...  that's actually the reason i bought it...  this is not their usual bottle...'

guard:  'yes...  we have evian here but the bottle is not like that...  where did you buy it?'

me:  'shopwise...  actually this is not my everyday water...  i just buy occasionally...  because i heard it's what singers drink before a concert...  it slides on the throat...'

guard looks at me intently...

me:  'no, i'm not a singer...  i just try their drink...'

;")

sleepwalk

i was wearing a loose, cream-colored tank top...

friend:  'i like your top...'

me:  'thanks...  my sister gave this to me...  it's actually sleepwear but i prefer to wear it outside...'

friend:  'it doesn't look like sleepwear...'

me:  'haha...  good!'

one time i wore a lace-trimmed, blue, body-hugging tank top to the mall...  i told my friend my top was actually sleepwear...

his reply?

'it does look like sleepwear...'

nyahaha...  toinks!!!  ;"p

manners

munching on some chips...  offered a friend some...

friend:  'is it good?'

me:  'hmmm...  nothing special...'

friend didn't try it...

i then offered her a sip of my juice...

friend:  'is it good?'

me:  'just okay...'

friend:  'why are you offering me these things when they're not good?'

me:  'huh?!  gah!  i'm just being polite!'

: }

island

overheard...

Q:  'were you the one who borrowed my power bank?'

A:  'no.'

Q:  'was it <toot>?'

A:  'i don't know.'

Q:  'who could it be?'

A:  'i don't care.'

: }

basic

me:  'why doesn't my laptop detect my drive???'

i unplugged, replugged.
i changed ports.
i felt the drive for any vibration.
i put my ear close to listen to any sound.
i did a cold reboot.

nada.

i checked the cable.  ooops, it was the printer cable i plugged in my port.

:"}

no sweat

talking christmas  (hahaha...  never too early)...

friend recalled the things she used to go through to get excelente ham  ->  waking up early to get to quiapo early, long queue, arms and clothes soiled with oil...

me:  'why would you get oil on yourself???'

friend:  'once they open, it's crazy!  people would go, i like that part, i like this one...  they'd be pointing and passing and oil will be dripping...'

me:  'oh, wow!  good thing i'm not into ham...'

friend:  'it used to be a christmas staple at the house...  like, for thanksgiving, there's turkey;  for christmas, it's excelente ham and queso de bola...'

me:  'hehe...  i also don't like queso de bola...'

friend:  'what do you like?!'

me:  'leche flan, chocolate, ice cream...'

readily available yet still excelente...  ; )

passenger and driver

me:  'how come you have three tickets?'

friend:  'officers were given three to sell...'

me:  'oh...  i didn't know you were an officer...  or maybe i just forgot...'

friend:  'i'll be returning the tickets...'

me:  'oh?  are you allowed to return?'

friend:  'they're not yet paid...'

me:  'but aren't they considered sold?'

friend:  'i can't sell it, what will i do?'

me:  'hmmm...  yeah...'

friend:  'do you want to buy one?'

me:  'i'll see if i can go...  i'll buy my ticket from you, if ever...'

friend:  'if you're going, ask <toot> to pick you up...'

me:  'why do i have to be picked up when i have a car?'

friend:  'then just be the one to pick up <toot 1>, <toot 2> and <toot 3>...'

me:  'huh?!  hahaha...  here we go again...'

well, passengers, let's do each other a favor, please...  i'll fetch and bring you home but please be considerate enough to be punctual...  i set alarms and all to get to you on time, i hope you'd be kind enough not to make me wait too long...

if you think that's too much, there's always grab and uber...  ; )

pendulum

fastfood delivery guy looking for someone we do not know.

me:  'what's the address?'

delivery guy:  '<house number> <street>...'

me:  '<street> what?  there are several <street>s here...   <street> 1, <street> 2, <street> 3...  what number follows <street>?'

delivery guy:  'it just says <street> here...'

me:  'there's a phone number there, right?  just call them...'

delivery guy:  'it's a landline...'

me:  'oh...  if you could give me the number i'll call them for you...'

the guy gave me the number...

i called...

me:  'there's a <fastfood> delivery guy here in our house looking for <name>...'

lady:  'oh, yes, yes...'

me:  'he doesn't know where your street is...'

lady:  'it's between <boulevard 1> and <boulevard 2>...'

me:  'hehe...  that's a long stretch...  so many streets are covered...  can you narrow it down, please?'

lady:  'we're right across <street>...'

haha...  right across?  that is narrow...  could even be too narrow to be of much help to someone who's not familiar with the area...

sometimes we swing to extremes when all we need is just to adjust a bit...

chill...  ; )

bad example

so someone parked right behind my brother's car this evening.  the driver mindlessly disappeared for half an hour all the while blocking a condominium driveway and at the same time preventing my brother's vehicle from leaving.

my mom was going, 'why would anybody do that???'

me:  'mom, that has been done before.  it will be done again.  you have a neighbor's van parked daily right beside a big DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY sign.  [and their trash dumped right under a DO NOT THROW YOUR GARBAGE HERE notice.]  what would stop others from following suit?'

airheads follow airheads...

<cringe>

yours and mine

handed a friend a grocery bag containing a bottle of orange juice, two home-made sandwiches plus store-bought bread.

so we were chatting and i noticed that the bag seemed too flat.

me:  'where's the juice?'

friend:  'inside...'

me:  'how come the bottle's not exposed?'

i check the contents and there the bottle was lying sideways on top of the sandwiches.

me:  'aw!  i carefully carried that and you just let them pile in shambles...'

friend:  'it's okay...'

(the orange juice, i bought on her behalf; the sandwiches and bread, i just added.)

i bring the bottle back to an upright position and arrange the bread so it won't get crushed.

friend tells me she's fine with the bottle on top of the sandwiches.

me:  'okay...  you're the one who's gonna eat them anyway...'

reminded me of another friend's external drive.  so i brought it home when i made her a couple of photobooks.  it was with me for weeks and i was very careful with it.  when i finally brought it back to her, she tipped it over in her room twice!  in just one night!  waaahhh!!!  that's a one terabyte disk!!!

she was cool with it though.

i guess if it's yours you can afford to be lax.  when it belongs to someone else, however, you have to be a good steward.

what is not yours, you cannot throw away.

nothing special

someone approached the bank personnel i was talking to to get his order for lunch...

me:  'where do you buy food?'

bank personnel:  'at the nearby canteen...'

me:  'oh...  i didn't know there's a canteen here...  is it good?'

bank personnel:  'sakto lang...'
->  just right

me:  'haha...  i'll take that to mean it's not...'

bank personnel just chuckles...

good enough is not good enough...  ; p

the look of love

supposed to tell my sister something when i got distracted by what was on her TV...

me:  'wow!  that guy's cute!'

sister:  'what?!  he's not!'

me:  'to me he is!'

sister:  'he's being featured there because his girl is too pretty for him...'

me:  'really?  hmmm...  people have different tastes...  me, i find him cute...'

i suddenly remembered one of my college chums told me before, the guys i like are "tipong-magsasaka"  ->  farmer-type.

i find dark complexion attractive.  nevertheless, i've had boyfriends, too, who were rather fair-skinned.

love looks not with the eyes but with the heart  <3

(with due apologies to shakespeare for the revision...)

chance encounter

i (late-)posted a pic of me and my dad in facebook.

a friend of my mom's then tells me she's glad my dad and i now go out on dates.

me:  'oh...  not really...  only when it's with the whole family...  otherwise, it's still him and my mom...'

i told her the story behind the pic.

so my friend and i were walking when i saw a higante (of the feast of san clemente, angono, rizal festival).  i excitedly asked my friend to pose beside the display.

as i was framing the shot, i moved back and moved back and moved back until i suddenly hit something!  i looked behind me and, ta-daaan!  there was my dad having coffee at the table right beside the railing i bumped!

my friend took a picture of us and in it you will see that he's the only one with food.  not because i was just fetching him but because i just literally bumped into him.

small world indeed...  : )

cut to the chase

my phone rings...

me:  'i'm low batt...  fyi in case we get cut off...'

friend:  'how low batt?'

me:  'huh?!  i dunno...  but it beeped off last night yet...'

so many times i've told callers my batt's running low but this is the first time someone asked me how low.

precision is good.
but knowing how to spend precious (battery) time is better...  ; p

just get it

friend mentioned that she's going to buy a cable as her charger has been malfunctioning.  i told her not to buy anymore as i have a spare i could give her.  that was a month or so ago.

now she tells me the cable works only for data transfer but not for charging.

me:  'oh?  you were able to charge when we tested it, right?'

friend:  'because we used your...  your...  what do you call that?  the one where you plug it...'

me:  'socket?'

friend:  'yes...  maybe it's mine that's defective...'

me:  'then try it on another one...'

friend:  'i have no more...'

me:  'huh?!  you don't have other sockets there?'

friend:  'i have only one...'

me:  'in your whole house you have only one power outlet?!  no.'

friend:  'not power outlet...    what do you call the one where you plug it?'

me:  'socket?  the one on the wall?'

friend:  'not the one on the wall...  the one you put before you plug it in the power outlet...'

me:  'adaptor?  did we use an adaptor when we tested it here?  does your charger have round prongs?'

friend:  'i'm not sure what you call it...  the big end...  you have the small end and then the bigger one and then there's still another bigger one where you plug it...  maybe that's the one that's defective...'

me:  'oh...  that one!  because i gave you just a cable, 'no?  but it could be that intermediate thing that's defective...'

friend:  'what do you call that?'

me:  'adaptor?  power cube?  wahaha...  i'm not sure...'

sometimes you don't have the word for it.  still you know what it is.

you don't always need words to understand.

keep the change

deposited a check at the bank.  i was the second customer for the day.  maybe i was even supposed to be first as my queue number was the only one flashed onscreen when i entered the door.  i went to two jollibees before going to the bank, however, so i was late.  not tardy-late, ok.  i did arrive within my appointment window.  i was actually already at the mall before it opened, wahaha...

anyway, while the teller was processing my transaction, i remembered i had loose change.  i counted and they totaled PhP24.

me:  'i'd like to exchange these for a bill, please...'

teller:  'i still don't have bills, ma'am...'

me:  'aw...  you don't have P20?  just add them to my deposit then.'

teller:  'just the twenty, ma'am?'

me:  'no...  all the coins...'

so i had a check deposit for a pretty good sum plus a cash deposit of twenty four pesos.

why?

why not?

;")

work it

friend wants me to go with them out of town...

me:  'that's a family trip!  why should i be there?'

friend:  'you're family, too...'

me:  'well...  but you said you're going to be there to ensure they're safe...  so you'd be following them...  i don't want to be following couples around...  i don't third wheel...  two pairs, ok...'

friend:  'we're the pair!'

me:  'i mean a real pair, coosome twosome...  they're boyfriend-girlfriend...  should be another couple...'

friend:  'i'll tell her boyfriend you're my girlfriend...'

me:  'haha...  he might believe you!  same-sex marriage is legal where he's from...'

friend:  'so is it a yes or a no?'

me:  'no.'

friend:  'c'mon...  accompany me...  please...'

me:  'your daughter's there...  you have company...'

friend:  'i have the room all to myself...'

me:  'you're used to that...'

friend:  'please...'

me:  'we were bringing you there before, everything free, you didn't go...  why should i go now?'

friend:  'because you've been there...  you already know where to go...  and you can take nice pictures of us...'

aha!  hahaha...  ; p

obstacle

friend:  "Call me...miss you"

i call...

telco:  "The number you have dialed is either unattended or out of coverage area.  Please try your call later."

i send my friend SMS saying my call couldn't get through...  immediately after, my batt went empty!

i charged...

when i powered up an hour later, my friend's reply came through:  "Lowbatt"

wahehe...  man vs. machine...  ; p

applicable

at a restaurant...  someone at our table dropped a utensil...

me:  'fork or spoon?'

aunt:  'spoon...'

me:  'face up or face down?'

aunt:  'up...'

me:  'oh...  pretty!  wait, auntie...  i'll just go out then come right back...'
(nyahaha...  wish!)

a while later, someone dropped a fork and it also landed front side up...

me:  'ei, handsome!'

sister:  'good-looking couple?'

hereabouts, they say if a fork falls to the floor, a guy will arrive.  if it's a spoon, a girl...  front side up, good-looking; back, uhm, ugly.

we were already complete so we were wondering who else would come.  someone said maybe it applies to customers of the restaurant in general not necessarily to our table.

okay.

and then, ta-daaannn!  two of my female cousins dropped by together with my little nephew.  pretty and handsome indeed...  : D

old wives' tale lives on...  ; )

perfect combination

picked up a patisserie filipino tablea tart by chef jacqueline laudico at chef laudico ok cafe today.  (yum!  the combination of dark chocolate and dulce de leche was just so good!)

when i called to place the order, i asked whether it's easy to get parking at the place.  i said i still have to catch something after so i'll have to give enough allowance finding parking, if ever.  guess what, the staff told me if i'm going to be quick then i need not park as she could just bring my order to my car when i arrive.

me:  'really?'

staff:  'yes, ma'am...  so you won't have to park and pay anymore.'

awww...  so thoughtful and considerate...

so that is what happened when i drove over today.

in some shops, the product is good but the service is not.  in others, the service is good but the product is not.  my experience at chef laudico ok cafe today combined good food with good service.

thank you, chef jac.  thank you, christine.  may your lives be full of the sweetest blessings...  : )

detail

throwing away expired meds at my parents' place.  this calcium supplement had the following instruction on the label:

"TAKE ONE TABLET BY MOUTH TWICE A DAY."

i ran through the open holes in the human anatomy where one could possibly insert a tablet:  ears, nose, mouth and, if you really have to stretch it, the privates.

i'm not a doctor and it seems a no-brainer to me that most logical choice would be the mouth.  if this were a manuscript, i'd edit out 'BY MOUTH' thinking it should already be understood.  but yup, these are meds and you cannot overemphasize correct usage.

reminded me of an exercise we had at the UP institute (now college) of mass communication:
describe a sandwich to a martian.

♩ ♪  where do i begin?  ♫ ♬

; )

just right

a lot of sellers provide a satisfaction guarantee.  you're not satisfied with your purchase, you get your money back.  some with conditions; others, no questions asked.

this online shop caught my attention.  it simply states:
"Get the item you ordered or get your money back."

hehe...  of course!

will of the wind

windy...

me:  'i'm wearing shorts underneath...'

companion:  'oh?'

me:  'i used to battle the wind for my modesty...  finally i decided to just wear real shorts under my dress so even if it gets blown up it won't be that bad...  i wear shorts at the house everyday anyway...'

companion:  'why don't you just do away with the dress?  you're already wearing shorts anyway...'

me:  'i love dresses!  it will be too much if i concede that to the wind...'

i fight for what i love...  the moment i don't, it means i don't love it anymore...

back off

i have this facebook friend who keeps on adding me as friend  ->  which means we repeatedly ceased being facebook friends somehow.

now i don't unfriend people.  i just put them in my Restricted List.  unless facebook's friending module is glitchy, it's safe to say that the unfriending happens on his end.

i'm not sure whether he himself unfriends me though.  i remember seeing a post where someone was saying this guy keeps on adding her while the guy's girl, using the guy's account, keeps on unfriending her.  if this is a similar case then i just might decide not to re-accept the guy's friend request anymore.

i am clear on priorities:  relationships take precedence over friendships.  i am not gonna insist on a friendship if it strains a relationship.  some things are not worth risking.

simple joys

at a gasoline station in some province...

brother:  'are you the mayor here?'

me:  'mayor???'

brother:  'you check in, right?'

me:  'oh...  swarm!'

hahaha...

right now i hold 31 mayorships in swarm (in foursquare before, you needed only 10 mayorships to become Super Mayor)...

"You become the Mayor of a place by checking in more than anyone else in the last 30 days.  Only 1 check-in per day counts and ties go to the reigning Mayor."

i have 14 mayorships for having the most number of check-ins in the venue within the last 30 days.  the other 17 i've been holding for more than 30 days not because i frequent the place but simply because no one has dethroned me (i'm the only one checking in, wahaha).

foursquare was launched in march 2009 and spun off swarm in may 2014.
their website reports 50 million users per month and they surpassed 12 billion check-ins last month!

i've been doing foursquare/swarm since september 2010.  i so far have only 2,077 check-ins though.  should have been much more but a lot of times i either don't have my phone or there's no free wifi and i don't want to use my plan's not unlimited mobile data...  :"}

my all-time top 5 categories are:
1  States & Municipalities
2  Shopping Malls
3  Banks
4  Asian Restaurants
5  Dessert Shops

i've unlocked 57 of 100 swarm collectible stickers plus 30 special ones.  (i had 33 badges in foursquare before.)

it's interesting how checking in and unlocking badges/stickers give me disproportionate joy.  i check in and i get so happy.  i unlock a sticker and i turn ecstatic, wahehe.

i targeted a Super Mayor badge in foursquare and i got one.

i targeted an Overshare (10+ check-ins in 12 hours),
Crunked (4+ stops in one night)
and
Bender (4+ nights in a row)
and got them as well.

i've been wanting to unlock a Swarm badge but up to now i still don't have one.  you get it when there are 50+ people checked in at a venue.

i don't usually follow the crowd but for this one i would have to make an exception.  i would get a sticker for it and i will do a dance of joy...  : )

clever

nephew to aunt:  'if we tell them we're your nephews, will we still have to pay?'

aunt:  'yes!'

nephew:  'we'll just tell them to charge it to you...'

; p

billing rate

i tell my dad i'm going someplace.

dad:  'get some coins...'

me:  'i'm just gonna walk...'

dad:  'ride a jeepney...'

me:  'i don't wanna ride...'

dad:  'how 'bout a tricycle?'

me:  'i'm not gonna ride anything...  i'm just gonna walk...  it's so near!'

dad:  'just bring some coins in case you need to pay anything...'

me:  'there's nothing to pay...  unless i pay myself for walking...'

in which case i won't settle for coins...  ; p

in other words

i've been wanting to try max's crispy pata rice bowl since i first saw a poster over a month ago.  today i finally did.

when my sister arrived from the office, i happily told her i've tried the dish.

sister:  'was it good?'

me:  'yes...  i loved the banana!  it had three small slices of banana...'

sister:  'how 'bout the crispy pata?'

me:  'it was good.  tender, not crunchy.  it was the banana that i really liked though [i love bananas]...  perfectly fried...  perfectly ripe...  i'll go back to see whether it's consistently like that...'

sister:  'mom and dad were supposed to eat that today but they decided to go to french baker instead...'

me:  'how did you know?'

sister:  'mom texted me...  she was asking whether <brother> and i would like to join them...  i wasn't keen on crispy pata so i said no...'

me:  'gah!  you're so dense!  that means she wants you to pick them up!'

sister:  'oh!  sorry...  i didn't think of that...  <brother> didn't want to eat, too, so we just went straight home...'

me:  'ugh!  you two were dense!  next time she texts you, just go.  that's her way of saying pick them up...'

; )

aww

Miss Q and A at it's showtime, september 5, 2017...

candidate pau bermudez reconciled with boyfriend she broke up with five years ago and they've been together (again) now for five months.  this triggered the following love / breakup / reconciliation quotes from the candidate and the hosts:

pau bermudez:
"hilom na kasi 'yung sugat.  at saka hindi nawala 'yung pagmamahal."
->  the wound has healed.  and the love was never gone.

anne curtis:
"parang for me, once it's over, it's over, baby."

vice ganda:
"kasi kung naghiwalay kayo, tapos nakipagbalikan ka pa, it only means one thing:  it was never over."
->  because if you break up, and then you still get back together, it only means one thing:  it was never over.

<3 </3 <3

tell me

parking close to the vehicle on my right.  guard approaches my car and directs me to move to the left.  so he waves his hand and i move and he waves again so i move again and he waves some more and i move some more until he tells me it's already ok.

i get off the car and guess what, i see that the space between my car and the vehicle to my left was now too tight for another car!  i just wasted a parking slot! ugh!

reminded me of the time a bunch of guards was giving me instructions on how to jumpstart my battery-drained car.  i decided to just hand them the key and let one of them do it himself.  guess what, they didn't know how to drive!

oh.  my.  goodness.

AF

friend and i ran into someone...

hello, hello, goodbye.

then when friend and i were already at this supermarket, she suddenly squealed:  'ayyy...  <toot> texted me!  he doesn't text me!  look what he said...'

me:  'what?'

friend reads the text message...  it was something flattering about my friend's companion...

me:  'who's your companion?'

friend:  'what the...  you, of course!  we're the ones together when i saw him...'

me:  'haha...  i don't wanna be presumptuous!  he didn't say cynthia...  he just said companion...  for all i know that refers to some other meeting...'

friend:  'this is new!  it came after we saw him...  he really loves you...  after all these years he still loves you...'

me:  'love?!  we were never a couple...  that's too much...'

friend:  'okay, he likes you...  up to now, no matter how much time has passsed, he still likes you...'

me, pointing to my slippers:  'maybe because i wear abercrombie & fitch...  you know the song?

♩ ♪  i like girls that wear abercrombie & fitch  ♫ ♬'

; )

costly

gave friend instructions on what to do while i'm away...  just four things to be done each day...

me:  'make sure you don't skip anything, ok...  if you miss even just one, it will delay us by a month...'

friend:  'yes, boss...'

me:  'haha...  boss?  well, you better complete your assignment...'

friend:  'okay!'

me:  'promise?'

friend:  'yes!  if i miss anything i'm going to treat you to llaollao...'

me:  'what's that?'

friend:  'yogurt...'

me:  'i don't like yogurt...  i prefer ice cream...'

friend:  'their yogurt's really good...'

me:  'regardless...  i don't like sour...'

friend:  'just try it...  it's good...'

me:  'wait, you might not complete your to-dos if the penalty's something you like...  hmmm...  what do i want to eat?  hmmm...  finestra!  you treat me to finestra if you skip anything...  that will cost you, nyahaha...'

friend:  'i'll complete everything!'

good...  : p

short

friend does not quite remember what his password is.

friend:  'is there a special character?'

me:  'yes...  apostrophe...'

friend:  'apostrophe?!'

me:  'yes...  the <toot>...'

friend:  'exclamation point!'

me:  'oh!  yeah!  hahaha...  sorry...'

friend laughingly scolds me:  'what the...  apostrophe...  what are you talking about?!'

me, laughing my head off:  'hahaha...  it's 1:30 [a.m.]!  cut me some slack...'

my brain's sleepy...   gmornyt...  -.-

clothes

sister:  'your dress is nice...'

me:  'thank you...'

sister:  'the one yesterday was not...'

me:  'haha...  true!'

sister:  'you looked pregnant...  you shouldn't wear it anymore...'

me:  'it's very comfortable...'

sister:  'you can be comfortable without looking pregnant...'

me:  'yeah...'

sister:  'you should always wear something nice so even if you suddenly run into someone you'd still look good...'

me:  'i don't really think of running into someone when i pick a dress...  i'd just be i'm going there, there, there, i'll wear this comfy one...'

sister:  'comfy does not have to mean ugly...'

so i was ugly yesterday?!  ouch!

"Eat to please yourself.
Dress to please others."

:"}

takeaway

mom: 'you want hanger?'

me: 'ei, thanks... i'll get the blue...'

i got four blues...

mom, pointing to the pile: 'there are more blues...'

me: 'those [navy blue and light blue] are blue blues... i want happy blues...'

same class, different species...

which reminds me of 'phylum chordata, class mammalia'... for some reason, it still randomly crosses my mind decades after biology class... :"}

up close

i have this stainless steel drinking glass in my dish cabinet.  i bought it a decade and a half back for when i'll need something that won't break or for when i have to pour something really hot.  i've used it only a handful of times and i haven't used it in a looong time.

today instead of getting my usual glass drinking glass (hehe), i reached out for the stainless steel one.

i washed it then drank from it.  nyahaha...  suddenly i remembered why i don't use it  ->  i can see myself reflected on the bottom while drinking.  so there were my eyes, my nose, my upper lip.  not pretty.

i was thinking, so this is how i look to the one i'm kissing.  no wonder couples close their eyes when they kiss...  ;"p

paradox

shirt print:

"You are unique
just like
everyone else."

it's because we are different that we are all the same.

: )

better

guy and i both carrying a box of cake.  i was careful to keep mine level.  the guy was carrying his slightly diagonal.

his had a candle taped on the box.  it looked like it's for a little girl's birthday.  i'm not sure the girl, if ever, would notice or would mind but i thought there'd be no harm in calling the guy's attention...

me:  'excuse me...  your box's tilted...  the icing might stick to the box or the cake might get deformed...'

the guy straightened his box then thanked me...

ei, good...  he didn't tell me it's none of my business the way this closed-minded guard did when i made a logical suggestion a few days ago, wahehe.

there is an obviously correct way of doing certain things.  don't oppose it to prevent damage.

hold it

bought a few items at the supermarket...  i didn't have them bagged anymore as my car was parked near...

my companion immediately scooped up the four 1L chocolate drink boxes holding them across her chest...

me:  'i'll carry those...'

companion:  'no...  let me...'

me:  'thanks...  but i'd rather carry them myself...'

companion:  'it's okay...  i will...'

me:  'i don't want my drinks close to anyone's armpits...'

companion:  'oh...  hahaha...'

she lowers them...

no artificial flavors...  ; )

not again

leaving chow king hi-top (aurora blvd. cor. f. castillo) last tuesday, august 22...  guard writing something on a logbook, his back to the door...

me:  "next time pag magsusulat ka dito ka humarap para kita mo 'yung pinto."

guard:  "bakit?"

me:  "para kita mo 'yung mga taong dumadating 'tsaka umaalis."

guard:  "kita ko."

me:  "pa'no mo kita e diyan ka nakaharap sa aircon?"

guard:  "it's out of your business!"

me:  "ganu'n?!  ako 'yung may kasamang bata diyan sa hi-top last year!"

guard:  "alam ko!"

me:  "o!  alam mo pala, e!  dapat matuto ka na.  baka maulit na naman 'yung isang taon na, hindi ninyo pa rin alam anong pangalan nu'ng lalaking muntik kumuha nu'ng pamangkin ko."

guard snickers.

me:  "i'm telling you this hindi dahil gusto ko lang.  dati akong head ng security..."

guard:  "i don't care who you are.  you're just a customer!  you're not my supervisor!"

me:  "e ayusin mo pagbabantay mo!  pag may nag-inspect dito makita kung sa'n sa'n ka nakaharap."

i had things to attend to so i had to leave.  after my to-dos, however, i came back and asked for the manager.  with the managers around (there were two of them, male and female), i asked for the guard.  well, he was nowhere to be found.  (he wasn't at the door when i came in.)

i told the managers we'd just wait for the guard because i want him to hear what i have to say.

the managers didn't want to wait, however, so i started.

<blah-blah-blah,
blah-blah-blah,
blah-blah-blah>

and then i saw the guard and waved him to the table.

he comes and i start again:

i go to this nearby establishment at least once a week and i pass by chow king to order siomai primarily because i like their chili sauce.  i said i also like chicken soup but i haven't been ordering because of bird flu.  i also like their halo-halo.  in other words, i frequent the place.  my observations therefore are based not just on a one-time visit but on multiple visits.

i pointed out to them where i usually sit.  my back is to the counter and i'm facing the door.  the guard is in my line of sight.

i said maybe i'm extra observant because:

1.  we had a bad experience with the same guard at hi-top supermarket last year
[the guard walks out at this point but the male manager orders him back.]

2.  i used to head security, IT security, not the security guards but they are part because of physical security.  you have to protect the servers, etc. and control who has access to different areas.

i said i therefore am not saying things just because that is how i like them but because there really are certain practices that you adopt to improve security.

i said i noticed that their guard is often out of post or he's not at a good vantage point.

the crew would be eating or waiting near the door and he'd be chatting with them and people would just be passing to and fro behind him.

there've been times when within my meal he'd leave his post and go to the bathroom at least twice.  i said i'm not saying guards should not go but i'm saying someone who has to go that often should not be assigned at busy entry and exit points.

i said one time he left and went not just to the bathroom but outside just as i started eating and then i've already finished and have gone out of the premises and he still has not come back.

i said he's fidgety and he keeps on fixing his sleeves.

the guard snaps:  "are you angry at me because i'm fixing my sleeves?!"

i snap back:  "i resent that you cannot see what's happening because you are looking at your sleeves!"

i said this time when i saw him facing the aircon i called his attention and he responds with:
"it's out of your business!  i don't care who you are.  you're just a customer!"

the guard adds:  "you're not my supervisor!"

again the guard walks out.

i ask the managers to call him back but the male manager said never mind and just continue with my story.

okay.

some establishments spend so much and go to great lengths just to improve security.  my suggestion was very simple.  face the door instead of the aircon.  it wasn't hard to do.  it doesn't entail cost.  it's not even based on some obscure security principle just common sense.  and that is how the guard reacts?  that aircon is so big and heavy.  it is opaque.  there is no added value in facing it.  on the contrary, you are negating the value of having a guard by having your back to practically everything no matter how momentarily.

i said this very same guard was on duty at hi-top supermarket also august of last year when there was a commotion because my cousin saw someone holding my little nephew so she started screaming and she confronted the guy while i whisked my nephew out of the spot.  i brought my nephew to the cashier, i paid for my purchases then we all left.

when i came back the following day to ask for a copy of the incident report, it turns out this guard did not record anything!  actually, my cousin was saying throughout the incident the guard did not do anything.  what sort of security officer acts that way?!  guards are supposed to observe and record and investigate anything unusual.  they are supposed to maintain order in their place of assigment.  this one involved shouting and a supposed attempt to take a little boy and basic things you fail to do?!

i insisted on a report so they produced one.  well, the report they put together fails in terms of completeness and accuracy.  i'd say truthfulness, too.

the basics:  who, what, where, when.  if you can produce the why and how better.

the who, there were four people involved:  my nephew, the guy, my cousin and i.  in their report there was just three.  my cousin has disappeared from the picture.  it was my cousin who saw what the guy did and it is their names that were left out.  [the report says they were not able to talk to the guy sensibly because he was mentally handicapped so "agad din namin pinauwi."  actually i doubt whether they questioned him at all.]

the what, it was my cousin screaming but in their report i was already the one screaming.

the where, good, they got it right.

the when, they were off by over an hour!  i know because i paid with a credit card and the slip has a timestamp.

this guard was closest to the incident at the time.  i am saying he was alarmingly incompetent.  a year later it shouldn't be like that anymore.

now i don't want people to lose their jobs because of anything i say.  what i have in mind is to give them a refresher course to bring them at par with the requirements of their position and assign them to a post suitable to their disposition.

customer entrance and exit is not the proper posting for someone who has no sense of decorum.  i suppose chow king trains its employees on how to interact with customers.  you have marketing.  you have PR.  you don't counter those efforts by posting an ill-mannered guard at the door.  you will antagonize customers that way.

a heavy traffic door is not the proper posting for someone who is inclined to leave his post.  you're giving bad elements too much window.

true, chow king has a CCTV but that is a passive device.  you have a guard precisely for active protection.

i asked the managers to have a security professional review footage from their CCTV and evaluate the kind of protection they've been getting given the behavior of their guard.  they have only one guard.  he must know at least the basics otherwise you're putting life and property at risk.

the female manager said she will ask the guard for an IR.  i left my name and number with them.  up to now i haven't received any message.  i really am curious what the guard has to say.  i will hear him out.  i will not walk out.