time

mom's friend texted me saying she's free these certain days and asked when we could go to their place...

me to mom:  'when are we going?'

mom:  'friday...'

me:  'what time?'

mom:  '10 a.m...'

i texted my mom's friend telling her we'll be there 10 a.m.

guess what, turns out my mom meant we'll leave at 10 a.m.

ooops...

i requested my mom to text her friend herself that there was some miscommunication and we're actually leaving at 10 instead of arriving at 10...

no big deal maybe but i have this thing about rescheduling, more so cancelling on, people...  i really go the extra mile to keep original appointments...  i think it shows respect for the person and his time...  i like to say, no matter how much money you have, no matter how far you search, time is something you cannot buy...  waste yours if you want but don't ever waste others'...

memory

i was on my way to run errands for my sister when my mom suddenly thought of adding her own:  'what would be nice to bring?'

me:  'what do they like to eat?'

mom:  'hmmm...'

me:  'she gives ensaymada so it shouldn't be ensaymada...  how 'bout donuts?  J.Co...'

mom:  'i'll be seeing <friend>, too, so also the dark chocolate...'

me:  'malagos?  you want the highest concentration?'

mom:  'not too much...'

me:  'ok...  maybe just the 65...'

so i completed what i was scheduled to do for my sister then i went home...  ugh!  i totally forgot about the errands for my mom!  i normally have a list and i set alarms to counter forgetfulness but these last-minute errands i wasn't able to add.

between mother and sister, the former definitely ranks higher.  i can imagine myself telling my sister i wasn't able to attend to her concern because i attended to our mom's.  i'm not quite comfortable, however, telling my mom i wasn't able to fulfill her request because i attended to my sister's.  but come to think of it, i could tell either i wasn't able to do something because i forgot.  at my age, that is understandable...  ;")

helpful

the electronic queueing system at the bpi family bank branch in f. castillo was not working so customers stood in lines, not really long, just two-, three-deep each.

then the teller remarked, 'we should have numbers...  sir said we will be having numbers...'

right away the guard started distributing hand-written numbers to the customers and told them they could now sit while waiting.

awww...  nice...  : )

that is the initiative of a good and thinking man.  quick to act in putting order to things and making things easier not just for himself but for others.

thank you, mr. guard...  : )

trash

i was supposed to go straight but i saw a garbage truck at the far end of the road so i turned right.

ok.

then i turned left.

ooops...  there was another garbage truck straight ahead and there were no more detours that i could take!  waaahhh!!!

sometimes you really have no choice but to go past rubbish...  : }

thousandfold

at the bank...

stranger / fellow customer:  'you have a nice car...'

me:  'huh?!'

he points to my car visible from the bank's glass door:  'that car's yours, right?'

me:  'uh-huh...  it's an old car...'

fellow customer:  'those are the durable ones...'

me:  'really?  good then...'

fellow customer:  'i was just supposed to have porridge but i ended up here...'

me:  'at <nearby eatery>?'

fellow customer:  'no...  it's expensive there!  i eat at <eatery> behind <supermarket>...'

me:  'hmmm...  i dunno that one...'

fellow customer:  'you know, even if you have P50,000 in your pocket you should be simple...  me, i go there and i try to be low-key...'

me:  'okay.'

and then i wondered why he said that.  was i flashy?  i was wearing just a t-shirt and denims...  and i sure wasn't carrying around P50,000.  hmmm...  was he?

so we were side-by-side at the counter and guess what, he did deposit P50,000 saying he's depositing it so he won't end up spending it.

oh...

and me?  i deposited P47, wahaha...

i paid my monthly SSS contribution, P1,760...  i gave the teller P1,800 telling him not to give me change anymore but instead just deposit the money to my account.  i had P7.00 loose coins and i told him to add it to the deposit.  ta-daaannn!  P47!

side by side but nowhere close...  ;"p

improvement

i had my SIM card replaced at the Sun Shop yesterday.  i was advised by the customer service hotline to do so.

for a couple of months now i've been experiencing frequent network disconnections.  i get a notification saying,
"No service.
Selected network (Sun) not available."

i'm on auto-connect but still i reconnect manually and then i get disconnected again, sometimes immediately, sometimes hours later.

i've cleaned my SIM card.  i've switched SIM slots.  i turn my phone off and on.  the problem persists.

i'm not sure whether location is a factor.  i experience it most often in quezon city, at different areas.  i have, however, also experienced it in mandaluyong, pasay, paraƱaque and taguig.

i have a dual SIM phone.  the other slot has a Globe SIM and it works fine.  it's just the Sun SIM that is having network problems.

i did receive the following SMS from Sun last march 24:
"1/2 To serve you better, we're upgrading our cell site equipment in parts of Metro Manila on Mar 24-Apr 1. You may have intermittent signal while this is being

2/2 done. To get the best signal in your area, please set your Android phone to AUTO-CONNECT to 2G/3G/LTE or to 3G or LTE for iOS. Sorry for the inconvenience."

anyway, so my SIM card was replaced.  i tested it.  the only difference is that when i scan for networks now i get SUN in all caps instead of Sun with just the first letter capitalized.  the customer service hotline did ask me that earlier, i.e., whether i was seeing SUN in all caps.

after successfully sending a test SMS, i asked how much i have to pay.

guess what, i was told that it was free.

really?

they charged me P150 when i had a similar replacement years back.  my phone suddenly stopped detecting my SIM and diagnosis was defective SIM card.  i thought then replacement would be free but it was not.  now it is?

according to the Sun Shop staff, it became free when they were acquired by Smart.

ei, nice one, Smart.

thank you...  : )

caught on cam

mom asking whether i want to join them for lunch.

i beg off.

my sister goes:  'join us.  so we'd have pics...'

hahaha...  ulterior motive!

yup, i love taking pictures...  i take pics of anything and everything and everyone...  no, not magazine-worthy shots.  just quick snaps of moments i want to freeze in time or documentation of things that catch my fancy or attention.

i've been doing it for decades.  from when photos were simply kept in private albums instead of shared in social media.

the pics could have unintended uses, too.  one time someone was denying something.  i told her to be sure she's telling the truth because it's gonna be her word against my pic...

she backtracked...

; p

in that case

my dad is kinda into sushi now so when i reserved a table for him and my mom, i requested that it be near the sushi station.

today is the day they went to the restaurant.

me:  'was your table near the sushi station?'

my dad answered with a lame, 'uhm...  somewhat...'

me:  'hmmm...  i requested that you be seated near the sushi station when i made the reservation...'

my dad's tone suddenly changed to an exuberant, 'oh...  yes, it was!  [sushi] was the first dish i got from the buffet...'

haha...  "my opinions change with new information."

; )

thoughtless

what would a normal, thinking person do when there is no more space available for parking?

i'd say he'd go find space someplace else.  that's why it's not unusual to see vehicles driving around to find a vacant spot.

me, i was going home one time and saw a delivery truck in front of our garage.  it was unloading materials for a neighbor's home renovation.  we have a narrow street.  it's just a single lane.  what did i do?  i drove away and looked for temporary parking elsewhere.  i ended up in a street in front of my former school 300 meters away.  i left my car there and walked home.  when the delivery truck has finished unloading, my brother got my car for me.

now i don't expect other people to go to such lengths.  but i also don't expect them not to exert any effort whatsoever.

this morning what happened?  i was about to leave and could not because our neighbor parked his car right between the other neighbor's driveway and our garage.  actually, they've been blocking gates daily for years.  if it's any consolation, however, they've just been blocking two of the slots in our garage.  now they extended to a third!  his car was not just preventing my car from getting out of the garage but also totally blocking the other neighbor's driveway!

what sort of thought processes do these people have???

no limit

i was cleaning up my uncle's phone screens...

first, i removed duplicate icons

second, i asked him what apps he uses the most then placed them on the first screen

third, i asked him to rank the apps according to frequency of usage

fourth, i asked him to show me how he taps on his phone

he held the phone on his left hand then simulated taps using his right forefinger

i break into a chuckle  ->  i asked him to do that because i wanted to see where his thumb would fall...  i intended to put the icon for his most frequently used app there...

me, i hold my phone on my right hand then tap with my right thumb so my frequently used apps i put within my thumb's easy reach...  given his style, it's immaterial where the icons are...  he can very easily reach each one with his forefinger...

yup, some styles are less restrictive than others...  break free...  : )

to the max

last night, i was telling my sister-in-law that we should switch parking as i was supposed to leave early in the morning.  we have a garage alright but you should park there only if you're not scheduled to go out.  if you are, you better park outside in order of departure as our neighbor parks right in front of the garage making it difficult or even impossible to drive out.

we have a supposedly one-lane street made a little wider only because my dad and the neighbor across moved back the structures on their properties.  with the street already wider, some inhuman being appropriated the available space for daily parking.

the third slot of our garage has long been rendered unusable for parking as you won't be able to wiggle out what with the neighbor's vehicle/s blocking the way.  and they actually park right beside this big 'Don't Block the Driveway' sign posted on the gate of this other neighbor.

this has been going on for yearssss.

then now the other neighbor widened their driveway.

my sister-in-law was telling me we don't have to switch parking as the neighbor won't be parking there anymore.

me:  'what made you say so?'

sister-in-law:  'that would be too much if they still park there...'

hmmm...  they'd be
1.  blocking the gate
2.  preventing us from driving out
and
3.  rendering useless the widening of the driveway.

is that beyond them?

hmmm...

you have to believe in the goodness of the human spirit but at the same time you should make rational projections.  you should consider track records.  you should recognize patterns.

if someone has been behaving a certain way for years, it is not wise to assume they would act differently all of a sudden.

true enough, this morning, the neighbor's vehicles were still parked where they've been parking and inconveniencing others daily for years.

some people's selfishness, shamelessness and callousness know no bounds.

don't lose your own voice

i'm in the garage and i overhear the neighbor singing 'california king bed' on videoke.  uhm, her notes were kinda going to the east coast, then the midwest, south, north, all over.

me to nephew:  'what the...  i like that song!'

i sing along:
'♩ ♪ ♭  i've been california wishing on these stars
for your heart for me
my california king  ♫ ♬ ♯'

ouch!  i've sang that song so many times...  this time it sounded really awful (it was just somewhat awful before, wahaha)...

me:  'aw!  she was off-key...  now i am, too!'

be a voice, not an echo!

from what i hear

me:  '♩ ♪  hello, hello, baby
you called, i can't hear a thing  ♫ ♬'

4-year-old boy:  'what song is that?'

me:  'telephone...  you know who sang it?  lady gaga...'

boy then sings, too:
'♩ ♪  ah te a por
pumi pumi pumi pumi
ah te a por  ♫ ♬'

me:  'haha...  versace on the floor!  you know who sang that?'

boy:  'mama...'

move over, bruno...  ; p

lethal combination

guy:  'you have the same birthday as my ex...  no wonder i fell so hard for you, like a mini-heart attack...'

really, huh?

when it comes to love, mixing past and present means you have no future...

set your sights elsewhere and go take a hike...

so appropriate

i went to the land transportation office.  parking was full so i drove past the parking slots.  then one of the guys motioned for me to go back and park on part of the driveway being vacated by another vehicle.

i shifted to reverse and parked.

when i got off, one of the inspectors greeted me with, 'you drive so well...'

me:  'is that true or is it a joke?'

inspector:  'it's true!'

me:  'what made you say that?'

inspector:  'you were able to park in that space in just one attempt, backwards at that...'

me:  'oh...  we have a narrow street where i live...  i always enter the garage backward...'

actually, i'm not always able to get in position the first time...  this one was just one of my lucky tries...  i'm so happy it happened at the land transportation office in front of a motor vehicle inspector...  : )

givers and takers

so this woman was trying to get a sympathetic ear and this girl she was talking to was unable to sense the tone of frustration in her voice.

the woman was narrating things she's been doing for someone and the girl kept on reacting like:
'oh, you're so responsible.'
'oh, good thing you're like that.  not everyone is.'
'that's really how it is.'

talk about dense.  the woman was fed up and the girl was not at all getting it.  so sadly hilarious and unbelievably insensitive!

and then the definitive line:
'i've been doing that for her all these years, up to now she still expects me to do it for her???  no!  it's too much!  i don't want anymore!'

awkward moment...  : }

the statement was direct and unequivocal.  it was the message of the whole story!

yes, the woman you're talking to was all along complaining about people like you and you were so callously missing the point.

when your mindset is about what you think others should be doing for you, it doesn't occur to you that you should actually be doing things yourself.

open your mind.  you might finally realize that you've long been overdue to step up to bat.

leave no doubt

i was craving conti's turtle pie yesterday.  normally i try to satisfy my cravings but i was thinking it was the lenten season so i'd just ignore it as a form of sacrifice.

guess what, nighttime my mom asks me to drive her to conti's today as she's going to meet up with her friends.

my, my, my... (sharona!)

i was trying to avoid temptation and now i am walking right into it!

is this a test?

well, i'm happy to say that i didn't have turtle pie.  i'm not sure whether that's passing though because i did have something else.  (hey, a driver has got to eat.)

next time i'll aim for flying colors...

first things first

at mass today, the priest shared this story.

there was a man who had a prayer.  'Lord, please let me change other people so the world will be a better place.'  day after day he kept praying that.  after so many years, he has already reached midlife, he hasn't changed anyone.

so he changed his prayer.  'Lord, please let me change my family.'  and day after day he kept praying that.  after so many years, he still hasn't changed anyone.

then when his days were already numbered, he realized that his prayer should have been, 'Lord, let me change myself.'

aawww!!!  :")

there are people who make a nuisance of themselves trying to make others do things their way.  they open their mouths and what comes out is a constant stream of how things should be done and how life should be lived.  they are too engrossed in trying to change others it doesn't occur to them that maybe the change that should happen in the first place is for them to stop looking over the fence and instead start looking within themselves.

change starts with you.  mind your own business.

kind of right

so this woman across me pulled out something from her bag, tore the wrapper, ate the mini-bun inside then threw the wrapper to the floor.

eh?

i haven't recovered from the first and then she did it a second time!

ugh!

i wanted to call her out!

just a couple of weeks ago, i saw this group posting "Proud to be a drug free household" stickers on gates and fences.  was i shocked when one wearing a light blue shirt with the word 'PULIS' emblazoned on the back threw the paper he peeled from the sticky part on the street.

me:  'sir, you're littering.  to think you're a policeman.'

he mumbled something then pointed to the oncoming barangay vehicle.  he said barangay personnel will be picking up the litter.

oh?  why not not litter at all and save unnecessary effort?

anyway, i was looking at the woman and could not get myself to tell her off.  she looked tired and problematic and stressed and harassed.  i was thinking if i could not lighten her load i better not add to it.

i therefore just kept quiet.

i'm not really sure that's the right thing to do.  i do know, however, that it's the kind thing to do.

where is the love?

me:  'are you from pakil?'

guy:  'no...  from pangil...'

me:  'oh...  that's where gabriel resort is...'

guy:  'is it yours?'

me:  'haha...  no...  i just said it's there and it's already mine?!'

wow!

the truth

inviting someone to this nice and, uhm, pricey restaurant...

she asks:  'can i bring my grandson?'

me:  'ooops...  i'll check...  i invited <mother> and <grown up son> to <another nice and pricey restaurant> before...  <mother> then brought <her little boy> as well!  the restaurant charged me full-price!  how old is your grandson?'

grandma:  'four...'

i call the restaurant...  guess what, kids up to four years old eat free!  : D

today the three of us went...

receptionist:  'how old is the child, ma'am?'

me:  'hmmm...  how old is he?  six?'

grandmother blurts out:  'four!'

me:  'oh, yeah...  four...'

receptionist:  'he eats for free, ma'am...'

me:  'thank you...'

walking to our table i told the grandmother, 'she might think we just lowered the age so we won't have to pay...'

in all honesty, the boy is four...  i am just sooo much older and, uhm, understandably forgetful...  :"}

multiply

friend:  'what do you want?'

me:  'chocolates!!! : D'

friend:  'ok.  but is that all?'

me:  'huh?!  hmmm...  then make it a lot!'

;"p

back to basics

i had some cream put on this tiny (2 mm) bump that appeared just below my right thumb.  i was told to just let it be and not to wet it till tomorrow.

ok.

i went home.

i craved peanuts.

i got a pair of scissors and cut open this 3"x4" pack.

waaahhh!!!  the cream got wiped off by the rim of the scissors' finger hole!!!

ugh!

sometimes instruments are dispensable...  i should just have torn that pack open by hand...  :"}

good fight

sister:  'i bought kisses salted caramel...'

me:  'selecta?  i've tried it...'

sister:  'is it good?'

me:  'hmmm...  yes but if your bar for salted caramel is carmen's best you won't find it creamy...'

the chunky chocolate bits make up for it though...

there are wins;
there are losses;
i'd say this is a draw.

: )

attire

niece:  'you have cycling shorts, tita?'

me:  'aw...  no...'

niece:  'we're going swimming...'

oh, haha...

♩ ♪  [california] girls  ♫ ♬
bike with
♩ ♪  daisy dukes,
bikinis on top  ♫ ♬

others swim wearing biking shorts...

whatever suits you...

pet ownership

i saw one of the neighbor's dogs lying right in front of my parents' gate.

i called their maid to get the dog.

1.  it was blocking the way.
2.  it might again pee or poop.

the maid called the dog.

i went upstairs to get something then came right back down again.  guess what, the dog was not anymore in front of my parents' gate alright, it was now in front of my brother's garage!

ugh!

i have no pets.  i remember having a hamster and a rabbit in the house before but we did not keep them for long, just a couple of weeks to a couple of months.  the only long-term pets our family has ever had were lovebirds and goldfish.  for years, however, i've been cleaning dog poop and splashing dog pee because of irresponsible dog owners.

under Section 5 of Republic Act No. 9482 (Anti-Rabies Act of 2007),  all pet owners shall be required to:

"(c) Maintain control over their Dog and not allow it to roam the streets or any Public Place without a leash.

(d) Be a responsible Owner by providing their Dog with proper grooming, adequate food and clean shelter."

Section 3 defines "Public Place" as "any place open to the public like parks, malls, markets, streets, etc."

Section 11 provides for the following penalty:

"(5) Pet Owners who refuse to put leash on their Dogs when they are brought outside the house shall be meted a fine of Five hundred pesos (P500.00) for each incident."

hmmm...  hmmm...  hmmm...  someone's overdue to shell out a fortune in fines...

ready, get set, go

i entered a bank and there were three people on queue.

i filled out a deposit slip and when i turned around, there were already an additional nine people on queue!

whoa!  that was quick!

what is that?  everyone was on the starting line and when the gun went off they all sprinted to the bank?

; p

favored, blessed, loved

i had a very special Ash Wednesday yesterday.  ash was placed on my forehead in a sort of private ceremony just outside the Perpetual Eucharistic Adoration room where the only ones present were the lay minister and me.

i ran an errand for my dad and the church was along my route so i stopped by the PEA.  on my way out, i ran into a lay minister holding a small container filled with ash.

me:  'oh...  you're still going to put ash, sir?'

lay minister:  'we're done...'

me:  'aw...  i missed it...  would it still be possible for you to put ash on me though?'

lay minister thinks awhile, looks at me, then goes:  'okay...  i'll get my things...'

me:  'oh...  you still need to go someplace?  never mind...'

lay minister:  'i'll just get some stuff in the car...'

then he walks away...

me:  'don't bother!  thanks anyway...'

lay minister:  'no...  you wait for me...  just sit there...'

when he returned, he had two pieces of paper and he handed one to me.  it was the prayers for the ash ceremony!

he pointed out his lines and my supposed responses.

okay.

we started.

first, he said Ash Wednesday marks the beginning of the Lenten Season, a period of fasting and abstinence, penance, repentance and alms-giving.  he explained each one.

i felt so privileged and grateful.  it was as if i was getting a personal homily/sermon/excerpt from the mass.

i felt embarrassed, too, as i did not know i would be taking so much of the lay minister's time.

anyway, he then asked me whether i know why we put ash on the forehead.

i said all i know is it's from the bible:  dust thou art and unto dust thou shall return.

he explained aside from that it's because we're sinners and we should repent and be reconciled with God.

 then we proceeded to the printed prayers/exchange.

when he finally put ash on my forehead, he said, "Repent and believe in the Gospel."

amen.