time

going someplace with my cousin... i was leaving my car at a mall then i'd just be riding with him to the destination...

we agreed to meet 2:30 p.m...

2:06 p.m. he texts me asking where i was...

i replied i was already at the mall...

he picks me up then goes: 'why didn't you text me you were already there?'

me: 'you said 2:30 so i was waiting for 2:30...'

cousin: 'but you were already there... had i known i would have gone earlier...'

me: 'i was there too early... 1:30 i was already there...'

cousin: 'why were you too early?'

me: 'i'm just hitching a ride and i don't want to make the driver wait... i wasn't sure about the traffic so i left early... turns out flow was smooth...'

cousin: 'you should have informed me the moment you arrived...'

me: 'i don't wanna be informing too early... i have a friend who comes an hour ahead of the appointed time... she'd text me she was already at the place... i'd start rushing and i feel like i'm already late even if it's still an hour early...'

: }

choice part

at sitio verde...

me:  'this used to be estrel's...'

cousin-in-law:  'estrel's is at the next block...'

me:  'now...  but this is their original shop...  they moved to the next block just a few years ago...'

i know.  i used to frequent the place.  i love their caramel cake.

there was one at our family gathering last night.  my sister-in-law got me a slice.  (thanks, mamu.  mwuah!!!)  uhm, it was a middle part though.  i want my estrel's side or corner portion.  more caramel...  : )

i went to the table therefore.  my aunt was slicing the cake.

me:  'i'll get one from the side, auntie.  more icing, hehe...'

aunt points to the corner of the cake:  'you want that part?'

me:  'it hasn't been cut yet...  i'm okay with side...'

aunt:  'oh, let's cut it!'

me:  'the shape would become irregular if you slice the corner off...'

aunt:  'it's okay.  the whole thing will be eaten shortly anyway.'

then she gave me a corner part.

it made my day...  : )

late response

friend texted me 6:38 p.m.

i call back 8:58 p.m.
(i was at a family gathering earlier...)

forgetting the text, friend right away goes:  'did i call you???'

wahaha...  my friends know i don't normally  call...  i just call back...

and a lot of times, i respond late...  :"}

i have an excuse:
'you text her;
she doesn't text you back.
she was so excited that you texted her
she fainted.'

; )

look out

raining...

me to mom:  'careful...  you might sliiiiii...!!!!!'

i was the one who almost slipped...  ;"p

enough said

sunday friend tells me that her tablet is full.

i tell her to go with me to the house so we could move some of her photos to my laptop for the meantime.  (we've done it before.  actually up to now her pics are in my drive because she still doesn't have storage.)  we were just four houses away from my place.  we're not talking big-yard mansions here.

well, she didn't want to move her photos yet.

i reminded her processes need wiggle room.  system files require space.  updates require space.  not all photos have to be on her device.

she wouldn't listen.

i didn't force her.

now she regretfully tells me she deleted 200 (!) photos because she'll have to take pictures for the office.  she says next time she'll listen to me.

haha...  not sure i'd still be saying anything next time.  i've already told her so many times.  i do get tired of saying things over and over and over again...  ; p

tune out

friend:  'DC released a trailer for Justice League, so many views right away...  and then just hours later, Marvel also released a trailer for Thor Ragnarok...  it immediately overtook DC's, 2 million views!'

me:  '2 million?  despacito, 4 billion!  most-streamed song of all time...'

friend:  'what song is that?  i'm not part of the 4 billion...'

me:  'it's ok...  i'm not part of the 2 million...'

friend:  'i might have heard it on the radio...  how does the song go?'

me:  '♩ ♪  despacito
quiero respirar tu cuello despacito
deja que te diga cosas al oído
para que te acuerdes si no estás conmigo  ♫ ♬

that's all i know...'

friend:  'i don't get it...'

me:  'you don't know spanish?'

friend:  'i don't recognize the tune...'

wahaha...  it's my singing...  toinks!!!  ;"p

appetite

driving along marikina...

friend:  'there's kanto fried chicken!'

me:  'haha...  KFC?  for real?'

brother:  'i thought that was just in laguna...  so they have here, too...'

friend:  'they're going to open a KFC in <street>...  i'll be near KFC already...'

me:  'kentucky fried chicken or kanto?'

friend:  'the real KFC...'

me:  'i love their fully-loaded meal...'

friend:  'i haven't tried that...'

me:  'you have!  it's just a combination of different items...  i order fully loaded B2...  1 piece fried chicken, i like it thigh part...  rice, mushroom soup, mashed potato and sprite...  sometimes i upsize to krushers...  they used to have brownies with it, now no more...'

friend:  'ah...  so i've tried those...'

me:  'sure...  you just might have ordered them separately...'

i fully load; she staggers...  ;")

saved

friend tells me a friend's car figured in a collision.

me:  'is he okay?'

friend:  'it was the son driving...'

me:  'is the son okay?'

friend:  'yes...'

me:  'no cuts and bruises?'

friend:  'none...'

me:  'good...  that's what's important...  cars you can always replace...'

then later friend shows me a picture.

whoa!  the car is dented big time and the driver was unharmed?!

God is really good...  all the time...  <3

my brother's keeper

i was going out our gate and i saw our young neighbor suddenly run into their house.  he was barefoot!

then he comes right out again.  this time he already had slippers...  : )

this is not the first time this happened.  uhm, he sees me and he remembers to wear his slippers, wahehe...  ;"p

i don't normally tell children (and other people in general) what to do.  i'm thinking if their parents are fine with what they're doing then i have no business telling them otherwise.  whatever their parenting style, parents want nothing but the best for their children anyway.

this young boy, however, i see playing basketball on the street barefoot.  uuuhhh!!!  i find that risky.

i know someone who died within seven days of confinement in one of the best hospitals in the country and the complications were triggered by a wounded toe!

if i could prevent someone from wounding his foot then i would.  i therefore make it a point to tell the boy to go get his slippers and never to play barefoot on the street lest he stubs his toe.

i don't know if that annoys him but i would like to assure him, even if i am not his parent, i have nothing but his well-being in mind.

talk

i call a supermarket...

me:  'hello...  i'd like to know whether you already have the big arla cheesy spread...  not the small ones, the 500 grams...'

supermarket personnel:  'carla?'

me:  'arla...  no C...  A, R, L, A...'

supermarket personnel:  'arla?'

me:  'yes... the spread...'

supermarket personnel:  'bread?'

me:  'spread, not bread...  S, P, R, E, A, D...  arla cheesy spread...  A, R, L, A...  C, H, E, E, S, Y...  S, P, R, E, A, D...'

supermarket personnel:  'arla cheesy spread?'

me:  'yes...  last time you had the small, i want the big...  the 500 grams...'

supermarket personnel:  'i'll check, ma'am...'

she comes back and tells me they have...

whew!

spelling, 100;
enunciation, 0.

;"p

out of order

i was making myself a sandwich around 9:30 a.m. wednesday when i heard shouting outside.  i went out to the balcony.

guess what, i saw a guy within our property lines (!) unloading a big pipe from a Manila Water truck.  the truck was blocking the whole width of the street!

it turns out the condominium across our house was again going to have its septic tank siphoned.

and then i saw my sister-in-law driving into the street.  naturally, she could not proceed as the truck occupied the width of the street and was right in front of our gates, blocking three slots of our garage!

i gobbled my sandwich then immediately walked over to my parents' place to avoid the oncoming stink.  (uhm, my appetite was immensely reduced, thank you very much.)

after a while, i decided to go back to check whether it was really a Manila Water truck i saw.  true enough it was.  the previous times it was some other contractor.

and there also was the condominium manager (i think) outside.  she was holding their "Barangay Clearance for Special Permit" for the siphoning activity.

it reads in part:

"This is to certify that the Office of the Sangguniang Barangay interposes no objection to the granting of SPECIAL PERMIT to CABALEN MANAGEMENT CORP INC. of 54 J.P. Rizal Street, Barangay Marilag..."

the permit required Cabalen to "fully comply" with certain "mandatory requirements" among them:

"Any erection of structure shall not encroach on sidewalk, street, avenue, park, plaza or any government property;"

"Public safety and order shall be ensured at all times and no materials considered as fire or health hazard shall be stored in the premises;"

"Vehicle parking shall be provided but shall not exceed the property line and its street, sidewalk park and other government property shall be used for said purpose." [sic]

"Others, Secure Permit from City Hall."

"Non-compliance or defiance to any all [sic] of the above-stated provisions shall automatically cancel this certificate without prejudice to the filing of proper civil or criminal action against the applicant."

the permit was issued on july 17, 2017.  the siphoning was held on july 19.  they usually obtain such permit whenever they have a siphoning activity and distribute a copy to the residents of the street.  this time we did not receive any.

whenever they have a siphoning activity, the noise is really loud and the smell is really foul.  sometimes the activity lasts for less than an hour, other times for half a day!

one time i requested the condominium manager to kindly move the siphoning truck inside their premises instead of right in front of our gates anyway their permit specifies they should not exceed their property line.

she replied she called the barangay and obtained permission to do the activity on the street.  i don't really know which particular street they were allowed to use.  the registered address of Cabalen is J. P. Rizal but the siphoning activity is done on the Callejon 3 side of their property.

the written permit was supposedly reviewed by the Office of the Sangguniang
 Barangay, inspected and signed by the Kagawad-on-Duty, approved and signed by the Punong Barangay, attested and signed by the Barangay Secretary and supposed to be distributed to the affected residents.  a mere phone call with no documentation whatsoever overturns it?

something is not quite right here.

just the same

friend:  'so who's the gamer?'

me:  'huh?'

friend:  'the one in the blog...'

me:  'oh...  <toot>...'

friend:  'up to now?!'

me:  'what do you mean up to now?'

friend:  'he's been around for years!'

me:  'so?'

friend:  'stay away from him!'

me:  'eh?  and why?'

friend:  'he likes you...'

me:  'how do you know he likes me?'

friend:  'it takes one to know one...'

me:  'hahaha...  we're just friends the same way you and i are friends, too...  if i stay away from him i should stay away from you as well...'

friend:  'i'm different...'

pfft...  ; p

he and she

gamer friend has expiring points in his shopping account...

me:  'i intend to use them on this DotA toy...'

friend:  'toy?  just give it to <my nephew>...'

me:  '<nephew> doesn't play with action figures anymore...  besides, it's not really a toy...  it's a collectible...'

friend:  'collectible is more like it...  what sort?'

me:  'it's one of the characters in DotA...  i can't recall the name...  it's wearing a red and black robe [Nortrom the Silencer]...'

friend:  'red?'

me:  'the upper part is red and then the lower part is black...'

friend:  'what are the other ones?'

me:  'there's this green creature [Leviathan the Tidehunter]...  it resembles, not really a dragon, a snake or a dinosaur maybe...  it's scary...  then there's this violet one [Darkterror the Faceless Void] and another one [Leoric the Skeleton King], they're ugly!'

friend chuckles...

me:  'only four are available...  the three are ugly; only one is cute...  of course i'd choose the cute...'

and then i catch myself...

me:  'wait...  guys would not necessarily get a cute figure, right?  better check it out yourself then just be the one to choose...'

men are from mars, women are from venus...  : }

somebody

my mom introduced me to one of the chefs at the restaurant she frequents with my dad.

chef:  'is it your first time here?'

me:  'no...  i've been here several times...'

[when i checked in at swarm, i was notified that it was my tenth time at the venue.]

i just recently told a friend not to be too self-conscious as people might not even be looking at her.  true enough here i am, ten times at the place and unnoticed in the crowd.

to the world
you're just someone
but to someone
you are the world.

;")

focus

i went to sunday mass at a different timeslot.  well, i spent a lot of time literally just hearing mass as my eyes were closed.  nope, i was neither sleepy nor sleeping.  i was trying to concentrate.

background:

= = = = =

gamer not

the lyrics projected onscreen were not in sync with what the choir was singing.  it was either late or ahead.  actually, i know the songs.  still, i tend to look at the screen.  so there we were, the choir, the other churchgoers and i singing these lines and the screen displaying something else.

it's not like that in the mass i usually attend.

i dunno whether the problem is with the keyboard or the operator.  if the latter, uhm, "you had one job."

: }

= = = = =

distracted

i like to sit in the front pews precisely to avoid distractions.  well, i was on the third pew.  the first was vacant.  the second had two girls.  i was right behind them.  that should be a pretty good position, right?  guess what, one of the girls kept on tying and untying her bun!  she had long hair so she'd raise her arms above her shoulders while straightening the strands she would form into a bun!  then when she already has a bun, she'd be still just a while then she'd start running her fingers all around it then untie it again then straighten the hair again then form it into a bun again.  ugh!  if this were a moviehouse i would have called her attention already.  but this was church and i was thinking people should be more patient and understanding and tolerant so i just did the adjusting myself.  i closed my eyes.

anyway, i hope people like that don't sit in front.  if you're going to be busy fixing yourself, stay at the back.  better yet, forget the flesh and focus on the spirit.

show me

last sunday, a friend mentioned to me that she and an officemate were going to have their warts removed.

i told her to try this herbal cream before she goes for electrocautery.  i've used it myself and i was vouching for it.

she objected saying they have a flag ceremony the following morning and she doesn't want her officemates to see her face with dots.

i told her it's okay.  the dots will be there just a few days after that her face will already be clear.

she kept on declining...

i kept on insisting...
(wahaha...  mind your own business!!!)

i had lines like:
it's just external, what matters is what you are inside.
it's just a few days; think long term.
it's not going to be permanent; it will pass.
don't be too conscious, for all you know people are not even looking at you.

nothing i said could convince her so i just forced her, wahaha...
("with friends like these...")

the cream was applied on three of her warts.

guess what, last night she amazedly and very happily tells me the warts have fallen off.  she now intends to use the cream on the remaining ones.

me:  'have it applied on a friday so it will be less noticeable by monday.'

friend:  'aw, no!  i'll have it applied right away!'

me:  'i thought you don't want your officemates to see you with a dotted face?'

friend:  'i don't care...  the dots will disappear anyway.  after that my face will already be clear.'

me:  'see!!!  that was what i was telling you last sunday, you wouldn't listen.  i had to force you!'

friend just chuckles...

results persuade...
results convince...
results convert...  : )

beam me up

going home after dinner at the mall...

friend:  'can you go to the parking lot by yourself?'

me:  'of course!'

friend:  'are you sure?'

me:  'sure.'

friend:  'i can accompany you...'

me:  'it's so near!  i lived alone in taguig for more than four years...  that is far!'

friend:  'but that was your house.'

me:  'well, i had to travel from the office to the village everyday.  i cannot just suddenly be at the house...'

teleportation?  ; )

storytelling

got off the car...

me to friend:  'you have the [parking] stub?'

friend:  'i left it in the car...'

me:  'oh...  i'll get it...'

i go back to the car...  after a while friend follows me...

friend:  'you can't find it?'

me:  'no...'

friend:  'i put it near the gear stick...'

we both look for it...

friend:  'what will happen if we don't find it?'

me:  'i'll have to produce docs proving ownership plus pay i dunno whether P150 or P300 for lost ticket...'

we look for it some more...

friend kept narrating how and where she put the stub as we searched...

still, we could not find it...  : }

me:  'i'll just look for it later...  i can produce proof of ownership in any case...'

we then proceed to a restaurant...

friend gets something in her bag and, ta-daaan, pulls out the parking stub!

friend:  'here it is!'

me:  'yay!  so what happened to your story?'

friend:  'aren't you happy that we found it?!'

me:  'happy!'

end of story...  ; p

gentleman

ordering a meal at the counter...

crew:  'how many?'

me:  'huh?!  just one!  actually i'm not hungry...  i was just craving your soup...'
->  the soup, bulalo / bone marrow, is free but i cannot just walk into the restaurant and ask for free soup so i ordered a meal, hahaha...

crew, pointing to someone seated at a table:  'i just thought you were together...'

me:  'oh...  if we were, he should be the one ordering here not i...'

; p

chasing rainbows

friend telling me about these fast food joints they tried to eat at the other sunday.

me:  'we were at <eatery> that sunday.'

friend:  'i saw that!  i wanted to go there, too, but i was afraid you won't like it...'

me:  'huh?!  i don't own the place!  i don't care who goes there!'

friend:  'i don't know who you're with...'

me:  'haha...  my family!  we came from a funeral...'

if i were hiding, i wouldn't be sharing my location in social media, at least not real time.  actually, only platform i'm real time at is swarm and even then i oftentimes intentionally check in when i'm already about to leave.

i remember a line a former officemate used to funnily, naughtily, teasingly say:
"hindi ka aabot..."
->  you won't catch me

; p

yours and mine

friend and i walk into a hotel.  hotel personnel greet us cheerfully.

friend:  'you must come here really often.  they already know you.'

me:  'no.  they don't.'
[the hotel has been open close to one-and-a-half years.  i've been there maybe five times.]

friend:  'she said hello to you.'

me:  'that's just part of their customer service.  they welcome their guests warmly.'

friend:  'she just smiled at me.'

me:  'haha...  you were behind me!  the hello's for both of us already.'

friends and strangers

there's this usual seat that i occupy at the mass i regularly attend.  today, however, it was already taken when i arrived so i sat at the back.

i noticed someone who kept on looking around.  it was my friend!  she was looking for me, haha.

she doesn't normally hear mass at our church but when she does she informs me beforehand and we sit together.  this time she wasn't able to text me.

she was in my line of vision and her presence kinda distracted me.  i actually like to sit in the front pews so i don't see a lot of people.  mere strangers distract me, what more someone i know.

it's interesting how in a crowd your eyes are drawn to a particular person.

"In a sea of people, my eyes will always search for you."

there are the rest and there are those above the rest...  : )

chill

at a supermarket, staff offered me a free taste of these fruit drinks...  i chose pomelo...

me:  'it's good...  where is this made?'

staff:  'taiwan...'

me:  'oh...'

staff:  'the apples are from the U.S., ma'am...'

me:  'ooops...  even farther...'

i show him my intended purchase...

me:  'you know why i chose this?  one, container's glass not plastic.  two, it was produced here.  if it's imported i'm thinking it crossed the seas, maybe in adverse conditions.  at least this one didn't travel too far.  the food's more relaxed.'

nyahaha...  the things that cross my mind...  ;"p

overload

received a text message:
'Call me bff'

i go:  'bff'

joke!

i call...

friend needed some sort of tech support...  i give her step-by-step instructions...

friend:  'it's hard for me to talk on the phone...'

me:  'then why did you ask me to call you?'

friend:  'there's something wrong with my cellphone...  my ear aches when i stay too long...'

me:  'really?  then why did you ask me to call?  we shouldn't be talking on the phone...'

friend:  'i prefer landline...'

me:  'aw!  i don't have landline...'

friend:  'let's just talk some other time...  i'm getting a headache...'

me:  'aw...  rest...  bye...'

i wonder whether my instructions triggered the headache...  :"}

essential

i was wearing a green shirt this morning.

i passed two garbage collectors and both were also wearing green.

i passed a construction site and one of the two workers i saw was wearing green.

i chuckled to myself, 'we're late for st. patrick's...'

and then while i was walking to a fastfood, i noticed several people also wearing green.

eh?

do i just have a heightened awareness of the color today?
(green mind, hehe)

was i attracting it?
(the secret)

or

could it be there's a significance to green for today?

there was one time i noticed an unusual number of people wearing black.  i found out later it was in solidarity for something.  uhhh!!!  i missed the memo!  had i known i also would have worn black.

anyway, i remember this maricel soriano movie line,
"wala sa damit, wala sa kulay...  nasa puso, nasa utak..."
->  it's not in the clothes, it's not in the color...  it's in the heart, it's in the mind...

tough luck

at a bank this morning, a woman wanted to exchange her demonetized NDS (New Design Series) banknotes for legal tender NGC (New Generation Currency Series) banknotes.

teller:  'deadline was june 30, ma'am.'

woman:  'you won't accept this anymore?'

teller:  'it's already july 5, ma'am.  deadline was june 30.'

woman:  'how 'bout other banks?'

teller:  'i dunno, ma'am.  you can try.'

woman:  'we found these bills just last night.  it's very unfortunate if this money will go to waste...'

true.  but there is such a thing as too late.

original deadline was december 31, 2016.  it was extended to march 31, 2017.  then again to june 30, 2017.

three deadlines and you found it after.

sometimes fortune is not in the mood to smile at you.  just grin and bear it...  ; )

pet peeve

shirt print:

"Running late is my workout."

wahaha...  stay away from me!  ; p

it's not what you think

at an uncle's funeral yesterday, i told two of my nephews holding candles to stand on each side of the opening where the urn will pass through to symbolize his coming into the light.

ok.

nephew on each side.  cousin placed the urn inside the tomb.  then one of my nephews also inserted his candle inside.

me:  'ooops, don't.  all i said was stand on the sides.  the candles will remain outside.'

then i realized maybe he was just using the candle to illuminate the tomb as he arranged the garland of flowers around the urn.

i spoke too soon...  sorry...  :"}

= = = = =

cousin whose father was just laid to rest passed in front of me with a big bag filled with packed meals.  he was the one who carried the urn in the funeral procession from the church to the cemetery.

me:  'ay, huwag na kayo.'
->  oh, not you anymore.

cousin replies he has already distributed food to those outside.

huh?!  ooops...  he must have thought i was stopping him from eating!  :O

me:  'i mean don't be the one to distribute food anymore.  you're the bereaved.  just rest.  we've asked the kids to do it.'

= = = = =

saying goodbyes at the cemetery.  suddenly i smelled a candle.

me:  'do you smell candle?'

cousin:  'yes...'

i turn to a niece:  'you?'

niece:  'yes...'

cousin-in-law points to the tomb beside us:  'there are the candles.'

ooops...  hehe...  i thought it was something supernatural sensed by me alone...

keep smiling

at an uncle's funeral this afternoon, another uncle asked me:  'don't you have your camera anymore?'

me:  'oh, i do!'

uncle:  'then why are you taking pics with a phone?'

he wasn't the first person to ask me that.  family and friends are used to seeing me with a cam.  it's been like that since i was in second year high school.  that is, uhm, decadeS ago.

my reply:  'i have pics of <departed uncle> on his birthday.  he was so happy that time.  we never expected that he would pass away the following day.  i'd rather that those happy pics be his last pics on my cam.'

prayers for his eternal rest and everlasting joy.

KISS

i'm on my laptop.

sister calls me from downstairs.

sister:  'do you want to eat?  there's fries...'

a couple of days before she also called me for fries.  i love fries so i rushed downstairs.  was my joy dampened when i saw that it was cheese-flavored fries.  i like my fries plain...  : }

this time therefore i asked first:  'what fries?'

sister:  'french...'

; )