once is enough

niece:  'what should i bring, tita?'

me:  'bring your ATM card plus two IDs...'

niece:  'i have only one...'

me:  'bring your student [driver's] license even if it's expired...'

niece:  'how 'bout my school [registration] form?'

me:  'yeah, bring it, too...  they asked for it before...'

we brought everything they asked for the last time...  guess what, the one who attended to my niece, the same one who attended to her before, did not ask for a single one...

nice...  : )

stark contrast to this [government] agency who repeatedly asked me to submit documents i've submitted to them before...  not just old ones, mind you, but even recent/current submissions!

how efficient...  :"}

repeat

accompanied my niece to a bank...

i had my hour-long shower before leaving...

i put on a long, loose dress...

we drove off to the bank less than a kilometer away...

my niece's transaction was completed in less than 5 minutes...

we drove back home immediately after...

everything was so quick my dress still had my newly-showered smell when we got home...

instead of putting the dress in my laundry basket, i simply hung it in my laundry area...

i'm going back to the same place tomorrow...  i'm actually thinking of wearing the same dress...  i wonder though whether they'll notice...  hmmm...

cost-benefit

i go to my parents' place and see this 9-inch-high cardboard blocking the bottom part of their door.

me:  'why do you have that?'

mom:  'so the cat won't get in...'

me:  'what if you trip?'

mom:  'it's for the cat...'

me:  'but it's a door!  what is your risk?  that you will trip and break a bone.  what is your yield?  that the cat won't get in.  is it worth it?'

it's basic:  high risk, high yield.

you prevent a cat from coming in.  i don't think that's worth a tumble.

long-winded

niece asked me to go over her report...

me:  'it's too wordy...  is there a minimum number of words?  are you required, for example, to write something in no less than 500 words?'

niece:  'no, tita...'

me:  'then let's trim this...  when you don't really know what you want to say, you tend to use a lot of words...  when you know exactly what you want to say, you can distill your message into just a few words...  let's take this sentence...  it's too long...  what exactly are you trying to say here?  what is your main point?'

niece chuckles:  'actually, i'm not sure, tita...'

wahaha...  see!  ; p

unprepared

i ran an errand for my mom wherein i had to pay something in cash.  going to the place, we did not know yet how much i was going to pay.  my mom just gave me thousand-peso bills.

it turns out the total amount due is P16,691.20.

i handed the cashier P17,000.

she asked me whether i had twenty centavos.

i told her i had no coins.

she goes, 'how is that?  i don't have 0.80...  don't you really have 0.20?'

me:  'all i brought are bills...  no coins...'

cashier:  'i don't have 0.80...'

me:  'never mind...'

she then gave me P308.  good thing she didn't round it off to P300, hehe.

they're right next door to a bank.  i wonder how many payors don't get exact change.

careless

i paid my parents' real property taxes at the quezon city hall yesterday.  it was my first time to do so.  my dad used to be the one to do it.

i noticed typographical errors in two of the tax bills given to me at the assessment window:

1.  one had a P instead of an R in my mom's name.

2.  the other had an A instead of an O in the street name.

i pointed them out and was told i would have to request corrections at the other building.

at the other building, i was given a Tax Declaration Application & Routing Form (Correction/Updating) with the following documentary requirements:

"- TCTs/CCTs -> authenticated copy from the original or certified copy from RD (Mandatory requirement for correction of OWNER/S NAME)
- Certified true copy of latest tax declaration (Mandatory requirement)
- Realty Tax Clearance or present original and photo copy of current year full payment (if necessary)
- Affidavit of No Improvement (for vacant lots)
- Letter-request of the owner specifying requested correction and purpose for which the document will be used
- Owner's authorization/special power of attorney (for other parties requesting)
- Picture of property (3" x 5" colored) - frontage/facade"

ugh!

i kinda feel like withholding the salary of the employees who made the typos at this point...  >: (

missing the point

i squeezed in to a vacant slot between this vehicle with an open door and what i thought was a PWD slot at the parking space in front of landbank at the quezon city hall.  when i checked my position, my right tires occupied part of the PWD space.  i therefore maneuvered to get closer to the vehicle to my left, requesting the guy inside to please close his door.

he wouldn't!

me:  'i'm encroaching on handicapped parking!'

guy:  'that's not parking...  that's a passageway...'

me:  'even then...  there's a sign!'

guy insists it's okay.

i wave to the guard and pointed out the open door.

guess what, the guard echoes the guy's statement!  wow!

anyway, i parked very close to the open vehicle door and got off the passenger side.

when i walked by the guard i asked him why they allow vehicles to park with an open door...  it will force the next vehicle toward the handicapped parking.

he goes:  'that's not parking...  that's a passageway for wheelchairs...  look, the symbol is a wheelchair...  if anyone parks there, the wheelchair won't be able to pass anymore...'

me:  'oh...  then it really should be clear!'

the guard says there's enough space.

ugh!

i proceed to my transactions.

when i got back, i saw the other vehicle's door leaning on my side mirror.

the guy really wants his door open!!!

me:  'is this a government vehicle?'

guy:  'landbank's...'

me:  'oh, government!  be careful...  you could be reported to duterte's hotline...'

guy looked surprised:  'why?  is the engine running?'

aaaarrrggghhhh!!!

not quite the same

i was at my aunt's place yesterday and today.  both times, i wore a plain white collared shirt.

this afternoon when i arrived at their house, i immediately went:  'this shirt is different from the one i was wearing yesterday, ok.  the one yesterday had three buttons.  this one has only two.'

the third fell off.  JOKE!!!  ;"p

both my aunt and my cousin chuckled at why i had to make the annoucement.

me:  'i don't want you to think that i didn't change clothes, hehe...'

one time i was at my parents' place, my sister suddenly started chiding me:  'you don't change clothes!  you've been wearing that since yesterday!  blah-blah-blah...'

eh?

i went home and got from the laundry the shirt i was wearing the day before.  then i showed her both shirts side by side.

without missing a beat she went:  'how do i know you have two of those?!  they look very similar!  blah-blah-blah...'

uhm, whatever happened to apologies???  a simple 'sorry' would have been more appropriate...  : }

the way it should be

i was going to change lanes so i signaled right...  guess what, the car to my right slowed down so i could merge...  i was sooo happy...  i am sooo thankful...  at the same time i was surprised...

usually, lane changes take a looong time as other vehicles refuse to give way...  it is so refreshing to encounter a considerate driver for a change (may our tribe increase : ) )...

i hope there comes a time when appropriate road behavior won't be surprising anymore...  may proper driving be the norm rather than the exception...

little things mean a lot

store sign:

"WE'RE CLOSE"

oh...  hello, friend...  ; )

at least they got the apostrophe right...  : )

angles

a long truck entered our narrow street and got stuck in the driveway of its destination building.  residents' vehicles would not have been able to come in or go out as the truck blocked the whole width of the street.

good thing i was already parked in the garage.  if i were still leaving, i would have parked outside.  why?  there are these vehicles that have appropriated the street in front of our garage as their parking area.  if we park inside, we would not be able to go out.  we therefore make it a point to coordinate our schedules and make sure our vehicles are parked outside in the order of departure.

ours is a supposedly one-lane street.  both my dad and the owner of the building across, however, moved back the structures on their properties making the street a little wider.  guess what, since it's already wider, some brilliant mind got this notion that the available space could now be used for parking.  uhm, that space is in front of a garage.  how are the vehicles going to go out?

some people did not pay attention in geometry class.

all-around

i was driving off with my mom and my sister when my aunt's maid saw us.  she had this surprised look on her face.

hmmm...  she regularly sees me sweeping the alley between my parents' and my brother's houses.  maybe she thought i, too, was a maid and was surprised to see i was also a driver...  ; p

saved

i go to my parents' house and see my mom's power cord on the shelf under the stairs.

me:  'why is this here?  where's the laptop?'

brother:  'what laptop?'

me:  'mom's laptop...'

brother:  'where was it?'

me:  'on the desk previously here...  it was covered with white cloth...'

brother goes home and comes back with my mom's laptop...  uhm, he cleared the area under the stairs and brought the stuff there to their garage for sorting and disposal.

me:  'you didn't toss this, did you?'

brother:  'no...  we carried the desk out...'

me:  'with this on top?'

brother:  'yes...'

me:  'ok...  otherwise the disk might be broken...'

later when my mom was logging in, i waited with bated breath to see whether the laptop would power up.  it did!  and she was able to do what she usually does on her laptop.

safe!

whew!

spread the love

mom's ironing lady:  'where are you going for valentine's?'

me:  'i don't go out on the 14th...'

ironing lady:  'well, yeah...  traffic is terrible...'

me:  'you know the joke about valentine?'

ironing lady:  'what joke?'

me:  'the 14th is for the wives...  the 13th and 15th are for the mistresses...'

; p

clique

my dad just underwent an operation.  he has had swelling on his right leg for months now.  it started as just a small swelling in the ankle.  then it became bigger.  then it gradually crept up the leg.  then the knee.  then it went up the thigh until the whole right leg was already swollen.

early on we've been trying to convince him to go to the doctor.  he wouldn't listen.  instead, he just kept on speculating on / assuming / self-diagnosing the cause of the swelling:

'oh, i ate this and that earlier.'

'i walked too much at the mall.'

'so-and-so also had a swelling and it disappeared when he did this and that.'

it's so frustrating...

my dad is highly educated.  he is well-read.  he is well-traveled.  he is a retired general.  he was part of upper management in a civilian organization.  definitely he is not dim.  for some reason, however, logic, caution and circumspection escaped him in the way he handled his swollen leg.

he was even asking my uncle about his prescription meds and was going to take them for himself!  aaarrrggghhhh!!!

he went to a doctor only when he was already experiencing unbearable pain.  when the doctor advised an operation, he refused to go ahead.

and then he had a lunch out with his mistahs.  there were four of them, all three looking heavy complete with protruding bellies (awww...  sorry, sirs); my dad looking thin and frail.  guess what, all three have undergone operations on their prostate.  one's was even cancerous already.  they've all recovered really well.  with that, my dad finally agreed to go under the knife.

squad goals?!

whew!

what's cooking?

we held a despedida for a balikbayan cousin and i heard my mom telling my cousin that she cooked this dish.

uhm...  actually, she just ordered it.

the first time i heard her do that was years back.  we had a party at the house and when her officemates asked whether she was the one who cooked the dishes she said yes.

oh.  my.  goodness.

anyway, so we were eating and my cousin called her husband telling him to try this dish my mom prepared.  guess what, my aunt blurted out:  'she did not cook that!  she just ordered it from CCME!  just look at the container, that's where we order!'

teasing and laughter ensued...

and then my cousin said she, too, has done that, i.e., pass off something she just bought as something she herself cooked.

hmmm...  pretty much like a bra.  you pass off the pads as your own boobs.

; p

give it a break

my dad has an unquenchable thirst for information.  he loves to read.  i grew up with books, books, books and magazines and magazines and magazines and all the major newspapers around the house (uhm...  yup...  i'm from the pre-tablet generation.)

he likes to put things together.

he likes to explore ideas that catch his fancy.  they run the whole range:  trivial, profound, religious, secular, current events, history, people, places, things, food, music, DIYs...

he'd go:  'could you check [this] on the internet?  print me n copies...'
(he is obsessed with multiple copies.  it makes me cringe.  i'm a think-before-you-print girl!)

i've been his captive research assistant for yearssssss.  i've read so many things i am not the least interested in because my dad was interested in them and i have to google them for him.  you enter keywords in google you get  a million hits.  which of those is most relevant for his requirements?  of course i have to browse before i decide which one to print.  frankly, at my age, i've so gotten tired of it.

now my dad is scheduled to undergo an operation on monday.  guess what, today, saturday, he tells me, 'could you check how to plant cacao on the internet?'

waaahhh!!!

the right focus

i was on the outer lane of a two-lane-per-direction road when this pedestrian suddenly appeared from between the vehicles to my left.  i abruptly stopped and he proceeded to bump the corner of my car, imagine!

he looked shaken.  i think i looked angry.  not because he hit my car but because i could have hit him had my reflexes not been good.  he definitely surprised me and not in a pleasant way.

he waved in apology.

okay.  i was fine inside.  what about him though?

the guy was crossing the street passing between slow-moving vehicles and he was looking to his left when  oncoming vehicles are to his right.  why would you do that?  you look in the wrong direction you're bound to get in trouble.

focus on the right things and you'll be fine.

the story of us

my mom turned off her laptop.  usually when she does that, she's going to prepare for bed already.

i said goodnight and went to the door to go home.

she tells me erich gonzales will be interviewed on tv about her breakup with daniel matsunaga  </3

awww!!!  they were such a cute couple!  sad...  :'(

me:  'those you don't expect to break up have been breaking up.  tom cruise and katie holmes.  brad pitt and angelina jolie.  now daniel and erich!  i still believe in forever though...  i still believe in love... <3 <3'

i'm a hopeful hopeless romantic...  ;"p

effort

i was picking up a cake at bizu robinson's magnolia.  it was a mango chiboust.  petal-like slices of fresh mango were arranged on top of a cheesecake to look like one big flower.

normally their chiboust is round.  with valentine just around the corner, the cake was now heart-shaped.

my order was pretty.  there were, however, small gaps between the mangoes around the upper and the lower middle parts of the cake and it made me uncomfortable.  it looked to me like a broken heart  </3
[ wahaha...  the imagination that i have...  ;"p ]

i asked the supervisor if they had another stock.

she said it's the only one.

hmmm...

i told her i was not too happy with it...  : (

she was gracious about it and said i could choose some other cake but if it's really the chiboust i want, she's going to fix it.

yey!  ok.

i roamed the mall a bit then came back.

ooops..   the broken heart has been mended alright but the petals inserted to fill the breaks were lighter than the original ones.

i told the supervisor i appreciate her effort and if the cake were just for me i'll take it.  but i'm giving it as a gift and i want it nice.

well, she again offered to replace the petals.

me:  'are you sure?'

supervisor:  'if you're going to get it, ma'am, i will...'

awww...  yes, please...

i again roamed a bit then when i came back, ta-daaannn!!!  the petals were now the same shade.  i was sooo happy.  i was sooo thankful...  : D

special shoutout therefore to the supervisor for going the extra mile to ensure customer satisfaction.  may she be showered with life's sweetest blessings...  : )

watch and learn

i was at my parents' yard when this scavenger tapped on the gate.  he usually asks for empty bottles.  this time he asked for food.

i went inside to get him something.  i initially picked up bread and crackers but then it occurred to me that he might prefer rice.  just then, my nephew came in and i told him to get a food pouch and put rice in it as the scavenger was asking for food.

i got a salted egg and a tomato, sliced then mixed them together then put them in another plastic pouch.

i asked my nephew to hand the pouches to the scavenger.

my nephew saw how i cleaned, prepared and packed the food.  he saw me washing the plate and the knife.  he knew all this were for the scavenger.

without preaching anything, i know i was able to teach him something really good today.

in more ways than one

so i was trying to watch this 13-minute clip of lady gaga's super bowl halftime show on my phone and in that short period i was interrupted thrice!  i received two calls and a text message from three different people, imagine!

on the third, i muttered to myself, 'how will i finish 'bad romance'???!!!'

ooops...

the sooner the better...  ;"p

chancy

guy i don't remember meeting before to me:  'hey!  how's joseph?'

me:  'joseph who?'

guy:  'joseph <surname>!'

me:  'aw, sorry...  i don't know him...'

then i walked away...

i dunno whether that was an honest mistake or a pickup line...  if the latter, it would have worked if i knew only one joseph...  but i know so many...  it's a common name it cuts both ways...  ; p

stood up

last night i received a text message asking whether i'm going out today.

i replied i'm not scheduled to go anywhere and asked whether she's coming over.

she said she is.

10:00 a.m.
11:00 a.m.
12:00 noon
1:00 p.m.
2:00 p.m.
3:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m.
5:00 p.m.
6:00 p.m.
7:00 p.m.
8:00 p.m.
9:00 p.m.
10:00 p.m.

she did not show up.

: }

communication

so my dad asked me to report this leaning electrical post to the utility company.  i went online and tried to do so through the Contact Us form in the company's website.

uh-oh!  i kept on getting the following message:

"Error sending feedback. please try again"

i therefore just called their hotline.

so the agent logged the leaning pole concern and gave me a reference number.

thanks.

i then proceeded to tell her about the error i encountered using their online form.  i requested her to log it as well and give me another reference number.

waahhh!  suddenly the conversation turned crazy.

sample:

agent:  'if the website is down, ma'am...'

me:  'huh?!  i never said the website is down...'

agent:  'if you are unable to register, ma'am...'

me:  'huh?!  i'm not trying to register!'

i was thinking the agent might have gotten lost in the call flow so i went, 'okay.  we're done with the first concern, right?  you've given me a reference number.  pretend this is a new call, let's go through your script.  so first you're going to tell me 'good afternoon' and then you're going to ask about my concern.  let's go through that.'

wahehe...  the agent would not and kept on telling me she will just coordinate my concern and she won't be able to give me a reference number.

i said i was fine without a reference number as long as the issue is logged so it could be looked into by the appropriate office.

the agent just kept on repeating she'll just coordinate as they don't log such issues.

me:  'don't you have 'Others'?'

the reply was a vague no, it depends, blah-blah-blah.

ugh!  their online form is right in front of me and there are 'Others' and 'Website Design and Content' in the list of valid values for 'Concern.'  how come a live human agent could not log such concern?  are they compartmentalized?

i was afraid other customers might encounter the same error so i wanted it logged so it will at least be on queue for enhancement or fixes.

i asked for escalation to a supervisor.

guess what, the conversation went smoothly and the supervisor even gave me a reference number.

whew!  sometimes you really have to move on to someone else.

taking it slow

so my mom and i were on the road and this vehicle in front of us was moving so slowly as if sightseeing on a far from scenic route.  i try to overtake and suddenly it accelerates.

eh?

i've had such experience countless times.  sometimes it amuses me; other times it irks me.

what on earth is going on?  is it a case of attention wandering off then suddenly coming back?  is it an ego thing?

life is not a race.  but yup, if your pace falls short of the norm either you get up to speed or you get out of the way.

hierarchy

cousin wondering whether her brother and his ex are facebook friends...

me:  'you think they should be?'

cousin:  'why not?'

me:  'hmmm...  if it's me, i'd rather not add an ex in facebook...'

cousin:  'why?'

me:  'my present might not like it so to avoid complications maybe better not...'

cousin:  'me, i'm fine with it...'

me:  'oh, i'm fine with it, too...  it's our respective partners i'm concerned about...'

cousin:  'really?  us, we're okay...  no issues...'

me:  'oh... so you're fb friends with an ex?'

cousin:  'yes...'

me:  'it's okay with <toot>?'

cousin:  'yes...  we're all friends...  we're friends from way back...  you, don't you have an ex in fb?'

me:  'well, <ex> and i are fb friends...  we became friends years back when there was still no other party to consider...  i don't unfriend people...  the most that i'd do is put them in my Restricted list...  all they'll see are my Public posts...'

it's Public anyway...  i'm thinking someone who used to own my heart is entitled to no less than what a stranger sees...