seeds

a former officemate has written a book about his hometown, Pateros.  he's now writing another book about the neighboring city Taguig.

me:  'wow, Taguig!  i lived there even before market!market!, serendra and venice piazza were built...  do let me know once you finish the book...  then could you please write about Laguna, too?  that's my province...'

he says yes.

yay!!!

uhm...

me:  'wait!  i'm not gonna fund it, ok?'

he agrees, hehe...  :"D

after our get-together, our companion told me:  'you should be the one to write the Laguna book...  you're from there...'

me:  'Laguna?!  that's too big!  maybe Pakil...  but then i don't really know much about Pakil...'

friend:  'you write Pakil; i'll write Kalibo.'

me:  'oh?  for real?  okay, if you write [a book about] Kalibo, i'll write [a book about] Pakil...'

deal?
or no deal?

we'll see...
or won't.

;"p

rub it in

high occupancy vehicle (HOV) traffic scheme /driver-only car ban in effect at EDSA during rush hour.

friend:  'my driver told me there really was a reduction in the number of vehicles...'

me:  'yeah...  but look at us...  we're alone so we have to commute...  you do not have anyone; you cannot use your car...  double whammy...'

friend:  'i never thought of it that way...'

;"p

exception

friend: 'you want chocs?'

me: 'of course!'

friend: 'dark chocolate?'

me: 'i like milk... with nuts... i'm not a fan of dark and white...'

friend: 'oh... i was going to give you dark...'

me: 'haha... if it's free, dark's ok, too!'

;"p

because it's there

friend: 'what's your favorite pizza?'

me: 'bacon cheeseburger pizza... from pizza hut...'

friend: 'i thought <other pizza chain>...'

me: 'why?'

friend: 'you're always there...'

me: 'not always...'

friend: 'you go there often...'

me: 'it's not that... i frequent this other place and it's near so i pass by... if it weren't along the way i won't seek it out...'

some things you sweat out...
others you do only because it's convenient...

;"p

eye-opener

i brought my sister to an art gallery... it was her first time there and my fourth...

upon entering the door, i signed the guestbook then proceeded to the exhibit... my sister didn't follow me right away...

why?

i saw her dropping a bill in the donation box first...

wah!

i told her i suddenly felt ashamed of myself... i've been going there and i have yet to put something in the donation box...

bad... :"}

sounds like

brought my sister to a topiary garden...

sister: 'how come there are no birds here?'

me: 'birds?'

sister: 'oh, wait... that's aviary!'

hehe...

♩ ♪  let me tell ya 'bout the birds and the bees
and the flowers and the trees  ♫ ♬

; ")

do right

things that have happened have already happened. they cannot be undone.

the messages you sent don't suddenly disappear just because you die.

pictures and timestamps don't suddenly change just because you die.

the lies you told don't suddenly become truths just because you die.

the stories you fabricated don't suddenly become actual occurrences just because you die.

the greedy things you did don't suddenly become selfless acts just because you die.

wrongs don't suddenly become right just because you die.

instead of trying to suppress the truth, try instead to live in a way that you won't have to worry about being exposed, whether you live or die.

reliable source

checking out cakes...

me:  'don't you have the chocolate one with curls?'

crew:  'sold out, ma'am...'

me:  'i'm not yet buying now...  will you have it on monday?'

crew:  'no, ma'am...'

me:  'how do you know?  that's still so many days away...'

crew:  'i'm the one who orders our cakes, ma'am...'

oh...  credible!

\m/

cannot be

bumped into a former officemate in front of this beauty shop...  the staff offered her a soap sample...

me to staff:  'show her your salt room...'

officemate:  'what's that?'

me:  'the walls are salt...  the floor is salt...  they give you a facial there...'

officemate:  'so that's why your skin is nice...  that's what you do...'

me:  'hahaha...  what are you talking about?  the last time i was there was over a year ago!'

my skin is ok...  nothing special...  ;"p

nonessential

on the phone with a friend...

me:  'how's the 'and,' A, N, D or ampersand?'

friend:  'the design...'

me:  'so ampersand?'

friend:  'the one like this...  the design...'

[hahaha...  i suppose she was tracing the symbol with her hand but we're not on video call so i cannot see...]

me:  'so it's not spelled out...  it's not letter A, letter N, letter D...'

friend:  'no...'

me:  'okay...  if the 'and' looks like a skewed 8 (&), that's ampersand...'

friend:  'oh, is that what you call it?'

me:  'yes...'

friend:  'i didn't know...'

it's ok...  there are required knowledge and there are mere nice-to-knows...  as long as what you don't know does not impair your life you're fine...  : )

just curious

friend tells me he'd just bring this something for me maybe together with this other one.

me:  'what do you mean 'together' with another?'

friend:  'there's something i'm thinking of giving you...'

me:  'what is it?'

friend:  'i'm not yet sure whether i'll give it to you...'

me:  'just tell me what it is...'

friend:  'but i still am not sure whether i'll be giving it to you...'

me:  'it's ok!  i'm not asking you to give it to me...  i just want to know what it is...  because you mentioned it...  i don't want hanging sentences...  you'd leave me wondering what that is...'

he laughs then tells me.

yay, thanks  ->  for breaking the suspense and for having me in mind...

he doesn't have to actually give it to me  ->  it's the thought that counts...

: )

the big picture

so i again had an argument with the neighbor about their garbage which for years now i've been cleaning.  they dump it in public areas, even right under a big all-caps sign that says, "PLS. DO NOT THROW YOUR GARBAGE HERE."  then it gets scattered near and within our place and i have to clean it up.

the neighbor's excuse before was that her maid is young.  well, it's been going on for years, through different maids, regardless of age.  the maids actually say it's upon her instructions.  i myself have heard her.  in one instance, she gave the instructions at least three times within a span of not even ten minutes!

they're not content with public places.  they also throw trash within our property.  she says my dad has told her they can throw their garbage there.

me:  'so does that mean you're not going to get your own garbage bin anymore?  did he tell you it's okay for your trash to be in the gutter?'

neighbor:  'we don't throw tons of garbage...  i've seen <the other neighbor> before, she threw tissue in your [garbage] sack...'

me:  'is your garbage, too, mere tissue?'

she tells me to stop minding their trash.

me:  'but it ends up in the gutter...  i'm the one who cleans it!'

she says the leaves from our trees also end up in their area.

me:  'that's scattered by nature!  yours are thrown by humans!'

(they, too, had a tree before that was shedding leaves profusely.  i was sweeping the fallen leaves.  i NEVER complained.  it's litter caused by people that irks me.)

she blames someone else for the plastic cups to which i called their attention recently.
(actually this neighbor has a finger-pointing mentality.
it's her maids.
it's the boys.
it's her daughter.
it's her husband.
it's her brother's family.
it's her uncles.  the uncles don't even live in the area.)

then she tells me i was calling and i was banging their gate and i was saying i'm going to post in facebook.

aha!  so she was there that time!  why didn't she respond at all?

the facts:
1.  they had litter that was again moving toward our place and i again would have to clean it.
2.  i saw her maid go in.
3.  i called the maid from the gate.
4.  the maid did not go out.
5.  one of the boys playing basketball rushed inside their house making noise with their gate.
6  i then called her.
7.  she did not respond.
8.  i said if no one comes out i'm just going to post in facebook.
9.  no one came out.
10.  i uploaded pics in facebook.  (i have photos of their antics, through the years (!), currently with restricted access.  at the right time i will make the pics visible to more people.)

anyway, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah, blah-blah-blah.

later, she apparently tells my mom.

(this neighbor does undesirable things then frantically tries to paint a good/aggrieved picture of herself.  i know.  during the time when my patience has not yet run out, she used to request me to edit letters she wrote trying to wiggle out of the mess she gets herself into.

one time i asked her, 'how come this sentence is here?'

her reply:  'para kunyari [blah-blah-blah].'
->  to make it appear that [this-and-that].

eh?

i struck it out.

i told her to make sure she does not put lies in writing.  she hasn't learned.  one of the last messages she sent me was full of statements that are not consistent with facts.)

my mom asks me:  'why did you tell <the neighbor> to move to the squatter['s area]?'

me:  'because she told me if i don't like garbage i should move to corinthian [a posh village]...  did she tell you that?'

mom:  'no.'

me:  'why is her story incomplete???'

anyway, i would like to apologize to those living in squatters' areas.  i did realize right away and so did tell the neighbor the squatters probably have better sense than them.

reverent

i attended a wedding yesterday.

there were many photographers.
one caught my attention.

while all the rest just kept on crossing the aisle in front of the altar,
this one stops in the middle, looks to the altar then bows his head
before proceeding to the other side.

a cut above the rest.

laughter and tears

i was waiting for my number to be called and on the monitor was a hidden camera show with funny situations.

so there i was watching and i had to suppress my smiles and my giggles because i had no companion.

it got me wondering,

how come if we (or is it just me?) see someone alone and crying,
what comes to mind is that the person is simply sad or has a problem?

but if we (haha...  again, is it just me?) see someone alone and laughing,
what comes to mind is that the person looks silly or is even crazy.

it's okay to cry alone but not to laugh alone?
why???

priority

i walked by with three boxes of pizza...  my nephew/the son of my cousin was there so i asked him to get a slice...  his playmate was looking so i asked him to get a slice, too...

i was already on the way up to my place when i heard his brother ask whether it was pizza...

they replied yes...

he asked whether there's no more...

what i did was go back then ask his brother to get a slice for him as well...  the boy was busy playing so it was the playmate who got him one...

just then, another youngster peeked out their window...

i rushed up to my place, wahaha...
baaaddd...  ;"p

they say give till it hurts but i'll skip pain at this point, hehe...

there are many people in that house...

two of the boxes were intended for my parents and my brother's fam...
charity begins at home...  :")

not like the rest

i touched the clothes on the clothesline and felt that they were already dry. i pulled one out then put it on. (wahaha... yup, i do get dressed that way) suddenly i felt cold! the shirt was damp! : }

they say birds of a feather flock together.

but you could also hang closely with others and remain different.
dare to be.

up and down

on the phone with a friend...  she mentions A. Luna...

me:  'where's A. Luna?'

friend:  'it's in the vicinity of the church...'

me:  'where there?'

friend:  'just beside the church...'

me:  'that's Camerino...'

friend:  'no...  the other side...'

me:  'A. de Legaspi...'

friend:  'yes...  Legaspi...  you go straight...  you'll see Magat Salamat...'

me:  'yeah...  after Magat Salamat, it's already P. Tuazon...'

friend:  'you don't have to proceed to P. Tuazon...  from Legaspi, you turn right at Magat Salamat then go straight...'

me:  'at the end of Magat Salamat is Lakandula...  where's A. Luna?'

friend:  'if you're in Lakandula, A. Luna is after Magat Salamat...'

me:  'after Magat Salamat is P. Ladia...'

friend:  'it's in that area...'

i check the map...
A. Luna is right between Camerino and Magat Salamat!
the three streets intersect Legaspi...

we were already talking Legaspi...  why did we have to reach Lakandula?
on my end, i know Camerino and Magat Salamat...  how could i miss A. Luna?

sometimes my friends and i slide to the low end of the intelligence meter...  i'd like to assure everyone we don't stay there...  ;"p

stretch

friend:  'you're late!'

me:  'i wasn't...  <toot> and i walked in at the same time...'

friend:  'oh!  i didn't see you in your usual seat when i arrived...  i thought you were late...'

me:  'haha...  you came early so you didn't see me right away...  you stretched that to mean i didn't arrive on time...'

there are facts and there are inferences, not always correct...

just the day before my sister was telling me i bore holes in their sponge when i wash forks and knives......

me:  'huh?!  where would i use forks and knives?  i just drink [bottled] juice [in their house]...  i'm not gonna use a fork on juice...  more so a knife...  don't tell me i'm gonna slice liquid...'

sister:  'i saw you before, you were washing...  you press the fork and the knife against the sponge...'

me:  'what exactly did you see?  i press the tines and the blade against the green [hard] side of the sponge...  i flip the sponge...  i've been doing that for years...  it doesn't cause holes...  you can check the sponge at my place...  it doesn't have holes...'

i show her their day-old sponge...  it has holes on the yellow [soft] side...

me:  'look at this...  i haven't washed anything yet and it already has holes...  that couldn't be me...'

we should know where reality ends and where imagination begins...  ; p

on my own

cold, rainy morning...

others call this cuddle-weather... i, too, used to... now i simply refer to it as bed-weather...

there is a difference...

and the difference is you...  </3

don't force it

my sister took a slice of pizza then smothered it with mayonnaise and cheese spread...

me:  'you won't taste the pizza anymore...'

sister:  'i don't like this flavor...'

me:  'oh?  then why don't you just eat something else?'

general vs specific

me:  'oh...  i thought this was chicken...'

mom:  'it's chicken...'

me:  'it says here "FISH"...'

mom:  'oh?  but for sure it's burger king...'

haha...  reminded me of some edits i was doing...  addresses were missing but i could ascertain the city so i put the city...  i wanted to put the street as well but the data was inconclusive...  i zoomed out...  the pins were scattered across more than one street but they were all in one barangay...  i just put the barangay...

stick to what you know...  ;")