fools rush in

when you're engaged in something that is,
uhm, 'on the far end of the honorable spectrum,'

something that's been going on for yearS,

for which so many have personal knowledge of,

for which so many messages have been sent,

the last thing you need
is to go anywhere near
anything that would require you
to make statements under oath.

the results could be ugly,
not just for you
but for your 'business partners.'

i wonder whether your 'clients' would *pay* you a visit.

yes, pun...  🤣

cave in

in the search for truth,
for anything actually,
you keep an open mind.

faced with new information,
you set aside conflicting notions.

you weigh things.

there are sensible statements
and there is nonsense.

there are credible witnesses
and there are those with a history of dishonesty.

there are certainties.
there are inferences.
there are reasonable assumptions.
there are implausible claims.
there are  falsehoods.
there are unknowns.

holding on to certain views
when the body of evidence
shows otherwise
is foolish.

you're positioning yourself on shaky ground.
you're setting yourself up for a web of lies
you'd be hard put to keep track of.

you might think you're saving face
but you're actually just losing credibility.

justifying a fault doubles it.
don't make matters worse than they already are.
STFU.

request for comments

in this age of customizable privacy settings,
you can choose what to show to
and what to hide from
certain people.

you don't filter your audience,
you're opening yourself up to comments from everyone.

in this big, wide world,
people have different experiences.

maybe your friends
have experienced only good times with you.

your neighbor, on the other hand,
may have yearS-long experience
of your dogS camping out at their place,
complete with pee and poop.

you can't expect these people
to react the same way
when you post about dogs.

now are you supposed to complain
about certain comments being unsolicited?

uhm, you put the post out there for people to see.

how does this go?

do you really go around soliciting comments for your posts?

"hey, say something nice about my post."

nyahaha...  RFC of a different kind...

desperate 🤣

reverse

some people complain about a reaction
without at all mentioning what triggered it.

you're supposed to
"tell the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth."

if you do so,
you just might realize
that the complainant should actually be
the other party.

negligent

you don't fault a child for the sins of the parent.
you can, however, fault the parent for the sins of the child.

not just once,
not just twice,
not just thrice,
not just four times,
not just five times,
countless times,
children from the neighbors' place
have entered our properties,
playing dangerously
not just in my parents' yard
but also in my balcony ->  on the third floor!
(there are other things these youngsters have done.
i can talk about them verbally
but i'm not gonna immortalize them in a blog.)

these (two separate) properties have gates.
they open the gates!

i used to walk over to the guardian's own gate
(the grandmother of one of the children)
and tell her through the window
to stop the kids from opening our gates
and entering our premises.

you know what she'd do?

she'd just look at me,
say nothing,
then continue watching TV.

invariably that's what happens.

she never once went out to check the kids.
she never once went out to call them.
she never once sent out anyone to call them.
she'd just stay put on her chair and go on watching TV.

pretty much like the rest of her household
who do not even bother to pick up their dog
and even have the gall to just watch
as it barks on and on and on, unleashed,
in the neighbor's property.

you have to yell at them
to get them to get their pet.
(a regular tone won't do;
there'd be no action.)

what sort of caretakers are these?
they impose
not just their pets
but even persons they should be looking after
on others!

passing on responsibility for your animals
is low enough.
you really have to dig deeper
and pass on your responsibility for a human???
ugh!  rock bottom.

sponge

there are no-brainers
and there are those
that require some brain power.

it does not take much to see a dog barking.

it takes a bit more to notice
that the dog is outside its owner's property.

it takes some form of memory
to know that this is already the fourth dog
seven years running
spending time in the neighbor's property.

it takes more brain power
to recognize a pattern in
- your trash being in the neighbor's property
- your stuff being in the neighbor's property
- your pets being in the neighbor's property
- your guests being in the neighbor's property
- your children being in the neighbor's property

you are negligent.
you are irresponsible.
you are inconsiderate.
you are selfish.
you are brazen.
you are shameless.

even skinner's rats were able to recognize patterns.
you've been unable to for years.
are you a creature inferior to a rat???

in four years students graduate from college.
they would have learned a LOT in that span of time.
eight years and your thoughts still haven't progressed much.
(yes, it's just the dogs that's seven;
others were happening longer.)
if this were a school,
you would have been kicked out long ago.
scram!

dread not

it's friday.
and today it's not just #FlashbackFriday
but Friday the 13th as well.

you live in the present,
build for the future
and remember the past.

yeah, do not just forget the last.
there are lessons to be learned from the past after all.

some, however, have made a past so horrific,
time could not fade its severity,
they themselves are spooked by it.
they go into panic / defensive mode
the moment it is brought up.

you cannot erase the past.
it's part of who you are.

don't suppress it as if it didn't happen.

don't twist it
to make it appear like something else.
what's done is done.
you cannot change it anymore.

despair not though.
an ugly past does not define you
unless you continue living it.
just do things right henceforth.

friendly ghost

today is thursday, #ThrowbackThursday;
tomorrow, #FlashbackFriday 😊

seven days in a week
and there are two
in which to specially look back to the past.

those who make a good present
also make a past they'd like to to remember.
those who do otherwise
make something they'd rather forget.


"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it."

those who forget the past
will have no idea
what actions they're repeating
and what patterns they're weaving.

some things become apparent only through the lens of time.
you will not know certain things,
for example, as simple as how long something has been going on,
if all you consider is the here and now.
you will not realize certain things
if you cannot think beyond a current event.

you can harp on all you want about the past being past
but if you don't let go of bad behavior
you should not expect others to forget it.

you forget things that are over,
not the ones that haven't stopped.

it's not really past
if you're still living it.

if you continue with the same behavior,
that is not bygone;
it is ongoing.

you don't bury the living,
you bury the dead.

if you want to bury your past,
change your ways.

in so doing,
you can move on to a past
you will not be ashamed to remember.

everything counts

so the neighbor
justifies throwing their trash in our sack
by saying
my (87-year-old) dad
told her
(7-year-old) granddaughter
that they could throw their trash
in our sacks.

really???

i ask my dad
and he says
he never said such a thing
adding he buys those sacks
(in which we put our trash).

okay.
i believe him
not because he's my dad
but because his response
is sensible.

there are adults in that house.
why would he choose to relay such a message, if ever,
to a young girl?
and yeah, why would he send such a message at all?

if i were to make sense of things,
what i would be thinking
is that my dad probably saw
the children playing in the alley
and told the granddaughter
to throw their litter
in our trash.

that's it.
end of story.
that would be
what would come to MY mind.

now the tricky part.

i wonder what would come to a young girl's mind.
that my dad is giving them
an open-ended blanket invitation
to throw their trash
in our sacks?
would that be how young girls think?
is that how this young girl thinks?

how would she have announced it to her grandmother, if ever?
seriously?  gleefully?  what?

and if one were the grandmother
hearing something like that
from her granddaughter,
what would come to her mind?
that henceforth they could throw
THEIR household trash
in OUR sacks?

how would she have taken it, if ever?
excitedly?  no skepticism whatsoever?  what?

would she not even feel
that there is something off?
would she not even wonder about the absurdity of the situation?

"i am responsible for what i say.
i am not responsible for what you understand."

who misinterpreted things, if ever?
the grandmother?
the granddaughter?

i'm inclined toward track record
but could not discount the saying,
"the apple does not fall far from the tree."

it would be interesting to know
what actually transpired.

meanwhile, this song is playing in my head:

♩ ♪  the grabbing hands
grab all they can  ♫ ♬

odd

not all comparisons are valid.

you don't expect the same treatment,
you don't elicit the same reaction,
when the circumstances are different.

differences, however, could get lost
on a selfish mind.

let me point them out.

= = = = =

how come i call you out
but not the other neighbor
for parking on the (one-lane) street
(in front of our garage)?

i've discussed this extensively in previous blogs
so i'm keeping it short here:
you have a garage.
they don't.

and please,
that nonsense about not parking there
because your uncle told you not to
because of your mom's condition?

you have been parking on the street
(the whole day, daily, for years)
years before your mom's condition came about.

what sort of logic do you have?

you lie so blatantly.
appalling.

= = = = =

others leave stuff for distribution with my mom, too,
so why not you.

the differences:

-  the others live far away
and use my parents' house
as a drop-off / halfway point.

you are just next-door.

why is there a need to transfer your stuff
from your house to my parents'?

-  you have a maid
who passes the intended recipients' houses
every schoolday.

why not ask your maid to distribute those stuff for you?

we're not a distribution center.
my mom does it as a favor.

do you really expect my octogenarian mom
to distribute things herself?

no.  she asks me.

= = = = =

you say our trash is out
so why can't yours be, too.

the difference?
our bags are within the unfenced part of our property.
yours are on public space.

= = = = =

you say your trash
is not the only thing scattered in the alley
but leaves from our trees, too.

listen to yourself, LEAVES!

you really think
the leaves from our trees
and your disgusting garbage
are on the same league?!

let me emphasize they are not.

and if you do not see the reason why
then maybe you should find the simplest of persons
to give you an answer within your comprehension.

you used to have a tree, too,
which shed leaves profusely.
i never complained about those leaves
all those years that i was sweeping them.

the other neighbor has trees up to now.
i don't complain about their leaves.

not because we have trees, too.
but because they're, well, leaves.

i complain about human trash.
i complain about your pets' pee and poop.
i complain about your pets being in our property daily for years.

= = = = =

you say my (87-year-old) dad told your (7-year-old) granddaughter
that you could throw your trash in our bags.
(my dad says he didn't say such a thing.
i'll discuss it in another blog.)

you say the other neighbor
throws their trash in our bag, too,
(did you see them?)
and i just let it pass.

hmmm...  i go back and forth
from my parents' place to mine
quite a number of times each day.

i do recall chancing upon their renters
throwing cigarette butts in the alley.
i did call their attention to it.

i can't recall calling them out for trash in our bag though.
i don't call out when i am not sure.

yours i'm sure about.
i see the pile on your side
then later see the same items
stuffed in our bag.
some are distinctive.
they could not just have been identical.

and if transferring them to ours is not bad enough,
you do it by transferring them to the wrong bag.
i have to do the segregation myself.

pabasurahan mo na, ipag-se-segregate mo pa!
#AbaMatinde

= = = = =

you're not the only ones who go swimming in our pool.
yeah.
but you're the only ones who do so on short notice.

and in case you think
saying you're going to be quick
makes things inconsequential,
it doesn't.

the effort and expense to clean the pool
for a quick dip and a longer stay
are just the same.

if it is true, as you say,
that you are going to be really quick
then why not just go
to the public pool two blocks away
and take your quick dip there?

that way, you're going to spare
my mom, and my cousin, and the cleaner
the concern of having to finish the clean-up
of that infrequently-used pool
before your arrival.

uhm, that is not likely to cross your mind, right?

oh, well...  we've adjusted to you 😒
i already told my mom
the second time it happened
to just have the pool cleaned
even without receiving a notice from you yet.

we (and you!) already know the months
you're going to go there anyway.
unlike the others who go there
simply to visit their dearly departed,
in your case, there has to be a private pool in your itinerary.

the thing is, we don't know the exact date.
having the pool cleaned too early
means it would already be leave-strewn again
by the time you arrive.

we're not going to hire another cleaner for that.
we hire a cleaner for when the water needs to be drained.
you therefore just have to make do with a pool that's not freshly-cleaned.
our apologies 🙃

= = = = =

you say
i used to say
this person was focusing too much
on this establishment
yet i am doing the same with you.


uhm, don't flatter yourself.
i try not to focus on you.
had i focused on you,
this would not have persisted for years.

but i do have a memory
(even skinner's rats
were able to recognize patterns)

so my patience eventually ran out
(you must admit,
you're off the scale).


and a big difference between me and the other person?
i do not seek out irritants.

he was complaining about
shirtless men far down the road.

he was complaining about
people looking at him.

how do you see those things
if you do not make an effort
to look out the gate
and stretch out your neck?

how do you see someone's looking at you
unless you're looking at the other person, too?

me, i complain about stuff right before my eyes.
i complain about stuff i have to clean myself.

there is no way i can not see these things.

they're right outside my gate,
on a spot within the unfenced part of our property.

they're in front of my car,
on a spot again within the unfenced part of our property.

they're right on my way.
there is no other route.

i actually have to take credit
for putting up with so much for so long.
party's over though, so shape up.

= = = = =

next time you complain about being singled out,
just remember, you're not like the rest.
you're different, and not in a good way.

confess

when someone sets out to defend you,
you give him your full support.

you tell him "the truth,
the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth."
yes, just like making a sworn testimony.

giving him incomplete or false information
could lead him to charge on
when he actually should be retreating.
it could lead him to pry information
you've long been wanting to suppress.

the intention was to help.
the outcome is to hurt.

when the dust settles,
he'd be wounded and bruised
but the casualty really is going to be you.
boo!

track record

so there is this someone
trying to defend his friend
whom he had the gall to say
"nobody else verbally/electronically complains about."

whaaaatttt???!!!

that person has had quarrels
with every single house in the neighborhood,
from the first houses in the alley
to the last house along the main road.

not at all petty quarrels.
MAJOR ones.
it even reached the point
when she considered selling their house
because of all those animosities.
yes, that bad!
and yes, the statement came from her.
(lest this story be misinterpreted,
let me emphasize that her thought
and her uncle's aborted plan to sell the whole property
are two different things.)

her disputes actually reach far beyond the neighborhood,
including kith and kin from both sides of the family.

next time do your homework.  fact check.
don't make a fool of yourself
posting statements contrary to the truth
which so many people know about.

backfire

so someone
who obviously has no idea about the kind of response he'd get
asked,
"How does your neighbor act
"as if they have a right to your private properties"?"

uhm, i don't think the neighbor would relish her friend knowing this
but since he asked lemme reply:


- offers my credit card for use by her friendS (she did this thrice!),
even after being told never to do so


- shows her friend a pic of our pool
then tells my mom that her friend wants to take a dip there

- texts my mom to go swimming in our pool on short notice
(different instance, instances actually, from the friend's pool dip).
the pool is infrequently used
and has to be cleaned before people go swimming.
no, we do not have an in-house cleaner.
my mom has to text a cousin
who in turn has to find and hire someone to clean the pool.


-  has a penchant for crossing over to our property
instead of doing stuff on their side
then does not clean up when they're done

- lets the people she has dealings with
wait within our property
without even bothering to clean up
when these people litter the place

pa-espasyo mo na, ipaglilinis mo pa!


-  puts a bench on the unfenced part of our property,
initially just daytime,
later up to nighttime,
removing it only after i asked
whether it's already going to be a permanent fixture there


- fails to heed repeated requests
to stop the children from their household
from opening our gates,
entering our properties
and engaging in risky activities there:
playing on unsecured steel-frame clothes hangers
which they probably view as monkey bars,
chasing and racing each other through three-storey-high stairs.


- throws their garbage in our sack
saying my 87-year-old dad
told her 7-year-old granddaughter
that they could do so.
(really now?
i think i have an idea what happened here.
i'll write about it in some other blog.)
she earlier also put the blame on the maid, btw.
the thing is, it's been happening through different maids.


- has their pets spend their days within our property for yearS,
as in, seven years (!),
with pee and poop to boot


- instructs their workers
(according to the foreman himself)
to install THEIR roof
and THEIR gate
by boring holes in OUR wall.
no, we're not supposed to share common walls.
these are separate houses.
and no, they never posted a building permit
all the while that their house
was being demolished then rebuilt.


just one of these is bad enough.
they've chalked up a list.

brazen.
shameless.
off the scale.

think

so we have this neighbor
whose dogs have spent
a pretty good deal of their lives
outside their owner's property.
the dogs were spending their days for yearS
not just in public spaces
but in OUR private property.


i've been calling out the mom about it for yearS.
nicely, jokingly, sarcastically, angrily.
it persisted.


the family has been putting forward these excuses:

1.  the daughter/owner is out of the house

2.  there are children in the house who leave the gate open

3.  they cannot keep an eye on the dog,
with the mom adding her usual she has to earn money
("hindi namin matututukan 'yan, kailangan kong kumita ng pera")

these are long-term conditions, right?


when will the owner not be out of the house?
she used to not be around because she was still studying.
now she's not around because she's already working.
so when will this condition disappear?
when she gets married?  when she retires?


when will there be no children there?
there used to be just 3 children in that household.
and then there were 4.
now there's 5.
there's a 6th one soon to be born.

the youngest right now is maybe 2 years old.

when will these children grow up?


when will the mom find time for the dog?
she's a moneylender.
she has to be on her toes.
daytime her clients come to her.
nighttime she goes to them.


these people are able to recognize their circumstances
but their thought processes stop at the point
where all they could come up with
is that i should understand why the dogs are out.

why can't their thoughts cross over
to the point where they realize
that they are not capable of owning a dog?


they're so slow.
they're so irresponsible,
they're so shameless.
change!

shifting gears

there is a method to analyzing cases.
you gather facts.
you put them in chronology.
you get the big picture.

you don't just pick
which occurrences you're going to include.
you include all relevant information.

you don't get to choose where you want to start.
you have to start at the beginning
and go on till the end.

that way you are able to identify
which are actions
and which are reactions,
which are warranted,
which are not.

you are able to determine
whether something is an isolated case
or a pattern of behavior.

the story, for example, does not start
when your dogs pee or when they poop
outside your property.
it already begins when the dogs are out of your property.

you do not skip the main offense
and jump to an aggravating circumstance.

is your dog being outside your property an isolated case?

you've had one dog spending its days
outside your property
for yearS.

when that dog died,
the same thing was the case with your second dog.

when the second dog died,
the same was the case with your third dog.

and then you got a fourth dog
and these two living pets
were again spending time outside your own property,
as was in the previous cases,
not just in public spaces
but within someone else's private property.

how long are you going to use as excuse
that the dogs have just been breaking out on accident?
it's been going on for yearS.
didn't it even occur to you
that you've actually been being negligent?

you have the nerve to say
the earlier dogs should not be counted
because they're already dead.
what sort of thought processes do you have?

does that mean when the third and fourth dogs die
you can again go on inflicting a fifth dog on others
as if it's a fresh offense
because the previous should be forgotten?

you don't disregard such things.
they make up your track record.

you've been negligent,
inconsiderate
and shameless
for yearS.
gentle has not worked on you.
don't be surprised if i take the kid gloves off.

complete

stories should include all relevant information.
they should be complete.
the truth should be whole.

the narrative should show
how things began,
what have transpired since
and how they ended
or are at the moment.

leaving out material parts
would paint an inaccurate picture
that could make grave situations appear light
and even make villains seem like victims.

not fair.
not right.
needs correction.

stick to what you can afford

different people have different resources.
not everyone has the same capabilities.

just because others have a dog
does not mean you have to have one, too.

if your own household
could not be bothered
with looking after your pet
then drop it.

you don't own a dog
then let it stay outside,
day after day,
for years on end,
in public spaces
and within your neighbor's property.

that is irresponsible.
that is illegal.

plain and simple

i take a LOT of pictures.
i've been taking pictures since high school.
that is a LOOOONG time.

(the only photography class i ever took was during that time.
it was an elective in my sophomore year, uhm, four decades ago. #old 👵🏽)

my photos are not focused on one particular subject.  they run the gamut.  people, places, things, food, events, even lawbreaking, ahahaha.

as much as possible, i want the pictures to show something nice.
i like to say, pictures are forever.
(i don't, however, take elaborate pics.
my food pics would show you the food
the way i normally would see it on the table.)

a lot of the photos that i take,
no one except me sees.
just because you don't see a particular pic in my wall
does not mean i don't have one.
(no one knew i had this brazen trash pic taken in 2013
until i posted it in 2017 when my patience ran out.)

i do intend to post a lot of them,
preferably just the pleasant ones.
(patience, please hold up...)
i just haven't yet
because there are other things i'd rather be doing.
i do prioritize certain pics.
my mom's, for example, when she's with her friends.

i've received a lot of ribbing about my late uploads.
i can take it, hahaha...

the only uploads i try to do within the day are those for posting in this gamified lifelog i do.
i get 5 points per pic.  with my x3 stickers, that means 15 points per pic.

i've been hitting 3,000 points per week
(even 4,000 points in the last two weeks),
thanks partly to the points i get for the pics.

3,000 points is not really something to brag about.
i've seen others who hit 8,500.
in my circle of lifelogging friends, however,
3,000 points is enough
to land me the top spot in my leaderboard.
(you compete only with your own friends.)

that's all there is to it.
no need to overanalyze why i have all these pics.

🤦‍♀️🤣

way off

there's this facebook post that warns about
"verbally forcing other people's children to stop playing outdoors, or they will either be locked up in the offender's bathroom or forced to scrub the street gutters"

hmmm...  what curious examples.
i categorically say the statements do not apply to me.
i would like, however, to expand on the post
because certain words rang a bell
and i think i know where such ideas came from.

you know that pass-it-on game
where a group tries to relay the same message
through a queue?

i know someone who would be a perfect poster girl for that  -> the guy's friend.
this friend has a track record
(and when i say track record i mean spanning yearS)
of changing words and mangling statements beyond recognition.

i've warned her countless times about it.
i've told her so many times to make it a habit to quote verbatim.

her standard reply?
the statements are just the same.
in her own words:  "pareho lang 'yun"

differences and nuances that are very clear to me,
she fails to see at all.
she insists the original and her rewording are just the same.

i've been warning her that if this were an investigation
she'd be guilty of putting words in other people's mouths
because her version does not quite capture the original.

again in her own words:
"hindi naman investigation 'to,
hindi kailangan eksakto."
this is not an investigation.
we do not have to be exact.

i've been telling her, investigation or not,
she should try to develop good habits.
i've even tried to give her a drill a couple of times.
(yes, for yearS when my patience has not yet run out, i acted as her protector, editor, even benefactor.
no, and i say this emphatically, i was never at any point in time a partner in her "business.")
i'd ask her to repeat something i just said
->  not many words; just a simple subject-predicate statement.
she could not.  she'd be adding and changing words and altering meanings CONSISTENTLY.
it was appalling.
it was tiring.

now let me go to the words that rang a bell:

-  verbally forcing other people's children to stop playing outdoors

i have several times tried to stop children from playing around our vehicle telling them to play in their own van instead

hmmm...  "vehicle" to "outdoors"...

- locked up in the offender's bathroom

so this boy threw trash in our garbage sack.
i asked him why he did not put his trash in their own trash can.
he replied they don't have one.
i said go to *your* toilet!
my assumption is that people have trash cans in their toilet.

- forced to scrub the street gutters

so these boys play basketball
and their ball hits my dad's pots
spilling soil on the gutter.

i tell them to clean the gutter themselves.

so now, given my original statements
and the version probably heard by the one who made the post,
what can i say?

far off, once again.
nothing new.

order

actions and decisions are shaped by certain factors.
something that happens prior
is a probable cause or motive.
just probable, not necessarily certain.
sometimes occurrences are just coincidental not causal.

when something, however, crops up
after you've already performed a certain action,
you cannot use that as a reason for your behavior.

your action could not have been brought about
by something you still had no idea would happen.

in this day of timestamps,
chronology is so much easier to determine.

don't make a fool of yourself
by weaving excuses
that are out of sequence.

true colors

i used to head security, I.T. security.
my inclination is to expose, stop, prevent and penalize wrongdoing.

people do do bad things.
there are those who admit to what they've done.
there are those who choose to keep silent.
and there are those who try to twist the story
to make themselves look good instead.

there is such a thing as incontrovertible evidence.
sometimes you have it; sometimes you don't.

don't ever attempt to paint yourself a sheep
when i have personal knowledge
and incontrovertible evidence
that you were actually a wolf
because i will set the record straight
and you will be exposed.

friendly fire

there's this someone
who's been talking about
sad and unhappy human beings
probably thinking he's doing his friend a favor.

he obviously is not aware
that it actually is his friend
who has a tragic story
->  irreversible because the friend's father
has unexpectedly passed away.

the septuagenarian father
spent the last year of his life
looking for a house to rent
because his daughter was forcing him
out of his own house.

the way the daughter tells it:
the father hates this establishment across.
the father wants the house to go to her.
both true, yes.
related, no.

there is something the daughter has been leaving out of the narrative:
that the father did not want to leave his house
and it was she who was insistent that he does.

that is material information.

the father had intended for the daughter
to take the house after he passes away.
the daughter, on the other hand,
wanted to take over right away.

unless the daughter is totally heartless,
those tears she's been shedding
are not just tears of grief for the loss
but also tears of guilt for the greed.

sad.

nice try

when you win regional and national journalism competitions in high school

and

have your on-the-job-training at a news agency

and

take up journalism as your second degree in college

then someone who probably just googled 'libel' for a comment tries to acquaint you on the subject

👏🤦‍♀️😜

saved

someone told me before she was annoyed
at all these "middle of the sea" venues
and said she wanted to delete them.

aw!  i like to save check-ins...
these people just didn't know the body of water they're in
so they named it "middle of the sea."

i went over the pins and the history
and boom!  was able to supply the names.

thank you, google...

appropriate action

so someone finally got his comeuppance
and i was surprised and touched to get a message
thanking me "for standing up."

uhm...  i stood up
but nothing really came out
of the things i said.
the guy just once again
got away scot-free.

i put forth what i objectively know to be sound arguments
but the response i got was so frustratingly lame.

it is this other group
that was able to make a penalty materialize.

they did what was in their power to do
and by their quick and decisive action
was able to put in effect what was long overdue.

i was just an unintended beneficiary
but i'm no less thankful.

power in the right hands delivers justice.

enough

i haven't even finished telling my stories yet
and a verdict has been handed
->  in my favor.

yes, even that little was already too much.

enough.

finally

sometimes even when you think something won't happen
because it is not in your power to make it happen
it still materializes because others will do it themselves.

surprised.
thankful.

far-out

so someone who's been using unnecessary prepositions
actually said he's been doing so
because it was what was common practice before.

whaaaaattttt?????!!!!!

i dunno which is more shocking,
that someone could so publicly proclaim such falsehood
or
if true, that a company could actually tolerate such nonsense.

i can't wait for the moment of truth.

gotcha

we have a riddle in the philippines:

"Nagtago si Pedro, nakalabas ang ulo."

peter hid but his head is showing.


i dunno whether intentional or an oversight
but this someone who so publicly denied something before
just made a move that's one step closer to totally exposing himself.

finally being good
or
again being foolish?

sign

at mass yesterday,
the priest was saying
we should focus on kindness and goodness.

me:  'ooops...  is that a message for me?'
(ahahaha...  i am not being kind to this guy
who has so brazenly been spreading falsehoods.)

then the priest proceeded,
we should put a stop to lies, pretensions and...
wah!  i forgot the third!

he said in tagalog,
pagsisinungaling,
pagpapanggap
plus the third i can't recall.
(i'll ask him next sunday then update this blog, hehe)

upon hearing those i chuckled.
that is definitely a message for the greAT pretender, ahahaha.

for me, i take it to mean to continue to expose these things.
it might not be kind and good to the one you're exposing
but it's kind and good to those he's been fooling.

#PressOn

honesty is the best policy

our priest related this story
of a time he was invited
to celebrate mass at a town feast day.

he asked and was told
the patron saint of the town
was Our Lady of the Pillar.
he therefore prepared a sermon
based on the Lady.

on the way to the town, however,
his companion told him the patron saint
was Saint Martin de Porres.
while driving therefore
he came up with a sermon
based on the saint.

upon reaching the town,
he saw on the arch
that the patron saint
was actually Saint Vincent Ferrer!

he wasn't familiar with the saint
and didn't anymore have time
so he just checked the image of the saint.
he saw that it had wings
so probably an angel
and he talked accordingly.

when he went to check later
he found out that none of the things he said
matched the story of the saint's life.

why did this happen?

he realized it's because he had the wrong priority.

his priority that time
was to not let people know
that he does not know.

his priority should have been
to be honest.

fade away

some people go silent
because they want to be the better person.

others go silent
because they have been exposed
and have no defense
for the things that they have done.

easy win

a lawyer was telling our group before,
they came prepared and all
but didn't have to make use of anything
because the other party missed something
and therefore lost on a technicality.

i've kept that in mind.
right now i have an airtight case.
i'm making sure it remains that way.

learning

someone messaged me saying we should join this contest.

i read the rules.

ahahaha...  there looked to me offshoots of my,
to put it very mildly, 'disagreement'
with someone who
tried to interpret the things i said
and
made assumptions on what i thought
and came out way off the mark.

ripple effect.

selective disclosure

there are people who like to preen in public
and then when you ask for details
suddenly go silent.

something you announce publicly
you should also be able to discuss publicly.

not everyone takes statements at face value.
you should be able to substantiate.

once you see it...

someone telling me the other high-level editors
were probably scratching their heads
when they implemented the corrections i requested
for the unconventional edits
made by the one who's supposed to be the country's best...

me:  'they won't notice...  his [white] profile pic fades into the [white] background...'

not noticeable but on record still...
and yes, visible when one looks closely...  hah!

inept

so there i was already appalled at the kind of data
being entered into the database
by this guy who's holding a post
supposed to be reserved for the country's best.

well, guess what, i then see him modify an entry
from the correct format to the wrong one!
yes!  the address was fine
and he decided to edit it
and again put an unnecessary preposition!

nyahahahaha...  toinks!!!

can't he just save unconventional entries for himself?
does he really have to ruin an existing good record?
he's supposed to make things better not worse!

this guy better learn the requirements for his post.
people are supposed to top their good work not their bad.

consistently wrong

i was going to do an edit
and again saw this
unconventional / unnecessary-preposition format.

me:  'wah!  i bet it's him!'

i checked the history...
true enough, it's one of his accounts!

wahaha...  trademark?!

then and now,
seven years back,
two months ago,
the guy's edits are consistent
->  consistently wrong.

why on earth
is he holding a post
reserved for the country's best???

to borrow someone else's remark,
referring to some other action
by the very same guy (!),
"Very strange behaviour for [a high-level post]
and for sure very strange edits against the commonly accepted style guide"

<face-palm>

incompetent

nobody's perfect.
the best people make mistakes.
that's understandable.

but to be consistently wrong
about something you are supposed to know
is inexcusable.

slow

oftentimes people get promoted
without yet possessing
the skills and qualities
required for their new position.

they are, however, expected to acquire them preferably soonest.

if, however, it's been more than six years
and the person still does not know the basic,
that is disturbing.

yeah, there is a learning curve
but it is not supposed to be that slow.

step up.

irrational

whew!
posted the last set of the address correction requests today.

i was actually hesitant to request them,
the corrections being so basic.
the records, however, are high-profile ones
so i decided to give it a go.

i don't really know
why a preposition
was put in those addresses.

it is not normally done.
it is not necessary.

where on earth did it come from?

no, these were not unintentional.
they were deliberately done
for every single one of those records.

why, oh, why, oh, why?
(YOYOY, hehe)

there is actually a reference in the style sheet
but it is for something else.
was it misunderstood?
the wording is simple.

the thought processes
(the logic, uhm, lack of it)
and actions
of this one holding a position
supposed to be reserved for the country's best
have been making me cringe.

someone reacting to one of his explanations before
actually said:
"This doesn’t seem to be a rational, valid reason."

bull's-eye!

look out

one cannot teach what he does not know.

the problem though
is there are those
who do not know
that they do not know.

worse,
there are those who think they know
when they actually don't.

they go about doing things
thinking they are right.

when they spread their mistaken views
they worsen instead of improve things.

the one-eyed leading the blind is understandable.

the one-eyed leading the clear-sighted is absurd.

be careful of your guides.

risky

there are people whose past activities you come across
and then you realize that's how they got to where they are right now.

their work speaks for how they earned their post.

and then there are those whose activities you come across
and you cannot help but wonder how on earth they got their current post.

their work simply is not in consonance with what their post requires.

the more you see, the more they lose cred.  unbelievable!  ugh!

why

you know how it is
when you see someone do something that makes you cringe?

and then you see him do it for this record and that?

and then you see a bunch of records and realize
that that's really how he does it?

yes, he did not just mistakenly do it...
he's been doing it deliberately and consistently!

wah!

why would anyone do that?
especially one who holds a position
reserved for the best editors of each country???

so many questionable actions, then and now...

luck runs out...
shape up or ship out...

step up

why would someone pad his résumé?
why would he exaggerate his accomplishments?

why can't he just state things as they are?

maybe because the actual is not enough.
maybe because he feels inadequate.

best to flesh things out.
step up or step down.

he may be able to fool some
but not everyone.

and he definitely cannot fool himself
->  unless he has come to believe his own hype.

maximize and minimize

life isn't all rainbows and unicorns...
not everyday is a sunny day...
not all the time everything is pleasant...

me, i try to postpone unpleasant stuff
for when the day is about to end...
that way, i have the rest of the day for pleasant things...
i'd just have a short unpleasant time
in between that and bedtime
after which i'd already be dreaming sweet dreams...

the day is on the whole fine...

life is good...

: )

unqualified

you do something you are not supposed to do
either
because
you do not know it's not supposed to be done
or
you are intentionally committing a violation.

the latter is definitely not good.

the first, well, as the legal principle goes,
ignorance of the law is no excuse.

for those who hold certain positions,
certain things they have to know.
not knowing these things means
they do not deserve to hold the position.

show some shame.
let go of your post.

the right kind

those who say
that it is better to be kind than to be right
are usually arguing for the wrong.

you can do what is right
and still be kind
->  not to the wrong, however,
but to the wronged.

that is just as fine.

#FairAndJust

winner takes all

someone persistently rooting for a settlement.

eh?

those with a really strong case expect to win.
they do not really think of settlements.
it is the expected loser who should seek one out.

fyi

some information you provide
not to brag,
not to intimidate,
not just because it is relevant
but more so because it is important.

talking about medical conditions
without saying that you are a doctor
would not just seem odd
but would even be wrong.

you are supposed to give
the person you're talking to
a full appreciation
of the matter at hand.

you do not withhold material information.

you are supposed to tell
not just the truth
but the whole truth.

anything less would be a part-lie.

caution

there are times when you have to bring up credentials,
not to brag, not to pry,
not to extol, not to belittle,
but simply to determine credibility.

you don't just believe anyone
who talks about anything.

where is he coming from?
is he knowledgeable on the topic?
what is his track record?
does he pad?
is he honest?

will his statements be based on
knowledge and experience, expertise even,
or
will they be based on
imagination, assumptions, presumptions and speculations?

you have to know
whether the exchange will just be some small talk
or
whether it will be a substantial discussion.

be wary of someone
who reacts negatively
to his own credentials being brought up.

you don't suppress credentials.
you present them.

timing

chronology is VERY important.

it's not just about what happened
but when it happened.

you don't string events randomly.
you put them in order.


someone entered
and then
you locked the door

paints an altogether different picture from

you locked the door
and then
someone entered.


rascals could easily appear pitiful
by narrating events out of sequence.

ask questions.

don't be fooled.

wait and see

have yet to write the blog i've told a friend i will...
yes!  something pleasant...  : )

i have a list of topics i want to write about
as an offshoot of an unpleasant (what an understatement, wahaha) experience though.
i want to complete them all before proceeding to my normal topics.
i just want the blogs connected with
the great <insert unflattering adjective here>
to all be in one block.
from june 29 to whatever end date.

after the blogs, i can already spend nighttime thinking smiley stuff.
looking forward to a windfall.
yes, it's not over till the prescriptive period ends.

safeguard

some things logically go together.

prized asset.
trustworthy steward.

leave something you value
to someone dishonest
and you're courting disaster.

don't risk it.

behave

you have control only over your own actions.
other people's reactions are up to them.

you cannot choose their response to the things that you do.

you cannot say,
"you shouldn't have reacted that way..."

that could so easily be countered with,
"you should not have acted the way you did in the first place."

just because you got away with one,
with two,
with three,
doesn't mean you can get away with anything.

not all the time people will put up with you.

don't push your luck.

manage from source.

forest and trees

when caught up in the moment it is easy to lose sight of the big picture.

which one is action?
which is mere reaction?

who did what when?
yes, chronology is important.

trace to source.
you'll get things right.

upgrade

someone saying that if only the holder of this high-level access were active then it would be easier to clean up the db.

haha... i'm thinking it could be a blessing in disguise that he became inactive.

the guy is a loose cannon, recently chalking up three major face-palm moves within one week!

instead of looking to him to save the day, maybe it would be better to have others take on powerful access.

i have two in mind, four even, who i believe are responsible and trustworthy. in time they will get there.

no need to settle.

deal with it

someone asking me what the great conjurer of falsehoods has to do to avoid being penalized.

eh?

don't ask me.
i don't intend to think about it.

it's HIS problem not mine.

kid gloves off

friend telling me since the offender has been exposed then maybe things could already end there.

haha... nah.

my mindset is to
1. expose
2. stop
3. prevent
and
4. penalize
wrongdoing.

1 is not even complete yet.

in this case, 2 and 3 would probably happen only when 4 is done.

the lying, grandstanding, speculative, irresponsible creature has been getting away with so much he probably thinks the well of understanding / gullibility does not run dry.

well, it does.

what you tolerate you perpetuate.

it's time to make him experience payback time.

pay the price

you have to talk to people in a language that they understand.

you cannot expect unscrupulous people
to fathom the value of integrity and reputation.

put in a monetary penalty
for tarnishing something so sterling
and they just might get an idea.

they may not understand the value of values
but they will understand the value of money.

some offenses can be brushed aside.
others require payback.
you have to be careful
about the ones you commit
and the people you offend.

mistakes can cost you  ->  BIG-time.

the big picture

context is king.

a move may be fine in itself
but coming on the heels of certain events,
it becomes questionable, even downright censurable.

if, for instance, you've been called out
for certain actions
not just once,
not just twice,
but thrice
within the span of a week,
downgrading visibility
while performing similar actions
should be the last thing you should do.

the move becomes all the more suspicious
if it's not consistent
with how you've done things for years
and how you're currently doing things in other areas.

if you have nothing to hide
stay in the light.

transparency

just because you don't see it doesn't mean it's not there.

just because you conceal it doesn't mean it won't be exposed.
(Luke 8:17)

if the norm is to be visible then why be invisible?

there's supposed to be nothing private, embarrassing or wrong
about the things that you do.

or is there?

legend in his own mind

every project begins somewhere.
from ideas that are broached in simple meetings
to proposals that are put forth in elaborate presentations. 

come project kickoff,
the users, the stakeholders, the contractors,
the ones who planted the seeds for project implementation,
would ideally be invited.
but these people are not supposed to just go around
touting a Partnership with the companies involved.

for someone who pitched an idea
to so publicly announce
that BIG companies
partnered with him for a project,
elevating himself
to the level of the companies making the proposal a reality,
is a bit of a stretch.

you could say you were part of the project.
you did this.  you did that.

but to exaggerate your role
to a point that is out of your league
is misleading at best;
legally actionable at worst.

don't push you luck.

mismatch

there is a world
bigger than the one
where simpleminded people
tackle simple problems.

in that world
big issues requiring immediate attention
blow up left and right
and one is supposed to remain sharp and undaunted.

issues are supposed to be managed within certain levels
avoiding escalation as much as possible
because those in the higher levels
also have issues of their own to attend to.

escalation-inclination
is a sign of incompetence.

the issues you escalate
say something about the things
that you are unable to handle.

if something so simple
you see the need to escalate,
what then can you manage?

if the answer is
"not even the minor"
then you should not be occupying
a position so major.

to each according to his ability

"with great power comes great responsibility."

you can't handle great responsibility?

you should not be entrusted with great power.

a year ago

#TFW you announce for everyone to get one of each item
then you see someone post a picture with four.

little things mean a lot.

Luke 16:10

Piolo Pascual...  Starting Over Again...

"I deserved an explanation!
I deserved an acceptable reason!"

;"p

the week that was

when the bum in the corner goes on to
interpret what you say
and
make assumptions on what you think,
the results are bound to get messy...

you are not on the same wavelength...
he simply just won't get it...

stay away.

missent

this morning, i received a message that the swarm Elections sticker has been set to unlock in the philippines today (for the may 13 general election).

i wanted to inform a fellow foursquare superuser so i typed a message and ended it with a 'mwuah!'  ->  our version of a flying kiss.

guess what, was i horrified to see that instead of to the female superuser, i somehow sent the message to a male superuser, a married one at that!  waaaahhhhhh!!!

their names do start with the same letter.  well, i've since changed the guy's name in my phone book to start with the letter Z.  and now i'm actually thinking of just deleting his number altogether.

no love lost anyway.  bye.

an SU story

on the fifth annversary of swarm, i got upgraded to SU4.  i'm sooo happy...  : )

i updated the swarm app on my phone yesterday.  so i checked what the updates were for  ->  "Bug fixes and performance improvements."

i clicked Read More and noticed the app release date:  9 May 2014.  ei, it was May 8!  5th anniversary (and also my late grandmother's birthday) the following day!

i messaged a fellow superuser and told her we both apply for upgrade that day so when it takes effect, it will be on swarm's anniversary.  she's been egging me to apply since she first got promoted two weeks ago.  i had my reasons for not applying yet but yesterday i felt excited at the prospect of being promoted on swarm's fifth anniversary and finally did.

well, today i am an SU4...  :")

i created a foursquare account on september 2, 2010
and did my first check in, at Dads Saisaki Kamayan, two days later.
(yes, you can see your first ever check-in.  just enter "first" in the swarm search field.)
i became a superuser on august 4, 2011
and was converted from SU1 to SU3 on april 22, 2017.
(highest SU level used to be 3 when i was an SU1.  with the revised leveling system introduced in 2017, the highest level became 10.)

i just fairly recently went back to doing edits actually.  i stopped cold turkey years back because once i started i could not stop, wah.  i'd be on my laptop for hours on end and i won't even eat anymore.

when i went back, i prioritized the clean up of my province.
one, charity begins at home.
two, i'm thinking there'd be more users suggesting/implementing edits for the cities lemme be the one to cradle the neglected (wahaha...  sounds sublime)...

now how do you eat an elephant?
you slice it piece by piece.  yes, one bite at a time.

i've pretty much completed first and second passes of the smaller towns.  i'm leaving the bigger towns for later.

by first pass i mean i've put cities and zip codes on the venues.  yup, sooo basic!

second pass is merging of duplicates/identification of unmerge
(uhm, SUs actually use the term rollback.
i, however, am not comfortable with it.
in the forum, everyone says rollback
and i'm the odd one out who keeps on saying unmerge, wah.
it's because i used to be a DBA and the term has a specific meaning to us.
i'd rather go with unmerge therefore.)

third would be formatting and standardization.

fourth, address completion.  save the hardest for last, haha.

every once in a while i'd create lists  ->  for possible destinations, for venues i'd raise to support, hehe

i like the approach with small wins along the way.  it seems to be working.  i was surprised to learn last february that i was among the top editors worldwide in my group level, imagine!  it was in the SU newsletter and a fellow SU e-mailed me.

and then my location is set to my province so i don't really see the aggregate philippine stats.  i see only me, sometimes one other, in my location's top contributors board.  it was only when a fellow SU told me she's third in the country did i learn that i was first, hahaha...

i'm soooo very thankful to all the SUs, practically all foreign, who have been helping me along the way, not just by implementing my edits but by providing their insights.  we've sometimes had differences of opinion on how to deal with certain cases but i know that our statements have all come from a good place and we all just have what's best in mind.  it actually is good to be hearing contrary views to widen one's perspective.

lastly, i'm not sure whether i still should mention this but to complete the story i will, i actually had a bit of a scare recently worried that the foreign SUs would shy away from helping us because of some rather, uhm, unpleasant incident.  i believe they are not closed-minded but at the same time i know that patience does run out.  i was sooo touched tears actually rolled down my eyes when a high-level SU actually took the step of posting a reassurance that they remain there for us.

i feel really privileged to be part of this community and i am grateful.

happy 5th anniversary swarm...  and happy 10th to foursquare....  : )

blessings

mound of peanuts on the table..

guest: 'are peanuts cheap here?'

me: 'aw... i dunno... these came from my aunt...'

eating salted eggs sometime later...

guest: 'how much are salted eggs here?'

me: 'aw... i dunno... those were just given to my mom...'

a while later, trying out infanta's suman...

guest: 'where can you buy these here?'

me: 'quezon...'

guest: 'but it's available here?'

me: 'aw, i dunno... these were brought by my cousin-in-law...'

guest: 'food just keeps coming in, huh!'

yes...
and we are thankful...  : )

lifelog

at an eatery...

me: 'what's their specialty?'

mom: 'haven't you eaten here before?'

me: 'swarm tells me it's my third time here... actually i thought it was just my second... but swarm has the dates... it's my third...'

what i forget, swarm remembers...

thank you, foursquare...  : )

whatchamacallit

at a garden center...

me: 'what do you call this plant?'

seller: 'heart plant...'

me: 'heart plant?'

seller: 'it's heart-shaped so it's a heart plant...'

me: 'doesn't it have another name?'

seller 2: 'hoya...'

if you don't know what to call it, describe it... ; p

the WHOLE truth

you know how when someone texts you something and then you react and then they text you again modifying their previous message to make them look nicer?  i know the drill.  the second is the one they'll show to others.  the thing is, i have both messages and more.  and i know what to do.  boo!

us and them

dropped by a friend's place...

upon seeing my car, she blurts out:  'this is one way!'

me:  'oh?  i didn't see any sign...'

friend:  'there's no sign...'

me:  'how would people know it's one way if there's no sign???'

friend:  'those from here already know...'

eh?  hahaha...

me:  'how 'bout non-residents?  tell them to put a sign!'

friend:  'okay.'

that's more like it...  ; )

one to tree

swarm friend taking a while to reach her target 100 mayorships (she now has 84)...  she says she keeps on getting ousted...

well, i thought i was ensconced in my mayorship of the acacia tree at U.P. town center until, ta-daaaannn!!!  someone took my crown!

hahaha...  tree's company...  ;"p

for a change

so i replied to a friend's comment on a photo i posted in facebook...

he reacted with a crying face emoji...

huh?!

i wondered what was sad about my reply... ' turns out another friend had the same thoughts and asked...

the one who reacted with the emoji said he's tired of laughter (the laughing emoji) so the seldom-used tears this time...

eh?

wahaha... change for change's sake logic be damned?

hmmm... i haven't used the eye roll emoji... lemme react with that...  🙄😉

head over heels

told someone i was having lunch with i should have arrived earlier except that it took me long to get a clear (not many people) pic of this food-themed pedestrian lane (foodestrian art lane).  instead of mere horizontal lines, it had ice cream cones...  <D

she said that's where they crossed. (it turns out we parked in the same area.)

suddenly she checked out my shoes.

then she squealed, 'oh! so that was you! i noticed your shoes! those are those shoes!'

haha...  okay.

sometimes your shoes are more eye-catching than your face... heels over head...  ;"p

early

in january, someone friended me in swarm...

i accepted...

when we met (for the first time), she told me when she saw my points, she started wondering whether she made a mistake in adding me...  i've been dominating her leaderboard, hehe...

i told her she could unfriend me...

she didn't want to...

now i usually hit my high-coin-yield streaks late in the week...  early in the week, i trail the leaderboard, often with zero points, wah!

one time, i sent her a screenshot of her on top of my leaderboard...
she told me she just savors those days because she knows by the end of the week 'twill again be me on top...

yeah...

it's not how you start, it's how you finish...  : )

accent

i was at the garden center this afternoon.  last month, i was there, too, and i wanted to check in in swarm. i asked the storekeeper for the name of their stall.

i heard "mindy's."

hmmm... i could not find the venue in the app.

i confirmed with the storekeeper, "Mindy's, M, I, N, D, Y, apostrophe, S?"

she said, yes.

i really could not find it.

i therefore created the venue then checked in.

last week i was at the garden center again. there are many stalls there and not all have a signage. i asked the storekeeper, a young man this time, what the name of the store is.

he said "Mendez <blah-blah>" then proceeded to give me a business card.

again, i could not find the venue in the app so i created it.

guess what, i realized later that Mindy's and Mendez are one and the same!

wah! haha...

okay, superuser...  merge!  ; )

pacing

going to the commercial center...

asked my sisters if there's anything they want...

one requested me to buy her three more of this plant.

okay.

i went home to get dressed. suddenly i remembered that i already went to the garden center this week.

i therefore texted my sister i'll just buy her plants next week so when i check in in swarm i'll get additional points for a Garden Center streak.

ahahaha... the life game i play... ;")

#strategy

wait for me

i was the third vehicle at an intersection... the traffic light turned green and the number that appeared was 2...

me: '2 seconds?!'

the driver in front of me was rather slow to move...

i muttered: 'hurry, please... hurry!'

haha... as if he'd hear me...

well, even if he was slow i still was able to drive off to the other side... the timer stayed awhile at 1!

hmmm... is that supposed to be minutes and not seconds? the other stoplights show seconds on the timer...

are traffic lights not consistent?
or did i just get lucky?  :")

pronunciation

mistakenly recalled someone's name to end with a V and an S. ' turns out it's just a B.

aw... V bariation? just like an ep depect and a fi complex... ;")

easy

went over my dad's bunches of tools, stored in different nooks around the house, trying to find something i could use to cut this metal thingy...

when finally i got hold of a saw for metals, i hurriedly picked up the object i was going to cut.  well, it fell to the floor and, ta-daaaannn!!! the portion i was supposed to cut off broke off!

hahahahaha... that easy?!  i should just have tapped it on the floor instead of searching for tools.

anyway, sometimes things look tough but they're actually fragile.

don't dim your luster

i love caramel and i like m&m's. when i saw m&m's caramel therefore, in blue packaging to boot (my fave color's blue), i got excited.

i immediately popped some in my mouth but, contrary to expectation, i was underwhelmed, wah!

supposedly the whole would be greater than the sum of its parts. this one, at least for me, was less.

some things are better not together. don't force a join. keep them apart.

joke

mentioned to a friend that i'm going to the mall the following day...

she asked what time...

i said depends on what time i get to shower...

she said she's busy but will have to swing by the telco because her phone bill will be due.

i offered to pay on her behalf.

okay.

it was march 31 when we were on the phone.

april 1, i paid her bill.

i kinda hesitated realizing it was april fools day, wahaha. what if she pulls a prank and does not pay me?

nah... not our type and i am thankful...

beware

i was at the mall today when i received a text message from my mom telling me that a guy approached her (also at a mall) introducing himself as a classmate of mine.

my mom said she felt doubtful because it took awhile before the guy was able to reply "college" when she asked him where we were classmates.

my mom texted me the name the guy used to introduce himself and i told her i don't know anyone by that name.

my mom says the guy wanted to go to my house right away supposedly to give me something.

my mom didn't give him my address so it didn't push through.

some people are up to no good.
take care everyone.

app matters

saw my sister-in-law and my nephew in the garage... they're going out...

my sister-in-law asked whether i want to go with them...

me: 'is <niece> going?'

sister-in-law: 'no... she went somewhere else...'

me: 'in that case, pass... if <niece> is going then i'll join you because we can check in [in swarm] together...'

if i'm tired and you invite me, whether or not you have swarm would influence my response... ;")

a little less

earth hour... 8:30 to 9:30 pm... i was at my parents' place... lights off but my sister's tv was on...

me: 'why is your tv on?'

sister: 'i'm just going to finish this...'

hmmm... the clock did strike 8:30 while the singers were mid-song... understandable...

i stayed on...

sister: 'why are you watching?'

me: 'your tv's already on... i'm not adding to the [electricity] consumption...'

okay...

she did turn it off after the production number...

hmmm...  not quite enough and i'm not sure whether good enough...

get a life

friend requested me to buy chocolate for his (prospective) girl...

okay...

then this morning i check my phone and see a text message from him asking for my account number so he could transfer his payment.

timestamp of the message?
5:32 a.m.!

wah!

i know there are people who feel uneasy when they have a payable. but c'mon, there are so many things (people <3) in life worthier of getting up to than money.

first things first.
just save money for later.

too long

ordered a chicken meal at mcdonald's and it came with a McFreeze. i opted for Frozen Coke. i set aside half then consumed just half (wahaha... i'm not a fan). i intended to give the other half to my sister.

so i went home and changed clothes then absent-mindedly did all sorts of things around the house. when finally i was already going to my parents' place where my sister lives, i saw the McFreeze near my door! wah! i've forgotten all about it! it has liquefied!

aw! i can't give anyone a melted McFreeze. i therefore just drank it myself.

nothing bad.
nothing great.
meh...  ; p

hot and cold

i usually buy just a pint of ice cream. i let it melt then consume it in one sitting as if it's a thick milkshake.

yesterday, i got a half gallon instead and brought it to my parents' place to share with my sisters. guess what, nighttime already and neither has touched it! and they don't feel like having any.

really???

hmmm... me, i think i can have ice cream anytime...

bring it on... <D

test of friendship

sister: 'i thought <friend> is coming?'

me: 'yes...'

sister: 'why haven't you showered?'

me: 'i will after he leaves...'

sister: 'should be before he arrives...'

me: 'what if he arrives while i'm in the shower?
(i take hour-long showers) i told him to postpone because i'm grimy fixing things but he wants now so be it. he told me he accepts me regardless of how i smell.'

we've been friends a long time. we've had best foot forward. we've seen bad hair day. it's time for the nose knows... ; p

pause the pose

taking pics of a bar of choc...

sister:  'have you taken pics of the other chocs?'

me:  'yes...'

sister:  'the one at the bottom part of the ref?'

me:  'aw, no...'

sister:  'take a pic of the one in the box so i can eat it already...'

eh?!  wahaha...  it's been there a week!

i like to take pics of foodstuff around the house (uhm, anything anywhere, actually)...  but that should not prevent anyone from eating anything anytime...

the best things are not always captured by a lens...  they're kept in the heart...  sometimes digested in the tummy...  ; )

closer

my sister called me to say she has cupcakes...  as is my wont, i brought a cam to take pics...  from upstairs, i saw on the table round stuff that looked rather ordinary...  i retreated...

my sister goes, 'not those!  the ones under...'

i walked over and saw big cupcakes...  picture-worthy, hehe...

sometimes you have to get close to see the good...

make it better

shirt print:

without
me
it's just
aweso

haha...

sometime back i saw another version:

awe
so
me

little me can make a big difference... awesome!

;")

simplify

at a mall...  saw fjallraven kanken bags...

niece:  'how do you pronounce that?'

me:  'aw...  i'm not really sure...'

niece:  'okay...  let's settle for 'bag'...'

stick to what you know...  ; p

talk is cheap

friend trying to locate me...

friend:  'what car did you bring?'

me:  'the BMW!  you want mercedes?'

hahaha...  actually, i drive a toyota...  ;"p

in my time

passed by a store display showing kaia gerber...

me to niece: 'that's cindy crawford's daughter...'

niece: 'who's that?'

aw... generation gap... ;"}

all or nothing

supposed to go to Oyster Boy.  before leaving, i checked out the place in foursquare.  category was Restaurant.  i tried to edit to Seafood Restaurant.  the place had a lot of check-ins so my edit did not take effect, wah.  (i'm just a low-level superuser, SU3.  highest SU level is 10.)

i need upvotes and if i post in the forum i'm not sure my request would be implemented right away.

hmmm...  resched...  i want to use my x3 Life Aquatic sticker...  ;")

search no more

i was supposed to do some tech support on my sister's laptop and the first obstacle i hurdled was...  ta-daaannnn!!!  finding the power button, wah!

i've checked all over, top, sides, front, back, even bottom, haha (#desperate) only to realize that it's just right in front of me  ->  on the lower left of the screen panel itself!

♩ ♪  sometimes the very thing you're looking for
is the one thing you can't see  ♫ ♬

;")

rework

at the bank today, my deposits included six hundred pesos of five peso coins. my mom wrapped them in P100 rolls, i.e., 20 coins per roll.

at the counter, the teller gave me a coin pouch and told me to put 100 pieces there.

ok.

i unwrapped five of the rolls and poured the coins inside the plastic pouch.

done.

so the teller was processing my non-coin deposits when another bank employee, a supervisor, i suppose, came over to give the teller something. upon seeing the coins, she told the teller they should be in tens, i.e., 10 pieces per roll. the teller therefore poured out the loose coins from the pouch and the two of them started taping the coins in tens.

wahehe...

connected

my niece is on vacation and i've been keeping tabs of her through Swarm.

so ok, she checked in here.  she checked in there.  since she's in a foreign country, the place names sometimes display two versions:  the local name in local characters in addition to the english name in the english alphabet.

yesterday though was i surprised when i saw her check in someplace with a name purely in the local characters.

me:  'haha...  how'd she know this is where she should check in?  she can't read the characters!'

uhm, yeah, she could have compared.  the app is supposed to display first/suggest the venue closest to where you are anyway.  plus it could show names in other languages.

on my end, even if i don't understand the characters, i could see the category of her check-in.  i could also see photos of the place uploaded not just by my niece but by other users of the app as well.

even from afar, i know that she went to this tallll building, to a theme park, to outlet stores, to a karting place...

she is having fun and i'm so happy she can nondisruptively let me know her whereabouts real-time and i can check her out without being obtrusive.

thank you, Foursquare Swarm...  : )

holding on

i have this tassel curtain that i like (think door-height length). whenever i use it though, it causes me a lot inconvenience. my clothes, my bag, anything and everything often get caught in it. i've spent countless minutes untangling stuff from it's hold.

now i have hanging a regular curtain. sooo convenient. going in and out is a breeze.

you'd think given that i'd give up my tassel curtain for good. uhm, nah. i like it so much i'm willing to put up with certain things just to have it.

the going doesn't have to be easy.
it simply has to be worth it.

cause for joy

i just renewed my car registration. unlike in previous years, this time they released the sticker together with the O.R. no need to go back. no need to call to check availability. i was so happy, haha...

it really used to be like that for yearrrrrssss.  it's just in the recent past that it suddenly became come-back-for-your-sticker-after-N-weeks (that turn to months).

there are so many things that are the way they should be but they don't really bring joy anymore. they're really expected to be like that anyway. the moment they're not, that's when disappointment sets in.

i'm just thinking i should be happy for everything that's right without having to experience them being wrong.

wait

keeping tabs of my niece who's on vacation...

they went to this restaurant... ei, one other person is checked in through swarm there... nice... : )

later they went to this building... eh?! 64 of them were there! 64!

i've long wanted to unlock a swarm badge. you were supposed to get it when there are 50 people currently checked in at a venue.

i think the most i've encountered so far is 17. i have yet to find where my kind hang out, hehe...

anyway, my niece was with 63 others and yet she didn't unlock the sticker. i dunno whether it's because the others were detected just through pilgrim or -> Swarm has retired the sticker.

wah... i hope not the latter...

direct and indirect

my niece tells me her friend will be taking videos...

me:  'does she have enough storage?'

niece:  'she doesn't have a memory card...'

me:  'i'll lend her...  SD or microSD?'

niece:  'it's for a camera...'

me:  'probably SD...'

when i give my niece the SD card, she tells me her friend needs the small one used on phones...

me:  'her camera uses microSD?  the small card?'

niece:  'no...  she'll insert it in one that size then that's the one she'll use on the camera...'

me:  'oh...  adaptor...  this one you don't need an adaptor anymore because it's already an SD card...  you use an adaptor only when you have a microSD so you can insert it in an SD slot...'

two-step vs one-step...  bridging technology...

ironic

i attended a graduation today.
the summa cum laude delivered a speech
and he had five messages for his fellow graduates.

what struck me most
was when he said
grades are not everything.

i agree with him
but my immediate reaction was,
as a summa cum laude,
he can afford to say that.

hear that from a goat
and it would sound like an excuse.

more than meets the eye

today, this lifelogging app i use gave me 100 bonus points for a check-in because it's International Women's Day.  i had a x3 sticker so the 100 became 300 points.

and then some guy i don't know greeted me "happy international women's day" when we passed each other on the road.

little things mean a lot.

prohibitive

on the phone with the owner of a plumbing services company... i was telling him this shut-off thingy under my bathroom sink broke and the thread was left inside so i could not just plug in a replacement... i add the same thing happened to the faucet in my shower and i was able to fix it myself -> i just watched youtube videos... i said my work turned out really well and there's no leak whatsoever...

he chuckles: 'maybe i could hire you, ma'am...'

eh?

hahaha...

i know that's a joke but still lemme say some things i am willing to, would love to, do for myself... but if you tell me you'd hire me to do it for someone else, i'd tell you to hire someone else...

just because i know how to wash my car does not mean you could hire me to wash your car... well, maybe you could -> but i'd charge you the price of a car... ; p

spared

i was at the city hall today. the previous times i went there, parking was almost always a pain. i'd be circling the place over and over to find some space in which to squeeze my car. sometimes i'd just park outside (no, not near) then walk to the compound.

today, therefore, i did not bring a car. i was thinking though if i see open slots i'd be somehow dismayed.

ta-daaan!!! vehicles were again parked all over for lack of space!

hahaha... i've never been so happy seeing full parking in my life... ;"P

and then i saw other drivers looking for a slot. aw! i know how that is.

i sympathize... : }

present

my sister-in-law gave me baci chocs.  i immediately popped one in my mouth then read the insert:  "Absence makes the heart grow fonder."

me:  'wah!  i don't like this!'

sister-in-law:  'why?'

me:  'that means he's not around...  i want someone present...'

to love and to hold...  literally...

variety

there's this lifelogging game that i play and for every picture that you upload you get 5 points. now i have x3 stickers so my points triple to 15 per pic.

in this game, you get bonus points for maintaining streaks. i have a 41-week streak at juice bars and i get an additional 15 points for that. ×3, therefore 45.

it is easy to maintain the streak. but the pics i might have to drop. these are just stalls. i don't wanna be posting pics of the same stall over and over again.

hmmm... maybe i could take a pic of the different bananas in each bunch.

wahaha... #desperate

pipeline

at church today, there was a group of new graduates of the dressmaking course offered by the parish.  awww!!!  i've long wanted to enroll in a sewing class. i've made inquiries before, actually.  ' has yet to materialize though.

there are so many things i want to do. i used to tell myself i'll tackle them all when i'm retired.

now i'm retired, the list just keeps getting longer and the ones i've wanted for much longer i never really put in higher priority.

it's not about how long you've wanted something.
it's about how much you want it relative to the rest.

say something

at a restaurant/bakeshop chain whose turtle pie i love... my sister was told no slices (just whole cakes) are available... she therefore settled for something else...

me to dining assistant: 'miss, could you tell your manager to stock up on slices? this is my third time here since you opened (just around ten weeks ago) and all three times you didn't have a slice of turtle pie. there are only two of us, don't tell me we'll have to buy a whole cake for dessert just so we could have turtle pie...'

the dining assistant was so nice and said she'll check...

ta-daaannn... when she came back she said slices are available...

sometimes you just have to speak up...

good and bad

someone sent me a screenshot of the venue edit board for the philippines.

it was a pleasant surprise, at least initially. i was on top of the edit board. if you add up the edits made by those in second and third place, their total is just around 9% of mine! whoa!

soon after i felt a little sad though. not many are doing edits for the philippines. : (

all by myself

there's this door at my place that i've long thought of removing... as in, it first crossed my mind seven (!) years ago...

well, finally today i did it. i never thought removing a door was that easy. i was thinking unscrewing before. when i checked youtube, you just have to hit the pin upward until you can pull it out of the hinge.  i did it with a hammer and a screwdriver.

now i know doors are heavy. i wasn't thinking mine would be that heavy though. but i was able to move it, with my bare hands, down from the third floor (no elevators) to my parents' place nearby.

i am pleased with myself, haha...

#Strong

what is it to you?

i have this app where you click one of the emoticons daily and you get a prize... i've gotten one point... two points...  five points... and most often, free 20MB internet through their hotspots...

one point is equivalent to only 50 centavos  (you can convert points to a load in your virtual wallet.  minimum conversion is two points for one peso.)...
20MB of internet access you can get from their shop also for 1 point...
still, i prefer to get the 1 point over the 20MB...

price-wise they might be the same but value-wise they are not...

i can use the fifty centavos...  it can be deducted from what i have to pay when i buy my fave cheesy pepperdog from their store...

the 20MB of internet access i won't really use...

theoretically, the higher the value, the higher the price and vice versa... but value is relative... what's precious to me might be nothing to you...  what's nothing to me might mean the world to you...

think twice before you give a diamond to someone who does not know what a diamond is...

fixin

at the kfc website (tip: i've placed orders online then pick up so i won't have to wait long). not sure whether it's been there a long time but i noticed just now that they have "vinegar 1.0." haha... i'm not a sauce/dip person but i'm curious what that means.

definitely not 1 liter.
1 ounce?

is that a measure?
a variant?
a version?

is there/will there be a vinegar 2.0?
-> a better vinegar? enhanced / with fixits?

hahaha... ; )

the feeling is mutual

surprising an aunt on her birthday... we snuck into her unit with balloons and buntings and cake and a tarp...

since it was still early, we kept the lights on for the meantime intending to turn them off before her expected arrival a half hour later...

so there we were, chatting away, when ta-daaan!!! the door opened! it was my aunt! she came home early!

we scrambled to our places for our respective assignments...

it turned out to be a two-way surprise...  : )

one to many

out-of-town with the fam... pajama party 81 km from home... before the 2 km mark, i realized i forgot my camera's batteries and memory cards... had this happened years back, i would have gone back as i used to be the only one taking pics during family gatherings... not anymore... nowawadays we're sure to have a lot of cams... a cousin even brought a drone...

1, 2, 3... wave... : )