failed break-in attempt

 someone tried to break into my place on july 19, 2022.  well, there are security cameras here. 

10:05 p.m., he arrived on motorcycle.  and yes, he was wearing a helmet.

he parked his motorcycle at the end of the street, in front / near the corner of our house.

10:09 p.m., he entered our side gate.

(during the interval, he checked out the neighbors' houses.)

when he was already at the 3rd floor (reached through the outdoor stairs), he did not have a helmet anymore.  he also was not wearing a mask.

10:16 p.m. i saw his hand and arm poking through the front window of my living room.  it looked like he was trying to reach the door stopper.

so it was him i've been hearing from my bed earlier!
i just ignored the sounds!
i'm so used to all sorts of noises in the neighborhood and a lot of times they seem so near.

i asked, "ano 'yan?!"
->  'what's that?!'

he immediately pulled out his hand.

still10:16 p.m. he rushed out the side gate which all along he left open.  he was not wearing his helmet but his head was covered.

he put on his helmet while he was hurriedly walking to his motorcycle.

10:17 p.m. he drove off.

his attempt failed.

and his face was clearly captured on cam.

i informed the neighbors (through facebook messenger) on the same night.

his actions were reported to the authorities the following day.

needs improvement

july 9, i ordered spicy pepperoni pizza from pizza hut - xavierville and when it was delivered, the pepperoni was burnt, as in the edges were black!

i took pics and emailed them to pizza hut's customer service center with the note, "next time please check the quality of the pizza before delivery."

they asked for my number saying the Manager on Duty will call me.

july 12, i gave them my number.

an hour and a half later, someone from the xavierville branch called me and was i taken aback by his tack!  the guy kept on saying maybe i was just used to their [non-spicy] pepperoni lovers pizza so i thought their spicy pepperoni was burnt.  he said that really is how their spicy pepperoni is.  we were on the phone for 12 minutes and no matter what i said, that was his repeated and aggressive stand!

(for the record, i'm over half a century old and i've probably ordered pizza hut's pepperoni lovers pizza only twice in my entire life.  i am not used to it at all.  my favorite is bacon cheeseburger and that is almost always what i order from their store.

i say the pepperoni is burnt not in comparison to anything else.  the edges of the pepperoni are black, that's it!)

i told the guy if that really is his stand then put it in writing, email it to me.

what the guy emails me instead is a request for my address saying they would give me complimentary pizza.

i don't send feedback to get complimentary items.  i have given a lot of feedback and i have turned down numerous offers of replacement.

i send feedback so the store could improve and other customers would have a better experience.

in this case, i hope pizza hut would look not just into the way their spicy pepperoni is cooked but also into the way their managers interact with dissatisfied customers.  the goal is to reduce dissatisfaction, not aggravate it.

coming to light

i was checking out branches of my mom's tree overhanging cables in front of her house.  i wanted to saw them off lest they damage the cables when they get bigger.

me to sister:  'what sort of cable is that?  is that an electric cable?'

dangerous if electric.

ooops...

me again to sister:  'btw, if i die and you see something still being posted in my accounts, i'm not haunting anyone, ok.  you can schedule video publication in youtube.  that's simply late scheduling, not my ghost.'

of course, if you've been spewing lies, you should still be scared.

nothing is hidden that will not be exposed.

the truth is out there.

do you

in a lot of decision-making processes, the majority, or even just the plurality, prevails.

but you don't necessarily change your views,
your beliefs,
your principles
just because you turned out to be in the minority.
you may have a change of mind,
a change of heart,
because of additional information or whatever
but you do not change simply because you are outnumbered.

"stand for what is right even if you stand alone."

not everyone has the same thought processes.
not everyone is on the same wavelength.

bees seek out flowers.
flies are attracted to filth.
both are free to roam the face of the earth.

honor is not in numbers.
follow your beacon
not the crowd.

edible joy

yesterday, my mom sent me champorado (chocolate porridge).

this morning, i had chocolate oatmeal.

late morn, i received a dozen (!) boxes of my fave chocs! 🍫😋

it's a sweet life 😊
and i am thankful 🙏

be good to yourself

morning message from a friend asking whether i'm free [for a viber call].

me:  '2 minutes.  i'll just gargle 🤣🤣🤣'

friend:  'hahaha.  i won't be able to sniff that through the internet.  don't bother getting up.'

hahaha...  whether he smells it or not, i'd know what's with me.  i wanna do right by myself 😊

land and air

i saw a swarm friend's check-in at camarines norte.  i asked what she did there.

she said she just passed on her way to tabaco.

me:  'oh, is that along the way?  i've been to legazpi.  i don't remember passing through camarines norte.'

then i remembered  ->  we took a plane.  it went direct to legazpi.

🤭

lost in transcription

on whatsapp with someone who was driving...  he was using voice to text...

SanDisk
became
"Sand disc"

false signals
became
"fall signals"

radar detector
became, ta-daaannn!
"read our detector"

🤣

free seeds and seedlings

i got ten thai basil seedlings under the free seeds and seedlings project of the Bureau of Plant Industry - Crop Research and Production Support Division.

1.  i called them asking whether they have italian basil and parsley.

2.  they said they don't have parsley but they have thai basil, lemongrass, oregano and serpentina. 

3.  april 18, i e-mailed a request for basil seedlings to crpsd@buplant.da.gov.ph.

4.  this morning (april 22), they called to tell me the seedlings were already available for pickup.

5.  afternoon, i had the seedlings picked up by Grab at the Bureau of Plant Industry office in Malate.

i requested for basil in my email.  i did not mention any quantity.  they gave me ten!

they actually wanted to give me different seedlings.  i said i only want basil.

thank you BPI / CRPSD 🌱😊

fruitful #EarthDay everyone 🌏

no rush

there's this branch that's been scraping a wall at my laundry area.  i've been sawing it off little by little for a week now.  uhm, just 3 to 5 minutes per day, hahaha.

the branch is not big at all.  it's just about the size of my wrist.  but i don't exhaust myself.  i feel tired, i stop.

i choose my battles. 😊

in a galaxy far, far away

@KimMaida on twitter:

"I dare you to demonstrate how old you are in "developer years" in one sentence without stating any actual years"

me:
COBOL on mainframe pre-Y2K

🦖🤭

it's a miracle

my mom offered me minukmok.

i asked whether it has been refrigerated.

she said no.

i therefore said yes.

then she asked whether i'd like salted egg, too.

oh!  a couple of months ago i actually texted someone who sells pateros salted eggs because i was craving salted egg and i thought it would be nice if it's THE pateros salted egg i'd have.
i therefore again said yes to my mom.

when i got home, i was thinking whether i should go to the grocery today to buy tomatoes so i could already eat the salted egg.  i checked the bag to see how many she gave me.  ta-daaannn!!!  she gave me minukmok and peanuts!  egg?  zilch!  wahaha 😂

there was water turned into wine.
this one's egg 'turned into' peanuts 🥚🥜🤣

happy easter 🐰

cancel out

niece made me try the sardines she cooked...

me:  'it's salty...'

niece:  'that's why i put water...  then added fish sauce 🤭'

😶

acronym

i was surprised BPI is a pick-up point for the Free Seeds and Seedlings project.  i was wondering what on earth the bank's security officer was thinking to agree to such an arrangement.

it turns out BPI does not refer to the Bank of the Philippine Islands💰 but to the Bureau of Plant Industry 🌱

oh!  of course!
why on earth did i not think of that?! 😳

my bad...  sorry 🙇‍♀️

suddenly

last week, i was on queue for a car check and decided to air my tires while waiting.

as i was about to hunker down, a gasoline attendant approached my car and did it himself.

i did not have any small bills so i was not able to give him a tip.

today on my way to the supermarket, i dropped by the gasoline station and approached an attendant who looked to me the same height as the one who assisted me last week.

me:  'were you the one who aired my tires last week?'

attendant looks me over and goes, 'oh, no...  i was not yet here last week...'

me:  'is there anyone here the same height as you?'

attendant:  'are you looking for someone fair?'

me:  'i don't remember whether he was fair-skinned but i remember he was short.'

attendant:  'why are you looking for him, ma'am?'

me:  'he aired my tires last week and i was not able to give him a tip.'

attendant:  'oh...  that was me!'

😯🤔😄

presentation

i ordered two 304 stainless steel bowls from shopee:  a double-walled rice bowl and a single layer ramen / cold noodle bowl.

height of the rice bowl is 6.6 cm.  diameter of the rim is 12.5 cm; base, 8.1 cm.

the ramen bowl, height is 5 cm.  diameter of the rim is 16 cm; base, 3.5 cm.

there were pictures of the items and i did notice that the base of the ramen bowl seemed too small.  i wondered whether it won't tilt over.  still, i went ahead and bought.  i wasn't really after a ramen bowl.  i just wanted something not double-walled i can use as a mold.

well, the bowls have been delivered.  the double-walled rice bowl i used to store my butter.  the ramen bowl today i used as a rice bowl.  i ate with a tray right on my bed and the ramen bowl does easily tilt over.

i was thinking there must be a reason the bowl is shaped that way.  i googled.

i learned the bowl is called ohgigatadon.

"Because of its steep-angled body, the contents you can put in is much less than bowls of other shapes.

...

[It is] most commonly used in high-end restaurants that focus on quality of the noodles rather than quantity."

oh...  just a little but show a lot  i ordered two 304 stainless steel bowls from shopee:  a double-walled rice bowl and a single layer ramen / cold noodle bowl.

height of the rice bowl is 6.6 cm.  diameter of the rim is 12.5 cm; base, 8.1 cm.

the ramen bowl, height is 5 cm.  diameter of the rim is 16 cm; base, 3.5 cm.

there were pictures of the items and i did notice that the base of the ramen bowl seemed too small.  i wondered whether it won't tilt over.  still, i went ahead and bought.  i wasn't really after a ramen bowl.  i just wanted something not double-walled i can use as a mold.

well, the bowls have been delivered.  the double-walled rice bowl i used to store my butter.  the ramen bowl today i used as a rice bowl.  i ate with a tray right on my bed and the ramen bowl does easily tilt over.

i was thinking there must be a reason the bowl is shaped that way.  i googled.

i learned the bowl is called ohgigatadon.

"Because of its steep-angled body, the contents you can put in is much less than bowls of other shapes.

...

[It is] most commonly used in high-end restaurants that focus on quality of the noodles rather than quantity."

oh...  just a little but show a lot 🙃

order

i was a bit early at the bank today and there was a row of chairs on each side of the closed door when i arrived.  there were two customers seated on the left side; one on the right.

i asked the guard where i should sit.

he said up to me.

i chose the right.

then someone arrived and sat behind me.

soon after, the guard opened the door.

i waited for those earlier than me to go inside.

the woman behind me sprang to her feet and overtook me to the door.

the guard stopped her and motioned for me to enter ahead.

life is fair sometimes 😊

thanks, mr. guard 🫡

pet

friend tells me he has a new cat.  he now has two dogs and two cats.

uhm, my only pet remains to be a turtle  ->  a ceramic one smaller than my thumb.  i change its water everyday 🤭

priority

me:  'take a pic of the carbonara once you cook it...  i wanna see...'

friend:  'i'll try the pesto first.'

me:  'you said you have eggs.  you don't have basil yet.  try the carbonara first.'

friend:  'of course i'll cook first what i like.'

hahaha...  ok...

go for what you love, not for what's available 😍

try harder

talking to a friend...  suddenly he stuttered...

friend:  'it's an o... o...  o...  off...  offshoot of my being goodlooking...'

me:  'hahaha...  it couldn't come out of your mouth!'

🤣

good luck

we say hereabouts, when you drop a utensil, a guest will arrive.

if it's a fork, male.
if it's a spoon, female.
a teaspoon, girl.
a salad fork, boy.

well, today my small spoon fell to the floor. 

first, i didn't know what my spoon was called.  i just googled what a spoon smaller than a teaspoon is and learned it's a coffee spoon.  haha...  i don't drink coffee but i do use these spoons for all sorts of things, even for eating.

second, does that mean a dwarf visited me today? 🧝

🤔😊🤗

let it pass

friend:  'did you receive my message earlier?'

me:  'yes.'

<silence.>

friend:  'an angel passed.'

(we say that hereabouts when there's a sudden lull in a conversation.)

me:  'i thought you were gonna chide me for not replying.'

friend:  'i thought you were going to explain why you did not respond.'

haha...  no need  ->  for either. 😉

phone calling

for the second time in two weeks, i randomly looked at my phone and right before my eyes the charging light turned from red to green.  i therefore unplugged it right on time.

when it happened last week, i was amused 😃

when it happened today, i thought, "they come in threes.  will it recur next week?" 🤔

if it happens again next week, i think i'll be creeped out 😨

the other party

i have a supplementary cardholder whose purchases get declined every so often supposedly because of suspected fraud.  i get a notification from the bank telling me to call and confirm the transaction.

i call and confirm.

yesterday when i did, i asked how come the bank's  behavioral security analytics have not yet recognized the supplementary cardholder's purchasing pattern up to now when i've been confirming the wrongly declined transactions since last year.

the bank told me they've received a lot of reports about fraudulent purchases from certain merchants so when my supplementary cardholder transacts with those merchants an alert is triggered.

oh...  so it's not about the supplementary cardholder...  it's about the merchant.

ok.

it's not us.  it's them.  

mine

8:30 p.m....  knock on my door...

it's my niece  ->  giving me McShaker fries 🍟

me:  '<your dad> likes fries!'

niece:  'he's full.'

me:  '<your brother> likes fries!'

niece:  'he's on a diet.'

well, meant for me then 😊

thanks 😋

time lapse

for the second year now, i've been generating cartoon images of my facebook friends on their birthdays.

last year i used the MomentCam app.  this year, the voilà app.

most of my facebook friends, i don't really see in person, more so since the pandemic.
a lot of my facebook friends, i couldn't remember anymore why we're connected.
and i also have facebook friends who i'm sure i haven't met at all 🤭

anyway, i have this facebook friend i definitely know but rarely see.  i was going to generate another cartoon of him so i entered his name in the search box.  was i surprised to see that he has two accounts, both my facebook friend with one account not posting a birthday notification.

uh-oh, it's the other account i saw last year!  i generated a cartoon of him using one of the photos from said account.  ' turns out it's an old account with much younger pics of him.  the cartoon i generated of him was therefore still that of a young boy.  his more recent account shows he is already a young man!

wahaha...  reminded me of this goddaughter i have...  for years i've been sending her toys not really keeping track of the time...  was i shocked too see later that she was already a grown woman 😲

how fast time flies 😉 

end of the rope

overheard a boy on the street shouting on the phone:  'hindi ako humihingi...  hihiram lang!'

~ i'm not asking for it...  i'm just going to borrow!

woman's voice on the other end says some things...

boy reiterates he's not asking to be given whatever it is...  he's just trying to borrow...

they go back and forth repeating their statements with tempers running shorter and shorter...

i feel sorry for the borrower...  but i perfectly understand the unwilling lender, too.

givers learn to set limits because takers don't.

nothing new

friend:  'have you eaten?'

me:  'yes...  i ate early...  pizza 🍕.'

friend:  'you ordered early?'

me:  'no...  left over from yesterday.'

🤭

why

phone call from courier:  'i'm here, ma'am...'

i go out...

me:  'where are you?'

courier:  '<street name>...'

me:  'opposite <street 2>?'

courier:  'no...  opposite <street 3>.'

me:  'did you receive my text earlier?'

courier:  'yes, ma'am...'

me:  'what did i say?'

courier:  'opposite <street 2>.'

me:  'then why are you opposite <street 3>?'

🤦‍♀️

sale

me to courier:  'good thing you're early today...  last time it was already dark...'

courier:  'your previous order was during the 3.3 sale, ma'am...  there was a deluge of orders...'

oh!

hi to my fellow discount junkies...  toast to the coming 4.4 🤭

the power of one

i was today years old when i learned (through a Guga Foods youtube video posted june 2020 yet 🤭) that pineapple and papaya, *separately*, could make meat tender.

you crush the fruit including the skin in a blender, submerge your meat in the slush, and voilà, your meat will be tender.

counterintuitively though, if you combine the fruits, they don't tenderize the meat anymore.

hmmm...

some things really are good individually but not together.

pattern

three weeks ago, my mom told me an aunt will be going to this place where they donate stuff so if there's anything i want to give then bring it to their house.

i brought clothes, some  i haven't worn at all.

last week, i was a combination amused and annoyed to see tops i put in the for-donation pile in my mom's laundry.  (my aunt had picked up the donations earlier.)

i know the drill:
my mom goes through the stuff we're supposed to donate,
filters it,
forgets about it,
then chides me for not getting my clothes from their house.

countdown...  3, 2, 1...

ta-daaan!!!  this morning, she tells me to get my top among her clothes.

how predictable 🔮

presentation

friend:  'were you the one who cooked the bicol express?'

(i posted a photo in my instagram account.)

me:  'huh?!  no!  (i don't really cook.)  i bought it from a carinderia.  it was just P50.  they put it in a plastic bag.  i wanted to take a picture so i transferred it to a plate.'

friend:  'it leveled up!'

me:  'haha...  plating makes a difference.  suddenly it looked P51 😄'

presence is a present

two months ago, a friend sent me a pic of his soda water.  what caught my attention though was his glass.  (haha....  why not?  soda water is not really eye-catching.)  it had a blue base.

i have a similar margarita glass.  it's blue not at the base but at the bottom.  i've had it for decades but i've never used it.  i don't drink margarita.  actually, i don't take alcohol.  well, except for bailey's which is 17% alcohol.

i bought the glass simply bacause i like it.  it's in my kitchen shelf and i see it everyday.  i don't really notice it every single time but whenever i do, it sparks joy 😊

i've thought of putting chocolates in it just to make it functional but there really was no need.  i easily consume chocs without them having to pass through a container 😂

i like to use my stuff and this one i finally got to use yesterday.  i put chocolate almond caramel pudding in it 😀

it could have remained unused forever though and i'd be fine with it.  i'm content with just having it on the shelf.  sometimes beauty is its own excuse for being 😍

say my name

courier has been calling out "tao po" (~ knock knock) at a neighbor's gate.  no response.

me:  "say the name of the addressee...  everyday there are deliveries to houses in this street..."

courier called the neighbor's name.

immediately someone replied.

the story of everybody, somebody, anybody and nobody came to mind.

to get results, specify.

leading well

wednesday at the Land Transportation Office, renewal of my vehicle registration could not be processed because my CTPL (Compulsory Third Party Liability) car insurance was not yet uploaded by the insurance company, MAPFRE Insular.  i purchased it online monday yet.

i called MAPFRE and got pissed off because they could not give me a definite time for doing the upload.

so there i was apparently looking annoyed and this guy approached me.  he introduced himself as the chief there.

he told me to tell the insurance company he advised me to cancel the insurance i purchased and just buy another one IF the insurance company could not meet the deadline that i will set.

i did as he advised.

the insurance company was able to upload my CTPL, issuing a new authentication number, in 24 minutes
after which the LTO processed my renewal for 15 minutes.

all's well that ends well.

i'd like to commend LTO Quezon City Extension Office Chief Bernard Dilangalen.  when he approached me, he said he's been going around observing people's body language, talking to them if they seem dissatisfied.

now that is a good chief.  may his tribe increase.

ironic

monday, i had my car emission tested plus i purchased CTPL (Compulsory Third Party Liability) car insurance online.  both are requirements for the renewal of vehicle registration.

wednesday when i went to the Land Transportation Office, renewal of my car registration was delayed because of a problem with my CTPL.  the insurance company had to make a correction before my renewal was processed.

i've previously just gotten CTPL from an insurance company within the vicinity of the LTO.  this is the first time i got CTPL online.  i did so to reduce interaction with people as a pandemic precaution.

well, the move had just the opposite effect.  it prolonged my stay in a room full of people as i had to wait out the correction.

sometimes the universe plays tricks on you.  hehe 🙃

switch

two days ago, i had my car emission tested and unexpectedly spent 7 hours waiting out my turn inside the car.  (my queue number was 95.)

i could have waited outside but i opted to stay in the car as a pandemic precaution.  i had to go out to buy food and drink though.

this morning, i had my car registered.  i came prepared.

i brought
a 600 g loaf of bread,
a 450 g bottle of cheez whiz,
a 1.5 liter bottle of sprite
plus
550 ml of water.
(i normally just drink water but in the car i like to bring a carbonated drink for the sugar.)

guess what, in two hours i was done.  (i was 22nd in line.)  if not for a correction in my car insurance, it would have taken maybe just an hour.

i was expecting to spend a lot of time.  i was prepared to consume a lot of food.  neither materialized.

i had plenty to spare and i am thankful 😊

out of order

photocopying machine operator:  'your CR (Certificate of Registration) is not clear!'

me:  'huh?!  it's so very clear!'

photocopying machine operator:  'it isn't!'

me, getting the CR from her:  'look!  it's so clear!'

she shows me the photocopy she made.  it looks like spilled ink for the most part.  less than 10% of the CR is readable.

me:  'oh!  you mean the copy.  your machine has a problem.'

photocopying machine operator:  'no!  this machine's ok.  it's your CR because it's colored.  colored cannot be photocopied.  it does not come out clear.'

me:  'huh?!  girl, don't give me that.  colored can be photocopied and they come out clear.  this CR has been photocopied here many times and it has always come out clear.  it's your machine that has a problem.'

just admit it.
no shame in that.

test of patience

i spent 7 hours inside my car today.  no, not on the road  ->  in a parking lot.  the only times i went out were to buy food and drinks.  i didn't want to linger around other people though so i just ate and drank in the car.

i was going to have my car emission tested, a requirement for vehicle registration.  i was there at 8:01 a.m. and given queue number 95 at the gate.  then at the counter, the guy told me to just come back at 2:00 p.m.

i may not be able to get parking again if i leave.  that has happened to me in previous years.  i had to resched because i had nowhere to park.

i therefore decided to just wait it out.  there were seats outside but i opted to stay in the car.

there i was trying all sorts of positions for a comfortable nap to no avail.  3/4 of the car was under direct sunlight.  only the part behind the front passenger seat had some shade.  suddenly i deeply appreciated my bed, my pillows, standing up, walking around, everything!

had i known i'll have that much time to while away i would have brought food and a laptop.  as it was, i had to buy food from the nearby canteen and make do with browsing on my phone.

when i went back to the counter at 2:00 o'clock, they were still servicing no. 73!

i went back to my car for more waiting.

at long last, i was called at 3:13!

i brought my car to the testing area then so very luckily chanced upon a car vacating road parking after.  i took its slot then started waiting again. 3:33 p.m., the results came out  ->  passed.

ok.

allow me now to rate customer service  ->  failed.

then and now

american idol 2018 auditions...  uhm, it's only now that it appeared on my feed 🤷‍♀️

judge katy perry:  "are you engaged?" 😍

auditionee trevor holmes:  "no."

katy:  "cool!"

trevor:  "i do have a girl."

girl, 1;
katy, 0;
trevor, 10.

trevor and his girl have since broken up.  aw 💔

♩♪  in another life
i would be your girl
we'd keep all our promises
be us against the world  ♫ ♬

back to you

friend:  "what did you eat?"

me:  "bangus."

friend:  "why not salmon?"

huh???

me:  "what's the color of your shirt?"

friend:  "white."

me:  "why not blue?"

🪃 😝

TLI

i received a text message telling me about this webinar coming up in a few minutes.

i asked whether i'm supposed to attend and whether the resource person sent a link.

i got a one-word reply  ->  yes.

wahaha...  others provide too much information; this one's too little 😶

sour cake

february 28, i ordered a blueberry cheesecake from an italian restaurant.

i know it's not their specialty.  i've had cheesecake at their restaurant before and it was nothing special.  the only thing that made it unforgettable for me was that the waiter said they had only two slices of each cake.

anyway, they're among the results that came up when i searched for cheesecake in GrabFood.  it's been months since i last ordered from them and i didn't want to order again so soon from this other restaurant whose cheesecake i like so opt for them i did.

well, this time the cheesecake itself was remarkable, and not for good reason.  there was something off about the taste.  the blueberries were too sour; the cheesecake was rather bland.  the whole thing was on the sour side, and an unpleasant kind of sour.

it prompted me to check the expiration date.  was i shocked to see that the production date was december 22, 2021.  more than two months ago!  i didn't know cheesecake lasted that long!  the expiration date is march 22, 2022!

i could not get myself to eat the cheesecake.  i didn't feel like it was safe.  i'm not going to risk a visit to a doctor much less to a hospital just for cheesecake, especially in this pandemic.

i was thinking that cheesecake remained unsold through christmas, through new year, through chinese new year, through valentine's day and here it was before me, tasting awful at that.

i messaged the restaurant about it.  they called and assured me it was safe.  nevertheless, they said they'll discuss either a replacement or refund with the manager.

i declined a replacement.  i'm thinking the replacement could be from the same batch.  what outlet would order new cheesecake from the commissary if they still have months-old cheesecake sitting in the fridge?

i also told them if they will put in writing (just through a reply to my message to them in instagram instead of just through the verbal phone call) that the cheesecake is safe to eat then they don't have to refund me.  i'm thinking if it's really their policy to sell 3-month-old cheesecake and they're willing to go on record that the cheesecake i got is safe to eat then i should not burden them with a refund as it is i who am being overly cautious.

anyway, i'd like to say that i am extremely disappointed with the restaurant for selling cheesecake that old.  i've bought countless cakes (i've been the family's cake buyer since high school.  i'm an old woman now), i'd say that's the longest expiration i've ever seen for cake, excluding fruit cake.  lesser restaurants already discard cake that old.  i strongly suggest they shorten the shelf life of their cakes, too.

LBC Express, GCash and CIMB Bank

4:49 p.m. of february 28, i received the following SMS from LBC Express:

"Your GCash has been used to pay for an LBC Express Cash on Delivery. File a dispute by logging in our portal. <https link>"

i did not click the link.
the SMS itself was already suspicious.
the link made it doubly so.
the sender of the SMS was supposed to be LBC Express.
the link the user is being asked to click is a "ph-gcash" domain.

9:29 p.m., i received the following SMS also from LBC Express:

"Ka-LBC, Please do NOT click on any links received via SMS. We are currently investigating this matter with our third-party service provider. Stay safe!"

interestingly enough, GCash was "temporarily unavailable" when i was trying to log in multiple times from 8:29 p.m. to past midnight.  (i was trying to log in for something else, not because of the LBC Express SMS.)  unavailability was "due to the on-going service maintenance."
8:29 p.m. e-wallet app downtime seems too early for standard systems maintenance.

anyway, it was just in the GCash app where i could not log in.  i still was able to do ShopeePay cash ins from my GCash wallet through the shopee app.

i did successful cash ins 12:12 a.m., 12:22 a.m. and 12:51 a.m. of march 1.  (hehe...  yup, i was awake.  shopee has limited redemption 20% cashback vouchers midnight to 2 a.m. on tuesdays.)

this morning, i was already able to log in to the GCash app.  i, however, could not access my CIMB Bank account from the GSave icon in the GCash app.

my CIMB Bank account remained accessible from CIMB Bank's own app.
from the GCash app, however, the following message is displayed when i click GSave:

"Something went wrong.

It seems that we cannot process your request at the moment.  We're sorry for the inconvenience.  Please try again at a later time."

it was like that from morning up to past 5:00 p.m.
when i tried again at 8:21 p.m., the GSave functionality was back.

i don't know whether these are isolated cases or they piece together.

i'm documenting my experience as a heads up to others and as possible inputs to troubleshooting and investigation.

SSS registration alert

i received a supposed system-generated email

from SSS Web Registration
sent from SSSWeb.notifications61030@sss.gov.ph.
it addressed me as "Ms./Mr. FRANCISCO" which is not my name.

part of the email read,
"We regret to inform you that your registration in the SSS Website was unsuccessful due to the following reason/s:

Your SS Number is already registered."

it is possible that Ms./Mr. Francisco simply committed a typographical error in trying to register my social security number instead of his/her own.

it is, however, also possible that someone actually tried to create an SSS web account using my SS number.

to be safe, i emailed SSS
at onlineserviceassistance@sss.gov.ph
(the reply address stated in the notification email)
and
member_relations@sss.gov.ph
requesting them
to look into the matter
and
not to entertain any request to register my SS number under someone else's name and/or email address.

forewarned is forearmed.

from here to there

i saw putin in the news and rasputin came to mind.  yup, that's how i'm wired.

i searched him in youtube.  yup, not google.

i was expecting serious videos about the rasputin you learn about in world history.  well, the search results showed boney m.'s song and tiktokers dancing to it!

♩♪  there lived a certain man
in russia long ago
he was big and strong
in his eyes a flaming glow  ♫ ♬

hahaha...  great song 👍
and i loved the dance of thrissur medical college students naveen razak and janaki omkumar ❤️
their rasputin dance video was first posted on march 23, 2021 and has since gone viral...  uhm, even controversial...

"life is queer with its twists and turns."

show and tell

friend:  'what did you eat?'

me:  'egg and corn...'

friend:  'corn on the cob?'

me:  'corn on the egg.'

friend:  'corn on the egg or egg on the corn?'

me:  'well, there was more of the egg than the corn so corn on the egg.'

friend:  'what do you mean?'

me:  'what do you mean what do i mean?'

friend:  'how can there be more of the egg than the corn?  big egg, small corn?'

me:  'i had bread with scrambled egg on top and buttered corn kernels sprinkled on the egg.'

friend:  'oh, sandwich!  you should just have said you had an egg sandwich!'

me:  'well, the corn was a big part of the sandwich so i thought i'd mention it, too.'

friend:  'yeah, but it's confusing.  i was thinking whole corn not kernels.'

me:  'that's your problem not mine.'

friend:  'is this war?'

nyahaha...  ask a simple question.

next time i'll  just send pics 😂

impossible dream

my father was a military man.  he was an officer of the Armed Forces of the Philippines.  his branch of service was the Army.

he was a member of Philippine Military Academy Class 1956 and was scheduled to retire in 1986.

from 1974 to 1986, he held the rank of Colonel.

several times before, he was already supposed to be due for promotion as General but it never materialized.  he was a principled man who was willing to end his career in the military without reaching star rank.

and then came the EDSA People Power Revolution in february 1986.  it catapulted Corazon C. Aquino to the presidency.  President Aquino extended his service for six months and promoted him to Brigadier General in june 1986.  (there were three of them who were extended and promoted that time.)

fight for the right,
no matter how hopeless,
reach the unreachable star.

p.s.
he retired from the AFP in september 1986 after which he was appointed to the  Economic Intelligence and Investigation Bureau (EIIB) under the Department of Finance, first by President Aquino, then by her successor President Fidel V. Ramos.

he served as deputy commissioner at the EIIB from 1986 to 1998.

pizza

i order food daily and my experience yesterday was not the usual.

12:28 p.m., i ordered pizza through this food delivery app (not one of the two major food delivery apps).

1:07 p.m., i got a call from the rider saying he couldn't contact the sender (the restaurant) and he was asking me whether he's supposed to go up to the restaurant or restaurant personnel will be the one to bring him my order.

eh?

i replied i've ordered several times from the same app and my order just gets delivered to me.  i dunno what the arrangement is between the restaurant and the rider.

1:26 p.m.,  i got another call from the rider telling me the restaurant wants to talk to me.

ok.

the restaurant was asking me what my order was.

huh?!

i asked whether they don't see it in the app.

the restaurant said it's a courier who's there so they have to know what my order is.

hmmm...  ok...  i said it's prosciutto and pepperoni pizzas.

(i've ordered from different restaurants from the very same app before and none of the restaurants ever asked me what my order was.  i'm not the one who books the courier.  i just choose food in the app, pay and that's it.)

1:31 p.m., i received another call and the restaurant was telling me they couldn't find my order.  it doesn't show in the system.

huh?!
i replied it's fully paid.  i have confirmation.  i ordered through their app.

i also mentioned that my last order from them took 3 hours to deliver.  (i'm only 3.5 km away from the source.  i know that the delay was on the restaurant's end and not the rider's based on the status, i.e.,  pending, processing, dispatched, delivered.)

1:52 p.m., i received a system message from the restaurant's umbrella group informing me that my purchase has been successfully delivered.

huh?!
i don't have it yet!

i texted the rider.

the rider said the restaurant has just handed him my order.  he said i could call the restaurant to confirm.

i didn't bother.

2:04 p.m., i received a call from the rider.  my order's here! 😀
i rushed downstairs.
i was surprised the rider had only one box of pizza.  he, however, also had a brown bag which he says the restaurant was giving me for free.

i said they're giving me a freebie but they didn't send one of the pizzas.  the pizza is more expensive!

anyway, i told the rider i know it's not his fault so i'll just raise it to the restaurant.

i opened the box and it was the pepperoni pizza.  it's the prosciutto pizza that's missing.
the brown bag has four pieces of their sister restaurant's complimentary bread.

2:17 p.m., i texted the umbrella group's help line.

2:25 p.m., they said they'll check asap.

3:18 p.m., i followed up.

ending, they're sending the pizza.  asap or dinner, they asked.

i said just send noontime tomorrow.

may the sun come out then 🌞

doggone

checking foodstuff online...

Beef
Pork
Chicken
Goat
Lamb
...
Fish & Seafood
Others

under Others, there was Meat Sawdust.
hmmm...  first time for me to encounter such item...  it looked like luncheon meat.

i checked Product Details... 
"Important: Not Recommended for Human Consumption; Best for Pets"

nyahahaha...  good thing i read descriptions! 😅

reminded me of an ex's story:  his crewmate bought and ate what turned out to be dog food 🤣

arf! 🐶

inside out

i was on our outdoor stairs and i thought maybe i should already bring down my trash.  suddenly there was a gust of wind!  the neighbor's undies hanging from their second floor window (yes, overhanging the public alley) swung so far back and forth!  i was afraid it was gonna fall!

years back it was fallen briefs i saw on the alley.  the image is vivid in my mind till now 🩲😨

uhm, nah...  not bringing out the trash yet...  'twill be traumatic to get hit by undies from above 🤯🤦‍♀️🤣

order

last january 30, i ordered a high heat-resistant silicone spoonula (spoon/spatula) from shopee.

i've since ordered eight other items from different shopee stores since then.  all have been delivered.

the spoonula, however, is still in transit.  expected delivery is march 22.

the first will be last
and the last will be first. 🙃

remove or retain

a common instruction given to recipients of suspicious / malicious messages is to delete the message right away.

there are pros and cons to this action.

one of the pros:  you are protecting yourself.
it is possible to get a virus even if all you do is open a message.
you don't always have to click the link within the message to get infected.

if you delete the message,
there'd be no message to open;
there'd be no link to click.

a con, you are deleting data and evidence, not just on your device but on the database side as well.
you can take a screenshot, yes, but that captures only the part visible to you.

there is so much more to messages than the content of the message itself.
there are technical details usually accessible only to administrators.
some of these details may be viewable to ordinary users (e.g. the software the sender used to compose the message,
encryption or lack of it,
the servers the message hopped through to get from the sender to the recipient),
but the recipients don't always know how to display them.
they normally won't have need for it anyway.

whether you delete the message or not, there will remain traces of it in the technical logs.  for how long depends on the security and housekeeping policies.  these logs could get very big so it is normal to put a limit on their size or on the period they cover.  the logs could, however, be backed up so they could be preserved beyond the usual retention period.

deletion might be the preferrable action for most recipients of malicious messages.
for those who intend to go to court, however, it would be better to preserve the evidence on your end.

BDO PHISHING ALERT

at 8:57 last night, i received the following message from AIMS:

"BDO ADVISORY:

Your Account  Has been Blocked.

We need to verify your account to continue our services.

Click here to verify :

<https link>"

i did not click the link.

we informed BDO through email.

at 3:04 p.m. today, they replied it's a phishing SMS.

"BDO will never ask for your Credit / ATM Debit/Cash card numbers and PINs when logging-in to Online Banking nor provide a link to click and update your information."

they will be forwarding the matter to BDO Fraud Management for investigation.

they said,
-  "Do not click on any website links inside the email or SMS."
-  "Change your email password and install anti-malware programs  in your computer and other devices."
-  "Call BDO Customer Contact Center Hotline if account information were provided."

be aware and beware.

#BDOAntiScam

the look of confidence

i have this friend who sends me edited photos of himself.  he's definitely not ugly but the pics he sends, intended to be amusing, border on, uhm, ugly.

a lot of people edit their pics to make them look better.  this one does the reverse.  it takes someone pretty confident with his looks to do something like that.

#PogiPoints
and yup, guapo 😎

feet off

checking out titanium spoons on youtube...  this backpacker had slightly better words to say about a Toaks spoon vs. this other brand i was considering.  haha...  actually, all he said was this other brand was 0.75 mm thick while Toaks is 0.95 mm < 100 mm.  that swung me to opt for Toaks.

and then i saw that Toaks has a foot logo.  and yes, it is on the handle of the spoon.  aw!  suddenly i was having second thoughts.

there's this restaurant that i always scroll past in the food delivery app.  it's a restaurant cum nail spa.  i somehow get this visual of someone giving a pedicure then preparing my food.  not appetizing.  i've tried reminding myself people stomped on grapes to make wine, at least, traditionally.
still i could not get myself to order 😬

i could eat with my hands.  foot in mouth though, pass.

better not

every tuesday, shopee offers a 20% cashback.
(it used to be daily but only from midnight to 2 a.m.)

it's a tuesday today.
but since they have a february 15 payday sale promo, the cashback today is just 15%.

what a promotion 🤦‍♀️

not Marie Antoinette

friend:  'what was the occasion yesterday?'

me:  'yesterday?  hmmm...  it wasn't your birthday yesterday...  what is it, national?  international?'

friend:  'no...  i mean, why did you order cake yesterday?  what was the occasion?'

me:  'huh?!  hahaha...  nothing!  i just wanted to eat cake...'

that's all there is to it.

there was a phase in my life when i used to buy cake fridays and that would be my meal over the weekend.

happy meal 😊
let me eat cake 🍰😋

level up

me to niece:  'do you know someone who sells car insurance?  i'm going to get a CTPL (Compulsory Third Party Liability) online...  if you have a friend, i might as well give the sale to her...'

niece:  'i only know someone who sells a car...'

🤭

not funny

customer service representative:  "good afternoon, ma'am...  this is orion...  how may i help you?"

me:  "your name's orion?"

customer service representative:  "yes, ma'am..."

me:  "hmmm...  is that greek or roman mythology?"

customer service representative:  "constellation, ma'am..."

me:  "a...  yeah...  orion's belt!"

good thing it's not omicron 😛🤭🤦‍♀️

stove

february 10, 2022 is a milestone for me, hahaha.  for the first time since 2011, i again have a stove at home!

i ordered it february 8.  it was delivered two days later.

it's a la germania single burner electric stove.  i got the one with the 145 mm hotplate.  that's the smallest.  if there were a smaller model, that's what i would have gotten.  my 650 ml titanium mug is only 100 mm.
(i read the cookware is not supposed to be smaller than the hotplate.)

so what made me decide to get a stove after a decade?

well, i was seeing all these samgyupsal and steak discounts online.  i wanted to order but how will i cook it?  i have a complete set of pots and pans but i don't have a stove, wahaha.

i used to have a 4-burner gas range with oven in my previous home.  (it was also a la germania that's why i opted for the same brand this time.)  i stopped using it in 2007.  it was just there at the house with me not cooking but simply eating out or ordering food to-go.  the gas tank that it had in 2007 was the same gas tank it had when i moved out in 2011.  it was unused.

i gave away the tank when i moved to my new place.  the range i did not even bring inside anymore but just put in the garage until it was sold.

so how did i end up with an electric stove?

since i got interested in something for samgyupsal, i checked out the usual samgyupsal portable stoves.  hmmm...  they run on butane.

i googled butane.  ooops...  health and safety hazards!  they have to be stored carefully.  eh?  i don't want that concern.

i checked out two-in-one models, those that run on butane or LPG.  i saw on youtube that the problem with the two-in-ones is that the LPG functions erratically.  nyeh!  pass.

i checked out induction cooktops.  wah!  they emit electromagnetic frequency (EMF) radiation!

okay.  go for the traditional gas.  i ordered and paid for a single burner gas stove.  before it was shipped out, i cancelled the order.  (of course my payment will be refunded.)  i just thought (kinda late, i'm sorry) i won't be eating samgyupsal everyday.  i won't be eating steak everyday.  i don't want to keep a gas tank for something infrequent.

later i got to thinking, rather belatedly, that i should have something to cook with at home, whether or not i intend to use it.  food is basic.  so i ordered this 1.5L electric multicooker.  again, i cancelled it before it was shipped.  (wah, i'm really sorry sellers 🙇‍♀️)  i was thinking, i have all these nice pots and pans, why would i order an 'inferior' pot?  why not just order an electric stove?

so i did.

🤭

no filter

trying to order from this food delivery website.

"We're sorry, your area is currently not available for direct delivery. Please enter a new address."

huh?!
i've ordered from them before!
but yeah, from a different restaurant.

i checked the address of the restaurant i chose this time.
nyeh!  Cebu!
i'm in Metro Manila!
that's a bird fly distance of more than 500 km 🤣

why on earth did they not filter the display??? 🤦‍♀️
other food delivery apps do.

hmmm...  is it because, unlike other food delivery apps which have thousands of restaurants onboard, they have less than 10? 🤔

show 'em all! 🤭

nonuniform

i was comparison shopping by dividing the price by the volume.  (haha...  yup, i do that...)

same brand and flavor...
me:  'how come this one's less?  but more expensive...  🤔'

i rechecked...  it turns out the bottle had two units of measure, g and ml.  one seller specified the grams; the other, the milliliters.

apples and oranges 🍎🍎🍎🍊🍊🍊

with what measure do you measure?  🤭😉

no woe

i was on the phone with someone this morning when the neighbor's dogs started howling.

the person on the other end of the line heard it and freaked out.

the old folks used to say when dogs howl someone will die.  i used to kind of believe it.  but i've since learned that there really are dogs who howl daily.  this neighbor who started renting right beside our place had such dogs.

if someone in the vicinity died everytime her dogs howled there'd be no one alive in our street by now.  the dogs have been howling daily for years.

in the first few weeks, it really creeped me out.  now i'm already jaded.
but yeah, it still feels creepy when they howl and you know someone is not well.

i pray everyone stays safe and healthy.
and i hope those who are not don't get disheartened should they hear any dog howls.

know what not to fear.

just in time

i was scrolling through Grab supposed to satisfy an ice cream craving when i heard my sister calling me.  i went to the door and, ta-daaannn!  she had Magnum almond for me! 😋

good thing i haven't ordered!

she does frequently give me food.  most of the time, i haven't really been craving anything.  sometimes i've just eaten.  other times my order is on the way.  this time the timing was perfect.

happy sunday 😊

#thankful 🙏

together at a price

these similar items from the same store in shopee,

fee shipped together, P226;
fees shipped separately, P100 each.

some things are better apart 🤭

beyond price

i stood up on my bed and, trying to avoid my laptop, almost stepped on my external drive.  uuhhhh! 😨

i have three laptops and only one copy of the thousands of photos in that drive.

the laptop is way more expensive than the disk.
the disk, however, is priceless.

price does not necessarily determine value.

because of you

3:07 a.m., my phone sounded off.

i got up to check.  'twas a whatsapp message.  i replied.

the sender went:  "whoa!  she's still awake!  it's already late."

uhm...  you woke me up 😴 👀😪

it's not me;
it's you. 😉

double-edged

i messaged my niece asking whether she'd like milk tea.

her response was, "okay lang, tita..."
~ it's just okay, auntie

hmmm...  i wasn't sure what that meant.  "okay" is normally an affirmative reply.  but the addition of the vernacular "lang" can make it go either way.  the intonation and context would give you a sense of what it means  ->  'it's okay' as in yes or 'it's okay' as in no.

i can't hear her tone on text.
context-wise, sometimes she says yes to the food i offer her; sometimes she says no.

wahaha...  something so simple yet i'm confused?! 🤦‍♀️

i don't wanna assume.
i therefore asked to clarify.
well, 'twas a yes.

whew!

now i'm thinking, when is okay not okay?
🤔🤭😂

full view

looking for my phone on my queen size bed.  i've just been sitting on the bed, my back a meter away from the headboard.  my laptops and my disks were in front of me, food to my left, pillow to my right.  i couldn't find my phone!

finally i stood up.  the phone was right behind me!

hmmm...  yup, you don't just look forward.  you also have to look back.

worth the risk

i ordered a clay pot during an online sale and was surprised that it was being shipped from a province 52 km away from my place.

unlike my wont, for this one i did not check the origin nor read the description.  i just went by the photo, the measurements (diameter 13 cm; height 5 cm.) and, of course, the price (just P25 with free shipping!).

now i read the description and it says:

"Buyer’s Risk: These are fragile items. Buy ONLY IF you are WILLING TO TAKE THE RISK.

...

Breakage may occur...

We strictly enforce NO RETURN, NO REFUND Policy."

wahaha...  normally scary...  but for P25?

i ain't afraid of no ghost 🤷

#BoldAndBrave 🙃

done that

eating pizza while on videocall...  pizza box visible onscreen...

cousin, as i was biting into the last slice:  'you're such a big pizza eater...'

i just shrugged my shoulders and smiled...

cousin:  'how many slices were those?  4?  5?'

me:  'haha...  3!  they're just leftovers from yesterday...'

cousin:  'a...  i thought you're about to finish 5...'

uhm, i did eat 5 slices yesterday 🍕🍕🍕🍕🍕🤭

double whammy

i ordered pizza and pasta for delivery today and was suprised that in less than 10 minutes, the restaurant already booked a rider.

i ordered from restaurants under the same group the other day and the day before that and both times the restaurants did not book a rider that soon.

i thought the swiftness gives me reason to
either
worry about the quality of the food
or
be concerned about the waiting time of the rider.

i ordered at 1:42 p.m.
my food was delivered at 2:26 p.m.
distance from the restaurant to my place is 3.4 km.

when i partook of my order, i realized it's not either-or.  it's both. 🤦‍♀️

hello, hello

i was at the garbage area when i saw someone come out of my mom's gate.  i greeted him then continued trying to make the meal box i was supposed to throw fit in the bag.

a few minutes later, i received a text message from the guy apologizing for whatever it is he has done to me.

huh?!
i just greeted him!
what happened?!

it turns out he did not notice and thought i snubbed him.  he said it made him sad.

oh!  so that explains the strange look he had when i passed near him!  i didn't say a word anymore because i already greeted him.  it would be weird if i again say hi when i have just said hi.

oh, well, all's well.

sub

yesterday, i ordered a sandwich from this upscale restaurant because the menu says it has jamón ibérico.  when i ate it, however, the ham was so flat and bland!

i called them to ask whether it was really iberian ham they put in the sandwich.

after checking with the kitchen, they told me it was jamón serrano because their supplier ran out of ibérico.

i said i ordered precisely because the ham was ibérico!

to sort of make amends, today they sent me empanada ->  with foie gras.