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.