Everything will be all right

Late Saturday morning. I wake with the worsened condition of my colds. I wanted more sleep but I have to get up as I was about to get drenched by the rain water coming from the roof holes. The day is dark (and noisy) with the typhoon. I tried to go online but the internet is so slow (out-of-order even) that I was only able to post one update (my complaints for the day) on Twitter after an hour of trying to do so. I gave up after. And I thought this could be one of the worst days I ever had.

Then an hour later or so, reality strikes and I realized that I am much luckier that I thought. There are a lot out there that unfortunately have to suffer more than I have to come accross. I was complaining about the rainwater coming from the holes while a lot have to deal with the water coming all over the place. I was complaining of my colds, but I know it is a lot harder to be out there battling the forces of nature. I was grumbling on my internet connection, while others are doing what they can to get help and don’t know if others are responding.

At the end of the day, there is still discomfort because of the colds, I wasn’t able to sleep to my room because my bed’s got drenched, and I never got back online as the line got busted. But I am no longer complaining. I am happy to count my blessings.

But I am hoping that everyone and everything will be all right after the misfortune.

hindi halata?

overheard conversation of a medical practitioner and an officemate (of whose name i will withhold, let’s just call her jon) on our annual exam.

doc: what’s your name?

jon: jon. jon cruz.

doc: jon. hindi jona. o joan?

jon: jon po.

doc: ‘yan ba yung talagang name mo?

jon: opo.

doc: male or female?

huh?

Seven: My Favorite Ilocano Words

For various reasons, the following are my favorite Ilocano words. While these words may not be of daily usage, I have learned to love these words over the period of time. These just sounds so awesome to my ears that I grew up liking them more and more. Here are those (in no particular order):

narasuk – The closest definition I can think of would be wild, impulsive or uncontrollable “urge” in a sexual manner. This often used in adult conversation where no children around should listen. Used in a sentence: Narasuk dagiti agekna sakbay a nagpakada. Roughly translated: His kisses to her are wild as he says his goodbyes.

It won’t work here

I usually do random useless things during breaks at my workstation. So today was no different. While (almost) everyone is talking about the historical win of the first black American president, I too read about it on the web.

Then it got me thinking what if we are to adopt same mode of voting – the so called electoral college? In our case, provinces and cities will have a designated number of vote based on the number of representative they have at present, e.g. Ilocos Norte and Ilocos Sur will have 2 assigned vote each, Manila will have 6, QC will have 4, etc. Everyone will still vote but once the the vote are counted, the winning presidential/vice-presidential tandem will get all the votes assigned to the province or city they have won. So say, if Juan/Pedro won against Juana/Petra in Ilocos Norte count (even if just 1 vote difference – i think this is what the US calls as popular vote), Juan/Pedro will get the two votes 2 votes equivalent of US’s electoral vote.

Using the data gathered at wikipedia (for the result of the 2004 elections and the no. of representatives of each province and cities) and working on my worksheet for about twenty minutes, I came to a conclusion that if we have adapted the system, we have still a woman president leading the country since FPJ-Legarda team beats GMA-Noli team via 106-92 votes. (Lacson gets 3 for winning in Cavite while Roco gets 7 for winning in Albay and CamSur. The two Eddies got zero.) FPJ wins the majority votes (not the popular one) but since he already passed away, Loren takes over his post thus becoming the third Philippine woman president.

An out of this world and useless post, I know. Just passing my useless time at somebody’s expense .

Say what?

Been seeing the announcement displayed at the tricycle waiting area at our place. When I first saw it, I can’t help but smile. Here it goes:

A-10-TION
What: Christmas League
When: November 2, 2008
Where: Mutya Interior (half court)
Time: 2:00 pm
Please inform Pipoy and Buboy for some details.

There you go.

Pipoy, Buboy, FYI. Baka di pa nyo alam.

I want to forget…

Been a regular listener of the RX’s Morning Rush with the tandem of Chico Garcia and Delamar for more than three years now. Their Top Ten has been my daily dose of “coffee” waking me up in the lazy morning. Their laughter is just contagious that starts the day going. Sure there are a lot of such programs in the morning but Morning Rush remains to be my choice listening habit every waking hours not only they bring pop music but that they always give listeners entertainment balanced with information and interesting views (of them and their listeners) on varied topics.

I have tried contributing my own entries on some of their TOP TEN hoping I would hear my entries before I would leave home. So far, my batting average is 33% (1 out of 3). Seems that Chico ignored my entries as these never pass to Chico’s standards/taste. While it can be true, I am just thinking that I just never heard it read since I am already on my way to work. Still, it hurts to think that Chico believes my entries are worthless to be read on air. I envy those guys who always have their entries read.

But I was glad that Delamar didn’t ignore my entry last Wednesday. The topic was Top ten things you want to forget.

And this was my entry that made to the top for the bottom-half (#6) for the last batch:

“I want to forget that until now that I am past marrying age, I am still single.”

Thanks to Delamar for reading my entry and even putting it on the top even just for the bottom up. Hearing this on the radio really made my day.

Now, I want to forget that Chico has twice ignored my entries. -sob-

Just another day in the life of a MRT commuter

My bout this morning for a small space at the MRT for the ride to work could have been one of the most annoying experience to date. Good thing I have somehow foreseen in advance when I saw the long queue of people not moving at the Quezon Av MRT station south bound. Apparently, the “management” decided to get to a stop entry mode again. Not wanting to suffer the discomfort of waiting outside the MRT premises before the guards are allowed to have the commuters inside, I decided not to join the long line and went the opposite north bound loading flatform. I decided to go for a round trip – taking the south bound train to North Av station then alight there to take the train going on the south bound to my destination.

Found out later that the North Av station is also on a stop entry mode and people waiting outside is even more than that of people in the Quezon Av station.

I got into the train together with the most of the people in the loading flatform. (Although the train can still accommodate more passenger, some people don’t want to go in – maybe waiting for the next train so they can sit in.)

After two minutes or so, I wondered why the train isn’t moving. I don’t regularly do the round trip so I assumed this is normal. But after another five minutes with the doors routinely opening and closing the operator announced that one of the doors is defective and they are fixing it. After another five minutes, the operator asked us to go out the train since they can’t fix the problem immediately so we will have to use another train. That is another five minutes wasted on our precious time. Just when I thought this will be one of those I will be at the gig earlier than usual.

While I was a little bit frustrated with the lost time, I thought that I am still lucky than the most of the passengers waiting outside not knowing what’s happening inside. Have I decided to take the Quezon Av queue, maybe I would have been still outside the train waiting in vain. Maybe I was late for about thirty minutes, but it could have been one hour if I made the wrong decision.

Then I realized that in this everyday journey, in the same situation as the others, sometimes you will find yourself luckier than many of them. But many times you’re not. If only I could extend this steak to other phases I will still go through.

Blue or Green

I was blue in my elementary days. Green during high school. Part yellow and part blue again during first part of college but went green on the later part. No, I am not talking of La Salle nor Ateneo.

I never went to any of the member universities of UAAP. In fact, when I was still taking my secondary education, those schools was out of the options as they are considered too high for us to even dream of going there. Specially La Salle and Ateneo.

I had application for UPCAT then. I never got serious in applying then though since UPCAT was an alien word/acronym for me and just never realized it’s importance until later. Beside, my parents seems not interested also and not pushing me to apply for it. I have never seen their eagerness nor their support in this possible option in college. As if fate would have it, that application form was ruined by my brother before I could even fill it up.

Then come closing time when I will have to enroll to college, I tried applying and took entrance exams in UST among other schools. Unluckily, I failed to make the cut on UST. This caused me major heartbreak that I hate the school after that. I also took entrance examination in Adamson but I never get to know the results since I have decided just to enroll in a college the majority of the family has preferred. When already there, I was able to see two other campuses. We went to UP for the orientation of freshmen students who passed the government scholarship program which I was once part of. We also had our recollection in one of the facilities inside the Ateneo campus during my first year in college. It was then that I realized that I wanted to be one of those students cheering for any school that is member of the UAAP. I have dreamed too late that it will never come true anymore.

With the hype and noise generated by media on UAAP specially on mens basketball games, it was hard to ignore it’s presence, that even if I don’t belong to them I always anticipate the games. On the first years that this was introduced to me, I have been rooting for La Salle. This was the time when they are ending up as runner-up and not the champion. Underdog effect.

As the time goes by and when La Salle finally winning championships, I switched to UE – the school where I have my board exams and passing it. They never won a championship however. Now, I am for Ateneo. For no serious reason since I don’t need one. Sometimes the only reason I have is that my “enemy” is on the other side so I need to go against that person.

By the way, as for the cheer dance competition, I am a fan of the UP Pep Squad but I always want to see either La Salle, Ateneo, or Adamson Pep Squads to pull up surprise and have them on top 3. Never been a Salinggawi fan ever since the school denied me of a chance to be with them but I have to thank them for allowing me to be in their church during the review period for the board examinations.

And that’s the good side of not an alumnus of any of the universities. You can side whichever team you want and never be guilty of disloyalty. Bad side is you can never be identified as one with them.

Will I be disappointed with “Survivor Philippines”?

When I first learned that they got the franchise, I was excited that my favorite reality show will have it’s Pinoy version but —

When I first saw that Survivor Philippines will be included in the Telebabad, I think I would be disappointed once more. I mean, the original Survivor is only shown once a week (equivalent to three days in the island) and if GMA will show it on an everyday basis, what will be shown then? One day equivalent in the island? Or just half-day? So when will they have the tribal council? On Fridays? Either way, I think excitement will be lost by scheduling it on a daily basis.

I think I will just content myself viewing the US version (also premiering September) rather subject myself to torture of watching it in snippets with the Philippine version.

—-

Gretchen winning Pinoy Idol is just shown that the Ph Idol version was a failure. So much have been changed with the franchise that contributed to it’s failure. And what do we have for a winner? The Governor’s daughter.

—–

I hope that Idol’s fate won’t be the same as that of Survivor Philippines’ fate. But I think not… I could be wrong. But signs tell me I am right.

Review: April 2007

Got to do this to normalize everything in the long run. If I am not mistaken, it is in this month when I am starting to have backlogs on this monthly endeavor. Glad I am coping up with it now.

Unreal fatalism. Based on the last two trips, I believe I have still that behavior and I don’t think I’d do away with it. I know it’s fatal unless I would go on my way to realizing it. While I am keen on doing it the soonest, I have no one to have it realized with.

This time last year, I was watching intently American Idol where I followed with disappointment the losing of my favorite. Not so much this time although I have been satisfied with the way things are going this time. I got my two best contenders into the finals so I think whatever the results, it will be all right for me. Although I am rooting for David Cook, David Archuleta winning is okay with me. It was expected to be that way.

The “joke” never surfaced this last trip we have and I am glad it didn’t. This issue is something I have avoided to happen again, thus I have opted to pass one trip before this. I hope the “joke” will never surface in the future.

“American” style exists still in the gig I have. Looking forward to a new gig having that “Japanese” style which I think don’t exist.

Credit cards – the one I got one year ago was cancelled this week. The one I got more than two years now will be cancelled on it’s anniversary. And so is that another one I got late last year. I don’t I have to have one. I believe I am good with or without it.

In the objective to have my papers ready, I finally got my license renewed. If not with the “mistake” they got me into, it would have been easier for me to do all this things. But as they are, I think I am going right on track.

And the flirt? She’s gone as soon as she knew that she gets nothing from me. I wish it had gone to distance. I wished she was the one. But she’s not meant to be. Yeah right.