Survey Says...

I've been a bad blogger... okay fine... call me names. I hate not being consistent in this blog thing but hey getting married and working does not actually leave you enough time to do anything else than eat and sleep. So here I am, still wide awake on an early Saturday morning typing my way to my next blog entry. Honestly, I'm writing because I'm having trouble sleeping on time again... I know I know... big eye bags are hard to hide in pictures given I have 2 weeks or so left to my wedding.

Anyway, read this survey in another blog and I thought of answering it to help pass time and drain my remaining energy.

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If you’re being extremely quiet what does it mean?
Okay. This is hard as I am seldom quiet. Only 2 things make me quite --
1. I am angry with the person in front of me
2. I need coffee (tip, I am not a morning person and I need at least a sip of coffee in the morning to make me feel like a human being capable of communication)

If someone hit you, what would you do?
Depends on the size of the person. =)

Have you ever kissed someone and never saw them again?
Yes. My Angkong/Grandfather, dad of my mom. Last I saw him was in NAIA, I was 3. He was going to China... he was never able to come home.

Last time you were confused?
The other day. Long story to tell here maybe in another blog entry.

Rent a movie or go to movies?
Either way.


What is wonderful?
Making a difference in someone else's life.

What are you doing tonight?
Watched Julie and Julia.

What did you do yesterday?
Work then went home like a good girl that I am.

Ever kissed someone whose name starts with the letter M?
Hmmm... NO.

Last person you told a secret to?
Iyad.

Status of you and the person you last sent a text to you?
We are engaged to be married. =)

Favorite song at the moment?
Built to Last by Melee

Ever made someone cry?
Yes, but not because of me (defensive).

Things you’re looking forward to in the next 2 weeks?
Our wedding day and 10th Anniversary.

Who is your favorite band?
Lifehouse.

Shared a bed with someone else?
Uhm, yup... Mama, Achie, Den, Da, Haze, Iyad.

What's irritating you right now?
My mosquito bite...argghhhh!!!

Do you enjoy tattoos?
Nope.

Where was your default picture taken?
Makati Shangri-la in one of my events.

Have you ever shaved in the kitchen sink?
What the...

Do you like anyone as of now?
I am a people person. Ofcourse!

When was the last time you cried?
Ahmmm... yesterday while watching an episode of House... pathetic I know... I'm such a cry baby.

How many keys are on your key chain?
Four

What do you want to eat?
Burrito

What are you going to do tomorrow?
Buy remaining stuffs for the wedding.

So Ciao! Gotta grab some sleep.

I've been a poor blogger

As the title goes... I've been a poor blogger. This is the reason: I am very very very busy at the moment. I have tons of events coming up so work is up to my neck nowadays, Christmas is just around the corner, yep... you got that right... I hear Christmas carols everywhere, I see Christmas decors anywhere which brings me to my final excuse -- I am getting married in a few more weeks. So my creative energy is focused on pages upon pages of my checklist and sad to say I cannot think anything more than that.

So how does a bride to be in a couple more weeks feels like? Let's just put it this way... when someone mentions Christmas, I palpitate.

I look forward to writing (creative entries) soon.

10 Things I learned from Typhoon Ondoy

1. That I have too many clothes. I realized that when I have to send everything to laundry. Yes, all 60 plus kilos of them.
2. My laptop, shoulder bag and make-up cabinet are the most important among all my worldly possessions.
3. That I can carry a big leather sofa and place them one on top of the other.
4. That I can still change into my Boracay outfit even if the water is already up to my thighs.
5. That experiences like this can bring out the best or the worst in a person and nothing in between.
6. That I don't need to exercise to loose weight. I just have to mop the floor 100x to remove the mud and scrub the walls clean.
7. That Zonrox is one of the best disinfectant and that magic mops can work magic in cleaning mud.
8. That one of the first things I will buy when I move to my marital home would be a BIG Plastic container for pictures and important documents.
9. That a lot of people loves me.
10. That we are still lucky and blessed despite everything.

And then there was Typhoon Ondoy...

My last thought before I fell asleep that Friday night was that tomorrow I have to wake up early because Al and I will put together our save the date. We planned on giving it out to our guests on October 2nd, exactly 3 months before our wedding. Then Saturday, 26th of September 2009 came, I woke up close to 12:30pm with the sound of my younger sister's voice waking me up. She said "Dichie, gising na yung baha papasok na sa bahay". That woke me instantly. I rushed outside and saw that yes the flood is 2 inches from the last step towards our sala. I instantly shouted "Tara itaas natin lahat ng gamit". That was the start of the most chaotic and traumatic day of my life.

I helped my dad put up our 2 big leather sofas one on top of the other. I pulled out all my clothes and initially placed them in the bed of Dennise which is the lower bed of the double deck that we are sharing. I put everything up, everything I can see. At around 1PM water is reaching my knee, I have to transfer all my clothes to the higher deck of the bed. By then my dad has shut down our main power breaker because all our sockets were covered with water. When the water reached my thighs, I said to my dad to start transferring important things to the car which luckily my dad was able to bring out of our garage to a higher part of our street. By close to 2PM water is fastly reaching my hips. I am getting nervous. The water seems to be sipping in fast. Every trip to the car to load stuffs water seems to be getting higher and higher outside. By past 2PM, I announced to my parents that we have to lock the doors and vacate the house. The water is already up to my chest outside and close to my waist inside the house. Rain is pounding loudly as I lock our door and finally our gate. I left everything then to God. I told him whatever happens I am just asking one thing that he bring us to a safe place. As I turn my back to our house another dilemna faced me. The flood is already near the door of our car and my dad said it will not start. It was very very cold but it is much colder when I realized that whatever was saved inside our car will also drown in flood. Then I heard men shouting "Anu tulak natin?". Without thinking twice I said YES! Five brave souls pushed our car to a higher and safer ground and hurray the car immediately started and flushed out water. My dad said we can go to his friend, Tito Joe who lives near floodway. So we went there but anxiety still creeps in we want to see if we can still go back to the house and save more stuffs. And so we did, leaving Dennise to Tito Joe. We asked my mom to stay at the car because there are a lot of looters roaming around the parked cars. By then the water reached my hip bone at the main street, De Castro street (the main road of our subdivision) which 30 minutes ago was just thigh high. Then my dad and I saw our house from the main street... we both know there is no way we can enter again. Flood already covered more than half of our windows (shoulder level).

We went back to Tito Joe's house and I saw 4 missed calls from Al. I called him because I know my battery won't last long. My plan is to let him know we are safe and where we are so he knows where he can find us. But then he had a suggestion the flood on the other side of the bridge where Al lives is just up to the knee. He said we can all stay in their house for the meantime. The plan was for us to walk all the way to Floodway Bridge. A good 10 minutes by car with no traffic. My dad said he cannot leave the car at Tito Joe's place because of the loiters around. He said I can take Dennise with me but my mom and him will just stay there. He drove us as near as he could get to Floodway Bridge then we went down and have to walk. The water at the side of the bridge is up to my hips and I have to push Dennise up to the stairs. The rain is pounding our faces but I kept on praying for God to guide Al to see us. There are a lot of people at the bridge. Some Walking, many are running, everyone is in a big hurry to get home to their families. And then there was Al running towards Den and me. I told my dad to turn back while he can. I told him to text me as soon as he was able to return to Tito Joe's house.

So together with Al, Den and I walked towards the other end of floodway bridge and we went down at the side stairs where water is very low compared to the Ortigas Extension entrance of the subdivision where Al lives. The flood in their area is knee high pretty manageable for Den and me who braved the waters up to chest deep.As soon as we got there, I checked my mobile hoping that my dad already texted but there was none. So I used Al's landline to ask my dad where are they. He said they were stuck in floodway where my dad left his car. An image of floodway's roaring waves flashed in my mind. I was very worried for their safety. I was thinking anytime floodway can overflow. It was the longest 30 minutes for me but finally thru God's graces I received an sms confirming that they reached safety.

September 27 before lunch, Al and I went back to the bridge in the hope that we can reach my parents to bring them food. The bridge is crowded with buses and commuters who was stuck there since Saturday. We know then that the flood reached our roof. There were media everywhere. I even saw Bayani Fernando busily supervising the demolition of the side road of floodway in the hopes that it can help lower down the flood.

It was September 28, Monday when water finally cleared our house. We saw our dog hanged in our gate. Before my dad and I went, we got him out of his cage and placed him in the roof. We thought the flood won't reach him. He was not able to wait for us... Our neighbors said they were all trying to reach for him but the flood is so high and the current is strong. He swam towards our gate and was stuck in the fence. To our dog Polo, who has been with us since I was a college freshman, who saved and warn us against the many times people attempted to enter our house to steal. Thank you for always welcoming us home. We are sorry we were not able to save you. Thank you to the many wonderful years of service to our family.

It took more than a week to make our home liveable again and it will take much longer to bring everything back to normal. We lost a lot of things but I am thankful that we are safe. Stay tuned to my next blog... lessons I learned thanks to Ondoy.

P.S. My camera was one of the casualties of Ondoy that is why I don't have any picture to document this experience. The photo was actually taken at the entrance of our subdivision.

Speech by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen

This was a speech made by Pulitzer Prize-winning author, Anna Quindlen at the graduation ceremony of an American university where she was awarded an Honorary PhD.


"I'm a novelist. My work is human nature. Real life is all I know. Don't Ever confuse the two, your life and your work. You will walk out of here this afternoon with only one thing that no one else has. There will be hundreds of people out there with your same degree: there will be thousands of people doing what you want to do for a living. But you will be the only person alive who has sole custody of your life. Your particular life. Your entire life. Not just your life at a desk, or your life on a bus, or in a car, or at the computer. Not just the life of your mind, but the life of your heart. Not just your bank accounts but also your soul.

People don't talk about the soul very much anymore. It's so much easier to write a resume than to craft a spirit. But a resume is cold comfort on a winter's night, or when you're sad, or broke, or lonely, or when you've received your test results and they're not so good.


Here is my resume: I am a good mother to three children. I have tried never to let my work stand in the way of being a good parent. I no longer consider myself the centre of the universe. I show up. I listen. I try to laugh. I am a good friend to my husband. I have tried to make marriage vows mean what they say. I am a good friend to my friends and they to me. Without them, there would be nothing to say to you today, because I would be a cardboard cut out. But I call them on the phone, and I meet them for lunch. I would be rotten, at best mediocre at my job if those other things were not true.

You cannot be really first rate at your work if your work is all you are. So here's what I wanted to tell you today: Get a life. A real life, not a manic pursuit of the next promotion, the bigger pay cheque, the larger house. Do you think you'd care so very much about those things if you blew an aneurysm one afternoon, or found a lump in your breast?


Get a life in which you notice the smell of salt water pushing itself on a breeze at the seaside, a life in which you stop and watch how a red-tailed hawk circles over the water, or the way a baby scowls with concentration when she tries to pick up a sweet with her thumb and first finger. Get a life in which you are not alone. Find people you love, and who love you. And remember that love is not leisure, it is work. Pick up the phone. Send an email. Write a letter. Get a life in which you are generous. And realize that life is the best thing ever, and that you have no business taking it for granted. Care so deeply about its goodness that you want to spread it around. Take money you would have spent on beer and give it to charity. Work in a soup kitchen. Be a big brother or sister. All of you want to do well. But if you do not do good too, then doing well will never be enough.


It is so easy to waste our lives, our days, our hours, and our minutes. It is so easy to take for granted the color of our kids' eyes, the way the melody in a symphony rises and falls and disappears and rises again. It is so easy to exist instead of to live.


I learned to live many years ago. I learned to love the journey, not the destination. I learned that it is not a dress rehearsal, and that today is the only guarantee you get. I learned to look at all the good in the world and try to give some of it back because I believed in it, completely and utterly. And I tried to do that, in part, by telling others what I had learned. By telling them this: Consider the lilies of the field. Look at the fuzz on a baby's ear. Read in the back yard with the sun on your face. Learn to be happy. And think of life as a terminal illness, because if you do, you will live it with joy and passion as it ought to be lived".

True Friends

I admit I have lots of people I call friends but only few are considered my BFFs. Tonight I received a text message as I was about to enter our house from the office. My friend texted me asking if I could meet up for coffee. I said okay and I will just pass by your house to pick you. So our random moment began. It has been years since we last talked but the feeling of closeness is still the same. There were no awkward silence, everything just fell into place like it used to be. We laugh till our eyes grow misty. We talked about life - how we are, what we have been doing and of our plans. Yes, we also talked about my upcoming wedding. We had fun!

So what makes a friend a true friend. Here's my list (not in order of importance):

1. The test of time
I must admit I am not good in keeping in touch with my friends. I am not an avid texter and I have a very busy life (lame excuse I know!). But true friends are those that even if you haven't spoken for years , I know in my heart that she/he will always be there for me.



2. Respect
Someone who will tell you things that you don't want to hear, will give an honest to goodness opinion but in the end will respect your decision and stand beside you.




3. In good times and in bad
A good laugh is important in any friendship but then you can have a good time with just about anybody with the same wavelength as you have. The true test of friendship are in those times that you don't see any reason to laugh. They are the ones who cried with you, picked up the pieces and told you things will be better.



4. Your very own cheering squad
They rejoice on your milestones and are the loudest voices that shouts "YOU CAN DO IT". They never stop believing in you.



5. Underneath it all
Underneath the BITCH in you these are the people that loves you just the same.



So here's my tribute to the wonderful friends I have in my life. A big thank you!

The Most Expensive Ice Cream

For some reason, rainy days such as what we are experiencing in the past few days makes me crave for my favorite comfort food - ICE CREAM. Pretty weird I know with the cool weather I shouldn't be craving for something cold. But then you get this cozy feeling on a rainy day that makes you want to curl on a sofa and what better way to indulge yourself than to eat your favorite comfort food.

Do you know that the world's most expensive ice cream is called Golden Opulence Sundae and is being served at the Manhattan restaurant, Serendipity. It costs $ 1,000 and you need to reserve it 48 hours in advance. It was launched by Serendipity as a publicity stint for their 50th Anniversary and they are very successful in this because they were included in the Guinness Book of World Records as the most expensive ice cream sundae in the world!

According to most-expensive.net, Serendipity describes the Golden Opulence Sundae as follows: “5 scoops of the richest Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla and covered in 23K edible gold leaf, the sundae is drizzled with the world’s most expensive chocolate, Amedei Porceleana, and covered with chunks of rare Chuao chocolate, which is from cocoa beans harvested by the Caribbean Sea on Venezuela’s coast. The masterpiece is suffused with exotic candied fruits from Paris, gold dragets, truffles and Marzipan Cherries. It is topped with a tiny glass bowl of Grand Passion Caviar, an exclusive dessert caviar, made of salt-free American Golden caviar, known for its sparkling golden color. It’s sweetened and infused with fresh passion fruit, orange and Armagnac. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18K gold spoon to partake in the indulgence, served with a petite mother of pearl spoon and topped with a gilded sugar flower by Ron Ben-Israel.

Now that is SINFUL. Am I willing to spend $ 1,000 for an ice cream sundae.... NOT!

Safety in Numbers

We use plastic containers everywhere. We drink water from them, carry packed food to work, store left over food, even feed a baby with formula. The list is endless. Most of us re-use plastics. Be it from a take out food the other month, a drinking bottle we bought the other day, microwaveable containers that we want to use and use again.

But not all plastics are meant to be re-used. Some plastics may pose health risks. How would you know? It's hidden in the small triangular recycle sign usually found at the bottom of the plastic container. I did some research on what these numbers mean. Which kind of plastic is really meant to be re-used? Which are meant for one time use? Which plastic is ideal for a baby formula? Which plastic number is safe for microwave cooking? So here's what I found out.

Number 1: Polyethylene terephthalate (PET), a lightweight plastic, is used to make a slew of beverage bottles, from soft drinks to water. PET bottles are intended for a single use as PET breaks down with use and cannot be properly cleaned. The concern with PET products is not toxins but the buildup of bacteria due to infrequent or insufficient cleaning. Scratches and imperfections in the plastic may host germs. These plastic bottles are the most viable for recycling.

Number 2: A high-density polyethylene (HDPE) made from petroleum, this plastic is pliable, opaque and versatile. Its many uses include sport bottles, cloudy milk jugs, cereal box liners, trash and shopping bags, and shampoo and cleaning supply bottles. There's low risk of leaching, and it's also curbside recyclable.

Number 3: Along with Number 7, polyvinyl chloride (PVC or V) is one of the most controversial plastics. It is a bad bad plastic. These containers should probably be set aside for nonfood usage. Use them to store crayons or beads rather than leftovers. Number 3 has been nicknamed the "toxic plastic" due to the softeners (DEHA) that with long-term exposure may cause cancer and other health issues. Soft PVC often contains and can leach toxic phthalates, and can also off-gas chemicals into the air. It's used in some cling wraps (yikes!), many children's toys, fashion accessories, shower curtains, and detergent and spray bottles. To top it off, PVC isn't recyclable, either.

Number 4: Low-density polyethylene (LDPE) is used in making bread bags, frozen-food bags and squeezable bottles. It transmits no known chemicals into food. It is recyclable.

Number 5: PP (polypropylene) is not as recyclable as numbers 1 and 2, but this plastic is another good option when choosing safe, toxin-free food and beverage containers. This omnipresent plastic is used in yogurt containers, syrup bottles, straws and medicine bottles.

Number 6: Polystyrene (PS) is used in takeout food containers, egg containers, and some plastic cutlery, among other things. It has been found to leach styrene--a neurotoxin and possible human carcinogen - and may disrupt hormonal functioning.

Number 7: A clear, hard, shatterproof plastic made with polycarbonate, specifically bisphenol-A. It may pose serious health risks. The popular and colorful Nalgene water bottles were a good example of this reusable plastic. The Nalgene company has replaced these water bottles with a bisphenol-A-free version.

So the next time you pick a plastic container check the number. As the old (but so true) saying goes -- better be safe than sorry.

Happy Long Weekend!

- Jack

My First

I've been planning to start this blogging thing for quite some time but obviously there is always a reason to delay. Finally, with the right mood and inspiration here I am... typing my very first blog - a short one but an attempt nonetheless.

These blogging is a result of the following things -

• I'm a penchant story teller of everything I can think of. So I thought why not share this via a blog.
• Put it in writing so I can have something to read years from now.
• Something to do on boring days
• Stress
  
• A remembrance of some highlights, low lights and everything in between

Here's to a fulfilling partnership with this blog. May we share many years and many entries. Cheers!

- Jack