bored

I'm starting to get really bored with the way this blog looks. Any suggestions to make it livelier? I can't actually think of a nice theme to start with! I'm so bored with the layout that I even tried the spell with flickr thingy I stumbled upon one blog and actually use it as my banner. And I don't even have an idea how to edit the whole thing without publishing the old, simple, boring title look. Hmmmm...pathetic ba? But I promise to change it soon. Please inspire me. Hayyyy....

Hahaha. Here I am, worried about how to make this blog site guapa when I feel that I need to update my entries yet. Information overload in my head or merely laziness or rather lack of time and energy and insipiration to write again? Another hayyyyyyyyyy....

But come to think of it...this counts as another entry right? Pathetic talaga!

bits of hongkong

again, a long overdue post..hayyy...

Reasons for going

This was a trip that almost never took place. So many hassles but it was finalized nonetheless. I was hesitant to go because the trip landed on my birthday weekend. But I still went because:

1. the trip cost was slashed into half (buy one take one promo);
2. cousin Ana needs her passport to be stamped and someone had to go with her; and
3. I needed to buy some medicine for the beauty center.

Preparing to get there and getting there

Last I heard, HK was getting quite weird weather. And that it would be a cold weekend when we fly in. So I bought a couple of sweaters, knowing that I can't stand the cold. Turned out the sweaters weren't enough. It was 10 degrees celsius when we got there. Ana and I had to walk for four hours just to look for a nice pair of gloves each (our companions left us to ourselves and we were kinda clueless where to go. good thing I can read maps! hehe). I also got myself a scarf (just one for the whole duration of the trip because one scarf cost HKD30! Kuripot din pala ako! hehe). We stayed there for three days and two nights.

Oh and by the way, I loved the feeling of travelling without anyone taking care of me. I had to face immigration and customs alone, hold on to our documents for checking, tipping Ana on what to do, etc etc. I mean how cool is that?! For the first time in my "travelling" life I felt that I am needed for advice and guidance. There was no mommy or ate or kuya to turn to. I felt so adult and grown-up!

People I met

Tommy - He was our tour guide from Ann's Travel Inc.. He was just awesome! He most certainly loves what he does for a living. I've learned more from him than any other person I've spent half a day with, honest! He had so many stories to tell, feng-shui tips and even jokes (punchlines of which were kinda blah but funny just the same!). He even claimed (or bet for a cup of coffee) that his hand print is amongst those found on the Avenue of Stars with Bruce Lee, Jackie Chan and Michelle Yeow. There was a 'Tommy' all right but the family name was different and Tommy the tourguide claimed that was just his screen name. Of course we did not believe him but his excuse was good enough. Wink! He was not, however, able to collect his cup of coffee. Hehe.

Martin - He was our jewellery store guide. Definitely Chinese but speaks fluent Tagalog. He was apparently brought up in Iloilo. He was really patient with questions and parted knowledge on gold, both white and yellow. He gave us a short lecture while touring the place that is partly (a big bunch at that!) owned by Jackie Chan. And after that he let us "get lost" in the wonderful room called The Showroom with lotsa glass cabinet filled with jewelry offered at half the price!! For a girl who adores pieces of jewelry, that was a great place to get lost in. Teehee! Martin was there to help us haggle. :-) It was even nice to know that the jewelry they offer are lifetime guaranteed!

Mabel - She was a Marketing Executive at Jenny College where I got some medicines for the Salon. I was corresponding with her via email even before we got there. It would have been nice to spend more time with her but I was in such a hurry (Hotel check-out in about thirty minutes!) she looked disappointed. I would have discussed with her some business opportunities but I didn't have the luxury of time. Sayang!

Rina, Bianca and JV - They are my mother's amiga's children. I normally like children but these three kinda sucked the energy out of me. Three days were enough. But I liked the food sharing part. :-)

HK Trivia
1. Jackie Chan is being driven around HK in a white Mercedez with plate JC1. The plate was a gift from the jewelry store partner and was said to have cost a fortune.
2. The new condominiums units are smaller than the old ones but there's not much price difference. The tenants of the old condo units are healthier than the ones living in the new condo units -- there are no elevators in the old buildings!
3. The Intenational Finance Centre (IFC) Building is the tallest building in HK with 88 floors and third tallest building in the world. The top of the building, from afar and on all sides, looks like 2 hands clasped together (as explained by Tommy) but when I look at it, the hands have more than five fingers each. Anyway, the design was said to show the relaionship of Man and God.
4. The Convention Center is similar in design with the Opera House of Australia.
5. The city streets look like the streets in Binondo. hehe.
6. The Floating Restaurant docked in the Aberdeen could seat at once thrice as much guests as that boat docked in Manila bay. Both are owned by Stanley Ho.
7. The Cable cars in Ocean Park pass a total of 17 high rise metal structures before getting to the other side of the park. Yup! I counted! And I survived the rides back and forth, whew!
8. The Panda Sanctuary of Jai-jai and An-an cost around HKD80M to build. Jai-jai and An-an are said to be richer than most locals.
9. Land in HK is very expensive that a cemetery plot cost around HKD300-500K depending on the spot (a plot facing the sea and in front of a mountain will produce better chi for the bereaved families). Even the richest man's house is small.
10. Electrical sockets in HK are different. I can't describe it but ask me when you're about to visit. I'n thankful though because my camera and mobile phone have chargers compatible with the sockets. :-)

There is just so much to share. But it took so long for me to even compose this post, I've alreaday forgotten some details. I knew I should have written in my notebook, sheesh! Anyway, this has been a long post. I hope you liked the facts. :-)

free pen-i

For his new project, First Gentleman Mike Arroyo is giving away free dentures. He started the project by choosing beneficiaries from the people of the PNP and Army. His next beneficiaries were from the MMDA and the Metro Aide. In this article, some public vendors are going to benefit soon. While watching the news a few weeks back, FG explained the rationale behind this project. He said that he and his wife the President observed that some of our public servants could not smile a sincere smile...because some or all of their teeth are missing. They would not or could not smile so the general public sees them as rude, unapproachable.

Thus the project. You see, I have no objections whatsoever. It's just that the project's title bugs me -- "BAGONG NGITI SA DATING NGEBU (BUNGE)" -- does not rhyme at all. The word "bunge" was put inside a parenthesis to make the point. But what's the point of transposing the syllables? Ashamed? I dunno.

renewal

Since I only started driving back in year 2002, this year is the first time I am renewing my driver’s license. Dad and I decided to go together today. My experience is quite different from when I got my student’s permit and non-professional license.

I secured my student’s permit from the Tayuman Branch. I remembered Mhel going with me then. It was my first time do I had the jitters. Dad told me to go there, telling me that the service in that branch is more efficient than the others. It took us about five hours to finish the whole process. Of course, I was disappointed. But then again, if it ONLY took us about five hours, it COULD HAVE taken forever if we went to another branch. Aside from the long wait, the only obstacle was when I argued that my address then is in Sta. Mesa and not in Sampaloc. The LTO personnel won over me, insisting that the address I put is in Sampaloc. Kulet! Meek as I was, I just let it go. Anyway, the student permit was just temporary.

After driving school, it was time to get the Non-professional license. I promised myself I wouldn’t go back to LTO Tayuman anymore. So I just availed of the licensing assistance provided by the driving school. It meant having to pay additional P1,000 or so for the “speedy” movement of my application. Again, my better judgement got me. It took me about the same amount of time spent in LTO Tayuman (I was at LTO Mandaluyong then). Plus I had a little word war with the driving school personnel (because I felt ripped off). Plus I had another argument with the LTO personnel regarding my address not being in Sampaloc but in Sta. Mesa. Plus all I got was a printed temporary non-professional license and I had to go back for the card-type license in three month’s time. Going back for the card-type license was another story as I had to get it in LTO San Juan rather than in LTO Mandaluyong when the office transferred.

And so at the beginning of this week, I promised myself I’d go to an LTO branch where there would be less hassles. I chose LTO Makati because that’s where Yang had his license renewed. The branch is already computerized so he was able to get the card-type license right away (unlike in LTO Valenzuela where Mhel had his license renewed). I failed to go last Monday, blame it on my sleeping habits, I woke up really late!

Daddy heard that LTO Meycauyan is already computerized. So we went there. I’m happy because I was done in less than two hours, complete with my card-type license. This LTO Branch is, however, just like any other government office. So I was also a bit disappointed. My list goes:

• For my medical exam, I was asked for my vision grade. And this man (who doesn’t look like a doctor at all, not even a nurse) took my BP informed me that it was normal at 100/80. And that was it. THAT WAS IT. For 50 bucks and a glance at me, the LTO is assured that I’m okay to drive?!?


• The cashier took so long accepting payments. Maybe she should get her priorities straight.


• There was this lady LTO personnel who kept on pestering the cashier. It was quite obvious that she was doing favors for the people she knew. So the whole process for those waiting (like me) was lagged. I wouldn’t have minded her if she did it discreetly. But no! Everyone had to hear her requests.


• No one told me that two pictures shall be taken – one for the LTO records and one for the card itself. So when I politely asked the lady taking the second picture she seemed pissed. Of course I was easily upset. All she had to do was explain it to me. She didn’t need to be condescending of something. Later I found out that the lady is not an LTO personnel but an employee of the private contractor in charged of printing the card-type licenses for the LTO. But still, that should not give her the right to be so rude.

Anyway, I got my new license now. I won’t see these LTO people again. At least not in three years.

how to save P9.00 at nlex

So this is a trick my mom taught me (I actually cannot believe I learned this from her, she's not what I call thrifty)...

Northbound, we pay P42.00 from wherever to Bocaue area, right? And if we are not bound to Bocaue, we naturally go straight to wherever we are heading, isn't it? To save at least P9.00, exit at Bocaue, cross, and enter the Nlex again after getting a new ticket at the toll gate. Viola! I tried it last night, and it was true. Not more than 2minutes was wasted when I did pass by Bocaue tollgate. I paid P27.00 upon reaching Sta. Rita exit instead of the usual P36.00.

I still cannot get the logic, but hey, I saved some hard-earned money! And I shared it here, hehehe...I just hope the exit would not get congested once the other Nlex patrons realize this loophole.

i am a rotarian...

I remember back in college, one of my blockmates wrote an article foreseeing our future (I'm very sure there is a term for articles like that, but I can't grasp! Remind me!). Back then, I was quite active with church and civic activities. I taught mass songs and helped handling the children's choir. I even ran for the Sangguniang Kabataan as Chair(wo)man in our humble baranggay (but I lost). And so naturally, everybody thought I'm gonna end up a Social Worker of some sort.

Today, except that my employees usually think I am running a charitable institution (lahat ng personal nilang problema, akin!), I'm far from being a Social Worker. But I'm getting there somehow. About mid-last year, I joined the Rotary International - Club of Obando, and early this year, Rotary Club of Obando Foundation Inc. I've been attending meetings since I joined but have been failing to go to the various activities.

Until last saturday when I urged dad and mom (and Mhel as well, heheheh) that we go to the annual Governor's Ball in Olongapo, all because I HAD A NEW DRESS WITH MATCHING WEDGE SANDALS AND CUTIE PURSE to flaunt. Geesh. Such a shallow reason to go, I know. I would have chosen not to go (and play badminton instead!), but going is something I just had to experience. I am young, I am new, I am clueless. And the dress couldn't wait for another formal gathering, hihihi.

And I realized there is something I have to change in myself after the speech of Senator Richard Gordon. He said something about knowing what to do and actually doing something about it. The Rotary's mantra afterall is "Service above Self". His challenge therefore is live the mantra and a make a difference. Help the government in a small Rotarian way (sometimes in big ways). Provide education and lift this nation from poverty. There is just so much I need to do. And I haven't even started yet.

But I'm getting there. I need to act soon. maybe it's not yet too late to become a Social Worker -- a servant to my society.

his thoughts are unwanted?!?

One ordinary blogging day, someone posted a question asking how he can have tag board. What on earth would he need a tag board for? Could it be that he’s… no… he can’t possibly be… no… The idea of him creating a blog, writing and all… it’s totally hilarious.



On second thought, the guy is overflowing with funny antics, out-of-this-world questions, and he’s into a lot of things (cars, sports, gadgets, computers, and God knows what else). Hmmm… can be! Can be! (P’wede! P’wede!) Just when we thought we know this guy to bits, he still manages to surprise us with things like this.



Ladies and Gentlemen, join me, Mae, and Daday, in welcoming the latest addition to our blogging community!



Unwanted Thoughts

By

Mhel

(otherwise known as Badong)

haiku

I was officially introduced to haiku during Asian Literature in HS Sophomore year. I don't remember exactly what Mr. Alex Vista taught us (well, that was almost thirteen years ago, man!), but I remember having written this:

                        Was it a frog or
                        Something that I heard crying
                        On a cool evening?

And I was surprised to find out that the teacher actually included this piece in our hand-outs for reviews (hindi uso books sa dati kong school, puro hand-outs excerpted from different books plus notes from class discussions). Haiku is kinda interesting. It's actually considered an art on its own. Haiku as defined by American Heritage Dictionary in Yahoo as a noun, a Japanese lyric verse form having three unrhymed lines of five, seven, and five syllables, traditionally invoking an aspect of nature or the seasons. The one thing that struck me most about haiku is that, the subjects of such poems are usually "taken from daily life" such that as time went by, writers (mostly those who have written haikus originally in English) started incorporating even the "none-nature" subjects into their poems.

This post is not about discussing haikus per se. I actually just wanted to share some haikus that I've composed. For more information on haiku, visit this site.

•      Morning dew from dawn
       Patiently awaits the sun
       Ready to dry, die.



•      The sweet smell of Love's
       Breath, if true at all, lingers
       Like flowers in bloom.



•      Soothing, calming voice
       The wind gently sings a tune
       Humming through the night.



•      Mother and daughter
       Shopping for clothes, bags and shoes,
       Aahhhhh! Perfect moment!



•      Mobile phone beeping
       Messages, calls and alarms
       Disturbing my peace.

So there. Please say I have a future in writing. Hehe.