Muni muni: The Public Commuter

Muni-muni sa MRT:
These days even at 1pm you have to be quick to get a seat at the TAFT MRT station.

If women wish to see chivalry, they shouldn’t set their hopes too high getting in on the men’s cab on the train

And then there are men try to get seat on the women’s train.  And I’m not referring to senior citizens.

Is it really possible that some public commuters are “unintentionally” oblivious to the fact that if they could just scoot a bit on their seats other standing passengers could still sit?

And I’m not going to say more about passengers who close their eyes or pretend to be asleep when there are pregnant women standing close to them.

And they call ME insensitive…

And oh yeah, don’t stand in my way or magpumilit pumasok while I’m trying to get off the train.  I should be intimidating enough not to get physical (sa laki kong ‘to..)

Muni-muni sa jeep:
Grabe ang traffic kahit “off hours”.  Buti na lang work from home ako until first week of January.

I told myself at around this time last year that I had better have a car by this time dahil mahirap magbyahe or kahit kumuha ng taxi during the holiday season.  I still don’t have a car but working from home beats driving your own car to work any day.  Although not for a lack of trying.  But I’m a girl. I have priorities.

Our washing machine had its final spin last Monday.  A hand-me-down from our parents that has served our family for more than a decade. Me and my siblings for the last 5 years.  We knew it would be any day now and never thought it would be so sudden.  Not when we had piles of laundry to do. Sana man lang after namin matapos labhan ung ga-bundok naming labahin.. hay..

Our 8 cubit ref is not big enough for 4 income generating individuals living under one roof where at least 2 can cook and 1 of them likes to experiment with different recipes. Kelangan pa namin mag unahan for the space sa freezer.  And my mom brings us 2 dressed native chickens from the farm whenever she can.

Our household appliances need to be replaced soon. But I’m buying a Wii this weekend.  Like I said, I have priorities.

Men say that women are complicated and irrational.  I can’t think of a logical or rational enough explanation in my defense.  Some say “blame it on hormones”.  I can’t unless I can explain to myself what that really means in the “scientific” sense.

Muni-muni pagdating sa bahay:
Natuwa naman ako at finally naubos na namin ung chicken.  Now the freezer is half empty (or half full).  So I bought a half a gallon of ice cream dahil may paglalagyan na kami.  For sure walang magrereklamo sa space taken up by the ice cream.

We had this big bag of Chunky Chips Ahoy.  My sister asked if there was still any left when she got home.  It was hers.  My reply, “Bb (my younger brother) and I are both here, syempre ubos na.” It did not last 24 hours.  And then she saw the 1.5L coke bottle and she said, “may Coke pa?”. I gave her my ‘Well duh!’ look and uttered the same line above.  It did not last 3 hours.

While I was waiting for someone at RCBC plaza I bought this UNICEF baller band that was being sold sa lobby.  When I got home my younger brother noticed and he asked, “What’s with the UNICEF band?” I could not think of a reply sarcastic enough.

My first dinner and LAN party

Last Saturday night, I hosted a dinner and LAN party for my friends Gab and Jason.  Usually when we went out it was just dinner, movie, and coffee.  In that order every time.  We decided to do something different.  For my part, I always wondered what it was like to host my own dinner party.  I watch a lot of cooking shows like Barefoot Contessa and Everyday Italian.  I wanted to know what it was like having my closest friends over and cooking for them and really going (almost) all out to make the event perfect.  The food, the table setting, etc. So that’s what we did.  I actually spent more on the utensils than on the actual food.  But it was worth it.

Appetizer:  Devilled-eggs a la Ridges
I was initially planning on serving Pigs in Blanket, but I thought that perhaps not all of my guests would like Dates.  Devilled eggs is almost always a safe bet when it comes to hors’ d oeuvres.  I made mine with a twist.. added Ridges chips for texture.. naks!

Soup: Minnestrone
I started with a basic minnestrone recipe, but couldn’t find all of the ingredients.  And it seemed that getting all of the “basic” ingredients would be too much for a full course dinner.  We’re having pasta and ribs after all.  So, I did a plus-minus on the ingredients and it actually came out pretty good.  This was the only healthy I served that night.

Meat: Baby back ribs
I actually bought chicken thigh fillets Saturday morning to serve chicken barbecue.  It only occurred to me when I got home that I should have bought fresh instead of frozen.  The marinating time wasn’t going to make it in time for dinner.  So, I ordered take out baby back ribs instead.  The ribs were good, but the meat was tough.  So what I got were prolly Toddler-back instead of baby-back ribs.

Pasta: Pasta Putanesca
Since that time I heard about this dish in the movie “Lemony Snicket’s: A series of Unfortunate events” I’ve been curious.  On the movie, it didn’t seem to hard to make.  After that, whenever I had the chance I’d order this pasta on Italian restos.  I’ve always been fond of red sauce for pasta anyways.  So, I decided to try to it out on my own since I’ve been cooking just spaghetti for as long as I can remember.  It turned out pretty good and healthy too. Now, I’m on the lookout for the next good red sauce pasta..

Dessert:
I wanted to try out making Panna Cotta, even the basic one.  However, I wasn’t going to have enough space on our refrigerator for it.  And this kind of recipe was like a make-or-break dessert.  Either you got it perfect or a perfect disaster.  And since I was running out of time and ideas, I went on the safe side.  Brought some good brownies and ice cream.  I wanted to have Vanilla on my brownies, but it seems very few stores are selling it in Manila.  What is up with that? I read an article a couple of months ago that Vanilla was the best selling ice cream flavor.. But perhaps that’s just in the U.S. I had to make do with coffee ice cream.  It was like overkill on my brownie.. but well, I couldn’t think of another flavor to go with the brownies.

DOTA!!
For some time Jason has been telling me that we should do a head-to-head game on DOTA. Easy for him to say. I learned to play the game over a year ago and I’m still just getting by the “Easy” mode.  Embarassing I know, but I’m not really much into games that don’t have a story.  A good story at that.  I played Starcraft because I loved Kerrigan’s character.  So, Jason taught Gab how to play the game. After that we tried doing a 3-on-3 against the computer on “Easy” mode so that Gab could get a feel of the game.  We actually lost!  How embarassing that was.  On the second game, it was me and Gab against Jason.  We still felt outmatched by Jason.  During the game we couldn’t defeat his hero 2 on 1.  Well, even if he could  kill our heroes head-on, he couldn’t be in two places at one time.  So that’s what Gab and I did. We attacked his base from two different sides.  And we won!  And I still think it was a fair 2 on 1 game =)
Too bad though we only had 2 bottles of beer that time. One for me and one for Jason.  That’s what we should have prepared for.

We had a great time that night.  I was tired as hell and fell asleep a few minutes after they left.  But it was worth it.  Dinner was great and the LAN party was fun.

• Power chords are the most painful (literally) chord formations. Barre chords almost pale in comparison.. almost, but not quite.  But I guess, it also depends on the fingers used.  My left arm is almost paralyzed after just one song.
• I am over spending again
• I haven’t gone to the beach or any resort for that matter this year.  So sad..
• I can’t remember the last movie I watched… But I have to watch Righteous Kill or Tropic Thunder.. do or die..
• I lost 15 lbs!!
• I have to plan for a vacation.. for real
• I’m watching Amor Real.. again. And another telenovela of Adela Noriega.  Yup, I have to admit it.. I’ve become an avid fan.
• I tried an asparagus dish last weekend at a friend’s wedding.  Unfortunately, I still can’t stand it.  So it’s either the white (canned) asparagus has a lighter taste or that my sense of taste was somewhat altered when I ate the white variety on the plane going to US (as told by a friend).

Back to basics.. pentatonics

Two and a half months since I bought my guitar and I can still say that it’s the best thing I did and bought for this year. Never mind the calloused fingers and hours of just sitting around and playing music.

I saw a friend a couple of weeks ago who read my post here in friendster about my new guitar and he asked what chords I could play.  I socked him on the shoulder (playfully.. hehe).  The right question would have been what keys I could play or which scales.  One could learn 10 chords in a day, play a song with 5 chords the next day.  I should know.  I’ve got calloused and slightly blackened fingertips to prove them.  Very unladly-like remarks for sure but what can I say? I’m having a great time.  Currently, my favorite songs to play are those from Jeremy Camp, Chris Tomlin, and some from Casting Crowns.

I stashed away my pentatonic notes after the first month.  It’s quite a challenge to learn them if you don’t really play in band or you don’t have anyone teaching you personally.  Thankfully, I was able to pick up a bit of picking exercises that have somewhat improved my playing.  I don’t follow patterns on guitar tablature sites because for some reason they’re much harder to do than just making ‘kapa’ on your fretboard and strings.

Now that I think about it, the experience is pretty much the same while I was still playing the piano.  Most of the time I was looking at chord books than piano music sheets.  It was somehow easier for me to improvise with the notes on the piano keys for the chords I was playing than following the notes on a music sheet.  Hmm.. I’m not sure what that means, but… no, I’m not really sure what it means. For a moment there, I thought I had a thought.. Hahaha!

But after two and a half months, I feel like I’m stuck with my guitar playing.  I can’t be playing the same chords forever or doing rhythm guitar.  Even though I don’t belong in a band, I have to improve or else.. well, I’d be stuck.  I’d get tired of it and maybe come to a point not to play anymore.

Much as I hate to admit it, I have to get back to the scales playing or pentatonics at the very least.  Learning them is just a challenge, a chore for sure.  I wish my cousins were around  to teach me some techniques so that I’d be able to appreciate them while practicing.  Kuya Jon! Help!

Amor Real

This mexican soap opera is my current addiction.. for the last 3 weeks.  Of all the latin telenovelas I have seen since Marimar days, this is like.. WOW!  I watched the 4 hour (plus) condensed DVD version with english subtitles for like more than 4 times already (downloaded from youtube to my Ipod).  It was that good that I opted to watch the whole series (thanks to Youtube!) with no english subtitles. Twice.

The cast was great.  It was nice to see Fernando Colunga mature as an actor.  It takes a lot to hold back my own tears to see him crying on the screen.  Adela Noriega, who seems to cry on every episode was great too.  Although I prefer those episodes wherein she’d be aggressive or acting jealous.  It’s very amusing to see how Manuel (Fernando Colunga) and Matilde (Adela Noriega) are screaming at each other and then they’d be all over each other. In one scene.  Every screaming match is intense because you don’t if Manuel is going to kiss Matilde or leave the room furious.  Most of the time, he does both and in that order.  Best on-screen chemistry for a male and female lead since Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher in my opinion.

What’s also different in this telenovela is that it contains love scenes. Perhaps I just haven’t seen that many soap operas in years but this would be the first time for me to see one in a mexican telenovela, or any soap opera for that matter.  And I would have to say the cast and crew did a good job on those scenes. In one word, beautiful.

The dialogues were amusing as well.  At least for those that I could understand word per word. Especially the conversations between Matilde and her Tia Prudencia when talking about ‘It’:

(Matilde has just made the decision to stay with her husband Manual even if she is not in love with him.. yet)
Matidle: “Tia, do you think that even if you’re not in love with your husband it’s possible to like… it?”
Tia Prudencia: “Well, I don’t know because I was in love with my husband.  But all I can say is that flesh is flesh” (This is a word-per-word translation but pretty much understandable)

(After being separated for almost a year because of a big fight, Matilde and Manuel spend their first night together again)
Tia Prudencia: “So you’ve reconciled? You slept in the same room”
Matilde: “Well, I don’t know. I don’t think so. Maybe we just missed each other and I was crying because I missed him and it seemed like it was forced…”
Tia Prudencia: “Forced?”
Matilde: “Uhm… It.. Tia”
Tia Prudencia: “Ay Mati, my Fulgencio was a tigre for It and so I can say I have a lot of experience.  When a man wants to do it no saint can help” (Word for word translation again but you get the point).

(The family has just returned to their home ranch and Manuel is telling Matilde how happy he is with everything that’s happened and that this was a night for them)
Matilde: (starts to unbutton Manuel’s vest).  “Shall we start?”
Manuel: “It seems you are not as timid as you were before..”
Matilde: “Does it bother you?”
Manuel: “I like it..”

These lines just crack me up.  It’s very funny to see how the characters talked about ‘It’ considering the time period they were in. Supposedly conservative and all that.

What’s also nice about the telenovela is that it was set in early 19th century (I think), an epoch.  Costumes were superb.  The ones wherein the women wore balloon skirts (I don’t know the correct term) and corsets. The scenery and how the production staff created the city of Trinidad.  I guess it’s not surprising that Amor Real won the telenovela of the year award along with best male and female leads.  Cast and crew did a great job.  I do hope that the producer Carla Estrada would make another soap opera with Fernando Colunga and Adela Noriega, they just look good together.  And both of them are single and
unattached in real life.. imagine that..

The opening song is very beautiful as well.  It’s actually what first caught my attention.

The Music in me.. (daw! hahaha!)

Last weekend I bought a guitar.  Sort of an advanced birthday present for myself.  Being female I got different reactions and comments, none of them positive.  Well, my dad was kinda neutral I guess.  He helped me out when we were picking out guitars in the mall.  My younger brother asked if there was a guy involved. I’m not really sure what he meant by that and I don’t really want to think about it dahil baka mainis lang ako.  My sister just raised an eyebrow.  The most unusual comment I heard was from my mom.  She said, "Gitara? Bakit? Hindi na uso yan!"  I couldn’t really give a reply immediately to what she said, just the shocked expression on my face.  I was really speechless with that comment.  Music is timeless! In whatever form and shape.

I guess what really brought this about was that I missed playing music.  I used to play the keyboards during highschool and college.  Was part of the worship team back in our church.  It’s been years really since I last played the keyboard. I stopped when it got broken and never really got around to buying another one.  I might have gotten a keyboard instead if I weren’t saving my money for an upcoming big expense coming around soon.  When I was still in school, the keyboards were more of a distraction.  When I got home from school I would play some music to unwind, and I wouldn’t notice that hours would have passed by.  Especially when I wanted to transcribe a particular song.  That really takes a while.  But I never really got that far with the transcribing thing. I’d get frustrated with it and just grab a songbook.. hehehe.  At one point, I had to put away my keyboard because it was interrupting schoolwork and study time… As if! Wahahaha!  This is aside from the band practices we had to do once a week.

The second reason would be that I was always curious how music theory was applied to guitars. On the fretboard in particular.  I mean, on the piano it was pretty straightforward. Low to high is left to right, and you can’t go wrong with that.  When one of the lead guitarists from our church before showed me how it was done, it looked really complicated.  But still, I was curious.  I knew that the same principles could be applied to the guitar, but just in a different way (and more difficult).

The third reason is the Blues (E7 A7 B7 E7..) Note: Kelangan talaga ng background music =)
As far as I can remember I’ve always liked the Blues genre. I’m not like a die-hard Blues fan, but an ordinary run-off-the mill Blues fan.  Yes, there is a difference.  Probably got it from my dad.  Whenever I heard it playing on the casette or CD, I’d be straining my ears to determine each note and image what keys were being played on the keyboard.  Or how the lead guitarist would be playing around on his fretboard to hit the right notes.  And I’d just be mezmerized.  However, the only time I was able to see a live band playing was while I was in Florida.  I forgot the name of the bar but the whole area was called YBAR (ee-bar). Anyway, the band’s name was Blackwater Blues I think. And they were really good.  Ang bloopers ko pa nun, when I came forward to drop a $5 tip I later realized I actually gave a $50 pala.  Hahaha! Hindi ko na lang sinabi sa mga kasama ko ung katangahan ko na un.. hehe.  I just kept telling myself, "It’s okay, they’re good naman eh."

Honestly… Sa totoo lang..

It irks me to hear people saying these lines.  It gives me an impression that probably most of the time, when they do not start the sentence with those phrases, they are just lying.  And that it’s just natural for them to do that.  I’d rather have someone tell me a lie without knowing about it even if it isn’t about me than to know he or she probably lied to someone else about it. I hate hypocritical/pretentious people especially when I catch them in the act.

I believe that there are still honest people in this world and people who aren’t can and should aspire to have this quality. I’m not trying to be self righteous or naive for that matter.  At least I don’t think I am at my age.  I don’t claim to have seen it all, but I do know it’s possible.

Another thing that irritates me, on the subject of honesty, is when people don’t just take what I say at face value.  Don’t ask me if I’m telling you the truth, if I wasn’t you wouldn’t know about it until too late.  It really is a dumb question to ask.  Nobody would confess to doing a sin to somebody they’re doing the sin against outright.  That’s just stupid.  I remember this one time many years ago when I attended a midweek service conducted by our church at a hotel.  I went to the ladies room and on my way out I saw Dawn Zulueta with a group standing just a few feet away. I had a good look at her and she probably saw me looking (with more than just a glance) and she smiled.  So I went back to our group and told one of our youth pastors who was a few years older than me.  I could not forget her reaction which went something like.. "Ohs? Di nga…"

I almost forgot who she was then because in my mind I was blurting out "Why would I lie about something like that?!"  Then again, maybe she forgot who she was talking to or probably didn’t know me that well even if she was my youth pastor.  I’ve been branded to be the "serious" type by most of my friends.  And I can be funny when I’m being sarcastic. Or so they say, on both accounts.

I’m not saying that I don’t or never lie. I just won’t tell people that I do even if to somebody else they didn’t know.  It’s scary to think that people who like to use the word "honestly" could be lying to themselves.  Phrases like: "In my honest opinion.." "I honestly think that…"… What, they can’t be true even to their own thoughts?

Randomings

• I saw on the Sunday paper a picture of this tv personality who was saying something about grocery shopping being one of her favorite things to do. How she describes the experience as healthy and pampering herself. And I guess to make a point, the picture on the paper showed her and her almost full shopping cart and there was a big sign behind her that says "Live Well!" What’s on her shopping cart? Gardenia WHITE bread and a couple of bags of imported potato chips. ‘Nuff said. Really.

• Nanlait na naman ang mga "gwapo" kong officemate. Ang gwapo talaga nila. I should stop at baka gumanda ako katulad nila.

• My officemate told me about how she’s planning the activities for their 10-year highschool reunion. Made me think about what our highschool reunion would be like assuming people would actually want to go without the intention of gloating.

• On my way home sumakay ako ng jeep kanina. Tatlo kaming babae na pasahero at lahat nakaupo malapit sa dulo. Dumukot ng pera ang katabi ko at nagpa abot ng bayad. The nerve.

• Watched Joy Luck Club again for the nth time. Cried again for the nth time (over the same scenes). Just love auntie Lindo and of course, June.

• I sometimes let people make mistakes to make a point. Kinda cruel but it works.

• We’re out of milk. Got cereals but not milk; sliced avocado supposedly for salad but no dairy product of any kind. I have a peanut butter sandwich that I don’t like to eat without milk. Got milk?

• I am so gonna get a memo because my APE is more than one month overdue.

Speedminton

Not as light as badminton, not quite as rough as tennis, not as fast (nor as dangerous) as squash.

For three weeks now, my officemate and I have been playing this awesome new sport I came across during my stint in the US.  We’ve we’ve had to play in a badminton court because we couldn’t find a more suitable one like a tennis court, but the game still rocks!  It really is faster than badminton for one.  However, since the game is supposed to be played on bigger court like a tennis court, we’ve had to exert control everytime we hit the speeders.  No smashes allowed.

The ball is called a speeder.  There are three types: fun speeder, match speeder, and the night speeder.  The fun speeder is for beginners.  It’s about the same max speed as a badminton birdie but the distance travelled is longer.  Then there’s the match speeder.  Once you’ve gotten a hang of hitting the beginner speeder and using the racquet, you’re ready to move on to the match speeder.  This is the competition speeder.  Faster and goes much farther than the fun speeder.  To truly appreciate the speed and distance of this particular speeder, speedminton has to be played outdoors or in a  tennis court.  I haven’t had the chance to play it in a tennis court yet, but the great outdoors is perfect.  Good thing that the speeders have an accessory called wind rings so that the flight of the speeders are not much affected by the wind.  Really strong winds are a different matter though.  Once you’ve gotten used to the match speeder, it’s quite an adjustment to go back to the fun speeder or badminton I guess for that matter.  My officemate and I tried this and we found ourselves actually pausing and waiting for the ball.  I haven’t tried the night speeder yet but it’s supposed to be as fast as the match speeder.  This is new as far as racquet sports ball goes because with the night speeder, you can play in the dark or at night.  It has one of those glow in the dark thingies.

The racquets were the ones that made me curious when I first saw the lone speedminton set on display shelf on the farthest end of Sharper Image store in Rockaway Mall.  I actually thought it was Squash because they were smaller than regular tennis racquets.  And right away it was obvious that they were not badminton racquets.  I’m not gonna try to describe the materials that make up the speedracquet and I don’t think I can pull off pretending what they mean and their supposed advantages over other racquets.  All I know is it looks like a smaller version of a tennis racquet.  For more info, go to speedminton.com na lang.. hehe

While we were playing in one of those big warehouse-type buildings with a lot a badminton courts inside, I noticed that we were the only ones running around and I found myself trying to catch my breath.  After almost 2 hours of playing I’m able to tell myself that that was indeed a workout.  And that is saying something because I go to the gym and the fatigue and muscle soreness is almost the same as playing 2 hours of (match) speedminton.

It’s too bad though that speedminton is not yet available here in Pinas.  But I have made it my goal to make pauso this game.. hehe.  There was this one time we played in MetroBadminton and they had this portion on wall where they hung pieces of history of tennis and badminton.  From the earliest racquets, shoes, and accessories.  I said to myself, one day the speedminton will grace that wall.. hehehe =)

Some friends… not!

Just recently I got in between a fight between two of my highschool friends.  Friend A was the first to contact me. He told me of how Friend B had been saying bad things about me like how "arrogant" I had become since I came back from the US, that I’m a good for nothing friend and all that he cares about meeting with me after so long is for the pasalubong, and other stuff that a friend should never say about another friend no matter how familiar, close, or if they were supposed to be a joke and not supposed to mean anything.

Of course I was hurt. I was furious. A lot of thoughts were running in mind.  It was shocking for me to think that the people who were supposed to know me, after more than 10 years of friendship, would know better than to say things like that.  I would be the first to admit that for most of my life I wanted to please people. Pitiful as it sounds, I worked hard and endured a lot so that nothing bad could be said about me. 

The day after I met with Friend A, Friend B called me up to meet with me.  Apparently, Friend A had told him before that around that day he would be confined in the hospital for a tonsilectomy.  Friend B wanted me come along and visit Friend A.  I confronted Friend B about the things Friend A had told me about him.  Friend B had gall to laugh at my face and deny Friend A’s stories saying that those were the exact words Friend A had been telling him about me. At that point I got confused and didn’t know who to believe that I was compelled to meet with Friend B to get his side/version of the story.

When I met with Friend B, he still claimed that most of the things Friend A had told me were untrue but in fact were the stuff Friend A was telling him about me.  Most but not all.  Apparently, some of the hurtful things that Friend A had told me that Friend B said were true.  I told Friend B to his face that no friend I know and have at the present, excluding him, was capable of doing that to me.  He said he was sorry but damn it, I could not acept his "sorry". God forgive me, but until now I still feel that I hadn’t truly forgiven him.  I thought that I had done a good job to protect myself from people like him and remarks like those he said.  We decided to meet with Friend A for a full confrontation of the matter.  Friend A was not at the hospital as he had said but in a clinic for some tests before his tonsilectomy.  Not sure if he was lying or got the schedules mixed up.  Although I knew for a fact he had a tendency to make up stories… just for the fun of it.

When the three of us finally got together, it turns out that what Friend B had said were true because Friend A could not deny them but kept on bantering what Friend B had said which were also true.  As it turns out, Friend A let out all the things they had both been saying about me behind my back to make Friend B look bad and so that he could have all the pasalubong I bought for them both.

I was used dahil sa away nilang dalawa.  Mabuti na lang din at nagka alaman na kung anong klaseng "friends" sila.  I feel so blessed to have a lot of people around me who really care and who I know for sure would not do or say stuff like they said about me.  In short, hindi sila kawalan.  All they do is drain me with their petty quarrels.  Such hypocrites they both are telling me that what I do is not good or not Christian-like, when one of them could not let go of his cellphone while inside the church and the other does the things he is supposedly against because they are wrong. 

Having said all that, all I need now is to be strong in my decision to stay away from them.  The one thing I still have trouble doing is to learn how to say NO when a friend comes to me for help and I know I am able to.  I hope I can be strong in that too when one of them comes to me.  I don’t know if I what I am doing is wrong, all I know is that I am just protecting myself from future disappointments.  This way hindi ko totally binabawasan ang trust and belief ko sa good intentions ng mga tao in general, especially people whom I consider as friends, just those two. I think. I hope.