Wait Forever

On a day like this, with rain pouring outside, this song just really fits in.

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Wait Forever (Gary Valenciano)

Standing on a great divide
I feel the sudden need to fly
Underneath the open sky
And the river down below

I could keep on running now
I could keep on cheating death
and yet somehow
It all ends up the same
I don't want to be the one who's blamed

Because you see that I don't really have a choice at all
If only for a taste of flight
I'd gladly take the fall

So I say, I love you
I don't want to wait forever
Just to say, I need you
Doesn't even have to matter
If it really matters anything to you

And I'd gladly take this ride
Just as long as you are there on the other side
Not making sense at all
Of making sense of it all

So while I can , I'll take the chance
I'm diving in
If you need me, I will die
To feel alive again

I'm falling like I've never done so before
I'm flying against the wind
And here I go

So, I say I love you
I don't want to wait forever
Just to say, I need you
Doesn't even have to matter
I don't want to wait forever
So, while I can I'll take my chance
So, I'll say I need you
Doesn't even have to matter
When I say...
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Lovely, isn't it? Great music, too!

Life is a Cartoon Strip

Peanuts and Hagar the Horrible. Two of the few cartoon strips I actually like. They are simple, witty and truthful. And most of the time, they just give me a really good laugh or quick smile.

Burden on My Shoulders

I arrived home very late last night. It was a very tiring day with work piling up on my desk like pancakes, stacked one after another. I was very frustrated because I couldn’t seem to prioritize any one of them, which would have been easy given any other day. I ended up starting all but not finishing any one of them. I was just ready to go home and start work on my thesis, which is the most important thing in my life right now, and the thing that is foremost in my mind. But before I could even grab my bag and leave the office, we were told to stay for an emergency meeting that ended up with us eating dinner at the office, discussing informally our supposedly ‘salary increase’ that is the cause for ‘unrest’ among other employees in the office, and me getting home late. Once I got into the taxi, I just couldn’t wait to get home and drop asleep the instant I hit the bed. But it was never meant to be. It was jus the beginning of another nightmare.

The house, for a long time, had needed a repair on the faucet. It was just my luck to have a landlady that has a compassion for tenants the size of a pea. It had been months since we last requested for a plumber who never arrived at all (calling all lawyers! Can I sue my landlady? I think there are provisions under the law for this aside from our immediate contract). I had to look for one myself and ended up with a plumber recommended by our lab driver. He said this plumber was a certified professional. I don’t doubt his credentials but with the way I am feeling right now? Well, he’s really a professional alright (Beep! Beep! Sarcastic mode). I specifically told my middleman that they were not, as in not, supposed to remove the faucet (as per my landlady’s orders) but to just close off the switch of the faucet that’s loose and install control valves under the sink on the two pipes. But hell, what did I see???? Not only was the faucet replaced by an ordinary one (which was the plan in the first place until the landlady told us not to remove the original), but one of the pipes under the sink was cut-off and closed-off by epoxy or something! The water wasn’t even running yet since the seal had to dry well before we could turn on the ‘newly installed’ faucet. We had to pay eight hundred pesos for the labor and materials (which by the way, we have no official receipt of purchase of) for a job that is not satisfactory to me. Where is the handy boyfriend when you needed one?! If I know plumbing, I would have done it myself and would even have done a better job of it. I even have a picture of the output in my mind and probably the idea of repair, the only problem was in the execution.

Another things that frustrated me was my housemate who was there when everything happened. I didn’t see him when I made the plans for the plumber to do the repair so I personally asked his sister to tell him about the coming plumber and the landlady’s instructions. Apparently, his sister did tell him that but he didn’t remember so he just let the plumber replace the faucet without even thinking, “Hey, wait a minute! Are we even supposed to remove the faucet? Are we allowed to do that? We are only renting this place!” But no, he didn’t ask! So, I ended up with a faucet I am not comfortable with because of the argument I will have with the landlady once she finds out what I have let done. The burden all falls down on me!

Most of all, I was disappointed with myself. I shouldn’t have depended too much on my middleman or my housemate. If I wanted a job done right, I should have been there to supervise the work. I should have put on more effort to contact my middle man before the job, to really make sure that he knows what I wanted done. I shouldn’t have depended on the middleman too much just because I knew him for years now. Oh, oh! And you know what happened to the original faucet? The plumber took it with him! I’ll get that back one way or another just for the spite of it. Professional, indeed (again, sarcastic mode)! It made me realize that we may not be an island but when it comes to things such as this, it’s better that you do it yourself, either the supervision or the execution! I learned a lesson last night but it was not the easy way. All I could do right now is let it go, face the landlady, and never do the same mistake again!

On Ref Magnets

I realized a while back that I never buy anything that would remind of the places I've been to the last couple of years. So I'm changing my game plan: I am collecting ref magnets! And to make up for lost chances, I am soliciting all my friends to bring home ref magnets for me. Luckily, most of my friends tend to travel because of the kind of work we do, especially the guys. I'm not picky. The ref magnets could be from some place local or from somewhere else. I'm currently waiting for some to arrive from Australia, US, Hong Kong, Italy, UK, Malaysia and General Santos City. My goal is to fill our refrigerator door with ref magnets. I love it because each has a story to tell.

Time

A reminder of time outside the Our Dynamic Earth Museum at Edinburgh, Scotland. I particularly like this because highlighted is the first thing I learned in my Geology class.

What I'd like to see

... for my country.

1. Good rail transit systems all over the country so that if I want to go to either Abra or Bicol, I will just have to hop on the next train.

2. Underground train system (like the Tube) all over Metro Manila. But for starters, please finish the MRT line going from North Avenue to Fairview.

3. A centralized bus system and very clean bus stations.

4. Cheaper airline tickets and more destinations.

5. Good road system (please fix the one that leads to the Bicol region, the one in Camarines).

6. Less shopping malls and more manufacturing establishments.

7. Increase of state subsidy on education. (Let's not use expired chemicals for our laboratory classes please.)

8. Improved language skills. Pinoys should be multi-lingual or mapag-iiwan din tayo balang araw ng China.

9. Good sewerage systems para wala nang baha lalo na kapag tag-ulan.

10. Efficient solid waste management.

11. Tourism that will truly cater to the Pinoys. Wouldn't it be nicer if Filipinos could enjoy the beauty of their country first? Meaning: affordable travel packages. Remember our minimum wage.

12. Government officials believing and trusting our own scientists first. Look at Al Gore. I've heard that he doesn't even have a science degree but hear him talk about global warming in the Philippines. As if he knows anything about what's going on here in the first place!

13. Acceptance of the mining industry. This is one way of alleviating our poverty.

I think there are still lots of other things that we want to see in our country in the future. Therefore, this list will be updated. You may add to the list if you want.

Richest, Poorest

... to see that the world is not equal after all.

Can NCR share its wealth with those in the southern regions? When will the fighting in the southern island stop so we can see progress. I grew up in Mindanao and it grieves me to hear that people are suffering there because of armed conflicts. Due to the constant fighting, innocent families become homeless. How can they help themselves when nobody's giving them the chance to live as they should, in peace? Mindanao is wealthy. Give it the chance to grow and someday, it will be more than what it should be.

Photo taken from Philippine Daily Inquirer.

Still in the Philippines

Looks like somewhere other than the Philippines, right? Wrong!
Isn't this beautiful?
It's a lonely seaside view of the Philippine Sea (not the Pacific Ocean)
in Sorsogon.

PS (again). I'm posting a lot of Sorsogon pics right now because for me, there are a lot of things beautiful in Sorsogon. I just wish I could see a Butanding soon.

Frescata

One of the very few reasons
why I would take any chance to go to the US

Yes, I have a weakness for sandwiches. I could last a couple of weeks without rice as long as there are sandwiches (or pizza). And this Frescata sandwich do sure looks yummy. According to Wendy's Philippines, they are currently awaiting the results of the US launch of this product. Hopefully, they can bring it here in the Philippines. Hmm... Why does it almost always have to be in the US? The first this, the first that. Can't they also launch it here? Many Pinoys also love to eat sandwiches aside from the rice.

Of Fulgoso and Marimar

Ever wondered about that dog, Fulgoso? Doesn't this one look like him? Or was Fulgoso a white dog? I couldn't help taking a pic of this stray dog while we were taking our lunch in one of the parks in Isabela. After walking the whole morning looking for an outcrop, we thought we needed a break. This dog thought the same too, probably after sniffing over some empty garbage cans around the park. How sad that this quite beautiful dog should have no home, like so many others. Ever wonder if you have a dog pound in your own town? The only dog pound I know is in Marikina. If we have one in each town, there won't be as much dogs running around as we have right now. There won't be dogs flattened by cars on the road, there won't be dog poo for any of us to step on, and best of all, those dogs deserving of a home will have a home. How I wish life could be that simple.

And Marimar? I just wish I could buy the telenovela's complete DVD set at Quiapo! It would be great watching the show that was a hit when you were in high school. And besides, I didn't get to finish the whole show. Waah!

PS (I can't stop writing a PS). The photo was taken when the Wowowee Stampede occurred.

Only in the Philippines

I love my country! It is sometimes the host of the weirdest, funniest and unusual things (well, unusual for non-Pinoys, perhaps). The photo was taken when we were on the road in Sorsogon, about to finish our survey of around the area. I just love this photo! We were trying to follow this tricycle (stacked over with another tricycle) so my labmate can just get a couple of pictures.

PS Thanks Wally for taking the picture. Well, what can we do? You were the one holding the camera!

Rain Furiously Falls

After a day out of the house, this is what we encountered on our way back home. Well, PAGASA did say we will encounter heavy rains most afternoons. Is it also true that we will have three typhoons this June? I could enjoy this weather if I'm at home and I don't need to go to work. I'll just curl up in my bed and read.... read.... read...

Hmmm... Speaking of reading, I have to finish reading my thesis journals first!

I miss playing soccer...

I miss playing soccer. I am not actually good at it but I’m okay. I like to play because it’s fun but most of all, because I get to spend some time with my friends and orgmates. Winning some games is just a big bonus. How I miss those times, especially now that my batchmates have gone and took jobs almost all over. No one’s going to wake me up very early in the morning anymore and ask “Gusto mo bang maglaro?” and I’ll miss the time when it would just rain suddenly and both teams would decide to play on, enjoying the rain more than the game? Hoping we could do this again… FRISBEE na lang! meron ako at di ko pa sya nate-test!

FIFA World Cup Mania

One of the reasons why I created this blog: to be able to post a lot of pictures! And this is one of those times! Ole, ole! The World Cup is here!!!

Go Brazil! Go Argentina! Go Germany!













Pretty colorful, isn't it! This is amongst my 'Things to Do Before I Die' list: to attend a World Cup Championship!

PS. I will need to look for pictures of Germany and Argentina to post here, though!

Photo credits: AP, Reuters and Yahoo!

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