Sunburn

You're as sweet as nutty sans rival;
relaxing like a Thai massage.

You're funnier than Rakugo;
more sinful than Balamban liempo.

You're my supreme escape;
my favorite mistake.

You're my greatest release,
always, a bliss.

You're my bane
and my sweetest pain.

Image courtesy of Google images.

In My Life

I don't often watch Filipino movies, more so in theaters but I gave in this time. My office mates raved about it and one let slip that there was a scene wherein John Lloyd Cruz slapped Vilma Santos. Hmmm, that's something I should see for myself.

The movie does not disappoint. Actually, I'll go as far as to say I loved it. I found myself alternately laughing and crying. I didn't know if there would be a kissing scene between JL and Luis (I was quite sure there would be but none confirmed) and I kept myself alert because if there would be, then I didn't want to see it to spare myself a heart attack. I love JL and seeing him kiss another man is more than I could take. Fortunately, I closed my eyes just in time for the smack. Ha ha!

In My Life is a must see for mothers. I'll be sure to bring a copy the next time I'm home.

Image from http://www.pep.ph/index.html

Cancelled

I've had my first taste of the horrors accompanying a canceled flight a week ago. I went home to Mati for my Nic's 8th birthday (which was a blast even if I had quite a scare when more children came than expected. I had visions of them wailing, kicking, and screaming because they didn't have balloons and loot bags. Fortunately for me, I had just the exact number.) and I was scheduled to go back to work by Sept 13 at 7pm. What was supposed to be an uneventful flight turned out to be a series of looong waits and then finally, my first cancellation. I was halfway through Ribblestrop when I started waiting for my flight and by the time I was done, they still haven't confirmed that it would be canceled . When they finally did, my head's pounding because of too much reading and my stomach's rumbling because the last food intake was during lunch. To top everything off, my new LG FM phone went dead on me because I forgot to recharge the blasted thing, just when I needed it most.

The immediate concerns were who'll work on my behalf and where I will stay for the night. Despite the short notice, GI Joe agreed to work for me so the only problem left was a place to stay while I wait for the new schedule. Cebu Pac offered no free lodging for their stranded passengers because as what I heard from another passenger "it wasn't their fault." Mati is 3 hours north of Davao so going home is not an option. I briefly considered doing a "Tom Hanks" in the movie The Terminal. I ended up being the Luy family's "house pest" for the night. As is expected, they were very welcoming; Xtie's dad offered me everything he could find in the fridge ("Jon naay durian sa ref", "Jon naay ice cream sa ref", "Jon naay biskwit sa ref", "Jon naay hotdog sa ref", "Jon pag-inom ug Milo"), and her mom entertained me with amusing tales of her stint as a realtor. The entire family made me feel as if my stay was planned and I cannot be thankful enough. I've resolved to treat them for dinner the next time they're in Cebu.

Flights were canceled due to NAIA blackout. Dada, my manager, said "it makes you feel ashamed you were born in the Philippines". Strong words but I didn't argue because, really, airports should have power all the time. I was at NB yesterday and I came across Ted Lerner's Hey,Joe. I read briefly the part where his mom visited the country for the first time. He wrote that in the Philippines the unexpected happens. (To quote Ribblestrop: Anything could happen and anything does.) But it's part of the charm, he said, and I quite agree with him.

Image courtesy of http://www.allposters.com/.

Open what?

Federer in the dark
Image from http://msn.foxsports.com/

It's the US Open and I'm home. Home means access to ESPN and Star Sports. But home also means retiring as early as 9PM so there will be no live matches for me. Do you happen to know what time replays air? Today, I've had my younger brothers, masters of the remote control depending on which time of the day we're talking about, check hourly for replays but there were none. This is getting frustrating.

***

Read Zafra's hilarious post about the US Open final between The Fed and DelPo: Kapre o Tikbalang?

Jeepney Chronicles: The Totoy Topak Encounter

When I first came to Cebu, my uncle's only advice was to be careful. "Daghan kaayog snatchers ug hold uppers diri day, so dili pwede magtinanga" were his exact words. Having settled here since the 1980s and having been a victim himself, he knows firsthand how dangerous the City can be especially for a sheltered Davaoeña.

Over the years, quite a few of the people I know have fallen prey to these Totoy Topaks. My landlady's necklace was snatched while riding a jeepney; a college classmate's ear bled when a man suddenly grasped one of her earrings; a friend went home with no wallet and a bag slashed open; and I've witnessed officemates in hysterics, while giving account of the mugging they went through. Considering all these, you'd think I would never be lax, but four years of living in relative peace makes you one. It never occurred to me that the day would come when I'd be a victim myself. Well, the thought does enter my mind occasionally but I never acknowledged the possibility which, you could say, is very foolish and somewhat arrogant for somebody who regularly commutes via PUVs.

Indeed, Monday night was an awakening of the most rude kind. It was unfortunate that I had to go through a hold up to admit to myself that I am vulnerable and that I have to be extra careful. So what were the lessons learned? For one, I will be observant and attentive to my surroundings so that in case this happens again, I will have definitive answers to questions such as "Asa man dapit nahitabo?", "Unsa may nawong sa nagkuha?", "Unsa may ilang gisu-ot?". These questions are hard enough to answer when I'm paying attention; harder still when I'm half-asleep. Another thing, I'm not bringing a bulky wallet again. Better safe than sorry, right?

PS.
The interview was a struggle. The tanods asked a lot of questions and I didn't want to answer because I was already somewhat catatonic (coping mechanism) and I blanked out (I couldn't recall our home phone number then). It's a good thing there were two of us and that my companion was a chatterbox (on hindsight, it was probably her coping mechanism). If it were just me, I doubt if they could squeeze out details.

Image courtesy of http://news.bbc.co.uk.