sidney sheldon

sidney sheldon just died at 89! it's sad news, especially to my friend rizza who is an avid reader of his works. read about the news at

http://edition.cnn.com/2007/SHOWBIZ/01/30/sheldon.obit.ap/index.html

sheldon was one of those i read avidly in high school. i had enjoyed most especially the following novels: master of the game, rage of angels, sands of time, and if tomorrow comes.

my interest in reading actually started with hardy boys. hehehe. i just read two hardy boys (oh how hard those boys were! hehehe) actually. then, i went hardcore! i read danielle steel's zoya. ang kapal! ang haba! at puro iyakan! i finished it nevertheless! and guess what? i read sidney sheldon right after. and i was hooked with him during high school. i read his other works such as the naked face, the other side of midnight, doomsday conspiracy, the stars shine down, nothing lasts forever, and i think a few others. but i never as much liked these works compared to the four i mentioned earlier. sheldon played a big part in my literary journey.

if you like suspense novels whose heroes are heroines, pick up sheldon. be sure to read master of the game and rage of angels. ;)

giving

while walking towards orchard mrt earlier to go home after my massage at pacific plaza and my aimless wandering and musings at dfs at scotts road, i saw at a distance ahead an old lady selling tissue. i looked at her and felt a tug in me. i knew she saw me looking at her for she gently yet forcefully tried to sell me a tissue when i came at arm's length of her. all i did, though, was nod at her, gave her a forced half smile, muttered a 'no thanks', and walked away.

i felt bad. i knew she was trying to make a living and there i was fresh from a massage and from almost buying a bottle of perfume at dfs. she was really old yet she was peddling in a busy passageway where people just passed by and ignored her. i felt i had to go back, yet i walked on. but just before i reached the entrance to the ticket concierge, i went back. i went back to the old lady, asked her how much the tissue was, and paid for it with a big smile. :) the small tissue actually cost a lot. 2 dollars. but i would have gladly given 10 if she asked for it. for all i know, she was in dire need. it felt good. it felt like unconditional love.

i used to have experiences like that. i'd see someone whom i can sense is just doing the best they could to make a living; but always i walked away and just tried to brush off any feelings of sympathy. my reservations in such cases before were, of course, borne out of the old held notion that somebody else would be kinder in deed than i was. yet again, why couldn't it be me?

all our reservations are almost always due to conditions that are already pre-set in our minds; like the condition that we have to get the value of our money. yet, when you realize that there is joy in giving, especially when it's unconditional, it is really very easy to do. i can say i've always been generous to my family and friends but these people already have so much. indeed, it makes me happy when i see my kins and friends happy, but there's also a wonderful kind of joy to be had in helping others. and to top it off, the one you're helping or the one you're being generous to could be very much happy as well. :)

nakuha lang sa mwah

prologo

napansin ko na madalas nangyayari ang small world phenomenon sa panahon ngayon. nagiging uso na yata ito. gaya ng poker na nagiging uso na sa isang tipon ng magkakaibigan na pawang ang purpose in life ay ang aliwin ang isa't isa. ang www.triplejack.com ay tila isang malaking lugar sa dami ng walang magawang tao na pumupunta dito ngunit ito'y isang napakaliit na mundo lamang para sa dalawang nilalang na pinagtagpo.

nota (wow!)

ang kuentong ito ay hango sa totoong buhay. sadyang pinalitan ang pangalan ng mga tao tauhan para ma-protektahan ang kanilang pagkatao, reputasyon, at pangalan.

ang napakaikling kwento

habang naglalakad ang magka-abakadang barkadang sina emstie, sustan, jonext, laitanie, jaston, shith, at lentie galing sa isang larong hampasan at tilian, kinuento ni emstie ang isang nangyaring nagpakilig sa kanya. yung tipong kilig na nakakalaglag panty.

emstie: uy, sustan, naglaro ako kanina sa triplejack. nanalo ako sa tourney ng tatlong beses. and guess what? may naka-flirt pa ako! at binigyan nya pa ako ng pera! ang bait!

sustan: huwow! anong name nya?

emstie: x!

sustan: x??? si istamtlie yan ah!

sustan, jonext, laitanie, jaston, shith, lentie: wahahaha.

emstie: ngeh! ang small world! hahaha!

sustan: ano nangyari?

emstie: sumali ako sa 2k tourney. ewan ko kung pano nagsimula kaming mag-chat. basta nagkakulitan lang hanggang sa sinabihan nya ko na mag-heads up kaming dalawa. aba, mega concentrate ako para umabot ng heads up. tapos kami nga ang nag heads up! aba, ang bait. sinabi nya sa kin cards nya para mag all in kami. nanalo nga ako! tapos sabi pa nya na laro daw ako parati para dumami pera ko! naks! nag-mwah-mwah pa kami. kaka-inlab!

sustan: ava! si istamtlie namimigay pala ng pera. at may style ha. mwah mwah.

emstie: sabihin ko ba sa kanya?

sustan, jonext, laitanie, jaston, shith, lentie: wahahaha. huwag!

emstie: ok. hihihihi.

maya maya habang naglalaro ang magkakaibigan ng poker na kasama na si istamtlie.

emstie: istamtlie, naglaro ka ba sa triplejack kanina?

istamtlie: ah, oo. isang beses lang.

emstie: magkano pera mo? nanalo ka ba? hahaha.

laitanie: nag-bu-blush ka na emstie!

istamtlie: ha? nandun ka? sino ka dun?

emstie: hihihihi.

istamtlie: ikaw si y???

emstie: hihihihi.

sustan, jonext, laitanie, jaston, shith, lentie: wahahaha.

emstie: ang flirt mo!

istamtlie: ikaw kaya naunang mag-sweetie.

emstie: uy, ikaw kaya naunang mag-mwah mwah. hihihihi.

sustan, jonext, laitanie, jaston, shith, lentie: uyyyyyyyyy....

epilogo

ang "uyyyyyyyyyy" na hirit ng mga kaibigan ni emstie at istamtlie ay hindi totoong nangyari. para lang magkaron ng laglag panty kilig moment ang maikling kwento. nakakatuwa ang ganitong mga small world na pangyayari. ngunit delikado din eto. kung sakaling hindi kaagad nalaman ng dalawa ang katotohanan, malamang parating magkikita ang dalawa sa triplejack. ang nakakatakot isipin ay ang magka-developan ang dalawa at mag-desisyong mag eye ball! naku! isang malaking tragic comedy ang kalalabasan! tragic kasi hindi dapat magka-inlaban ang dalawa. comedy kasi magkakilala lang sila. at sa mga ganyang pangyayari minsan nababago ang status sa friendster into "it's complicated". ang totoong emstie at istamtlie ay kapwa umiiwas sa ganyang status kahit na parating ganyan ang kinahahantungan sa totoong buhay.

si emstie at istamtlie ay magkaibigan pa rin hanggang ngayon.

the world according to garp

i just finished reading john irving's the world according to garp. for me, it is his best novel, although it's the only book i've read from him aside from a prayer for owen meany whose film adaptation, simon birch, drove me to seeking john irving's works. the world according to garp has been hailed as funny and horrifying and heartbreaking. for me, it is also TRUE.

the novel tells the story of t.s. garp's life characterized by his fears, mostly, by his fears as a father. the story is aptly ended with the line: in the world according to garp, we are all terminal cases. no matter how we try to make the world a safe place, we all end up dead.

the novel at times can be weird, sometimes even downright scary; but most often, it is both funny and inspiring. if a novel evokes varying emotions from the reader, then it is indeed a good read! the world according to garp evokes varying degrees of feelings and thoughts. so read it! :D

i originally planned of returning the book to the bookshop that rents/sells it and get my $9 rental fee excess but after finishing it, i don't want to part with it anymore. yeah, i'll hold on to it so that i can always reread it or go back to it to search for the quotable quotes that grabbed my attention such as:

in the world according to garp, we are all terminal cases.

imagining something is better than remembering something.

in this dirty-minded world, you are either somebody's wife or somebody's whore -- or fast on your way to becoming one or the other.

between men and women, only death is shared equally.

lust makes the best men behave out of character.

and i just found out from google that there's a movie adaptation to this starring robin williams and glenn close! wow! i'm on to my next search! :D

again, go grab a copy of the world according to garp! i guarantee it's a very fine read indeed! :)

poker

dahil kay istanli nahilig ako sa poker ngayon. nilalaro ko sya sa bahay pag andun ang fwends. nilalaro ko sya sa PSP pag kasama ko si johnny at sue. nilalaro ko sya sa isip ko. at ngayon nilalaro ko sya sa www.triplejack.com!

sali na! :D

health forecasts

so ano na ba nangyari sa kin lately?

well unang una kailangan ko talagang mag-update ng blog . pini-pressure na ko ng mga fans ko! hehehe. i just learned earlier that a very good friend from japan visits my blog everyday! yeah, EVERYDAY. may susan number 2 pala ako! hehehe. i still can't believe up to this time na a handful of friends really come here para maki-chismis! hehehe! i'm so touched! inisip ko lang kasi dati na after they visit once or twice, makakalimutan na ito. kasi ano lang ba naman laman nito kundi mga ka-cornyhan at kabadingan ko! i originally intended this blog as my medium for venting out all the drama in my life na shared with a few intimate friends. at ngayon worldwide hit pala! from pinas to singapore to japan at alam ko may canada pa! ava! pero sa bagay, when i came to sing (not kanta mind you but singapore) some of my friends told me to keep them posted of my life via my blog. ipagawa bang public ang buhay ko? well, ganyan talaga ang celebrity ano? hehehe...

enough of that self praise. hehehe... so what's with me lately?

well, three weeks na yata akong may sakit. after my new year and birthday vacation, sinapian ako ng lagnat pagkabalik na pagkabalik ko sa singapore. medyo sabay pa kami ni fellow girly romae. well lagnat lang naman accompanied with sipon so not much. two fridays ago yun. sick leave ako sa office! yipee! then just this monday, aba nag-susuka si emman! either nalipasan ng gutom dahil sa meeting with the french bosses or nagkaron ng food poisoning dahil sa kinain the previous night. either way, sumuka si emman sa CR ng mga bossing (yup di ako nag-CR sa common kundi dun sa pang manager para may privacy kuno). umuwi ako. sick leave na naman. pero sumuka sa taxi! kahiya kay uncle! then sumuka ulit sa bahay after dinner! waaahhh... i was scared actually. baka ma dehydrate ako. nanlalambot pa ko the next day pero nag half day pa rin... tapos ok na ko that night. until! hay naku, ang aking ngipin naman ang sumakit. wala na naman akong tulog for the entire night! ewan ko ba! gagaling ako sa isa at meron namang ibang sakit! hay... went to the dentist earlier at buti na lang ok na ko.... pero my gosh! imagine if magpa-root canal daw ako dito sa singapore!!! 600 to 700 dollars per tooth! huwat???? cheapest na daw un ha, sabi ng dentist!!! hay, uuwi na lang ako to have my teeth done... may sobra pa ko sa moolah ko!

yeah, i'm very concerned with my health lately. sunod sunod kasi eh. i'm really going to take really good care of it na. we're not getting younger you know? and i can't help recalling na sinabi ng horoscope ko na this year dapat ingatan ang health. at ano pa? pangit daw ang career at lovelife! huwat??? well, i'm going to prove to the horoscopers (taga gawa ng horoscope), whoever they are, na i'm the captain of my destiny! walang kapangitan ang mangyayari sa kin! i'm destined for greatness! charing! hehehe

well, this entry is all blabber. ganyan pag sabog sa mga gamot. har har har. but at least may naisulat na rin after a while. to ms lily, this entry is for you. pasensya na watak watak ang thoughts sa entry na to... i don't even care to reread it.... isang sakit ko ngayon ay katamaran! hahaha

see yah all! mwah!

gay na gay

nakakatuwa lang ang pic na to. it reminds me of the rest of the gay gang in cebu. they're always there for both the fun and serious times. sa mga kaibigan kong girlalous, and to the rest of the girlalou community: mabuhey!

the photo was taken during anthony's short apparition at yew mei green, the condo of the goddesses! :p

it is time...

... for things to be put on their rightful places ...

the small world phenomenon

nagkaron na ba kayo ng mga ganitong scenarios?

scenario 1: nag chikahan kayo ng officemate mo.

ofcmate: uy, kilala mo ba si ganito?
ikaw: ay, hindi. bakit?
ofcmate: kilala nya kasi si X.
ikaw: ay, yan siguro ang sinasabi ni X na crush nya na nakita nya sa airport. bat mo sya kilala?
ofcmate: classmate ko sya dati.

scenario 2: sa eroplane.

flight attendant: excuse, puedeng malaman ang apelido mo?
ikaw: Y.
flight attendant: ikaw nga! ikaw si X Y!
ikaw: ah, familiar ka nga rin eh.
flight attendant: schoolmate tayo nung high school. tapos kilala mo ba si Z? na-meet mo na si Z kasi may pinabigay ung mama mo sa kanya. magkaibigan si Z at si mama mo.
ikaw: hmmm, sounds familiar nga ang name na Z.
flight attendant: same airline kami nag wowork ni Z pero hindi sya flight stewardess.
ikaw: ah, parang naalala ko na. ung mom ni Z ay kaibigan ni mama ko. yeah, may pinabigay ung mom ni Z through sa mama ko na ako naman ang nag-abot kay Z. kaano-ano mo naman si Z?
flight attendant: girlfriend ko.
ikaw: wow, small world!

scenario 3: bagong kakilala.

ikaw: uy nakita ko ung pic mo. may kilala ako dun na kasama mo.
new friend: sino dun?
ikaw: si X at si Y!
new friend: ay kakilala mo sila?
ikaw: yeah, si Y ay barkada ni X na may something kay Z na matalik na kaibigan ni W.
new friend: wow!
ikaw: wow na wow!

scenario 4: future love interest.

ikaw: i know you.
love: i know you too!
ikaw: di ba san carlos ka?
love: oo, ano nga ba pangalan mo?
ikaw: walanghiya ka di mo ko naalala tapos alam ko buong pangalan mo. tagal ka na ba dito?
love: oo. ikaw? pahingi ng number mo.
ikaw: ang bilis mo ha!

i'm sure maraming naka-relate sa mga ganitong sitwasyon. it happens everywhere. kakilala mo si kakilala ni kakilala mo. or may mga connection ang mga tao na di mo inaasahang may connection. or nasa same lugar kayo na di mo inaakalang nandun din sila! sadyang kay liit ng mundo... or di naman kaya dahil habang tumatanda lang tayo, dumadami ang kakilala natin at di maiwasan na ma-meet natin sila o ang mga kakilala nila o ang kakilala ng kakilala nila and so on and so forth!

ang galing noh? tapos masaya pa! :p

para lalong sumaya, sa lahat ng nagbabasa dito, mag-comment at mag-relay ng isang small world moment! :D sige na please!

eventful

as usual, maraming surprises ang aking mga araw araw. highlights lang ang ikukuwento ko.

kahapon, flight 7:55PM. arrived at the airport 7PM. photo finish ang drama! dinaanan ko pa kasi si romualdo, my and romeo's long lost friend. hehehe. naku, ganun pa rin! full of drama! super duper traffic pala from house to airport. patak ng taxi meter 250 compared to my usual 150. gosh! pero earlier, was spanked sa braso by my first ex (or so i believed) 3 times. our lucky number yan dahil sa 03/03/03. :p masakit pero masarap! hahaha.

kanina, marami. maraming nagparamdam. work related. recruitment related. pag-ibig related. matchmaking related. t-shirt related. pagkain related. kalokohan related. gift related. ayoko nang i-specify. nakakahilo. hehehe. pero masaya kasi maraming surprises in just one day. and the best surprise? a gift from roland schmucki. lindt dark chocolate with chili sent via snail mail!!! as in nakabalot lang sa bubble wrap and placed inside an envelope. hahaha! the best ka talaga roland! but i was super duper touched with your note! thanks for remembering my birthday my dear sir! :)

hmmm, may mga sangay sa highlight! wahehehe... sssshhhh... :p

at ngayon blogging kasi katatapos lang ng mega linis ng room. yes! ang linis! hehehe. may viewing kasi later! :p good luck emman! :p

ava, ang daming na-blog ah... namawi lang kay taud taud nang wala ka update... year of the pig pa naman... dapat tambok sa istorya akong blog! :p

time

2007 seems to be slow for me. nababagalan ako sa oras ngayon while i found time in 2006 to be quite swift. i'm sure a lot of us had exclaimed or at least heard somebody else exclaim either "ang bagal ng oras" or "ang bilis ng oras". bakit kaya? nagbabago nga ba ang takbo o bilis ng oras? isn't time constant in terms of speed?

but i was just wondering na since people exclaim that, there must be some mystery or, even, truth to it. by some mysterious scheme of nature or time itself, hindi siguro constant ang time. i mean, it just appears constant kasi by great synchronizing scheme of things, lahat ng orasan na correct at precise (from our human point of view) ay gumagalaw ng sabay. and by some mystery, this simultaneous and precise movement of time ay nagbabago in terms of bilis. like feeling mo mabagal ang oras ngayon. then bukas parang ang bilis. gets mo?

well, naguguluhan din ako actually. siguro sa kapapanood to ng heroes. hehehe. meron kasing isang character who can bend time. and one villain was a watchmaker. pero pano nga kung talagang nababago ang bilis ng time pero di lang natin kita sa ating mga orasan kasi synchronized nga.

oh well, it's just from a point of view where i'm associating, and thus limiting, time with clocks and watches. there's the greater mystery that time being eternal and endless.

letting go

my recent vacation at home in cebu got me tidying my closet. i had quite a number of clothes and books kept inside it for a year already. since it hasn't been opened regularly, the closet smell had seeped through my clothes and books. some had even acquired yellow stains. i originally wanted to keep them there so that i didn't have to bring anything every time i go home since there are clothes and books waiting for me there; but i always bring new clothes with me, so i still end up not using those i left in cebu.

it's 2007. i decided giving them away lest they rot inside the closet. it would be a waste when they were still in salvageable condition. the clothes were easy to discard, although, i still left some because i could just not part with them. it was more difficult with the books. even if i had read all of them at least once and know most of them by heart, i just could not give them away. i ended up leaving all the books stashed in the closet.

letting go of things you value is hard to do. no matter your attempt at thinking that you're either better off without it or someone's got better use for it or that you can't bring those things when you die, you still end up holding on to them.

the same goes for relationships and feelings. even when the time comes for you to let go of someone or at least your feelings for someone, you hold on ever steadfastly because you know you're going to miss that someone or that feeling.

letting go is, indeed, the hardest part; but once you are past that part, everything else follows smoothly. we just have to really let go. really.

good thing i've got new clothes. ;)

phuket

our gracious host at club one seven during our phuket escapade just sent me an email informing me that my email to him last year was posted in their website at http://www.cluboneseven.net/guestbook.php.

ava! sa aking email ang pinkamahaba, pinakamalandi at ako ang pinakaladlad sa lahat! mabuhay ako! hehehe... hay, i'll do phuket one more time. and of course at club one seven lang! ;)

children

coming from a fragmented extended family due to conflicts of epic proportions, i've seen the healing effects of children. only recently has one family from our extended conflicting families reached out to us for reconciliation. one can just imagine the awkward and silent moments each time members of their family met ours. thanks to the children in the family, we have something to talk about.

yes, when adults in a family don't have anything else to talk about, they talk about the children. when they don't know what to do in front of the other adult members of the family, they ask the children to do silly stuffs like dance or sing or act. children even become the important reason why parents reconcile with their daughters or sons!

i'm sure plenty of us had experienced the miraculous wonders that children can do for relationships. no wonder children are often called angels. cherish them. love them. nurture them the right way!

a 2007 question

madz posed this question: if 2007 was your last year on earth, what would you do?

without batting an eyelash, i thought that i would busy myself doing something special that's unique for each person i care about. and if i have more time left this year, i'd do special things for the less fortunate people.

after that answer, i asked myself why on earth do we wait for news of our imminent end (even if it's only imagined) before realizing what we want to do? why can't we start doing what we want to do with the thought that death is just hanging in the air ready to knock us down anytime being our motivation? why haven't i done those special things yet?

how about you? what are you going to do if 2007 was your last year on earth? when are you going to start what you would do?