kapag nanalo ang ginebra

sa unang pagkakataon, nanood ako ng pba sa araneta coliseum na walang laro ang san miguel beermen. unang beses ko ring nakitang napuno ang araneta pagkatapos ng matagal na panahon. at sa una ring pagkakataon, nakisama ako sa karamihan na nag cheer para sa baranggay ginebra. masama man ang loob ko, wala akong magawa dahil ginebra ang nagbigay ng libreng tickets sa akin. isa pa, baka mabato ako sa aking kinakaupuan kung kumampi ako sa kalaban dahil puro kampi sa ginebra ang nasa paligid ko.

mabuti na lang, hindi binigo ng ginebra ang mga fans nila (di ako kasama). at least, makakasiguro ang pilipinas na medyo bababa ang crime rate ngayong gabi. masayang umuwi ang mga fans kanina.

masaya rin ako umuwi kanina, hindi dahil nanalo ang ginebra, kundi nakita ko uli si hector calma! =)

beetle mania

one friday night, my friends offered to drive me home after a long and enjoyable dinner. it was way past midnight and as we passed along visayas ave., we stopped by a gas station. and there we saw, parked on the station, around twenty or so vintage volkswagen cars of different colors and i guess, year make. it was like beetle car owners formed a fraternity and they had a meeting that night. maybe they meet there every friday and maybe, they race their cars against each other too.

i really can't understand the fascination of men (or boys?) to this type of car. it's too small, doesn't run very fast and spends more time in the repair shop than on the road. but then, maybe they love it so much because it reminded them of their own happy childhood. i think it was the car during the 70s. my cousins had a green beetle when i was very young and i looked forward riding in their car coz my family didn't own a car. i had such wonderful memories in that beetle until one day, when we were parked along laloma (the lechon capital), the back seat suddenly caught fire! good thing the fire was controlled and nobody got hurt but we all went home in a squat position coz the seat was too hot.

i remember one of my friends owned one too. he would talk about it as if it was his precious girlfriend. in fact, i think he talked about it more than his girlfriend. another friend let me and K ride in her own mustard volks on our way back to antipolo during our community rotation. it was a little late and we were along marcos highway, laughing our hearts out (we were a teeny-weeny bit tipsy), when the engine suddenly stopped. in between shock and fits of laughter, we pushed the car until it could jumpstart again. we ended up more tired from all the laughing and giggling than from the actual pushing.

???

last week they told me i'm in if i finish the required 2 weeks of pre-residency. today, they gave me some forms to complete prior to my appointment. i ought to be relieved that i'm going to train in one of the best, if not the best, government hospitals in the country. plus, the salary is going to be way higher than those from private hospitals. but why am i not jumping with joy? in fact, i feel as if the world is closing in on me.

must be the whole atmosphere in the hospital. it's so dark and gloomy there. lots of people coming and going. lots of patients waiting to be seen but could not afford the the laboratory work-ups needed or the medicines prescribed to them. maybe i'm just used to the kind of hospital i had my internship in. or maybe, my heart is just not into the field i'm going to train in.

hay nako... pwede kayang tumunganga na lang?

special day

he got married at 40 and was 50 when i was born. the man who's old enough to be my grandfather, but is in fact, my dad would have been 80 today. the whole family was at the cemetery today to be with him on his birthday.

long before his grandchildren came, being the youngest, i was his little girl and was spared from the usual punishments my siblings got while they were growing up. even after i was fully grown up, my brothers would cajole my dad to use his leather belt on me everytime i arrived home late. of course, they were unsuccessful. up until i was in my early teens, my dad and i had a ritual everyday and that consisted of kissing him on both cheeks, afterwhich, he would smell both my armpits then give each other a hug. we called it "tuka". but when i got a little older, the tuka was modified into a simple kiss on the cheeks.

i thought that with the arrival of his first 2 grandchildren, my role as his baby would be delegated to them. it did, in some ways, but for most of the time, i remained his baby. in fact, when i was already in my internship, my dad still wouldn't allow me to go back to my dorm alone in a cab. if there was no one to drive me, he would accompany me back to the dorm in a cab since he didn't drive. he was already in his mid 70s at the time.

just like any son or daughter, i thought my dad would live forever. although i knew he was way older than my friends' dads and that he used to be a heavy smoker (he died from lung ca), somehow i hoped that he would still be with us for a much longer time. but i have to be content with the thought that though he may not be with us physically, he's definitely up there watching over us all. and all the shared memories and love remain in our hearts forever.

end of the world?

another earthquake, another natural calamity. what's next? where next? i hope and pray this country would be spared of any calamity, or better yet, there would never be a next one, anywhere. as it is, the whole world is beset with all types of calamities, both man-made and natural. it seems there's just no escape for man. kakalungkot.

when i think about it, my problems now look like tiny specks of dirt compared to what the victims of these calamities went through and still going through. while i am just deciding what to do next with my life, these people lost the love of their lives, their homes, their jobs and for some, the meaning of their lives.

i realize, as i have realized countless times before, that i'm still blessed in every way. that my problems are mere obstacles meant to be passed through, to put me in the right direction and keep me on the ground. right now, i think the victims would have a hard time seeing it the way i do but i pray that they would still find peace and hope in their hearts.

eggs

earlier, i dropped by unimart to do some minor grocery shopping with marvin the martian, who was kind enough to accompany me. i was unfamiliar where some of the stuff i need were since the store wasn't the one i usually frequent to. so it took me a longer time than usual trying to complete my short list.

last on the list was a dozen of eggs (for my baking) and i asked the martian to help me look for it. pushing my cart, i went ahead and looked left and right for the needed eggs when i suddenly heard,

" boss, boss, san nakalagay itlog mo?"


anak ng jueteng!

angels and kids

i have always read and heard of stories about angels saving lives, helping people or playing with very small children. although i believe they're in our midst, and maybe at some point have helped me one way or another, i have never really seen one.

earlier today, i was carrying my 8-month old nephew, K, and pointing to him the birds, dogs, flowers, and wind chime, among other things, outside our house. the whole time, K was just staring passively at all the things i showed him. but when i pointed to him the wood-carved image of the Sacred Heart and Mama Mary above our main door, he suddenly broke into a smile then a giggle. so i didn't make too much fuss about it and continued showing him other things. i tried to experiment and pointed to him the wood carvings, again, he smiled and even made pa-cute eyes! i did this a couple of times more and even showed it to other people in the house, still, K had the same reaction. whatever he was seeing there, i guess, it was a regular playmate of my nephew.

when my niece, P, was around that age too, we also thought she had playmates we couldn't see. P isn't like other babies who's smiling and kissing everybody all the time and cries only when hungry or wet. she's more of the moody, sungit type (like her godmother) and at a very young age, had a mind of her own. anyway, everytime i get her from her nanny, P would always break into tears. as in always. one day, i brought her to my room while still crying and tried to amuse her by showing her anything i could see inside the room. so there on the wall was a framed cross-stitch of cherubs and upon seeing it, P stopped crying and giggled. crazy girl, huh? after that, every time P cried, i would show her the cherubs and would magically smile and giggle.

my other nephew, L, had similar experiences too. his mom thinks his playmates could be tickling his stomach too coz everytime he sees pictures of angels, L would point to his tummy and laugh. whatever they're doing, be it winking, tickling or playing with them, we're just glad that they're able to make the kids laugh and be happy.