Listen to the Beat

Sogod!
Friday, March 30, 2007

And this is the campaign flyer of my college barkada, Daisy, who is running for Board Membership in Sogod, Leyte.

By the way, she and Kamsky are official na!!! YIPPEEE!! Di na kahuwat ang taw mo-uli ug Pilipinas para magkita na sila. I am so proud to have been a part of this albeit walay commission. Hehe.

If you're a geek...

... you'll love this!! Here goes my super duper advanced gift to Hoen. This is a binary watch where, as you may have already figured out, tells time in binary code. The lights on top tell the hour while the lights at the bottom tell the minutes. Perfect for Hoen's treadmill runs. Don'tcha just think that this is the coolest thing ever?!?!

Oh!
Thursday, March 29, 2007

Oh! And this is Spencer... the many faces of his royal asshole-ness.

HILLty as charged!

Ok. I have a confession to make. TWO confessions. And this is something I am not proud of but not necessarily embarrassed about. I have been following two shows which I normally wouldn't and I happen to enjoy them now. These shows are (placing hands on face to, er, save face) THE HILLS and GIRLS NEXT DOOR.

Now, I had never seen Laguna Beach and had never been interested with the likes of such shows. However, I flipped the channel to MTV this one time was able to watch a few minutes of the reality show about 4 girls living life in LA. There's this guy, Spencer, who is the apparent antagonist on the show. I hated his face, his demeanor, his voice, everything about him I just loathed that I ended up watching each episode just to see if he gets booted out of the show. What's more, I have grown to like Lauren Conrad, a Laguna Beach alumnae, as well as her fellow intern, Whitney. Heidi is stupid, blind and dumb while Audrina is quite boring. Anyway, since most of them don't talk Barbie-ish (and thank God for that), I can bare watching this show until the end.

Now for GIRLS NEXT DOOR. Documenting the lives of Hugh Hefner's 3 girlfriends hardly seemed interesting until one time, when I decided to see what the whole show was about. And I was so amused at how different they were to each other. Holly is intelligent and has a wide range of words in her vocabulary. Bridget is the aspiring law student who talk a bit Barbie-ish but is genuinely nice and kind. Kendra is the tomboy in all the three but as much as she is downright dumb, she is also the most honest and in-your-face among the three. So I like watching the show because they are such characters. But I get annoyed with their laughs though. Think of a goat who can say, "A-ha-ha-ha-ha" instead of "Baaaaa".

My baby's not a baby anymore
Tuesday, March 27, 2007

Today, March 27, both Philippine and US time, Megan became a woman. Yes, my baby, my niece, just menstruated.

Sad face.
Sad face.
Sad face.

I am so proud of her though. She was so open about it. Since she was spending the night with Jo'an, she texted my mom right away. "Lola, I have good news for you. But bad news for Lolo." HAHAHA!!! She then followed all the "lihi" instructions my mom gave her and went to our house to spend the night. We got to talk on the phone briefly and I could tell that she was really cool about it. She has no clue though, about what lies ahead. So I wrote her this reeeeally long email about feminine hygiene and tips on how to take care of her just developed reproductive system. I couldn't help it! My baby is no longer one!

I remember when I first bled. It was December 10, 1989. It was the culmination of the coup and Rama and Comendador just did the handshake bit in Mactan. I took off my panties to pee, saw the red stuff, ran to Chime who was on the phone that time, took down my panties in front of her and said, "Gidugo na ko." HAHAHA! I guess I had always been that way. I was 12 years old then and as much as I had read about menstruation, I had little or no clue about what lay ahead. Now, Megan will have to prepare herself for anything and no matter how much I will be talking to her about "womanhood", she will have to learn it all by herself.

You make me feel like an Unlucky Woman
Monday, March 26, 2007

So I saw this Head Nurse today at my OB GYN's clinic (my OB is on vacation as well as the other Nurse Practitioner I saw). As scheduled, she was to check if my white blood count had gone down after my 10-day dosage of antibiotics. I kind of already knew that it hadn't because I had quite a scary episode yesterday.

In the middle of doing the groceries yesterday, I felt the need to poo-poo. But right when I was rushing to the women's room, I felt an ooze coming out from my little Lotus flower. As I sat down to start my prayers, I saw this rather big plop of discharge with blood in it AGAIN. Or it could just be the uterine lining, I wasn't sure. And since I make it a point to bring extra undies, I was able to slip in to fresh ones. "How timely", I thought, "since I'm going to the clinic tomorrow." Time to have a serious talk with the docky or nurse-y. I was also smart enough to take a picture of my unpleasant discharge just ENCASED.

So after she told me that the WBC count in my discharge was still high, she seemed pretty sure my cervix is either inflamed or just infected. Also, the second she took a look at the pic I took yesterday, she immediately thought that I maybe passed a polyp. Yes, a polyp. The very thing I got rid of during my D&C just January of last year. Apparently, they regrow as soon as they want to and there's no stopping them. They are benign, will not grow into tumors or cancers or anything. They're just... THERE. It is not common but it's not rare either. SOME WOMEN JUST HAVE IT, SOME DON'T. Man, I hated this particular piece of factoid because I just felt like one unlucky woman. Why did I have to belong to this category?? NGERRRR!!! Also, she took a blood sample to see if I am pregnant or was EVER pregnant. The test came out negative as I expected but at least the possibility of that discharge being a miscarriage puss was out of the way. So she's going to talk to Dr. Bishop and let her call me and possibly schedule a hysteroscopy again to check if I've indeed regrown my polyps.

I would've slacked off with this issue if Joen and I haven't been planning on starting a family after we buy the house. But since we are, I need to get every issue out of the way and that includes having a healthy, clean, uninfected cervix and uterus. I really am so unlucky. =(((

She is in our midst
Saturday, March 24, 2007

Not that I'm not used to weird dreams, because I am.

I dreamt that I was at Lola's house in Subangdaku. In my dream, I was walking from the living room to the kitchen and somehow, Megan just appeared out of nowhere. Megan sat somewhere between the living room sofa and the dining room. I was by the kitchen when some "figure" went inside Lola's room. I was about to leave and was already out the door when Jo'an (yes, Jo'an Delgado) "psst!"s to me and points at something outside Lola's room. And that's when I went back inside and saw Lola walk out of her room and hand Megan some sort of white mesh cloth which looked like a wedding veil to me. It could have been ANY veil. It had a bit of tiara or garland on top of it. I remember thinking, "For first communion? Wedding? Or costume?"

Then after Lola handed Megan the veil-looking thing, she looks and stares straight at me. She had this really wide smile and that's when I realized that she was wearing this white dress because I remember how her teeth matched her dress. I looked at Jo'an and she was in awe, her mouth was open as if in disbelief. I look back at Lola and her smiling face kept getting nearer and nearer and bigger as if being zoomed by a camera.

That's when I woke up.

hehe. I don't know what that dream meant at all but I woke up kind of happy at the same time, weirded out.

If it don't itch, don't scratch!
Friday, March 23, 2007

Ha! Easier said than done.

I went to my allergist yesterday. For several weeks now, I would have these itchy break-outs all over my body especially on my back, arms and legs. These itchy episodes occur anytime during the day and even in the middle of the night when I'd have to wake Joen up just to apply some chinese cream on my back (chinese cream referred to me by Ate Joyce, bought by Papa at some chinese store downtown).

So just to check whether or not I have developed new allergies, I went to Jeremy's allergist yesterday. At first, he scratched my skin with a popsicle stick to see if my skin would raise. True enough , my skin did raise. What was funny was after he did the popsicle stick test, the OTHER UNTOUCHED side of my back started to itch. They witnessed the building of an "island" on my skin. It was huge pa gyud daw! How timely for the doctor to see! Anyway, as far as my new itches are concerned, he diagnosed me with DERMATOGRAPHISM which is a fancy name for "hyper sensitive and dry skin usually triggered by cold weather or a dry environment". He gave me tips on how to take care of my skin. I had no idea that shower scrubbing is a No-no and that you are not supposed to scrub on your arms and legs because technically, unless you went swimming on a puddle of mud, those parts of your body are clean. I asked him about the dead skin cells bit and he said that they shed by themselves and you don't need to scrub them off. I should only use unscented unflavored soap like Dove or Neutrogena on my armpits, groins, feel and hands. The WORST point? Not showering on really hot water anymore! Waaa!!! I LOVE hot water all over my body, especially for those days when we're at the gym. Ngerr.

Next, he did the prick test to see and confirm allergies. So far:

NOT ALLERGIC TO:
- grass
- pollen
- weed
- orange
- tree
- ragweed
- mold
- cockroach
- diluent
- most especially, dogs. (He did another prick on CONCENTRATED dog particles and still, negative. Yippee!!)

I AM TOTALLY ALLERGIC TO:
- Cats. Aaall kinds of cats too
- House dust. All kinds of house dust
- Dustmite 1
- Dustmite 2
- Histamine

So off we went to Bed, Bath and Beyond to buy termite protectors for the bed sheets and pillows. Not cheap but necessary, I guess. My allergic reaction was extreme, my doctor said, because instead of just a round-shaped raised skin, it had irregular grooves in it called "pseudopods". And even though I was pricked at one area, little islets formed called "satellites". So they should be taken care of seriously. Ngerrr.

This is what dermatographism looks like.

Sucker (Soccer) gift
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Two weeks ago, we realized that our local COMPUSA was closing. Wooppeee! That meant discount gadgets and other computer stuff. While Hoen went around, probably thinking up excuse after excuse, I went straight to the Games section where I was to surprise him by purchasing XBOX's FIFA 07. He got to me before I could go to the counter. BUSTEEEED. Anyway, we went back on the weekend and bought the thing. Lipay intawn ang bata. His face lights up right before playing and he is at it for hours and hours.

The darned "surprise" is now my arch enemy. Hoen just looks up to me like a lost puppy with a guilty smile and I know he's about to get his fingers busy. Our time for cuddling and canoodling are now spent on hearing soccer chants and the announcer frequently shouting, "SAHA!" and "It's a goal!!"

I guess that's the reality, folks. One man's gift is another woman's rival.

Heavy!
Tuesday, March 20, 2007

Last week, I was 105 pounds!!!!!! My peak so far in probably almost a year. Whooppeee!!!

Of course, I am not 105 lbs. all the way. I still lose about a pound or two every how many days but still, at least I was able to reach 105. While on our way to shower, Hoen even said, "Baby! Nanambok na gyud ka!" YEY! My face has got its round shape back and with all the new strength training I've been doing, my legs, arms and back feel firmer. If only I could say the same thing about my flabby tummy. Hehe.

In the presence of GREATNESS
Sunday, March 18, 2007

Today, we were... (refer to title). The current UFC Heavyweight Champion and sport legend, Randy Couture, was at the Max Muscle store in Omaha to do some celebrity appearance.

This veteran embodies everything about the sport. He retired 2 years ago but came back last month and fought against then Heavyweight champ, Tim Sylvia. Sylvia, being all of 6'8" and 28 years old was expected to win over the shorter and OLDER Couture. But the Gods would hear none of it. Last month's fight was one of the most awesome and jaw-dropping results in the history of the UFC. Randy was surprisingly young- and good-looking! He wore this humble smile- not the least bit intimidating which makes him all the more admirable.

Check

out our

"intimate" pic. See that strong grip he has on my waist? Hehe. AHEM!! And Joen undoubtedly has bigger forearms than his fighter. Can he take him? Hmm. Hehe. I had Randy sign at the back of Joen's white shirt.

GRINDHOUSE!!!!!
Saturday, March 17, 2007

GRINDHOUSE IS GOING TO BE A FUCKING KICK-ASS MOVIE!!!!!
And I don't use FUCK casually when it comes to describing a movie.
I didn't use FUCK on Pulp Fiction, I didn't use FUCK on LOTR and certainly not on 300, all of which I truly loved and really enjoyed!
BUT.... I used FUCK on The Matrix, I used FUCK on A Clockwork Orange and I used FUCK on Kill Bill 1 and I just know I will be using FUCK when I see THE GRINDHOUSE because it is just SO COOL, SO BAD-ASS, SO VINTAGE that I am going to FUCKING LOVE IT!!!!

Mr. Tarantino, Senior Rodriguez, kudos to you both because it has been a while since jaws have dropped, eyes have popped and giggles have mixed with awe and disbelief and pure admiration for this, this, this WORK OF ART!!!

3 more weeks!!!

Chasing 13
Friday, March 16, 2007

And on to some related news... I'm not sure if I blogged this but my maternal Lola, Lola Lucy (God bless her soul) was very close to me and to our entire family. She was that one authoritative figure of music, discipline and knowledge. She was brilliant in Math, she loved and taught music and was a stickler for rules. She was a stickler for giving us money as well and making sure we enunciated words correctly. Anyway, her number has always been 13, Lucky no. 13 that is. For some years, this number has always turned up somewhere within our family.

1) Chime's birthday
2) First amount in pesos my brother got as commission in San Miguel
3) Our address... Corner 7th and 13th streets
4) Jasper's Car Registration... BOTH old and new
5) Jasper's address
6) Jidan's address
7) Our apartment number ... 6+4+1+ 2 = guess what
8) Our address... North 113th Plaza...
9) And others I can't remember anymore...

After I told my mom about this NIK news, my mom messaged me back that 7+2+4 (724Care, Nik's company) equals 13! And I told them the news on March 13! In the words of my mom, "Wala gyud ka baya-i sa Lola nimo Maude." Now THIS is freaky. My Lola was a force to be reckoned with. I regret not being able to introduce her to Joen because she would've fallen in love with him. I know, for sure, that Lola is still around. She's too stubborn to just disappear from our lives, hehe. I love you, Lola! Thanks for being our guardian!

In the NIK of time

Just this week, Nik sent me a message over Yahoo asking me how I was and updating me on his life post-Bigfoot. He had put up this Call Center in Cebu called 724Care and he is pretty happy with the business. It was all just make-up talk until he asked me if I had "time". I replied, "Yeah, I have time. Just done with dinner." Then he asks further, "No, I mean to do some work."

Chedeeeng.

Buotana gyud sa Ginoo uy. Just when I was readying myself for the end of my contract with Figboot to make way for some advanced schooling, here comes an offer. Pretty easy really. He needs someone to furnish proposals for prospective clients here in the US and to initiate correspondence with the objective of closing the deal. Pretty easy and something I'm no stranger to so I agreed granted I finish my application process at UNO first so I can officially start supposedly on April 2nd, 3 days before my Figboot contract ends. Seems he needed me way sooner so I'm starting next week. The Figboot thing may be easy but it is a little time consuming, not to mention draining because it's all advertising and marketing content. But Nik's thing is something that fell on my lap unexpectedly so I might as well take advantage of the opportunity. I get 3% the residual invoice amount meaning for every account I close, I will not only get a one time thing like most commissions but I will get 3% from every monthly invoice for as long as the client chooses to stay. Pretty good deal, if you ask me.

Just yesterday, Nik asked me if I could manage 2 more processes: 1, their brochure and 2, their website. One after the other. This is sooo within my turf so I agreed. I might have to work with Roro who is working with him already (toootally fine with me). After all, we have worked maybe three times together? So there. I am waiting for my contract to be finished and I officially start March 19. All the luck to me juggling between the Figboot thing and this one, not to mention the brochure and school in a couple of months. Talk about getting me in the NIK of time!

GOD IS GOOD. He always looks for ways for me to do well.

Phuk et! He needs a rest
Wednesday, March 14, 2007

My dad went to Thailand 2 weeks ago to get some business done for Cebu Doctors University. He had to do some panel interview over his students' thesis. One of them happened to be some princess while the other, a prince. The VIP treatment he and his colleagues got in Bangkok were kind of over the top but all that to their enjoyment and convenience. Cars waiting for them right outside their hotel, free buffet breakfasts, lunches and dinners and access to some tourist spots. My dad enjoyed it a lot even though it was mostly work, work, work. I like that he is able to take this mini-vacation because with zero kids at home, Megan's domestic troubles, my mom's health and the school nominating him as Dean, he has been facing a lot of pressure lately. From all sides too, so I'm really glad he got that brief but much needed R&R.

When I get more money, I will buy my parents an entire week in some secluded island where they can just kick back, relax and not worry about the daily grind.

This isn't madness. This is Sparta!!!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

25 things you will learn from watching 300:

25. Leonidas yells only because his adrenaline is always rushing from all the damn exercise he must do.

24. Spartans bring only one apple to battle, and the King gets to eat it.

23. Spartans dug their wells really, really, really, really, deep.

22. If you have nothing new to say, just shout to make it sound impressive.

21. People in Sparta had excellent dental care. The Persians' insurance sucked.

20. Just because you're covered in chains doesn't mean you're eyebrows can't be waxed.

19. If you're horribly deformed, a wizard's hat makes all the difference.

18. Every morning, a Spartan soldier must go through an intense, 5-hour ab workout.

17. The Immortals stole their masks from the set of "The Last Samurai"

16. Turn your back on a Persian God and you will get a massage

15. You don't need a bow-flex machine to be a Spartan!

14. You kill a lot more people when you fight in slow mo

13. Watching ships crash is an equivalent of watching your team score.

12. Gollum and Faramir have a lot of explaining to do.

11. A spear to the head will kill a rhino but not a 10 ft tall man restrained by chains

10. Even though you've already lost some men, you should still count your army as 300 for the sake of the movie's title.

9. If you're going to be a traitor, don't walk around bringing the other guy's money.

8. When you give birth to a girl, pray she's ugly.

7. When you see a Spartan, don't go near a cliff.

6. Just because you're 8 feet tall doesn't mean you can't have a feminine side.

5. If a hunchback wants to fight the Persians, let him.

4. Shoot the messenger. It's cheaper than paying postage.

3. If you stand in the back row of a CGI army you can still hear the King's pep talk

2. Don't wear revealing clothes when your husband is not around.

1. If you are a Spartan without facial hair, you will get decapitated.

In the clear... sort of

Ok so when I went to the OB GYN to check if my WBC count was still count, the results showed they decreased BUT insignificantly. So they suggested that they do a thorough STD check. (Highly unlikely but hey, this is the US. They tend to go the extra mile). They called me a day after that my discharge showed negative for any STD (and they said, they tested it for all) so it's really odd why my WBC was still high. So they prescribed me with antibiotics to take care of the potential infection or inflammation of my cervix. I am to see them 15 to 17 days after my last dosage to check my WBC count again. What's worse: NO SEX UNTIL THEN. Waaaa!!!

Crossing fingers, toes and eyes over this. I really REALLY hope my WBC count decreases. Otherwise, hello Ultra sound, transvaginal probe and possible hysteroscopy. Not that I mind but I would hate to learn that something serious is happening, you know? *Big Sigh*

Spring ain't a fling
Friday, March 09, 2007

I can feel Spring lurking just around the corner. It's been between 40 and 55 degrees these past three days and all the snow is starting to melt. It's so melting that all the roads are poxed with potholes and puddles. The carwashes must be making a lot of money now because as soon as you get out from one, the car in front of you is most likely going to run by a puddle and splash all over your windshield. And your side mirror. And your side window. Time to replace those old wipers too- check tires and brakes because with all that splashing, you might want to go easy on the accelerator. But all that road filth can only be a good thing. Hi, skirts! Welcome back, crops and capris! Light jackets, hello!

Springing ahead tomorrow. Not quite ready yet. But one thing I'm ready for is some serious spring cleaning. Time to get rid of old clothes and possibly donate them to Goodwill, and time to give our winter racks a breath of fresh air. God knows, I do.

Woke up on the wrong side of the rock
Monday, March 05, 2007

HAHAHAHA-larious!!

Caveman at the airport

His expression says it all! "Remind me" by Royksopp. Genius!

So easy a cavemen can star in it!
Sunday, March 04, 2007

I just read the funniest, silliest but most amusing thing. The Geico Cavemen might just get their own TV series!!! Yippeee!! For months now, Joen and I have been finding the Geico ads as a source of the wittiest and briefest giggles. The line, "So easy a caveman can do it" was supposed to be just that. A line. But it has had several follow-up ads that have been getting wittier and wittier. Our favorite is this ad of the caveman seeing the Geico billboard while on the conveyor. The background music grew on us so much that I downloaded it to my iPod. Hehe. Anyway, according to msn.com...

Geico's Cavemen May Get Own TV Series Mar 3, 2:39 PM EST

The Associated Press

NEW YORK -- Those Geico "cavemen" shouldn't be so upset after all — they may get their own television series. ABC said Friday it had ordered a pilot for a comedy, tentatively titled "Cavemen," that features the characters used in a series of ads by the insurance company.

In the ads, cavemen appear insulted by a Geico pitchman's claim that the company's Web site is so easy to use that "even a caveman can do it."

The potential series, one of 14 pilots that will be produced by Touchstone Television this spring, features the cavemen as they "struggle with prejudice on a daily basis as they strive to live the lives of normal thirty-somethings in 2007 Atlanta."

It's unusual for characters from an advertising campaign to move into shows of their own, but not unprecedented. The CBS comedy "Baby Bob" featured a talking baby that had been used in several advertisements, according to Daily Variety.

The advertising copywriter who helped create the "cavemen" ads is writing the pilot, the studio said.

A pilot order is no guarantee a show will make it on the air; in fact, the majority of pilots don't make it that far.

Apparently, a lot of people are so looking forward to this potential TV pilot. Whoever is behind this material is sheer genius. BRILLIANT! Although I dare say this TV series won't be so easy, a caveman should star in it. Haha!

You've been COUTURE-ized!!!!

Tonight, something BIG and INCREDIBLE happened. Then Heavyweight and Light Heavyweight Champion, 43-year-old Randy Cou

ture beat gargantuan Heavyweight Champion Tim Sylvia!!! WOOHOO!!! It was one of those matches I didn't really care to watch until the already retired Couture sent Sylvia on the ground on each of the 5 rounds. It was awesome!! Sylvia, with his already blubbered and fatty stature, was a huge embarrassment as his poor legwork and lack of mental agility led to his defeat over the supposed short and small Couture. I simply LOVED this fight! Couture got open jaws and amazed applauses as he far exceeded everyone's expectations. Yippeeee!!!

The only thing I'm worried though is that he now has to go up against Mirko Cro Cop. And that fight will even be more one-dimensional than this one. I would HATE to see Old Randy get beaten up by the most focused fighter so far but as Joen would say, "Let's worry about that later."

What on earth's a trapezoid??
Saturday, March 03, 2007

Ahahaha... A new show just premiered on Fox (and right before American Idol at that) and it's called "Are you smarter than a 5th grader?" Simple 5-th grade level questions are asked in different categories like 1st grade Art, 3rd g

rade Science, etc. The adult contestant goes up against five 5th graders who write down their answers on their individual blackboards. The easiest question is worth $1,000!!! Can you imagine having to answer such an easy question as, "What are the three primary colors?" and then it's worth Php 49,950???

Anyway, we're loving this show. I love the adults' outbursts which go, "What on earth is a trapezoid??", or my favorite, "Two times five equals...." then stares up at the ceiling. HILARIOUS! And with Jeff Foxworthy hosting it, even more ENTERTAINING!

BLISSard!!!!
Thursday, March 01, 2007

Blizzard
Blissard
Bliss!!!

Today, there was a blizzard. A pretty strong one too. 8 to 12 inches of snow all around Metro Omaha and winds were travelling at 70 mph! The second I heard about this blizzard I went "Woohoo!" Wonder why I'm so swing-the-strings-oh-Mister-Puppeteer happy? Because anything that makes my Payfee work from home is good. Hanging around the house while the both of us are working- my kind of day!

Here's a view from our patio door. See all that snow about to reach our neighbor's ground floor window? That's the thing I loathe and love at the same time. If it be under my boots, LOATHE.

If my boots be on our rack, LOVE. Time to snuggle!

BLISSard!!!

Sogod! Friday, March 30, 2007

If you're a geek...

Oh! Thursday, March 29, 2007

HILLty as charged!

My baby's not a baby anymore Tuesday, March 27, 2007

You make me feel like an Unlucky Woman Monday, March 26, 2007

She is in our midst Saturday, March 24, 2007

If it don't itch, don't scratch! Friday, March 23, 2007

Sucker (Soccer) gift Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Heavy! Tuesday, March 20, 2007

In the presence of GREATNESS Sunday, March 18, 2007

GRINDHOUSE!!!!! Saturday, March 17, 2007

Chasing 13 Friday, March 16, 2007