"You can never can tell"

An extremely funny forwarded e-mail sent to me a long time ago. I was fixing the files and folders in my laptop and I chanced upon this. Enjoy!

We' ve been friends for a long time ago. We come from the same alma mother. Actually, our paths crossed one time on another. But it's only now that I gave him a second look. I realized that beauty is in the eyes. The pulpbits of my heart went fast, really fast. Cute pala siya. And then, he came over with me. He said, "I hope you don't mine. Can I get your number?" Nag-worry ako. What if he doesn't give it back? He explained naman na it's so we could keep intact daw. Sabi ko, connect me if i'm wrong but are you asking me ouch? Nabigla siya. Sagot niya, The! Aba! Parang siya pa ang galit! Persona ingrata!!! Ang kapal niya! I cried buckles of tears.

Na-guilty yata siya. Sabi niya, isipin mo na lang na this is a blessing in the sky. Irregardless daw of his feelings, we'll go ouch na rin. Now, we're so in love. Mute and epidemic na ang past. Thanks God we swallowed our fried. Kasi, I'm 33 na and I'm running our time. After 2 weeks, he plopped the question. "Will you marriage me?" I'm in a state of shocked. Kasi mantakin mo, when it rains, it's four! This is true good to be true. So siyempre, I said yes. Love is a many splendor.

Pero nung inaayos ko na ang aming kasal, everything swell to pieces. Nag-di-dinner kami noon nang biglang sa harap ng aming table, may babaeng humirit ng, "Well, well, well. Look do we have here." What the fuss! The nerd ng babaeng yon! She said they were still on. So I told her, whatever is that, cut me some slacks! I didn't want this to get our hand kaya I had to sip it in the bud. She accused me of steeling her boyfriend. Ats if! I don't want to portrait the role of the other woman. Gosh, tell me to the marines! I told her, "please, mine you own business!" Who would believe her anyway?

Dahil it's not my problem anymore but her problem anymore, tumigil na rin siya ng panggugulo. Everything is coming up daisies. I'm so happy. Even my boyfriend said liketwice. He's so supportive. Sabi niya, "Look at is this way. She's our of our lives."

Kaya advise ko sa inyo - take the risk. You can never can tell. Just burn the bridge when you get there. Life is shorts. If you make a mistake, we'll just pray for the internal and external repose of your soul. I second emotion.

In Memoriam

IN MEMORIAM

To the best INAY in the world
(1918-2008)

I remember I was still very young, perhaps around 5 or 6 and we attended my eldest sister’s graduation from high school. The whole family was there: us, five siblings; mom and dad; and Inay and Tatay. My sister graduated with honors and my parents were seated beside her. Thus, it was Inay and Tatay who were left with us kids. Being the youngest (and yeah, yeah, the spoiled one), I was the main concern of my parents and grandparents. During that time I felt like the graduation ceremony took forever. Being the brat that I am, I began complaining of how thirsty I was. And when I said complaining – I meant the whining and griping of the worst kid you’ve ever met or seen in this planet. Yup, perhaps that was me. But my grandparents were patient. Tatay just immediately stood up and searched for a water fountain (bottled water still wasn’t invented back then – at least not where my sister had her graduation). I was left with Inay and for some reason, she was able to temper my tantrums. In fact, I remember just being hugged and I immediately grew silent. I felt comforted and soothed. Inay’s warmth and love just immediately flowed and I felt calmed and reassured. Even my parents were amazed at how Inay was able to do it.

Despite being silent already, I remember Inay giving me whatever she had in her purse – it was some Astring-o-sol candy with green and white wrapper which I still recall vividly up to this very day. She gave it to me and hoped that it will help soothe my thirst. Normally, candies would make me thirsty, but this particular one relieved me. Perhaps it was a thirst for love and attention that I was seeking. And Inay was able to supply it overwhelmingly. She’d give whatever she had just to see other people happy.

Growing up, I never got to see much of Inay and Tatay anymore for they had moved to California already. We’d only see each other when they’d come and visit the Philippines or when our family would spend a vacation in the US when we were younger. But despite the distance, Inay was still very thoughtful. Every birthday, graduation, wedding and other momentous occasions (like when I passed the bar) and even in trials (like when I had my kidney transplant operation), she was there – present in body or spirit or through the US dollars she sends!

Inay is perhaps the closest person to me who has passed away. It’s only now that I realize how difficult it is. How emotional it can get. And cliché as it may sound, how you realize that life is short and you must do or say whatever you want before it’s too late.

I am grieving. I didn’t even have the opportunity to say good bye. And thank you. And I love you.

I know you understand because of the time and the distance, but, then again, we live only once.

Good bye, Inay and I’m really gonna miss you. Thank you for that Astring-o-sol candy and that warm hug. And I love you.

Macau Hangover (Part I)

For the life in me, I still can’t go back to work. The office-sponsored trip to Macau was definitely a welcome break for me – for all of us lawyers, actually, partners and associates alike. Three days in a foreign land with no work to think of was definitely what I needed to relax and unwind.

I feel like narrating the events which took place would entail too much thinking on my part. Thus, the best way to encapsulate my memories of Macau would be through the pictures I took of the different beautiful sceneries of the small island of China that’s full of surprises.

On our first day at Macau, we decided to walk around a bit and head towards the Ruins of St. Paul Church. There, we saw the mixture of the old and the new; of the Oriental and the Western. The contrast in the scenery was a splendid sight. It shows development and progress without destroying roots and history. Being a colony of Portugal for quite some time, Macau’s general atmosphere still has traces of Portuguese structure and architecture.

This is actually a favorite shot of mine (see below). It was a narrow alley that reminds me of European alleys which look exactly like this (without the Chinese characters, of course).

This is a signage along the alley which I just really had to take a picture of!

Just near these sights is the market similar to our Divisoria or Greenhills. It was there that we saw instantly the shades of Orientalism in Macau.

I just loooove this shot (see below)! Notice the narrow alley and the structures which are actually the residences of the Chinese vendors. I feel like Jackie Chan or Jet Li can shoot a film along this alley and create fight scenes involving the market stalls and their products, and the windows and terraces on the upper floors. (Plus the ropes which hang from one structure to another. I wonder if they’re used as clotheslines?)

Macau Hangover (Part II)

Lo and behold. The wondrous Ruins of St. Paul. Definitely a sight to see! A historical landmark of Macau.

There’s a flight of stairs at the back of the Ruins which brings you up to the level of the windows of the Church. The stairs and the surface on top, I think, are made of steel, but the important thing to note is that the surface ain’t concrete! Thus, you can see what’s directly beneath you and this definitely is scary for people like me who can’t handle heights very well! Good thing I managed to go up for a second, long enough to take a snapshot of the view from the top. This picture (see above) is the scenery from one of the windows of the St. Paul Church.

And this, my friends, is the sign on your way up the stairs I mentioned earlier. “Trespassers will be prosecuted.” – Haha! Well, not if you die first, right?

Macau is definitely the Las Vegas of Asia with all its bright lights and colorful signs. I honestly believe that this city never sleeps – early in the morning at around 3 or 4, there are still many people not only in the casinos but also along the streets. Furthermore, Macau is the place to be if you are into all kinds of vices. You can do all sorts of vices in just one night – gambling, alcohol, drugs, sex, cigarettes and what-have-you! (Guess which ones I did? Hehehe!) (On a side note, I suddenly appreciated the law here in the Philippines disallowing smokers to smoke inside public places. There, people can smoke just about anywhere – even in the tiniest enclosed and airconditioned restaurant.)

The Casino at the Wynn Hotel was where I won lots of moolah!

Macau Hangover (Part III)

I decided to take pictures of some of the construction sites in Macau. You can definitely see a lot of development going on in that small island. Beside big hotels are construction sites but they still don’t create an unsightly scenery. I give it around 5 years when all construction has been finished and it’ll even be better than Vegas.

Lastly, these are pictures of the Venetian. The Venetian is originally from Vegas and it is a casino, hotel and a mall (among others). In the words of a colleague of mine, “It is beauteous and splendor! It is brilliance and majesty! The view is breath-freshening and awesome!” Take note that these pictures were taken inside the Venetian. I looove how the sky is painted on the ceiling. There will definitely be no rainy days here.

I just had to point out that this is the food court of the Venetian (see picture directly above). By far the best food court I’ve seen in my entire life!

So that sums it up. I know I need to get back to work so hopefully I’d get my groove back pretty soon!

(My apologies for my lack of lay-outing skills. It is mainly because of my illiteracy in computer languages - I don't f*cking know how to move those goddamn pictures! hehe. At any rate, it's already amazing I came up with a post like this!)

The problem with a relatively light schedule at work...

is that you tend to procrastinate all those little things that you have to finish.

You tell yourself that days like these are rare in your profession and therefore, you should make the most out of days when you could actually procrastinate.

At the end of the day, you realize that you have accomplished close to nothing. And thus, the work piles up for the following day, and the next and the day after that. At the time when you're in the right mood for working, a completely unexpected turn of events occurs - a major task gets assigned to you and it needs to be finished today should've been finished yesterday. You're left with so little time to finish all those little things (and suddenly realize how time-consuming they can also be) and of course, this major task (which should have been finished yesterday).

That basically sums up my week. The major cases and corporate accounts have been relatively idle this week and I've been taking my sweet time finishing the regular legal opinions and queries from our retainers (regular clients).

Monday to Wednesday were extremely lazy days. Today (Thursday), I decided to start working on those opinions and in the middle of it all, at around 6pm (just when i was already excited to leave the office to meet friends for dinner), my big boss calls up and informs me of this major pleading that I have to finish. It'll be for review tomorrow (Friday) and will also be filed on the same day. I have to cram so many things tomorrow!!!

Note to self: Next time your schedule is pretty light (I wonder when will be the next time this happens!), try to get at least something done!

the sweltering heat

I think it all began two weeks ago during Holy Week. The sun just suddenly got blazing hot and staying outside felt like burning in hell. Okay, okay, that may be a bit exaggerated, especially for someone who was born and raised in a tropical country. But lately, it has become extremely hot and humid, such that it has become definitely unbearable to go out, especially at noontime when the scorching heat just sucks the life out of you.

And it doesn't help either that upon returning to the office or at home, the airconditioning is on full blast. The sudden change in temperature makes you feel dizzy albeit a bit comforting.

I was checking out the current weather in Manila at this site and it's so funny how they report the temperature:

Feels like 35 C, huh? Hahaha! How bout, "Feels like i'm burning in hell?"

I'm hoping for a bit more tolerable heat in Manila this summer!