I’m very new to Facebook and I don’t intend to repeat the mistake that I did in Friendster; that of adding anybody for the sake of adding. Isn’t it cool to have 500+ friends or more? I would appear friendly and popular. But hey, do these people really mean to me or vice versa? Do we share the same connection or at least affiliation? Not all. Some of there are just lurkers, if not posers. I decided to make my Facebook extra personal; I will only add and search for people that I truly know. I would only add people that I share the same connection and affiliation. This is the reason why the pictures that I post in Facebook reflect my day-to-day life. It’s good to be posting pictures from a recent travel or event and I am also posting this kind of pictures on Facebook but I also want my friends to see how I look at my most normal day. I’d like them to see me without make up. I’d like them to see that I get zit sometimes. I’d like them to see how I look in the morning right after rising from sleep and at night, when I’m ready to sleep. I’d like them to see the clothes that I wear at home. I’d like them to know that I have a simple yet satisfying life. I don’t want to project that I’m somebody. I don’t want them to have the misconception that I’m living a charmed life or I’m living a very comfortable life. I’d like them to know me better based on my day-to-day activities. I’d like them to see me as me, no more and no less.
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Dear Daddy, Lolo and Tito,
We don’t know where to start because we’re not sure if you will appreciate this mushiness. Anyway, we have every reason to greet you on Father’s Day because of the following:
Daddy, this is Chang. The first time that Mommy informed us about marrying you, I had no apprehensions on that because I know that you are her Mr. Right. I’ve seen her fallen head over heels with her so-called love of her life and that love brought her into a downward spiral. With you, I saw the changes in her like regaining her faith in God. Money is truly not everything and I’ve never seen her with such kind of peace of mind until you two became a couple. I know we have different upbringings and we are both adjusting to co-exist. I am just too glad because you accepted me and treated me as if Adi and I are not half-siblings.
Daddy, this is Adi. Everybody in the house says that I am the baby in the family and I can feel that. Sometimes, in my young age, I can’t help but maintain the responsibility of being the clown and toy in the family. I am so used in being the center of attention. I love our playtime (Mommy is boring). While you are the disciplinarian in the family and Mommy is “one-of-us,” I harbor no ill feelings towards you because I know how much you love us.
Papa, this is Chang. Living with my grandparents gave me the opportunity to be a spoiled brat in a positive way. With my grandparents, I learned the value of taking care of other people who are in need. While Mommy hated the lack of privacy in our house when she was little, I loved being visited by people and I guess that gave me the flexibility that Mommy sometimes lacked. Thank you for taking care of me while my biological father was unable to do that.
Papa, this is Adi. You are so fun to be with and I can’t help to push myself to grow fast. I would like to spend summer vacations with you. We will go bird-hunting and biking. We will go around the town in a motorcycle. You say that all three of your grandchildren are your favorite: Ate Chang because she is the first grandchild, Ate Kai because she is so smart and me, because I am the first grandson. You are also our favourite grandfather because you exert the effort to communicate with us.
Kuya M, this is Chang. Mommy can attest to how much I adore you. You are more “masungit” than Mommy but I’ve always loved that “kasungitan.” Maybe because I was looking for a father figure in you and Papa that is why I became close to both of you. Thank you for helping me with my homeworks before. I’ve always thought that you are better than Mommy when it comes to academics. 😉
Kuya M, this is Adi. You say that I am your handsome nephew and Mommy feels happy whenever you say that. (Of course, I’ve got most of my features from her!) Maybe I am asking too much but I am hoping to have a male cousin from you. If that is not possible, it’s okay because we’re happy with Ate Kai.
Happy Father’s Day tomorrow to all three of you!
Love,
Chang and Adi -
I hailed a cab yesterday morning in EDSA, just a few meters away from Philam Homes. After around five minutes, I felt dizzy and I couldn’t breathe. I could feel I could pass out any moment.I tried to open the window but it was tight; I couldn’t roll it down. I gathered all my remaining strength and pretended to be suffering from LBM. I asked the driver to pull over because I would poopoo. (Yuck! Hehehe) Fortunately, he let me get out of the cab. I paid him while looking at the cab’s plate number and operator’s name.
I spent the next 10 minutes in 7-11, trying to figure out if my dizziness was caused by a chemical or not. If the cab had a faulty radiator, why would my system react to it that fast? It would take a strong chemical to knock a person off in less than five minutes.
I was not even wearing my earrings yesterday. I only had my wristwatch and pricey wedding ring. The company-issued laptop was inside an ordinary knapsack and my handbag was the ordinary one. I could say that the most expensive personal item with me yesterday was the wedding ring and it was not even noticeable.
I shall be finding out about the operator and owner of this cab. God is so good, He saved me from this one.
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My boss forwarded an email about a software supplier that has a branch in Singapore. I tried to avail of the trial software but the trial button was not enabled so I emailed the company to ask for assistance. They quickly replied and asked me to contact 747-xxx-xxxx so that their account manager/s can assist me. I googled Singapore’s country code and found it to be 65. So, I tried to contact the company by dialing 0065-747-xxx-xxxx. I heard an “unreachable tone” so I tried to dial again. I asked a friend who’s based in Singapore if there’s a 747 on their landline and he suggested that that number could be a “redirected” number. I was so sure that that landline was from Singapore so I mentioned to him that my boss thought that that number was from the USA. He agreed with my boss and he even showed me a link that I sent to him days back with that number written above the software company’s head office in Reno, Nevada. Ouch! I should have been more careful in perceiving things! Just because the first advertisement came from their Singapore office does not mean that the 747-xxx-xxxx is a Singapore landline number. Lesson learned.
How I miss the days when direct dialing was not yet possible and we have to be assisted by telephone operators whenever we need to place a long distance call or overseas call. I was very fond of placing a long distance call and talk with a telephone operator back then. Some operators were serious and stiff while most of them were friendly. There was even a time when one of my mother’s many godchildren was the one I was talking with.“Uy, si Iris ba to? Saan ka tatawag? Ah sa Makati? Kumusta mo ako kay Ninang, ha?”
How sweet. =)
One of my admirers in college was bold enough to place a collect call from Baguio and he so missed me a lot; he talked with me for an hour! I knew it was a collect call and I was polite enough not to reject the call and I was also stupid enough not to end the conversation; it costed our telephone bill PhP500 for that call; back in the mid-90’s, that was a big amount for a telephone call.
I love Piltel operators and for me, they were the friendliest telephone operators; they wouldn’t show impatience if they could not connect your call to the person that you needed to call. When I was in Baguio, I had this Sunday habit to go to Piltel in Session Road after my Sunday mass at the Baguio Cathedral (I was a Catholic) to place a long distance call to my parents in Bataan. (I was teary-eyed when I passed by Piltel-Session Road in 2008. Memories, memories.)It was sometime in 1996 when PLDT launched its direct dialing system in Balanga. This was a system enhancement and a reduction in labor cost, too because this new system would not need an operator to assist us in placing a long distance call.
Fast-forward to 2011 when having a cellphone is considered a necessity rather than a luxury. I was just thinking this afternoon; would it still be possible to get the assistance of a telephone operator even if I’m using a cellphone and not a landline phone? I guess, if that were possible, I would hear the voice from the other line saying “Ma’am, this 747-xxx-xxxx is NOT a Singapore number; let me help you place an overseas call to the US instead.” -
Inspired by the Nescafe commercial, naisip ko lang, para kanino nga ba ako bumabangon? Bakit nga ba kelangan ko pang bumangon? Mas malalim ang kahulugan ng pagbangon sa akin. Hindi lang yan ang tipong pagbangon sa higaan tuwing umaga para pumasok sa opisina. Hindi lang yan ang pagbangon sa pagkaka-siesta para lang sumamba. Hindi lang yan ang pagbangon para magtimpla ng Nescafe (actually, Cafe Puro ang preferred local brand of coffee ko)
Dumating ako sa punto ng buhay ko na kelangan kong ibangon ang sarili ko sa pagkakadapa. Kung isasapelikula ang buhay ko, yung unang parte ay heavy drama habang ang kasalukuyan naman ay may halong comedy na. Ano ba ang pinakamabibigat na dagok sa buhay ko at paano ba ako bumangon? Naisip kong ibahagi ang mga ito para sa mga taong dumaranas ng mabibigat na pagsubok sa buhay. Hey, there is always hope!
1. Nawalan ng trabaho ang tatay ko- mula sa isang kumportableng buhay, nagising na lang kami isang araw na wala na pala kaming kapera-pera. Nasa grade 3 ako noon. Sa hindi maipaliwanag na dahilan, umayaw na lang sa pag-a-abroad ang aking ama at bigla na lang umuwi ng Pinas. Bilang bata na nasanay sa magagandang gamit, nagtaka ako kung bakit kelangang tipirin ang lahat. Bakit ganito na lang ang gamit ko sa school? Bakit pinagalitan ako ng teacher ko dahil recycled notebook ang gamit ko? Bakit tinapon ni teacher ang dala kong bulaklak dahil hindi mamahalin gaya ng dala ng iba. Yun ang first time kong nakaranas ng financial insecurity. Dun ko rin natutuhang magtipid at maging praktikal. Ito ang tinuturing kong pagbangon. Sa halip na maglakwatsa ako, inatupag ko ang pag-aaral ko kasi nangarap ako na balang araw, hindi ko na daranasin ang hirap na to. (Natural meron pang ibang kwento ng kahirapan, hindi ko na lang ishe-share no!)
2. Panay away ni ermat at erpat- Hindi ko na idedetalye pa ang away kasi ang punto ko naman, pag nag-aaway ang magulang, ang anak ang higit na nasasaktan. Dito ko naranasan ang insecurity pagdating sa relationship, be it friendship or romantic relationship. On the lighter note, dito ko rin natutuhang magpahalaga sa value ng relationship kaya nga pag mahal ko ang tao, mahal ko talaga; pag kaibigan ko ang tao, kaibigan hanggang hukay yun. I think my friends can attest to that. My family knows that I’m the type who fight for a loved one. Medyo matagal kong dinamdam ang insecurity na yan sa pag-aaway ng parents ko. Nakabangon naman ako kasi inuunaw ko sila nung kumikita na ako ng sarili kong pera. At sinabi ko sa sarili ko na hindi daranasin ng anak ko ang ganung bangayan ng tatay niya. Parents, don’t fight in front of your kids. Nakaka-trauma yun.
3. Iniwan ako sa ere ng first love ko- Aaaawwww…Hawww sadd naman! Akalain mo yun, akala mo kayo na habang-buhay. Akala mo, sya ang knight-in-shining armor mo. Akala mo, mapaninindigan ka nya. Puro akala..puro akala! Inisip ko na lang na hindi pala sapat ang pagmamahal lang para mag-survive ang relationship. There has to be a LOT of elements in it. Nakabangon naman ako kasi inintindi ko ang sarili ko. Nag-aral ako at nakatapos. Naitaguyod ko ang bunga ng pagmamahalan namin. Ang side effect nga lang nun, yung next relationship ko, pinakaingatan ko ng husto. Nasobrahan ang pag-iingat na yun at dumating din ang punto na game over na sa amin. Pero alam nyo, nakabangon pa rin naman ako. The best na may isang lalaking nagmahal talaga sa akin maging sino man ako (naks! Sharon-Robin!) at smooth-sailing ang married life ko. San ka pa! Ito yung tipong, may pumatid sa yo, sinipa ka pa, tinadyakan pero may isang kamay na nagtayo sa iyo. Hawww nice!
4. Na-outgrown ako ng tropa ko- Hahaha! Nubeh! Isang umaga nagising ako hindi na pala ako part ng social circle ng mga tinuturing kong kaibigan. Ewan ko ba.Super hurt ako that time at hindi ako magpapakaplastik na dumating sa punto na pwede na rin kaming magsolian ng kandila, litrato at pati mga tsismis na pinag-usapan. Naisip ko lang, ganun talaga ang buhay; may darating, may aalis. Para naman akong hindi IE, queieng theory lang yan, may arrival at may departure. Naisip ko lang, ganun lang ba itapon ang mga moments ng chikahan, kwentuhan, palitan ng tsismaks at hingian ng advice? Sa akin siguro, I treated the friendship as something na dapat i-treasure. Baka yun lang din ang value ko sa kanila, kasa-kasama pero hindi kaibigan. Nakabangon naman ako kasi nasubok ko at na-assess sino lang ba ang dapat kong itago sa inventory of friends ko.
5. Hindi ako na-promote- Yuck! Hindi ako na-promote at yung kakumpitensya ko pa ang napromote! Worse, yung mga kosa nya ay against na against sa akin na tipong pwede silang mag-picket pag ako ang na-promote. If there is one person who helped me get through with it, yung ex-bf ko yun. Syempre andun din ang suporta ng pamilya ko. Iyon din naman ang magandang memory ng ex ko, magaling syang mag-motivate pagdating sa career ko. Paano ba ako nakabangon sa incident na yun. Wala lang, naging sport lang ako at pinalipas ko rin ang alingasngas ng mga supporters nya. Ang lesson na natutuhan ko dun ay matutong makiramdam sa takbo ng pulitika sa opisina. Hindi ka pwedeng lumaban kung buong bayan ayaw sa iyo. Hindi pwedeng puro talino kasi may mga taong pwedeng mag-coup d’etat sa iyo. Hindi pa rin naman ako talunan kasi binigyan din ako ng magandang salary increase ng boss namin. Yehey!
O, ikaw? Para kanino ka bumabangon? Kaya mo pa bang bumangon? Kayanin mo!
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I came across a thread in Pinoy Exchange’s Buhay Pinoy section about a pexer’s wife revealing the identity of some three or four pexers. It happened to be her husband who had been victimizing pexers, both male and female; who had been pretending to be a person he was not. Some of the pexers got affected because some of them “hooked up” with the female alternick of the poser. It could be a case of net addiction on the poser’s part and living in his fantasy world was his way of getting even with life.
When I decided to put my real name on WordPress, I knew that my privacy would be vulnerable but I wanted to have an honest and transparent blog so that was it. I just put some regulations on my blog like being responsible and careful about my personal opinion on some hot topics. My WordPress is also very different from my blogs in the past because I do not post personal pictures here. I do not mention the real names of family and friends that I write about; I respect their privacy.
Using my real name will prevent the risk of creating a character that is not really me like age, civil status, social status and achievements. If I were using a different username, I might be tempted to pose myself as someone rich, successful and devastatingly beautiful.
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There is no question that Aga is a good actor but I guess nobody will disagree if I say that Jake Cuenca is excellent on this movie. He portrays the role of the governor’s second son; the first one (Ryan Eigenmann) is illegitimate. Dylan is the lesser evil between Homer (Ryan Eigenmann) and he. Perhaps by nature, he is soft-hearted but he needs to be like his father and half-brother (Homer) to get the former’s approval. He is his father’s bait, his father’s last chance to lord it over in the political arena of their province. Unassuming and young, he questions his father’s decision why he is being asked to run for a vice-mayoralty seat instead of the aggressive Homer. In his father’s mind, he knows that Dylan will make a better political asset than Homer. After all, the people hate them. They need someone new and charming to win the people’s heart. He has a girlfriend (Cedes/Angel Locsin) whom the masa can identify with, nevermind the rumors that she was dancer (perhaps she is even an escort girl). Cedes is the icing on their cake or maybe a deodorizer or an image booster.
In a twist of fate, he meets his fiancee’s ex-lover Emman. His friendship with Emman (Aga Muhlach) starts when the latter saved him from one assassination attempt. He realizes that Emman is smart and his suggestion on how to boost his vice-mayoralty candidacy is considered. Clueless about his fiancee’s past with Emman, he is the one who hired Emman to be Cedes’s dance instructor for the Governor’s Ball.
It is Dylan’s mother who came up with the idea about sponsoring a Governor’s Ball. The family’s image needs some cleansing .Carmi Martin’s life as a rich politician’s wife is touched at the cemetery scene with Cedes. While the two women’s life could have been parallel (Carmi as a poor provinciana got married to a rich politico), their reason for staying with their men is different. Carmi did it for money, Cedes did it for love. How can one decent woman stomach to live with a man she doesn’t love and even be made a whore by that man just to find ways on how to help her man?
Later it is unfolded that the governor and Homer had a plan to assassinate Cedes while she and Dylan would be dancing at the Governor’s Ball. Being young, uncorrupt and so much in love, they knew that losing Cedes could release the evil in Dylan by probably getting back at their political enemies or maybe, Dylan could get the public’s sympathy. Either way, it’s win-win for the family.
But the plan does not materialize because Emman arrives just in time to prevent the sniper (too bad he caught the bullet for Cedes!) The governor shows his true color by pointing the gun at Cedes, their sacrificial lamb, much to Dylan’s shock. It is out of instinct when he catches the bullet for Cedes.) A man in love will do anything for the woman he loves just like what Emman did for Cedes. Dylan dies on the spot while his ladylove is busy crying over the love of her life Emman.Jake Cuenca did justice to his role as a young man trying to win his father’s affection and his ladylove’s heart. In the name of love, he protected Cedes from anyone who would harm her. Jake is just too perfect for the role, I forgot that for a time, I hated him for that chance encounter incident with ex-gf Roxanne Guinoo at a bar. There is something in his acting that is uniquely his. The intonation, the body language, the depth, the intensity- I wonder if his acting talent has always been there or was it polished at regular acting workshops in ABS-CBN. For a young actor to be pitted along a much veteran and talented actor like Aga Muhlach, Star Cinema made the best decision to include Jake Cuenca in the cast.
This is the best Aga Muhlach film ever. In this film, Aga is so convincing, you will forget that he is Aga Muhlach, the star. In this film, he is just Emman, an ordinary Filipino working as a dancer in Japan. He is a father estranged from his son, a middle-aged guy being stalked by a girl in her mid-20’s, a lover who will sacrifice in the name of love. That confrontation scene with Angel Locsin as Cedes is just too realistic, you will forget that this is just a film.I am not impressed with Angel’s pole dancing but let’s not focus on that. (Hey, Ciara Sotto is the best pole dancer for me!) I like her best on the scenes where she is not speaking at all. You can feel her pain, her excitement for seeing Emman again and all her kept emotions through the years she and Emman are separated from each other.
Yes, I am writing this article from Dylan’s perspective. Isn’t it obvious that Jake Cuenca earned a fan in me?
The World of Second Chances 