The World of Second Chances

Where Is Maddie?

March 25, 2011

Life & Love

I’ve known about your disappearance just four days ago when it fact you were missing for four years now.
Your story hypnotizes me, as much as it intrigues me.
I am trying to make use of my little psychic ability to know if you are still with us or you have slept eternally. Your eyes remind me of children looking at a big birthday cake.
Big, round and full of excitement.

Maddie, you disappeared on May 3, 2007.
I lost my love on that same year but found another one a year later.
The world has yet to find another you.

There are different speculations about your disappearance. Did somebody took you away or did God asked you to come home?
My heart is aching and I feel the loss of the people who genuinely loves you.
Looking For A Book Publisher

March 24, 2011

Career, Finance & Product

Everytime I look at my baby, there is this burning desire to pursue my dream of writing children’s book. I have expressed my intention to pursue this dream before a crowd of familar faces in the office and one of them seemed eager to help me find a publisher.

I grew up reading books published by Adarna; I wonder if they are interested in my stories.

When I was in elementary, I used to write stories using a typewriter. Writing has always been my passion; there was a time when I dreamed of becoming a scriptwriter someday. My late mother told me that I probably got my artistic instincts on her father’s side of the family. Some of her relatives there are good singers, dancers, painters, columnists and opera musicians. So there, it’s in the genes!

Artists are said to be emotional and I was like like that until I took up engineering. Somehow, engineering was able to balance the functions of my left brain (logical) and right brain (artistic)

I usually write good stories and poems when depressed. I could only write children’s book now that I’m happy with my life. 🙂
Super Moon, Full Moon, Blue Moon

March 22, 2011

Life & Love

Miel and I watched the super moon last Sunday morning. It was so big and according to the astronomers, the average distance of the moon to the earth at that time was only at 356,000 kms. I think the normal average distance must be at 384,000 kms. I have always been a great fan of heavenly bodies. Constellations, the sun, the moon, falling stars and comet never cease to amaze me!

Once in my young and romantic life, I texted my then bf who was kilometers away from me.
Me: Miss na kita. Uy, tingin ka sa labas, sa langit, ha? (I miss you. Hey, can you look at the sky outside?)
Bf: Ah, baket? (Uhm, why?)
Me: Wala lang. Tignan mo yung full moon. (Nothing. Just look at the full moon.)
Bf: O, tapos? (And then?)
Me: Pag nakita mo yan, malalalaman mo na miss na miss kita. (If you saw the full moon, you’ll know how much I miss you.)
Bf: A, ganun? (Oh, yeah?)
Hahahahaha! OMG, I could shrink at the thought of it! I could never imagine myself being so hopelessly romantic again! Yuck! And worse, I shared my romantic instincts with somebody who was not romantic like me. Jason, now you know why I said I’m just sweet (and not romantic) Period.

I have too much luck with the moon but maybe this is the ultimate moon experience I ever had. My first bf and I witnessed the blue moon sometime in 1998. Old folks said that when you are with your partner during a blue moon, then the two of you will stay together forever. Here’s the catch: two years later, bf and I parted ways. Thanks to the blue moon!

Oh, I remember I had weird moods during full moons. My mother used to say, “Pagpasensyahan nyo na, bilog ang buwan. Matindi ang sumpong!”

Moon cakes, anyone?
Lessons From The Japanese

March 18, 2011

Life & Love

The tragedy that struck Japan did not alter the Japanese culture of discipline and concern for their fellowmen. On TV, you can see the long queue of people waiting for their turn to buy goods. They patiently wait for their turn and nobody is blaming anybody for the slow movement of queue. This is different from what is happening here in the Philippines wherein you can hear people complaining when they need to fall in line. Some would even try to cut you in line.

At the evacuation center, the Japanese are also well-behaved and content of the relief goods being given to them. The area is well-maintained and 5S is implemented. The same cannot be said of our evacuation sites here because not all evacuees are concerned enough to maintain the cleanliness and orderliness of their temporary shelter. While the Japanese will only get what they need for the day,our evacuees here will get as much as they need for a day’s need. They call it their buffer, nevermind if that buffer is intended for the other evacuees.

Experts say that the Japanese culture of discipline, unity and concern is because of the following:
1. The Japanese people have high regard of their government. They do not complain because their government is responsible and is obviously doing everything to reach out to them.
2. The Japanese people learned a lot from World War 2; their level of unity and discipline were subconciously forced to be embedded on their culture. From nothing after World War 2, they managed to bounce back even higher all because of discipline and unity.

Can we attain this level of discipline and unity here in the Philippines? Do we trust our government? Can we trust our government? Are we respectful of our fellowmen?

Assessment time.
Passport

March 16, 2011

Travel

Express passport processing now takes 15 working days. If you are to get the services of a courier company, expect your passport on the 16th day. But better be wary of SOME courier companies; the promised “passport delivery on the 16th day” could be broken.

I could have mentioned the name of the courier company here but since their customer service representative was helpful and polite to me last night, then I would forget about exposing it.

To the courier company: Don’t make false advertisements at the expense of your customers.

To my fellow Filipinos: If you can afford to personally claim your passport, then do it especially if the courier company does not have a branch in your area.
A Time To Give Back

March 15, 2011

Life & Love

I feel bad about what happened in Japan.

I can’t put into words the emotion that I am feeling.

In my own little way, I guess it’s the right time to give back.

Let’s help Japan.
Six Things About Jason

March 9, 2011

Life & Love

Friendship is important to me. I consider a few trusted people as my circle of friend. Jason is one of them. Our friendship has evolved from being too focused on my vulnerable lovelife to discussing financial/investment matters. How well do I know him? Maybe not that much yet as we have a lifetime to discover more about each other’s similarities and differences. The items below are the things about Jason that matters to me.

1. He is a Scorpion like me. I have a hard time remembering birthdays and it’s easier for me to recall a person’s zodiac sign. Jason is a Scorpion like me: passionate, loyal and temperamental. His passion to make good at his profession is something that isn’t obvious to those who doesn’t know him well. Yes, the guy looks easy-go-lucky. His loyalty to those that mattered to him is commendable. I have yet to hear him badmouth a friend or a mentor. Just like me, his moods are unpredictable especially during his younger years. (Thank God I’m past that stage now!)

2. He is one of my BBF (Boy Best Friend). I got the term BBF after watching Richard Gutierrez’s “My Valentine Girls.” I feel comfortable and safe sharing my life stories with him. I think we really got very close during my vulnerable period. He practically saved me from losing my sanity by just being there to “listen.” He was the first person outside of my family to know about me entering into a new relationship, getting engaged, getting married and having a new baby. He’s the only person outside of my family to know about the ups and downs of my career.
3. There was a time when my ex was jealous of him. Don’t ask who among my exes but this ex of mine came to the point of asking me if there was ever a time that I felt I was or at least, I was close to falling in love with my BBF. “Maybe yes maybe no” was my answer. That was an unsafe yet honest answer, I know, and that added up to my ex’s speculation that his gut feelings were valid but for the sake of transparency and truthfulness, “Maybe yes maybe no” was the right answer.
The MAYBE YES: Love is measured in many different ways and I love Jason for being him.
The MAYBE NO: I loved my ex when we were still together and that love distracted me from falling in love with other men. On the other hand, I have always been fond of Jason’s relationship with the love of his life and that prevented me from establishing a deeper, more than platonic relationship with him.

4. He is his worst critic. He sees himself as stagnant and average for whatever
reasons. What I see in him is a person who’s trying to achieve most out of life.

5. He is a bookworm. He loves information to the point of info overload.
6. It may not show but he is a loving kuya to his siblings.