Wednesday, September 17, 2008

It's Complicated

Oliver showed me a nice entry from his friend this morning. There was a quote there that struck me. So I'm reposting that quote here.

COMPLICATED

It’s when you don’t know where you stand in a person’s life.
It’s when you are hanging on to dead air and knowing you can be thrown off anytime.
It’s like when you are more than friends but not really.
And it’s like you are lovers when it’s really otherwise.
Sometimes, you would want to wish to have never met that person at all,
But at the back of your mind, you are thankful you have


Who wants complications? I know I don't. But I think the reason why we gravitate towards it is because the excitement of it makes life interesting and if for some reason its the only way to be with someone you want to be with, the complication gives you that spark of hope that one day things might end differently. But then again, its a matter of choice isn't it? Ang tanong diyan eh gano ka tatagal sa complication? hanggang kelan ka magtitiyaga?

Ika nga ni Laida, maniwala na lang sa goodness.

hahaha...

Thursday, September 11, 2008

The Great Adobo Challenge

For those who read my previous entry.. this is the adobo story that I promised to write..

Kung may isang ulam na dati rati ay proud na proud akong lutuin, yun ay ang adobo. Grade 3 ata ako nung una ko siyang natutunan lutuin. At sa dinamidami ng versions na alam ko, kahit nakapikit maluluto ko ito (hep! wala munang kokontra!). Until today. Sabi ko nga ke neighbor, ilang milyong beses ko na siguro niluto ang adobo and kanina ko lang nakuha ang tanging reklamo (o siya maliban dun sa time nakalimutan ko siya at nasunog ito) about my ever favorite pinoy dish.

Maalat ang adobo. See I told you, walang kokontra... Promise di ko talaga malasahan ang alat (hmm my tastebuds must be haywire?). Pero sabi ng aking food critic, maalat daw. Plus minasaker ko daw ang pakpak ng manok at namukhang minced chicken siya (they just crumbled you know! haha). A for effort ang grade ko but S for Salty sa taste. May kanta pa yang katumbas (pano nga uli yun? basta asa tune ng london bridge.. kanina LSS ko yun eh).

My self confidence went down the drain (o sige table ng Nando's). Sama mo pa diyan ang blooper ng itlog na pula (Itlog na maalat) na di lang kulay itim dito sa malaysia eh kelangan pa palang lutuin (malay ko bang may option pala sa malaysia na fried salted egg or scrambled salted egg..Sa tin naman iisa lang ang pulang itlog.. at siya ay luto). Parang bigla tuloy akong napaisip--Marunong pa ba akong magluto? (Lasagna will be my redemption!) Sabi ni Food Critic may saving grace naman daw ako-- masarap daw ang garlic fried rice.

But in fairness, the criticism was constructive (with a lot of pang-aasar on the side). Di tayo pikon so we should learn to take criticism with a grain of salt (hep! maalat again!). Although ilang beses ko din siyang muntik masaksak ng tinidor and nabatukan, I must admit, nabusog ako agad sa kakatawa (hmm.. bagong diet tip ito). Saka nainsulto man ng husto ang aking formerly world famous adobo, naubos din naman nila (kasi gutom daw sila.. sige na nga!). So all's well ends well.

So now there is a challenge- My food critic told me that he would cook me an adobo that would cause me to forget my name in the process (talaga lang ha!). Papakita daw niya kung pano ang tunay na pagluto ng adobo. Sige na nga, payag na ako.ng malaman ang katotohanan (mataas ang standards ko!). basta aabangan ko yan.. Teka kelan ba yon? For my part, I will be making my famous lasagna again (so lets rename this as the adobo vs lasagna challenge) and I promise to redeem m myself.

at sisiguraduhin ko ng luto ang itlog na maalat.

Sana may application na ganito sa facebook.. ang saya siguro nun.. :P

Went Up The Waterfalls and came down with a New Toy

I went up the mountains of Selangor today to take photos of the Sungai Chongkak waterfalls. It was a totally different experience for me since it was my first time to take serious photographs in a forest setting. I woke up early (5:30am) to prepare my gear (Lesson 1: always remember your battery, diba?) and dress up. After breakfasting at Mcdonalds (Lesson 2: tradition eto..bawal ibreak), we were on our way to experience the ice cold streams of Sungai Chongkak in the state of Selangor.

My first impression was that the waters were kind of deep (lesson 3: fashionwise, mali ang uniform natin! ang kulet kasi.. mag uniform nga dapat..) But what the heck, a serious photographer will wade through mud if needed to take that one perfect shot right? So ayan, nagpaka dyesebel kuno ang lola niyo at lumusong sa ubod ng lamig na tubig.Ilang beses din akong muntik madulas at madapa (Lesson 4: Dignity and Decorum). Syempre kelangan set ang priorities-- Camera first before safety. Mahulog na ang lahat wag lang ang camera.

But I will tell you this. It was worth it. I learned to use the ND filter set thanks to my mentor (and number 1 taga asar!) and learned a new skill in landscape photography. I never thought I could capture those sceneries in exactly the way I envisioned them to be. I was happy even if my butt was wet and I had to take a pee inside the "gabi ng lagim" like hole they called a toilet (lesson 6: dont look, just pee). hahaha.

On the way back we stopped by the Semenyih Dam and the lookout point where we not only got to take gorgeous landscape photos of the dam but we also witnessed a very interesting "scenery" on a nearby car at the lookout point. hahaha. Panalo talaga ang telescopic eyes ng aking mga kasama.. napansin pati ang pumping scene (ewwww) na nagaganap sa aming tabi(Lesson 7: pag may balak gawin, siguraduhing walang makakakita)

After a long late lunch and Nando's with matching pangaasar from my food critique (Lesson 8: sige na! maalat na ang adobo! huhuhu... abangan na lang ang entry dito..) na may matching kanta pa (eraserheads? di ko kasalanan bat nagkahypertension si ely buendia no), we went to look for a camera strap (strap lang!) but ended up going on a retail therapy mode (Lesson 9: always have an excuse: my excuse-malungkot ako sa adobo;his excuse-kelangan ni hazel ng kadamay) and bought a new lens. It's the lens that I was once told to "be a sin if you don't have it"- 50 mm lens from canon. For just 370RM (with UV and close up filters, I had a new toy. Although it was totally out of my plans for the month, I couldn't resist the great deal (Lesson 10: happy naman tayo diba?) so I withdrew from my grief allowance (Lesson 11: meron pala ako nun) and bought a new toy for my favorite toy (of course ano pa? Hep!eh di yung camera!) Nagamit ko ang aking convincing powers (di daw effective pero Bad influence daw ako...hmm... sino kaya?) and napabili din si guru although mas sosyal yung kanya (Lesson 12: happy ka naman diba?)

So I went up to see the waterfalls and ended up with a new toy-- thanks to my lovely credit card and the convincing powers of one photoaddict like me... Masamang combination daw kami. Sa susunod iwanan ang credit card sa bahay. hahaha.

Kasalanan to ng adobo eh.. at nang api sa adobo..peace :P

Monday, September 08, 2008

My Weekend Date

I had another date yesterday with the dentist . I woke up in so much pain so I decided that I will see her and find a way to get rid of the terrible feeling once and for all. The verdict? I needed a root canal. Just the thought of having one scared the living daylights out of me. I've always been afraid of dentists and ever since the mere mention of the words "bunot, pasta, drill, injection,etc" is enough to make me run for the door. But yesterday I had to face a choice-- live in pain for the the rest of my days here or face my fears. And since I couldn't stand the piercing pain that was giving me migraines, I semi agreed to the procedure (semi lang coz were on a we shall see agreement depending on the state of things..and the state of my wallet! hahaha). The dentist placed me on double dosage of anesthesia and for the next 1.5 hours drilled her way to my roots. I was high on anesthesia but was still so tense that I had to ask for two bathroom breaks to relieve my bladder. I focused on the most mundane things on the cieling to distract myself (symetrical pala ang lahat ng sides ng water sprinklers at slightly blurred pala ang print ng brand na philips sa flourescent lamps nila..). At times I would look spaced out that the dentist would ask me every couple of minutes or so if I was okay. I told her I was focusing my energies on thinking about happy thoughts and she laughed. Every ounce of courage that I had was tested to the limits especially when I started seeing all those tiny needles. I really hate needles. But I had no choice. I had to be brave.

I left the dentist past 2:30 in the afternoon, tired and hungry but proud of myself that I survived . I couldn't feel my face and I felt my smile was a bit weird. I was warned about eating as I might accidentally bite myself. I met my cheering brigade at Sogo where I had my first real meal for the day-- chicken nuggets and fries from mcdo. Syempre puro pangaasar inabot ko (pero patawarin natin since pinatawa naman ako the whole day which i must admit kept me sane..) since I was not only eating so slowly, I couldn't even bring my lips together to sip the iced lemon tea! bwahaha.. panalo. Para kong may bell's palsy (tama ba ang ispelling?) Wala pa din silang Yoda so di pa wagi ang collection namin. After eating, I did some retail therapy and bought a gift for my mentor, Pabu. When I got home, I fell asleep almost immediately. Saka na lang ang quest ko for 1M points in bejewelled. 2 Rest muna. Hayaan na nating manalo si gidiyap for now.

A whole weekend with the dentist. It wasn't exactly the weekend I had hoped for. I had a different gimik in mind. But I guess life has its way of surprising us. And despite everything, I did have a good weekend. I may have cried a lot but I did laugh a lot. Di man natuloy ang original plans ko, nagkaron naman ng mga ibang plans na masasaya din. Andyan ang birthday ni Kobet na puno ng kulitan, ang telethon na nang ubos ng load ko at ang mga tawag nga mga taong chineer up ako the whole day pati ang phone calls ni mamsy at ang mcdonalds chicken nuggets with bbq sauce.

Most of all I realized how many people do actually care for me (Thanks!) And for that I feel blessed.

Sunday, September 07, 2008

In Pain

My tooth hurts. I had a filling replaced yesterday because for 2 days it was hurting slightly. Now that hurting has worsened. And I don't know what to do with myself. The dentist told me to take mild pain relievers like panadol. But I know panadol cannot alleviate this nerve pain. Half my face is already in pain.

What makes things worse is that taking pain meds is not exactly an option for me. Ever since I can remember, they have been one of the triggers of my ITP relapses. And my platelets right now is not exactly at an optimum level. I just can't risk it. Even at a stable level of 112,000 (as of 3 weeks ago), it's still not normal. I just hope I can stand the pain a little bit longer. Otherwise I might need to break my " in case of emergency" glass and take that medicine that I know will remove the pain but might cause havoc to my count. And honestly, my psychological powers is being tested already to its limits. I seriously need a distraction...

just breathe..

Saturday, September 06, 2008

My Travelogue

Ella and I were talking recently about our travels when she realized that I travelled at least once a month this year. I didn't even notice. Looking back I didn't realize how much I've travelled that past 9 months and how much travels I still have to look forward to the next 3 months.

January-- Davao (for the new year); Back to KL (January 13)
February-- Bangkok with Angeli for my Birthday; Pulau Penang with Jay, Tina and Wilai
March-- Pulau Redang with Jay, Tina, and Wilai
April -- Day trip to Melaka with Anthony and Jesse; Overnight in Port Dickson with Anthony
May-- wala.. (ata..)
June-- Cameron Highlands with Jay, Reg, and Tina
July-- 5 weeks of no weekends due to work so I had to stay put. Plus I landed in the hospital
's ER
August-- Manila and Davao (with momsy, anthony, and the rest of the PAP folks)
September-- wala pa (start pa lang eh..) pero dadating si Oliver next week so gala again
October-- Hongkong Cruise with Angeli and her family (with Stopovers to China and Vietnam)
November-- Cambodia with Jay, Reg and Tina
December-- Philippines again with a "Tara Byahe Tayo theme" (for short, gala time again)

Whew! The list alone makes me feel tired. It is by far from exhaustive. May mga "not to be mentioned" trips here and there pa yan. hahaha.

None of these trips were planned when the year started. Most of them were spur of the moment thingies with the exception of Cambodia and my Xmas trip home. The rest were hatched and planned mostly 1 week or so before the actual date. The shortest planned was Penang which was hatched less than 24 hours before we departed. Our trip to Redang got moved because of the rains so in our effort to find a replacement "byahe," and thanks to the wonders of the internet, my friends and I got sidetracked to Pulau Penang where I ate the nicest food ever.

The list made me realize that the reason I'm poorer this year is because I spend most of my money on plane, bus and boat tickets all over. But what the heck, we're supposed to do what makes us happy right?

Reg and I made a pact that before we move back to the Philippines, we'd travel the entire southeast asia region first. I think I am well on my way to achieving that goal.

Tara Byahe Tayo...

One Rainy Day

I was supposed to go out this afternoon. Unfortunately KL's erratic moonsoon weather didn't cooperate with us. So I ended up staying at home and fixing my room (or shall I say attempted to do so). I had brunch with my neighbor atebillie, tita nitz and K earlier before I had my date with the dentist in carrefour (lost a filling two days ago). I even did my version of singing in the rain walking back from c4 to endah villa. Fortunately no one witnessed my near slip in the foyer downstairs. After talking in Skype with a friend I decided to rest and and take a nap.

I think I got about 15-20 minutes rest before my prednisone induced mania kicked in and pushed me out of bed. I cleared the bed and kept my clothes that were laying around. After that I fixed the mess all over my room. With nothing else to do, I browsed the net for some vacation tips and ended up talking to my student about Cambodia travel tips. I googled my way out of boredom and ended up making an itinerary for our adventure in November. Funny, how life finds a way to keep you occupied.

It's quite ironic that there are days when you seem to have no time on your hands to fit everything that needs to be done. Then there are days like this when you have so much time on your hands.

Gutom na ko.. Makakain na nga lang...

Friday, September 05, 2008

Fasting Month Moments

Last monday, I was having dinner with two friends in the mall when we were asked by the waiter if we wanted to wait for buka puasa before our food would be served. Hungry as we were, we had to quickly explain to the waiter that we were not Muslims and were not fasting. That was the second time I got questioned about my eating during Ramadan since I moved to Malaysia two years ago. Funny, coz I've always taken it for granted that I was a non-Muslim in a predominantly Muslim country. At times I would find myself confused as to why people were staring at me when I would eat during the fasting month. I tend to forget that I look like a local. My friends also looked local. So it came as no surprise when we were stopped from eating.

The same thing happeend on Wednesday when the server at Nando's was apparently waiting until buka puasa to take our order. I was so hungry and was constantly signalling the waiter to please come and take our order. When they realized that we were not fasting, ayun pina order din kami.

I can't imagine myself ever fasting. Yung 2x a year requirement nga ng Catholic church never ko pang nagawa. I've always had the excuse since I was hyperacidic. I can abstain from pork during the holy week but to actually stop me from eating anything is impossible. That's why I really admire those who can.