“The bud
stands for all things,
even for those things that don’t flower,
for everything flowers, from within . . .
though sometimes it is necessary
to reteach a thing its loveliness,
to put a hand on its brow . . .
and retell it in words and in touch
it is lovely . . .”
-G. Kinnell
What is with the title of this blog anyway? Things I Remember, Things I Forget . . . Sounds like a prelude to early Alzheimer’s or dementia.
He-he.
Why must we eat? Having tummy problems lately, everything looks and tastes unpalatable. Recently I can’t seem to eat my own cooking at all altho. P said it tastes fine (P thinks everything I cook is delish. Do not all husbands, really?). But everything tastes like ashes, ashes in my mouth.
As usual P and I are late in jumping on the bandwagon of the hottest and latest. We just recently discovered “Heroes” (and “Gossip Girl”) the cable TV series, which is actually on season four already (i.e., “Heroes”), via my sister’s boxed set and we’ve been very intrigued to say the least and staying in a lot to finish season one and also avoid the mad last-minute Christmas rush in the streets and malls.
One day, while caught in traffic, I touched P’s arm and yelled, “Ow!”
P: What?
Me: (Annoyed) Ang lakas ng static mo!
P: Hmm . . . that can be my power.
Me: What? You’re Static Man?! (LOL!)
P: (Mocking) Buti na may power, kesa wala (while looking slyly in my direction).
Me: Sus! Okay lang walang power, kesa naman Static Man!
(A few minutes passed and P spoke again . . .)
P: Malakas ba yung static (energy) ko?
Me: Medyo.
P: (Pleased) Lalakas pa iyon later. I just need to learn how to control it.
Me: Bwahaha! Sus! Static nga e. Di na lalakas yan. At most you’ll probably just annoy people. (LOL!)
P: (Deflated) Ang yabang nitong normal person na ito.
P said one day: “Toto and his wife also play Wii together.”
Me: Talaga?
P: Madaya daw misis n’ya, nanunulak.
Me: Did you tell him that I beat you every time? Even at boxing?
P: Hell, no. Sabi ko madaya ka din.
Me: You lie.
It is necessary with my blasted condition that I have my blood tested quarterly. I should have gotten used to getting pricked by a needle by now, I have been doing this for three years after all, but what can one do when one is a sissy?
So, faint with hunger after having fasted for 8-10 hours, knees shaking, I would queue quietly in the laboratory and wait for my turn, silently hoping that the person who would be administering to me was not a bloody idiot (there had been times in the past when I had to be repeatedly poked because of collapsed veins, but mostly because of the inexperience of the fresh-out-of-school staff. P would be the one to get mad, while I would try to fake stoicism and allow myself to be this new graduate’s practice pin cushion).
A few days ago I had another blood test scheduled and am very pleased to report that the experience was very swift and painless. I told the nurse who took my blood, “You have a light touch. I didn’t feel that at all!” She smiled. I said, “Do you hear people telling you this a lot?” She grinned, “Yes, ma’am, I’m just like a vampire!” We both laughed.
Gah! I concede. There are “some” cringe-worthy parts in Eclipse and Breaking Dawn 
.
Oh, Stephenie, Stephenie . . . (why the heck did your parents name you Steph-e-nie and not Steph-a-nie? Did they make up their own version, like what you did with your character’s name “Renesmee” in Book 4?). Sigh. Stephenie, Stephenie . . . Shaggidy, shaggidy . . .
BUT there are some kilig parts naman. Lots of kissing parts, almost-having-s*x and FINALLY-having-s*x parts.
General opinion of books: Forgivable. Not that bad, just okay.
So . . . many . . . things . . . to . . . blog . . . about . . . Must . . . blog . . .
So, okay. Hello. This is my first blog post in my spanking, brand new Web site (all thanks to my good friend, J, who bought my domain name, designed my Web site, and agreed to maintain and pay for it–ad infinitum. Joke! Hala, J, I plan to blog pa naman until I’m eighty).
So many things make me happy these days (this birthday gift Web site for one) and I’m sorry, but I just have to write about them in the exercise of counting my blessings, and because I know days like these can be fleeting, precious, and wala lang, this is MY blog, after all, I can write whatever I want.
Lola and I both grew a year older, respectively, in November. She is now 89. I am 33. It’s f*cking great to be alive. I mean, in the face of all the other crap going on in other parts of the globe (inflation, recession, terror attacks, deaths), Lola and I are very lucky to be well, in one piece, able to blow the candles on our cupcakes, and eat our pansit in peace. This is blessing no. 1.
I also have a few great friends who remembered to greet me on my birthday, send presents (like the Moleskine 2009 diaries I couldn’t permit myself to buy because I find leather-bound notebooks a bit excessive [as P said, "a waste of leather"], but painfully elegant and beautiful), and friends who wished me happiness and health. We can only be so lucky to have people who care to celebrate our birthdays year after year and really it is so accurate when they say that friends are the family we choose for ourselves. Blessing no. 2 is having decent, loving friends.
P and I finished our Christmas shopping early this year and a few days ago I have put the finishing touches to the gifts that would be sent out in the next couple of weeks to family and friends. Most of our nice purchases are for kids (P and my inaanak or pamangkin) and though one may be tempted to cut back on the gift giving or to choose inferior items just for the sake of keeping within the more stringent 2008 budget, P and I didn’t have the hearts to do it. Christmas is for children and gift giving, like love, should never be practical. So blessing no. 3 is having the means to buy loved ones simple, but thoughtful presents that convey our affection. We’ll just save on other things next time.
P and I also allowed ourselves to be generous with each other. Before, it used to be family first, us second in the holiday gift-giving department, but then we just realized that some of our family members are f*cking assholes and why should we deprive ourselves in favor of assholes (butt holes who also happen to be withholding of affection, have an inordinate amount of self-entitlement, or give crappy, thoughtless gifts)? So instead of sending a gift to Relative This or Relative That, who always fails to thank us anyway or even acknowledge our inquiry as to whether our gift reached his or her ungracious, sorry ass, P and I bought new shirts for our backs, pantaloons to cover our nether regions, rubber shoes each to replace our ratty ones, and a Wii game console. Blessing no. 4 is the ability to let go of bad relationships and love ourselves better.
I also wish to acknowledge the people who are neither related to me by blood or affinity–actually, they are strangers–who have made my days the past weeks by being nice, generous, or openhearted:
-Shoe Store Attendant at Planet Sports who told me that he also assisted me before and reminded me that I sent a commendation letter to his boss mentioning the pleasant experience I had at the store. He said, “Thank you, ma’am, malaking bagay din na makilala kami ng mga tao sa main office.”
See, I have a habit of writing commendation letters (sometimes I also send small gifts), maybe more so than writing complain letters (which I also write from time to time as merited by the “situation”). In fact, I have a notebook I always carry in my bag, the pages of which I like to write thank-you notes on and tear for the recipient to find, together with my tip. This always gets eyeball rolls from P because he’s just difficult like that. I rarely get a note back from these people (he-he), but some do text or e-mail, or as in the case at Planet Sports, thank me personally. It’s a great feeling to know that one has done what one can to help others in small ways, but it is an even greater feeling to know that the effort has been appreciated. More than the need to be loved, I think humans yearn more to be appreciated. Blessing no. 5 are people who know how to appreciate the big and little things you do for them.
-Nice, petite lady at the free advanced screening of Twilight in Glorietta 4, who in the first quarter of the film approached me (I was standing, while waiting for P, because the movie house was already packed when I got there) and offered the two empty seats next to hers because, she said, “Di na yata babalik yung naka upo.” I mean, for her to go out of her way like that shows that she is a caring and nice person–truly a blessing to others.
I also loved how the cinemagoers, young and old, were so into the whole Twilight saga. I was so amused to hear an entire cinema “ooh,” whistle, sigh, or collectively grow silent during the romantic parts in the movie. I have not read the books then, but the people’s enthusiasm encouraged me to get Books 2 to 4 after the screening. Blessing no. 6 are people with generous hearts and people with hearts for the fantastic and romantic.
I have finished reading New Moon and have started on Eclipse. Many people have bashed the author of the Twilight series for writing what they call as “drivels,” as in, “how dare they compare her popularity to Rowling’s” type of whining, but really, the books are not that bad, they have their moments–a bit predictable, yes, but good for a night of easy reading. Not as cringe-worthy naman as Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code, which I also bought out of curiosity, started reading, but sadly had to put down and close . . . forever.
Some movies that are adapted from great books we hate because we think they do not do justice to the original text, but some books are actually better as movies and are often eclipsed by the movies they spawn. Twilight (even the Da Vinci Code) is such a book, I think.
-One of the neighbors in my building’s floor, who saw me cooking adobo and sinigang through the kitchen window, and smiled. Blessing no. 7 are neighbors who can actually smile through smelly cooking not of their own making.
It was truly a happy birthday for me this year and I’m looking forward to having a happy Christmas as well!
Thank you, J, for this site!