It's Over At Last

About two weeks ago, I finally closed the chapter of my life as a bachelor with a swinging apartment. Well, not actually swinging apartment. More like a disaster area apartment. Posters on the wall, old letters and bills on the floor, clothes strewn about; that was my apartment.

But for all the mess, it was my home for sixteen years. As someone used to say, it was the fortress of solitude. A place that made me safe from all the pains of the world, real or imagined. A place where I could find myself. A place where I could find the Pin@y in me. A place to grow up.

The apartment needed some work when I began occupying it. It needed a new coat of paint. The linoleum floors needed to be changed. The green carpet was about five years younger than I am. The plumbing over time leaked and caused a hole in the plaster over the garage.

Everything was symbolized by the hot water faucet would leak over time. The faucet's gasket would be destroyed by the hot water and the constant on / off maneuvering of the faucet such that the faucet leaked. When I met the SO, I learned that dripping faucets represented money leaving the house. I eventually closed the faucet's supply line just so I could save the hot water. Yup, no hot water in the sink when I did the dishes. That meant that I got the best dishwasher liquid, Joy.

The oven has been broken since the late 1990's. All I remember is that I tried to clean it with a cleaner based on sodium hydroxide. I covered all the heating elements except for the back side. That side got some hydroxide and burned through the heating element. Voila! No oven. I used to cook chicken thighs and legs with BBQ sauce. Without the oven, I had to give way. Eventually, I stopped cooking except for boiling water where I could warm up some bread.

By the time I left, the bedroom apartment had become a storage unit. I ended up tossing so much stuff that it was not even funny. Some materials were placed outside on a table. The material usually found someone willing to take them. I just hope that the materials helped them out just as they did to me.

My books have had to go to a storage area. I always wanted a library. But the storage is $250 per year. I don't know where I can put those books. Maybe in a smaller location. Hopefully.

On Sunday morning, I learned about the power of orange cleaners. I sprayed the oven with the cleaner overnight Saturday and it melted the built-up oil from years of cooking. You could say it was like my last marks on the apartment being wiped away.

Tookie Is Executed

Stanley "Tookie" Williams was executed this morning by the State of California. On the one hand, I understand this as a punishment for his four homicides. At the same time, I can not help but think that when he was sentenced to death, none of his jury was an African-American. It kind of makes me wonder if they really did have a lot of evidence.

I don't subscribe to the notion that the death penalty is a deterrent. I subscribe to the notion that it is a punishment.

RIP George Canseco

I just learned today that the songwriter extraordinaire George Canseco passed away on November 2004.

Here's a drink to you George! You made my life vibrant with your music.

I'm the White Dwarf! Err, the White Mage!

Apparently, killing your best friend makes a difference in the test.

How Frauds are Created

If it is too good to be true, it probably is. Here's an example of a fraud:

JAMES RYAN T
FINANCIAL CONSULTANT
LONDON,U.K.

Subject : Invitation to assist as Next of Kin

I write this august letter in confidence, believing that it will reach you in high spirit and I believe you will maintain the level of confidence and trust matters of this nature requires. Though, I know that this proposal may make you apprehensive and worried, but I assure you that all will be well at the end,as it stands to benefit both of us. A random search based on your locality from the Internet produced your name and email address.

Before proceeding, I wish to introduce myself to you .I am James Ryan T. a Financial Consultant to a deceased Immigrant Mr Andreas Schranner,property magnate who was
based in the U.K., who happens to be my client.On the 25th of July 2000, my client, his wife Maria,their daughter Andrea Eich,her husband Christian, and their children Katharina and Maximilian all died in the Air France concord plane crash bound for New York in their plan for a world cruise.



Since then I have been managing his properties here in the U.K. and some others which he put out for sale. The properties which have long been put out on sale have now been paid for and now the money paid has long been
deposited into his local bank account here.

I have contacted you to assist in repatriating the money and estate left behind by my client before they get seized or declared unserviceable by his bank.Particularly, the bank has issued me with a notice to provide any of his next of kin or have the account confisticated within a short period of time. my late client has an account valued at Twelve Million Three Hundred United States Dollars (12.3 Million USD).

Since I have been unsuccessful in locating any of my clients relatives for some time now and with no one coming forward since my client passed on and with the bank now giving me a deadline, I now seek your consent to present you as the next of kin to my deceased client, so that the proceeds of his account valued at Twelve Million
Three Hundred United States Dollars (12.3 Million USD). Only can be paid to you. This I intend we share amongst ourselves.

I have all the necessary information that can be used to back up any Claim that we may make and I can assure you that you shall be paid the amount as the next of kin to my late client.

All I require is your honest co-operation to enable us see this deal through. I guarantee that this will be executed under a legitimate arrangement that will protect you from any breach of the law. Trust me as his personal consultant that this is a risk-free transaction. Pls get back to me immediately with the following
information:

1)Your full names and contact address

2)Telephone and fax numbers .

Upon receipt of this information,we shall discuss further about this transaction.

Thank you in anticipation of your co-operation.

Best regards,
James Ryan T.

Letting Go of the Past

It's the first of December. I asked the manager of the apartment if I could move out on Dec 4. What could he do? If forced to move out last night, the place would have been a mess.

Sadly, someone took a drawer form the table that I had. If they don't come back to pick up the table, may their food taste bad their whole life.

Really running out of room at the SO's place to store stuff. I found some more clothes. Really, I think some of those are just going to the goodwill store. Someone will enjoy those shirts, sweaters, etc.

It's raining and raining hard. Nasty weather. But beautiful also. Can't wait to finish the apartment.

The area where I sleep on the floor is now taken over by a large clothes hanger. Courtesy of too many clothes.

Anghel

I am an


You are Form 2, Angel: The Pure.

"And The Angel rose as holy protector for
all that was created. She fought with honor
and valor to serve the good of the world. But
the coming of the mankind was her downfall; and
end to purity."

Some examples of the Angel Form are Michael
(Christian) and Hercules (Greek).
The Angel is associated with the concept of virtue,
the number 2, and the element of wind.
Her sign is the zenith sun.

As a member of Form 2, you are a person of your
word. You generally keep your promises and
give everything you do your best. Although
some people see you as overbearing sometimes,
you know that you have to stay true to yourself
and do what's right. Angels are the best
friends to have because they are brutally
honest.


Which Mythological Form Are You?
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Precautionary Tips about Kidnapping

1. Tip from Tae Kwon Do: The elbow is the strongest point on your body. If you are close enough to use it, do!

2. Learned this from a tourist guide in New Orleans. If a robber asks for your wallet and/or purse, DO NOT HAND IT TO HIM. Toss it away from you....chances are that he is more interested in your wallet and/or purse than you, and he will go for the wallet/purse. RUN LIKE MAD IN THE OTHER DIRECTION!

3. If you are ever thrown into the trunk of a car, kick out the back tail lights and stick your arm out the hole and start waving like crazy. The driver won't see you, but everybody else will. This has saved lives.

4. Women have a tendency to get into their cars after shopping, eating, working, etc., and just sit (doing their checkbook, or making a list, etc. DON'T DO THIS!) The predator will be watching you, and this is the perfect opportunity for him to get in on the passenger side, put a gun to your head, and tell you where to go. AS SOON AS YOU GET INTO YOUR CAR, LOCK THE DOORS AND LEAVE.

5. A few notes about getting into your car in a parking lot, or parking garage:
A.) Be aware: look around you, look into your car, at the passenger side floor, and in the back seat.

B.) If you are parked next to a big van, enter your car from the passenger door. Most serial killers attack their victims by pulling them into their vans while the women are attempting to get into their cars.

C.) Look at the car parked on the driver's side of your vehicle, and the passenger side. If a male is sitting alone in the seat nearest your car, you may want to walk back into the mall, or work, and get a guard/policeman to walk you back out.

IT IS ALWAYS BETTER TO BE SAFE THAN SORRY. (And better paranoid than dead.)

6. ALWAYS take the elevator instead of the stairs. (Stairwells are horrible places to be alone and the perfect crime spot. This is especially true at NIGHT!)

7. If the predator has a gun and you are not under his control, ALWAYS RUN! The predator will only hit you (a running target) 4 in 100 times; And even then, it most likely WILL NOT be a vital organ. RUN, Preferably in
a zig -zag pattern!

8. As women, we are always trying to be sympathetic: STOP. It may get you raped, or killed. Ted Bundy, the serial killer, was a good-looking, well educated man, who ALWAYS played on the sympathies of unsuspecting women. He walked with a cane, or a limp, and often asked "for help" into his vehicle or with his vehicle, which is when he abducted his next victim.

************* Here it is *************
9. Another Safety Point: Someone just told me that her friend heard a crying baby on her porch the night before last, and she called the police because it was late and she thought it was weird. The police told her
"Whatever you do, DO NOT open the door."

The lady then said that it sounded like the baby had crawled near a window, and she was worried that it would crawl to the street and get run over. The policeman said, "We already have a unit on the way, whatever you do, DO NOT open the door." He told her that they think a serial killer has a baby's cry recorded and uses it to coax women out of their homes thinking that someone dropped off a baby. He said they have not verified it, but have had several calls by women saying that they hear baby's cries outside their doors when they're home alone at night.

Please pass this on and DO NOT open the door for a crying baby. This e-mail should probably be taken seriously because the Crying Baby theory was mentioned on America's Most Wanted this past Saturday when they profiled the serial killer in Louisiana.

I'd like you to forward this to all the women you know. It may save a life. A candle is not dimmed by lighting another candle. I was going to send this to the ladies only, but guys, if you love your mothers, wives, sisters, daughters, etc., you may want to pass it onto them, as well.

Send this to any woman you know that may need to be reminded that the world we live in has a lot of crazies in it and it's better to be safe than sorry.

Meditations On My Past

Yesterday was one of the labor days for moving out of the apartment. At the end of the day, I had filled two recyclables worth of papers from my high school, college and graduate studies. Classwork from Latin, translations of German in my sophore year at college, my calculations for precalculus, and my hard work on biochemistry all went into the recylable bin. It took nearly fifteen years for me to let go. But finally, I could accept that these things are now part of me.

Part of the difficulty of letting go, of course, is that you see yourself either as a teen-ager or a college student with the hopes and dreams and whole world as your oyster. But slowly, and surely, your plans are unraveled and your path does not take the path that you imagined. There is nothing more disappointing that letting go of your dreams and your struggles. After all, these are the things which made you.

Perusing over the bits of papers, memorabilia and other mementos, I had to conclude that I was a bit of a depressing teen-ager like everyone else. I wrote down in one of my journals my frustrations as a junior in college because I did not have a girlfriend, hated my classes, and did not have friends. All things which plague college students.

The choices that one selects end up governing one's life. I might not be a successful surgeon now, but I realize that I am also not divorced three times over with a massive ego problem. My sister and brother sometimes ask if I regretted not becoming a physician. I look at my ego then, look at my happy relationships with my siblings now, examine my relationship with the SO and give thanks to the almighty that I am not a physician.

I see the photos of people from my college at the Student Learning Center and I am forced to throw them away. I do it because I now select the memories that I want to have. I want the happy memories. Not the sad ones. I want to relive the happy part of me, not the sad ones. Sadly, those photos remind me of the odd person I was.

I have come upon many Penthouse and Playboy magazines from ten to fifteen years ago. What to do with one's adolescence? I admit I read the articles and did not look at the photos. I was always a nerd like that. Bwahhahah. It's hard to drop photos of my generation off to the recycle bin.

During my time in Indianapolis, I collected comicbooks galore. Another fantasy I had as a child. At the same time, it salved my thirst for literature though it had drawings in it. The comics were even packed in plastic. It was my first job with a real paycheck. What else could I do but spend the money?

I have now accumulated so much clothes that I pack a bedroom with clothes. Last night, it was time to say goodbye to some friends worn thin by the washing machine. By the way, if you have not tried those front door washing machines, you really ought to. We did some laundry last night and they were simply fabulous. Less detergent is needed; clothes are dried better. The SO has asked for one when we get the house.

So, I have another day to spend to pack and close out what has been my home over the last sixteen years.

The New Yorker

The New Yorker

The SO loves me so much that when I asked for a subscription to the New Yorker, she relented. I had grown tired of reading Entertainment Weekly. Tired of seeing white actors and actresses with no pigmentation be made into the image of gods and goddesses. Tired of seeing how light can be manipulated so that bone white skin becomes tanned golden skin. Sick of the barely grade three level language that posed as high thought. If one is going to insult, use a simile or a metaphor.

But, seeing that I get attached to newspapers and magazines, I still have some from 1991 in my apartment, I told the wife that I will have a four week notice on all magazines. Four weeks, and if I have not read them, out to the recycling room they go.

But how do you let go of a wonderful story? I suppose I kept them because I wanted to hold onto the image or the story. But after holding on for fifteen years, what do you get for the story? I never read them again or looked at them. Nope, never touched them in the least.

So, out with the old and in with the new. I have four weeks to read a magazine. The plus side is that I can ignore all the sad stories. For example, last week's magazine had the story of an Iranian couple in Iran. Husband and wife were journalists. Well, you know, there is no freedom for the pess in Iran. You can just see what is on the horizon for those two.

Maligayang Araw

ng Malaking Ibong Hinain Mula sa Apoy! Happy Turkey Day everyone. A day of thanks. Thanks for sixteen years living in an apartment. It's been my hall of solitude and loneliness. By the last ten years, nary anyone ventured in or out. It was out of shame because I was a messy dude. But I did not know or trust anyone.

What can I say except, hopefully, my son or daughter is not as messy as I am.

A Letter From a Priest

Dear LSQC Alumni,

Ang sanggol sa sabsaban ay naging isang tao na
bukas-palad na itinalaga ang sarili bilang lingkod ng
Diyos, Manunubos at Manggagamot na dakila. Diyos
Siyang nagpakababa at naging aba tulad natin upang
hindi tayo mag-alinglangan o matakot na lumapit sa
Kanya. Siya ang “sanggol na hulog ng langit!”

Ang Diyos ay muling nagpaparamdam at nagpapaalala sa
atin ng Kanyang pakikibahagi sa ating pagkatao tuwing
mayroong mga tao na ibinabahagi ang kanilang panahon,
yaman o talino upang tulungan ang mga kapatid nating
kapus-palad at salat sa buhay.

Ang Diyos ay nakikipamayan sa atin tuwing naglalaan
tayo ng tulong para sa mga nangangailangan, kahit
isang kusing man lamang o isang basong tubig.

Dahil dito ako po ay kumakatok sa inyong mga puso para
sa kapakanan ng mga batang mahihirap na
nangangailangan ng inyong kagandahang loob upang
magkaroon sila ng isang masaya at makahulugang Pasko
sa taong ito. Ikaw sana’y maging “hulog ng Langit”
para sa kanila.

Mahigit na isang daang kabataan (100) ang
pagkakalooban natin ng tulong sa Paskong ito. Bakal
ang tawag sa kanila o mga BAtang KALye. At ngayon ay
may mga Pamikal o PAMIlyang KALye. Magkakaroon po
sila ng isang misa, isang salu-salo at pagkatapos ay
bibigyan sila ng regalo.

Umasa po kayo na anumang tulong ang inyong
ipagkakaloob ay tatanawin naming malaking utang na
loob. At ang Panginoong Jesus na isinilang na mahirap
ang siyang gaganti sa inyo at sa inyong mga mahal sa
buhay dahil sa inyong kagandahang loob.


Gumagalang,


Fr. Troy de los Santos, capuchino
Punong Lingkod

The end of weddings

The SO and I attended the last of the series of six weddings which dated back to last year. The first was at a love chapel in Vegas. The second was at a church in Hayward. The third was in San Diego. The one in Fremont was the fourth. Ours was the fifth. And finally, the last one was this weekend. If we add there friend's weddings, well, there were two more weddings (Vegas and Oakland).

Inherently, all weddings like women are beautiful. The bride is glorious and glowing in her attire. The groom is dashing. The relatives are blasé because they have been to tens of weddings. The wedding simply becomes a place to see old family members and meet the kids.

I underestimated the time and we did not see the bride roll down the aisle. But the church looked great though a little claustrophobic. The huge stained glass windows were beautiful. I can see why people would love to go to church in the middle ages.

It will probably be quiet for a year and then, just like time, another series of weddings will commence.

The Meanness of People

A new level, of self-promotion is seen as politicians in the Philippines hold a gay boxing tournament. It is disappointing to see those who would lead the country use others in such a blatant manner. But it only emphasizes that Filipinos have a long way to go in treating their fellow countrymen.

At the very least, I hope the gay boxers got paid money. They should be on Broadway and not on the ring.

What I did last weekend?

What did I do? I think whatever it was, it must have been fun. Oh wait, now it is coming back. On saturday evening, we went to dimsum to celebrate the father-in-law's birthday. Truly awesome that he is now retired and ready to take care of dogs, cats and grandchildren.

We ended up going to the Good Guys which was bought by another conglomerate and as a result, the good guys are no more. I thought about getting some speakers and a car radio or a digital video camera, but the only ones left were the floor models. The mother-in-law on the other hand bought two handsome chairs, leather to boot.

Went to sleep until seven o'clock at which time, we went to a housewarming party. Got some pizza and shrimp cocktail for the party. couldn't eat the shrimps because of the gout. the pizza was okay. should have gotten the round freaking pizza. Played trivial pursuit and lost dramatically. acutally, we got routed. no drama there. we just did not know the material. But i learned that michael moriarty lost his position in the series law and order because he went against janet reno.

Sunday, we went to the apartment in the afternoon and packed. Dashed off to the inlaw's place to drop off boxes. Saw an uncle there making storage areas. I wanted to get him to the law firm so I asked for his resume.

Not a bad weekend.

Barangay Amerika

Barangay Amerika let everyone hear what is going on with Pin@ys in the US. Check out the people and the sights.

Photographer of the stars

The photographer of the Stars is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for Friday the 17th of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Nora Aunor and Colonization

Willi Pascual writes of Nora Aunor the actress / politician of our times. But in his examination of Nora's allure and career, he touches upon the part of all Filipinos, that of the colonized person. It is touching to hear that in the midst of cinemas, there are photos of Germanic looking God images bleeding their heart in front of Pin@ys. It is an appropriate symbol of how far colonization seeps into the Pin@y life. And yet, there is hope in the humor of a people who manage to make light of living in the middle of a railway. Willi's blog is the Pin@y Blof of the Day for Wednesday the 16th of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

The Past Comes Back

Anna writes about her pregnancy, her day waiting in line at the US embassy and of her UP Los Banos times. America through the eyes of an immigrant. Asuayan is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for Tuesday the 15th of November in the Year of the Pin@y 2005.

US Marine Rapes Filipina in the Philippines

Hmm, had to post this one. And if that guy is guilty, they should let him stay in the Philippines and have him put to hard labor. Columnist Carol Araullo has her say in her blog.

Politics as usual

If you want politics, then go to Ronnel's Ped Xing the Pin@y Blog of the day for the 12th of November in the year of the Pin@y. He'll slap around those politicians like nothing.

Bucaio

Bucaio is a food site that documents the beauty of Pin@y food. If you are a foodie, go to the Pin@y Blog of the Day for Monday the 14th of November in the Year of the Pin@y 2005.

Why America Attacked Iraq

So, let me just say... The more I think about it, the more it seems to me that the US attacked Iraq because of the Twin towers going down in 2001. The US is so paranoid of being attacked that we attacked a place that surely had some weapons of mass destruction. Of course, it's just that Bush and his cohorts lied about the intelligence report.

A Physician's Mind

In Leslie's Blog we see the mind of a physician as she gets married, plans for a child and starts a medical practice. Hoping for a child, Leslie has been blessed as a godmother twenty times over. How long will the physician couple stay in the Philippines? Will they make it or will they be forced to go to greener pastures? This are the days...(cue 10,000 Maniacs music)...Days of Nullah is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 11th of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Cardinal finds intellect

What's this? Someone in the Church actually says that the Bible is not literal? Shit, there might be hope for all of us after all. Hmm, maybe, they will get a pope from the third world next time the chimney smokes.

Teen commits suicide

A CNN story is about how a teen / college student committed a transition from this life to the other. The parents blame the newsgroup.

If one examines her photos, you can see that she is not really happy. That she is putting on a show. Check her out in front of the piano. Tragic.

What's Your Secret?

In another life, in another place, we are someone else. Crying in Disneyland; admiring anorexics and bulemics; having sex with a pastor and not believing in God; confirming the absence of God because of the death of a child. They have told their secrets. What's yours?

The Philippines

Go see the Philippines. A macrophotographer, a mountain climber, an artist. The eye has the soul of the Philippines. The Eye is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 10th of November in the Year of the PIn@y 2005.

From My Province

Jun Lisondra is from Nueva Ecija. His poetry comes from the deep soul of the people who plant rice and tend to farms. It is the stalwart notion of a man surviving against the elements. Yet, he maintains the vision of an explorer gazing into the unknown. He travels to find that which is unseen. In the course of events, he finds that which is special. Jun is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 9th day of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

My Avatar

What do you think? I could not find lace.

Retong is a Revisionist

You are a Revisionist Historian. You are the Clark
Kent of postmodernists. You probably want to
work in a library or in social services. No
one suspects you of being a postmodernist...
until they read your publications!


What kind of postmodernist are you!?
brought to you by Quizilla

Verses in verse

Sparse in writing but thought provoking. Ruminations on Gloria Macapagal's ability to divert attention from her problems as president of the philippines. Thoughts on excrement. Berso is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the eigth of november in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

One Month Anniversary

One Month Anniversary

So, it's been a month since the wedding. Friends and family have asked, "How does it feel?" In truth, it feels like it has always felt. We've been going out for eight years. It's been fun, been happy and have had very few tears. We sometimes discuss that we don't have drama in our life. Well, mostly, I bring it up. The SO says that when there is a lot of drama, it is often that the couple probably are mismatched.

I point out of course that couples point to the drama and call it passionate love. The SO thinks that it hurts too much to have a nasty disagreement so that one can have passionate love. I look back on what I wanted and realize that the women I used to like were very incompatible with me. They were needy or emotionally immature. Imagine that! Can you believe that I am saying that?

Accountant in Jersey

A day in the life is Beth's umbrella against the world. She's let go of her ex-boyfriends, created a blog to keep her sanity, hates mirror hags, and lives in the garden state. Then, she critics Cinderella and is hit upon by a Star Wars geek. If that isn't enough to make Beth the Pin@y Blog of the day for the seventh of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005, I don't know what is.

Call Centers

I'm sure someone in the PHilippines has something like this experience.

Two Hours to Monterey

Recovering from a winetasting at Wine from the Heart. We ended up buying the 2002 Swanson from Oakville, Napa.

Perfectly ripe - both physically and physiologically.
Aromas of cassis, blackbe3rry and clove followed by a full textured mouth.
Layers of black fruit, spice and espresso bean plus a hint of smoky oak.

Yup, I'm now about to lie down and snore.

He's as Colonized as I Am

Meet Oliver, the Pin@y Blogger of the day for the 4th of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005. He is as colonized as I am. He says in his blogs what I thought fifteen to twenty years ago when I first came to the land of the free. His blog title "Where Am I Going?" is quite appropriate because he is in the ride of his life. His life hinges on the brink between reality and freedom. When he realizes that he is colonized, I wonder what he will do. I hope at the very least the he continues to write because he is as eloquent in it as anyone else I have read.

Bold and Wonderful

Gigi looks like Alma Moreno. Bold and beautiful. But that is not why you should go to her blog. You should go because she's a great blog designer and she takes celibacy dares. Bwahahah. Stunning layout. Amazing writing. You are really lucky that she's blogging. Gigi is the Pin@y Blog of the Month for November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Very Cool Gifts

Very Cool Gifts

It will be four weeks since the wedding. I have been coming down from the high of the wedding thanks to my teacher's advice on life. To wit, make sure that you have events planned from week to week and month to month so that you can relate it to your wedded life. In short, you still have to work at your married life even harder now.

Two weeks ago, we went to Macy's to finalize our gift sets. We ended up taking ten of the china plates. Although, we have never thrown a formal party, nor do I see one coming up within the next five years. Maybe those are for twenty years from now. I don't know. But the pattern we selected was nice with embossing on the plate.

We got two of the pots that we wanted. They were the All Clad stainless steel type. I have to thank my Ikea pot and say goodbye to it. I probably also have to let go of the steamer from Chinatown. When the steamer started, it was a nice light brown color. After years of use, it is now dark brown. Does food taste better in an old steamer? Someone who was very generous also got us a complete set of pots and pans. Very nice.

We also received a complete knife set. Now, when I first graduated from school, I bought a Henckel's knife set. When the SO went into the condo, she also bought a knife set. The parentals then gave her some never needs sharpening knives. So, we now have three sets of knives. We will keep some as stea knives I guess. The others might have to go to Las Vegas. But then again, they will never want for sharp knives in my house.

As for travel, I believe we have completed our wish list. We now have four Samsonite travel bags. Plus the old Samsonites that we had taken to just about everywhere, well, we are complete. We just have to select stickers for some of them. Samsonites are another one of those things from my childhood. My father bought them when he went in one of his few jaunts to the US or was it Japan?

By the way, of course, we are missing all the other gifts here. I'm just giving a summary of the ones I remember. There was cash and we thank everyone for it. I hope you had fun in the money dance. You know tha I took dance lessons for that, right? There were a lot of glass and crystal wedding photo frames. Very nice and they need to be kept in a cabinet or something.

And for the weekend, off to Monterey for a couple of days for the SO's conference. I was a good boy and was cleaning up my apartment. Now, I just need to begin moving materials.

Somewhere along here, there is supposed to be a lesson. Maybe it is that if you are generous to people, your generosity will come back tenfold. Ohh! that's it!!! I just got news that one of the SO's uncles is going to be interviewed at the law firm. For the longest time, I wanted to him to come on board. It's just getting the right fit of job. So hopefully, he does well in the interview. Then surely, generosity will come back tenfold.

CPR: For the Body

CPR

Went to a certification for CPR yesterday. Cardiac problem is one of the leading causes of death in the US. I figured that I should know some things about it.

Learned how to do the Heimlich maneuver as well as CPR. Also learned that there are now disposable mouth shields in case you don't want to have mouth to mouth contact with someone.

The teacher posed an interesting question. What if you see a stranger pass out and you don't have one of your face shield / mouth shield. What do you do? In the old days of the 1970's, they used to just put mouth over mouth. But with the coming of AIDS and hepatitis, those days are now over.

The answer is that you can give them chest compression until someone comes along. Hmm, maybe I would let someone else better trained than me to handle that. But it does pose you a tickle, doesn't it? You essentially have to measure your life against their life.

I also learned that there are now new electronic defibrillation devices that one can use in the event of a heart attack. Apparently, it is better to defibrillate earlier than later.

She Hates the Philippines

Katie is planning on changes in the Philippines. She will begin with the common-tao. Work her way to the top-politicians. Then finish it all off as she becomes a candidate for the presidency. Don't let her blogtitle fool you. She loves her country more than others. Katie vs the Philippines is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 3rd of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Haynaku!!!

The anthology for haynaku is now ready for your perusal.

The "hay(na)ku" is a poetic form invented by Eileen Tabios, as inspired by Richard Brautigan, Jack Kerouac, and Tabios' meditations on the Filipino transcolonial and diasporic experience. The form is deceptively simple: a tercet comprised of one-, two- and three-word lines. Many poets also created variations from the basic form, attesting to its paradoxical suppleness despite its minimalist orientation. Inaugurated on June 12, 2003 (Philippine Independence Day), the form swiftly became popular and since has been used by poets all over the world -- including the anthology's 38 poets and editors Jean Vengua (U.S.) and Mark Young (Australia).

Boyish Chick is Growing Up

It is hard to find a blog where you see the transition from kolehiyala to a professional consultant. Abigail is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 2nd of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005. It is interesting to see her thoughts on ex-boyfriends and her thesis. Slowly, she's growing up.

It Was Only Two Year Ago?

Only Two years Ago?

Hmm, it seems odd. But only two years ago, I left the job at the crazy factory. I just saw my calendar last night as I was packing it. Odd. Only a year ago, I was going nuts at the photofinishing place. Now, I am enjoying life at the law firm.

It seems that the crazy factory was five years ago. It seems that the last job was three years ago. I suppose, it's all the positive things and the energy.

My teacher was telling us that inevitably, there will be a depression after the wedding. It's because of the fact that most people will have moved on. It's true. When I see people, I still ask them about their memories of the wedding. I suppose I have not come down from the high yet.

However, my teacher also told us that the cure for this depression is to plant small events throughout the year so that you can have small celebrations each month. That is a wonderful idea. It's a great idea.

Many times, people will get depressed and ask "Is that it?" Well, it will be if you just sit on your ass and not plan anything.

Many times, people ask in relationships, "I want it like when it first started. Fireworks." Well, it can't be because you actually know your partner. The fireworks came from the adrenaline.

We are addicts. Addicts to dopamine or addicts to cortisol. Dopamine for the good times. Cortisol for the bad.

If we are not happy, we would rather feel sad because in the end, it's better to feel than not to feel.

So yes, those crazy factory and photofinishing place are now in the past. I have started purging my life of those bad memories so that I can remember the good ones.

Happy Halloween!!!

Maligayang Araw ng Patay

Maligayang Araw ng Patay

Happy Day of the Dead! Actually, perhaps I should not say "Happy." I don't think you were supposed to be happy in the Philippines on this day. You were supposed to be solemn and respectful. How Pin@ys equate respect and solemn with being sad is beyond me.

As for me, we continued our packing last night Halloween night. No trick or treaters in our area because most of the area is student housing. Most of the students were probably out in the Castro.

Packing. Yup, I recycled several years of material. I don't know how to recycle bank statements though. But I have let go of some photographic magazines. Though I don't know what to do with the Playboy. I was thinking of selling them. But, that is a lot of time and energy. Garage sale maybe?

I remember when I used to get really excited that an Asian became a Playboy centerfold. It turns out that in the last year, a Japanese became one. When I saw her, she looked like the Charlie's Angel Lucy Liu.

From time to time, I would say, "It looks hopeless." But then the SO replied that if it was hopeless, we would have to throw everything out. Back to work I went packing.

The SO got to a workbook on biochemistry which was in tatters. It was in tatters because I spent all my time in that book. I learned everything about biochemistry. She said that it was time to let go. I said that someday, I was going to sit through and do all the problems again. She managed to say that "All the biochem is inside of you." And maybe she was right. At least she did not say that I was an idiot.

~~~~~

By the way, I am temporarily omitting the next three days of Pin@y Blog. I realized that it could be disconcertning for some people.

Manila, Manila

Tour Manila through the eyes of one of its own. Old Manila Walks is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 1st of November in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

When a blade is the only thing left

I wince each time I see a blog that supports communist / socialist tendencies. I wince because in my experience, those paths are not the ones that lead to happiness. However, in the Philippines, when you have nothing else, perhaps even to a knife you will also begin clinging. Ilang was a writer before she was a blogger. She writes of communism and socialism in the Philippines. She tears at my soul because there should be something better for the Philippines, but there is not. Ilang is the Pin@y Blog of the day for the 31st day of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Yup, He's One of Us

Damn. This is the bad part. When you go out and own all the good working Pin@ys, you have to suck it in and own all the bad ones. Here's a Pinoy who got caught stealing federal secrets to pass it on to the Filipino government.

Halloween Weekend 2005

The weekend started up on Friday evening with a jaunt at Good Vibrations for a bridal shower gift. I suggested that we give the happy couple something fun. We ended up giving them a giftbox containing lotions, edible oil, and some bath salts. We decided not to give the more exciting leather straps, feathers, and silicone instruments.

Friday night dinner was at Breads of India where cash is king. Unfortunately, I believe there has been a change in the cook since the last time we were there was about a year ago. The food was still good, but it did not give us pause in our eating. I ordered the tandoori prawn while the SO ordered chicken tika masala. In the previous times that we dined at Breads of India, there were moments of EUREKA. Times in which we stopped and said, "This is really good." ON Friday, it was just okay. The chicken breast was dry. The prawns were a tad bit too salty. ON the other hand, the naan bread was exceptional. It was slightly puffier. But bread plus yougurt was exceptional.

Saturday started out early with us going to my apartment to water the plants and to buy some boxes for the move. $75 for twenty boxes. Then, off to a bridal shower where Pin@y food was served: kare-kare, shrimp, fried rice, beef stew, and lumpia. The soon-to-be newlyweds are the last pair to be married this year. They also are the last of the five couples who got married over a period of a year.

After the party, off to the mall we went to shop for the SO's attire for the wedding and an upcoming dance recital where the SO and I will be dancing the argentine tango. I learned little except that men will haggle with the jewelers just to get some bling-bling.

At about eight o'clock, we finally get to my place where we begin sorting out ten years of living. The SO suggested that I start with the photography stuff. She went and boxed up the CDs. Two hours later, there were four boxes of materials that were boxed up. More than thirty more to go. I managed to throw away just recyclabe materials. I hope that the next few nights are the same. To celebrate, I stayed up till 3AM by wathcing the WEst Wing.

Sunday was a slower day. Went to the Financial Workshop Tubig where we learn the painful process of becoming millionares. Today's lesson was how emotion can lead to purchases that are depreciating assets. The strategy is to buy appreciating assets which are stocks, real estate, etc. Spread out the special events in life over the year so that you don't get depressed and start pining for cortisol. Celebrate the small things so that you can get dopamine. Don't just keep looking back at the wedding because people have moved on. Instead, plan for the next things or events for us to do.

A year ago, I wondered if I was ready to get married. NOw, I am married and planning small little events so that throughout the year, there will be small celebrations.

Hiding from his Grandfather

Vic Nierva hides from his grandfather in his blog. He translates Neruda into Bikolano and comments on statues on Copenhagen. A thousand Pin@ys dream of writing as well as Vic. To capture a dream, to seize a moment, to celebrate a lifetime. Vic is the Pin@y Blog of the day for the 30th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

I want to be like Jake

Jake is the world's greatest photographer. The black and white are the best in capturing ephemerals. He's the Pin@y Blog of the day for the 29th day of October 2005.

Rhett Needs

Got this from the SO who got if from Veronica who got it from the Wily.

1. Rhett needs a personal assistant /stylist???
2. Rhett needs a jeep. OK? ;-)
3. Rhett needs to lay off the booze that early in the morning.
4. Rhett needs a caretaker or foster!
5. Rhett needs to corrall the seven deadly sins, but the task proves more interesting_than one should expect. Expect to see a sequel soon!
6. Hey Scarlett, Rhett needs a companion
7. Have any info. on poultry_that Rhett needs to know?
8. I have found that Rhett needs to attack someone at all times. ...
9. Well if rhett needs a car Ill let him have it, I have 10 already (including_a 75/77 that are in pretty bad shape (major reconstruction). ...
10. It sounds like Rhett needs an enema, because he is WAY for A LONG time full $h@t!

Pitik-Bulag

Luis Liwanag is shooting from the street the essence of Philippine life. The good, the bad and the ugly. Go see truth in his blog, the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 28th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Sari-Saring Litrato

Sidney Snoeck might have been born a Belgian, but he has become a Pin@y because of his photos of the Philippines. True and honest. Sari-sari store is the Pin@y Blog of the day for the 27th day of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Jessica Zafra

Jessica Zafra's blog discusses why Pin@ys can not rule the world and movie reviews. What else do you need from one of the best writers in the Philippines? Twisted is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 26th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

"Kili-Kili" Means "I Love You"

kili-kili
is "I
Love YOU" dear

because
kili-kili makes
your armpit the

center,
the joy
of my life.

Pin@y in the Netherlands

Dutched Pin@y is taking vacations in the Philippines, discussing the succulent red light district of Amsterdam and giving advice on etiquette for tourists in Europe. Fascinating topics are discussed in her blog. And it's all about Dutch. She's the Pin@y Blog of the Day for Tuesday the 25th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Blogwars

Soul Seeker is looking for something. Ignore her fights over the blogsphere about weight issues and various other things. That is unimportant although highly entertaining if you twist that way. Read instead about her insights on her friend's closeted Catholicism and its ramifications on religion. Reflect with her about her thesis. Soul-Seeker is Pin@y Blog fo the Day for the 24th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Now coming from soc.culture.filipino, I must admit that these so called blogwars are nothing but miserable flameups. It's not even a flamewar. Refer to Kadyo who is another candidate for Pin@y Blog of the Day. Go to his Oct 18 entry to see more flameups.

Is our blog world really that important that we will singe people because of some tagboard? Damn, it's great to see commitment, but this is bordering on ridiculous. Well, it would be ridiculous if it were not so damned funny.

Ahh, soc.culture.filipino. where are those flamewars now?

Balut: Growing up Pin@y

Balut: Growing up Pin@y

It's only been in the last eight years or so when I have explored the cuisin of the Philippine Islands. Mostly because of the SO, I have been exposed to fine dining. Going to her family's get together has reintroduced for me balut.

My style in eating balut is as follows: Crack one side of the egg. This lets you suck up the amniotic fluid of the egg. Then, daintily pick at the shells to expose the white side or the yellow side. Add a pinch of salt, take a big bite. Chew. Hope there are no bones or beaks that remind you that this is a duck fetus. Savor the elements of the yellow yolk. Ignore the dark blood vessels that criss-cross the shell and the egg. Take another bite and savor the white part. This one is harder and more bitter. I believe it is albumin protein. I don't know why the white can be so hard.

For a more in-depth analysis and an interesting story, go read Deep End Dining. Go to the September 28 article.

Lasang Pin@y III

For those who love Pin@y food, you need to check out Lasang Pin@y III. Bloggers are given a theme and they discuss their adventures. This month, it's about street food.

My childhood memories go back to LSQC. During lunch or after-school hours, the students would buy the sago, the bola-bola or the sorbetes from the outside vendors. Technically, this was forbidden. It was called "buying-outside". But, it was delicious.

Bola-bola. Years later, I bought some fishballs in Ranch99. I was surpised that when I fried the fishballs, it did not inflate. Worse yet, it actually tasted like fish! I had to sit down and analyze. How come the bola-bola was crunchy and inflated when bought from outside of the school? How come the vinegar would infuse the bola-bola? I then realized that the fishballs in the Philippines were basically donuts. It was made with so much flour that it was basically bread!

Sago at Gulaman. When I was in elemetary, we would buy this and the vendor would place it in plastic and give you a straw through which you sucked the sago and gulaman. The plastic allowed you to take the food anywhere you wanted. When I got to high school, I graduated and started using the glass. Of course, I did not realize it then, but the vendor would wash the glasses by dipping it in water in the bottom of the kariton. Would anyone fancy hepatitis or any other form of virus?

Yup, my parents never wanted us to buy the food from vendors because they were always afraid that we would get sick from it.

Dust in the Mouth

Si Mikael ay ang manunulat na nagngangalang Abo Sa Dila. Malalim ang kaniyang mga pagsulat. Sinusubukan niyang kalimutan si Abner. Natatandaan niya ang usapan tungkol sa tulang lumulutang sa ere.

Sa kanyang mensahe, malalaman natin kung ano nga ang ibig sabihin ng buhay sa Pilipinas. Siya ang Pin@y Blog ng Araw ng 23 ng Oktubre sa taon ng mga Pin@y 2005."

Balot & Longganisa

The SO and I heard from Ninong Abe that the makers of fabulous longganisa and daing na isda were back in Vallejo. So of course, we visited on Saturday. We three had been lamenting that we had lost one of the big makers of great Pin@y foods when their stall went empty. For those who would like to taste their food:

CJ Kitchenette
650 Nuttman Ave #106
Santa Clara CA 95054

Their daing na bangus is great. You will need to bread the daing and then deep fry it so that you can eat everything, even the bones. The longganisa is what I have used to measure other longganisas. I was so desperate that I even thought that I would have to make my own longganisa ala my father just so that I can get the proper mix of ingredients.

We also went to buy some balut and pugo. Pugo is itlog from quail. I did not realize that Pin@ys had quail. But, sure enough, the mini-eggs I used to eat as a child were the quail eggs.

On the way to Vallejo, we went to Mel & Belle's place, the official leaders of FANHS in Vallejo. They live in an unincorporated section of the county where one can raise animals such as chickens and goats. Yes, goats. Apparently, they used to have goats, but they had to give them up because they got too big. Mel listed them in Craigslist, but whenever it was Pin@y, they said "NO" because the Pin@y would just cook the kambing. Bwahahahha.

New template, New beginnings

Instead of starting a new blog, I just changed the template after so many years. I wanted to add a photo of moi on the right side.

His name is Paeng

A teacher with a long-distance relationship. He walks from a rally to Mendiola and tells his secret. If politicians had his guile, if people used their brains like he does, the world would be a better place. Paeng is the Pin@y Blog of the Day for the 22nd day of October of the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Komikero

Gerry Alanguilan is a komiks writer. He's the Pinoy Blog of the Day for the 21st of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

I learned to read because in my childhood, I loved the stories in komiks. We spent our childhood in the province of Nueva Ecija, Cabanatuan. Everyday, the entertainment was the arrival of the delivery of new komiks. The ones that I remember are Zuma and the story of a woman with the head of a rat. Leave it to Pin@y storytellers to tell the story of the most marginalized members of society. A mutant with two snakes who eats the hearts of virgins and a woman with the head of a rat.

Zuma would most likely starve in our society today. While the rat-head woman would probably be a bomba star.

Cooking, what else?

Meet Ting-A-Ling". She's got fishballs and liver. What else do you need before you get convinced that she's the real thing? Ting-A-Ling is the Pi@y Blog of the Day for the 20th of October, in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

Family

Time to give thanks to my family for the incredible support they have shown me over the years. They might not have fully understood why I would walk away from a life in medicine, but they never wavered in their belief in me. They also told me not to screw it up with the SO who is now the Wife.

I remember when my sister was being married. I saw this light from the heavens hitting the aisle and I just knew that my parents were there. In my wedding, it was when the brother-in-law sang that I remembered my parents. I almost started crying right up there in the altar.

I enjoy life as I go along. Savoring each day. I try to live in the now instead of yearning for the past.

investigator

I love my job. Not since grad school have I said those words. Today, I resolved one investigation and researched two. By the end of the day, I was spent, but I definitely enjoyed the adrenaline rushing through. I remember how bad the post-doc experience was with having my projects slowly given to the clueless grad student. I had to repeat my weekly group meeting over and over because no one had the capacity to understand it. Meanwhile, at the first real job, the company could not keep enough money around. Silly. Crazy. Nuts. Then, at the photofinishing lab, well, I believe they still issue straightjackets to the inmates.

This day is an 8. Definitely up.

Trial of Saddam

Iraq is putting on trial Saddam Huseein today. As I watched TV, a US senator or congressman said "For the first time, after 23 years, Iraq is putting on trial the butcher of ..."

And of course, I wonder.... How long would Saddam have been there if the US did not prop him up as our pet dictator.

It is odd that we had to go into Iraq to get rid of a dictator.

Pin@y Languages

Go to Chris Sundita's Blog to check out his work on the Philippine languages. He is the Pin@y Blog for the 19th of October in the year of the Pin@y 2005.

More wedding thoughts

A week later, the wedding ring has encountered abrasions, dings, knocks and unintentional hurt. The surface of the ring is no longer perfect, but as some have pointed out, sharing with the world a love so grand means knocks and dings.

Many of the guests have pointed out the greatness of Father Rich Danyluk. He is a mystery among priests. Father Rich managed to welcome everyone into the wedding ceremony be they Catholic, Christian or of another religion. Everyone enjoyed his unusual sermon which he began by asking who had been married for more than forty years. He pointed out that my aunt combed my uncle's hair just before they marched into the church. And Father Rich told everyone that they will be touched in the wedding ceremony. But that some will feel it, others will know it and ignore it, and others will wonder what he was talking about.

Uncle Berning who had a birthday celebration last night spoke to me while I hanged out with them at the inuman. Note that this is the first time that I actually spent time with the uncles. Uncle B gave me a double of Johnny Walker Black which I nursed for about an hour. That stuff is strong. Along the way, he told me that he enjoyed the fact that the dance floor for the wedding was big. He had space to dance and dance he did. He told me that he knew the other uncles were watching so he made sure to strut his stuff.

I would like to thank Eileen and Tom for offering us their place in the mountains as a retreat during our honeymoon. As always, it was fun to speak with Eileen to tell her that the eight billion people + 200 million space traveler voyeurs who read her blog are constantly amazed at her genius. And folks, it really is genius. Let me get serioius here for a moment. Her "I Take Thee English" book is a treat. Provide the citation and let the reader write the content. My God! Talk about engaging the reader into the creation of poetry. Her over-the-top blurb projects!!! Gleeful, and I mean gleeful creativity that engages others to CREATE works of abject hilarity. I thank God that Eileen is on this earth providing everyone an opportunity to create poetry and works of art. It is simply an inspiration, I tell you! Heck, I spent one day with her, and I wanted to jumpstart my haynaku series with Marcos and Aquino.

The Fairmont Hotel was the other venue for our honeymoon. We were lucky enough to get a discount because a cousin worked there. Those prices are exorbitant in my book. However, is the place worth it? You bet your little patoot it is. Let's see, the carpet was beautiful. My feet made love with it, it was so nice. The bedsheets alone were worth the price of admission. I just loved the bedsheets. They must have been 600 count thread sheets or something. And the bathroom. It was the size of some Berkeley apartments. The view was gorgeous. A view of San Francisco and the fog as it rolled into the city.

We did dine at the Tonga Room and that one was way too overpriced for Chinese food. The Blue Hawaiian which was made famous by Elvis was nice. The steak was cooked to medium rare. There was rainfall every thirty minutes. But it was underwhelming. The service was great, but I suppose that the food could have been better. Or should have been better.

The Ring

Been several days since I have been wearing the One Ring...The Precious...The One Ring to Rule Them All... Wait, sorry, that would be the One Ring to Love Them All.

The ring has been getting some scrathes, some dings every time I hit some metal. The SO says that it is due to the SACRIFICES in life of being married.

I am not used to the fact that I hit things and it makes this metallic ring "DING". Is it supposed to be a watchdog? I don't usually wear rings so I don't know.

Wedding Reflections

The wedding is now over. But, it was certainly a celebration to be remembered. Just like in my prom, there are so many memories that the images just flash and flash back. Let's go through some highlights which are not in any particular order.

1. My brother-in-law sang the song by "Seal" and the Ave Maria. Now, the last time I heard him was five years ago when he performed in various shows at the Alameda Civic Light Opera. Several years away from Oakland and a couple spent in Choral singing in the South created a man who evoked the emotion of the music while singing. I wanted my camera when he was singing the Ave Maria. I could capture the music visually!!! That's how good he was.

2. The bride and I were blessed in a Halad by Tuhan Joseph Arriola. It involved two masters of Kali (Guro Neil Rivera and Marcel Ecclavia) executing their Halad and then sparring together. After that, the bride was invited to join the sparring. As others have said in Blogland, have you ever seen a bride spar during her wedding reception?

People commented that when Tuhan offered me the knife that I had the deer in the headlight look. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do. But Tuhan did. He asked all the elders to bless our wedding. Of course, it took everyone some time to figure out if they were elders or adults. I guess most of our guests were really children at heart and did not want to admit that they were adults.

3. My best friend from high school C.M. was one of my groomsmen. Twenty years is a long time. I believe the last time I caught up with him was with his wedding. Meaning that's the last time I saw him personally. He now has three kids. That's awesome. He mentioned that watching the procession down the aisle was a very touching moment. He felt it in his heart.

4. The Palabuniyan Kulintang Ensemble performed at the Mass. The music made me float on air. It made me want to march down the aisle with a spear and a shield. It was very different from the other weddings we knew because the music came from the Maranaos in Mindanao. The irony is very juicy in that we have music associated with a Muslim area being played in a Catholic church. However, we thought it was appropriate because the music was pre-Muslim.

5. My brother and sister and her family were there to celebrate with us. Twenty-three years ago, we came from the Philippines as children and teen-agers. Now, my sister has three kids and I just got married. My brother was taking photos and boy, some of those shots were awesome. He's enjoying his TWO digital SLRs. Hahahhaa.

6. We now have the one ring. The ONE ring to LOVE them all. Okay, so originally, we were referring to our wedding like it was our PRECIOUS. Why? Because everything we wished for happened. And I mean everything. So, why not? But as we were lying in our beds, I mentioned that it might be messed up to keep saying "One ring to rule them all". So, we changed and voila, new motto.

7. My father-in-law telling a story during his welcome address about the wife and my graduation. It was very touching that he mentioned my mother. And in that same breath, my mother-in-law who has enough energy to clean the Empire State Building. Boy, she unpacked, prepared, reset, did everything at the wedding!!!

8. Can you say three hundred bamboo giveaways? The little pots with bamboos were heavy and caused much grief in the move. But they got there in time and were given out. Most of them were taken.

9. We were making up stuff during the wedding reception. We danced our way into our introduction. She rotated around me so that everyone could see her. We teased the ting-tinging of the people asking for a kiss. I kissed her on the cheek; I did the Hulk Hogan I can't hear you sign; we blew bubbles and we blew flying kisses.

10. I held my own during the Mass and the wedding ceremony. I did not faint nor did I mess up my wedding vow. It was great that Fr. Rich said two words at a time.

11. Father Rich. In his sermon, he mentioned how my aunt was combing my uncle's hair. He wondered out loud how long she had done that. Father Rich was amusing, funny and very welcoming. Now, if only other priests were more like this. We were very honored for Father Rich's participation in our wedding. It made it complete. He also mentioned the reality of life. That not everything is always happy. That there are some who are in the celebration without their special someone. And it was hard.

12. The cantor Alex Ramos singing and the piano playing by the church musician. Beatufiful music. It made me understand the role of music in church liturgy. That one can be transported from the common place to the heavens. Spritually uplifting if not for anything else.

13. The money dance. I managed to spin, and make the partners enjoy the money dance. And they helped in paying for all the wedding stuff.

14. The toasts by the BestWoman and the Maid of Honor. Dr. Sushma was awesome as always. She mentioned how I was the Berkeley experience: intelligent and very intimidating. And she gave me the same compliment that I gave her nine years ago in a Spyro Gyra CD. Later on, I spoke to her and thanked her profusely. There were an amazing number of people who had the "bright eyes" during our wedding night. People who were remarkable for their abilities to change lead into gold.

15. Professor Dana was fantastic in lecturing about the mythology of creation from the Philippines. It has got to be one of the longest toasts. I wondered why she needed notes. I think she was giving footnotes while talking. Bwahahhah! Awesome!!! And greatly appreciated from one scholar to another.

16. The bouquet toss became a football play. From the brother-in-law to the wife to me, and I tossed it into the crowd.

17. The garter was on my arm. There was nothing conventional in this wedding. Everything with a twist. The bride threw the garter.

18. The father daughter dance was interrupted with a football score update and a jersey change by the brother-in-law. Man, I knew UCLA recruited better than we did. Dang. But then again, the brother-in-law made up for it for his beautiful song for the father daughter dance.

19. And finally, my dance with the wife.

Check out the the blogs about it:

The Universe Answers Questions

Two more days before my ring finger gets a new partner. I tried out my wedding ring today and it was not so bad. It felt comfortable on my finger. We joked that we had the rings of power. Hahaha.

As the day comes closer and closer, I had been reflecting on my life and the decisions that I had made. I generally don't regret things in my life. But during reflection time, sometimes, I am confronted with certain choices that I wonder about.

For example, I wondered whether I left my previous job prematurely. This might be because the job I have at the law place is now so routine. Write two reports every week while still investigating things. The pace can run someone ragged. So I began to wonder about my old title and the responsibilities. For the life of me, I don't know why I miss it. I was twice as confused with three times the worry. The simplest problems became really giant mountains. We prepared for the insane things in that job.

Wouldn't you know it? As soon as I begin wondering, but after a few days later, I get a call from one of the people over at the old job. Guess what! Yup, she told me about the changes and the people who have left and how it was going. Yes, universe, I was right in leaving that place.

Another thing I was reflecting on was my decision to not pursue a career in medicine. It has always been one of those things that I could not accomplish. If failure could be defined by things one left undone, this was it. I was not a physician. For all the promise and the intelligence I had, I was not that well developed in lying and bullshitting to get through the interview of the medical schools. Somehow, I could not let go of the ego and my desire for money.

At any rate, the universe answers my questions of what my life would be by sitting my ass down in front of the television and making me watch this segment on paternity and DNA tests. As the segment unfolds, I realize that the guy they are interviewing was pretty familiar. What happened was that he was divorced with two kids. He was remarried. The second wife tells him that his second daughter does not look like him. He takes a paternity test. And it turns out that he is not the father of the child.

As I watched mesmerized and unbelieving, I realize in my gut that my life would have probably followed this guy's life. Lots of unhappiness. Lots of prestige, not necessarily from the job. Lots of drama from things other than your job. A lot of things that make life not very happy.

And I contrast that with my current situation. The SO laughs at the things I say, though she does tell me that those things are f**ked up. I get hugs and kisses. Someone buys me extract from cherries for my gout. And I am getting married in two more days. Life is good.

So, if you ever wonder about your life, go ask the universe. I caution you however that you should listen. The universe gives its answers in funny ways.

One more week of being a bachelor

The weekend is almost over and it is now only days before my wedding. Oddly enough, I have been feeling sad that my bachelorship will be ending. But I just have to remember how desperate and sad my life was before meeting the SO and it is not so bad.

On Friday, we went to see the twins of San Francisco. Ostensibly, it was to get my sister to write a testimonial for me for the church to state that I have never been married, never been a priest, and not marrying a blood relation. But, along with that, this uncle got to see the twins. They are still tiny. really small if you ask me. Why, I didn't even want to hold them.

Katherine was all cute and cuddly and asleep. If you remember, she's the one who keeps on smiling. Veronica on the other hand is the bigger of the two. She kept waking up while I watched her. Cute kids. I did not see Elinor. The first of the bulinggits.

I also got a call from G from the last place I worked at. It turns out that the manager ended up quitting after six months. And basically, it was another set up. I was wondering about my new job at the law firm and thinking that it was beginning to be the same old stuff. But here's the universe telling me what a great decision it was to join a major league team. None of this fancy small company we care about you, but we'll stab you with a knife.

On Saturday, I dropped off my clothes to Frank's the drycleaner. Out of the blue, he asks me if I wanted to go to the Cal football game. No charge. Nothing! Wow, talk about enlightenment. The seats were donor seats. $31 each. Two sections to the right of the student section. Where you could see the action really well. For the first time, I managed not to miss touchdowns, interceptions and fumbles. What a great time! And just in time as a wedding gift.

Sunday, went to REI to get the black undershirt that does not cling to the embroidery of the barong tagalog. Once there is too much embroidery, the cotton barong starts sticking to the needlework. Any grooms wearing barong tagalog, remember to get the nice polyester undershirts.

One more weekend

Big day is drawing closer and closer. i find myself unable to do much of anything. Just holding in stasis I suppose. I am trying to figure out what it all means. Such a big event. Something to enjoy? Several of my friends can not make it. And that makes it sad because I would at the very least would have wanted to be with them on this day like I was with them on their wedding day.

Probably made the last trip to the jeweler. everything seems to be inscribed and plated as of now. Now, Just gotta plan everything else. Baptismal certificate is here straight from the Philippine Islands. How crazy is that? Are there non-Catholics pretending to be Catholics just so that they can be married into a Catholic church?

Clothes are here. Barong Tagalog etc. pants. Hey, I need to get the pants cleaned. Crap! I should have done that.

Seating arrrangements are clean. If you did not send in your invite, boy, you'll be left out in the dust.

Photos are set.

God's Punishing Us!

Hmm, another Category 3 hurricane is about to hit Texas. Those damned red states sure are getting it from God! Forget homosexuality! Forget the ten commandments! God is punishing them states because those states unleashed Bush II.

Life and Chaos

As the wedding date approaches, I am more and more worried about my work. Primarily because I just started and I am still learning the ropes. I don't know how I am being perceived by the people. Am I doing a great job? I suppose it comes from my previous boss who was a bit on the demanding side. I still remember how much it hurt my pride when she said that perhaps she hired the wrong person. Don't get me wrong, I got back to her by telling her that she might be right.

But all that is light years away. I am now with a nice big, humongous law firm and I have a great new boss who seems as sarcastic as I am. He was even insightful enough to hire someone so overtly qualified for the job that it is not even funny. Thus, I find myself sitting for nearly four hours at work writing reports while the rest of the time is spent running myself ragged trying to figure out the system of the lawyers and various other personnel in the firm. And last Friday, the lesson during group meeting was NETWORKING. And so, he took us out to lunch with two other managers and let us get to know them. How good can you get?

I still miss my group however. I thought that I was on the way to building a really great team and I was going to be able to brag about it wherever I went. However, now, I realize just how unprepared scientists can be for the real world. We just function in a very dysfunctional way. In some ways, we reward mediocrity. We suck up to bosses though people will tell you that I never did that after grad school. At any rate, my worries now are just confined to me, myself and I.

On the homefront, things are getting to the line of the wedding. My baptismal certificates are on the way from the Philippines hopefully. I sent in my shoe so that the soles can be changed to leather. Hello dancing shoes! Actually, I was supposed to shop for Florsheim shoes for the wedding. My father always got Florsheim shoes. if it was good enough for such a picky person as him, it was going to be good enough for me. But the salesman at the shoe shop said that Florsheim was just not the same any more.

Speaking of shoe shops, I still go to this small storefront store in Berkeley run by two African-American gentlemen. And I do mean gentlemen. They are old and grizzled, but they call everyone "Sir" and "Maam". You can see that they won't take any lip from anyone. And they are proud to be shoe salesmen. Well, salesmen who happen to work on shoes. I suppose the proper term for them are cobblers.

It is great to see that in this day and age that I can still find someone who likes quality shoes and makes and mends them. For those getting on in years, go to PW Minor to see some nice shoes. Comfy and very nice.

Life and Chaos

As the wedding date approaches, I am more and more worried about my work. Primarily because I just started and I am still learning the ropes. I don't know how I am being perceived by the people. Am I doing a great job? I suppose it comes from my previous boss who was a bit on the demanding side. I still remember how much it hurt my pride when she said that perhaps she hired the wrong person. Don't get me wrong, I got back to her by telling her that she might be right.

But all that is light years away. I am now with a nice big, humongous law firm and I have a great new boss who seems as sarcastic as I am. He was even insightful enough to hire someone so overtly qualified for the job that it is not even funny. Thus, I find myself sitting for nearly four hours at work writing reports while the rest of the time is spent running myself ragged trying to figure out the system of the lawyers and various other personnel in the firm. And last Friday, the lesson during group meeting was NETWORKING. And so, he took us out to lunch with two other managers and let us get to know them. How good can you get?

I still miss my group however. I thought that I was on the way to building a really great team and I was going to be able to brag about it wherever I went. However, now, I realize just how unprepared scientists can be for the real world. We just function in a very dysfunctional way. In some ways, we reward mediocrity. We suck up to bosses though people will tell you that I never did that after grad school. At any rate, my worries now are just confined to me, myself and I.

On the homefront, things are getting to the line of the wedding. My baptismal certificates are on the way from the Philippines hopefully. I sent in my shoe so that the soles can be changed to leather. Hello dancing shoes! Actually, I was supposed to shop for Florsheim shoes for the wedding. My father always got Florsheim shoes. if it was good enough for such a picky person as him, it was going to be good enough for me. But the salesman at the shoe shop said that Florsheim was just not the same any more.

Speaking of shoe shops, I still go to this small storefront store in Berkeley run by two African-American gentlemen. And I do mean gentlemen. They are old and grizzled, but they call everyone "Sir" and "Maam". You can see that they won't take any lip from anyone. And they are proud to be shoe salesmen. Well, salesmen who happen to work on shoes. I suppose the proper term for them are cobblers.

It is great to see that in this day and age that I can still find someone who likes quality shoes and makes and mends them. For those getting on in years, go to PW Minor to see some nice shoes. Comfy and very nice.

Another weekend down, how many more to go?

This weekend was actually a reasonably quiet one. We should have gone to the cowboy shooting weekend, but our host could not make it. Instead, I rested. Got much needed rest. Friday evening was a Costco night. Was tempted to buy some Buffy the Vampire slayer DVD. Tried out some shrimp cocktail and costco chicken. It was not our usual buying spree. We did not get any clothes or too much food. For some reason, I have not been in the mood to cook. Friday afternoon was the doctor and after that to Cody's bookstore and I managed to buy some books on science fiction.

Saturday was spent going to the jeweler to pick up the So's parent's remade wedding rings, groomsmen gifts, and engraving of the goblets. Next week, we are supposed to pick up the goblets. IN the afternoon, the SO went to the parental house and finished off making the giveaways. Hope they like them. The SO was setting up tables for the weddding during Saturday night. Who can sit with whom? Some tables are 9 or 8. Will they be able to sit with this person?

Sunday, we spent at home. The SO was working on the video for the wedding in the morning. She actually finished the whole thing and it was great!!! She is truly gifted with the video things. In the afternoon, it was the party for the christening. While there, I managed to talk to some of the cousins about their future plans in classes in high school. ONe of the cousins wants to be a car designer. The other wants to be a teacher. The other would be a politician.

Sunday evening, we ended up in SF to see the twin nieces. They were so small. So tiny. The SO said that Baby B was heavy. BAby A was tiny and small. But, BAby A kept smiling all the time. While Baby B was just sleeping after having finished off some milkl.

How many more weekends before the wedding date? I don't know. Time is getting shorter. I hope that everything is going well. Gotta figure out who is in the hotel and not.

Oh, and I have to set up the honeymoon!!!!

What's in my mind?

A sense of panic and a sense of not knowing where to be. Hmm, it seems silly to be worried over a wedding. But there are paperwork and then there are paperwork. Need some baptismal certificate from the Philippines. Hope it gets here on time.

Otherwise, I don't know what happens.

I need to believe in the higher God.

Nasty

Awful Plastic Surgeries

Pacquiao fought on 10 Sep 05

Manny fought in Staples in LA this past weekend and won. Apparently, there were plenty of distractions in his last fight. Like, he was living with six people in a hotel room. Whoever his previous promoter was, may God let him see enlightenment.

How Uncles Are Manipulated

So I was trying to keep control of the niece. It turns out that children are very resilient because of their abundant energy. Each time that I tried to ask the child to do something, she would do something else. And of course, that would be accompanied by a smile, a touch or a giggle. How can I resist?

When I tried to stop her from grabbing things from the table and bringing it to me, she went to the window and played there banging her hands on the window sill. I could even hear a nice rhythm. But, after a while, she became quiet. Then a giggle.

Whoops, where did that giggle come from?

Ah! She's in her parent's room... playing with electrical wiring! Uncle shut the room door.

Well, she next went to her room and started pulling her dresser drawers. Okay, uncle shuts her room door.

The niece now says, "Oh yeah, uncle? How about I gnaw some slippers?" Yikes! Uncles rushes to hide the slippers. Uncle screams about how dirty the slippers are.

The niece replied "Hmm, see these nice bags, uncle? How about I stomp on them to crush whatever is inside?" Holy Cow!!! Uncle runs to take away the bags!!!!

"The niece then started fixating on the dining room table. She climbed onto the table and posed there like a model. THREE TIMES.

Uncle is tired. Uncle has gotten sick. Uncle needs to go to work.

Emergency! Emergency!

The sister had baby twins last Friday and so I was asked to babysit the eldest. I was rather worried as to how to change diapers so I asked the SO to go with me. I have a paranoia about feces and babies. Although it makes sense of me in the biological way, I don't know about the intellectual and the olfactory senses. Feces is not my favorite scent.

The experience made me consider and question my ability and desire to have children however. After all, who am I to have a kid? I can't get to SF without getting lost. I can barely clean my apartment. And, I haven't cooked in ages. What makes me qualified to breed?

The weekend is over and I have succeeded in taking care of the niece. She fell on her face twice. But as my brother said, "Parang bato yan." She manipulated, laughed, cajoled and smiled her way out of two days. Was it only two days? It seems like it was longer.

My doubts are still there. But the SO has said that we will find a way to deal with the situation. Where the SO has set the direction, I follow. Previous episodes have proven to me that it would be unwise to follow.

Still, I don't know. I guess my mother was correct. She warned me before I went to college. "As soon as you have children, your life is no longer yours. You will live your life for your children." And she was correct. I have seen ambitious people turn down job offers in other states because they did not want their kids to live in a particular location.

At the very least, I know I can handle changing diapers. No sweat. Two minutes or so. I can do it.

Changes in Life

It is difficult for me to comprehend that I have been in America for 23 years. I am no longer in school. I have been out of school for eight years. I work. My parents are no longer with us. I am about to get married.

I had always been thinking "Someday, I will do this…" Yet, loook at what happened. Someday creeped up on me and said "Here I am. Someday is Today."

Yesterday was the minus one month and counting for the event. I suppose I should look upon it as a celebration, not an ends to itself. The priest Father R said that we have been married. It is simply the public celebration. The colonized part of me can't understand that. The other part of me understands quite well.

Seven years of happiness and choosing to be happy. Interspersed with moments of absolute fear from the future and from death. Specially from death. It is a constant thing this death. I see more and more of it in the news. But I guess that is why you are supposed to try really hard to live life well.

My sister is about to have twins. What a change that will be. From one child to threee. How about us? From zero children to hopefully three also.

Life is everyday. What are you doing today?

Name the Nieces Contest

Time to have an interactive post. All of you readers out there can now throw in your suggestions for the names of my about to be born nieces. Contest rules: No J names. Apparently, there is no J in the Filipino alphabet and so no Jennifer or Janet. To make it more interesting, how did you get that name or where did you hear it or tell me an interesting story about the name. No stories about "it sounded nice". Nope, gotta have something very cool.

Yup, the big sister is humongous. I can hardly believe it. The amazing thing is that she does not feel the contractions. My guess is that she is so fit and physically good that she can't feel it.

The Hurrican Katrina and God

There have been implications that Katrina was sent by God to punish the US for its policies in Iraq and the world. Bullshit!!! I say God is punishing the South because it voted in George W.

The Perfect Buffalo Wing

Since April 2005 when we visited San Diego and my taste buds were ruined by the hotel Buffalo Wings, I have been in search of good chicken. With the trip to Long Beach, I had to continue the quest:

1. Denny's in the ghetoey part of Long Beach. We managed to quickly find this restaurant because even Kapre and Tikbalang were hungry that first night. We had arrived in Long Beach at about 10:30 PM and decided that we would search for good restaurants. The wings were crunchy and the sauce was good. It managed to erase my bad memories of San Diego hotel buffalo wings.

2. Hyatt Restaurant. On Sun afternoon, we went to the Hyatt to try out their version. Not as good. The celery was lame and the chicken was not crispy.

3. Hooters. The So and D wanted to visit what was so special about Hooters. They found out that it was a bad version of a Southern restaurant with weird energy men eyeing the doughy and pillowy breasts of the servers. Sat evening was excellent however because of the shrimp fries. I did not taste any as I had polished off the pizza that I had ordered for lunch.

4. Outback Steak House. The buffalo wings were okay. Not crispy and the sauce was mild. Another chain restaurant that serves okay food. Although to be honest, my ribs are warming up in the microwave and that is dinner tonight.

The search continues.

Hentai

One of the big lessons over the weekend at the Pacific Media Exposition held in Long Beach CA is hentai which means pervert or perversion.

Now, our fellow travellers gave us a gift of DVD which was enjoyed with much commentary from me and the SO. The stuff is not for everyone, but it does show men and women's interesting tastes in life. It is also a social commentary on what happens when one tries to regulate sexuality in society like Japan.

And for those who like the more PG rated cartoons, here's anime links.

Something or the Other

Apparently, the aroskaldo was well appreciated.

Aroskaldo

search
far and
wide: the internet

for
ratios that
denote the mean

minced
garlic means
breath of life

chopped
ginger, a
memory of kisses

chicken?
modernity's disdain
for yesterday's leftovers.

Aroskaldo by Guesswork

The SO had promised to make aroskaldo (arroz caldo for those of you picky people) for a going-away party. But, she's teaching till 9PM. She'll get home at 10PM. When do you add the shopping? So, like the shining knight Don Quihote, I ride to the rescue. To wit, my shopping list ala Chatelaine:


Tatang's Aroskaldo

Minute Maid Premium OJ: prevents cold sores due to lack of vitamin C

Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia Yogurt: Wedding coming up; gotta lose some pounds

Ben & Jerry's Mint Chocolate Yogurt: In case the cherry garcia yogurt sucks

apple turnovers: can never go wrong with pastry

challah: can never go wrong with bread

chicken drumsticks from safeway: ah, bland chicken

ginger root: to foment a revolution

minced garlic: too lazy to chop them myself

Reflections about Pine Cones

In the next few weeks, I will try to reflect on the things that flash between my
head in relation to the impending wedding. After all, you only get married once
a lifetime.

The bridal shower occurred over the past weekend. There has been a drama event,
though it is less of a drama than others. The giveaways have been a problem.
The person who would sell it had personal problems and could not deliver the
product. As the SO said, it is not her problem. Unfortunately, we had planned
the assembly line to be formed during the bridal shower.

As far as bridal showers were concerned, it was a tame one. What with the SO’s
relatives being present and being very conservative, we did not want it to get
out of hand. My sister brought two gifts. One to be opened in public; the
other in private. Needless to say, the the in-private gift was more
interesting… shower gel and pleasure gift anyone? The only other gift that came
close to being erotic was a set of edible underwear. Along with that, there
were four, count them, four nighties all of them with the same color from
Victoria’s Secret. Bwahahah. It must have been a sale! We went yesterday to
Victoria’s secret and realized that the other colors would have made the SO feel
more like a tramp / slut than anything else. No offense to those of you out
there who like to wear hot pink or hot purple colors.

The beauty of the event was in the prepping of the pinecones which represents my
mom. My mom used to spray paint some pinecones with a gold and silver paint.
Place them on a basket as a decoration in her office. With time, some of the
pine cones would disappear and she would have to make some more. Her
officemates were filching the darned things if you can believe that. Wonder of
wonder, the SO decided that we should have that as a decoration at the tables.
And so it passed that in the last year, we have gone pine cone hunting.

We managed to collect some huge pine cones at Napa in Eileen’s abode. Talk
about huge and spiky. We had to get some guests to use nailclippers to trim
away the sharp edges off of the pine cones. The cones are so huge that we also
have to spray paint them several times. Xylene and toluene, here come my lungs!
The cones probably measure about 6 to nine inches tall.

Then there are the baby pine cones which a seven year old boy collects for us
from his elementary school. He’s named after Siddartha the Hindu enlightened
man. However, apparently, after placing said pine cones in his pockets, he does
not tell tell his mother about them. Clothes end up in the wash and so do the
fragmented pine cones. Very thoughtful kid. But like any prophet, the details
are forgotten in the living.

Some pine cones, we find in locations where we just happen to visit. The dance
place in Emeryville. The old school for her Kali class in Hayward. Near San
_____ close to Napa Valley near Kathang Pinay’s home.

Pine cones come in different sizes and sharpness. Some are very small while
others are gigantic. Each one is unique in its state of flowering. Some are
shy. Some are slutty. “Wind, come take my seed and spread it far and wide.”
Some cones open slowly. Some open in Fibonacci’s series. I know that if it is
any indication, my marriage will be just like the pine cones we have collected.

THE PRIEST IS ALWAYS WRONG?

If he is preaching longer than twenty minutes,
he makes the people stay away from the Church;
If he preaches less than ten minutes, he did not prepare his sermon;
if his voice is strong during the sermon, he is shouting!

If his voice has the normal strength,
people do not understand what he is preaching about.
If he owns a car, he is worldly;
If he does not own one, he does not go with the times.

If he goes out to visit families, he is never at home;
If he does not visit them, he does not care for his parishioners.

If he is asking contributions, he is after money;
If he does not do it, he is too proud for that.

If he takes his time in the confessional, he is too slow;
If he makes it faster, he has no time for his penitents.

If he begins his mass on time, his watch is advanced;
if he begins it a minute or two later, he keeps people waiting.

If he renovates his Church, he throws away the money;
if he does not do it, he allows everything to rot away.

If he focuses his ministry on women, he is flirting.
If he focuses on man, he is gay.

If he spends time with children, he might be a pedophile.
If he warms up to old women, he must be missing his mama.
If he keeps distance from all of them, he has a heart of stone.

If he is young, he has no experience.
If he is old, he should retire.

As along as he lives, there are always people who know better;
If he dies, there is nobody to take his place.

Lies, Lies, and Lies

See, Clinton only lied about having sex with one person. Bush on the other hand lies and then fucks the 200 million people in the united states. Thanks a lot George! I know you don't know the difference between you and Clinton.

Engagement Photos

In the last year and a half or so, I have been looking for photographers for the
wedding. The standard has always been a Wedding Story Photo by David Song.
David was the photographer for my friend C’s wedding and my sister eventually
hired him for her own wedding. When I was with David in my sister’s wedding, I
was impressed by his methodology. He has difficulties speaking English, but he
is able to show the bride and groom how to pose. When I finally saw my sister’s
wedding album of 16” x 20” I was blown away by the images.

I have attended many weddings in the last year and I am very persnickety about
the photographers. One photographer hired many teen-agers to help him out, but
I don’t think they knew how to take photos. Another photographer had the big
strobes in the church and the hotel, but those lights were very painful to the
eyes. Another photographer did not bring the right lens and thus could not take
a picture of the statue of Mary along with the bride and groom. Mary’s statue
was about three stories high.

I learned from my sister’s wedding that the only thing you have of the wedding
in later years are the photos. The flowers, the decorations, the guests can and
will be forgotten. But if you have the photos, it will be there to remind you
of the day.

Before the wedding, the SO went to the salon to be done. I got the distinct
impression that the person she had the appointment with did not show up. The
salon manager kept speaking in Korean with the other hair and make-up
specialists. The salon eventually had to call some people to cover for the
appointment. The SO had her hair and make-up done. What pains a woman must go
through just to get the right look. One thing that the SO mentioned was that
her eyelids were blackened with a black liner. I said that they do that to
everyone. The SO said that the inner eyelids close to the eyes were covered
with liner. OUCH! I could have never been a woman. I can’t stand that type of
pain. Jab! Jab! Jab the eye! Well, I guess I could have been, I would just
have been one hell of a lesbian who was a fag hag.

No matter, pain was not a problem. The SO managed to get through it all. Next
up was the photo session itself. After finagling with the studio because we
both had misunderstandings about our appointment, etc, we ended up doing studio
shots and the city street shots. I never realized how silly the poses are in
the studio shots. No wonder I have always had problems doing it. The poses are
never done by real people because they can be difficult and without purpose.
For example, nose to nose pose. Well, if you did that, it would be for about
four seconds. In our poses, we were like that for twenty to thirty seconds.

The SO had most of the photos. I should have told David the ff: Ako si
Maganda. Siya si Malakas. Ako dapat ang maraming litrato. Three outfits.
Formal with barong and gown. Southern Philippine with malongs. And, Hawaiian
themed with my blue hawaiian shirt. The photos are fabulous. I even managed to
look regal in one of them.