blind date at 35,000 feet

Flying alone is like going on a blind date. You’ll never know kung sino ang makakatabi mo until nandon ka na sa seat mo. Whether you’re in business class or economy, there’s no guarantee na matino ang makakatabi mo sa flight.

And in a 9-hour flight from Saudi to Pinas (that’s when you’re flying direct), I always pray na sana yong makatabi ko ay hindi seatmate from hell. Sa haba ng byahe at sa liit ng space na pagsasaluhan nyo, you might as well wish upon your guardian angel na bigyan ka ng matinong katabi.

Sa dami na ng flights na sinakyan ko, I’ve had a few memorable seatmates. Kwento ko sa inyo ang ilan:

Si Manong Tomador. It was on a Gulf Air flight from Dhahran to Manila (lumang panahon na). Pag-take off namin ng Manama, ang katabi ko, lumaklak na agad. Halos ibigay na nga ng stewardess yong bote ng alak sa kanya. Ang nakakatawa pa, hiningi pa yong baso ko. Na-curious lang kasi ako sa lasa ng Margarita so I asked for one. Eh tinikman ko lang kaya nandon lang sa harap ko, hindi nabawasan. Aba ang seatmate ko from hell, hiningi talaga yong baso. Naku by all means, sige tunggain mo! Ayun, bumaba kami ng NAIA, nakita ko gumugulong sa tube. Hindi na kasi nakahintay makauwi sa kanila bago magpaka-senglot!. Hmmpppp.

Spikes of Tykes. Eto little boy naman na kasabay ko from Manila to Dammam on a Saudia flight. Siguro mga 7 or 8 years old ang bata. Half-breed kasi nanay pinay, arabo ang tatay (as I later learned don sa kasamang yaya). Ang kuleeeeetttt ng bagets! Parang kiti-kiti, hindi matahimik sa isang pwesto. Hindi ako nakatulog ng maayos coz he was always banging on something, jumping up and down his seat, singing some arabic songs na malay ko ba kung ano and chatting with his yaya on a loud, almost shouting tone. Grrr….. gusto ko nang sakalin ang kutong-lupa!

Hmmmbahooo! Buti na lang this was on an Emirates flight from Dubai to Dammam kaya halos 1-hour lang. But this guy (black sya kaya I assumed na african), iba talaga ang amoy. Hindi talaga kinaya ng ilong ko. Ang masakit pa, nagtanggal pa sya ng sapatos! Yaiiikkkss! Kaya ang ginawa ko, pinaloob ko yong refreshing towel (yong binibigay ng airline) sa panyo ko to improvise a breathing mask. Susme, survival ang pinag-uusapan dito no!

Si Manang Naman! On an Ettihad flight from Dubai to Manila, may nakatabi akong Indo na manang. Aba ang hitad, ayaw akong tigilan. Chika ng chika eh hirap naman mag-ingles. At sa tingin ko nagpi-flirt pa ang matanda! Sus ginoo! Nong hindi ko na pinansin, aba lumipat ng upuan. Naka-kita ng kababayan nya. Eh si manong mukhang game. Kaya nong nagpatay na ng cabin lights, narinig ko naghahagikgikan ang dalawa! Easy naman ni manong, bumigay agad kay manang! Hihihihi!

Kabayan, dahan-dahan. This was on a Cathay Pacific flight from Dharan to Manila (again, going back to the olden days). Ang katabi kong si kabayan hindi ko makalimutan. Marami kasi syang bag (3 yata) which blocked the pathway and stopped the flow of boarding. Dumaan ang mataray na stewardess na Pinay pa mandin (France ang pangalan, tandang-tanda ko ang nameplate ng bruha). Nag-linya ba naman ng ‘hay naku ang mga pinoy talaga ang dami-daming bitbit’ referring to the kabayan na abalang nagtataas ng mga bags nya sa overhead compartment. Eh tipong barumbado si kabayan, malaking lalaki pa mandin kaya ang laki ng boses. Sumagot “#@#$@ ito ah, parang hindi ka Pilipino ah”! Ang ending, hinding-hindi na bumalik sa section namin si France. Nakita ko don sa sunod na cabin nag-serve!

Bless you Father. Eto naman on a Singapore Airlines flight from Manila to Dhahran (tagal na rin nito) via Singapore. May nakatabi akong Pari. Papunta daw sya ng kanilang diocese sa Singapore. Hindi ko malimutan si Father kasi very intellectual and philosophical yong conversation namin. He asked me things like ‘Bakit ka nag-aabroad?’ ‘Paano na ang Pilipinas kung ang mga katulad ninyong may alam ay umaalis ng bansa?’ And this was even before the term ‘brain drain’ became known sa atin sa Pinas.

Ikaw, any memorable seat mates you’ve met on your flights so far?

ngani mandin

During my vacation, my house was teeming with people at any given day. Mga kapatid at pamangkin na pag nagsama-sama ay maingay. Buti na lang hindi nagrereklamo ang mga kapitbahay. Siguro alam naman nilang nangyayari lang yon once in a while.

Ang nakakatuwa, I was reminded how colourful our language is. Dahil nga mga taga-Mindoro kami, natatawa na lang ako minsan pag sa mga usapan at kwentuhan namin ay may narinig akong isang word na matagal ko nang hindi naririnig. Matagal na kasi akong hindi umuuwi ng Mindoro.

Tagalog naman ang salita namin but since Mindoro is a cross-road between Luzon and the Visayas region, may pailan-ilang words kami that seem to have originated from the deep Southern region. Sa mga expression pa lang, matatawa ka na. Let me share some of them with you.

Baga – a word that is normally used when asking question. (example : ‘Ano bagang pangalan mo?’ is not asking for your bagang ng ipin but it simply means ‘Ano bang pangalan mo?’) I think it was a concoction of the ‘ba’ of the Manilenyos and the ‘ga’ of the Batangenyos. Pinagsama lang but serves the same purpose.

Ngani – an expression of assent. It may literally mean a whole range of affirmatives from ‘nga’, ‘Oo nga’ or ‘sya nga’ for the Manilenyos. (example: In Manila, you will say ‘Ay oo nga ano!’ but in Mindoro, you’ll likely hear ‘Ay ngani ano!’) It is more associated to a feeling of awe or or disbelief.

Ati ah or Ay ati ah – an expression of disgust. It’s the same if a socialite in Manila says ‘yuck’ or ‘eewwwww’ or ‘grossssss’.

Wala man. It’s the same as wala. Ewan ko kung bakit dinagdagan pa ng ‘man’. Siguro pang-emphasize din dahil natatandaan ko noon pag tinatanong ako at naiinis ako, ang sagot ko ay pabalang na ‘wala man’.

Mandin – I really cannot categorize it pero marami syang gamit. One, is to say yes like ngani. But if ngani is to express awe or disbelief, mandin is something you use to affirm and emphasize at the same time. Pwedeng may kasamang inis kaya pag kinukulit ka, instead of saying Oo, say Mandin. Another use is pag nagku-kwento ka, you would normally say ‘Alam mo ba, si Raoul bumili ng bagong kotse?’ Sa amin sa Mindoro, you would likely hear it this way ‘Si Raoul mandin ay bumili ng bagong kotse.’ It seems to stress something on the narrative at hindi ganon katindi ang dating ng kwento kung walang mandin. It can also be used in combination with ngani to super-emphasize your agreement to something. You can say 'Ay ngani mandin' if you want to say 'Definitely'.

So far eto yong mga narinig ko ulit lately. But I’m telling you, there’s a whole lot more ng mga nakakatuwang lengwahe namin. I’ll share them with you as soon as I remember them.

hotnothot 6 - tantrums and tirades

the tantrums of a 'queen'

boyet fajardo is the new youtube sensation. not in the likes of charice pempengco or arnel pineda na hahangaan mo. instead, dapat syang ihulog ng patiwarik from the tuktok of the duty free building. siguradong sandamakmak na ang blogs, on-line forums, magazine articles at tv shows na nakisawsaw sa isyu nya. so bakit hindi naman ako makikisawsaw. if only to add one more to the statistics na magsasabi sa kanyang 'boyet fajardo, you suck big time!'.

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unfortunately, walang audio yong security clip na naka-post sa youtube and all the other clips are lifted from tv reports. mas maganda sanang marinig yong actual na mga dialog nitong boyet na ito and see how severe the indignation he inflicted on the two duty free staff was.

for you to throw tantrums sa isang pobreng cashier ng isang tindahan, there must be something wrong with what's inside that bald skull of yours. i'm sure you have this bloated ego which made you think na ikaw ay isang hari (or isang kalbong reyna, whatever) na dapat igalang at pagsilbihan ng mga aliping nakabahag ang buntot. only because you are a 'fashion designer'! DUH!

honestly i've never heard of that freakin name until now. aba ano bang malay ko sa mga brand daw ng damit na dini-design mo at binebenta sa sm at robinson. which only shows na hindi ka sikat like what you believed. so why not rustans? kasi hindi ka rin sosyal. which means, kaming masa ang market mo. and you just berated one of us. kaya dapat ngayon pa lang, mag-aral ka nang kumain ng tuyo at bagoong. dahil hindi na kami bibili ng kahit anong gawa mo (not that i remember buying any of your brands).

besides, ke sikat ka o hindi, just asking 'hindi nyo ba ako kilala' is pathetic. obviously hindi ka kilala that's why the joke's on you if you start throwing that weight around. and maybe in your night life mahilig kang magpaluhod but that is entirely different from what you did to marvin. whatever the reason, making him kneel before you is downright ruthless. hindi mo lang kinawawa yong tao. tinanggalan mo pa sya ng dignidad only because he is earning hourly wages and you're not.

and your apology? darn, an iguana looks more sincere than you do. maangas ka pa rin and the word sorry just sounded even worse coming from that filthy mouth of yours.

i wish the union will never back off with their lawsuit. at sana the human rights commission enforce it's full force sa iyo. para matuto ka ng tamang leksyon pati na ang mga katulad mong nagkapera lang ng kaunti ay kaya ng bilhin ang mga pobreng mahihirap.

the tirades of a squatter

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buti na lang mas mainit ang isyu about boyet kaya hindi masyadong na-sentro kay bayani ang focus ng mga tao. nevertheless umaani pa rin ng batikos or simpatya si bayani, depende sa kung anong report ang binabasa or pinapanood mo.

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sabi sa report, provoked lang sya kaya sya nakapag-salita ng ganoon. yong ang problema with a youtube clip. it's not a film that tells a whole story. it only shows the part na gustong ipakita nong nag-post.

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after mapanood ko yong clip, tingin ko at fault si bayani dahil lasing sya like what he kept on saying don sa clip. at ke provoked sya o hindi, masyadong obvious na sya ang naghahari don sa eksena and his protagonists are just playing it cool. kung sa iba yon, pinagtulungan na syang bugbugin or barilin kaya para tumahimik sya sa kakadaldal nya at kakamura.

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masyado kasing 'rough and raw' ang mga pinag-sasabi ni bayani. kaya ganon ang nilagay na title sa video posting. although hindi ako agree doon coz we've seen well-heeled, supposedly 'cultured' na mga tao na mas grabe pang mag-mura at manglait ng tao kapag galit.

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it all boils down to what you have inside your heart and in your mind, hindi sa kung ano ang suot mo or kung saan ka nakatira. ang mura, panglalait ng kapwa at paghahamon/paghahari-harian comes from a mind with delusion of powers and a heart with disrespect towards other people. yun yon. and squatting on somebody else's land doesn't have anything to do with it.

isang tanong lang sa the fort: the clip played out for more than 8 minutes - where are your security forces all these time?

more vacation pics

it's been 3 days since i came back from vacation but i haven't written anything to post here. kaya pasensya na kayo, pagtyagaan nyo muna ang ilang pix namin starring mother dear. ang dami ko kasing pix nitong vacation na ito. let me share a few more of them with you.

---oh yes, she loves the scarf na uwi ko sa kanya kaya gamit nya yan everytime na papasyal kami. this one was taken in SM, suot nya ang sumbrerong binili ko sa Kultura. kung matalas ang mata nyo, you'll see na hindi pa tinatanggal ang tag price! hahahaa!

hmmm... ang hirap ipili ng pagkain ni mother ha. but she enjoyed the chicken here. the place is called Chinese Flavours (or something like that) located at ground floor of SM Sta Rosa. masarap ang food at very reasonable naman yong presyo.

tawa sya ng tawa kasi pinapa-pose ko eh bigla ba namang na-mewang ala-super model! sayang hindi ko na-capture yong pamemewang nya but i got the wide smile. i had this one enlarged and framed.

ayan, pinagyayabang ang dollar at riyal na bigay ko with the lapad she got from my ate emy who arrived from tokyo a few days before i left.

i'm sitting in fron row with my ate vangie, kuya bangus habang katabi ni mader (l-r) si ate emy, si kaka (manang elvira) and kuya omie (husband ni ate emy)

taken the night before i left. isa siguro ito sa mga very memorable bonding moment namin with our mother. nag-start yong kwentuhan over dinner where i found out a lot of things na hindi ko alam about my mom. like yong love story nila ng tatay ko which started noong kamamatay lang ng unang husband nya (the father of my step brods and sis)

another thing i discovered with my mom is that marunong pala syang mag-gitara! talo pa ako na kinalyo ang kamay nong teenager pa ako but never get to learn that darn thing! mahina na lang ang pulso nya kaya di nya mapisil ang strings but still she knows her chords!

and this was taken at 3:30am nong papunta na kami sa airport. mga puyat kasi walang tulog.

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overall, it could be the most enjoyable vacation i ever had. wala akong naging gimik para sa sarili ko but i spent 3 weeks of quality time with my mom. pati na rin sa mga kapatid ko who, after a long time na hindi nagkasama-sama ay nagkaron ng instant reunion kahit hindi kumpleto.

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nothing can give us the joy of a strong, tightly bonded family. that's something na matagal ko ng hindi nararamdaman. and i'm glad i was reminded how good it feels to have that.

hotnothot 5

Dahil nga wala akong ginawa kungdi mag-caregiver sa mother dear ko, nood ng tv ang isang activity ko pag natutulog ang pasyente ko. Kaya heto ang mga hothot and hotnot ko – all about Pinoy Tv.

On Male Game Show Hosts:

Hothot : I’m happy to find the latest version of Family Feud quite enjoyable. Goma is doing justice to his role as the host. He brings genuine warmth and fun into the show. Dapat lang kasi nga one of the all-time faves ko yan. In my first few days nga pagdating ko, nakita ko Deal or No Deal ang pinapanood nila dito sa bahay. But when I started watching Family Feud, napansin ko, yon na ang default channel nila pag 5:30 kahit nasa kwarto ako at hindi nanonood. Na-realize siguro nila na meron pang mas magandang panoorin kesa kay Kris Aquino na laging nakatili ng kanyang mga ka-artehan. Besides, anong mangyayari sa utak mo kung wala kang gagawin kungdi magsisigaw ng Higher, Higher, Lower, Lower! Eh mag-auctioneer ka na lang sa Christies!

Hotnot : Unfortunately, I can’t say the same thing for Janno. Medyo boring ang dating nya as the host of Kakasa Ka Ba Sa Grade Five, the local version of my favourite Are You Smarter Than A Fifth Grader. Kulang sya sa spiels and the show’s writers should seriously think of injecting some fun lines into his script. As for Paolo’s hosting job for My Dad is Better than Your Dad, hindi ko sya masyadong pinapanood. Hindi ko naman kasi naging favorite yon kahit sa original version. Although minsan, I caught a glimpse of him one time at mukhang okay naman sya. Kaya lang parang yong personality nya seem to lack the command of a game show host. Something na kuhang-kuha ni Goma. Medyo kuha rin ni Cesar sa Singing Bee.

On TvCs

Hothot: Maganda ang concept ng Natasha tv commercial starring Marian Rivera. It shows two words describing the woman then fading into one word implying the improvement. Yon kasi ang tag-line nila which is kung maganda ka na, may igaganda ka pa. Brides maid fading into just bride, Executive assistant to just executive. Then nong si Marian na, Starting out na naging Star na lang. It is one commercial that shows na ginamitan ng utak. Hindi lang nag-capitalize sa endorser. Kudos to the creative team.



Hotnot : Sabi na dati ng mga health experts, masamang gamitin ang cooking oil ng paulit-ulit. But this one commercial says pwede raw gamitin ng 7 times yong Golden Fiesta. Which is questionable. Bakit pinayagan ang ganitong klase ng advertisement? Nasaan ang truth in advertising? Nasaan ang health officers to validate this claim? Commercialism over the interest of the public? Hotnot.

Hothot: Nakakatawa naman ang commercial ng Motilium. Starring Ate Glow impersonating Gloria and a Barack look-alike. They were having dinner nang biglang sumakit ang tyan ni Barack. The overly hospitable Ate Glow still insists that Barack tries the other Filipino delicacies eh namimilipit na nga sa sakit ng tyan yong tao. Then pasok yong Motilium. Natawa ako talaga.

hanging on

By the grace of God, my Mom’s continually recovering from the worrying condition she was in just a month ago. Nawala ang panghihina nya and slowly gained her strength back. Malakas na syang kumain not like before na halos isang kutsarang kanin lang ang nakakain.

I’m now convinced that the weakness came from depression that brought her loss of appetite na naging cause ng panghihina nya. Now that I’m right by her side, kasama pa ang Ate at Kuya ko plus ilang apo na dumalaw, lagi na syang masaya. Madalas pa sya ngayong mag-joke na talaga namang natatawa ako. Isang dosena nga kaming nakapaligid sa kanya, inaalalayan sya sa lahat ng galaw nya. At ang pinaka-importante, marami syang kalaban sa bingo.

Nakadagdag pa ng sigla nya yong news na uuwi na rin yong isang Ate ko na nasa Japan. She was so anxious na makita ang favorite ‘doctor’ nya.

At kahit sabihin pang wala akong naging gimik or any activity we usually do pag naka-bakasyon, just taking care of her was more than worth the time and the plane ticket. I don’t mind kung hindi man lang ako nakapanood ng sine or nakapag-swimming lalo ngayon na kainitan na ng summer.

Mas gusto kong bantayan ang pagkain nya making sure that she eats properly. Isang subo pa. Tama na ang matatamis. Inom ng maraming tubig. Inom na ng vitamins. Exercise deep breathing. Tuck her into bed at night. And help her get up in the morning.

Gimik na para sa akin na ipasyal sya sa Robinson, SM at Festival Mall. Buy her things na magustuhan nya. And see her smile dahil sa bago nyang shoes or yong mga bargain na damit na gustong-gusto nya.

Mabait akong anak? Siguro. But I’m not doing this para matawag na ganon. I’m doing this because I want my mother to feel loved and important kahit matanda na sya. Yan kasi ang common worry ng matatanda. Most of them feel left out and taken for granted porke wala na silang physical capacity to do anything na kinasanayan nila lalo ang trabaho sa labas o loob man ng bahay.

But just being there, staying with us as long as possible, yon ang importante sa akin. Sa amin ng mga kapatid ko. At katulad ng ibang anak na mahal ang magulang nila, gagawin ko rin ang kaya ko to make her stay with us at the longest possible time na iapapa-hintulot ng Diyos.

Kahit pa mag-bingo ako umaga at hapon just to make her happy.

masayang monday

kanina po ay naging bisita ko ang mga kumare ko at mga ka-adik with their families.

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si mareng fely from tiaong with my pamangkins myles, megan and cheche at ang kanyang very cute na baby clent julian. hindi nakasama si papa kasi busy sa kanyang papaya plantation.

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in-invite ko rin si mareng rose with hanna and at ang mabait kong inaanak na si aiden. nasa office naman si pareng robert kaya hindi rin namin naka-chikahan.

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then dumating si ega with mommy elvira then dumating din si junc with linds, bitoy, berlin, mommy ni linds and tito.

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salamat po sa inyong lahat sa pagbisita and i wish you had a nice time. sana po nabusog kayo!

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na-miss lang namin ang ibang ka-adik. wish you were here tserman!

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mareng fely with clent julian and mareng rose with aiden

ang mabait ko pong inaanak na si aiden

ang pamangkin kong si megan na type yatang maging manugang ni junc! hehehe

tito lolo na po ako kay baby clent

si mommy elvira

berlin, bitoy and linds' mom with another cute apo

jun and linds

ang mag-kumpareng ega and junc

mga kababayan ko

When FPJ died, I only said “there goes a legend”. Nong si Rudy Fernandez naman, sabi ko, “sayang mabait naman sya” (at least as I know him as a celeb). But yesterday, when I heard Francis M passed away, nalungkot ako. And I was on the verge of shedding a tear or two lalo nong nag-iyakan yong mga hosts ng Eat Bulaga.

Sabi ko nga sa pinsan/best friend ko, of all the celebs na namatay, parang kay Francis M ako nalungkot. Kasi dahil siguro sa magka-age kami. At sabay kaming lumaki – sya nakikita ko on tv and films, progressing on his career, while I’m going through my own evolution.

Hindi ako fan ng taong ito. I don’t like rap music in particular (although naaliw din ako kay Eminem dati) but what he did for the Pinoy music industry, man, you gotta respect this guy.

Sabi nga ni Andrew E, had Francis M not opened the door for rappers in the Philippines, hindi nya ma-imagine kung saan siya pupulutin as well as the many struggling rappers. True di ba. Francis started it all and the rest of them just comfortably followed.

At kahit hindi ko gusto ang rap, I like his music kasi may kabuluhan. Patriotic. Hindi tulad ng ibang puro basura ang pinag-sasasabi. Karamihan maangas. Bastos. Even encouraging hatred, rebellion and disrespect among the youth.

But more importantly, gusto ko ang total image na dinala nya sa publiko. A responsible and loving husband/father. A truly artistic individual. And aside from the singular case of stupidity (remember the marijuana case?) which is nothing compared sa mga pinag-gagagawa ng iba, hindi sya nasangkot sa mga rumble or away kahit pa hip-hop ang ginagalawan nyang mundo.

I don’t know this guy personally. I haven’t even met him in person, even once. Pero kahit ganon, I do believe that he’s a genuinely nice person.

Normally, I don’t care about celebrities. Katwiran ko, may pera naman kayo at sikat. May cancer ka? So? Ganon talaga ang buhay eh. At least kayo hindi naghihirap sa ibang bagay tulad naming mga mahihirap. Kami, dusa na sa araw-araw na buhay. Kaya pag dinagdagan ng cancer, wala nang kalaban-laban.

But for Francis M, I just can’t help but feel sad. Sayang? Oo. Bata pa siya at marami pa siyang pwedeng gawin in his life. But most importantly, nawalan ng isang mabuting role model ang mga kabataan.

Goodbye Kiko. Go with the peace of God.

kawawang consumers

Sa Pinas, ang mga negosyante, specially yong mga higanteng kumpanya, hold the consumers by their necks. Bakit kamo? Kasi, they will give you products or services promising you moon and stars on their ads. Pero i-patronize mo yong kanilang produkto and what do you get? Putik. Oo putik. Hindi lang ako pwedeng mag-mura dito dahil nga GP ang blog ko. Pero putik.

Dati noon, N70 ang ginagamit ko for internet connection pag naka-bakasyon ako. Now that phased out na ang N70 at mahal ang higher N-series units, bumili na lang ako ng Smart Bro. Dahil sabi sa ad nila eh fastest download daw rate at nationwide ang coverage. Fastest kayong mga putik kayo!!!

Slowest dapat ang tagline ninyo sa ad nyo no. Ang lakas naman ng 3G signal sa bahay ko. Nililinis ko naman araw-araw ang temporary internet files ko at delete ako ng delete ng cookies. Pero ang 115pesos na load ko, mauubos ng halos hindi ko ma-buksan ang mga emails ko ng kumpleto. Just to open my yahoo mail takes foreverrrr!!!

Hindi lang naubos ang load ko. Sumakit pa ang mata ko sa kakatitig sa screen waiting for the page to pop-up. Nagasgas din ang ngipin ko at pumuputok ang ugat ko sa noo sa kaka-ngitngit. Isang araw at hindi ako makapag-pigil, dudurugin ko ng martilyo tong Stupid Bro na ito.

At bakit naman naka-wireless ako sa bahay? Kasi wala pa akong landline. Meron dati. Globelines dahil it takes forever bago ka makakuha ng PLDT line. Pero itong Globe, ewan din. Tuloy-tuloy ang bill pero sa true lang eh walang dial tone for almost two months dahil sira pala ang switchboard nila dito sa area namin. Pero bill ng bill ha! So how could you bill me for a non-existing service haaaaa????

At ang mga hindurupot, in-email ko noong nasa Saudi pa ako, ni ha ni ho walang sinagot ang customer-devil-may-care nila. Kaya eto isa sa una kong inasikaso ang magaling na Globe. Ipapa-disconnect ko na lang sana pero akalain mo, magbabayad pa raw ako ng 5,000 pesos as penalty dahil locked for one year yong contract na pinirmahan ko! Naku ang mga hindurupot talagang itooooo!!! GRRRRRRRRR!

So sabi ko, sige i-reconnect nyo na lang. Not that I still want their services. Pero kesa magbayad ako ng walang katuturan, sige, let it stay na lang at pagkatapos na lang ng contract na yan saka ko ite-terminate ang walang kwenta nilang services.

And we’re just talking of services here ha. And mind you, the frustration doesn’t end there. Bumili ka ng pagkain, gamot, damit, cel phone, electronic items, even car and real estate properties, more often than not, may mae-encounter kang problema. Things that you don’t deserve dahil ang ginagastos mo ay perang pinaghirapan, pinagpawisan at pinagkamatayan mong kitain.

Masuwerte itong mga hunghang na ito dahil walang matibay na pangil ang consumer protection law dito sa Pinas. Eh kung sa States sila tumama, naku katakot-takot na lawsuit ang aabutin nila. Isa na siguro ako sa unang-unang pipirma para sa mga class action suit na dapat abutin ng mga hindurupot na kumpanyang ito.

doktor ka ba?

I brought my mom to the doctor yesterday for a quick check-up. At kahit nga fan sya ng faith healing, walang magawa ang matanda. I still want to be sure kahit wala na syang sakit at kumpleto sa mga dahong pantapal at langis na pampahid.

Bago pa lang kami sa Sta Rosa so this is her first visit to a totally new doctor other than the one she visits (pag dinadala ko lang) noong nasa province pa kami.

She’s doing fine naman, talaga lang mahina na siguro because of her age. Sabi nga ng doctor, maswerte daw sya for reaching 80’s. Oo nga naman. At this day and age, sa stress, pollution, sakit at kung ano-anong problemang kinakaharap natin sa buhay, reaching 8 decades of existence can already be considered an achievement.

Si doc nga, doctor na pero walang magawa sa manipis na nyang tuktok. I just cant help but notice his hair kasi makapal naman sa sides pero manipis sa tuktok. Weird tingnan. To think na bata pa sya at doctor. But even his degree cannot save him from a looming baldness.

OA pa sya sa mga pinag-sasabi nya kay madir. We all know that psyching up the patient is part of a doctor’s job. Ang patawanin ang pasyente and make him/her comfortable is the first thing they should do before delving into the problems of the patient para maka-establish ng magandang communication.

Kaso halata mo naman kapag plastic (Tasnee!) and routinary ang mga pinag-sasabi nya. Yong kanyang mga “hello po”, “kamusta po kayo” etc are so plastic at alam mong ginagawa lang nya because of the consultation fee na ibabayad mo.

Sa irita ko, ako na ang sumasagot ng mga tanong nya sa Nanay ko. Kasi, may ilang tanong sya na napansin kong inulit nya in the less than 10 minute consultation namin. Kaya naiirita ako. If he really is sincere in what he is doing, he should listen carefully and take note of what the patient is saying.

Twice nyang tinanong si madir kung inuubo. At inulit nya yong tanong kung kelan pa yong last check-up nong matanda. Sa loob-loob ko lang, ulitin mo pa yan at makakatikim ka na sa akin.

Sensing my irritation dahil ako na nga ang nagsasasagot sa tanong nya, even explaining some things in medical term na alam ko, tinanong nya ako “mukhang may alam ka, nurse ka ba?” Tumawa na lang ako though with a bit of sarcasm. Sabi ko na lang “hindi dok, nagbabasa lang”.

So nong nag-prescribe na sya ng medicines, marami pa rin akong tinanong sa kanya. And I saw how careful he was, even thinking twice bago sumagot sa tanong ko. Buti nga sa yo. Kala mo kasi madali kang makakabola porke doctor ka.

Naalala ko tuloy yong doctor ni mother sa probinsya. Magaling sya ng di hamak dito kay doctor tuktok. Magaling in the sense that he listens to what my mom was saying, strikes a very good yet important conversation kaya nakukuha mabuti ang explanation ng mom ko sa nararamdaman nya. At nakaka-prescribe ng eksaktong gamot na talagang effective.

Although noong una, hindi rin sya nakaligtas sa akin. Nakita ko kasi sa isa sa mga plake nya sa dingding na hindi sya GP. He was a bit flustered nong tanungin ko sya ng “dok, anaesthesiologist ka pala, bakit nagdyi-GP ka?” Well, he told me some story (mahina daw kita ng anaesthesiologist) and assured me that he’s not doing anything stupid beyond GP. Okay. Afterall kasundo ka ni madir. Otherwise, hindi ka makakaligtas sa pagka-imbestigador ko! Hahaha!

Hay naku ang mga doctor. Sorry kayo pero 400 pesos for a very short conversation is way too expensive. Kaya sinusulit ko lang. At ayaw kong sabihin ni Nanay na “o di ba sabi ko sa yo, mas magaling ang albularyo”!

pelikula walang kwenta

On my flight to manila last Thursday, may ilang bagong films sa Video On Demand programs ng Qatar Airways. And so right after dinner was served, I planned on watching Wall-E or the Duchess but then I opted for Vicky Cristina Barcelona instead. Sabi ko, I should see if Penelope really deserved the Best Supporting Actress trophy she won in the Oscars.

And did she? Well, hindi para sa akin. It only proved that lobbying is what determines the winner, not the performance.

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Okay, Penelope did a great job in bringing into the screen Maria Elena, the fiery, passionate and a bit cranky artist ex-wife of Juan Antonio (Javier Bardem). However, hindi ko pa rin ipagpapalit ang 10-minute moving performance ni Viola Davis sa Doubt, not even with Amy Adams na sa tingin ko eh mas magaling pa rin kay Penelope as the soft-spoken nun also in Doubt.

Besides, madaling mag-internalize ng role nya si Penelope coz real-life couple sila ni Javier. Eh di isipin lang nya na may kabit si Javier in the person of a beautiful lady like Scarlett, ang dali-dali nang ilabas ng angst ng character nya!

And the movie as a whole? Walang kwenta. I think this is an egotistical trip of Woody Allen na sa tingin ko is living out his fantasies via this film. Ano ba ang maganda sa istorya ng dalawang New Yorkers (Vicky portrayed by Rebecca Hall and Cristina by Scarlett Johansson) who went to Barcelona for a vacation and jumped into bed with the same man (Juan Antonio) they’ve just briefly met? Tapos nandyan pa pala ang may pagka-luka-lukang asawa na si Maria Elena?

So the very much virile Juan Antonio (actually Javier fit the role to a T) had a blast nong magkasama na sila sa bahay ni Maria Elena and his new amore Cristina. Biruin mo yon, two ladies at the same time. At meron pang eksenang may lesbianism dahil si Cristina at si Maria Elena are kissing suggesting that the guy in the story just got sooo lucky! Hindi na ako mag-e-elaborate dahil pang-General Patronage ang blog ko noh!

And get this - nong parehong mawala ang dalawa (Maria Elena and Cristina) sa buhay nya (Juan Antonio) eh nandiyan pa at naghihintay ang newly-wed na si Vicky who is more than willing na magtaksil sa asawa nya just to be in bed with him. O di ba naman at napaka-swerte nitong si Juan Antonio?

Darn, Woody might be a respected film-maker but I just don’t see the essence of this film. Kwentong walang kwenta. Basta, the way I see it is that Woody has these fantasies of cavorting with beautiful women na hindi nya magawa sa totoong buhay since he left the beautiful Mia Farrow for the younger but not a stunner na adopted daughter pa mandin nilang si Soon-Yi. And this film was his way of venting his frustration sa hindi na nya kaya at pwedeng gawin.

Sayang lang ang oras ko. Feeling ko talaga nabiktima lang ako ng ego-tripping ni Woody. I should have stuck to my original choice na Wall-E. O kaya yong the Duchess. Hmmpppttt…