Archive for October, 2006

28
Oct

tayutay

By decrechoice 0 Comments
Categories: dailysnippet

i’ll bet my neck that  NO ONE who’ll happen to drop by this blog would know what the word above freakin’ means…

haha…. i’m one of those who is [pardon the expletive] f***’n clueless as to the meaning of the word. tayutay. don’t even remember if i’ve come across this word back in high school or grade school. i definitely didn’t hear of it in college since i had no filipino subject back in u.p.

tayutay. minji introduced the word to me a little after 12 PM today. mein, i had to friggin’ apologize to the kid [nah she's not a kid anymore, she's a young lady now, a very pretty one at that] for not knowing anything.

brief background. minji came to the office needing help for her filipino subject project. she’s one intelligent student [great mind, quick pick up, the works...] [did i mention slim, pretty and flawless skin?], but since filipino is a foreign language to her, it is one class that she’ll never breeze through without help. usually, she tries to do things on her own, but when things such as periodical tests and finals come in… it’s usually us in the office who instantly becomes a tutor to her.

tayutay = figures of speech [she said.]

now, light dawned on me. simile, hyperbole, personification, metaphor, irony and onomatopoeia are figures of speech that i’m familiar with. at least i had lessons about them back in high school and even in college.

dilemma…….HOW IN THE WORLD WILL I EXPLAIN ….

pagtutulad [simile]
deretsahang pagwawangis [metaphor]
pagsasatao [personification]
pagmamalabis [hyperbole]
paghihimig [onomatopoeia]   and
pag-uyam [irony]

in FILIPINO!!!!!!!!!!!????????????????

there’s a saying that i came across in the past that says, "A smile and a few laughs can help you get away with not knowing something for 15 minutes, but after that you’ll have to think up something."

think up something. i did.

LUNCH.

ha, i casually asked her if she had taken her lunch. well, she came to the office a little after 12 PM today. so i conveniently told her if she minds coming back to the office at around 4 PM. hopefully by then, i’ll be ready to "tutor" and "help" her with the project. like a said, she’s one smart young lady and obviously caught on the fact that i’ve no idea how to help her. thus, she gave me the space and time to do some quick research on the net.

research i did.

yeah, instead of going out for lunch as i intended to earlier on, i had to commission tibo to call up shakey’s for a delivery. it’s just that when i’m itching to finish something, i would readily jump on my resources to finish the task. it’s only the orders of my eyes and head that will give me pause.

4 hours and millions of internet sites after, minji came back to the office.

i regaled her with my numerous props. [yeah, i took down a lot of notes..hehehe....] actually, we immediately got down to business. i’m so happy that before she came back, she too made an effort to review her lessons before sitting down with me. then my task was made easier. i prepared a lot of samples and the two of us went over them and decided which were easier for her to draw and explain. this lasted for an hour and half as i struggled with my filipino translation skill… hehehe, i explained everything to her in english, which she readily understood. she even made some inputs herself, the difficulty came when i had to translate all those in filipino. the translation effort was actually a lot of fun. we had a few laughs as i would explain everything, then she’d remind me that i had to say them again. this time in filipino. i would laugh, she would laugh cause i’d have to pause and come up with words in filipino. quite honestly, filipino isn’t one of my favorites. <read: mahirap na pagkain!!!??? ask edwin, he’ll know>.

now, the adrenaline in me is still pumping as i feel elated at having helped someone. [perhaps because i love the idea of teaching, never actually decided on doing so though.]

23
Oct

past the point of no return

By decrechoice 0 Comments
Categories: thought release

10.23.06

i’m really bad at music. i’ve no aptitude for it whatsoever. i envy people who can play an instrument, who can carry a tune or those who can easily recognize a note or two. lucky them.

last night i was watching a local reality program cum talent show. one of the contestants sang a song with the phrase "point of no return". my musically-challenged mind; couldn’t pinpoint where i heard the song before. listening to the song actually gave me the creeps ‘coz i could remember vividly the reaction i had the very first time i heard it. it’s weird, really. thus, as soon as i had the chance, i tried looking up the song on the internet. voila!… there goes my answer: the phantom of the opera.

the phantom was one of the nicest movies i’ve seen last year [or was it early this year]. so i’m humoring myself by incorporating here the scene that for some odd reason made me cry; my favorite scene actually.

CHRISTINE (AMINTA) enters. She takes off her cloak and sits down. Looks about her. No- one. She starts on an apple. The PHANTOM, disguised as DON JUAN pretending to be PASSARINO, emerges. He now wears PASSARINO’s robe, the cowl of which hides his face. His first words startle her)

DON JUAN (PHANTOM)
You have come here
in pursuit of
your deepest urge,
in pursuit of
that wish,
which till now
has been silent,
silent . . .
I have brought you,
that our passions
may fuse and merge -
in your mind
you’ve already
succumbed to me
dropped all defences
completely succumbed to me -
now you are here with me:
no second thoughts,
you’ve decided,
decided . . .
Past the point
of no return -
no backward glances:
the games we’ve played
till now are at
an end . . .
Past all thought
of "if" or "when" -
no use resisting:
abandon thought,
and let the dream
descend . . .
What raging fire
shall flood the soul?
What rich desire
unlocks its door?
What sweet seduction
lies before
us . . .?
Past the point
of no return,
the final threshold -
what warm,
unspoken secrets
will we learn?
Beyond the point
of no return . . .
AMINTA (CHRISTINE)
You have brought me
to that moment
where words run dry,
to that moment
where speech
disappears
into silence,
silence . . .
I have come here,
hardly knowing
the reason why . . .
In my mind,
I’ve already
imagined our
bodies entwining
defenceless and silent -
and now I am
here with you:
no second thoughts,
I’ve decided,
decided . . .
Past the point
of no return -
no going back now:
our passion-play
has now, at last,
begun . . .
Past all thought
of right or wrong -
one final question:
how long should we
two wait, before
we’re one . . .?
When will the blood
begin to race
the sleeping bud
burst into bloom?
When will the flames,
at last, consume
us . . .?
BOTH
Past the point
of no return
the final threshold -
the bridge
is crossed, so stand
and watch it burn . . .
We’ve passed the point
of no return . . .

(By now the audience and the POLICE have realised that SIGNOR PIANGI is dead behind the curtain, and it is the PHANTOM who sings in his place. CHRISTINE
knows it too. As final confirmation, the PHANTOM sings):

PHANTOM
Say you’ll share with
me one
love, one lifetime . . .
Lead me, save me
from my solitude . . .
(He takes from his finger a ring and holds it out to her. Slowly she takes it and puts it on her finger.)
Say you want me
with you,
here beside you . . .
Anywhere you go
let me go too -
Christine
that’s all I ask of . . .
(We never reach the word ‘you’, for CHRISTINE quite calmly reveals the PHANTOM’S face to the audience. As the FORCES OF LAW close in on the horrifying skull, the PHANTOM sweeps his cloak around her and vanishes.

Phantom_1 Phantom_2 Phantom_3 Phantom_4 Phantom_5
Phantom_6 Phantom_7

19
Oct

significant people

By decrechoice 1 Comment
Categories: thought release

"The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care."

the above lines were written on an email that a college friend sent. it’s interesting because the mail comes with a series of questions. although, the questions were such that you are primed to agree to the above quote. anyway, here goes the questions in the mail that were in fact easier to answer compared to those questions about people who accomplished so much; the likes of nobel prize awardees, etc. that we don’t remember at all.

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with

allow me to humor myself by answering 3 of the above questions. consider it my way of acknowledging the people who belongs to the significant list.

1.
mrs. esperanza abellana+
– she’s my 2nd grade teacher. she was the one who gave me my very first ever book [well sort of]. the book was "puss in boots". i didn’t grow up with fairy tales; i learned about snow white; sleeping beauty much later in life… anyway, up until now, i still have the copy of that book. it’s important to me because she was the first one to tell me that i’m a good student;
miss victoria cruz
– my 4th grade teacher. "too much humility is pride." she threw these words at me, when i ranked myself 10th in the class. she told me that you need to acknowledge what you are, and claim your right place especially if you know where your right place is. ha, i was 2nd in the class, that’s why she was so angry at me for downplaying my capabilities.
mrs. leticia lavadia
– my 6th grade teacher. though i was no pet student of hers, she somehow made me feel that there’s truth to my own claim that i have a brain. that despite my coming from a poor family; i have it in me to create a good life for myself. i appreciated her for trusting in me, to even have her kid tutored by me.
mrs. erlinda gallo
– my general science and family living teacher in high school. for teaching me and all others about being practical in life; for injecting humor in her lectures on sensitive subjects as sexuality; marriage and just about anything about life– real life.
mrs. illuminada mercado
– my trigonometry and calculus teacher in high school. for the lesson about not giving up and pursuing your dreams. i still remember vividly her college experience back in UST. you might be a silent student; a probinsiyana or from whichever social class; only your intelligence can get you to where you set your heart and dreams on. the best math teacher ever! up until now, her voice echoes in my head for still not learning the lesson about appreciating and respecting time.
miss cathy rodel
– my music teacher in high school. for being so gentle. i know i suck at music; but she never did make me feel it. ha, 3rd and 4th year music classes were torture to me then, however, she was so ever encouraging.
miss ligaya rabago <mdm. bisaya>
– for teaching us that mediocrity has no place on earth. performance level, please!
miss edna lee
– my 2nd year psych teacher. my 2nd favorite teacher of all time. for making me see that it’s all right to have my presence felt by other human beings.
miss flora generalao <ms. G!>
– my 3rd-4th year psych teacher. the guru of all gurus. the greatest teacher ever. someone who embodies what a real deal teacher should be. the dedication she puts forth up until now to the teaching profession. a very intelligent human being; though it’s so unfortunate that she chose not to propagate her genes.

2. it’s too complicated to expound
jen
miss debi

3.
ivy - be practical
ini - never compare yourself
joan - love life with passion
juliet - inject humor into your life
yam - the world is messy; deal with it
line - it’s all right to be single
chin - having a husband can be a good thing
team philippines - leadership can be your chocolate and your poison
everyone past and present - respect the individual; honor commitment; mistakes happen so be gentle with yourself; you can’t be responsible for the action of others;
ms. g - knowledge is meant to be shared
lincoln - whatever you are be a good one

18
Oct

stimulus not

By decrechoice 0 Comments
Categories: singleshespeaks

it don’t mean a thing if it ain’t got that zing!

read the above line in one of those cheesy novels that many women read; but are ashamed to admit lest they be labeled one pathetic soul. the line got me thinking about what my college professor once said in my psych 101 class. ms. pat was talking about those girls trying to look their best in order to snatch the attention of a particular male specie. if i remember the lesson correctly; person A would never be stimulus-enough to person B; if person B doesn’t place a value to that stimulus <meaning person A>. in short, person A will just be like the other stimuli that person B ignores. so no matter how you dress up or prettify yourself; your target will never treat you any differently. bottomline; you don’t have that "zing" that the target notices in a stimulus. remember, every day of our lives we are bombarded with a gazillion stimuli; to maintain human sanity; a person notices only those stimuli that are in some way valuable to him/her. so girls and boys; learn to move on. the sooner you get this; the less disappointments you’ll get out of life. there’s nothing wrong with you; the target just happens to place more value to some other stimuli.

16
Oct

crazy saturday 2

By decrechoice 1 Comment
Categories: dailysnippet

10.07.06

i filed for leave today because i have an appointment with my eye doctor. to my horror i woke up at 10 a.m. i hastily took my bath and grabbed a quick breakfast. hopped on a cab going to aces clinic at velez hospital. somewhere in happy valley, juliet texted me to remind me about the tattoo session at chin’s in-law’s place. <no, i didn’t enlist myself to have self-inflicted pain. i was merely a member of the support group, ready to cheer on and hopefully give full support to chin’s new venture.> knowing juliet, i didn’t reply to her immediately because i know i’d be up for a tongue-lashing should she learn that i’m still in the cab when it’s already past 11 a.m. <haha, she’ll forever nag me for coming to work past 8><peace jhulz! (",)> as soon as i reached the clinic, i texted juliet that i’ll meet up with her in the office.

12:00 p.m. came, the support group all shutdown their pcs, ready to imbibe free booze. yeah, we we’re all lured by the promise of free alcohol <joke:)>

pikoy, jojo, neil, greg, russel, juliet and me all hopped on homer’s ride to get to west city homes. minutes after we got to the meeting place, we all shared lunch, where jhulz and i emerged last women standing. the 4-hour tattoo session followed. sometime within the tattoo and drinking session, i got an sms message from jen asking me to call her. she informed me that she received a uk job offer. excited at the news, all the rh that i’ve imbibed somehow left my system. if things go well, i truly believe that this is the opportunity that she’s been waiting all her life. after the phone talk, i went back to the tattoo session where i didn’t realize the number of times i got hold of the rh glass. yeah, i think it was the first time that didn’t monitor myself. i felt like throwing up, but for some reason it just wouldn’t come out. jhulz had a lot of fun at my expense for not knowing how to tickle my throat to induce vomiting. yeah, i have no predisposition for bulimia..hehehe..

as if we haven’t had enough of the free booze, the support group all decided to go to lapu-lapu to attend a co-worker’s birthday celebration. actually, it was only the boys who were invited by philmore to his party. i couldn’t remember what prodded jhulz and i to tag along nor could i recall the reason  for enlisting line as the third party-crasher. anyway, we all went to jy to meet up with philmore and the other invited guests. but prior to going to lapu-lapu, jhulz and i bought cornetto. according to jhulz, it’d help clear up our heads, at least as a temporary relief.

the whole crew went to sm, where we hailed a v-hire going to philmore’s place. there we had a healthy dinner. listening to voice of reason, i didn’t succumb to the temptation of gulping more alcohol. perhaps because i developed the worst headache after the v-hire ride. on the other hand, the little inebriated juliet, left the place without telling the others that she’s going home. [however, according to jhulz - she did inform me, but i was a little fuzzy to remember her message^^]. after the male crew had a few drinks, we all decided to call it a night. from philmore’s place, we all walked towards no-idea where. from there we took a jeepney going to highway mandaue and then another going to the city. the jeepney ride going to the city didn’t do me any good. it wrecked havoc to my stomach. thus, line and i alighted from the vehicle when we reached asilo. haha, told line not to speak to me for fear that i might throw up should i open my mouth. we then proceeded to the nearest cr. ha, the women’s toilet at the shell station didn’t have any lighting. lighting or not, my stomach couldn’t hold the alcohol and food any longer and threw up for all my worth. as if fate was playing a joke on me, the sink at the women’s cr got stuck. yeah, i had no choice but to leave the scene of the crime without guilt feelings. [nah, there's just nothing i could do then..]

the crazy saturday ended with line and i staying for the night at the hotel that my college teacher’s family owned. thanks to the power of plastic; <to the horror of my sister again! lol!!> i had the best sleep ever. what with a queen-sized bed and AC in full blast, i didn’t even notice line return from getting an overnight pack from her place. on top of that, we had a nice free breakfast.

Tattoo1 Tattoo2 Tattoo3 Tattoo4 Tattoo6 Image222 Tattoo7_1 Tattoo8_1 Tattoo9_1 Tattoo10_1  

14
Oct

taxi episode

By decrechoice 3 Comments
Categories: dailysnippet

10.06.06

was at metro ayala grocery last thursday because i was intent on buying a couple of cans of four seasons. i promised our company cook that i’d give them to her before she leaves for camotes. thanks to the magic of plastic, i ended up carrying two bags of grocery <to the horror of my sister, i presume [lol!]> home. as closest people know me, I HATE CARRYING SOMETHING IN MY HANDS!!! thus, my co-worker, line and i flagged down a cab.
once inside the taxi, i told the driver my address and gave him specific instruction to pass by v.rama/englis so i could drop line on the way to our place. no problem there, he agreed and started to run the meter.
when we got to the place where i usually drop off line, two men flagged down the cab that we were in. at the same time, i told the driver to make a u.turn. however, as i instructed the driver to make a u-turn, the driver was grumbling. i failed to get the exact words that the driver muttered. what i could make of his murmurs, was his regret on the missed opportunity to have new passengers, ergo earn him an additional flagdown rate of PhP30. so as not to bother the driver, i changed my instruction and informed line to alight from the cab and just cross the street to get to her place.

as soon as line was gone, the driver went on complaining about the opportunity he lost. the two men who flagged down the taxi would have earned him an extra pay. this got me irritated BIG TIME!! inasmuch as i don’t like to argue with anyone, i wasn’t able to help myself. i confronted the driver about his grumbling. i demanded from him what was making him testy. the driver told me that he assumed that i would get off from the taxi the same time line did. again, he went back to complaining about the opportunity/dollar lost. very-unusual-of-vet challenged the driver, telling him that i really don’t have a problem getting off his vehicle if he so wants to pick up the two passengers earlier. but i made it clear that i wouldn’t pay him a cent. from what i remember of my many law elective classes, there was a provision in the law on common carriers which says that a passenger is not obligated to pay the "common carrier?" [say the taxi driver] should the driver fail to take the passenger to the destination agreed upon. anyway, as soon as i told the driver that i’m not paying him, the driver continued to grumble as to why i was angry at him, blah..blahs… acting upon my temper, i got out of the taxi right in front of jolibee guadalupe. i crossed the street and walked as fast as i could away from the driver, who was shouting "hoy! plete oi!". i never looked back and walked towards the gasoline station to flag another cab.

whew… i never realized that a person’s heart could beat as fast as my heart was beating then. i was so scared that the driver might follow me and do me some harm. when i got home, i told my family that i just did something terrible. well, at least that was the most evil thing i’ve ever done in all my 27 years.

05
Oct

pink eye and errant lashes

By decrechoice 0 Comments
Categories: Uncategorized

it finally has a name!!

two days ago, i went to aces eye referral clinics at perpertual soccour hospital to have my eyes examined by professionals. i opted to visit this clinic because i detest going to optical clinics. going to optical clinics is tantamount to you going out of the clinic with an additional pair of eyes. yeah, their universal solution to your eye problem is to get a pair of glasses, which they conveniently call "corrective lenses".

as soon as my name was called, i had the routine vision check. had the computerized exam to see if i have problems seeing things from a distance. then, the lady had me read the snellen chart. instead of the regular chart pasted on the wall, aces made use of a projector to flash part of the snellen chart on a white wall. the procedure freaked me out a little bit as i had dificulty making out the letters on the wall.

after testing visual acuity, i was referred to a dr. t. he did some more tests and discovered two errant lashes on my lower lid. the lashes often rub against my eyeball causing it to turn red, and get irritated. dr. t said that he could pull out the two errant lashes, but in a month’s time, the lashes will just grow back. thus, he advised me to visit aces’ other clinic over at velez hospital to see a dr. r.m.

dr. r.m. read the chart that aces perpetual had me give him. he asked me a few questions and checked my eyes. as soon as he finished the exam. he asked some more questions. the questioning was quite funny as dr. r.m. himself admitted to not knowing what’s causing the redness in my right eye. the errant lashes on my lower left lid, somehow could explain why my left eye is often red. however, r.m. said that he couldn’t quite pinpoint what’s causing the redness in my eyes and the errant lashes were just incidental. the best culprit according to him is allergens such as dust, pollen, smoke, strong perfume and others more.

dr. r.m. told me that the errant lashes actually has a name. it’s called "trichiasis." as to the overall condition of my eye; my symptoms all point to having conjunctivitis.

Trichiasis is an uncornfortable condition in which the eyelashes are misdirected toward the eyeball and scratch its surface, the cornea. The position of the lower lid is normal, but the lashes point in the wrong direction. This may cause infection and scarring of the cornea. [http://www.edmondseyecare.com/information/articles/Trichiasis.html]

Bacterial conjunctivitis is a type of eye infection commonly known as pink eye.  The typical symptoms are:  red eye(s), purulent (pus) discharge, gritty sensation, and the eyelids may be stuck shut in the morning.  Vision is not affected. This is also called "pink eye." [http://www.eyemdlink.com/Condition.asp?ConditionID=490]

as to the errant lashes, dr. r.m. cauterized the two errant lashes. after the less than 15-minute procedure, my left eye felt weird and heavy. it also felt a little bit numb because of the anesthesia. i was given an antibiotic eyedrops to prevent infection. hopefully, the lashes will not grow back. lastly, dr. r.m.’s assistant gave me another type of eyedrops to remedy the redness of my eyes.

i have an appointment to see dr. r.m. again, this saturday to check if my eyes are responding to the drops that were prescribed to me.