Thanks to all viewers, commenters and silent readers. I appreciate.
The woods are lovely, dark, and deep, But I have promises to keep, And miles to go before I sleep, And miles to go before I sleep.
-Robert Frost
December 20, 2008
December 19, 2008
December 18, 2008
Helpful teens, walks and night drive.
It happened last night. I was to meet Embee near Heart Center. We agreed to eat out after meeting. Times like that, I don't oblige him to fetch me especially when he is from work and I am not. I walk or commute, meet him where. After all, he is busy person and I have ceased to be busy.
The jeepney was half full. Beside and in front of me, a teenager and his friend. One was reading, the other was intermittently commenting obviously had read the same thing. The little boy, probably the driver's son, was listening to them.
The jeepney refused to restart after a stop in Kamuning. Two ladies and a man went out to transfer to another jeep. Another man asked his fare back before going. I waited. I was not in a hurry. Embee's meeting was not to finish soon yet. The two teenagers did not move but stopped talking about the book. They offered to push the jeep. They tried but it was too heavy. I motioned to go down, they wont let me. Instead the driver came down. The little boy assumed the driver's position. At first I was horrified but I saw the boy knew what he was doing. The father climbed up and resumed his position when the jeep regained consciousness. The readers came up again and we were all off. We all laughed. I said, I didnt help. All of them said it's alright, I was a woman. On hindsight, I thought it was a dangerous thing. Another hindsight thought: bring more batteries.
Today is a fine Thursday again, although a very warm day (in December!). Walked below greens and wires near Forestry.
It is good our trails are not visible.Otherwise, I would have mine drawn over and over this area in Quezon City. Tonight we drove and drove , actually he.
It happened last night. I was to meet Embee near Heart Center. We agreed to eat out after meeting. Times like that, I don't oblige him to fetch me especially when he is from work and I am not. I walk or commute, meet him where. After all, he is busy person and I have ceased to be busy.
The jeepney was half full. Beside and in front of me, a teenager and his friend. One was reading, the other was intermittently commenting obviously had read the same thing. The little boy, probably the driver's son, was listening to them.
The jeepney refused to restart after a stop in Kamuning. Two ladies and a man went out to transfer to another jeep. Another man asked his fare back before going. I waited. I was not in a hurry. Embee's meeting was not to finish soon yet. The two teenagers did not move but stopped talking about the book. They offered to push the jeep. They tried but it was too heavy. I motioned to go down, they wont let me. Instead the driver came down. The little boy assumed the driver's position. At first I was horrified but I saw the boy knew what he was doing. The father climbed up and resumed his position when the jeep regained consciousness. The readers came up again and we were all off. We all laughed. I said, I didnt help. All of them said it's alright, I was a woman. On hindsight, I thought it was a dangerous thing. Another hindsight thought: bring more batteries.
Today is a fine Thursday again, although a very warm day (in December!). Walked below greens and wires near Forestry.
Later, I climbed the overpass near Q mart. The positive thing about sunny days: vendors can display up to near the overpass.
Everything was moving, northbound, southbound.
It is good our trails are not visible.Otherwise, I would have mine drawn over and over this area in Quezon City. Tonight we drove and drove , actually he.
Kamuning, Timog, approaching and below fly-over, U-turn, East Avenue-->Malakas.
There he sees what he is looking for.
A 24 hour car wash.
Yes, just a car wash.
Is his windshield clearer? Looks the same, but I assure you the driver feels better.
Just an ordinary day. Too ordinary I like it.
Another ordinary day is over.
December 17, 2008
On sari-sari stores, sardines and reasoning.
Only a few streets in the Philippines show no sari-sari store. That is a generalization. Well off subdivisions don't have. Remote places may have one per town or barangay.
Where I live, there is a sari-sari store almost every corner to every twenty houses approximately. They range from small to extra small. They are not like grocery stores but when I need soap for my laundry, there is no need to go Rustan's or S&R. It is not too much if I say I don't even need to comb my hair to go there, or change my clothes. The apartment compound where we live is flanked by two small sari-sari. Literally our gate touches one.
Care for a noisy Nagaraya? Let's have some Hansel. Or some quick cooking pancit canton? Eggs in retail, who knows when they expire... or do they? Noodles of the "not quick cooking" type or is it misua? And yes, they even have rock salt.
The ever present item, among canned goods, is the Sardinas. I eat Sardinas de Noypi, may it be spanish style or sari-sari store style (pictured above). I hear a lot of horrifying anecdotes about canned and bottled foods but it doesn't move me. As long as I remember that vinegar is some acid (I put vinegar on it or calamansi or cook it in oil) and that I have hyperacidic stomach, I don't seem to care. My previous microbiology teacher will be dismayed, not by sardine eating, but by my concocted acid protection reasoning just to eat what I like. She might retrieve my grades and fail me. If that happens, I may have to change my reasoning to: I just trust the BFAD. don't you? Anyway, it is obvious, I like sardines.
Marlyn was busy that day.
One more customer before I left. Do you know what he wanted? I guessed silently, "E load."
No, he was not buying anything.
He wanted some coins in exchange for his bill.
So, in a way, a sari-sari store can work like a bank too?
Oh yes, it can. Not just for coin-bill exchanging but for the lending it does, the latter beyond the scope of this post.
Only a few streets in the Philippines show no sari-sari store. That is a generalization. Well off subdivisions don't have. Remote places may have one per town or barangay.
Where I live, there is a sari-sari store almost every corner to every twenty houses approximately. They range from small to extra small. They are not like grocery stores but when I need soap for my laundry, there is no need to go Rustan's or S&R. It is not too much if I say I don't even need to comb my hair to go there, or change my clothes. The apartment compound where we live is flanked by two small sari-sari. Literally our gate touches one.
Care for a noisy Nagaraya? Let's have some Hansel. Or some quick cooking pancit canton? Eggs in retail, who knows when they expire... or do they? Noodles of the "not quick cooking" type or is it misua? And yes, they even have rock salt.
The ever present item, among canned goods, is the Sardinas. I eat Sardinas de Noypi, may it be spanish style or sari-sari store style (pictured above). I hear a lot of horrifying anecdotes about canned and bottled foods but it doesn't move me. As long as I remember that vinegar is some acid (I put vinegar on it or calamansi or cook it in oil) and that I have hyperacidic stomach, I don't seem to care. My previous microbiology teacher will be dismayed, not by sardine eating, but by my concocted acid protection reasoning just to eat what I like. She might retrieve my grades and fail me. If that happens, I may have to change my reasoning to: I just trust the BFAD. don't you? Anyway, it is obvious, I like sardines.
Marlyn was busy that day.
One more customer before I left. Do you know what he wanted? I guessed silently, "E load."
No, he was not buying anything.
He wanted some coins in exchange for his bill.
So, in a way, a sari-sari store can work like a bank too?
Oh yes, it can. Not just for coin-bill exchanging but for the lending it does, the latter beyond the scope of this post.
December 16, 2008
Detour (late upload)
It was a busy day. The small sari-sari store adorns the end of Mapang-akit St., inviting me to stop.
"Ano sa inyo 'te" (What do you like to buy, ate)
"Unsa inyo softdrinks, Lyn?" (What choices do you have for drinks?)Yes, she speaks Cebuano, like me.
"Coke, Pop cola, sprite, tan-awa diha 'te, naa gani C2 (Coke, Pop cola, sprite, please look we even have C2).She point to the display.
Isa ka Coke, palihug.Pwede sulod, Lyn. (One coke please.Can I come in, Lyn?) I invited myself...
O sige te. (Okay, 'te)
Gwapo imo Sari-sari, store. (You have nice sari-sari store)
Usahay gwapo. Usahay sad kapoy. (Sometimes I like it. Sometimes it makes me tired.)
Then she added: "Usahay pabantayan nako sa lain para kalakaw sad ko" (Sometimes I ask someone to watch place for me so I can go out.)
I did not ask why. Everyone needs a detour.
I-plastic, te? (Shall I put contents in plastic container) for me to bring.
Huwag, inumin ko dito kung ok. (Don't. I'll consume here if okay with you.)
Okay.
After drinking my Coke, I went back to my work. Detours are short.
Today was no different. A busy day with some detours.
December 15, 2008
yearly incentive.
A teacher regularly experiences bliss. Every year, on the year.
While some universities and other schools send off their successful students on March, December is when some resident physicians graduate. Embee is happy to see one of theirs become a colleague tonight at the Manila Hotel. While they had the ceremony, I killed time by eating at the other side of the hotel.
Going home, it was good to see a prominent landmark of Manila. How come it was never something I longed to see when I passed by this place nearly everyday years ago?
Oh, blurred!
Please slow down. Oh the tower is disappearing.
I can't just go so slow. We are in inner lane and there is someone behind us.
More blurred.
A teacher regularly experiences bliss. Every year, on the year.
While some universities and other schools send off their successful students on March, December is when some resident physicians graduate. Embee is happy to see one of theirs become a colleague tonight at the Manila Hotel. While they had the ceremony, I killed time by eating at the other side of the hotel.
Going home, it was good to see a prominent landmark of Manila. How come it was never something I longed to see when I passed by this place nearly everyday years ago?
Oh, blurred!
Please slow down. Oh the tower is disappearing.
I can't just go so slow. We are in inner lane and there is someone behind us.
More blurred.
December 14, 2008
Sun, sob.
Weekend walk with Embee brings more sun in already sunny day.
Tonight though, we heard a sob from the table behind us. Just a few seconds of helpless release. My heart melted. Was it disappointment flavored in the sob? Was it fear? or anxiety? I don't know. But I'm sure it was not physical pain.
Why does my heart melt faster and reconstruct slower when I hear a man (yes, man as male I mean) cry?
Can you see the names of the establishments at the other side of the road?
It's a little blurred,too.
At the other table, a woman laughs and loudly brags how she outwits her parents and sister. It drowns all conversation, even ours. Perhaps some triumphs, however misplaced, was needed to make the whole place a little lively, even funny, than sad.
But really, it was sad.
Weekend walk with Embee brings more sun in already sunny day.
Tonight though, we heard a sob from the table behind us. Just a few seconds of helpless release. My heart melted. Was it disappointment flavored in the sob? Was it fear? or anxiety? I don't know. But I'm sure it was not physical pain.
Why does my heart melt faster and reconstruct slower when I hear a man (yes, man as male I mean) cry?
Can you see the names of the establishments at the other side of the road?
It's a little blurred,too.
At the other table, a woman laughs and loudly brags how she outwits her parents and sister. It drowns all conversation, even ours. Perhaps some triumphs, however misplaced, was needed to make the whole place a little lively, even funny, than sad.
But really, it was sad.
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