Yesterday, Monday, was a rather rough day. I just arrived from an overnight activity the previous weekend, so I was feeling a bit unwell. And I did not have a good dinner the night before. But the day went from bad to worse.
I normally eat breakfast before or after dropping off my girlfriend at work. Yesterday, after dropping her off, the rear wheel of my motorcycle got flat (By the way, this is I think the second time in three weeks). So, breakfast was cancelled and I had to go to the nearest vulcanizing shop.
Now with a flat tire, I was driving slowly along F. Ramos St. towards Cogon Market. Along the way, as I didn’t know of any vulcanizing shop in the area, I ask a man who was selling newspaper by the road (after driving two blocks) for directions. He kindly gave me directions to the nearest shop (I felt quite bad for not buying newspaper from him; I’ve come to like reading newspapers in the last year). And the nearest one is not what I would call near. The man, after looking at the bad condition of my rear wheel, advised me not to ride but walk my bike to the shop. His advice had a lot of sense.
So, there I was, walking under the 8:30am sun (You may all agree that at this time of day, the sun is not as friendly as it used to be), with an empty stomach and sweat dripping under my jacket (I wear jacket every morning to protect my self from “panuhot” and the dusty roads to my work place, which is about 13 kilometers from my place).
After walking (and pushing my bike on my side) about 200 meters, I arrived at the vulcanizing shop. A few years back, this distance would have been a piece of cake or, more appropriately, a stroll in the park. But after gaining more than 10 kilos in less than two years, it was hellish.
At the shop, I discovered that my rear exterior tire has been badly punctured – a condition that is bad for my interior tire and is not safe for traveling long distances. The man at the shop, out of kindness, placed some temporary padding on the punctured hole of the exterior. He further said that this remedy is only good for the day and advised me that I need to buy a new tire.
He would have charged me 30 pesos for his services, but I gave him 50 anyway.
Afterwards, I drove off. And I felt something weird about my wheel. The ride felt bumpy for a paved road. So I decided to have the tire replaced before going to the office. As I didn’t have enough money on me, I dropped by my girlfriend’s office to borrow Php 1,000. Then, I went to the nearest motorcycle shop that I know so I can have the tire replaced at the same vulcanizing shop that I went to earlier.
Unfortunately, they were yet closed. So, I decided to drive in the direction of my workplace where I have seen a few motorcycle shops.
I stopped by a shop along the highway. They have the size of wheel I needed. The problem was, they only have one brand. I never bought wheels before and so I never had anything to compare the available brand with. So I bought it at Php 445. The amount sounded OK to me, by the way.
Worse came to worst when I went to the vulcanizing shop just next door. The man there asked me if there are other brands in the shop. He said the one I bought was a brand he does not recommend. He said it would be wiser to buy the brand he recommends (which is the same brand as my old tires) next time. And price-wise, it is only slightly more expensive than the one I got. Well, I welcomed the advice, but it was too late.
Sweet lemoning, I told my self: if the new rear tire does not perform quite well, it would hopefully get dilapidated by the time I will have to replace the front wheel. I would then have two new tires…
It did not stop there though. I spent the whole day trying to muster my guts to ask one of my bosses if I can use one of the billings in the office as proof of billing. I and my girlfriend planned to open a bank account for me after office hours. If you were me, it (asking about the billings) was so damned hard.
Later that afternoon, my head started to ache like it never did in a while. It was maybe because I spent more time in front of the computer than I usually do, thanks to the almost-over-due report we had to submit the same day.
And, just as I was about to ask one of my bosses about the billing, there was a little commotion in the office. Some very important files were missing. They searched everywhere (I helped only a little; I have a headache, remember?). Time was ticking and I am running late for the appointment with my girlfriend.
I never had the chance to ask about the billing and I left the office the same time I was supposed to meet Melcia (the Girlfriend). In other words, I was late. And in other words still, I was in for a fight.
When I got to her office, she was not outside waiting. She went to buy groceries. As expected, she did not speak to me when I found her by the “kaong” and “nata de coco” bottles. It appears that she herself was pissed with something other than me coming late.
It did not really take that long for her to begin speaking to me. And so I said sorry. I told her I had fever and that I drove the whole 12 kilometers with a severe headache.
Afterwards, things went quite smoothly for a rather rough day.
"The greatest title a soul can attain is to be called TEACHER"
My dream of becoming an educator is on the verge of becoming reality. Some rich high school kid needs a tutor. And a friend of mine is recommending me for the job. I hope and pray that I’ll get it.
report, report
If you guys have noticed, I haven’t been frequenting my blog lately. The thing is that I had a report which is more than two weeks behind schedule. I had been working on it for the past days.
Finally, before leaving the office yesterday, I finished the paper. This morning, I submitted it to our client who was becoming quite anxious about it. They had been our client for quite some time now. I just hope my rather irresponsible slow action on the last job they had for us will not put a dent on the good relationship between our companies.
By the way, this report is on design and the first one of its scale where I did most of the work. And it will undoubtedly thrust me into more advance works in the field of hydrology. I’m quite excited.
rejection
I just realized today that, like most people on this planet, I don’t know how to deal with rejection. Yesterday, my boss asked me to layout a cover page for one of the projects we are currently working on. So I honed my skills in layouting and graphic arts, and came up with something I haven’t done in my layouts before.
It looks cool (I think). And not just that: I have reduced the intensity of the color of a large part of the page to save on ink (without reducing the overall appeal of the layout). I also found a way of printing that saves ink further. It takes almost twice the normal printing time though.
I showed him the layout this morning. He commented rather negatively on the new style I was using. He had me print the cover page so he can see it better. He said the faded effect of half the page is not doing well. He wanted a brighter hue (I’ve always noticed his preference to true-color pictures in layouts). At this point I got a little confused. The reason why I had it “custom faded” (I borrowed this term from Bobby Bolivia, the used-car dealer played by Bernie Mac in Transformers; wait, it was Sam Witwicky who used the term first, but it was Bobby Bolivia who said quite assertively), aside from the fact that it looks cool, is that the style uses less ink. Our company is an engineering consultancy firm that promotes environmentally friendly and cost effective ways of dealing with stuffs. Do you now see the irony and the dilemma? Hehehe…
bumps and waves
It's been quite a while since I've posted something sensible. And I don't have the time right now to write one. So I'm posting another poem of mine. I wrote this one with high hopes of reading it in the first "Kape ug Kanta" of the Bradford CYAF and CYF in front of people. The activity by the way is all about music, jamming, appreciating the presence of friends, praising God and, of course, coffee!!! Well I never had the guts to "volunteer" my poem. So I ended up reading a really cool (and weird at the same time) poem.
Here is the one I wrote:
Here is the one I wrote:
Through Bumps and Waves
By: Paulster
070712
My life has been a bumpy ride
And I have taken all the wrong turns
From dead ends to pit holes and cliff sides
I'm going slow yet the rubbers burn
When the roads get slippery and wet
And my eyes cannot see through the haze
Friends are those who keep me on track
Those who cheer me on to finish the race
And tell me to trust in God’s amazing grace
At times, my life is a rough cruise
A vessel sailing on a storm-tossed sea
With a broken mast and no paddles to use
I’ve been adrift and floating aimlessly
As the waves grow higher and stronger
And the wind leaves me shivering to the core
Friends are those who wrap their arms around me
Saying: “Together we can reach for the shore
Because God’s love is mightier even more”
HAPPY FIRST BIRTHDAY RIAN EUNICE!!!
Today is my one and only goddaughter's first birthday. She is the daughter of my best buddy in high school, Ronel "Oning" Guimbao. Oning invited me to a late dinner at their place in Pak-naan, Mandaue City. I really love to go despite the distance and the really bad weather.
P.S. Dako na ko utang sa akong inaanak... hehehe...
P.S. Dako na ko utang sa akong inaanak... hehehe...
no ID, no discount
I and my brother got on a bus on our trip from Santander to Cebu City yesterday. We bought two tickets: a regular ticket for me and an SP (student privilege, discounted ticket) ticket for my brother. The conductor, upon hearing “SP”, immediately asked for an ID. This is pretty normal. Bus companies may have learned from the past that many of those who were availing of the privilege are not really students. Many people get SP's just to save some peso and make a fool of the bus companies in the process. Hence, not so very long ago, they started asking for ID's.
To my surprise though, the conductor did not peruse my brother's ID. He just looked at the ID my brother got out of his pocket. He did not even touch it. Had he looked at the ID, he would have known that my brother graduated early last month and that technically, he is no longer a student. In fact, he is in Cebu right now searching for a job (and trying to get in to law school at the same time). We saved some peso. Good riddance!
About halfway to Cebu, an elderly woman got on the bus and sat right beside me. She asked for a Senior Citizen's discount from the conductor. He then asked for an ID. The woman said she forgot to bring her ID. She ended up paying the regular fare.
How can he not give the lady a discount? He gave my brother a discount without even checking his ID. Yes, my brother can pass for a student. But so can I. I could have tricked him if I wanted to. However, it was very much obvious that the lady was old and therefore deserves the privilege.
I can't blame the conductor though. Asking old people for their Senior Citizen ID Card (and not all old people have ID's) before giving them discounts is one of the loads of crappy things about this country.
ID's are proofs – of being a student, of being a member of an organization, of being an employee of a company, and of many other stuffs. When you are old, you do not need proofs! So why can't we just give old people their rightful discounts? To hell with Senior Citizen's ID's.
from dumaguete with...
I am in Dumaguete, the place where I spent five of my great years in life. This morning, I attended the funeral service of my late Lolo Roger. The pastor said pretty cool things in his message. He said that God did not make the vastness and the abundance of the universe and of eternity if they are out of our reach.
It may be true that our bodies can only last of about a hundred years tops. It may also be true that the stars and the other wonders of the universe are millions of lightyears away - meaning it will take us millions of years to reach them, which is way past our life expectancy. However, God's promise of eternal life is our one ticket to such a long destination. It is through eternal life in Him that we will enjoy the richness of the universe.
Thank You Lord for the gift of life eternal.
It may be true that our bodies can only last of about a hundred years tops. It may also be true that the stars and the other wonders of the universe are millions of lightyears away - meaning it will take us millions of years to reach them, which is way past our life expectancy. However, God's promise of eternal life is our one ticket to such a long destination. It is through eternal life in Him that we will enjoy the richness of the universe.
Thank You Lord for the gift of life eternal.
edited thoughts
I edited my poem "adamant thoughts"
iron man
I watched the movie Iron Man last night. Movie critics say that it did better than expected. I think it was quite fine. The graphics and the special effects are totally cool! The action sequences are cool too. However, I must admit that the kid in me was looking for saving-the-innocent and saving-the-world scenes.
I never really knew Iron Man before the movie. I read from Yahoo! Movies that the original place of Tony Stark's capture was Vietnam and not Afghanistan. As most superheroes, Tony Stark struggled with taking responsibilities. But the cool factor is that he plays a "bad boy" image.
One "problem" I see in nonsequel superhero movies like "Iron Man" is that most of the movie is used to establish who the character is and to introduce him to the public.
I never really knew Iron Man before the movie. I read from Yahoo! Movies that the original place of Tony Stark's capture was Vietnam and not Afghanistan. As most superheroes, Tony Stark struggled with taking responsibilities. But the cool factor is that he plays a "bad boy" image.
One "problem" I see in nonsequel superhero movies like "Iron Man" is that most of the movie is used to establish who the character is and to introduce him to the public.
my favorite weapon
although it has been said that a pen is mightier than a sword (and i have just realized the truth in this recently), the sword remains to be my favorite weapon. i am watching an episode of avatar: the last air bender right now and one of the characters, a swords master, said something really cool i had to pause what i was watching and post it in my blog. he said:
"just as the imagination is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword"
"just as the imagination is limitless, so too are the possibilities of the sword"
ADAMANT THOUGHTS
by paulster
080502/080505
The universe is big,
But dreams can be bigger;
Don’t waste time, think,
Always remember:
Great things are wrought
By adamant thoughts!
Falling is often certain,
But it forges the will to rise;
Take heart, stand strong;
Quitting is unwise;
Never hope for naught,
Live on with adamant thoughts!
The world is hostile
But the truth is a strong ally;
Have just a little faith,
God’s love will never die;
Know that the battle is fought
With adamant thoughts!
A Tribute to My Lolo Roger
I just got a text message this morning that the youngest brother of my grandfather passed away.
I spent five years (my college years) in
Let me give you glimpse of my time spent with my Lolo Roger:
Of all siblings my grandfather (Lolo Aureo, the father of my dad; he passed away a few years back; I represented all his grandchildren in speaking of our memories of him on the day of his burial) have, Lolo Roger was the one closest to me, probably because he was the youngest and no doubt the coolest of them all.
During my earlier years in college, Lolo Roger worked in the Business and Finance Office of the
But what I will miss most are his stories when he was younger. He has sung in amateur singing contests in
He was riding a bicycle with a friend and was asked to pull over by a police officer (a rather dirty one). I can’t exactly remember this part but the cop extorted them for some money. They managed to outsmart the officer and were able to escape. Later that night, Lolo Roger had himself listed for an amateur singing contest at a park. When his turn to sing came, he went to the center of the stage ready to sing his winning piece (he has won several times before in similar contests). But as he started to sing, he noticed the same police officer watching him right in front of him. Scared of the cop, he started trembling real hard. His performance that night became the worst one he has ever had. Right after finishing the song, he left the contest without even knowing who won.
I am not much of a story teller so you might not find my retelling of the story funny. But believe me, when I heard him tell the story over and over again, I was laughing my heart out.
In his younger years, being the youngest, he also stayed with my grandfather, Lolo Aureo for a few years. Lolo Aureo was the eldest and therefore stood as second father to his siblings. Lolo Roger looked after my uncles, aunties and even my dad. For some reasons, my dad and I never really had conversations about his childhood. Through the years, though I never really expressed it, I developed a yearning for such stories. My Lolo Roger became my source of stories about my dad and his siblings. He even had stories about my Lolo Aureo, stories I never heard from my dad, uncles, aunties and grandmother before.
When I graduated from the university and was on my way to being a full-fledged civil engineer, he talked to me about his parcel of land in Guindulman,
I and my girlfriend have been planning to visit the beautiful city of
Lo, I love you. And I will miss you.
footprinted
It is finally in the printing press!!!
I am both relieved and pretty much happy that the footprints is now being printed and will be out soon. footprints is a quarterly publication of Bradford UCCI Christian Young Adults' Fellowship (Bradford CYAF). The responsibility and management was passed to us middle of last year. Unfortunately, due to some circumstances, we are now more than half a year delayed.
With this issue, with the help and blessing of God, we plan to make the magazine stable. We have even started conceptualizing for the next issue (hopefully it won't take forever for us to put it together... And I badly need a computer!!!) so watch out for it.
Agnes or Agatai is the EIC. She is one cool dudette (except for the fact that due to her work schedule, she exists in a different timezone... this is why she, most often than not, comes late in appointments... hehehe... peace out ags!)
Supports from you guys are very much welcome. You may extend help financially or by handing in your articles and essays (strictly Christian-themed) or just by simply giving us words of advice to make our publication better.
This is all for the greater glory of God!!!
I am both relieved and pretty much happy that the footprints is now being printed and will be out soon. footprints is a quarterly publication of Bradford UCCI Christian Young Adults' Fellowship (Bradford CYAF). The responsibility and management was passed to us middle of last year. Unfortunately, due to some circumstances, we are now more than half a year delayed.
With this issue, with the help and blessing of God, we plan to make the magazine stable. We have even started conceptualizing for the next issue (hopefully it won't take forever for us to put it together... And I badly need a computer!!!) so watch out for it.
Agnes or Agatai is the EIC. She is one cool dudette (except for the fact that due to her work schedule, she exists in a different timezone... this is why she, most often than not, comes late in appointments... hehehe... peace out ags!)
Supports from you guys are very much welcome. You may extend help financially or by handing in your articles and essays (strictly Christian-themed) or just by simply giving us words of advice to make our publication better.
This is all for the greater glory of God!!!
Remote Viewing
Recently, I was reading the October 2006 issue of the Reader’s Digest. I came across something far cooler than cool. It is called REMOTE VIEWING. It is something used in military intelligence agencies in
Remote viewing is basically “psychic espionage” and remote viewers, psychic spies. What do viewers do? They just get cozy in their headquarters and are armed with a black-inked pen and a bunch of letter-sized papers. They are given coordinates of a place and are asked to “visit” that particular place, which they termed as the “target,” without leaving the headquarters. They “look” around that place and “look” for something fishy. And their “visions” are strikingly accurate, describing colors, textures, shapes and other perceptions. They also make sketches. And often times, these sketches are drawn to scale.
Science has no concrete explanations for remote viewing. This is probably why there are a lot of skepticisms towards this rather amazing ability. Explanations offered by remote viewing experts include the existence of a cosmic (?) “matrix” (the term is used in remote viewing long before the movie). This metaphysical “matrix” is said to contain various sets of information. It is some sort of a database of psychic information. Remote viewers are then those people gifted with the access to these data to allow them (or their minds) to “see” beyond walls and beyond borders. They can even “see” through barriers impenetrable by any radio or whatever signal known to man.
Other similar abilities are utilized by police investigators to solve seemingly unsolvable cases. This has been featured on TV. I also happen to see some episodes and they sure are amazingly cool. They even make the hair at the back of my neck stand.
The pioneers of remote viewing say that anybody can do it. It just takes conditioning of the mind and lots of practice. If you want to know more on how to do it, visit www.irva.org (you may also click on “Remote Viewing Site” on the right hand side of this page under “cool clicks”).
I really want to learn to do it. I just have to convince some friends to assist me in sessions. If I ever learn it, you’ll know. (laughs an evil laugh)
Labor Day
Today is a national holiday. It is that day of the year dedicated to the labor force. It is also a day where people (especially those who are in the labor force, those who by their dripping sweat feed their families) let their grievances heard. The streets have been their medium for such outcry.
As I was driving by the
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