dahon.typepad.com

Fail, Fail Again, Fail Better.

Ah, the taste of failure.  

Here's what I get from postponing my driving test exam for centuries.   I was this close until the instructor asked me to drive by a cross road with this sign, and I did not drive on the right, I stayed the course. Uh oh, FAIL.  I was surprised with that sign, I felt like I have never seen it before or if I have/did,  it did not cause me any confusion.   I was this close to passing the exam, sigh.  

I went home pretty disappointed.  It was Friday night.  To get over my grief, I grabbed my car keys and decided to drive around the city, a joy ride through mid-town, along peachtree street - a cheer to failure or a finger to the world. It was a very chilling ride except when I found three of this, in succession for every block, along my favorite street (that I drive to, like, a million times!).

Posted thrice!

 What mockery is this. Whatever.  I'll take that damn exam again :).  But see, nothing like failure to bring me back to blogging.  And this one off my things to do list. 

Cry Ankle!

Me at the Emergency Room, reading my diagnosis.

Today has to happen because it needs to be re-certified that I'm a klutz. I'm now sitting here in the office with my left leg raised and my ankle bandaged. I move around the office using my swivel chair as my cane. What brought me here, o god of orthopedic kingdom, I will lament below.

I had so many plans today, not one of them involving driving to Makati on a Thursday when color coding car scheme will put me face to face with the city's finest gems - Makati crocodile police force. I was delivering my clothes for laundry and I fell of the stairs near my laundry shop's entrance.  10 flights of stairs! Okay, that's exaggerating it, but seriously, it's slightly embarrassing to say 3 flights steps of stairs. I saved a boy from being run down by a truck! Okay, it's really just 3 flights of stairs.  The pain was so intense I fell flat on my butt with my ankle twisted and I could not breathe! I could not stand for 10 minutes! I was just sitting there, contorting my face, moaning in pain with the laundry woman who was all confused what to do with me.

Years ago I had my pinky toe fractured so I know that I really need to bring this one to the hospital. So I did, I drove to Makati Medical Emergency room, the whole way I was so ready with my story to the police in case they catch me. Fortunately, all of them turned a blind eye! I saw about 7 of them on my way to Makati Medical. The hospital by the way gave me excellent care, I was done in 1.5 hours. X-ray results show nothing, just sprain, so thank you Universe! Then I went to the office. Why, because I have to host an activity: United Nation Singing Project.  Should be fun, and worth this pain.

Lesson learned: Wala, ganun talaga buhay.

The Queendom of Blair and Other Stories

Could 5 be my number for 2009?..

My hometown friends are in Manila, so that means no going out for even a cup of coffee here in the City of Smiles. I'm partying with my parents' friends, yep, fun oldies who laugh like there's no tomorrow. I want to grow old like that. Mom hosted a mahjong party here on her birthday, so I decided to make something for dessert - a recipe stolen from my friend Fe. She shared us this dessert during our christmas party.  It was so promising at the start, i grated the mangoes and I used wheat graham crackers in an attempt to be healthy, and this is probably the point where things started to go wrong: I chose the wrong container.  Mom insisted the box was too big but stubborn that I was, I said, it's perfect! It's rectangle and it has cover, perfection! Perfection my foot, the result was - my mix was too little that I ended up with graham crackers showing up beside my mango toppings. Imagine that, graham crackers showing up at the surface. What's worse, everything was just floating around because I only froze it for one hour (based on instructions) but I think it was on the assumption that you have a fit-right container.

I still served it during the party, but I served it last. Tita asked me, "Anong name ni?" I said, "It's Mango Ice Box Failure, Tita".  Sigh.  I guess more practice?

---oOo---

I'll be cryptic and say that I love late night phone calls that drag for hours.  Some people said that internet just takes communication to another level - are we sure it did not drag it down?

---oOo---

I'm afraid I will go bored holed up here in the province for two weeks, so I planned out for us family to try out new restos that serve good food for the whole two weeks, based on recommendations from Bacolodnons who love good food (which is basically again my parents and my parents' friends reco).  Bacolod is not known for resorts or whatever touristy places, it just serves the best food, especially desserts, yummy.  With three free passes at Grand Royal Spa (quaint best spa in town), courtesy of my mother as her christmas gift to me (mom knows me best!), I plan to be the freak na tumatambay duon sa spa.

---oOo---

With nothing better to do, expect ridiculous post the coming days. I've been bleeding network traffic by torrenting Gossip Girl Season 2 and I'm so addicted to it, I intend to review it.  First of all, I love Blair. She's the heart of the show (Melissa my teammate might beg to disagree, she's into S) and in Episode 5 when she started railing to Dorota (their help) about how high school girls are so spoiled, stupid and ungrateful yadayada, oh man I would root for this bitch. At its core, although she selfishly puts herself first before anyone, Blair's super insecure, she can find one confidante that she can trust and that's Dorota.  No one's really looking after her except her maid, so I guess that's where the selfishness comes in and her need to be loved.   She's loyal (as said, my favorite ingredient when it comes to friendship) to her friends, and one thing that makes me think she has the best character in this show -- she makes things happen. So fun to watch. Conniving bitch disguised in appropriateness, ah elements of great TV not seen since, um, Melrose Place (haha!) - go Blair! 

Second of all, Blair has the best lines like so: I thought you were just a callow social-climbing former swimsuit model who married above her station and was enslaved by her own insecurities. Said with her upper east side smirk.

Third of all, wala, watch the show, the clothes are so hip it hurts.

Can You Handle A Stick, Ma'am?

So I told her, that yep, I can handle stick driving.  Fe and Mels, with all the love, support and loyalty both chorused: "Kaya nya yan Miss! Magaling mag-drive yan!"  Love, support and loyalty my foot, I think they just badly needed a laugh trip :).

The agent went to arrange the car for me to test drive, and Mels turned to ask me, "Shit, kaya mo?" Both girls are 'matic drivers. I answered, "Basta! Bahala na! Kaya yan! Exciting!" The agent requested to see my driving license and asked me to sign some papers. She was very apprehensive, because by this time Mels is asking me in our local dialect, if I really can do it and we all laughingly said, yes, yes, yes! 

When the car was ready, we all hurried to the parking lot and went in.  Fe was seated at the back with the agent and Mels at my right.  I inserted the keys. Fe, bless her heart, of all the perfect timing in the world, had to ask:  "So Miss, pagnabangga, covered niyo di ba?" The agent said: "Ay di po, babayaran po ng driver." Stunned, I froze.

"Parts, amo to gin-sign mo kanina." Fe commented ("That's what you signed awhile ago").
"Ano?!??" I exclaimed, panic-stricken. Due to giddiness, I just signed, I didn't read what's on the paper. You see folks, as you can already surmise, I'm not an experienced driver and not even a driver in a real sense of the word. I just happened to have a driver's license. Bottomline, realizing that the risk far outweighs the reward, and my mind already screaming: "huuuuge moolah involved, BACK OFF NOW!" I just sat there, muttering more questions to our agent.

Fe reached out from the backseat and turned on the engine because I was too shocked to move. Mels gave me encouraging words and both of them did that act again: "Miss, magaling na driver yan, maniwala ka dyan!" They had to say that, I guess to re-assure and placate the agent since we're on the verge of being kicked out.  The look on the agent's face was now panicky probably wondering why she allowed me to drive their car in the first place.

I drove the car and pleaded to the girls I won't even attempt to go out of the highway because my mind was screaming "Think of the money you're going to throw away if you even scratch the paint of this car!" We just stayed in the shop's perimeter which is roughly around 150 meters worth of driving :).  At the dead-end, we had to back off and turn around.

"Right Rose, sige right pa, right pa.." Fe coached me while on reverse, while Mels was snickering at the front.
"Ma'am stop na po,stop na po!" the agent nervously exclaimed.

After several manuevers, the car was now 75 degrees, angling to the right. (I'm supposed to drive to the left). 

"Whew! Okay na!" I exclaimed!  I looked at the mirror and caught Mels and Fe looking at each other trying to hold a simmering boisterous laughter on the way. I was about to crack myself.

"Rose, indi pa straight" said Mels matter-of-factly.  She thought she's trying very hard not to be obvious with her amusement when it's all over her face. Oh, so they're enjoying this spectacle.
"Ma'am, um, konti na lang po. Siguro atras pa tayo ng konti." said the already frightened agent. Understatement of the century.

Salvaging whatever's left of my pride, I said: "Of course! I mean, okay na yung space na pede mag-left!"

I turned and drove back to where we started. The agent muttered, "Ma'am iwan niyo na lang dito, kuha ako na magpapark."
Fe, who I'm suspecting has every intention to get the most laugh out of this situation, "Miss kaya nya to i-park! Park mo rose!"  Mels jived in, in Ilonggo, hoping the agent does not understand: "When ka pa bi ma-learn parking? Better na now." I'm game at anything, so I prepared the car for parking.

"Don't park near my car ha!" Fe practically screamed.  Mels by this time is already laughing on the floor.

Here's the ideal scenario on how to park your car.  It should be between the guide lines (circle = car):

Here's how I parked the car, with perfect precision, right at the center:

When I turned off the engine, everyone jumped off the car and I was so worried (for the record, worried, but not shamed) I did not park it right, but the agent assured me it's okay. Then she called the other agent in the shop to park the car properly. Mels and Fe are laughing their heads off.

What novice drivers lack in guts, they made up for careful driving -- and the know-how to drive which just lacks practice.  I on the other hand, what I made up for not knowing how to drive, I made up with shamelessness and guts.  I'm never the one to lose hope that one day, I will learn how to park  a car. Then I will learn how to drive, and I will rip the highways (sometimes breaking the speed limit), with wind blowing in my face and my Jason Mraz live acoustic music in the background. Yep, I could just see myself.

After dinner Fe and Mels declared that I will drive our next trip which will be in Tagaytay. Yes, even after witnessing the mortifying test drive.  That dear readers is what we call friendship and blind faith all in one. :) 

Walk This Way!

I should really get down writing my Things To Do Before I Die list, I should!  Cindy informed me weeks ago about an invitation given by her classmate over at Fashion Institute of the Philippines to a party hosted by Preview Magazine (fashion mag we subscribe).  The theme was retro-futurism, and I thought "huh? ano daw yun?".  I guess the concept is just too high fashion for me, something you read about but just not my kind of thing :).

Cinds and mine mini project!

Cinds called me up late last Wednesday, confirming the invites and the party was on the same weekend. Too little time I thought and I was really thinking of turning it down, I mean, what would a slightly introverted, commuting boho (self-assessed bohemian talaga style ko hehehe!), tsinelas fan (I wore flats and will wear them on my deathbed), OC computer freak do in a party aptly named as Preview's 2007 Best Dressed Ball?  A ball, my god it sounds really weird to me, my high school population before is practically 99% boys and by default we never had a prom night.  Retro-futuristic theme? What would I wear? Location at Embassy? My friend Mels and I swore never to go to that place a long time ago!

You know that surge of suddenly taking on life's little detours? We decided to give it a go :). It's going to be both our mini-project, for Cindy and I who love fashion immensely in a street observer kind of way. I told Joy over at YM and she's ecstatic for us because this is totally out of our comfort zone. Well at least for me :).

 

Cindy planned to leave her office at 4PM and we're supposed to meet at the mall to do some last minute buying of accessories.  At least that was the grand plan.  Guess what, work always gets in the way. While I waited for 3 hours, I ended up buying a dress and a pair of shoes, darn it Cinds, why do you have to do overtime! Cindy arrived around 9pm and famished and excited, we ate dinner quickly and started getting worried on what salon was still open at that time of the night. You may start thinking it's JUST a party, what's this all-out salon for?  My friends, we are going to walk and shimmer on that red carpet and shimmer we will! How many times in our lives do we get to walk on a red carpet in a party hosted by a well-established fashion magazine?

Please guess what salon was still open at that time of the night. Hold your judgement! It's the omnipresent none other than Reyes Cutters.  Actually close na sila, nagmaka-awa na lang ako since it would be super quick to do our hair and makeup.  I'm actually amused when we tried explaining that we want a futuristic look (silver, white and blue eyeshadow, no blush, clean slick-back hair etc), the lola bells were so adamant that smokey eyes daw are the in-thing in the future! He even painted my lips lavender, o ha.  I was actually thinking, do I look like a drag queen now? Should I go down to this 'glamourous event' with the worst made up look?

 

Apparently, the lola bells knew what they were doing :).  Cinds and I got a fab look -- actually sa sobrang late, bahala-na attitude na kami hehehe! We dressed up at my house and drove to The Fort rattling what could make this night worth it! We went on celebrity names that we would like to see and hoping it's not that late yet, I mean, aren't all celebrities and socialites nocturnal?  We arrived 12 midnight, fashionably late and curious. All those celebrities we rattled in the car, we saw first hand.

Embassy is not that big, to be fair and gentle, it's a bodega with superfluous blinking disco lights.  There's another area for dancing (to techno music and remixes, oh please, pussy cat dolls, I miss you!) and people are not really dancing, they're just you know, pumping, jumping up and down.  While at the Preview area, I gazed at everyone who are supposed to be socializing in a very loud music, and amidst the noise and the beautiful, sculptured model- faces, I suddenly have this home-sick feeling of missing my laptop.  I'm surrounded with people and I miss a machine! Cindy and I laughed about it and for two hours, we roamed around the Bodega, danced a bit, oh i meant jumped a bit, and watched other people. Our great fascination is always the clothes and we were amused with what the fashionistas wore. 

Cinds wore a cowl neck straight black dress with gold glitters, nude shiny stockings and thigh high pointed boots. I love it, it's so retro! I on the other hand, wore a metallic grey trapeze overall dress, with  black patent round toe wedge shoes.  Retro-futurism is about A-line dresses (no belts of course) and dresses that hang loose and with shiny finish.  Geometric prints on metallic fabric is also a go! Thank god for Google!

I had a grand time, just because I was with my dearest friend Cinds and it's always fun dressing up!  It was also a cool experience to be in a place totally different from what I am used to.  Cinds, when we meet with the girls, let's have a costume party!!

Walk in the red carpet, shining, shimmering splendid: CHECK!

Teaching A Lesson.

On my Bohol vacation, I was left behind by my flight on a Friday - Manila to Bacolod, despite a 3:30am alarm call from my mom. As my mother best puts it (of course when she had already calmed down, hours after she threw a fit at dad, di naman daw nya ako pinalaki na ganyan naiiwanan ng eroplano, and even refused to proceed with the Bohol trip out of sheer frustration at me), "Buti ng mangyari yan, para madala ka."

 

 

It was a 4:55am flight, and I thought I could hack arriving 30 minutes before the flight (I used to frequently beat the clock at all possible airlines --PAL, Cebu Pacific when I was in college and even vacations back home while I was already working) but this time around, no amount of pleading at the airline officials, my trademark quivering lower lips paawa effect (Nikki my teammate and kumare, thinks its effective at the same time laughable), my act-of-desperation white lies ("Galing pa po akong Batangas"), and my sincere panic-stricken begging, not even that could make the airline accomodate me.

 

I called my father. I still have common sense not to call my mom who I could imagine would kill me cellularly if that's possible.

 

"Dad naiwan ako ng eroplano.." [about to cry]

"Ha?" [Laughs then sighs] "Saan ka ngayon?"

"Ticketing office, I'll book the next flight na lang...daw mahibi ko" [translation: I feel like crying]

"Hahaha! Bakit ka iiyak, eh anong magagawa mo, eh naiwan ka na!"

"Wag mo muna sabihin ke mom, ay teka, bibili na ako ng ticket..."

 

I dropped the call because I realized murphy's law coming true by the minute: I left my belt bag at the conveyor's belt, containing my money, my ID, in other words, my damn survivor's kit. God bless honest airline personnels. I never told mom about this to spare her a possible high blood attack, although I told my dad when we met in Dumaguete.

 

Back at the ticketing office, dad called me again and calmly said, "Be, we might be late pag kinuha mo yung 2nd flight to Bacolod. Get the flight na lang to Dumaguete, duon na lang tayo magkita.  ."

 

I did and I arrived 8:00am 2 hours ahead of my parents and I had time to roam the oldest stone church in the city.

 

This is my post to belatedly celebrate Father's Day.  What would we do without our fathers. I have always envied Dad's level-headedness and that sense of calm. More than that, I think he saved a life, my mother's; I mean seriously, yeah. 

 

While waiting for the boat:

"Dad, galing mo ah, naisip mo yung manila to dumaguete flight!

And dad as usual: "Si mom mo naka-isip nun!"

 

I looked at mom, beaming at the passenger seat at the back. And then her lecture begins. Enjoy our Bohol vacation pictures!

Mom, game at anything! Taken with high shutter speed = f/1250 by the ever-superb Kate Winslet.

Pressure is a motivation.

I'm cramming, panicking, rushing, and I think I'm late.  I'm on my way to the airport, my flight leaves at 10:45AM.  I have less than 3 hours of sleep, my bed is a mess..no, my HOUSE is a mess, I don't have that adapter for Europe sockets which is a survival kit now since my presentation is not yet finished (I'm on Day 3 out of Day 5 slides, help me!) and I don't think I can finish it before my laptop battery runs out. 

Whew! I'M GOING TO DUBLIN, IRELAND!!!! I'm grinning like a maniac!! I don't know what's in there!! :)

Stories soon! Oh and yes, camera in my bag -- CHECK!

Do Not Shop In Glorietta!

First of all, my the best wishes to the couple Art and Pearly, I'm glad you found each other :).  Now to the horrifying part: I went to their wedding and someone else was wearing what I was wearing! The horror! I think I panicked like hell inside the church -- I was really, really taken aback, it's too...too horrible to happen to me! Moi! My heart is pure, this kind of karma is too much! I wanted to grab Bing's daughter, my inaanak, Dana, to serve as my accessory!

Oh god, when I think about it now I miss Pogie. He would whip something outrageous, maybe talk to the girl to change clothes because pogie is simply a darling bitch or customize my top in a flash so it will suddenly look different and cool! Syemas, this is the ultimate nightmare. I haven't recovered yet.