C tells a story:
A typical Sunday on November 1. Pagkatapos pumunta sa Chinese Cemetery, nakauwi na din kameng pagod na pagod. Masakit pa ulo ko dahil sa biglang init ng panahon.
Tumawag si lola. Lalabas daw kame for our Sunday family dinner sa Alabang Town Center. As usual, nauna si inay sa bathroom at ako nama'y nanonood ng tsismis sa The Buzz.
10 minutes have past, may bigla kumalabog sa banyo. Napatingin ako sa pinto ng banyo. May sumigaw, "Atchi!".
Ang dakila kong inay, hinde makalabas ng banyo. Stuck ang pinto.
So what to do? Hinde naman kame nagpanic...I had a deja vu nga e. I remember when my brother got stuck in his bathroom as well...brownout pa that time at may kandila cya sa loob. Mahilig talaga magspend ng quality time sa banyo ang mga tao sa bahay.
Back to my mom. I tried kicking the door, which my mom responded, "Hoy magsabi ka naman kung sisipain mu!!!" Yung brother ko naman kinuha lahat ng tools sa bahay at nagfeeling Lupin the 3rd. Kinalikot niya ang door knob at nagattempt magpasok ng screwdriver, paper clip, susi at kung anu anu pa sa maliit na butas . Pero matibay pala ang pinto at ayaw pakawalan ang nanay namin.
Mukhang kailangan ng extra manpower. Tinawagan namin ang katulong naming Amazona, pero nagsimba ang bruha dahil birthday niya. Pinapatay niya ang cellphone tuwing nagriring. DND. Si Inday na-highblood....at pinagmumura ang katulong na nagcoconcentrate sa misa.
Since hinde na maasahan ang dalawang katulong, sinabi ko sa kapatid ko maghanap na siya ng handyman...kahit san basta yung makakapagligtas kay inay sa kanya pagkabilanggo. Tinawagan ko na din ang lola ko para sabihin na hinde kame makaka-arrive on time at kung bakit.
Ang katulong ang sumagot, "Hello po?"
"Jin-jin, nasan si ama?"
"Naliligo po."
"Si Uncle?"
"Naliligo din po."
"Paki sabi sa kanila na hinde kame makakapunta dyan ng 6. Nalock si mama sa CR hinde makalabas."
"Anu po?"
Medyo deaf ang katulong na toh...
"NALOCK SI MAMA SA CR HINDE MAKALABAS! PAKISABI NA LANG SA KANILA!"
"Cge po." Baba ang telepono.
Ayun naiwan ako dun naghihintay ng rescue kay mama, hinde counted si Inday dahil nagtatarat lng cya ng mga deadly curses sa katulong taimtim na nagmimisa. Ang pusa ko, si Kiza, inaamoy ang pinto ng banyo para bang naiintindihan niya na nakakulong ang tagabigay niya ng pagkain.
Tumawag ang kapatid ko, wala daw bukas ng kahit anung tindahan so wala daw siya makitang taong makaktulong. Naku, dito na medyo...medyo lng....nagpanic ako.
So tumawag ako ulet sa lola ko...
Ibang katulong ang sumagot, "Hello!"
"Maria?"
Ubod ng taray ang tsimay na toh...
"Oooh Atchi, anu?"
"Sinabi ninyo ba kay ama na nalock si mama sa CR?"
"Ha? Nalock???"
"Hay katokin ninyo si Uncle at sabihin hinde makalabas si mama sa CR! Bilis!!!"
"Oo na." Baba ang telepono.
Haaaay. Hinde pala emergency ang malock sa CR. Trip trip lng. Grabe talaga ang mga IQ ng mga ito. Sarap paguumpugin ang mga ulo.
Si mama from the CR, "Carla! Iabot mu sakin yung martilo at screwdriver from the window of Charles' CR."
Magkatabi kasi ang butas ng window ng CR ni mama at ni Charles kaya dun nag-ala Lastikman ang braso ko para ma-iabot ang mga tools kay mama. Buti na lng payat ako. Si mama nagsimula ng self-demolition sa banyo. Feel ko frustrated na siya sa kanyang imprisonment.
Si Charles bumalik na at dumating na din si Uncle. Lahat na ng combined effort upang masira ang pinto nabigay na. Binalak na lng namin kutkutin ang side ng door kung san nandun ang lock at i-force ang lock para mabuksan. Wala kasing susi ang bathroom door.
Mga ilang minuto at dumating na din ang Amazona naming katulong. At binanatan ni Inday ng mura. Ang useful talaga ng matandang iyon. So ang Uncle ko at si Amazona ang nagvolt-in para masira ang lock sa pinto. Si mama tuloy pa din ang pagpukpok sa loob ng banyo.
Etong lola ko naman nakieksena pa, tumawag sa bahay, tinatanong kung papapuntahin daw yung kilala naming locksmith. Sabi ko, "Oo papuntahin mu na."
"Eh baka naman mabuksan ninyo na? Sayang naman at papuntahin ko pa yun."
"Eh hihintayin muna natin mabulok si mama sa banyo ganun?"
"Ah cge. I will tell him to go na."
Haaaaay...grabe kung may sakit ako sa puso aatakihin ka talaga sa household na toh.
Pagbaba ko ng telepono,
*BAM*
My mama is freeeeee. Finally niluwa na siya ng banyo. At hinde na tinawag ang locksmith. Hinde namin alam paano nangyari yun at hinde na namin balak malaman. Basta ligtas si mama.
Umalis na uncle ko with a maldita farewell, "Hay, I'm going. Lock the doors! See yaaaaaa!" Si Inday tumigil na sa kadadakdak. Si Amazona namatay sa kakatawa. Kame ng kapatid ko very relieved na wala na sa banyo si mama. Ang pusa ko nagmeow at humingi ng pagkain.
So dyan natatapos ang kuwento. Hinde ko alam kung may moral lesson toh, kung meron may ay hinde ko alam ito. Si mama ay may phobia na sa mga door knobs. Nahuli ko siyang nagchecheck ng bawat door knob ng bahay. Hehehe...
E says:
Wait. What's my dream? Hmm.. to have a stable job, a job that will give me happiness. I also dream of finding and being with Mr. Right. I also dream of doing all the things I want like traveling, learning how to cook, learning how to be independent, learning all the skills.. I dream to be part of charity or foundation. Oh my dreams are endless. It's a long list actually.
I do know that everything takes time. Everything will fall into its right places eventually. I just have to make sure that I achieve them one by one, if not all. So that at the end of everything, I can say I did it. I guess I must be more goal-driven. I should be specific as to what I want to achieve at a specific time frame. All it takes are willpower, focus, patience, opportunity, perseverance, faith, optimism, resourcefulness, and... money?
Hope I can do this. I know I can. I believe I can. I just have to make it happen. Do everything to reach it, just like others who have reached their dreams. I know it's easy said than done. Life is never easy. Failure will be in the way and lots of obstacles. Life is a battle. We have to fight our way to what we want, provided they are good ones.
*sigh*
C, we can do this! We really do. We don't have to rush so much. Everyone has its own pace. Keep running.. the race is not yet over.
E Says:
Awww C, you are really sweet :D Yeah it's been a while. Ironically, we named it endless hahaha. But it's ok, the endless is referring to impressions haha.
It's more of running out of things to say... out of topics perhaps haha... But i'm sure, we can come up with something. :)
Me too, no work on Monday. We will have our company outing on that day because it's a US holiday. hahaa
Can't wait to see you guys!! It's been a while :D :D
C Says:
Anyways, we will be meeting up this Saturday (finally!) and I gotta say, "It has been so long." I miss you peeps and I can't wait to watch the Angels and Demons movie. I even read the book just to brush up on my symbology. Feeling Robert Langdon ako...wekekeke.
Although I have nothing new to share with you gals, I'll be more than happy to listen to any interesting *ahem* romantic news you want to talk about. God only knows how dry my love life's been... So see ya this Saturday!
And I have no work on Monday so it has been a long time since I had a good weekend vacation. Praise the Lord! Even though my paycheck will suffer, I am very glad to get a chance to relax and update my painting. Sasuke is feeling rejected lately...
E Says:
Just found this in some multiply blog... looks cool.. B-)
A : has a smile to die for :]
B : is a nerd at times
C : can kick ur butt
D : great friend
E : has beautiful eyes
F : wild and crazy
G : HOT
H : likes someone
I : best boyfriend or girlfriend
J : is really sweet
K : gorgeous
L : very good kisser
M : can be funny and dumb at times
N : easy to fall in love with
O : has one of the best personalities ever
P : popular with all types of people
Q : makes people laugh
R : gives good hugs
S : nice butt
T : very open - minded
U : is loved by everyone
V : very romantic and not judgmental
W : not bad
X : never let people tell you what to do
Y : very hot
Z : makes dating fun
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
E : has beautiful eyes
M : can be funny and dumb at times
A : has a smile to die for :]
L : very good kisser
I : best boyfriend or girlfriend
N : easy to fall in love with
C : can kick ur butt
H : likes someone
O : has one of the best personalities ever
I : best boyfriend or girlfriend
Hahaha! Certainly not all fits me... :D
A : has a smile to die for :]
R : gives good hugs
L : very good kisser
A : has a smile to die for :]
C : can kick ur butt
H : likes someone
U : is loved by everyone
A : has a smile to die for :]
C says:
Oh my.. I feel you C! I, for one, am not blessed with flawless skin. I have lots of pimples (which are really obvious, and oh C, yours are lesser than mine!). But really, those treatments are really expensive! All I can say is that, we have to appreciate what we have even if we already deemed it as the worst thing. There are things that are natural, and we can't do anything about it except for treatments or any controlling actions to suppress it. If we appreciate it and acknowledge the fact, then we will feel better (less stress and worry). We envy people for the best things they have, but for sure, they envy us for the good things we have that they don't have, isn't it?
To spend a LOT for beauty is not a good idea, but to spend for beauty with an appropriate price is alright. So, what is the right price for beauty? It's difficult to answer. Since this is really subjective, we certainly don't know what is just right for one, because it might not be right for others.
If we get pimples occasionally, that's alright. I mean it's pretty natural. When you are stress out, you get them. When you have inadequate sleep, you get them too. When you eat oily foods, you also get them. When the place is dirty or filled with air pollution, you also get them.
The important thing is that we put our efforts to maintain our physical beauty, and even if the result is not the way you expected it to be, at least we did maintain it. But, it's impractical to spend so much just for that, when simple regimen can do (even if the results are not as expected, but at least there is improvement or maintenance). Let inner beauty shine within us, and we will become more beautiful.
Ema says:
Wow C! I love that philosophy/quote of yours.. it's inspiring.. :) I'll have to take note of that hahaha! :)
E says:
Nowadays, people are into blogging. When you feel like you want to express something, blogging is one convenient way of doing it (especially if you are always on the computer wherein typing and clicking seems to be your hand exercises).
I do have another blog. Sometimes, I would ask myself, "What made me create a blog?" "How did that happened?".
Hmm.. Actually, I was inspired by other people's blog, imagine how they got to inspire people through their writing. That made me want to create one.
I blog because I want to share my thoughts, opinions, rants?, experiences, words of wisdom (do I really have??? haha). So in my other blog, I also wrote some personal experiences that could help inspire people in their self-development. Also, whenever I found something interesting (be it politics, news, humor, movies, self-development, etc), I posted it right away.
So, mainly, it's about sharing and inspiring. It does reflect me. I don't really blog because I want to earn more, although I did put some Google Adsense (I thought that trying something new wouldn't be so bad, so I put it anyway haha!).
C says:
E sent me this hilarious email a while back:
Truths about Chinese-Filipino People
1. your standards for evaluation are limited to "not bad" (bwe-phai) and "good enough" (ham-ham).
2. you count every single centavo that comes in and out of your wallet.
3. you watched the proc national day celebration on sky/home cable.
4. you watch the old chinese variety shows on cctv and the rest of the chinese channels on cable.
5. you voted/wanted to vote ping lacson for president.
6. people have told you, "magaling ka pala managalog." ("you speak Tagalog well").
7. you're the prime target of 'kotong cops' in binondo.
8. you make today's rice tomorrow's fried rice.
9. today's leftovers are tastefully mixed in tomorrow's "bi-hun" or "ma-mi".
10. the only thing you can read in a chinese daily newspaper is the daily's name .
11. your pinoy friends ask for tikoy/hopia/mooncake from you, and they're more excited eating it than you are.
12. you're usually not allowed to wear black, although you want to look thinner.
13. your family car's plate number begins with 8.
14. when you speak to an elder and you forget the chinese term for a particular item, and say "hio-nge hio-nge hio-nge basta hio-nge, la!".
15. your friends greet your parents "a-pe" or "um-a" or auntie, or uncle.
16. you end up being the tour guide everytime you and your pinoy friends make an expedition to binondo.
17. you went bananas when jackie chan, chow yun fat, jet lee, and zhang zi yi went
international.
18. you affix "-la", "-lo" to your pinoy/taglish sentences.
19. you affix "ba", "naman" or "pa" to your chinese sentences.
20. your food vocabulary consists of kiam-peng, cha-peng, am-beh, mi-sua , cha-sio,
ma-ki-mi, hee-chee, mazhang.
21. your parents think that a boyfriend-girlfriend relationship is the same as getting married.
22. you speak chinese at home, speak filipino with friends, and write in english! (soo true)
23. you talk a lot at home but when relatives from china come to stay, u become as meek as a goat around them and all you say is "ho", "tam-po", "eh hiaw".
24.you love lao fu zi even if you could never figure out what they were talking about.
25. you know the beneficial effects of chrysanthemum tea and black duck soup.
26. you say "wa-kang-ah !" or "wah-kwee-ah!".
27. you've eaten food after it has been offered to your dead ancestors.
28. you pronounce "c" or "k" like "kh" like "khas" instead of cash, "khomputer" for computer.
29. you have a cough, and your mom insists that you drink 'pei-pa-koa' and for stomach ache, 'tsing-lo-ing'.
30. when seated around a chinese lauriat, you insist back and forth that other people take the first serving.
31. you mix the hard-boiled egg cooked in adobo (lo-neng) with your rice.
32. tinutusok mo nalang iyong fish/meat/squid ball with your chopsticks!
33. when you could not catch your fish, squid or meat ball with chopsticks, you use your hands.
34. your parents (esp. the mother) claim they're both buddhist/taoist and christian.
35. you have to work on the 24th, 25th, 30th, and 31st of december.
36. you had culture shock in college.
37. your pinoy friends ask for the chinese translation of "i love you", and certain "curse words".
38. you go to hap chan for a mid-night snack.
39. the only first aid kit you bring with you is white flower.
40. you think the center of life in the philippines is around the 3 mile
radius of binondo church.
41. you are a tsinoy, when in math class, you mumble the chinese multiplication table when mutiplying numbers. ex. di it di (2x1=2) ; di di si (2x2=4).
42. if you are male, you have a name that ends with "-son", i.e. jefferson,emerson, wilson, stevenson, michaelson, kingson.
43. you understand why "kai-shao" is more complicated than a "blind date".
44. the first reaction from new pinoy friends is "mayayaman ang mga intsik!"(chinese people are filthy rich!).
45. at least one member of your family has already gone to china to "tian-jin".
46. you greet a friend on the phone by asking if he's eaten (dee chia beh?) or what he is doing (leh tshong shia?).
47. you say: 'kain ng gamot'(eat medicine) instead of 'inom ng gamot'(drink medicine).
I died laughing when I read this. It's dead-on. bwe-phai.
E says:
hahaha... and people seem to think that we celebrate 2 new years - one is always on January 1 and the other is on a date which is not constant, oh yes because we look on the Chinese calendar to determine the Chinese New Year date. :)
C says:
Then months have passed and you realized that the companies that "promised" to call you "at once" and that you are indeed "what they are looking for" had not called you back.
What the hell happened?
Reason # 1: The company was affected by the Global Financial Crisis and the only way to show that they are not affected is to make it seem that they are still hiring. They make job-hopefuls go to never-ending interviews, screenings, exams and whatnot. Then after the handshakes and the numerous "We's call soon" they vanish.
Reason # 2: Okey, maybe..just maybe, they're just not into you. You may be a graduate of Top Gun University (with high honors) but you don't fit their culture. Or you didn't smile enough. Or you forgot to brush your teeth before going to the interview. Or you came late. There are gazzillion excuses we can speculate.
Reason # 3: Their HR is like a circus. Believe me, when you walk into an interview and the HR department is in chaos, it's highly unlikely you will get the job. There was a time I was up for the final signing of contract and suddenly a problem emerged at the last minute. They made me wait for an hour or so while they sort things out. It was very unprofessional and left a bad impression on me. In the end, I said I don't want anything to do with them. I don't know about the exact process of job hiring but if the HR is a mess, they will not be able to process your documents completely and your resume could be lost in all their paperwork. And let's face it, who would want to get in a company with an HR like that?
Reason # 4: They will call in the future...like after 6 months or a year. Companies have this long process for hiring. Kinda like Surivor. You got to Outplay, outwit and outlast your competition. They get like a thousand potential people for one position. Filter the best using exams, one-on-one interviews, panel interviews, medical exams and other stress inducing activity just to see who is a cut above the rest. Then they hold a tribal counsel and vote for the sole survivor.
E says:
I have to agree on what C has just mentioned, because yeah they really are.. hahaha! Some companies even ignore your applications.. Here are the top 3 reasons why you got rejected/simply not being able to get the job:
Freeze Hiring. That's one thing that they will tell you all of a sudden. I was like "What?!" Surprising, isn't it? And then afterwards, I'd still feel that maybe the company will lift that freeze hiring soooon, and I'd wish that they entertain my application. Then, reality strikes! Freeze hiring can really be that looong. Global financial crisis is the root of all these. Retrenchment. Downsizing. Layoff. Cost-cutting. You hear these words so often now. It affects the job market in a bad way.
You don't fit. Oh well, that's just the company's opinion. They feel that you don't fit, or maybe they find that others are better than you. And if you just screw the interview or fail the exam, or both, probably they will not get you. Imagine, thousands or even millions (just to exagge) of applicants apply on that same position that you applied. The chances of getting accepted is really low. Well, you'd be thankful if you get accepted. *Sigh*
You declined it! Which is what I did, for some reasons(shift, location, accessibility, bond or it could be anything..). I believe we all have the right to choose (choose well!). haha..
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