Wednesday, September 29, 2004

That Dizzy, Shaky Feeling

An earthquake with a magnitude of 6.0 shook Parkfield yesterday - a long way away from where I work. Still, we felt the shake because our building is on rollers. I was on conference call, and as soon as I felt the building shaking, I dropped off from the call to get a better feel if I need to hide under my desk. At first I thought I was getting dizzy, but I had gotten used to the shakes (have actually experienced it on this building more than a couple of times already) to know that it's an earthquake. My next-cube neighbor is actually panicking - she wanted to get out of the building as if she's safer there. I was praying silently and deep inside, I'm truly scared. Some folks are actually laughing it off (as if earthquakes are an everyday occurrence in California).



This incident reminded me of the 1990 quake that destroyed lots of homes and buildings, and claimed thousands of lives in the Philippines. I was a freshman then and I could vividly recall how two gentlemen carried me out of the cashier's office into the open. I was closed to getting squashed in there when people panicked and were trying to beat each other out of the building. Funny how, after I came out of that cramped space, I thought about the shoe I dropped. The guy came back inside to get my shoe telling me "miss, mamamatay ka na lang, sapatos mo pa ang naisip mo". I was in a daze at that time that I failed to thank these good samaritans, let alone, look at their faces. Well, whereever you are, your act of chivalry is deeply appreciated.



On a lighter note, good thing I got my shoe back because I had to walk home that night. Can you imagine me walking with just one shoe on? :)

Sunday, September 26, 2004

Peace and quiet



My roommate's sister Z and her family came to visit from New Zealand. They arrived last Wednesday. Since it was their eldest son's birthday, we invited very close neighbors to celebrate with us. Dinner ended at half past 11. I went to bed late and was dozing on and off almost the entire Thursday. On Saturday, Z's friends from college came by for a get together and we hosted yet another set of guests. It was 12mn when we finished cleaning up. I called hubz and we talked 'til around 1am.



I woke up this morning with a migraine. My roommate and everybody else is busy preparing for their 2 week trip through the West Coast. They plan to go to Yosemite today, then Tahoe tomorrow, then to Utah, Arizona, Las Vegas, then back to San Francisco. My roommate has been telling me they haven't started driving out and she felt stressed already! I don't blame her - that's a lot of driving to do in two weeks! Good luck L!



They left at around 9am and I have the house by myself. I went to church where an elderly passed out because of low blood sugar. There was a commotion inside the church and good thing, the ambulance came quickly.



I was able to finish a couple of pages for our scrapbook. I called them We're Engaged and All About Us layouts. It took me 4 hours to finish both of them, but that included conceptualizing the design and printing photos. I'd like to think my layouts are getting better. Comments please.... :)

And oh, by the way, I finished a greeting card for my bestfriend M's birthday on the 7th of October.

Counting five days 'til we go into Production! Please pray for a smooth and successful install.

Monday, September 20, 2004

Check this out



I get asked what my husband does on his spare time. Well, he has a remote controlled plane which he flies every weekend. When I went home a few months ago, he dragged me to where they're flying these RC planes and I was really impressed at how he manuevered his'. Call me a proud wife but when someone comes up to me to say how good my husband is in flying, I am also flattered. So, I'd like to share you this video of his flying abilities. This was posted at an RC Tech Community website.



Way to go C!

Thursday, September 16, 2004

Mushy Stuff



I'm feeling mushy today. I just finished reading Nicholas Sparks' "The Wedding". I thought love stories were always written by women. This book intrigued me because I heard some friends talking about how good it is. Needless to say my friends are as mushy as I am.... :)



This book revolved around a man whose marriage spanned for 30 years until he one day realized that his wife is almost about ready to leave him. He has spent years prioritizing his career over his family. Though his love for his wife never changed through the years, he didn't know how to show it. With this realization, he made it a resolve to court his wife again in order to regain the old feelings back. How he did it is the meat of the story. The ending is oh-so-touching - tugging to my heart! I was in the bus reading the part where he wrote a love letter to his wife and it kept me sniffling. I consider it a good love story when it brings tears to my eyes.



I'd truly recommend this as a must read for romantics like me.... :)



Sigh, I wish hubz is here so I can snuggle with him. There's no better way to read a love story than to have that special someone beside you whom you can hug.

Wednesday, September 15, 2004

September Birthday Greetings



A lot of people celebrate their birthdays on the same month as I do. December's truly a busy season - not only for weddings but for pregnancies as well! :) To all of you, happy, happy birthday!!!!



M today

our neighbor G on the 16th

D on the 17th

E and my brother M on the 19th

C on the 24th

Ninong B and my second cousin R on the 29th

P on the 30th



Pahabol birthday greetings to

E on Sept. 6

my inaanak M on Sept. 10

my former team lead P on Sept. 10



To all of you, I pray for all the very best that life has to offer!

Club 99



I got this from a friend - a gentle reminder to be thankful for whatever we have - big or small.



*********



Long ago, there lived a King. This King should have been contented with his life, given all the riches and luxuries he had. However, this was not the case! The King always found himself wondering why he just never seemed content with his life. Sure, he had the attention of everyone wherever he went, attended fancy dinners and parties, but somehow, he still felt something was lacking and he couldn't put his finger on it. One day, the King had woken up earlier than usual to stroll around his palace. He entered his huge living room and came to a stop when he heard someone happily singing away...following this singing... he saw that one of the servants was singing and had a very contented look on his face. This fascinated the King and he summoned this man to his chambers. The man, his servant, entered the King's chambers as ordered. The King asked why he was so happy?



To this the man replied: "Your Majesty, I am nothing but a servant, but I make enough of a living to keep my wife and children happy. We don't need too much, a roof over our heads and warm food to fill our tummy. My wife and children are my inspiration, they are content with whatever little I bring home. I am happy because my family is happy." Hearing this, the King dismissed the servant and summoned his Personal Assistant to his chambers. The King related his personal anguish about his feelings and then related the story of the servant to his Personal Assistant, hoping that somehow, he will be able to come up with some reasoning that here was a King who could have anything he wished for at a snap of his fingers and yet was not contented, whereas, his servant, having so little was extremely contented.



The Personal Assistant listened attentively and came to a conclusion. He said, "Your Majesty, I believe that the servant has not been made part of The 99 Club."



"The 99 Club? And what exactly is that?" the King inquired. To which the Assistant replied, "Your Majesty, to truly know what The 99 Club is, you will have to do the following... place 99 Gold coins in a bag and leave it at this servant's doorstep, you will then understand what The 99 Club is." That very same evening, the King arranged for 99 Gold coins to be placed in a bag at the servant's doorstep. Although he was slightly hesitant and he thought he should have put 100 Gold coins into the bag, but since his assistant had advised him to put 99 that is what he did.



The servant was just stepping out of his house when he saw a bag at his doorstep. Wondering about its contents, he took it into his house and opened the bag. When he opened the bag, he let out a great big shout of joy...



Gold Coins... so many of them. He could hardly believe it. He called his wife to show her the coins.



He then took the bag to a table and emptied it out and began to count the coins. Doing so, he realized that there were 99 coins and he thought it was an odd number so he counted again, and again and again only to come to the same conclusion... 99 Gold Coins.



He began to wonder, what could have happened to that last 1 coin? For no one would leave 99 coins. He began to search his entire house, looked around his backyard for hours, not wanting to lose out on that one coin. Finally, exhausted, he decided that he was going to have to work harder than ever to make up for that 1 Gold coin to make his entire collection an even 100 Gold Coins.



He got up the next morning, in an extremely horrible mood, shouting at the children and his wife for his delay, not realizing that he had spent most of the night conjuring ways of working hard so that he had enough money to buy himself that gold coin. He went to work as usual - only not in his usual best mood, singing happily - as he grumpily did his daily errands. Seeing the man's attitude change so drastically, the King was puzzled. He promptly summoned his assistant to his chambers. The King related his thoughts about the servant and once again, his assistant listened. The King could not believe that the servant who until yesterday had been singing away and was happy and content with his life had taken a sudden change of attitude, even though he should have been happier after receiving the gold coins.



To this the assistant replied "Ah! But your Majesty, the servant has now officially joined The 99 Club." He explained: "The 99 Club is just a name given to those people who have everything but yet are never contented, therefore they are always working hard and striving for that extra 1 to round it out to 100!



We have so much to be thankful for and we can live with very little in our lives, but the minute we are given something bigger and better, we want even more!



We are not the same happy contented person we used to be, we want more and more and by wanting more and more we don't realize the price we pay for it. We lose our sleep, our happiness; we hurt the people around us just as a price to pay for our growing needs and desires. That is what joining The 99 Club is all about."



Hearing this the King decided that from that day onwards, he was going to start appreciating all the little things in life.



Striving for more is always good, but let's not strive so hard and for so much that we lose all those near and dear to our hearts, we shouldn't compromise our happiness for moments of luxuries!

Monday, September 13, 2004

Belated birthday greetings...

Belated happy birthday E (the 9th of Sept.), S & J (the 11th of September), and to my lola (the 12th of September).



My prayers for all of you - good health, happiness, and the best out of life (and love).



Hugs to you all!

Friday, September 10, 2004

The day I turned 31...

> Dear God,

>

> Today is my 31st birthday. Some people start keeping their ages a secret when they hit 30 while I proudly say "I'm 31!" when asked about my age. Thank you for another fruitful year. I can't say I couldn't ask for more but I am eternally grateful for all the things that happened to my life - all 31 years of it.

>

> Ten years ago, I graduated from college and You were there with me as I struggled through hard times. It wasn't an easy trek and there were times I would talk to You in tears - I felt like giving up. We had nothing then - absolutely nothing. We lost our house, but we knew that was coming long before. Still, we were thankful because I was already employed when we got evicted. After all, we didn't have to sleep on the streets and beg. You always found a way for us to survive it all even when my mom succumbed into depression. Even now, I still cannot believe I was able to provide for my mom's medication, my brother's schooling, not to mention our monthly rent. You have always sent reinforcements - from my loving grandmother to my generous aunt, to my dad who would, once in a blue moon, send financial support, to my then boyfriend C, who would never fail to lend me money just when I'm down to my last buck.

>

> I prayed hard to be able to find employment overseas so I can help my family even more. When we lost our house, You were there when I made a solemn promise to my mom that I will help her realize her dream of having a house of her own which nobody can take away from her. Finding a job overseas is the fastest and easiest way I could keep that promise. At 24, You granted my prayers and I found myself leaving for San Francisco the day after C and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary as a couple. Because I had to leave in a hurry with a job already waiting, I didn't get the chance to say goodbye to my mom and my brother. That truly broke my heart to pieces. I was at the airport putting up a brave face while my grandmother, my bestfriend G, and my boyfriend C were teary-eyed. Deep inside, I was crying tears by the barrel.

>

> The project didn't push through - it was canned even before I started, but you gave me an even better job in lieu of that. You blessed with me wonderful teammates and a very patient mentor. On my first birthday here in the US, I was able to buy myself a nice car. You made sure I had the funds and the job to finance it.

>

> You brought me to places I used to imagine only in my dreams. At 27, I started making my mom's dream a reality. I know You were with her when the house was completed. I can hear the excitement in my mom's voice whenever I talk to her on the phone. It cleaned up my savings but I know it was well worth it. The year after that, I was able to co-own a house here in the US with my roommate. I cried on my first night there because never in my wildest dreams have I imagined myself living in a beautiful house like that. I now know why my mom was so elated. I grew up in a house where the roof leaked - where we had to wake up every now and then when it rains so we can empty out the basins that keeps the water from flooding the floor.

>

> Because You blessed me with a stable job, I was able to not only help finance a house for my mom and my brother, but to help in the renovation of my grandmother's house as well. At 30, You blessed me with a great husband - my long time boyfriend who has been with me through it all. He understood the responsibilities I carried on my shoulders and he accepted me wholeheartedly. He was very supportive of my dreams. He made sure he didn't get in my way of achieving them even when I know it had hurt him so much to see me leave. I consider myself very fortunate and very blessed!

>

> On my 31st birthday, You heard another prayer, and granted me a big birthday present. Another house would make 3! Today is not only special because it's my birthday, but it is also the day we closed escrow for a rental property. Again, I'm a co-owner with my roommate. I'm crying as I write this beca> use our broker just called to let us know that it's recorded in our name today!

>

> Lord, I only asked for a roof above our heads while I was growing up. A roof that doesn't leak, stairs that don't rock and squeak everytime we climb it, and walls that are not infested by molds, yet You gave me a whole lot more!

>

> Miracles do happen everyday. My life is a living proof of that. People who knew us before still couldn't believe how far we've come in a span of 10 years! It still amazes me to this very day how it all happened. I know one thing for sure though, You have always been beside me. You carried me through rough times. We've weathered the toughest of storms together.

>

> Today let me not only celebrate my birthday, but let me take a moment to thank You for everything You have blessed me with. You are truly good.... all the time!

>

> Your loving daughter,

> M

Thursday, September 9, 2004

Roses are red.... balloons are round.... stuffed toys are cuddly

I got a nice surprise from hubz today. He sent me three roses at work with two balloons that had "Happy Birthday" on one and "I love you" on the other. It also has this cute little blue teddy bear (blue is my favorite color, so there). Call me sentimental but I was teary eyed at that! Co-workers who saw it all said he's sooo sweet, and I totally agree! I'm one lucky girl!



Thanks hubz.... you made my day right again! Now you made me miss you even more....



One day to go....

Wednesday, September 8, 2004

What a shocking day!



Someone forwarded me an email today with disturbing photos from Russia. From kids being carried away by their parents, to people crying after being reunited with their kids, to wounded children with only their undies on - it was such a troubling scene. Then there were photos of those who died - which broke my heart to pieces that it brought tears to my eyes.



My heart went out to those children who will probably suffer the trauma from being held captive for days! Parents will probably dread the moment they leave their kids to school, not knowing if they'll come home safe after class. I cried for the kids and for their parents because I can feel their pain deep in my heart.



What is happening to our world today? Why does it have to come to this - violence against young and innocent children? What harm have they done?!



Add to this the news that there was an accident at San Mateo Bridge yesterday that threw two kids (one is four years old, and the other, three) out of the car into the open sea! It was such a bizarre accident. The three year old kid was rescued alive but in critical condition. The other one wasn't as fortunate as he still hasn't been found. For those children to be thrown out of the car, the impact must've been great and they must not be wearing seatbelts! What about car seats? Have they been sitting on one? I didn't think so....



I just become very emotional when children are involved. I will say my silent prayer for them tonight. Please include them in your prayers as well.



Two days to go....

Tuesday, September 7, 2004

Back to the Grind

After a relaxing three-day weekend, I'm back to work. I practically had to drag myself out of bed this morning. What a way to start another work week huh? If only there are three-day weekends every month.... I wish, I wish....

We were up on Elk Grover on Saturday. It was flaming hot over there! It's probably 10-15 degrees warmer than where we live. To think that Napa is a good 10 degrees warmer than the Peninsula as well! Other than a scorching weekend, it was great actually. I preferred to stay home because it's cooler indoors than out. Even when I step out of the house, I make sure I coat my skin with enough sunblock to protect it from UV rays. We got home later than usual because we were out window shopping. Good thing I didn't bring home any windows with me, ha!

Sunday was spent cleaning the house a bit, only to mess it up again while doing my scrapbook layouts. I had to run to Michael's for a few minutes to buy some stuff that I need, only to end up buying those "just in case" stuffs - that's the shoppaholic in me trying to justify my spending! I have to pat myself on the shoulder though - I was able to make 4 layouts and a greeting card for my uncle's birthday. I did good! I had a late dinner because I was so engrossed with my LOs that time passed swiftly by. In fact, I didn't even mind being at home on my own. My roommate attended a party while I preferred to just stay home and work on my layouts. It was so relaxing doing it that I think I'm already getting addicted. I took pictures to send to hubz and he complimented my work. Then, before retiring to bed, I had to do some ironing. Of course my day isn't complete without speaking to hubz on the phone.

Monday was my quiet reading time. My roommate spent the afternoon taking a long nap. I was quite proud of myself because I did what I needed to accomplish - I didn't get swayed into sleeping as well. I even wrote a couple of snail mail letters to some friends back home. I wrapped baby shower gifts for a distant relative's second baby and made a personalized greeting card as well!

Oh well, back to work....

Three days to go....

Wednesday, September 1, 2004

*&#^()%!!!!!

I'll take this opportunity to vent my frustrations on what I've seen at a "noontime variety show" on Sunday. Please note that I enclosed in quotes the words noontime variety show. You'll know in a bit.



I was watching ASAP Mania on Sunday via The Filipino Channel (TFC). We subscribed a few months back because we miss tagalog shows so much, and we'd like to know what's going on in our beloved land. In that show, Vina Morales came out with a group called South Border. They were singing an obscene song that totally irked me! For crying out loud, it's a noontime show - kids watching.... get it? What bothered me even more was that they were showing the lyrics out for everyone to see - and sing with - just like you do on karaoke bars! How low is that?!



Ok Vina, you can't say you have no idea that was what the song was about because you had to memorize the lyrics to be able to sing it with the band. It's bad enough that the producers or director allowed such a song to be sung on a "noontime variety show", let alone show the lyrics in public! It's just so degrading!!!!



MTRCB, helloooo - couldn't you suspend the whole show, the band, and Vina for pulling a stunt like this? The past few weeks, a couple of celebrities have been suspended because they uttered obscene words in another show. I didn't see them do it, but this time, I saw with my own two eyes and I would love to see them reprimanded for it! A simple slap in the hand just won't do! Of course after realizing they were singing some *&*^%L song, I made sure I switched channels.



I don't know, maybe I'm totally naive and a tad conservative, but I asked my friends who saw the same show and they were also annoyed, especially because they have kids who were watching it with them! Good thing they were around to change channels!



Sorry, I just had to let this out of my system.