adventures of the new dallas

adventures of the new dallas

Another addition to the clan. Meet Dallas, ver2.


The future bro-in-law got it for zeester#2 after a fight. He's mahogany/black/white, unlike old Dallas (Dallas version 1) who was, rather is, tan/black/white. Dallas v2 comes from a line of champions. Hee. Not like we're going to show him or anything.

We've had him for almost a week now. The parentals don't know a thing about it since they had already left for the province when he arrived. Now that they're coming back, zeester#2 has to find a way to keep the father-unit from tripping all over him (as the doggie is constantly nipping at someone's feet), and to keep the mother-unit from developing asthma.

Dallas v2 thinks Otto is his mom. The Yorkie, meanwhile, is warily eyeing him, sometimes he rams into the new arrival (poor puppy) and one time, Otto actually jumped over Dallas! Haha.


For those who can remember, this is Dallas, ver1. Dallas, by the way, is the FBIL's favorite NBA team.

i am...

You Are 54% Burned Out

You're fairly burned out, and it shows. You probably have been feeling a little rundown and irritable lately. If you can, drop a few of your minor responsibilities and focus on what's really important. You have too much on your plate, and it's catching up with you.

Are You Burned Out?

Last Song Syndrome : Merci Bon Dieu by Harry Belafonte - don't ask why, just know that I am singing it in my head as best I can

4:24am

This Neozep Non-Drowsy works a little too well.

evangelocales

I brought the camera, good and all, but unfortunately, I forgot to even take it out of my bag while traipsing around the Evangelista area in Bangkal, Makati. So, no photos of last Saturday's excursion. Err.

Ah, Evangelista. When I was in high school, we would go to Jesi Mendez or Hair 2000 on Evangelista to have hair and makeup done for special occasions, this aside from Hair Performer across from the Blue-and-White. Evangelista was Makati's Banawe, auto repair shops all in a row. When Mr. Z died and was interred at Magallanes, Evangelista was the route of choice going back to the Green-and-White after each visit to the wake.

I don't know when Evangelista became the segunda mano capital of Makati. All I know is it was featured in one of Real Living's first few issues in 2003 and I wondered, Evangelista? Where we used to go? Yes, one and the same.

Fortuitously (and fortunately), we ran into Vic and Marian, high school friends of the SO who help run Marian's family's two shops in the Evangelista/Hen. Hizon area. They walked around with us and then pointed us to other places outside the Evangelista/Hen. Hizon main strip which yielded some interesting finds. We then ate at Jolly Dopey a few blocks away (still on Evangelista), and found more-than-passable spaghetti. Marian said the owner/cook used to work at Pancake House. For me it was more like that eatery in that little alley in front of the Blue-and-White whose name escapes me at the moment, but which we frequented well into the Green-and-White years until it closed down.

Marian was selling her collection of bridal magazines at their store, too. Hee. People sell anything and everything in this little flea market haven. I saw Fire King cookware, Limoges porcelain, amber bowls, Troll dolls (!), and a newish copy of The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time sharing display space with furniture of all shapes and makes, old narra aparadors, marble-topped console tables, and a hutch that looked like it was made of kamagong. There were carved wooden chairs with battered upholstery, two of which I was interested in buying--Marian agreed that they were very "boudoir" rather than dining table, but they were in quite bad shape. If they're still there during the next shopping trip, I'm haggling them down to 350 per (which is not bad for a nice frame) and having Mang Hesus fix them up.

Some stores sold delightful chandeliers still in great condition, one store had a paper shredder among its merchandise, and in one store, I saw a copy of Evolution, one of the Time-Life books that I grew up with. The saleslady was puzzled when I picked it up and searched for the dog family tree (how all dogs are descended from little Tomarctus or something). Reminiscing.

I was suddenly queasy about the baul though. I've always wanted a baul, but now that one was staring me in the face, great condition, smooth finish, and well within the budget (the lady was giving it at Php2,500 and seemed good for haggling), I was suddenly overcome with strange feelings of what-if-they-put-a-dead-body-inside-like-Desperate-Housewives. Oh well.

Carlos Celdran has an Evangelista tour which starts at Fat Michael's. I've never been to Fat Michael's myself, so maybe on the next shopping day (March 17 probably), we can start out or make a pitstop there.

Last Song Syndrome : the weird song someone keeps on humming here in The Hub (sa San Miguel daw yun)

ajar

ajar
Originally uploaded by brightblade.

Welcome to my abode...

belated happy birthday, you

carnation
Originally uploaded by brightblade.

I thank the Almighty for bringing you back into my life, older, wiser, more driven but still the same kid I knew. And loved. Twenty-seven years you've been walking this earth, and I'm glad to say that six of those (technically, four) were spent with me... and then there's forever to look forward to.

why i need furniture

Am selling a lot of old magazines, cameras and other stuff because of this and two other similar piles:


Selling would reduce the mess and at the same time finance the acquisition of new furniture. My old stuff were either water-damaged or too big... Granted, I only had three actual pieces of furniture before: a long worktable from my dad's old office, a bookshelf from SM, and a divider for my bed from the "sitting area" which was about 5 feet wide. The divider is too big for the new room and the airy feeling I want to accomplish. The worktable (which was a nice, functional piece) and the bookshelf were waterlogged (the bookshelf actually sprouted mushrooms!) because the last few weeks before we moved out, the gutter at the side of my room gave way and we didn't want to fix it anymore before moving out, so the furniture was ruined. Rather, we allowed them to go to ruin. I wish I had a picture of the mushrooms.

I searched high and low for a slim and simple computer table which could also serve as storage. Most that I saw were at least 50cm deep. My space can only accommodate something that's 38cm deep (thankfully, I was able to get a good LCD monitor on the cheap). So, I had trusty Mang Hesus (Jesus, the carpenter. Hah!) who used to work in a furniture shop put this together for me. Not bad at all.


I'm finding that having stuff made is not necessarily cheaper, but at least
This computer table though was made from scraps of a closet that we are no longer using, so total expenses here amount to about P500, including paint and handles. Not bad at all. And recycling is good.

To-do: Find an slim armoire for le TV. If Evangelista will not yield any significant finds on Saturday, then have Mang Hesus make one.

what, me tardy?

Today the big boss sent out tardiness reports. I was shocked at what I saw, really. According to the report, I had been tardy 7 times in November to December last year, and some days about two hours! There was something definitely wrong with this picture.

I live in Makati. I work in Makati. It takes me roughly ten minutes to get to work from my house, and even when we transferred temporarily to somewhere near the Makati City Hall, it would take me only 20 minutes to get to work, and that already encompassed both a trike ride and a jeepney ride, even traversing the traffic of Makati Avenue.

As I did a part-time stint last year, and also helped to handle the house, I requested the earliest shift so that by 4:30 I would be on the way to the Green-and-White already, or heading home to handle what-not for the mother-unit. I know that the most I've been late was a couple of minutes: but four days wherein I was late for about two hours each time?! That's plain unspeakable in my book, because I made it a point to come early as I didn't want it to be said that I couldn't handle the earliest shift and stand by what I requested. I knew then I could and I continue to do so; and I'm righteously indignant (heh) that I'm labeled as tardy when I haven't been.

The system, honestly, sucks. We have access cards, but the time in and out are still handwritten, the reports given by the guards who copy the times. Who's to say that Mr. Guard didn't read my 7:19 as 9:19 instead? So there, late by more than an hour, based on human error. And four fricking times??? The lady at HR said that I had one of the lowest tardy rates, I shouldn't worry. Grrr... It's not that! It's the principle! Gaahh.

I am a hollow reed. Trouble blows through me like the wind.

Last Song Syndrome : Dimming of the Day - The Corrs (Home album still playing)

oh what a beautiful morning

I am expired. Hey.

Rather, my LAN account at work is. I am currently using my co-worker's account on my PC, which, unfortunately, means that all settings are awry and I can't use all the basic Microsoft Office stuff without re-installing everything. And what a waste of time that is. So, while waiting for LAN boys to fix it, this be blogging as a result of that. Illegally.

But there was a good start to the morning: the neighbor across the street was either playing the piano or playing a classical music CD (errr I couldn't say which it was) at 5:30am. But then I had been awake for a full 45 minutes before that. It was nice to have that first thing in the morning, actually.

And then while having breakfast, I flip through the channels, and not wanting to hear anything more about Anna Nicole Smith on the delayed Top 10, I chanced upon Myx Live which featured one of the bands that was played a huge role in my upbringing, Asin. It was a joy to see Lolita Carbon and Pendong Aban performing, although I only caught the middle of Himig ng Pag-ibig, then Balita and Ang Mahalaga before the show ended. Bravo Myx for that feature. I think that even when I'm older I will cherish the haunting strains of Carbon's voice, the stable tone of Aban's, and the legacy of Saro Banares.

And then, this is what I did last night for Maleen:
Verna's birthday postcard, study 1


Verna's birthday postcard, study 2


Last Song Syndrome : Peggy Gordon - The Corrs (the Home album has been playing often in my room these days)

New beginnings

All things drape-y and swooshy
Originally uploaded by brightblade.

It's high time to start blogging again. The house is almost done, the wedding preparations are on hold, things are getting quite hectic over at the Hub again. Generally, it's a good time for catharsis, if only through photoblogs.

New beginnings are in order, and new curtains. The picture above is of the fabrics of choice for my Swedish-inspired, sky-themed bedroom. Yes, I have a blue bedroom. I think I've had enough of pastels after having a pink bedroom for about 20 years.

I made a rash decision a few years ago when I decided to paint my bedroom blue when I was in a funk--I only tried the neighborhood paint store, and then, I didn't test it either. The result was a shiny light blue which one of my officemates said was similar to the color of boys' bathroom at his high school. That was fun. I lived with that freakishly shiny blue for about two years. Now, the old bedroom/studio apartment is being converted into a shed of sorts, and some walls still retain the old paint. I cringe, honestly.

This time, I tried out various shades of blue from those computer-mixing stores, but I ended up with a pale blue-gray mixed up by the house painter the father-unit hired. It's really quite serene now, the only problem is, I just really feel like sleeping most of the time when I'm in my room.

So I end my first blog in eons talking about sleeping. Hee. Welcome me back!!!