my new toy

Thanks to Princess Cookie, was able to get this from SG. I've been looking for one for the longest time. In case you can't make it out, it's a corner rounder for pictures and scrapbooking. This particular one is from EK Success, which makes it a bit pricey, but I figure I'll be using this one a lot!

takot ako

Medyo lang ha.
Opposition eyes tandem of Jinggoy, Binay in 2010

-oOo-

Back to regular blogging in a bit. It's been a while, and I've missed much.

not funny

My new jacket crown is in place, but the dentist bills have run into the five digits. No laughing matter. Remind me never to delay dentist visits or ignore a toothache again.

-oOo-

For every step pointing towards an accidental explosion at the Glorietta blast, there are experts still saying not to discount the terror angle. Where is this going?

-oOo-

Executive clemency. Presidential pardon.

-oOo-

Pinoy Big Brother Celebrity Edition.

-oOo-

Caught a scene in That's My Doc (?) where Angel Locsin runs after Bayani Agbayani with a two-by-two. When he returns to speak with Aga Muhlach, he looks unhurt, until he speaks and then (fake) blood spurts out of his mouth. When did this become humorous? This fails to amuse me, horribly. Please watch what your kids are watching.


Last Song Syndrome : How To Save A Life - The Fray

requiem

In response to inkblots' call for e-flowers for the Glorietta victims.

ruminations on glorietta

knee-jerk
What the hell...?!
The latest on the Glorietta blast as of this writing

jolt
I could have easily been there. The past few days, I've been joining my officemates for lunch at Glorietta more often. Someone I know could have been there.

thanksgiving
A moment of prayer for the deceased and the injured and their families. A lifetime of thanksgiving that for a myriad of reasons, we were not there. Thanksgiving that Y and M were on leave and therefore there were less reasons to go out, that C was swamped so she could not go to Glorietta to pick out a Halloween costume for her kid, that the officemates (especially one pregnant one) who did go for lunch were able to get out safely. Thankful that the SO works all the way in Cavite (although he was totally oblivious until I called him).

despondence
Maleen and I were jointly hit with a wave of melancholy while talking about Glorietta. We've shared a number of coffee nights in the Starbucks that was destroyed by the blast, strolled along the corridors of Glorietta 2 on countless occasions. The Glorietta mall is one of my
favorite places, sometimes a haven, and it pained me to see the destruction wrought there.

perspective
Blasts also rocked Benazir Bhutto's parade in Karachi, Pakistan. More than 130 were reportedly killed. I'm not saying we shouldn't be shocked, but still I feel a bit blessed to not be living in that part of the world. Despite talks that this could be part of a plan to start on martial law, or to destabilize the government--our people have been resilient, and somehow, the Filipino people always pull through.

As I told my friends before I left the office yesterday, we have to be thankful and at the same time we have to treat life the way it should be--as something precious that can be snatched up at any moment. Best live it, then, with purpose, with dignity, with compassion, with love. I can't say that I am ready to die tomorrow because I have so much that I want to accomplish, but I do hope that if God has an early and sudden parting planned for me, I should leave happy.

life goes on
The Glider are meeting later, but at Serendra. Most of the other parts of Glorietta are open again, but I don't know when I can go. Tomorrow, grocery shopping will be done at Cash and Carry, because I'm not sure about the situation at Landmark. Life goes on, but with a sense of thanksgiving, a desire to seek purpose, and a whole lot of love.
Last Song Syndrome :Ooh Child - Beth Orton

it's been a while

Going through a rough patch.

Jesus take the wheel
Take it from my hands
Cause I can't do this on my own
I'm letting go
So give me one more chance
To save me from this road I'm on
Jesus take the wheel

a day without a bed(frame)

The bedframe was taken away to be fixed because Stephanie Trading sells inferior furniture that isn't fully treated. Tsk tsk. Apparently, there was a case of bukbok (I do not know the English translation) starting on my less-than-one-year-old bedframe (Mom's birthday gift last year). The all-around wunderkind Mang Hesus treated the bed with Solignum (I believe it was called) and fixed a drawer (yes, my bed has drawers, as all the trinkets and acquisitions need homes). It's since been returned, but last night, it was like Zen-time. Hee. Just was a little disconcerting getting up this morning.

farewell, dragon

Suddenly, the seemingly frivolous, egocentric post I had planned for today paled in comparison to this dire news: Robert Jordan, acclaimed author and high fantasy master, passed away yesterday. The blog post, written by his "Brother/Cousin" Wilson, is here.

Unfortunately, the supposedly last book in the Wheel of Time series, A Memory of Light, has not been completed yet. His widow, Harriet, will ultimately decide if the book can be pieced together from notes and drafts. The Wheel of Time Philippines, the Philippine fan organization/mailing list for the Wheel of Time series, can be accessed and joined here.

I am a recent convert to The Wheel of Time--but I am glad I made that decision to open that first book. I couldn't help myself from keeping it up until I had Crossroads of Twilight, and then, just recently, Knife of Dreams. The ta'veren had me hooked and I became engrossed in the rich tapestry and deep mythology of the world of the One Power, the Aes Sedai, and the Dragon Reborn. At its heart, it is simply a story of good versus evil, but the many conflicts and complications and the credibility and motivation of the characters, make each tale a wonderful page-turner.

In a sad week that also saw the passing of beloved Madeleine L'Engle, we can only say that the torch is being passed, but these authors' greatness and their legacy are immortalized in their timeless tales--be it of the Murrys or the Two Rivers ta'veren.

Robert Jordan/James Oliver Rigney, Jr.: May the last embrace of the Mother welcome you home.

fare thee well

It is, after all, an acceptable time.

One of the zeester's and my favorite authors, Madeleine L'Engle has passed away at 88. The series of books about the Murry children (frail Charles Wallace, the twins, bookish but underachieving Meg who ends up with the cute, troubled jock Calvin) had us hooked since "it was a dark and stormy night" and Mrs Whatsit burst into their lives. Initiating us into the mysteries of the tesseract as well as the nephilim (in the biblical-themed Many Waters), Ms L'Engle piqued my curiosity and helped unleash imagination.

Ms L'Engle reportedly resented being called a children's author, and deservedly so. Her stories, although about children and written in simple prose, are deep, and far-reaching into Christian and mythological themes. Although JK Rowling and Harry Potter will always be close to my heart for the total entertainment and escapist value, Madeleine L'Engle's books will always be part of my soul.

In this fateful hour
I call on all heaven with its power
And the sun with its brightness,
And the snow with its whiteness,
And the fire with all the strength it hath,
And the lightning with its rapid wrath,
And the winds with their swiftness along their path,
And the sea with its deepness,
And the rocks with their steepness,
And the earth with its starkness,
All these I place
By God’s Almight help and grace
Between myself and the powers of darkness

current pet peeve

Ladies at the School Supplies section of UniMart. First, I wait and wait and wait for someone to come over to the far side of the counter opposite the cash register, where the item I want to buy (dressmaker pins, don't ask) are located. No, both of them are busy servicing the customers at the cash register even if one of them would do. So, I fall in line with the people paying, and of course, when I reach the register, they have to give me the item, right? But Ms Register lady of course, doesn't wait for her assistant/alipores to hand me the item, instead, she moves on to the next customer. Who bought a number of items. Whom I had to wait to finish, bagging and heat-sealing and all. [Sigh, National doesn't heat-seal anymore. You can reuse the plastic bags.] When I could have finished before her. I wasted a good ten minutes of shopping time there!