memories of san fernando, pampanga

the past few days i've been reminiscing my good ol' days in San Fernando, Pampanga. mom and i went there last Wednesday taking PUVs. we rode an FX to Apalit then transferred to a jeepney going to San Fernando. It was when we walked around the town proper that i felt happiness. my head didn't miss turning on all directions trying to recall how it was some 12 years ago. calesas are still in town and you can still enjoy a ride on it going to dolores, or in the vicinity of unisite subdivision. tete duyan was replaced by stone already but the waters (and the lilies) below it stays the same. three-wheelers are still zooming on the side streets, and traffic became (as to be expected) heavier. the beautiful house of worship of San Fernando Locale is still a landmark on the city's skyline, and it can be seen from the NLEX nearing San Fernando exit, along with the old patio. (photo above)

today, we stayed in our former place of abode, Sta. Rita, Minalin, and i was again too happy to round the town. best improvement i noticed right away are the trees along its main road, giving shade and a cool ambiance to the town. it was a project of my uncle when he was still a vice mayor of the town. i was happy to meet my cousins after a long, long time of not seeing each other. best part of the day was siesta time with my cousins, with us talking about things in life. later on, we were joined by the "elders". my apu told her love story when she was still courted by our grandpa. hahaha! my sister missed that gathering. it's worth half of our life--- sharing moments with our family. next stop in Pampanga--- new year's day.

few december days

Happy birthday to my MAMSI today. I got a few gift suggestions from friends here for my mom (although i didn't get any from my blog visitors), but i still decided to ask her what she would like as a present on her birthday. the best answer i got was from she, herself: "Basta lang magkasama tayong umuwi sa Pampanga papunta kay daddy, ok na sa aking gift yun." aww....

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few december days schedule

22 - off to Pampanga with mom
23 - exam/job interview @ NET 25
24 - practice with choir for year-end socializing
25 - magmano sa mga lolo at lola sa probinsya at humingi ng aguinaldo
26 - year-end socializing (locale)
27 - house clean-up
28 - house clean-up & year-end socializing (choir - pm after practice)
29 - surprise visit to our choir directress' home for her birthday (morning) & boss noriel and boss charlies arrival from Canada (night)
30 - aunt joys birthday (maybe we will go to fairview)
31 - natch's birthday (maybe i'll barbecue at home or sleep)

weekend joys

> thanksgiving worship services were graced by the LORD!
> i got my confirmation number from the embassy!

Blessings far beyond all measure,
Blessings rich beyond compare;
From Your hands so freely given,
The tender hope of every prayer.
Such unequalled love we ponder,
Oh, how marvelous Your grace!...
...Praises unto, You!
Unto You, all praise!
We exalt and honor You,
We extol Your ways!
Oh, for You great Lord,
We rejoice and sing;
Glory be ever Yours
Our eternal King!

mom's day

My mom's going to celebrate her birthday on the 22nd and i haven't got her a gift yet. Any unique/one-of-a-kind/special/affordable/sweet suggestions?

Fernando Poe Jr. 1939 - 2004

"Da King" of Philippine movies, I condole with his family and with the Filipino people who love him dearly. LONG LIVE FPJ!

not my usual character BUT...

I was rounding the parking area of a mall here in our place. Sundays really crowd up the area as most people go to malls on weekends. After about ten minutes of looking for a parking space, I chanced upon one car leaving, and the coast is clear. After it left, I slowly moved our car to the parking space it occupied when suddenly out of nowhere there was this car that immediately took the said space and it honked its horn and gave me a devil’s look. I immediately stopped and stared at them, the driver whom I believe is the padre de familia, its passengers who look like a wealthy family. I turned my stirring wheel away from the said parking space but before I completely left, we stared at each other for about ten seconds.

Finally I found one space far away from the malls entrance door and the sweetest revenge that I have been having double-thoughts about happened: I scratched a portion of his car using my keys.

movie time

since i left Manila in August 2002, i missed a total of four Metro Manila Film Festival(s). So, this year, i won't let it pass. What's your bet?

Mano Po 3 Vilma Santos, Christopher de Leon, Eddie Garcia (director: Joel Lamangan)

Aishite Imasu 1942 Raymart Santiago, Judy Ann Santos, Dennis Trillo (director: Joel Lamangan)

Sigaw Angel Locsin, Richard Gutierrez, Jomari Yllana (director: Yam Laranas)

Lastikman Christopher de Leon, Edu Manzano, Sarah Geronimo (director: Mac Alejandre)

Enteng Kabisote Vic Sotto, Alice Dixson, Kristine Hermosa, Michael V. (director: Tony Y. Reyes)

Que Sera Sera Kris Aquino, Eric Quizon (director: Joel Lamangan)

Bulong (Spirit of the Glass) Rica Peralejo, Dingdong Dantes, Marvin Agustin, Alessandra de Rossi (director: Jose Javier Reyes)

"tangkilikin ang pelikulang Pilipino... nood na!"

kahapon

...muli akong nakalabas ng bahay. ang ibig kong sabihin ay para pumunta sa isang panayam sa trabaho. sa wakas ay may tumawag din sa akin at bunga ito ng pinuntahan kong job fair sa glorietta, dalawang linggo na ang nakararaan. kung sa bagay, hindi ako gaanong umaasa doon sa mga pinagbigyan ko ng resume ko sa job fair kasi nga ay hinihintay ko yung pangalawang pakikipag-ugnayan sa akin ng taga-NET 25 at doon ko talagang nais na makapaglingkod. Pero dahil sa pangangailangan, minabuti kong tugunan yung tawag sa akin ng inaplayan ko at tumungo nga sa kanilang tanggapan.

marahil sa karaniwan nang palipat-lipat ko ng trabaho, nasanay na ako sa ganitong uri ng estado. habang naghihintay ng interview ay hindi na ako gasinong kinakabahan. muli akong binigyan ng eksamin at tulad ng dati, pinakahuli ay ang walang kamatayang abstract reasoning. pagkatapos nito ay ang unang interview, diretso na ako sa mga pagsagot at hindi na kinailangan pang mag-isip ng sasabihin sa mga itinatanong sa akin. maya-maya, hinikayat ako ng kumakapanayam sa akin na aplayan ang posisyong Account Executive. teka, CSR (Customer Service Representative) yata ang hinahangad ko sa kumpanya. "It's an immediate hiring position," aniya. Tinanong ko ang pagkakaiba noong dalawa kung ang pag-uusapan ay ang job function nila sa kumpanya at tulad ng inaasahan ko, malamang sa marketing at field work ang unang nabanggit. "I'd settle for the CSR post. I feel i'm more suited for the position and doesn't want to risk the marketing thing." ang sabi ko. hah! tunog arogante pero yun ang totoo, ano bang dapat kong sabihin? Alangan namang um-"oo" na lang ako kahit pa kailangang-kailangan ko nang magtrabaho. Sa puntong iyon, humingi sya sa akin ng pahintulot na lumabas sandali sa silid at pagbalik nya ay sinabi nya sa akin na ini-ugnay nya ang desisyon ko sa mas nakatataas (na posisyon) sa kanya at ako ay muling pinababalik para sa ikalawang panayam sa Martes. Eh di, sige.

Bandang hapon, pag-uwi ko ng bahay ay tumawag naman ang matagal nang hindi nagpaparamdam na si Anne--- ang dati kong kasamahan sa SUN Cellular at siyang hiningian ko ng tulong upang makapag-aplay ako sa NLRC. ang pagkakaalam ko, freeze hiring ang gobyerno hanggang sa 2005 na pero ang balitang hatid ni Anne ay iba: lumalakad na raw yung application ko sa tanggapan nila. huwaaaaat???!!! kapag wala, wala talaga pero kapag meron naman, sabay-sabay na namang dumarating.
dito ay naalala ko na naman ang kasabihan: "when it rains it pours." pero syempre, ang lahat ng ito ay kalooban ng nasa itaas. kung ano ang pinakamabuti para sa akin, siya nawa.

"salamat po."

feeling KAPUSO celebrity

here's a copy-paste from igma.tv (my own version):

Name: Edilberto dela Cruz Magat Jr

Nickname: Jon

Birthday: 12.05.1976

Age: 28

Zodiac Sign: Taurus

School: New Era University

Show: MULAWIN! (ako yung ibon sa profile pic sa itaas, hehe)

Single or taken?
taken

Describe yourself in one word:
bato

What’s the last thing you do before you go to bed?
pray

Something about you that you’re proud of:
faithful

Something about you that you would want to change:
my height

Your biggest inspiration:
my faith

Your life goal is:
have a simple living with a family of my own

When you were little, what did you want to be when you grew up?
To be an evangelical minister

What’s your happy thought?
Mississauga with buddies and my BK

What’s your (cellphone) logo?
Jamie's eyes (of Voltes V)


FAVES

Food: Pork Sinigang

Ice cream flavor: Rocky Road

Color: Royal Blue

Book/Magazine: FHM Phils, Filipino publications

Pet: puppy

Song: Aubrey

Movie: ID4

TV show: EB

Actor: Eddie Garcia

Actress: Julia Roberts, Sandra Bullock

Band/Artist: South Border

Gimmick Place: likes of overlooking (Antipolo) or Baywalk (Roxas Blvd)

Resto: fastfood lang, jollibee


FAVES

PICK ONE


Dogs or Cats? Dogs

Morning, Noon or Night? Night

Morena, Meztiza or Chinita? Morena (hi, keng!)

Baguio or Boracay? Baguio

Rainy or Sunny? Sunny

Brewed coffee or a Frap? Brewed

Drama or Comedy? Comedy


LOVE AND THE MUSHY STUFF

Define love in one word: patient...

Define love in one word (again): kind...

Have you ever been in love? yes

What was it like? cool

Are you in love right now? Yes

How do you know when you’re in love? I get mature and young at the same time

Describe the perfect girl for you in one word. faithful (also)

How many times has your heart been broken? don't know

Are you still friends with your exes? i guess, yes

Do you believe in soul mates? Maybe

Do you believe in marriage? Yes

Do you think love is always enough? No

Is flirting considered cheating? No (hi, keng!)

What’s the dumbest thing you did for love? don't know

Who is your biggest crush? karen dimaculangan

What’s the best gift you ever received? the person mentioned above :)

this day

so nice talking to karen again, after two days of being busy with our own businesses. she called earlier around 5am, and i believe i was semi-conscious that time. can't even remember what we talked about. good thing she called again at a "better" time. hehehe... oh well.

i was about to get my NBI clearance when i found out that my O.R. was missing! I really hate it when somebody "cleans up" my things in my room and then doesn't even care to inform me about it. and in the end, it is still MY fault. geez...

i'm still browsing on Manila Bulletin's Classifieds yeasterday and hoping to find a job that'll fit my preferences. i swear i'm so picky. i hope to land in a good-compensating company *crosses-fingers*. (note: in my vocabulary, compensation doesn't only refer to money)
Anyway, i was looking for a company information about a certain PPPI Financial Management Firm. Twice already it has emailed me offering a job interview but this time, i was curious to inquire about it before confirming and actually going to the interview. My gut feeling tells me to "investigate" first before involving myself to it. And a thread in PEx has confirmed my gut feel about this... err, institution (or firm as its name suggests). Bottomline is, i'll junk its email.

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It has been quite a while since i last ate a and while waiting in line for my turn to order, i caught the conversation of the day:

guy: (approaching the counter) "Miss, pengeng ketchup."

lady (store supervisor): (displaying a very "busy mode") "Ay sir dun na lang po sa side. Andun po yung mga ketchup." (then right away left the counter)

guy, in disgust and murmured to himself: "tsk. dun pa ang layu-layo, andami-daming tao ang hirap kumuha. di kaya pwedeng sya na?"

counter lady (in my line) finally took my order but was interrupted by the same guy--

guy: "miss pengeng ketchup"

counter lady (without batting an eyelash): "Sir dun po sa gilid ang condiments namin." then left the counter to get my order.

guy, looked at the condiments section which is about 6 yards away from the counter, looks at the long line of customers obstructing his way to it, then scratches head and headed back to his table instead.

i grinned secretly after that incident.

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Plugging:
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Every morning veteran commentator Ka Totoy Talastas sheds light on the pressing issues shaking the nation. Liwanagin Natin is also simulcast over DZEC and may be listened to through streaming media on the Internet.

SHOWTIMES : Mondays to Fridays @ 8:30 am - 10:00 am.

Feed Your Mind.

The Lighter Side Of A Natural Calamity

I always believe in the Filipino people. Amidst the negative things that have been said towards the country and its people, the country continues to stand up from its downfalls. UNITY--- which is almost impossible to see during the country's "good" times, appears like magic during these hard times.

Who among the citizens of any country in this world are as silent, brave, and compassionate as the Filipinos? In good times and bad times, Filipinos display a cheerful and positive attitude towards anything. Filipinos are just simply glad to help each other, as long as he is able, notwithstanding his own fate.
Filipinos manage to smile while his stomach is bursting in anger because of hunger, Filipinos continue to be hospitable just to accommodate his unfortunate fellowmen even if they already crowd up his home, Filipinos extend his hand to a man slowly sinking in mud even if he himself is stepping on the same mud.

Filipinos are known to be prayerful. I would say that this is one factor why the "country is never forsaken." Filipinos endure, and they endure well.

It is useless to blame anyone after seeing the outcome of the typhoon's wrath. No outsider has the right to point to our government, or to any of us in this country, and put blame on what happened. It's nature's call. And with that, we learn from it. On how we perceive this learning, its up to us. Don't tell us that we are a corrupt country. We all know there is corruption. But it doesn't happen only in the Philippines. So stop being wise on our behalf.

If you do not like us, we do not like you either.

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Now I would like to apologize for sounding a bit furious on the latter part of the post above. I just hate people who think superior over other people. We're all human here and we share one world. How can we make this a better place to live in if these people think that they are the only ones who have the right to breathe oxygen on earth?

related link: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/talking_point/4065255.stm

typhoon

Just as typhoon Winnie left a disaster, particularly in the province of Quezon, another "super typhoon" is entering Philippine area of responsibility. as quoted:



Severe Weather Bulletin Number ONE
Typhoon Cyclone Warning: Typhoon "YOYONG" {NANMADOL}
Issued at 5:00 a.m., Wednesday, 01 December 2004 The typhoon over the Caroline Islands has entered the Area of Responsibility and was named "YOYONG".
Location of Center:
(as of 4:00 a.m.) 960 kms east of Guiuan, Eastern Samar
Coordinates: 10.8°N 134.5°E
Strength: strongest sustained winds of 150 kph near the center
gustiness of up to 185 kph
Movement: west northwest at 35 kph

Forecast Positions / Outlook: Thursday morning:
340 kms northeast of Guiuan, Eastern Samar
Friday morning:
80 kms northeast of Infanta, Quezon
Saturday morning:
280 kms west northwest of Dagupan City

Areas Having Public Storm Warning Signal
PSWS #
Signal No. 1
(30-60 kph winds)
LUZON:
Aurora
Quezon
Polillo Island
Camarines Provinces
Albay
Sorsogon
Catanduanes

VISAYAS:
Northern Samar
Eastern Samar

MINADANAO:
None

Residents in low-lying areas and near mountain slopes are advised to ber alert against possible flash floods and landslides.

Source: http://www.pagasa.dost.gov.ph as of December 01, 2004, 9:00am, Manila Time