Where's the Eject Button?

There are times when we want some people to disappear from our lives. Be it a boss, a stubborn staff, a bully classmate, an irritating friend, a nosy neighbor, a relative, or even a fling. Where is the eject button when you need it? We might even wish they vanish with a single snap of our fingers.

God forbid though, that they disappear from the face of this earth prematurely. But somehow we wish that they migrate to another country, relocate to other provinces, get married, promoted, pirated, etc…

I grew up with a very strict uncle who lived with us. He is, in my opinion, stricter than my parents. He spanked us when we commit a mistake, or when we fail to heed his instructions. Since I am the eldest, and expected to take good care of my younger siblings, I took most of the beatings. I used to feel he was treating me unfairly. In the eyes of my neighbors, I was a very good boy, well-loved, and admired. I was the best in my class, and was still not good for him. So I prayed that he leave our house so that I can have my little freedom. He took a month long vacation one summer, and I was in my wild (obviously normal for a child) ways, playing with neighbors from morning till late afternoon, and skipping some assigned chores.

He returned. And I was meek as a lamb. Once more I prayed. He got a job somewhere in Mindanao and was stuck there for a couple of years. There was a feeling of relief inside of me. “I’d better enjoy my childhood while he’s gone”, I said to myself.

But it was temporary. He came back and lived with us again. So I thought that if he’d probably get hitched, he’d cease to live with us. He was unattached at that time. No girlfriends that we know of. Perhaps this was a difficult petition: “God give him a wife.”

It took less than a year for the prayer to be answered. I was already on my early teens then. The scolding has become scarce and he won’t spank me anymore. Perhaps, I said to myself, that this was probably a result of him being in love. After the wedding, they immediately settled in Mindanao.

I have no grudge against my uncle. I do not know what I’d become now if not for his strict ways. It was only years after that I appreciated the things he did for us. He was really an able support for my mother.

Maybe, just maybe, some people come into our lives for a purpose, however annoying they are right now. Then they disappear. A boss will leave, a friend will relocate, a colleague quits, a subordinate resigns. We might not ask nor wish (or might be in secret) for these to happen. But they do happen. Then after a while, we’ll miss them.

New Look

I want a new look, but I don’t know how.

Perhaps I need a haircut. I know I don’t look good in a crew cut, or in a 4x5 army cut. Just a simple barber cut. And a new hair color too. I’m tired of this jet black hair. Make me a blondie.

This shirt looks like it’s worn for a decade. I need a new one and colored green. Green isn’t my favorite, but I can handle that, for a change.

Oh, please! Tell me how to change the face of this blog. This is all I can settle for now. I am desperate for a new blog header.


p.s. After a little tweaking and image snatching this midnight, I finally created a header for this site.

Five Bloggers

This is a long overdue post. I drafted this one more than two months ago, right after Tin-tin tagged me. I traced the original from Carey. She even mentioned me in this post. Daghan kayong salamat, Tin-tin and Carey!

The rules:
1. Choose five blogs randomly from your blogroll. - I chose five but not at random. I would just like to include the two bloggers here whom I know personally. One knows who I am, while the other, I’ll tell him once we bump into each other one of these days.
2. For each blog, choose at least one entry (you could add more) which is your favorite post by this blogger.
3. Include a link to this post and explain why you like it.
4. The chosen five bloggers are considered tagged and they will also have to do the same in their blogs. I know that some have been tagged before. There is no need for you to do this.

Now here’s my list:
1. Fencesitter - This guy loves to blog. In fact, I consider him as my mentor in blogging. His latest blog, which he says is his mistress, is here. The wife, because of some unresolved java issues, is left here.
Try reading his tales here and here. (Sorry for giving you too much attention mate. But I wish to see you featured in some prestigious dailies one of these days.)

2. Gypsy – She frequently travels. The first time I bumped into her blog, she was in Davao. Then she went to Manila, Thailand, and now, UK. She once wrote this entry about korean novelas. After watching “Love Story in Harvard”, I never watched a koreanovela again. Addictive.

3. Bystander– He’s a young lawyer who vows to uphold his oath. But there is one entry that quite created a stir in his generally peaceful site.

4. Francesca – You would love reading her pang-maalala-mo-kaya stories. She talks about her not-so-happy first marriage, her new found love, her family and her experiences in Monaco and France. Her every post is full of wit and sincerity.

5. Ferdz - He is an award-winning blogger. His every post is amazing. I just can imagine myself travelling to the places he features. Here are some pictures of god-knows-where paradise islands. (Capones and Sabtang).

Whew! This tag has been in my draft for the longest time. At last, I finished it now.