Archive for April, 2008
One Blah Day
Thursday, April 10th, 2008I’m sharing this "bloggish email" — as she fondly calls it — from a dear friend in the US who wrote it during one blah day at work. I like its straightforward and unembellished tone. I know the piece ends almost abruptly, but then it’s an email, not some formal essay. I love the "Manila nostalgia" part best. She allowed me to publish this on the condition that she is not named so she shall only be known as "She-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named." Hee Hee. Thanks, Bee! (OK, don’t fret. I think there’s only like three of us who know you by that name!)
Enjoy reading as much as I did. I’m sure those of you also living far from home will find yourselves agreeing with what she wrote.
=======================================================================================================
Blah…..This day has been blah since it started. My eyes are puffy complemented by dark circles, the winning combination to achieve that 28 Days Later look, ugh! And today’s my boss’ birthday too! Her office is trashed in every fashion: caution tape on her main office door, turquoise and orange streamers serve as curtain to our connecting doorway, balloons all over, a balloon safari guy with a bubble saying, "Relax, it’s your birthday" written with a sharpie and a streamer garland on her corkboard. Her birthday marks the end of a week-long March birthday bashes filled with sugar. And that’s why we opted to serve breakfast instead of cake. I don’t think I can look at another birthday cake anymore and not feel sick! I’m proud of my nice (read: trashy) handiwork though, hehe. I am the only one in this company who actually trashes people’s offices for their birthdays.=) And now we’ve defaulted to "homemade" birthday cards — I create them! It’s fun though, I just create simple big cards for everyone to sign. =) Saves time. Saves money. People seem to like it. =)
I so want to go to the lounge and take my lunch like I usually do. Spend an hour watching a rerun of Monk, Project Runway or catching giant bobblehead Giada on the Food Channel. An hour of relaxation and entertainment helps the listless mind on a particularly blah day. But for some annoyingly odd reason I feel guilty taking my lunch while my boss is working away! On any other day, I’d be totally fine. I don’t think I should treat her for lunch anymore since we already brought breakfast for her and the office. I also gave her a bunch of flowers already and I decorated (read: trashed) her office, not to mention, the homemade birthday card! Bottom line is: I ALREADY SPENT A LOT. The regular food delivery guy came and went and she didn’t get her lunch!
Oh well, I’m eating. I need that full hour to make this day go faster. I’ll change into my workout clothes 15 miinutes to 5 pm take a few gulps of my Formula 50 Vitamin Water and head straight for my weight class. Yes, despite the hell of an aftermath last week, I’m going back for more. A different teacher though so we’ll see. We’re having sushi for dinner tonight, which, I’m thinking twice about now. I might eat a heavier meal than sushi tonight, hehe.
[got ready to leave my office and my boss exclaims to no one in particular, "Oh we're sooo cray today!"]
Now I’m eating at my desk, bye bye Monk or Project runway or Giada. I’m beyond caring if my boss gets a good whiff of my delicious pork giniling menudo, ha! Mmm-mmm! Having lived here for almost 10 years, it’s natural to think I’ve completely let go of my Filipino palate. On the contrary, I’ve even enhanced it! Enhanced not just my palate but culinary skills as a whole. It’s just like how my relatioinship with my mom has gotten closer because we’re far apart, hihi. Manila is still my anchor. Everything about me is rooted in the Philippines and living here just made me realize how I love my heritage (shucks.). I know, I know, the country as a whole is almost a joke but if you really dissect it, the joke is the politics. Everything else is just lovely. Except for the degradation of everything lovely. HA! Haaaaay, I can’t wait to hit the beaches when I go home in 2009! Please, please, please, just don’t let me jinx myself on this!
Active + Passive
Wednesday, April 9th, 2008My sister has this habit of sharing what she’s reading or watching on the spot, regardless of what I’m doing or if my mood is up for listening. Like recently, she was watching this horror film from her desktop:
Sister: Look! look! The ghost is wearing red and she’s running after the female lead.
Doris (seriously reading something on the net, and not removing the eyes from the pc): Uhm.
Moments later.
Sister: Now everyone thinks she’s nuts. They think she’s seeing things.
Doris: …
Sister: She’s taking the subway now and the ghost in red appears again.
Doris: (stares at her and her monitor with a blank expression and switches back to own monitor)
Sister: (continues talking which I don’t hear anymore)
That is how it’s like every day.
I love my sister.
We coexist peacefully.
Lost in Translation du Jour
Sunday, April 6th, 2008
Because saying "Counter Closed" is boring.
Otherwise translated as Unauthorized Persons, Strictly No Admittance to the Warehouse.
Seeing John
Friday, April 4th, 2008Of course I never regarded John Legend and Martin Luther King along the same lines, looks included. But when I opened today’s MSN homepage, I thought it was John that I saw, and it turned out to be MLK.
My eyes see the strangest resemblances and similiarities which translate to queerness. Come to think of it, there’s more Eddie Murphy features in MLK, no?
