Monthly Archive for December, 2004

12 Months

Published
by
mai
on December 27, 2004
in stories for boys (and girls)
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JANUARY:
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Ambitious and serious. Loves to teach and be taught. Always looking at people’s flaws and weaknesses. Likes to criticize. Hardworking and productive. Smart, neat and organized. Sensitive and has deep thoughts. Knows how to make others happy. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Rather reserved. Highly attentive. Resistant to illnesses but prone to colds. Romantic but has difficulties expressing love. Loves children. Loyal. Has great social abilities yet easily jealous. Very stubborn and money cautious.

FEBRUARY:
Abstract thoughts. Loves reality and abstract. Intelligent and clever. Changing personality. Attractive. Sexy. Temperamental. Quiet, shy and humble. Honest and loyal. Determined to reach goals. Loves freedom. Rebellious when restricted. Loves aggressiveness. Too sensitive and easily hurt. Gets angry really easily but those not show it. Dislike unnecessary things. Loves making friends but rarely shows it. Daring and stubborn. Ambitious. Realizing dreams and hopes. Sharp. Loves entertainment and leisure. Romantic on the inside not outside. Superstitious and ludicrous. Spendthrift. Tries to learn to show emotions.

MARCH:
Attractive personality. Sexy. Affectionate. Shy and reserved. Secretive. Naturally honest, generous and sympathetic. Loves peace and serenity. Sensitive to others. Loves to serve others. Easily angered. Trustworthy. Appreciative and returns kindness. Observant and assesses others. Revengeful. Loves to dream and fantasize. Loves traveling. Loves attention. Hasty decisions in choosing partners. Loves home decors. Musically talented. Loves special things. Moody.

APRIL:
Active and dynamic. Decisive and hasty but tends to regret. Attractive and affectionate to oneself. Strong mentality. Loves attention. Diplomatic. Consoling, friendly and solves people’s problems. Brave and fearless. Adventurous. Loving and caring. Suave and generous. Emotional. Aggressive. Hasty. Good memory. Moving Motivates oneself and others. Sickness usually of the head and chest. Sexy in a way that only their lover can see.

MAY:
Stubborn and hard-hearted. Strong-willed and highly motivated. Sharp thoughts. Easily angered. Attracts others and loves attention. Deep feelings. Beautiful physically and mentally. Firm Standpoint. Needs no motivation. Easily consoled. Systematic (left brain). Loves to dream. Strong clairvoyance. Understanding. Sickness usually in the ear and neck. Good imagination. Good physical. Weak breathing. Loves literature and the arts. Loves traveling. Dislike being at home. Restless. Not having many children. Hardworking. High spirited. Spendthrift.

JUNE:
Thinks far with vision. Easily influenced by kindness. Polite and soft-spoken. Having lots of ideas. Sensitive. Active mind. Hesitating, tends to delay. Choosy and always wants the best. Temperamental. Funny and humorous. Loves to joke. Good debating skills. Talkative. Daydreamer. Friendly. Knows how to make friends. Abiding. Able to show character. Easily hurt. Prone to getting colds. Loves to dress up. Easily bored. Fussy. Seldom shows emotions. Takes time to recover when hurt. Brand conscious. Executive. Stubborn.

JULY:
Fun to be with. Secretive. Difficult to fathom and to be understood. Quiet unless excited or tensed. Takes pride in oneself. Has reputation. Easily consoled. Honest. Concerned about people’s feelings. Tactful. Friendly. Approachable. Emotional temperamental and unpredictable. Moody and easily hurt. Witty and sparkly. Not revengeful. Forgiving but never forgets. Dislikes nonsensical and unnecessary things. Guides others physically and mentally. Sensitive and forms impressions carefully. Caring and loving. Treats others equally. Strong sense of sympathy. Wary and sharp. Judges people through observations. Hardworking. No difficulties in studying. Loves to be alone. Always broods about the past and the old friends. Likes to be quiet. Homely person. Waits for friends. Never looks for friends. Not aggressive unless provoked. Prone to having stomach and dieting problems. Loves to be loved. Easily hurt but takes long to recover.

AUGUST:
Loves to joke. Attractive. Suave and caring. Brave and fearless. Firm and has leadership qualities. Knows how to console others. Too generous and egoistic. Takes high pride of oneself. Thirsty for praises. Extraordinary spirit. Easily angered. Angry when provoked. Easily jealous. Observant. Careful and cautious. Thinks quickly. Independent thoughts. Loves to lead and to be led. Loves to dream. Talented in the arts, music and defense. Sensitive but not petty. Poor resistance against illnesses. Learns to relax. Hasty and trusty. Romantic. Loving and caring. Loves to make friends.

SEPTEMBER:
Suave and compromising. Careful, cautious and organized. Likes to point out people’s mistakes. Likes to criticize. Stubborn. Quiet but able to talk well. Calm and cool. Kind and sympathetic. Concerned and detailed. Loyal but not always honest. Does work well. Very confident. Sensitive. Thinking generous. Good memory. Clever and knowledgeable. Loves to look for information. Must control oneself when criticizing. Able to motivate oneself. Understanding. Fun to be around. Secretive. Loves sports, leisure and traveling. Hardly shows emotions. Tends to bottle up feelings. Very choosy, especially in relationships. Systematic.

OCTOBER:
Loves to chat. Loves those who loves them. Loves to takes things at the center. Inner and physical beauty. Lies but doesn’t pretend. Gets angry often. Treats friends importantly. Always making friends. Easily hurt but recovers easily. Daydreamer. Opinionated. Does not care of what others think. Emotional. Decisive. Strong clairvoyance. Loves to travel, the arts and literature. Touchy and easily jealous. Concerned. Loves outdoors. Just and fair. Spendthrift. Easily influenced. Easily loses confidence. Loves children.

NOVEMBER:
Has a lot of ideas. Difficult to fathom. Thinks forward. Unique and brilliant. Extraordinary ideas. Sharp thinking. Fine and strong clairvoyance. Can become good doctors. Dynamic in personality. Secretive. Inquisitive. Knows how to dig secrets. Always thinking. Less talkative but amiable. Brave and generous. Patient. Stubborn and hard-hearted. If there is a will, there is a way. Determined. Never give up. Hardly becomes angry unless provoked. Loves to be alone. Thinks differently from others. Sharp-minded. Motivates oneself. Does not appreciate praises. High-spirited. Well-built and tough. Deep love and emotions. Romantic. Uncertain in relationships. Homely. Hardworking. High abilities. Trustworthy. Honest and keeps secrets. Not able to control emotions. Unpredictable.

DECEMBER:
Loyal and generous. Sexy. Patriotic. Active in games and interactions. Impatient and hasty. Ambitious. Influential in organizations. Fun to be with. Loves to socialize. Loves praises. Loves attention. Loves to be loved. Honest and trustworthy. Not pretending. Short tempered. Changing personality. Not egoistic. Take high pride in oneself. Hates restrictions. Loves to joke. Good sense of humor. Logical.

The 80’s

Published
by
mai
on December 26, 2004
in stories for boys (and girls)
. 0 Comments

We were looking at old photos at Manang Anna’s house yesterday and I can’t help but laugh when I remember the “good old days”.

I’m a child of the 80’s and I must say that is an era that should be kept unrevived (except for the music).

Remember:

  • Big polos tucked into high-waisted jeans
  • Tretorns and baston pants (heaven forbid…Acid washed and Paisley print!!!)
  • Striped “Made in Heaven” bitin jeans
  • Shoulder Pads!
  • Aqua Net (for the baduy) and Final Net (for the sossy)
  • Tsunami Hair
  • Lion Hair
  • Huge Plastic Earrings
  • One sided ponytails and Large ribbons a la Madonna
  • Glitter gel (Wella New Wave gel!)
  • Scrunched socks
  • Neon clothing
  • Sahara Nights
  • Lisa Lisa and the Cult Jam
  • Vanilla Ice Ice Bay-beh
  • Milli Vanilli….Blame if on the Raiiiiinnnn
  • Paul Lekakis (Boom Boom Boom lets go back to my room…)
  • Roger Rabbit and Running Man dance steps
  • Zigzag and Rumors Disco (earlier) and Euphoria (later) - Jaloux and Metro for the baduy folk hahah!
  • Cellphones as large as cordless phones, with humongous batteries you had to carry in a bag!
  • Pagers
  • Paperwhite monitors and Wordstar
  • 5 1/2″ floppy diskettes
  • Computers without RAM and Hard Drives
  • Dot Matrix Printers
  • Working with a single font only
  • Primo spray cologne (if you like Giorgio….you’ll love Primo)
  • The RAGE Band!
  • The Dawn (they still rock)
  • The Bar and Bartles and Jaymes coolers

Oh, and I actually watched JJFad in concert at the Folk Arts Theater.

SUPERSONIC!!!

The Mask

Published
by
mai
on December 26, 2004
in happiness is a warm gun and the electric company
. 0 Comments

We were constructing in a fairly old building, where wiring was shoddily done, cabling ran out the upper floor window into the window of the floor below it (yeah, thats how they ran their cabling). The building owner did not have updated plans of their electrical connections. We were basically running blind. Opening walls to find bunched up wires (and termites). The curtain walls had broken glass and rusty frames. And the ceiling leaked. Really not a gradeA building. But the building owner was a business partner of our client, so I guess they thought it was good for them to locate their office there.

While we were demolishing walls on the nth floor for the new office we were doing (design and construct project), the broadband provider of the entire building experienced some trouble, and the internet connection of the other offices in that small building went down.

Mr. X, the president of the company freaked. He ran up to our site and yelled and cursed at the workers. He threatened to shoot them, and “fired” our Site Supervisor, who called me in a panic.

Now this is interesting because Mr. X is quite a public personality. When you see him on TV you get the impression he is a religious, upstanding member of society. Ready to defend and fight for the good of the common worker and consumer.

Not so. I noticed that his staff walked on tiptoe and would whisper when he was around. They always seemed to be waiting for some sort of explosion. I actually saw a desk right at the ground floor lobby and learned that he had his assistant’s workstation moved there. So he wouldnt see her face.

We had a meeting to discuss the internet breakdown. Our stand was that we had not cut any data or internet cables, and had in fact left areas with them alone. Even the people from his office knew that the Broadband server went down.

We waited almost an hour, and just as I was getting really fidgety (I really really hate waiting), Mr. X came rushing in. He asked who was in charge of construction and when I said “I am” he pointed his finger at my face, said I was a stupid architect, didn’t know anything, “Bobo, Tanga, Estupida”, and that he would fire me and our company and shoot us all.

Gahhh, I swear. My knees were shaking with anger, and my fingers were digging into the armrests of my chair. I started to speak about the Broadband problem, but was cut off by one of his employees (actually a manager) poking his elbow in my side while hissing “Noooo nooo dont say anything, he will freak out even more….SHhhh” My head was hurting. I really just wanted to lift my chair and throw it at him so the old devil would have a heart attack and die spasming at my feet. Then I would stomp on his wrinkly face. Until. it. was. pulp.

So I kept my mouth shut, and bore the tonguelashing. Man that was hard. I couldn’t believe that this man…this man, who comes out on TV and professes to do price watches for the good of his country(men), and says “Oh, the poor Filipino consumers and workers” would be shouting at me now, in front of about 10 or so people, saying “Putangina mo! Pinoy ka! Punyeta ka! Lahat kayong Pilipino. Gago! Lintek! Tamad, mga putangina nyong Pilipino. Babarilin ko kayong lahat!”

Surreal.

Happy Holidays!

Published
by
mai
on December 25, 2004
in heartland
. 0 Comments

Post Pig-out at Manang Anna and Sonny’s house

Family Eat-a-thon

Published
by
mai
on December 24, 2004
in heartland
. 0 Comments

I had lunch with my dad’s side of the family today. The food was great - salad, mashed potatoes, steak, buko salad. Eating together on the 24th has been a yearly event for as long as I can remember…we used to have a really large dish selection with bulalo, spaghetti, cake, lechon, etc etc…but we’ve fine tuned the menu, and now have themes (japanese, korean, steak and potatoes, etc)

It’s a bit sad to see that so many family members are away. Tito Edwin, Tita Marichu and Bettina have migrated to Canada. Paolo is in Texas for his PhD. Tita Wilma and Tito Ding are in Bangkok (or the US…I can’t remember ehe). Ica and Isa are in the US for college.

But Lolo and Lola were there. Lola and my mom were making jokes about my “farmer feet” that I developed from never wearing chinelas..Joel would return me daw to them if he knew the state of my feet. Lolo looked dashing as always and kept making our hands ipit.

Mom was chatty (as usual). Pa was silent (as usual…although I think he spends his energy eating hehe). Pia and Ling had their boyfriends with them. We kept laughing about things - I can’t remember what exactly. I kept calling Aldo “baby boy” and insisting he give me 100 hugs.

Tito Edgar, my dad’s unmarried brother (we used to call him an “old driver” because he couldn’t be an “old maid”) stayed at the kids table(as usual).

Tita Joy and Tito Jojo chatted with me about the wedding (arg I am not really prepared pa), and about work.

Anna was telling me about one of my old teachers in Poveda wanting me to visit (I don’t know why naman…I was never a model student). JV and I sniggered about this German short film I sent him the link of.

Next year I won’t be having lunch with the family na…but I’ll always think of our get-togethers on the 24th of December.

Studio 58

Published
by
mai
on December 23, 2004
in things to make and do
. 0 Comments

professional photo lab that could process lomo shots

Studio 58
over at pasong tamo extension. Near Starbucks and BMW.

Unit C1 - B Bldg. C. Karrivin Plaza
2316 Pasong Tamo Extension
Brgy. Magallanes, Makati City.

843 0770
867 2188
812 1208

studio58@edsamail.com.ph

Asar!

Published
by
mai
on December 15, 2004
in the electric company
. 0 Comments

Am I a happy clam? Not at all. I’m supposed to be at the W@W party but there have been some mess-ups on site and I’m back at the office waiting to leave for an 11PM site visit.

Sayang lang my fucking exchange gift grrr.

I can’t help but think of how Milett and Abie and the other W@Wies are enjoying :( Akala ko pa naman I could spend the night hobnobbing with the chikas and snarfing food (and drinks na rin heeeh) but we’re rushing to install the sanitary / waste line for one of our projects and the idiot security guards of the building just suddenly decided to stop the work…and we’ve got to start doing our waterproofing tomorrow…or we won’t be able to have the flood test this weekend.

Plus the data guys just suddenly decided it was time to hold work because they needed client approval on an item we pointed out to them days ago!

Plus our carpet installer suddenly decided to throw a mini tantrum because the site wasn’t cleared of scaffolding.

Plus our mechanical contractor is STILL slacking off. The fucker has hit me with a variation order equal to 80% of his total cost at the last minute. And I am screwed. I need to (1) resolve costs with him on items, and (2) talk to the client about the changes….

Gaaaa. This is a nightmare.

I’m such a bundle of holiday cheer aren’t I?

On a lighter note I bought a pretty pair of shoes. They looked really nice with my jeans (much better than my dust and concrete encrusted boots!)

Nice no?

I can use the pointed heel to bop my contractor on his head. I think blood and hair will go well with the reptile skin pattern.

Breaktime muna

Published
by
mai
on December 14, 2004
in lady with the spinning head
. 0 Comments

1. last person you wrote a letter to: the building administrator (for one of our projects)
2. sport you would least play: basketball (can’t shoot, can’t run for long, poor coordination)
3. last movie you watched: 2046
4. what do people first notice when they see you?: my bag because it is humongous and purple
5. do you like peanut-butter?: love it!
6. last person who texted you: officemate, re a project
7. do you read comics: yes, i love heavy metal and the far side
8. how pretty/handsome are you?: average but recently very scruffy
9. do you like earthquakes?: they’re exciting but scary (and sad - if there’s a lot of damage)
10. worst nightmare?: loved ones (people and pets) dying
11. most beautiful place you’ve visited?: sagada
12. wanna be a celebrity?: no, i prefer being low key
13. do you like surveys?: yes, and for some reason i always get asked to do some
14. most people would describe me as: intimidating and direct
15. one thing you hate about yourself: i have a terrible temper and a mean mouth
16. vegetable you hate: string beans
17. you like to go out to a grocery with…?: roberta, we analyse the food together
18. favorite person in the world?: i can’t believe this but…no one
19. can you dance?: no, i couldn’t dance to save my life (see reasons why i won’t play basketball)
20. favorite past time?: eat out, shop, read
21. are you happy?: mostly
22. do you believe in God?: yes, but i wish my faith were stronger
23. what is the worst rumor you’ve heard about yourself?: they’re all true hahahah!
24. what is the most stupid thing you did for the person u love?: nothing stupid really
25. are you in love?: yes
26. what is your greatest asset?: intelligence
27. what time is it? 11:12AM
28. aside from answering this survey, what else are you doing?: coordinating with suppliers to follow up deliveries
29. first thing to do when you wake up tomorrow?: light a cigarette (bad!)
30. where are you right now?: office, waiting for a meeting

Care to tell me 30 things about you?

Got this from Star. :)

Ochitsuite

Published
by
mai
on December 13, 2004
in happiness is a warm gun and the electric company
. 0 Comments

I’ve been so stressed today my knees have not stopped shaking.

Among other things:

  • We’ve got 3 projects going fast-track this december, with 2 constructions set to finish before the month ends.
  • The Building Administrator wants us to revise ducting work that we had installed based on plans they approved - and this will cost us money.
  • Our Furniture Supplier suddenly went on leave till next year without confirming deliveries on 2 projects - and I need the furniture installed next week!!!
  • One Client suddenly decided they wanted check prices for some items of work - and they want them tomorrow! As if! What do I do? Pull costs out of my ass?
  • I’ve got a meeting with a potential client tomorrow and I haven’t prepared our company profile.
  • We need to recommend award of a contract tomorrow.
  • One furniture supplier sent a cost for a layout we had already changed 2 months ago, and the persons in charge are on leave
  • We badly need our building permits to be released and a f*&R#$@ official is missing, with noone to sign in his place!

At around lunchtime today I was furiously typing away at my computer. And when Jo popped up on messenger I couldn’t help but have an online nervous breakdown.

I usually don’t like ranting about work to Joel, but this time I just COULD. NOT. STOP.

Surprisingly, Jo listened without commenting on how I was killing myself with work.

The only thing he said:


Otchisuite. Calm Down.

________________________

When Jo was still in Manila, he would pick me up from work and drop me home. He would drive while I (1) ranted about work and nitpicked about project details, or (2) dropped into a coma from exhaustion. He would occasionally complain about how he felt like a driver, but really, he was so patient.
________________________

One time I was at work late at night, trying to finish my load while running a fever and occasionally throwing up from a terrible headache.

Jo was doing some overtime work at his office as well, and when he called to ask if I wanted to have dinner I think I started weeping on the phone about how tired I was….how noone could take over the work….how my head hurt…etc..etc.

I took a raincheck on the dinner as I just wanted to get everything done and over with, but after a while my headache was so bad I just lay under my desk and took a nap.

I woke up hearing Jo’s voice. He went to my office with some soup and pasta from Il Ponticello, and stayed with me and watched me eat my dinner, before heading back to his office to finish his work.
________________________

Now that he is in SF I don’t get that anymore, but whenever Jo knows I’m on the verge of losing it he always says. Ochisuete.

Ochisuete.

Just remembering Jo saying it calms me.

Queso de Bola Cheesecakefrom Sign of the Anvil

Published
by
mai
on December 12, 2004
in crumbs from your table
. 0 Comments
Queso de Bola Cheesecake
Queso de Bola Cheesecake
  • Ingredients:
    4 pcs whole eggs, well beaten
    1 bar cream cheese (225gms/bar), softened
    2 cups, queso de bola, grated
    1/4 cup white sugar
    1 tsp vanilla extract
    2 cups fresh cream
    1 recipe graham cracker crust (recipe as follows):
    1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs
    1/4 cup walnuts finely chopped
    1/4 tsp cinnamon, ground
    1/4 cup unsalted butter or margarine, melted(In a bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, walnuts and cinnamon. Add melted butter or margarine and mix thoroughly. Press on the bottom and sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Sides should be about 2 inches high. Chill to set)

    Procedure: Preheat oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit. Combine eggs cream cheese, queso de bola, sugar and vanilla extract and beat until smooth. Fold in cream, mixing well. Pour the mixture into a 9-inch springform pan with graham cracker crust and bake in the oven for about 45 minutes to an hour or until a knife inserted into the cake comes out clean. Allow to cool down before chilling for about 5 hours. Remove the sides of the springform pan and, if you wish, top the cheesecake with your favorite flambéed or glazed fruits like strawberries, blueberries or mangoes.