Whatever Happened To This Blog, Here You Might Wanna Know.

5 months from the last entry! Ha. Been busy with the baby then the wedding last March (yes baby came first). It was a fun and simple exchange of vows. Fun because there were just our wacky families and relatives only. Simple since we were on a budget so we didn't tell our friends about the wedding. And because me and my husband both have huuuuge families. Fun and everyone was just comfortable. I couldn't call the wedding intimate because intimate for me should have the bride crying while walking down the aisle or if not the bride, then the parents (of the bride usually). I didn't cry, not because my friend Sarah told me not to, but because I was busy trying not to trip on my petticoat. And how lucky we (me and JV) had some relatives take care of something. Like one aunt paid for the lechon and another aunt for the cakes....

Of course there's baby. During the wedding preparations baby was 3 months old. It was torture until the 4th month of carrying him/her. Who said nobody could say no to chocolates? Baby did! And that was really torture for mommy (that's me). Because since December there were friends and relatives coming from abroad who of course brought tons of Toblerone, Mars, Snickers, M&Ms... and baby hated them all! Very many times, I tried to just get a bite of some chocolate. Seconds later, baby would have mommy going to the bathroom to vomit 'em all. Baby was cruel. I'm a meat lover especially pork but since baby came inside my tummy, I became vegan. And baby loves to eat fish too! And bananas! Mommy's going bananas over what baby wants to eat really....

I wasn't so much of a soda person before I got pregnant. But since baby formed inside mommy's tummy, I wanted a Coca Cola every snack and meal. I didn't object on this but when the lolas , lolos and the aunties noticed I was gulping a Coke Litro everyday, they gave me looks me and baby didn't like and said: "If you continue doing that, your tummy will grow so big it would burst." Eng eng eng. Soooo then. For the fiiiiiirst time. Mommy and baby agreed over something. To NOT mind the lolas and lolos and aunties and uncles and their threats but to follow our appetite's desire.... "Mag Coke Araw-araw!", we declared.

And so me and baby are bestfriends now. After the 4th month, baby's not so cruel anymore. He/she would let me eat chocolates and I'm back to being carnivorous again. But I also make baby happy, I eat fish and vegies and bananas. So yes, we've become BFFs.

Sooooo many more to tell about this watermelon...I mean, baby inside me. But will post in the next entries since I'm off to Talisay to see baby's lola and lolo and aunties and cousins...

'Til next post (or when me and baby feels like making one).

Christmas Blues

Went to SM ganiha. My husband and I would normally park sa free parking area nila. But since puno na gyud tanan, we had to go up to their paid covered parking. It's for Php 10 lang man diay, fixed rate. Pero when we were up there, we spent some 10 minutes pa just to find a vacant slot kay bisan didto full nasad ang parking! I noticed too sa taxi loading station nila that there was a long queue of people with loads of fresh shopping bags with them. It's a Saturday and every Cebuano is doing Christmas shopping siguro. Tingale nadawat na nila ilang mga Christmas bonuses. Hmph. I couldn't relate this time kay ever since I started working in 2006, this will be the first Christmas nga unemployed ko. It's the first time also that I envied those working as corporate slaves. Haaay.

Now I'm thinking, what could perhaps be the best Christmas present that an unemployed could buy for herself? I've never been happier since I quit my last job (exactly) 4 months ago but everytime I go out and realize it's the 15th or 30th of the month, I start missing the suicide-but-nabubuhay-naman lifestyle.

*Buntong-hininga*

I'd rather sleep, I will be first-time ninang later at 9am haha.

Dear Santa

I wrote this in December 2005. Reading this wishlist again three years later, I figure I didn't have to change wishes every year. (Well except the "a break from school" part because I'm done with school in 2006). We all want the same things every year, I guess....

An ukay-ukay sweatshirt with a hood
A guitar or a keyboard
An intimate outing with friends
And a happy Noche Buena with a complete family.

A break from school
A kiss and a hug from little cousins
Another try at kwitis and five stars
A perfect time to reminisce those days
When Santa Claus was a motivation.

A good book to read
A whole day at the Internet station
A Polaroid or a D-cam
The simple feeling that everyone's at peace with everyone.

It's Christmastime
And I have my wishlist ready
For Mr. Santa to see
He'll come in the middle of the night
Take my wishlist and try to
Get me make him my motivation once again.

It's Christmastime---
A time when I would want to believe in everything.

12/2005

Follow-up Review for Alcatel OT-S210

If I don't write this, I would feel responsible and guilty to those who have read my first review of the phone and have trusted so much on the capability of the Alcatel OT-S210.

But the bestfriend I found has disappointed me lately.

I bought this OT-S210 last November 2. But just last November 28, I found its LCD not displaying anymore except a plain, navy blue colour. I remember just playing its Tetris clone called Russia (amazingly you'll somehow get hooked to playing their version of the game) for over an hour then decided to put down the phone since it gave me annoying alerts of "Battery Low" everytime I resumed playing. But when I checked it again if its battery has emptied so I can charge it, its display was all navy blue. Thinking it only needs charging, I plugged it up for normal charging. Morning came and it still has all navy blue on display.

So the next day, I went to the store where I bought my unit and the staff disappointed me more because they kept asking stupid questions.

Customer Service: Maam, are you sure this is where you bought this unit? Because I cannot tell whose signature is this in your receipt...

Chiril: Huh? (Thinking: So you're saying I have made all this up and have asked somebody to print for me a receipt that looks exactly like what you have here? And I couldn't have just barged in to the wrong store because you're the only Alcatel concept store in Cebu, hello??!!).

But instead told her,
Chiril: Isn't THAT your receipt?

CS: Ah yes, but... Uhmm. When did you purchase this?

Chiril: It's there. The receipt has a date. Eleven-zero-two-zero-eight. See?

CS: Sure?

Chiril: Huh?

CS: Hehe.

Chiril: Grrr.

To make shorter the story, they didn't have an inhouse technician pala. So they lead me to another store that accepts repair of Alcatel phones.

At least the CS who attended to me in the 2nd store was OK naman. She said she had to re-format my phone but if it still gives the navy blue display then it's the LCD that's defective. The next day, this CS called me in my landline and informed they had to send my unit to Manila because they ran out of LCDs for that particular model. So all right, what else could I do. I just clarified if I had to pay shipping or anything for the phone. But she kindly told me that since it's under warranty I won't be paying for anything. She also told me I had to visit their office so they could issue a service phone that I could use for the meantime.

After a week, I got a call from her again and that my unit is OK for pick-up. Now my bestfriend is with me again. It turned out it had defective LCD talaga.

Haayz. So you get what you pay for? I couldn't rant so much din because I asked for a budget phone. Would I expect Titanium casing for it? Of course not.

It may have disappointed me, but sometimes we have to NOT overexpect. It is AS IT IS, but at the end of the day you can tell yourself that this phone could still be lovable.

We're Not Too Young At All

Perhaps today you wanted to write something inspiring but feel that you have no right because you are still too young. Perhaps you are afraid that the older readers might not appreciate your work because no way they could believe you. Because you are too young at age to inspire or teach a lesson to anybody.

Do not fear. Write it. Because so long as you are true to what you write, if it comes from the depths of your heart, you need not even insist that you have experienced it because your words will have flesh. They will be alive. They alone would tell all the readers--old or young, that you have felt what they feel, that you've experienced the experience.

You can tell a lesson to anybody. Yes, you can inspire.