Time Out

Taking a break from blogging; tweeting instead.

The Ghost of Mr. Francis Magalona

I don't really give much thought about paranormal occurences, but I believe I just had one. In the wee hours on Sunday the 8th, after nursing my lovely Cameron, I sat in bed wide awake. Out of nowhere, Francis Magalona popped into my head. I was thinking about his cute smile, trying to remember if he had dimples or not. Then I started singing his songs in my head:

Ma-ma-ma-mga kababayan...
Mga kababayan ko/dapat lang malaman nyo/
bilib ako sa kulay ko/ako ay Pilipino...

Kung may itim o may puti/meron namang kayumanggi/
isipin mo na kaya mong/abutin ang iyong minimithi...

Then there's The Man from Manila and also Kaleidoscope World. I just started singing them. I reminisced about the first concert I had ever seen when he visited CDO. Then I went back to sleep, Mga Kababayan still playing in my head.

Two days later, I happened to visit the Inquirer website and guess what headline greeted me: FRANCIS M. PASSED AWAY! On the 6th! Goosebumps! Did I just get a visit from Kiko? Why? Was it because growing up I was such a huge fan of his? Whatever the case, I'm still creeped out. And the song hasn't stopped playing.

Random Thoughts

1. I was half-right about Gabriel Byrne. He didn't win an Emmy but he won a Golden Globe for his role in In Treatment.

2. Anna Paquin for Best Actress--right on! K--I'm surprised you're not hooked on True Blood. That's totally up your alley. Even I'm addicted!

3. I'm due on March 6th. 03/06/09...weird! But I think I'm gonna be early again. I feel like I'm ready to go now. And I mean right now as I'm typing.

4. My son has picked out a name for his sister. We asked him one day what he'd like to name her, and he blurted out, "Cucamonga." He's (and we've) been calling her that since then. And that was four months ago. Should be interesting once we tell him her real name.

5. The massive salmonella outbreak on peanut products here in the U.S. has really put a damper on my cravings. I have two tubs of mixed nuts, one half-empty, and a jar of peanut butter, barely touched. What's a pregnant mama to do when she's jonesin' for PB&J???

6. The only reason I'm blogging again is work has really slowed down. I used to have something to do every single night. Now my work hours have been cut drastically and that's no good--financially and mentally.

7. Lastly, Sports Season has officially started for me. It always begins with the Australian Open, then Spring training, the Masters, the French Open, regular baseball season, Wimbledon, the U.S. Open and so on. I'm a happy camper!

Maayong Pasko!

My First Time...and It Felt Good!

I voted. It was very empowering. I went to the polling place at six a.m. thinking, "beat the crowd." As it turned out, hundreds of people were thinking the same thing. I waited in line for 45 minutes but it was well worth it. Despite the long line, nary a complaint was heard. Just gleeful greetings from complete strangers on a cool, brisk Tuesday morning. Stories shared, giggles and laughter spread, opinions exchanged, I've never felt like I belonged to this community until that day.

And when it was my turn to go to the polling booth, I.D. presented, name checked, ballot handed, I walked to an empty stall, deliberately taking my time just so I could take it all in. When I got to the stall, I looked around and saw that the smiles were gone. All that was left was a sense of purpose. A let's-get-down-to-business look on all the faces. And so I did. I grabbed the pen and cast my vote, walked to the scanner and fed my ballot through the machine. Then I left the building involuntarily grinning.

I voted. And my president won. Things can only get better now.

Age Matters

My son is now two (awesome party!) and I'm about to hit the Big Three-O. I'm old. I don't care what anyone says, I feel old. But I have to say, I don't feel as bad as I did when I turned 26. I remember feeling so bummed about passing the mid-twenties mark. At that point, I felt that I had lost whatever youthfulness I had left.

For my birthday, hubby is treating me to a spa getaway. I aim to feel rejuvenated, reawakened...reborn! Maybe my perspective will change then. But right now, I feel old. And my sore, aching body is not helping!

I Need a Shrink!

One click. That's all it takes to make my mommy-blog (mlog!--yes, you read it here first!!!) public. I can't do it. I've hovered on the button one too many times but I can't click it. It scares the bejesus out of me. Same with Friendster. I have pics to show, but when I get to the upload page, I cower. I feel uneasy. Obviously, I have issues. I hope someday to overcome this fear.

But don't get me Dr. Phil. I want Dr. Paul.

David got me hooked on a new HBO series, In Treatment. It's a talkie, so it looks really boring. But once you watch and listen, it really gets to you. Somewhere, trophies for a Golden Globe and an Emmy are being crafted for Gabriel Byrne.

Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven! Seven!.....7!

Funny how, after seven years of marriage, I still learn something new about my husband. Like this weekend. We went on a roadtrip and decided to stop by a Filipino food store. I got the staples: pan de sal, sinigang mix, bihon, sotanghon, atbp(!). Then I saw, in a glass enclosure, three rows of piping-hot siopao. Row 1 was chicken; Row 2, pork; and Row 3, dog meat. (I kid, it was a combo). Not knowing which flavor to get, I ran back to the car to ask him what he wanted. He came back to me with this: I DON'T EAT SIOPAO. Who doesn't like siopao!!!

This year, we didn't go on a vacation as is our anniversary tradition. We were going to take the little boy to a car show; instead, we brought the car show home. Check out our new baby...

Chop Chop!

I heart my new Santoku knife. It slices and dices meats and veggies like buttah.
Funny how I used to be all about techno gadgets. Now it's kitchen and houseware. I don't remember the last time I used my iPod, but I can tell you I use my One-Touch can opener at least twice a week.

Tomorrow, I'm making beef stew so I can play with my new toy some more.

Hardy Har-Har

Too swamped to write! In the meantime, here's a picture to make you laugh. Took this almost over two years ago (with a disposable camera!). The owner's gotta be Filipino.

Snow Storm

Took several pics of a nasty/beautiful snow storm that we had a couple of days ago. Most of the pictures came out dark. But who has time for Photoshop? Not me. So here's one, au naturel.

The rest are here.

Idiot Box

It's been almost two years since I've watched live primetime TV. We record a few shows (House, CSI, Sarah Connor Chronicles, 30 Rock, etc.) but we have yet to watch them.

Surprisingly enough, I don't miss the shows at all. The moniker does make sense. TV does nothing to improve one's well-being. I actually regret wasting all those hours glued to the tube when I could have done something more worthwhile, like pick up a good book.

Thankfully, I haven't turned into a boob yet. At least I don't think so! But more on that next time.

To My Sweetie

Thank you for your love that keeps on growing.



Happy Valentine's Day, my boo. I love you.

"Free" Time

I swear, I'm not being lazy. I was really swamped these past three weeks. I had two back-to-back projects on tight deadlines. So any "free" time I had, I spent working. I finished the second project this afternoon, so here I am tonight, writing whatever pops into my head.

How about this: A typical day in the life of JZ.

6 am: I wake up. More like, David wakes me as best he could. Then we drive to the train station.

7 am: Breakfast.

8 am: Reading time/play time.

10 am: Jakob's nap time. "Free" time. Work, work, work.

12:30 pm: Lunch.

2 pm: Playgym.

4 pm: Jakob's second nap time (if I'm lucky). More "free" time. Work/clean/work.

5 pm: Cook dinner.

6 pm: Pick up David at the train station.

7 pm: Dinner.

9 pm: Jakob goes to bed.

9:30 pm: Work/Surf/email/blog.

11:30 pm: Clean up.

12:30 am: Bed time.

And somewhere in the middle, I manage to make phone calls, do the dishes, take a shower, pay the bills. So you see, I'm not that busy at all. I have all the time in the world!

Bye, Heath

Such a waste. So young and talented. Such a waste.

Cuckoo

You know what the problem is with hands-free/bluetooth cellphone devices? You can't tell the crazy from the sane. One day, you're walking behind somebody muttering to herself and you think, this woman's cuckoo. Then you realize she's got a Jabra plugged in to her ear and is actually in a conversation. Another day, you're seated across from somebody, again muttering, and you think, ah he's just on his cellphone. Then he gets up and you realize he's not plugged up! Cuckoo...

New Year, New Me?

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

So one of my resolutions this year is to be more transparent. You all know how I'm always so quiet--rarely updating my blog; rarely commenting on yours. I have this weird trepidation about sharing my personal life for everyone to see. Can anyone give me the phobia name for that? Whatever the name is, I hope to change that this year.

I realize that with the help of a good glass of red, I'm able to express my thoughts better and with more confidence. Does that make me a lush? Not yet, and if so, that'll be for next year's resolution.

Among the things I'd like to do are a.) reveal my secret mommy-blog; b.) add a few pics of my family on friendster (at least as private photos--baby steps); c.) touch-base with friends more frequently; d.) tell more people about this blog.

I have 11-plus months to go and I'll be damned if it takes me that long to accomplish these goals. So if you see that I'm slacking, feel free to give me a good smack on the forehead. Or a little nudge and say, "Where's the mommy-blog you promised?" or "Why don't you write about such and such?" Anything.

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SPECIAL SHOUT OUT TO KK MASLOG-LEVIS: So sorry I forgot to greet you on your birthday. Happy belated birthday and I look forward to seeing pics soon!

I Need Glasses

I've needed glasses since three years ago. I've just been in denial about it. Recently, I caught myself squinting a few times at the TV, mostly to check scores. (I'm a sports nut, didn't you know?) Today, I squinted so hard, my eyes were almost shut, and I STILL couldn't see the scores! Time to face the music. And the eye chart.

It's Official

On Friday morning, July 13th, I pledged my Oath of Allegiance to the United States of America. I am now officially an American citizen. It took us six years to get to this point. I'm so glad it's over. No more paperwork, interviews, and proving to the government that we are, in fact, legitimately--and happily--married. Next up, voter's registration.

Hurray!!!!!!

Reminisence

Remember those days when your biggest problem was how to get past the school guard at the gate because:

a. you forgot your ID;
b. you were not wearing white socks;
c. you were not wearing socks; or,
d. you were wearing sneakers instead of black school shoes?

Oh, how simple life was back then.