Yay! Thanksgiving is over and a lot of the stores are having these ultra-mega-super sales. It's amazing to think that there really are a lot of people who are into buying things on sale, aside from Filipinos that is. Usually the stores in our area start selling at the wee hours of the morning and lasts for just about 5 hours. Why a limited time? Well that's the average life expectancy of merchandise which are on sale here. Believe me when I say they are gone before you could finish asking an employee of the store where the product is. For example, awhile ago, my aunt and I went to Menard's. On top of her To Buy list was a beddings package. According to her, that's the lowest price [of the beddings] she ever saw. However when we arrived at the store, the employee told us it's sold out. Suffice to say, we didn't get any. Not a single thread. Sayang. Oh well, that's what you get if you're not early enough during one of these sale-capades. Anyway we then proceeded to hoard other things: 20 jar candles (from $4.99 to $1), 6 Playstation games (from $20 to $4), a luggage set (usually costs $100+ but we got it at $44), 18 Lindt chocolate packages (forgot the original price but it's down to $1.72 -- how cheap is that?!), 10 fleece blankets (I think it's $1 each), 6 portable chairs (from $10 to $4), among other things. Some of these things, however, are limited per person per check-out, meaning you could only buy (for example) 2 of the Playstation games per person per receipt. But how did we get 6, you ask? Well it's a simple trick my aunt and I always do during these sales: divide and conquer. I get 2 PS games, she gets 2 more. We pay for them individually and -- voila! -- 4 PS games instead of 2. (Besides bumalik pa kami to buy more hee hee.) Pretty crazy huh? Oh well, it's fun... most of the time.

What the --?!

From one of my YM conversations:

mr_delacute: hello
agreatcamper: err do i know you?
mr_delacute: no
mr_delacute: panget

That guy wanted to add me to his YM list of friends. The Yahoo ID was not familiar so I asked him if I know him. I wanted to engage in an (at least) intelligible conversation first before adding him to my list. He said no so I clicked on the DENY button on the Yahoo invitation. So ayan sinabihan ako ng panget.

Eh sa ayoko kitang kausapin eh may magagawa ka?! I had my own nasty experiences when it comes to conversing with people I don't know. After a while, they ended up as stalkers and/or perverts -- most of them anyway. I don't want a repeat of that please. Besides it's my choice whether I want to talk to you or not. There's nothing you can do about it.

Messy Family

It was a mess here. Well not physically, more like a family mess. My uncle and cousin had this ugly fight during dinner. It got so ugly that every person who's present at the dining table literally backed away and went to the adjoining kitchen. Everybody here knows that whenever my cousin throws tantrums, we'd better stay out of her way. The only person she's afraid of is her dad. So anyway there I was, trying to eat dinner, with the complete innocence of one who doesn't know anything about their fight. Of course, I can't help but overhear them. Besides, having lived here for over a year, I got a firsthand account of the situation. The problem with my uncle is he expects too damn much from my cousin. He expects her to be a straight A student, a bookworm, and to be this and that. It really isn't fair. Plus, he always compares her to other people: "Look at your friend Sasa. She has good grades. Look at your friend Jon. She's good at Biology. Look at your Ate. She reads a lot of books." And so on. Ewan... Because of what my uncle is doing, he can't see what my cousin is capable of, the rare gem that she is. He tries to measure her up with my cousin's friends (and even me) as guidelines on how my cousin should be. Why can't he just accept her for what she is? Sigh.

BTW Happy Thanksgiving!

Lola in Trouble, Granddaughter Scared to Death

Geez that sounded like a headline in some newspaper. Anyway I had a scare two days ago. My aunt and my grandma just got from the doctor that day. That afternoon, while we were giving her (my granny) some food, we (my aunt and I) noticed that my Grandma seems to be confused and disoriented. She just stares into space and doesn't seem to recognize us. We asked her things like "Who am I?," "What date is today?," "What happened earlier?" and some questions that would orient her to reality. She was just able to answer the "who" questions. This prompted a panic. I checked her BP (turned out ok; stroke ruled out), her temperature (no problem there), and her movements (slightly sluggish). However we really couldn't pinpoint the cause of my Lola's condition. All we had to do was to wait and to pray that somehow whatever's causing this would abate. We were fearing for the worst, that my Lola is probably going to the hospital. And then, in one moment, I suddenly couldn't stand it... I locked myself in the bathroom and cried my eyes out. I couldn't bear seeing my grandmother suffer. For her to not know what's happening with her body and to be helpless about it really hurt me. Ayun napaiyak ako. Took me almost a good ten minutes of crying. (It was really hard to cry and not be able to lean on a shoulder.)

Anyway I'm asking you, dear readers and friends, to pray for my Lola.

I love Golf Mill!

Bonded with the mall today and it reciprocated the love I have for it by giving me great finds: LOTR book and bookend set, a Sauron action figure, a mini-ROTK calendar for 2004, a black cap, TTT Gift Set, Neutrogena Shimmer. Ah where would I be without you?

-----

How would you know when to stop knocking? How would you know when to keep on going? Should I push you away? Should I push myself towards you? Then again will you ever see me? Hello I'm here. Hello... over here... hello...

Surprise Email

From: *****

Date: Thursday, November 20, 2003 7:58 AM

To: loryces@thephilippinetolkiensociety.org

Subject: ELVISH translator & coach

good evening!

I'm producing a radio commercial for a telecommunications company which - interestingly enough - is written (in part) in the elvish language. although I'm pretty sure a very narrow margin even among the diehard fans of the novels & films would really know the difference, the creative team behind this project wants to be as 'authentic' as possible in our use of the language, in terms of GRAMMAR & DELIVERY.

we hope you can extend some assistance to us by referring us to someone who can help us craft the final copy as well as sit in through the actual recording. we have a very modest token fee of P5,000-10,000 for all that person's trouble.

I would appreciate it very much if you can get back to us right away as we are on a deadline. you may also reach me on my mobile phone (0917-*******).

thanks and hope to hear from you soon!

gratefully yours,

*****

Hay jusko! Sana tinuloy ko ang mag-aral ng Elvish!! At sana din nasa Pinas ako. I would love to be part of this.

On an another note, there's a teaser trailer for the 3rd movie of Harry Potter and it looks promising. I hope it would be a better film adaptation than the first two HP movies. We shall see.

Life and a Couple of Beers

When things in your life seem almost too much to handle, when 24 hours in a day are not enough, remember the mayonnaise jar and the beer.

A professor stood before his philosophy class and had some items in front of him. When the class began, wordlessly, he picked up a very large and empty mayonnaise jar and proceeded to fill it with golf balls. He then asked the students if the jar was full. They agreed that it was.

So the professor then picked up a box of pebbles and poured them into the jar. He shook the jar lightly. The pebbles rolled into the open areas between the golf balls. He then asked the students again if the jar was full. They agreed it was.

The professor next picked up a box of sand and poured it into the jar. Of course, the sand filled up everything else. He asked once more if the jar was full. The students responded with a unanimous "yes."

The professor then produced two cans of beer from under the table and poured the entire contents into the jar, effectively filling the empty space between the sand. The students laughed.

"Now," said the professor, as the laughter subsided, "I want you to recognize that this jar represents your life. The golf balls are the important things -- your family, your children, your health, your friends, your favorite passions -- things that if everything else was lost and only they remained, your life would still be full. "The pebbles are the other things that matter like your job, your house, your car. The sand is everything else--the small stuff. If you put the sand into the jar first," he continued, "there is no room for the pebbles or the golf balls. The same goes for life. If you spend all your time and energy on the small stuff, you will never have room for the things that are important to you. Pay attention to the things that are critical to your happiness. Play with your children. Take time to get medical checkups. Take your partner out to dinner. Play another 18. There will always be time to clean the house, and fix the disposal. Take care of the golf balls first, the things that really matter. Set your priorities. The rest is just sand."

One of the students raised her hand and inquired what the beer represented. The professor smiled. "I'm glad you asked. It just goes to show you that no matter how full your life may seem, there's always room for a couple of beers."

A Change is What I Need

Changing your ISP is really a hassle.

a) Losing all your favorite links means searching for them again (if ever you find them)

b) Being unable to read and reply to some emails sent to my previous email, which btw, is now suspended (it figures)

c) Being used to the Compuserve layout, it might take a while before I get used to the primary browser our ISP provided

d) Figuring out what CSS attributes work and won't work in the SBC Yahoo browser (which may be slightly different to other browsers meaning I have to take into account at least 5 different platforms before doing any changes to my site)

e) Trouble-shooting events: different problems, different solutions. Where do I start?!?

But I'm not complaining. Not really. I love it: figuring how this certain process works, exploring the different services they offer, doing this or that. It's not that bad. 'Twas a bit tricky configuring our accounts but that's understandable. I'm loving it. I even got to merge my existing Yahoo account with an SBC Dial member ID. This means whenever I log on using SBC Dial (or even DSL), I'll be logging onto my Yahoo account too. No more separate log-ins. But alas I think I'll be taking another "vacation." It's the release of the Two Towers Extended Edition DVD tomorrow and I'm sure I'll be devoting the entire week in watching it. Kainis I haven't even started checking and deleting my emails, visiting and moderating forums, and blog-hopping. I think I need a week before I can do all these tapos ngayon I'm off to Middle-earth naman.

LOTR NEWS

• "Into the West" -- click here! -- sung by Annie Lennox, the final song of the final movie of the LOTR films. Prepare Kleenex!


• TTT Extended Edition will be released tomorrow!!!


• The Philippine Tolkien Society will be co-sponsoring a Return of the King premiere!!!


• The Philippine Tolkien Society made it (again) to TORN's frontpage!!!


• Less than a month of waiting for ROTK!!!

To see you when I wake up is a gift I didn't think could be real
To know that you feel the same as I do is a three-fold Utopian dream
You do something to me that I can't explain
So would I be out of line if I said I miss you?

I see your picture
I smell your skin on the empty pillow next to mine
You have only been gone ten days
But already I'm wasting away

I know I'll see you again with a thought or two
But I need you to know that I care
And I miss you

I miss you...

-- I Miss You, Incubus

One good turn deserves another. For you... Ikaw na ikaw di ba? Hee hee hee. I also dedicate this song to my beloved internet. Sobra, miss ko sya ha.

Scared to Death

I'm going to enroll tomorrow. I feel scared and excited and anxious. I mean I don't think Nursing is for me but due to unavoidable circumstances, I am now taking this course. I don't know what to expect. I don't know what to do. I'm pressured to go through with it, to finish it, and (horrors!) to graduate with honors, or at least among the top 10 or something. A big part of me is wanting to rebel and drop from the course, especially now that I finally know what I would like to do (oo, ngayon lang). But thinking about my parents and my siblings I know my dreams would have to be put on hold. I also have to think about my aunt and all the work she has gone through just to help me out. If I bail then all of our efforts will be for naught. Oh well I think waiting would do me wonders... I hope. I know good things will come/happen to those who wait.

BTW I remember this instance, my aunt got a mail from the University of Phoenix regarding an online course of the Nursing program (Bachelor's degree). I was really interested about it. I mean Nursing is one course that involves more of hands-on techniques rather than just merely theory. I got interested with the online thing, not the course itself. I just hope my aunt won't get the wrong idea that I'm really interested being a nurse. Not that I have anything against nurses. It's just that I guess it's not my thing. Besides I'm scared to death of needles and blood.

Random thought for the day:
One of my instructors before wrote this down in the whiteboard:

C is for the element carbon and the arrows signifies pressure. He told us that we are like carbon. When subjected to enough pressure, it becomes a diamond. I hope to God I'll be a diamond someday.

Two Weeks of No Internet

That is the longest 2 weeks I've ever experienced in my whole life. I don't want to go through that again. Jusko halos namuti ang mata ko ha. Anyway I'm so happy to say that

I'M BACK!

Well not really. Technically we still don't have internet access. Not until the 19th of November, that is. Pero di ko na talaga nakayanan. Sinugod ko ang mall at bumili ako ng internet card. Hehehe. Now where to start? Ah yes, blog-hopping and emails and forums and...

Uy we're getting a DSL connection!! Wheeeeee!!!

Ack! Pucha I have internet withdrawal syndrome, first degree!!! My uncle cancelled our free one year-internet service last week and I'm friggin' sufferring from withdrawal syndrome. Sheesh. I'm at the public library right now and there's a 10-minute limit on computer access here. Have to convince my uncle and aunt that I have to do a research on something (yeah right). Personally at this moment I don't care for books or CDs or DVDs. I need my internet fix!!! Waaaaaaaaah!

If you've emailed me sometime this week, I'm so sorry for not replying sooner. Got to go. Someone's asking me if they could use this computer. Be back in 10 minutes. Hee hee.