Tsinelas

Ang tagal ko nang hindi nakikita ang tsinelas na ito. Ilang taon na rin ang nakaraan nung ibinigay ko ito sa asawa ko bago siya umalis. Pagdating niya ng Amerika dala ang tsinelas, lagi niyang sinasabi sa akin Mabuti pa ang tsinelas mo nakatuntong na ng Amerika. Kasa-kasama ko na. Ikaw andiyan pa rin sa Pilipinas. Sana makarating ka na dito.

Hanggang ngayon kapag nakahiga kami sa kama at nag-uusap hindi pa rin kami makapaniwala na andito na ako. Nitong linggo lang ito kami uling nagkasama ng tsinelas ko. Napangiti ako nung makita ko siya. Sabi ko pa, Reunion ba ito? Na-miss kita. Hinding-hindi na tayo maghihiwalay pa.

Praning

It all started this morning. I had a bad dream. In it I was screaming my guts out, but lo and behold - there was only a grunt. At least that was how I woke up, heard myself grunt twice. But in my dream I was screaming. Happens to me all the time, mind you. The perpetual pessimist that I am. Trying to change that, with all the paradigm shift mumbo jumbo.

In the Philippines I may be called praning a Filipino slang for paranoid. The state of being in a state of disturbed thought process which typically includes a perceived threat towards yourself. Beat that! I have my moments of insanity. Believe me. And I can really be good at it.

Probably too much TV.

Better get back to reading. It takes my mind off of things that I shouldn't be worried about.

Back to reading

I haven't seen the light of day for about five days in a row. The only time I went out, as far as I remember was when I took out the trash. I don't feel like going to the mall or checking out electronics. I would have wanted to play ball but there's no basketball court within the vicinity. So, I resigned and grabbed Kathy Reichs' novel about forensic anthropologist Temperance Brennan of the Bones TV series. It took me two days to finish it. But I really liked it, save for the jargon of anthropology (I only took 2 anthro subjects back in college and they were not that technical).

Liked it because 1. It stirred a controversy regarding the basic tenets of the RC Church just like what Da Vinci Code did, and 2. I secretly wanted to become a detective.

Oh well, I guess it's not a secret anymore! Hahaha! I've got another novel here with me but in the meantime, I've got to get out of this chair and breathe some fresh air!

Blogspot to a new domain name

It's more than a week and the other site isn't working yet! Darn! I reverted it back to blogspot. So, for the time being you can view it here.

Meet the Humping Hamster

Meet the Humping Hamster at Slide Rock Park in Sedona.. hehehehe!



Ito ang pinakabagong pangalan ko. Ang dami ko nang alyas. Andiyan ang "Si Raul" short for sira ulo. "Tikboy" dahil sa pwet kong nakalabas. "Gadilin" dahil daw laging may kumakati sa katawan ko. Sa dinami-dami ng mga ito ang favorite ko ngayon eh itong pagiging hamster. Bakit? Sus, kailangan pa bang i-memorize 'yan?

Panic mode and Frys

I was trying to tweak our new site this morning but I couldn't find it even on blogspot. Blogger is supposed to point to our .com site but all I get is an HTTP 404 Not Found message. Darn! I just posted a blog! So, I searched the net and blogger for help. Blogger said that since we purchased the domain name through them they would take care ot if. And that if we couldn't find our site, we just have to give them a little more time to make sure that all the DNS servers are updated. Whew! So, I need a day or two for them to fix it. Oh well..

I went to Frys Electronics today and found out that they have an Acer Aspire One 120GB XP Home Edition on stock for only $349.99! I got mine for almost $500 in the Philippines! But hey, come to think of it I got in on a 0% interest installment plan for 12 months. Hmmmm.. okay, okay.. stop panicking and calm down. Besides, they only have two color: blue and pink. Eeeew! Not my color anyway. I was looking around and tinkering with the laptop on display when a sales associate approached and asked if I have a question. Honestly, I don't have one. But at the last minute I asked him the difference between a Core 2 Duo and a Dual Core processor. He just said that they are the next generation processors and that's it. I said thank you but I shook my head after he left. Mas mabilis kasi ang Core 2 Duo. It works simultaneously. Unlike the Dual Core, kapag napuno na niya ang memory nung isa saka lang gagana 'yung isa pa. Hmmmm.. my wife would tell me yabangers ka! when I tell her about it later. She's still sleeping.

After my stop at the desktop computers and netbooks, I looked at the DVD section and got interested with the documentaries collection. I saw many historical documentaries. I wanted to grab 1 DVD collection which costs $4.99 but I had second thoughts about it. It's all about World War II. It's the topic that I hate most when I teach Philippine History that's why I wanted to buy the DVD to let my students watch it instead of me discussing it. Hehehehe.. anyway, here it is..



Hmmmm.. probably in a month or two I'm going to get it.

I love my wife

My wife is sleeping. May pasok na siya mamayang gabi and I will be left alone. Ayaw naman niyang sabayan ko siya matulog kasi mahihirapan na naman ako matulog mamayang gabi. Kaya heto, habang nagluluto ng pagkain namin mamaya paggising niya, post muna ako dito sa blog. I can't take off this grin on my face. Sinusulyapan ko nga siyang natutulog ngayon and I can't help but smile. Ang ganda ng Misis ko. Tulog na tulog siya. I feel a certain sense of satisfaction pag nakikita ko siyang ganito. At peace. Ewan ko ba. Makabalik na nga sa kama. Sarap ng may kayakap. Malamig eh!



Pati ang kitchen maayos din. Bukas ipapakita ko sa inyo laman ng fridge. Sandamakmak na ang laman kasi nag-grocery na si Misis. Napansin niya kasi na panay ang bukas ko ng ref pag andito sa bahay eh. There's something about it daw. Ngek!



Hmmm.. ang ayos ng bed ah. Hehehe.. kagagaling lang kasi ng California kaya namahinga ang kama. Ewan ko lang kung ganyan ka pa kaayos after a few days. Hehehe!

Back from talipornia

I better get my blog going. It's been days since I last posted something. Just came back from a six-day trip to CA with my wife and I really don't have time to post during our stay there. Every day is jampacked from day one until day 6. My wife already posted our day one experience at CA's freeway. Our new site will be up and running in about two days. So watch for it!

The happiest place in the world

Well, I've been to the happiest place in the world. And yes, for two days I acted like a child. I've been goofing around and fooling around with my wife and according to her, I'm super kulit! Oh well, makulit naman talaga ako pag kasama ko siya. Hehehehe!



Girl na girl talaga Mahal ko 'no? Sabi ko wacky pose, 'yun na ang wacky pose niya!



Of course hindi ako magpapatalo kay Roger Rabbit! Rabbit din ako eh! Ehek! Hahahaha!



With Goofy. Sira ulo nga 'tong si Goofy, hinalikan kamay ng Mahal ko! Tapos pagtingin niya sa akin, nakipag-shake ng hands! Muntik ko na masapak eh! 'Yung picture namin with Mickey Mouse hindi ko pa nakukuha from Disney's Photo Pass website. Saka na lang!

My life here...

Inside Arizona Mills, one of the malls that I get to see this week. It's near my apartment.

Inside the apartment that I live in. We really look good together huh?


The car that I drive, a Nissan Xterra 4WD A/T. It takes a lot of practice getting used to this car because I drive a stick shift car back home. But I love it! I also noticed that plate numbers in this state is displayed at the rear part of the car only. I wonder why..

The phone I use, a T-Mobile Flexpay Samsung t109 Olive Green domestic dual band phone with myFaves.

Are you in nostalgia?

I've been here for three days. My aunts have been calling me almost alternately to check up on me. I've been asked several times if I feel homesick. I told them no, I am fine and doing okay. They probably think I'm lying or I'm trying to cover it up. But honestly, I don't.

Wikipedia says that Homesickness (or in some cases, Nostalgia), is the distress or impairment caused by an actual or anticipated separation from the specific home environment or attachment objects. That it occurs when one travels and may be heightened when one is in an unfamiliar environment or foreign cultural context.

Well, I felt that way once back in 2001 when I was in Oman. But here, it is different. My wife says that it is natural to feel homesick, in fact she thinks that I feel that way. When we talked about it this afternoon before she went to work she was surprised when I said that I really don't feel sad or anxious or depressed that I am here. Ang weird ko nga daw.

The answer is simple: I am home in her arms. Why would I be homesick?

What happened before this?

Ang mahiwagang medyas... hindi siya mapakali, kailangan niya talaga kuhanan ng litrato ang paang ito. Ito lang kasi ang balot na balot sa buong magdamag.



Come to think of it, ang sexy nung image na na-create in between them di ba? Hahahaha! Umandar na naman ang mahalay kong pag-iisip! Ehek! Ssssshhhh...

Home

After almost thirty hours of travel and waiting at the airport, I am finally home in the arms of my one great love. Hindi halatang stressed ako at pagod ano?


Grocery muna bago umuwi sa bahay. Takaw ko daw kasi kaya kailangan dami stock na pagkain. Ehek!


Inside the car, tensed siya kasi dadaan kami ng freeway! Hehehehe! Ayaw tuloy tumingin sa camera. Serious daw siya.

Mahalo

Waiting for Bus 19 or 20 en route to Aloha Tower. Might as well use up my time checking out Hawaii while waiting for my connecting flight
Finally, Bus 19
Traffic in Honolulu is just like traffic in Makati
This guy looks like a Mexican but he's actually a Filipino from Ilocos. Nakalibre tuloy ako ng pamasahe! Hahahaha!
Along Bishop Road
Just got to take pictures!
Along Aloha Tower
Nice tree
View from the Aloha Tower
This is what I got for the $15 voucher from Hawaiian Airlines. Just had to give us something for the delayed flight huh?

Aloha!

I'm here in Hawaii. I got stuck here for eight hours. I wasn't able to catch my connecting flight to Phoenix because my flight from Manila got delayed for four hours. I didn't know where else to go so I took Bus 20, I got off at Bishop St. and went to Aloha Tower. I wanted to visit Pearl Harbor but I don't have that much time. So, here I am back at the airport waiting for my 22:55 US Airways Flight 125.

Will post pictures later. ;)

Brothers and Sisters

Here's my Mom, Ate Nene and my Dad. Look how my Dad eats, taga-bukid na taga-bukid ano?

Yesterday was my Tata Juan's 22nd death anniversary. My Dad's siblings decided to have a get together at Kuya Ruben's house. It was a lunch date. It's been a long time since I visited Kuya Ruben. I haven't seen him for years.. to think that we are in the same locality. Oh well..

My Mom and her youngest apo, Yzabelle

My Dad and Kuya Ruben, comfortable. I've seen how these two bond together.

I find it amazing to see how affectionate they are towards each other. They don't have much but they were trained by Inang Maria to hold on to each other. Yesterday Ate Nene was complaining of a back problem. I can see that she is really hurt and frustrated. Sabi nga ng Kuya Ruben, hindi daw siya sanay na nakikitang nakahawak sa balakang ang Ate. Sanay daw siyang nakikitang listong-listo ito at kung saan-saan nakakarating. And then he kissed Ate Nene in the forehead. I smiled. Hindi kasi kami nasanay na magkakapatid sa ganung klase ng lambing, sanay kaming nag-aasaran lang.

Ate Nene, my Dad, Kuya Ruben

My Mom, my cousin Miko, Ate Nene, Dad and Tita Baby

Ate Nene, Dad, Tita Baby

Kids!

My new baby

I finally got my new baby after a week of torturing myself whether or not I need it!

The Acer Aspire One HDD (120GB SATA with Windows XP Home)Golden Brown UMPC.

Hehehehe! An early Christmas and birthday gift for me I guess. Well, I've got to pay for this for a year. Better get myself ready for lots of work then!

Specifications for the Acer Aspire One includes:
- Intel Atom Processor N270
- (1.60GHz. 512KB L2 Cache,533MHz FSB)
- Mobile Intel 945GSE Express Chipset
- Acer Invilink 802.11b/g WiFi Wireless Network Network Connection
- Microsoft Windows XP Home
- 1GB Memory (onboard 512MB + 1x 512MB Module)
- 8.9" WSVGA TFT CrystalBrite LCD (1024x600 pixel)
- LED Backlight - 262,000 color supported
- 120GB SATA HDD (with one storage slot for SD Card for storage expansion)
- Integrated Acer CrystalEye Webcam
- Multi-in-1 Card Reader
- Built-in 10/100 Mbps LAN
- with 89% full size keyboard
- with notebook sleeve
- Weight: 1.26Kg. (2.78lbs.)
- 6cell Battery
- One (1) Year Warranty (Parts and Labor)
- One (1) Year International Travellers Warranty

Me and my wife chose the color. We do have a lot of things in common.

;)

I'll tinker with it while waiting for my wife to go online.

Good luck

I woke up late this morning. I've been having trouble sleeping soundly for the past few days. It must be the anticipation and excitement getting into me. So, instead of staying in bed, I got up and took my first cup of coffee for the day. I switched on the TV and found myself channel surfing. Hindi na ata ako sanay manuod ng TV! Ang tagal kasi naming nag-abstain sa paggamit ng TV eh. Hehehehe! I heard the footsteps of Nicole and Ethan. And then, Nicole said Tita BG, good luck na lang ha? Aalis ka na pala sa Thursday! I was surprised. Itong batang ito talaga kung magsalita akala mo matanda na!

I told them that it's only temporary, that I would still come back. I asked them to pray for me. Sabi nga ni Ethan, magpi-pray daw siya para mapadalan ko siya ng mga toys. Sus!

Kids. Sure am going to miss them.

Istayl Oliva

Men in my family (my mom as well as my dad's relatives) are well-known for their subtlety. They exude a certain kind of appeal that makes women take a second look and fall in love with them. I have seen how my uncles swept women off their feet. I don't know how they do it, they just do.

Being a Cruz and an Oliva heightened this trait. Last Thursday, my mom and I woke up early. We were drinking coffee when she asked me why my youngest brother's car isn't in the driveway yet. I told her I have no idea since I didn't get any message from him. Mom told me that he and two of my female cousins went out for a drink. On a Wednesday night? Weird. I knew my Mom was worried sick so I sent SMS to my brother and asked him where he was. He answered that he was on his way home. I told my Mom about it but still, she's palpitating. My brother already had a car accident once.

I took a bath and was already dressed up when my brother knocked at my door, Sabay ka ba kay Yaku? Lika na. I told him to wait up since Yaku sent me a message that he'll leave a little later. My youngest brother explained that he already went home in the wee hours of the morning and went out early because he had a business transaction. At five or six in the morning? Oh, come on! I knew right there and then that there's something fishy going on. I grinned.

On our way to Mercury-Malhacan he was looking at the mirror profusely. Then he blurted out, Bakit kaya parang may lipstick ako? Eh puyat na nga at nakainom? I wanted to just hit him hard and comment Tarantado, istayl mo! May kasama kang babae kagabi kaya ganyan lips mo! But I opted not to, baka kasi mapahiya at hindi na magkwento.

I told my wife about it and she had the same reaction. Only it came back to me. Manang-mana daw sa akin ang kapatid ko. Ehek!

Runs in the family? You be the judge.

;)