Okay

I don't watch TV that much, but I pretty much know what's on the news.

Several weeks ago, it was the death of Michael Jackson, whose songs I sang when I was growing up. One of my high school best friends, Chiqui, was nuts about him. Farrah Fawcett's death was also mentioned but was trampled upon by Michael Jackson-this and Michael Jackson-that.

Now it's Cory Aquino's demise.

I have nothing to say about it. Nothing.

A person who has recently passed (on July 19, 2009), who has made a big impact on me, and was never on Philippine news, is Frank McCourt. Frank McCourt was an Irish-American memoirist, is my favorite writer (he won the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, Angela's Ashes), and, most importantly, was a teacher.

When we went through a training seminar to make better trainers in our company, we were asked to think about our best and worst teachers.

My best teacher is Dr. Graciano P. Yumul (I even remember his middle initial), one of my Geology professors in the university. He is now a bigwig in the Department of Science and Technology.

My worst teacher, on the other hand, is someone who will forever be unnamed but will be referred to as That Physics Teacher Back in High School.

The teacher that I want to have and be is Frank McCourt. He taught in Stuyvesant High School in New York and even until this day, I regret being born in the wrong time and continent.

English and creative writing are my favorite subjects and I'd give an arm and a leg for a teacher who'd ask me to write Adam and Eve's excuse letters to God and read shopping lists as though they were poetry.

Even though I teach speech rather than writing, I am still appalled by the downward spiral of people's vocabulary nowadays. When I ask my trainees about the food that they ate at a certain restaurant, they can only remark, "It was okay.".

Okay doesn't cut it, okay?

Frank McCourt was even remembered by a former student, Paul Golob, who is now the editorial director of Times Books, to describe mashed potatoes as "satiny".

Food, as well as other objects and experiences, can be described in more ways than just okay.

Considering that Frank McCourt achieved so much from a life that promised so little, I'd like to live a life like his, with a quick wit and a never-failing sense of humor.

Even though I never met you, Frank McCourt, someone from my side of the world misses you and mourns your loss. I will always strive to be the kind of teacher that you are.

Highly Specialized

I have been extremely busy at work. Too busy that it does not allow me to breathe at all.

I think that it is a good kind of busy, though, because some industries are underutilizing their workforce and are making their people LOOK busy. It is only a matter of time that these people get downsized.

Well, I am up to my eyes with things that I have to do. I even had to compromise deadlines today because after 15 hours at the office, I still am not finished.

One thing is for sure: I am important. I don't think I'll be out of a job even with the recession. Bring it on!

Seventh Heaven

Seven years ago, this naughty little peanut was born and though he turned out to be unexpectedly very different, I would not have it any other way.

Happy birthday, Koy! You definitely spell happiness for everyone in our family. Sending you love that spans miles.

A Call To Arms - A Must-Read Aboout Smileys, Hehehes, and Okay Langs

I have a bone to pick with Friendster.

I totally agree that it is good for social networking; there is absolutely no need to visit friends physically to know how they are doing. Heck, you don’t even need to write to them. All you have to do is to follow the link to get to their profiles and you can find out if they are in a relationship (or if they are complicating their lives), if their newborn babies look like them, if they already went to Puerto Galera since the heat wave began, etc.

As of today, I have four hundred fifty four friends in my roster and roughly a hundred of them bothered to write a few sentences to sum up their psychoanalysis of me or post a Glitter Graphic comment to wish me well on a certain holiday.

I was looking through all these friends in my roster and I realized that I do not know enough of everyone to consider them my friends. Some of them I have interacted with for a couple of weeks and have never heard from again. For the life of me, I don’t even remember a good number of you. Not that I care. I really don’t.

Which brings me to the point of posting this scathing bulletin: SURVEYS.

The bulletin in Friendster was derived from the physical concept of a school or of an office (I fervently pray that you have been to either, if not both of these) bulletin board, where important announcements are posted.

I hope you are intelligent and have evolved enough to understand this: NO ONE REALLY READS THE F***ING SURVEYS THAT YOU ANSWER. If they do, they do not store what you have written there in their long-term memories.

Like I said, I really don’t care if I don’t hear from most of you. I am not interested in knowing who the last person you talked to was (chances are, I don’t know him), what your favorite ice cream flavor is, if you get jealous when you see your boyfriend talking to an ex-girlfriend, or whether you are top or bottom, spit or swallow.

Wake up, buster. No one who is busy or important or smart enough cares.

Apart from the content of your surveys, I have to say that a lot of you are not ashamed to brandish your affliction to the world. By affliction, I mean that you have atrocious spelling, a limited vocabulary (responses like “okay lang” – there are ten million things to better describe okay, okay?), sickly grammar, a rash of hehehes, and diarrhea of smileys (I mean, if you smiled this often, you would be an extremely manic person and needs to be carted off to the nearest mental asylum).

Let us be responsible enough to keep the bulletin board free of clutter and useless self-expression. Reserve it only for very important announcements like high school reunions, gigs, exhibits, job offers, etc. It is time for us to look beyond ourselves and to grow up.

I have another pet peeve: chain bulletins that tell me I’m going to die a horrible death if I don’t repost it. It’s not really that big a deal. Not like surveys. Maybe because I’m too evil to die.

That's Why It's Called Monopoly, Love

My hubby and I have been together for a year and a month today.

It's my day off so we decided to eat out and watch a movie after his shift and physical therapy (for cervical strain). Monsters Vs. Aliens was a bit unappealling to us so we went to Hobbes Trinoma and lo and behold! There was an original Monopoly game!

We have been waiting for it for the longest time. So instead of buying CDs and popcorn, we decided to buy a Monopoly board.

Mind you, the last time I played this was when I was in my preteens. My brother used to cheat like a card dealer in a casino. Imagine how much I needed to be on my toes to be ahead of the game.

So after a few falters, we played two rounds - with my hubby declaring bankruptcy twice. He still wanted to play an extra round but I had to insist that he get some shut-eye to make it to work at 1AM.

To my hubby: It's been over a year but I hopelessly fall more and more in love with you everyday. When it comes to my heart, you have monopoly.

It's A Girl!

Announcing the delivery of my new baby!

Delivery Date: Feb. 26, 2009

Weight: extremely heavy

Term: 30-45 days

PC Compatible Q8200 2.33 Ghz
Sn.8BMOAD344975
-Intel Core2 Quad 2.33Ghz
-Asus P5KPL-AM Motherboard
-Built-in Audio/Video/LAN
-2GB Memory
-320GB Hard Drive
-SJA 229 Casing/Acbel PSU
Inno3D 8500GT PCIE 512 DDR2 TV-128B
-DVI Videocard
Samsung SATA DVD Writer
Samsung 19" Syncmaster

Mother is alright and is paying attention to her newborn, although she is considerably lighter by a few thousands of pesos.

Baby's name: Bhibheng

I know. Naming inanimate objects sucks big time but I just wanted to brag.

kip safe always.

I just got that message from a friend. I know she cares a lot, but what in heaven's name does kip safe always mean?

Some suggestions:

1. Beware of falling debris

2. Danger: high voltage

3. Men at work

4. Check your brakes

5. Caution: wet floor

6. Non-ionizing radiation

7. Do not use and turn off mobile phones

8. Hearing and eye protection must be worn in this area

9. Contaminated Area

10. Please make sure the door is closed when the red light is on.

11. Danger! Rotating blades

12. Biological hazard. Do not ingest.

13. Look after yourself.

14. Ingat lagi. - Just say it in Filipino, sweetie.

15. Take care. - Cliche and overused but still functional.

Choose one, use and abuse it. Never use kip safe always. It bugs the hell out of me so much I've turned into a saint.

Why?

Instead of berating her, I replied, You, too. (insert smiley here)