Kitty Litter
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Small Blessings
This morning, on the way to work, Wynn and I saw a rather sad-looking beggar--a cripple--going from car to car on Dapitan. Wynn normally gets hard-nosed when it comes to beggars, especially when they're young and full-bodied, but this man clearly had few other options in a society which cares very little for those who are disadvantaged.
The beggar came over to my side, and I was startled to see that he was my age, if not younger. Since I was out of change, I grabbed a bunch of candies I'd received from a drive-through and handed them all to the man, who promptly responded with, "Salamat po, sana mahaba po ang buhay mo." (Thank you, may you live long.) And I said, without thinking, "Yes, thank you, I'd like that too."
I'm tired of beggars who threaten, or who chant the familiar I-need-something-to-eat, I-need-some-change, or who bang on your car window angrily because they firmly believe that they deserve something from you, and those who glare at you in hopes of 'shaming' you into giving them what they 'deserve'.
Hearing this blessing from a man who needed it more than I did makes up for the daily horror of driving into Manila traffic.
===
I know Wynn doesn't approve of the cat hair that festoons my bedroom, but my cat helps me sleep well. There's nothing like a warm, furry, loving body (feline, canine, rodent...and the occasional non-furry snake for some brave souls I know) curled up to you in the night to chase away fears of the dark and the unknown.
My cat (called anything from Princess, Flabby Tabby, Longtail, Basilia, and Kitty Ditty) sleeps wherever she feels like it on my bed, and though this sometimes results in cramped sleeping positions and stiff necks, I think it's the kind of small joy everyone should be able to savor. Barring allergies, fears, dislikes, and so on, of course.
===
In the spirit of blessings, here's mine for you today (Adapted from a song I heard once and which I never found out the title or lyrics to): May your troubles be small ones that can be swept off your shoes at the end of the day.
The beggar came over to my side, and I was startled to see that he was my age, if not younger. Since I was out of change, I grabbed a bunch of candies I'd received from a drive-through and handed them all to the man, who promptly responded with, "Salamat po, sana mahaba po ang buhay mo." (Thank you, may you live long.) And I said, without thinking, "Yes, thank you, I'd like that too."
I'm tired of beggars who threaten, or who chant the familiar I-need-something-to-eat, I-need-some-change, or who bang on your car window angrily because they firmly believe that they deserve something from you, and those who glare at you in hopes of 'shaming' you into giving them what they 'deserve'.
Hearing this blessing from a man who needed it more than I did makes up for the daily horror of driving into Manila traffic.
===
I know Wynn doesn't approve of the cat hair that festoons my bedroom, but my cat helps me sleep well. There's nothing like a warm, furry, loving body (feline, canine, rodent...and the occasional non-furry snake for some brave souls I know) curled up to you in the night to chase away fears of the dark and the unknown.
My cat (called anything from Princess, Flabby Tabby, Longtail, Basilia, and Kitty Ditty) sleeps wherever she feels like it on my bed, and though this sometimes results in cramped sleeping positions and stiff necks, I think it's the kind of small joy everyone should be able to savor. Barring allergies, fears, dislikes, and so on, of course.
===
In the spirit of blessings, here's mine for you today (Adapted from a song I heard once and which I never found out the title or lyrics to): May your troubles be small ones that can be swept off your shoes at the end of the day.
Labels: cats, small happy things
Sunday, November 28, 2004
Like A Little Girl/Invitation
Was at Powerbooks Greenbelt 4 yesterday for the first pre-launch activity of our magazine, Wedding Essentials (will link once the bug has been fixed). Both Polar Bearball and I enjoyed the wedding hints and tips, and I realized how horribly difficult it is to run a wedding. Not easy at all :(
By the way, everyone is invited to our launch activity! It's going to be in December, and I'll post the details here. So much fun, and the catering is by BIZU cakes (oooh, nuummmmyyy), so come on over!
In between mini-seminars, we browsed through the books at Powerbooks. I managed to devour an entire book on forensics, and I learned a lot. Who says you stop learning once out of school? I think I stayed in UP to keep learning, as I love learning new things (as opposed to sitting in class, but that's another story altogether). Such as: suicides usually remove hats, coats, and glasses before the attempt . That Jesus's body was mutilated after he was dead (the piercing of his side with a spear) because a Roman centurion was annoyed that he'd died quickly instead of the usual, oh, 3-6 days. That I can look at corpses in photos but not "in person."
After dinner with friends and my boss, the Beautiful Bee, we caught a fireworks display, and I oohed and ahhed like a little girl. Fireworks never fail to enthrall me, and I see no logic in wasting time and money on firecrackers. (Fireworks: pretty, sparkly things in the sky; firecrackers: loud, noisy, pointless) I held Polar Bearball's hand and he pulled me in to snuggle up to him. Unlike some exes I've had, he doesn't mind my childlike (not childish, though that applies sometimes) tendencies, and he watches me blow bubbles, watch fireworks, and talk baby-talk. What's more, he joins in! ^_^
(And for those who are annoyed/amused by Amanuensis, and have emailed/texted me for more, sorry, no sample this time. But here's something funny: he tried to fire me last Friday. I found it hilarious because he's not my boss, and speaking of Cool Boss, I think he may just be coming to the end of his rope. I've realized one thing about Amanuensis: he is stupid rather than malicious...and somehow, that's worse. How do you argue with stupid?)
Labels: small happy things
Friday, November 05, 2004
Another Way Of Saying Never
(Am still shellshocked from my appearance on Studio 23 yesterday. I still feel like a dork, and I am grateful to Joaqui and Atom for NOT giggling when I pulled a blank. Yes, I said "Umberto Eco" thrice, forgot to correct the title of my book, and forgot who wrote "Wala Lang" and "Suddenly Stateside." Oh the shame. Am currently in sackcloth and ashes. Arrrgghh. That's why I'll write about it when I recover. On the plus side, people said I looked cute. To steal my own line, "...we truly take comfort wherever we can find it.")
One of my favorite icebreakers for new classes at the start of each sem is to ask them to write a one-page essay on "What I Would Do With A Million Pesos." Often, the results are hilarious, especially when some kid thinks that P 1M is enough for a house (in Ayala-Alabang) and a car (a Mercedes Benz). That s/he doesn't know that P 1M won't even buy you space for a potted plant in Ayala Alabang, and the best Mercedes Benz s/he can get for her/his money is a clunker three decades older, shows that too many kids don't know the value of money. And boy, do I miss being that ignorant.
Anyway, I was having lunch with the Grey Wanderer yesterday when we got around to joking about what we'd do if we ever hit the Philippine lottery jackpot.* Certainly we weren't referring to my best friend Goldie Gold's version of lottery luck (she bet P 50 and won P 10. Heh heh). We meant the megamillions. He asked what I'd do with 50 million pesos, and I threatened to buy the nice Nissan RV behind us. Pause. Then I said, hey, I've been saying that for ten years now, and no go.
(* Side comment: Oooh. Am getting the hang of this linking thing, and I'm enjoying it ;p)
The Grey Wanderer then observed that saying "When I win the lottery..." has become the modern equivalent of "Never." I only know of two people who have ever won the jackpot, and even then, these are stories about them that I've been told by friends. FOAF (Friend Of A Friend) data, really, and hence, unreliable.
Does anyone actually win? I don't particularly care to do the research. But hope sometimes propels me and the Polar Bearball to try our luck. We're pretty timid bettors; we bet on a single set of numbers each time, and since we're lazy, we make sure the ticket is valid for several draws. We've never gotten lucky, not even winning ten bucks for our trouble, but we keep trying anyway as we tell ourselves that it's for charity. (Excuses, excuses.)
But the fantasy is fascinating. What would I do with a crapload of money? The standard cliches apply: shopping spree is the first to pop into my mind. Funny part is, I know people (like my sister KatKit) who actually plan out what to do if they ever won. Consider me like the lilies in the field, and at the risk of using two cliches in one sentence, I'll cross the bridge if and when I ever get there. (Was that a mixed metaphor too?)
***
"Why do you write only funny stuff? Wala ka bang serious things to write?"
Of course I do. But other people do it better, and I'm not a very serious person, really. Why try to put on a serious mien when it'll be patently obvious that it's not who I am anyway? I started this blog to force myself to write, because I believe that one can get rusty without practice. Consider this: when I read student essays, my grammar gets bad. But if I review the book, my grammar gets better. Revision rules! Revision is, technically, a "Do-Over" and it usually improves a work. So there we are.
And this entry has gone way over what I intended it to be.
Now how can such a talkative person like me pull a blank on a freaking talk show?!? (No, I am not going to get over it soon.)
One of my favorite icebreakers for new classes at the start of each sem is to ask them to write a one-page essay on "What I Would Do With A Million Pesos." Often, the results are hilarious, especially when some kid thinks that P 1M is enough for a house (in Ayala-Alabang) and a car (a Mercedes Benz). That s/he doesn't know that P 1M won't even buy you space for a potted plant in Ayala Alabang, and the best Mercedes Benz s/he can get for her/his money is a clunker three decades older, shows that too many kids don't know the value of money. And boy, do I miss being that ignorant.
Anyway, I was having lunch with the Grey Wanderer yesterday when we got around to joking about what we'd do if we ever hit the Philippine lottery jackpot.* Certainly we weren't referring to my best friend Goldie Gold's version of lottery luck (she bet P 50 and won P 10. Heh heh). We meant the megamillions. He asked what I'd do with 50 million pesos, and I threatened to buy the nice Nissan RV behind us. Pause. Then I said, hey, I've been saying that for ten years now, and no go.
(* Side comment: Oooh. Am getting the hang of this linking thing, and I'm enjoying it ;p)
The Grey Wanderer then observed that saying "When I win the lottery..." has become the modern equivalent of "Never." I only know of two people who have ever won the jackpot, and even then, these are stories about them that I've been told by friends. FOAF (Friend Of A Friend) data, really, and hence, unreliable.
Does anyone actually win? I don't particularly care to do the research. But hope sometimes propels me and the Polar Bearball to try our luck. We're pretty timid bettors; we bet on a single set of numbers each time, and since we're lazy, we make sure the ticket is valid for several draws. We've never gotten lucky, not even winning ten bucks for our trouble, but we keep trying anyway as we tell ourselves that it's for charity. (Excuses, excuses.)
But the fantasy is fascinating. What would I do with a crapload of money? The standard cliches apply: shopping spree is the first to pop into my mind. Funny part is, I know people (like my sister KatKit) who actually plan out what to do if they ever won. Consider me like the lilies in the field, and at the risk of using two cliches in one sentence, I'll cross the bridge if and when I ever get there. (Was that a mixed metaphor too?)
***
"Why do you write only funny stuff? Wala ka bang serious things to write?"
Of course I do. But other people do it better, and I'm not a very serious person, really. Why try to put on a serious mien when it'll be patently obvious that it's not who I am anyway? I started this blog to force myself to write, because I believe that one can get rusty without practice. Consider this: when I read student essays, my grammar gets bad. But if I review the book, my grammar gets better. Revision rules! Revision is, technically, a "Do-Over" and it usually improves a work. So there we are.
And this entry has gone way over what I intended it to be.
Now how can such a talkative person like me pull a blank on a freaking talk show?!? (No, I am not going to get over it soon.)
Labels: small happy things
Thursday, November 04, 2004
Lovely Weekend
Someone twitted me over the weekend: "Hoy, isang linggo ka nang di nagpost. Atsaka bakit panay maaahhaaabbbaaa ang post mo? Iklian mo naman. At wag panay seryoso."
Okay.
Over the weekend, I vegetated at my mom's place. I spent the whole time asleep. Oddly enough, I lost weight; seems that I lose weight best when I eat regularly and eat right. A miracle happened: I like veggies after all. Weird. My mom has this evil cook, Nen, who makes me eat. And eat. And...oh, you get the picture. Nen is a kind, sweet woman, and eating her food in vast quantities is a surefire way to get on her good side.
So I brought along the Polar Bearball last Friday. If anyone can eat food in bigger quantities than I do, he can. (Was there something wrong with that sentence?) He wound up staying until Monday!
Just a senti observation: why do I sleep so soundly in the same room with him? (Funny note: my cat Meow spent the nights with us with her ears tucked solidly under her paws. Guess why? No, nothing X-rated. Just that we both snore. Poor cat ;p )
Polar Bearball playfully woke me up on Saturday with a video he'd taken with his phone of me asleep. Ugh.
And to think I'm appearing on the telly in a few hours. Vanity, thy name is woman indeed. I got a haircut, and hit the gym to boot.
Suddenly I'm cutting down on the rice, eating salads (didn't know I liked crunchy lettuce after all! I hate it when it's soggy though) and hitting the gym. And I am happy with myself.
My friend Danio called suddenly a while ago with another sideline offer. A case I had to take care of took care of itself. Polar Bearball called and coached me for Breakfast 23 tomorrow. Things are looking up, and for once, I am not waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I think I'm happy. Oh, what an admission from a hypersensitive, pouty person like me. :)
So, is this short enough? ^_^
Okay.
Over the weekend, I vegetated at my mom's place. I spent the whole time asleep. Oddly enough, I lost weight; seems that I lose weight best when I eat regularly and eat right. A miracle happened: I like veggies after all. Weird. My mom has this evil cook, Nen, who makes me eat. And eat. And...oh, you get the picture. Nen is a kind, sweet woman, and eating her food in vast quantities is a surefire way to get on her good side.
So I brought along the Polar Bearball last Friday. If anyone can eat food in bigger quantities than I do, he can. (Was there something wrong with that sentence?) He wound up staying until Monday!
Just a senti observation: why do I sleep so soundly in the same room with him? (Funny note: my cat Meow spent the nights with us with her ears tucked solidly under her paws. Guess why? No, nothing X-rated. Just that we both snore. Poor cat ;p )
Polar Bearball playfully woke me up on Saturday with a video he'd taken with his phone of me asleep. Ugh.
And to think I'm appearing on the telly in a few hours. Vanity, thy name is woman indeed. I got a haircut, and hit the gym to boot.
Suddenly I'm cutting down on the rice, eating salads (didn't know I liked crunchy lettuce after all! I hate it when it's soggy though) and hitting the gym. And I am happy with myself.
My friend Danio called suddenly a while ago with another sideline offer. A case I had to take care of took care of itself. Polar Bearball called and coached me for Breakfast 23 tomorrow. Things are looking up, and for once, I am not waiting for the other shoe to drop.
I think I'm happy. Oh, what an admission from a hypersensitive, pouty person like me. :)
So, is this short enough? ^_^
Labels: small happy things
