A Belated Christmas Gift

It may not be made of gold, platinum or silver. It may not be studded with diamonds or pearls. But this bracelet is one of the most precious pieces of jewelry I have. Gabby made this for herself last New Year's Day. But she removed it and locked the clasp around my wrist tonight, saying it was a belated Christmas gift. I reminded her that she had given me a gift already but she said a card, which she also made herself, was not a gift. I said it was one of my most treasured gifts and that she didn't have to worry about giving me presents. I already have the best gifts I could ever ask for - Ate Alex and herself. She said nothing as she covered her face with her hair, hoping I wouldn't see the tears flowing freely down her cheeks.

My 2009 Resolutions

Experts say to keep the list simple and doable. And that's what I prepared, a list so simple and doable I may be able to keep my resolutions up to December.

1. Don't cheat on tithes

2. Drink more water

3. Exercise - I'd love to go back to wall climbing if I could find the time to do it and the buddy to do it with

4. Stop fooling myself that if I don't eat rice at night with that kare-kare or sinigang, that I will not gain weight. I resolve to eat what I want, as much as I want, whenever I want. - So far so good. Started this resolution in late 2008. Haha!

5. Save more money in the bank

I'm ending the list here. Simple and doable, remember?

Does God Have a Sense of Humor?

I think He does. I was having lunch with my crew yesterday at this resto where "nightbclub" music was blaring. I sang along, but only because there were only a few people there (and 2 of them, I knew from work). So belt a song like a diva I did. And on cue, huge droplets of rain were heard falling on the roof. As soon as I said, "Sorry po. Di na ko uulit," the rain stopped! Promise!

Irate as Ever (Subtitled I Hate Smartbro)

Before I decided on a broadband provider, I asked around and googled for reviews. I decided on Smartbro because a friend who lived in my area said it didn't give her problems even during a vicious storm. Also, I thought knowing people in their Corp Comm would help if I ever encountered problems.

Well, for the last few months, it seems I've been filing complaints every few weeks or so. Calling their hotline was stressful. One upside was I was using a Smart cellphone so waiting for a call center agent to take my call didn't make a dent on my pocket. But on my sanity it did. It took forever for someone to pick up. Then they'd make me do troubleshooting, which I've done several times before I even called them. Because of the numerous calls I've made, I've memorized what to plug and unplug, what to turn off and on, how much time it took between steps in the whole process, everything. It took them AT LEAST 3 days to send a technician. And some of the technicians had attitude! One even ordered my parents-in-law to tell me to make sure I'm at home when they come. And this was after the techs failed to show up on the scheduled visit. Well, this tech left everything in my laptop bag in disarray, including my Macbook which I found stashed upside down and without its sleeve. In response to my complaints, the techs have moved my antenna several times - because the tree in my neighbor's house had grown taller and was blocking my line of sight, because the roofing had warped, etc. Sheesh!!! The base station where I am connected, the location of which I am not allowed to know, is always encountering problems. So says the Corp Comm guy which I bombard with text messages and calls after my patience has grown thin with their call center. Calling their hotline now is even harder because it seems they've downsized. Instead of an agent picking up the call, a recording now welcomes you to Smartbro. And everytime I call, the recording says the signal in my area is strong.

I'm sooo stressed out!!! I thought writing about it would help me calm down. Now, I'm as, to quote call center agents, as "irate" as ever...

Smile!

I had a good laugh with friends yesterday over Jobree's long-forgotten and much-kept-secret-stint as Birdie the mascot. It was not the actual experience of donning the heavy and hot costume that was funny, but Jobree's revelation that when kids asked to have their pictures taken with her, she actually smiled underneath the costume.

I'm Remembering...

1. Sweet Haven - baked macaroni and tacos. Yum!
2. Haruta loafers (mine were maroon tassels) and Espadrilles (mine were green, believe it or not)
3. My Kamia dormrooms - the one in the basement next to the "ghost room" and the one on the first floor near the entrance
4. The 1991 Earthquake - I was cooking instant soup in the dorm when it hit. Some of the girls in the dorm ran out to the driveway "wearing" pillows and towels.
5. Live AIDS rehearsals - fun, fun, fun!
6. Singing bastardized versions of Carpenters songs with equally-crazy friends while making tambay at the gazebos outside Casaa
7. My friends and I leaving one-peso coins on top of piles of freshly-delivered copies of Collegian to dupe freshmen (we were also freshmen then but we felt we weren't outsiders, having come from UPIS) and my friends giving freshmen directions from Palma Hall to the NatSci building whenever they'd be asked where the "TBA room" was
8. The UP Fairs
9. An aborted OBE
10. UP ghost stories

Funny how a hodgepodge of memories can resurrect buried emotions...

Yes, I Am Rich!!!

Gab gave me a surprise tonight, neatly tucked in a plastic Easter Egg.

Oh, yes I am!

I have more money than the Republic of the Philippines!

A house with things inside and a gigantic swimming pool?! Cool!!!

This is worth even more than the 10 gazillion (pesos?)...

My most precious treasures. The reasons why I answered YES to Gabby's difficult question.

Paranoid About Head Injuries

I hit my head HARD on an abnormally low cement doorway Saturday night. After massaging the affected part of my skull, I did a neuro test that doctors performed once on me when I was complaining of dizziness. My diagnosis was that I had nothing to worry about. I could touch my nose with the tip of my finger.

I think I'm the most paranoid person on earth when it comes to injuries to the brain. Alex had undergone a brain operation when she was only 6 months old because of a blood clot. No mother can ever forget that harrowing experience.

So when the pain had not totally gone away 24 hours after the accident, I began to worry. The pain was on and off, but thankfully, tolerable. So after airing GMA Weekend Report, I went to the hospital around 1:30am of Monday. The doctors found it amusing when I shared my "layman's diagnosis" with them. I even performed the fingertip-to-the-nose test again in front of them without being told.

Well, after undergoing several tests - shrugging my shoulders, pushing and pulling with my arms and legs, rolling my eyeballs to follow the doctors' fingers - this time, officially performed by doctors, my initial layman's diagnosis was confirmed. I had nothing to worry about. They said they could order a CT scan, if only to appease my paranoia. After thinking about it for about a minute, I decided it was best to just go home.

Well, it's Monday afternoon and the headaches are back. I just hope the pain killer the doctors prescribed would take effect immediately. I'm still under observation until 7 tonight.

Life Crammed in a To-Do List

I found this list tacked to a wall in the living room. It's Gabby's To-Do List for Monday to Friday. I wish life were as simple as 1. palit damit; 2. eat; 3. computer; 4. assignment; and 5. PS2 - Sims2.

I saw the list as I continued to ponder what Gabby had asked me earlier, "Mommy, happy ba ang life mo?" If only for her and Alex, I answered, "Yes!" without wasting a millisecond.

Now, maybe I should write my own To-Do List...