Battered

Ondoy has left us to spew further damage on the Indochinese peninsula, but a new set of storms are in our waters. The first one, int'l codename Parma (I can't help but think of it as a large leg of ham), is blowing in at 150 kph. It may lose strength and head out into oblivion, but there's also the possibility that it will howl straight at us, and then veer back on itself. The remaining days of my vacation may all be about staying dry.

Went to Manila Ocean Park today with a friend, the aquariums are much nicer now, less fake corals, and the sharks look so sleek, like siamese cats in color, not to mention that sharklike grace. However, I wouldn't recommend the mermaid show at all. Beyond tacky. I think I'll try to go catch the jellyfish show before I head north.

Times are changing

Dark at 6, gusts, a certain nip, yes, autumn is not far. Rain this late afternoon/early evening, cool enough not to need the airconditioner on till later. I know I must prepare for winter, is this why I feel the urge to eat? Am I being bearlike and preparing for hibernation? I can't escape for months till spring, although at times I wish there was such an option.

Bits and pieces of my 9/11

Morning fight with a colleague. Bitchy me comes out and makes the other person mad. He says "you're not in charge here!" and threatens to quit. Er, what a baby! Plus he should change his cologne, he reeks. The issue I raised (his gf hangs around the teachers room the entire day using the computers and telephone) is unresolved, he has her sitting there again in the afternoon, and the lady in charge is a putz so she can't put her foot down. He makes nice later, saying let's be friends. The other person I butted heads with two months ago left, not sure why though. At least that one was doing his job. This one, ugh, a dom, smelly one too.

Head to the neighborhood Korean resto for bibimpap but get sidetracked by what looks like interesting noodles with seafood. Unfortunately I should have stuck with the bibimpap, the noodles are gloopy with some bean based sauce, the squid is tougher to chew than leather.

New impetus to go to Shanghai in a week, two friends will be attending the edu fair there. How to figure out my schedule though....

Raised my flagging spirits by watching Avenue Montaigne, fluffy French movie, lit in bright colors, about music, love, art, the passage of time, youth. Charming lead actress, chirpy and "a ray of sunshine", with the requisite Roman nosed leading men. One character is supposed to be a classical pianist but he exudes raw peasant energy. Strips down to his shirtsleeves in the climactic concert scene, now that's how they should all look if they want us to attend concerts. Well, maybe not all of them. The only line I will remember "never do anything for nothing" - spoken by Sydney Pollack (who gets mistaken for Martin Scorcese).

Withdrawal symptoms - nothing to read, worse when I'm having a meal and need a book to take me away from my surroundings. Regret not having raided M's library before leaving Xiamen. Two weeks to go before home, so must control myself till then.

Have read with trepidation that Google is under attack by the mainland government, the latter complaining about all the sexual references online, but I will assume it's to "clean up" house before the 60th birthday of the government. I will also have to assume that once I'm there again, whenever that happens, I will not have access to my blog, I begin to wonder if I shouldn't have a backup blog, somewhere else online that I can access that won't be blockaded by government censors. Of course a written, paper-pencil journal will do, and I have many a notebook filled with my illegible jottings. There's always Facebook of course.
I feel a bit like those seafarers between sojourns on board their rickety ships; doing the rounds of all the food places I won't be seeing for awhile, reading as much as I can, tramping up and down favorite spots, playing with the pets, writing, reviewing what I should add to my very bored list of clothing, adding to my dvd collection. There is also a sense of what to path to take next, should this episode not take fruit. What will I end up exploring? Dog training? A job with commercial, ie financial, opportunities? Beach tramp? The possibilities seem endless, if one knows where to look.

Dusting off

Father's Day, 2009. When did we become so overwrought over fake holidays? Is it Valentine's Day's fault that we now kowtow to specific days? Or is Hallmark to blame?
In any case, we're off to a FD dinner, which is also an excuse to see how tall the kids have grown, eat too much, and be grumpy later because the favorite tv show was missed (that'll be my mother).
Before I return to the mothership up north, I am revelling in the books I have left from my booksale in February and March. I still have a good number of books left, although I culled the ones I sold carefully, and also portioned some for the consignment store. My mother found an unused bookshelf to stock the books I left behind, with a smaller number stuffed into an old cabinet. I spend a good couple of hours each day, pulling one book or another out, reading a few chapters, feeling a sense of urgency since I know I won't be surrounded by my babies in a few days.
Another baby I abandoned (yes, she is feeling abandoned I tell you!) is my feline companion, who noticeably ignored me when I first got home, but finally deigned to stay with me yesterday, while I puttered about the house. She and the other cat (who is getting very old, but is quite feisty, doesn't enjoy having to share her turf) hiss and snarl when they get within 3 feet of each other, so there's a sense of detente when we know one is approaching the other. Nothing untoward ever happens, they simply express the antipathy of seeing one another, and then one stalks away, ever so upset of the encroachment. I slowly guide my cat into my shared space, and try to keep her occupied for a few hours, including making sure she's not flea bitten. Granted, she's not the most amiable creature, but I do miss her pumpkin/raccoon like features when I'm doing nada in my Chinese abode. Not her hair all over the place, but definitely her presence and her zen like state even in the most distressful times.
The puppy, who isn't so much a puppy as a young female dog, ie bitch, is going back for her uncasting tomorrow, the removal of her cast, the removal of her collar, and hopefully a really good bath. We can't get her cast wet, so we're stuck wiping her down, combing, but the eau de pooch is getting worse. I want to make sure she is in less odorous state before I go. Plus I must decide, snip or not to snip? She had her first mens a couple of months back, and she's likely to go a bit delirious with hormonal changes, not that she has the companionship of any male doggies; if she were to get pregnant, it would likely make my mother fall down to her knees in belief of immaculate conception. And she's not likely to tell me about it either, just like the dog's accident.
Stopped by Legaspi Market this morning, wandered through the stalls to find things to try before I go back. Now that I think about it, the week I left for China in March was punctuated by a trip the Legaspi market as well. Hmmm. Anyway, had chorizo paella, bought some chicken pate from Pamora, and decided to buy some avocados to make guac at home. Why I can't find avocados in China I don't know. Not native perhaps, and maybe the flavor just doesn't rock Chinese people's worlds. Not something I've ever seen in Chinese cuisine for sure, not even avocado shakes. Anyway, some lemon, cilantro, and jalapenos for good measure and I'll be double dipping myself tomorrow when it's all made.
I also bought two sheer embroidered kimonos, a steal for P800; I remember seeing something similar, but far more detailed and lush at a department store, not to mention leaps and bounds more expensive. I figure these loose tops will be a good way to punch up a pair of jeans. Good thing about kimonos: loose sleeves, a nice summery pick me up. A detour to the Aroomatherapy table for a ginger mist spritz and I think I'm ready to head back.

Jetlag

Staying up till 2 am with friends, bellybuster of a dinner, sleeping the day away (utter lack of anything to do), followed by munching on all the chocolate lace cookies, listening to podcasts on backlog, sleeping in the afternoon, watching a really boring BBC production of Mansfield Park, sleeping at 3 am, waking up at 10 realizing I'm running late for dog training, taking the dreaded step to get all my facial bumps removed, will I sleep early tonight or just attempt to wake up at 6 am tomorrow so I can go to the gym early in the morning, weighed in and found 2 lbs regained erp, not caring enough to skip pork bbq with garlic rice, guilty thoughts over buying a new pair of sandals that I'll have to lug back to China or it'll molder, stressed out over when the darn visa will be released, annoyed at the other visa that I'm going to cut up asap, what will my fb username be - ah go the whole hog, who cares anyway, more walking, less eating, well maybe a few times this week, catch up with friends, spent more on the face products than the procedure, search for cheapflight. More water, less caffeine.

Access is mine!!

It's been a few weeks since blogger.com sites have been out of the loop in my corner of the world, it is assumed it was the lead in to the 20th anniversary of Tiananmen, and there's hope (of which I am full of no matter what) that when I go back I won't have to look frustrated at my pile of notes, unable to write and get stuff off my chest, for this is ultimately what my blog is, therapy! Heehee

I'm in Manila for a week or two, in what is called Step 3 of my work visa process. I was only informed it was called step 3 yesterday, in between getting off the night bus from Wenzhou to Xiamen, and waiting (to no avail) for documents I was told were on their way from another city. The documents will now be couriered to me in Manila, as I couldn't get the extension I was promised earlier. China's like that, raises your hopes, dashes them, then leads you on towards more hopes and dreams. Sounds like some people I know.

While I'm home, I have a list of things to do: pay bills, haircut, see friends, eat bacon, eat cheese! And Manila laid quite the welcome home last night, Roxas Boulevard was practically a parking lot, the rains pounded the car roofs, the wind ruffled more than a few feathers. I found out that a tree came crashing down on a few cars in my parents family compound, I saw the debris this morning. And my dog, my poor puppy, has had her front right leg in a cast for a few weeks, after an accident, good thing I didn't know about that while I was in China. Suddenly I wished to be back in the ignorance of my Wenzhou existence.

Friday follow-up

One chicken gone from the cage (I glared at the three tables full of customers in the restaurant, wondering which one decided the fate of the hapless bird).

Cherries now at 58 renmimbi, about P410 a kilo. Do I wait three more days or give into my urges now? On the other hand, I could buy a kilo of luscious looking bayberries coming into season as I speak for 40 rmb.... And I know they'd be worth every penny!

Tuesday

It's been a quiet couple of days, spring has been particularly pleasant here, and minus a few days of rain, the days are sunny, but cool. This afternoon, I felt a chill entering my bones, threw on a few more layers, and on my walk to a meeting, felt the weak sunshine on my skin. I passed the daily parade of roosters in a cage outside a restaurant; a few weeks ago, they had a rather noisy duck out there too, but he's probably been eaten by now. Three chickens, robust looking beasts, watch the world go by, not knowing they are waiting out their fate.

A couple of corners down the road, I spy an unfamiliar sight. A grey dappled pony, led by his owner. Four or five trike drivers were likewise parked on the sidewalk, making comments about the horse. I don't think the horse was for eating, he looked like he was being brought to show some of the kids in the playschool nearby. He made some indignant noises when he was left by the tree.

Seeing the horse made me think of chinese words, the word for horse "ma" (third tone) is typically used by chinese language teachers when explaining the four tones. Ma (first tone) could refer to Mother; ma (second tone) may refer to the character used for hemp or numbness; ma (third) for horse; and the final tone of ma is normally only used in cursing or ending a interrogative question. We would practice the tones by saying ma four times, differentiating each tone, hopefully clearly, otherwise you're sort of just saying "Your mother's horse, or your mother is a horse."

Another sight on the road today, the local firemen were in training, I suspect they were being tested on speed. How quickly can they connect the hoses to the firetruck, or perhaps how quickly they could unroll the hose... Unlike Western firemen, however, there's nary a hunk among them. Deep sigh.

Tasted a new fruit, what looked to be a large cherry like fruit in a range of colors from green to orange. They're tart, and texture leans towards apricot/plum, with a pit. I'm not overjoyed by them, even though they are juicy enough. Perhaps they'd go well dipped in salt. The fruit store was also selling bing cherries, I nearly went for them until I saw they were 70 renminmbi per kilo (approximately P500 a kilo). I think I'll wait till the end of May, perhaps the cost will drop a bit more. I bought two kiwis instead.

Am fighting off the urge to go to the nearby supermarket and buy a bag of chips. I'm hoping that I can wait it out till 9 so the store will be closed and I won't want to traipse down four flights of stairs in the dark, with only my small flashlight to guide me.

Watched The Reader on dvd yesterday, and found the young actor playing Michael Berg (David Kross) very appealing and sexy. Yeegads, my cougar instincts!

In other news: Long overdue payment for Filipino veterans is included in the US Department of Defense budget. Took the US government 64 years to make a long drawn out situation right.

So ends May 5, 2009.

Curly pig, curly pig, does whatever a curly pig....

Short snippets from the last few days:

1. lots of sadness from young hollywood (and I don't mean the never-ending strike) - deaths of two actors, Brad Renfro and Heath Ledger. Many don't remember the former, who made few films, but he was a young bright star when he first appeared in The Client. The latter was a heartthrob for many teens when he appeared in 10 Things I hate about You, and continued to make critical and box office hits for the next 9 years. His last role as the Joker will be his posthumous reward.

2. interacting with my school's board of trustees more often than normal these days with changes taking place in the upper reaches of the institution. I've come to see their many facets as individuals, not all of them positive, but for the most part they remain a group that I enjoy working with and for. They are, if nothing else, energetic and generous with their time. And full of stories.

3. there's a good thread over at blogger Anton's post over what school to send his kid to, the quality of education in the city these days, and other matters pedagogical. It's a good sign that choices in the city are no longer restricted to catholic boys/girls school or the extremely expensive international schools, but a range of providers (including my own institution) that offers the parents options, and the children a chance to find their fit. It's not one-size-fits all anymore. Yes, the majority will still end up in public schools, and one's family budget will dictate the eventual choice. Price doesn't always indicate the quality of an institution, and there's no guarantee that putting one's child in the most competitive school around will mean a chance at a Nobel prize or being the next gazillionaire. Parents do make some hard choices, education being one of them. It's fraught with stress, and it's an organic process for parents who are willing to work with the school. From a school's perspective, it would help to have transparency, and less defensiveness on the part of the parent. I also attended a legal and labor workshop last week for private schools; there are laws that provide a framework for the parent-school interaction. Too many laws in this country. How many of the parents out there have read the manuals and provisions? It was an intense workshop, condensing an entire semester's worth of educational law into one day.

4. The city where I work is making us and other services pay a ridiculous fee to work in the city. For each non-resident of the city, we have to pay a fee, and then we will be forced to get a city id, and "benefits" (I think it covers some medical and burial services). I feel insulted. When did cities start making non-residents feel unwelcome by charging fees to work in one city or the next? Is the place so in need of income that they have to start charging the employees of the company/organization, and not the company? Of course the companies end up paying for the employee, but shouldn't other cities then start fining this town's residents when they work elsewhere? Tit for tat. Or just scrap the idea and tax something else if they are so desperate.

5. A friend who was based in Africa is heading back home. After two years away, he'll be finishing up his contract working as the hospital administrator and regional manager for healthcare providers and settling back here. We never did get to see Ethiopia through his eyes...

6. Workmates are considering a trip to Batanes in May. As I have promised to attend a good friend's party in Zamboanga in May as well, there's the possibility I could do a proper Northernmost to Southernmost trip, all in one week. Zoom zoom

7. Movie marathon all weekend long, or channel surf and catch all episodes of the XFiles now showing on AXN Beyond and CS. I do have the complete XFiles DVD set, but there's something about catching a stray episode on tv that just keeps me watching the show.

8. Full, creamy moon last night ringed with reflective sunlight. Framed by the skyscrapers over the field.

9. My cousin has given birth to our family's first in-vitro twins, two boys. Hope the mama and her partner are prepared; must send diapers. Over the holidays, caught up with the 3rd generation of kids, or the kids of my cousins. We have a surplus of girls, and most of them in the 2 to 4 year old range. They all look alike, but behave so differently. There's the bossy one, who is the youngest at only 9 months. Holy terror. Then the mild, independent types; the nervous, stressed ones, and a couple of ditzes. The two boy cousins are overwhelmed.

10. Lori wrote about milkshakes at Cuilliere (Serendra) on Dessertcomesfirst; I had tried their chocolate milkshakes when the restaurant first opened last year and was not as taken with it as others had touted. But it did make me ponder on the idea of milkshakes. I noticed that McDonald's is bringing back their milkshakes (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry), and when I had one recently, was sadly disappointed. No chocolate depth, just milky. What would make a great chocolate shake? For thickness, at least 3 scoops of good ice cream (HD or maybe the triple chocolate ice cream from local producer Sebastians), milk - maybe carabao milk for that extra layer of fat, and a tall glass and straw. Don't you think that as you reach the end of a milkshake, the sound of the last drops sucked from the straw remind you of a deathrattle? But to make a good milkshake really out of this world to die for, I'd add a good couple of tablespoons of Nutella or peanut butter or grand marnier or kahlua/baileys. Not necessarily all at the same time, otherwise too many flavors will kill the shake. Going back to McDonald's my friend S and I would save up our highly valuable bottles of Baileys (gifts from friends bringing us succour) and bring a bottle of it to the first McDonald's that opened near our boondocky campus. I'd buy us two chocolate shakes, and we'd head up to the 2nd floor, pour a liberal dose of Bailey's into the shakes. Sip, sip, add more bailey's. Avoid showing the alcohol to the kiddies munching on fries nearby. Keep sipping, keep adding. Walk back carefully.

Books, tidbits

A billboard on EDSA sponsored by a funeral parlor touting DEATHCARE Week, October 27 to Nov 2, offering a 50% discount on services. One of their action lines is "Serbisyo hangang langit" (service up to heaven). My morbid funny bone was momentarily tickled pink. Hmmm, what about those who head down instead of up? Non-refundable I suppose.

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Google statistics show top word searchers per country. Germany, Austria seem to have a thing for one A. Hitler, although the word Nazi was mostly sought out by folks in Latin America and the UK. For us Pinoys, our top three words? Terrorism, Love, Homosexuality.

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Am in a middle of a schizo reading month, juggling 6 books. The two that I look forward to opening each day though is Fluke by Christopher Moore and a mystery series by Phillip Pullman (he of the Amber Spyglass, Golden Compass trilogy). Fluke (subtitle: I know why the winged whale sings) is best described as a slightly off kilter fantasy/science nerd book about whales and the people who study them. It starts off well enough about the marine biologists who spend all their lives studying the singers - humpback whales who sing whale songs, then turns into semi-espionage thriller of dastardly deeds done to the researchers (with more than a strong splash of anti-military rhetoric) before turning into some form of fantasy where whales are part of a reversed Darwin experiment. Who pray. The prose is constantly cheeky, and the characters are lovable. Plus we want the whales to kick those stupid navy guys' butts. A day or two ago, I came across an article about how military installed sonar booms across the Pacific are the reason why certain whales may be beaching themselves and dying. HA! Truth in science and fiction.

Am starting the Pullman series backwards, accidentally beginning with the 4th in the series. Which is sort of dandy, since the story is individual and distinct, and cannot really be argued in favor of the phrase "suitable for kids". Actually, Pullman writes for an older audience, definitely one more mature, but he gets categorized in the kiddie section because his publishers probably have nothing better to do. Whatever. Go look for his Sally Lockhart series. And if you read The Tin Princess, expect intrigue, espionage, murder, war, heroism.

Recap

A week's gone by. What have I to show for it?

A "Tuscan" dinner with friends last Wednesday. The food was decent but not outstanding, the wine seemed to taste all the same except for the sparkling rose, but strangest bit of all was the lack of presentation of the sponsor's discussion points. They spent time setting up a lcd/computer, and a large screen, but I doubt anyone in our side of the room paid any mind to it. Why didn't the sponsor keep us in the alcove where we had been sipping the spritzers and munching on salty nuts and talk to us there? Why did they think that it was better to "plug" their products while no one was listening? Marketer's head on a plate I say.

Long business meetings that last 3 hours or more do not make sense. Especially when the agenda talking points look suspiciously like the ones at the last meeting a month back.

Roasted chestnuts, shelled, packed in little bags of 100g each look like a great convenience, a healthy option. But when they turn out to be the source of 3 hours of toilet time, it's time to find another option. I missed out on a lunch for a friend (a lunch I ORGANIZED for her); but no way was I going to survive a trek outdoors in that condition. I am blessed to have friends who care enough to drop off a six-pack of Gatorade for a dying friend (hehehe, teensy exag).

Speaking of friendship, there are friends who you can count on to nourish you, and there are reasons to cut certain friends out of one's life. When someone disrespects you, why keep them around? I'm too old to be paying court to everyone, pick and choose those who make one's day a joy, not a stressful mess. Faretheewell.

Tsinelas, flipflops. I have two pairs for the house. One I've used for shuffling around the house and for use in the bathroom, the other I got as backup. Yesterday, at the US embassy fair, I found myself another pair. Didn't plan to buy one. And it's definitely an inessential purchase. For P100.00 (or $2.20), I bought a pair of black tsinelas with a cute row of sequins and beads along the strap. Why would I need to pay hundreds of pesos more for brandname rubber slippers when inexpensive alternatives exist? Would have been even more sense, money-wise, if I had trekked down to Quiapo, where I could probably find 3 or 4 tsinelas for the price I paid yesterday. But they served their purpose. I had been walking the bazaar hall for two hours, my footsies hurt, and changing to the cutely embellished flipflops kept me going for another 2 hours of shopping. Priceless.

Oh and I bought a rattan chair.

News you can use or take for a walk

The minimum daily wage in Manila just went up by P12, Manilenos are now getting P362 a day. Doesn't include household help or those that fall under private care service in a household (drivers?).

New Yorkers may have the highest life expectancy amongst Americans because they walk, and they walk fast. Does that mean Pinoys will probably be in the bottom rung in a life expectancy survey because we can barely manage to walk 100 meters without whining about the heat? Among Asian cities, I think HK has the closest pace to NY. I remember getting leg cramps the first week of living there from all the walking to and from the subway and then to work, and up the stairs to my 6/F aerie in Causeway Bay (no elevators in those old apartment buildings). Fastest escalators for sure.

For some (darn) reason, I can't perfect the daily geography quizzes on the National Geographic GeoBee. 10 questions, hard ones too, and I keep getting 9 out of 10.