Why

Dear insansapinas,

Instead of writing the horoscope for the next year, I decided to write about a person who can also tell or explain what is going to happen. My aunt. The midwife sister of my mother. She was the only person I knew who had supersttion for eveything. And every time she visited us, she would surprise us with new ones as if she had an endless supply of them.

When she heard my cousin sang infront of the stove, she nagged her to stop or else ahe would marry a husband who would be several years her senior. My cousin would obey`her but then she dreamed of being a diva that with the ladle, she would belt out a song when my aunt was outside watching the passersby. She lived in the boondocks and it fascinated her to see people in different fashion. 

Yes, my cousin married a husband ten years her senior. My aunt said, told ya so.

When I was in the elementary, she came for a visit again. My mother and she were busy catching up with the goings- on the province so that my mom did not notice that I bid her goodbye before I went to school.

That afternoon, a bottle with a dry ice exploded left me bloodied that my classmates and I were brought to the emergency. When I came home, she blamed me for not informing  them that I was going while they were having their breakfast. Bad premonition daw.  And I thought the superstition was to   move the plates in circle because the people left at the table can not get married. She said that was entirely a different superstition,



My friends visited me to see how I was coping and she said that she was expecting visitors.and so was I. She saw our cat cleaned her face. From then on, I set  rule to my cat, do not clean your face. The cat looked at me askance at what I said as if saying HUH?

Another assistant of her in bringing news was the gecko or the house lizard. A mail was coming if the small reptile said tsssk tssk tsssk near the window or  a visitor comes a visiting if the noise came from the door.

Fitting the bridal gown was already a common superstition that I did give to her the credit but the running of the bride to the door of the church ahead of the groom signified according to her that the wife would dominate the husband. She asked her husband for confirmation and he said Yes dear.


Long before the medical scientists were saving the baby's umbilical cord, she was already doing it. She dried it, wrapped it in a piece of newspaper which she believed had the chemical for longer storage. 
It was the place where it should be kept which concerned her. Under the stairway, the person would be shy; near the window, the person would have an aggressive personality and near the ceiling, the person would be a good singer. Do, do, do, re , re.  ahem. 

She had also superstition for babies.She advised us that the first time, the baby take  a prone position (unang pagdapa), a book should be placed at her back. The first time it happened, the nannies were so excited that they forgot the book, Instead, they used a can opener. A can opener. (kamot ulo).

Pinaysaamerika

Goodbye Catherine

Dear insansapinas,


Steve Jobs

The book about Steve Jobs was my Christmas present from my brother. Hindi ko pa nasisimulang basahin.


Catherine Willows

Who is Catherine, you may ask. She is Catherine Willows (Marg Helgenberger) one of the original CSIs, Vegas together with Gil Grissom ( William Petersen). She will be leaving the popular TV drama this January. Pinalalabas na she was disappointed of being bypassed again. After Dr. Ray Langston ( Lawrence Fishburne) left, a new boss was assigned in their department in the person of D. B. Russel (Ted Danson) who was transferred from Washington. I prefer right now another forensic-oriented drama, the Body of Proof. The characters are funny. The scene of the crime is not so gross to lose your appetite while watching. 


 Speaking of CSI, my brother who ends the year by visiting the different states ( dinadalaw ang kaniyang mga rancho at mga farm, yong mga mountain ranges at mga dagat baga ) hehehe went to Maine and Vegas this December. Acshually, the state due for visit  this year was Maine. Punta lang siya sa Vegas for a conference  para makipagpingkian ng talino sa mga kapareho niyang geek.

Pag-uwi niya, mayroon akong t-shirts-isa para sa Maine at isa para sa Vegas. May collection na nga ako. Itong sa Vegas, Nevada , CSI ang t-shirt.  Ang cool. Tamang-tama pa naman, binabasa ko ang libro ni Anthony Zuiker. 

CSI Book

Anthony Zuiker

Anthony Zuiker who? Siya ang creator ng tatlong CSI. Vegas (Ted Danson); CSI NY, Gary Sinese; at ang mapormang si David Caruso ng CSI-Miami. 


He wrote about his estranged father who did not look for him even when he was already popular. The news about his  death from suicide was brought to him CSI like--that of his friend who was his inspiration for the personality of Gil Grissom. He discussed in the book how he waited for his father so that he can crow about his achievement and to know him better since he left the family when he was a kid.  He remmaged his personal things hoping that he might find something that would tell him, he still cared. Nothing, no pictures, no newspaper or magazine clippings about his famous son. Except that the last channel that he watched before his death was the channel where CSI was being shown. Sad.


 Phone Book 
Do you still receive the yellow pages? I always received two of them when I was in San Fran--one was the yellow pages and the other one was the white pages.


Because there is a 411, I seldom used the directories except when we were sending mail catalogues for our business where I found out, some of those in the white pages were already dead and it was only the relatives continuing the account.


Howewer, I had several uses for my phone book  in its original size:

photocredit

The Househusband

Dear insansapinas,

He said he's going to attend an anniversary celebration of his high school where he did not even graduate.


He never had a regular employment when he was still in the Philippines. My friend who was in love with him (todo-todo) was psyched that he would change if she is going to marry him and bring him to the US. 


So they got married. He got hired in a hospital doing the laundry of the bed sheets and linens. In between, his breaks, he romanced a nurse and or slept behind the cabinets. He was terminated.


He found employment in a subcontractor of  an airline packing dinner for the passengers. One week after, he resigned, he said that he got tired of standing up.


They moved to another state and he got an employment in a retail outlet servicing cars which needed oil change. He was not serious with his job so that there were so many customers who complained about their cars which may have drowned of too much oil. He got fired again. Besides he was of the wrong impression that his Latino co-workers would cover for him every time  he spent his unschedules siesta in between the tires.


He has been a househusband for five years since he did not bother to look for a job. The jobs that came his way was too lowly for him--as if he has an impressive resume, academic and local experience-wise. Hindi pa rin nauuntog ang asawa. She's  providing for the family. He merely stayed at home. It is still the wife who brought the children to school after her shift in the hospital. Still cooked and washed. Hindi raw kasi marunong maglaba dahil macho. Achoo. 


He wanted to attend the anniversary in that God-forsaken barrio to show to his kabarkada that he went a long way from a kanto boy to a US citizen. What they did not know was he is unemployed. Maybe he is going to bring his attache case for impression.

The Days he cheated death

Dear insansapinas,


Ben Breedlove died on Christmas day from hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. He left a video for his family and friends.


According to him, when he was four, he was brought to the emergency where he saw this great white light which his mother could not see. He lived.


Then, he had a cardiac arrest while he was undergoing a very simple operation--toenail where he saw himself in a place which was very peaceful that  he wished he would not leave.


The common experience is the bright light and the place where a dying person found peace and happiness. I know of someone who had the same feeling when he was gunned down by robbers. He was requesting the doctors to let him die so he would not go back to earth. But of course, the doctors could not hear him. 


This is the video left behind by Ben.



Pinaysaamerika

Three Doctors in a row

Dear insansapinas,

I was out the whole day today. So chilly pa naman. Brrrrrrr. My appointment started at 9:00 a.m. The doctor must be in practice for years. Sandali lang siya, including sending the prescription request to my pharmacy.


Since there is one Filipino store nearby, we stopped by and bought dinuguan (yum) and tinapa. Tanghalian na. 


The next appointments would be in a hospital after lunch so I had to see to it that my clothes can easily be pulled since I would be wearing a robe.


The reception area for that particular department was small that it can accommodate at least three people only. I guess the number of people waiting does not excede two at a given time. There is a small cascading fountain and digital picture frame which shows off different kinds of flowers. Para bang, mamaya mo na ako tawagin, matutulog muna ako. Nakakaantok. 


The first exam was the one I hated most that I skipped it since 2008. Pinaguilty pa ako. Kung pwede lang mambatok at sumigaw, gagawin ko. TSE.

Metro Manila Film Awards Winners

Here are the awardees of the recently concluded Metro Manila Film Festival:

MANILA, Philippines—Dingdong Dantes, star of the horror flick “Segunda Mano” and Maricel Soriano of the family drama “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” won the top acting honors in this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival during the awards rites held at ResortsWorld Manila late Wednesday night.

Filipino Superstitions During New Year

Dear insansapinas,

When I was working in a charitable organization, our department was staffed with people of diverse ethnicities. It was during this period when the gods of the organization were off to the Olympus that we could afford to extend our coffee or tea breaks and compared notes about different beliefs and practices to ring in the new and kick the ass of the old.

The similarity is in the goal of ensuring that the  new year would bring more prosperity and blessings.

Some of these superstitions are:

1. Wear polka-dots.  -This must be a dated practice when coins were still made from precious metals that round means prosperity. Yong kaibigan ko was uber na uber as in ang pillow slips niya may polka dots. Yong kurtina. Pati yong damit ng aso. Awooo.

 2. Prepare 12 round fruits. Pag wala ng round, balatan ang pinaapple at hiwain ng pabilog. hee. 

3. Don't eat chicken or fish. Sa chicken, isang kahig, isang tuka. Sa isda naman, associated sa taghirap dahil walang taba. Kailangan, hamon o lechon. Pag inatake ka, bahala ka sa buhay mo.

4. Eat noodles or spaghetti for long life. Baka umabot ka ng one hundred.

5. Eat a round grape in your mouth at the stroke of midnight.  I do not care whether it is purple or green as long as it is round.

6.  Turn on all lights so that the coming year is bright. =Be sure you got a good circuit breaker.

7. Pay your debts before the year ends. If you have no money, borrow from another person. Whhops. 

8. Scatter coins in your house. I did that before, the mother of my housemate used them for laundry.

9. . Debts must be paid off. Fill you wallet with fresh peso bills. (Filipinos believe that whatever your financial state is in at the stroke of midnight, so it will be in the new year.)

10.  Don't spend money on New Year. If you want to buy something, borrow. wuuups again.

Band Aid Solution

Dear insansapinas,
When you are a victim of a disaster, no matter what entertainment is held for your sake is nothing especially if you've lost relatives or properties.


I worked for a charitable organization for years  and to us charity is concerned about providing poor, clothing, shelter and education to the youth. So whoever thought of performing a concert for the CDO victims, phulease, forget about the pluses in your image of being charitable. It is not even a band-aid solution to gargantuan problems of the victims. How are they going to start anew?. Many would even feel guilty of amusing themselves with diversions while they have not located some of their lost relatives. Some would worry where will they get the next food rations especially when the volunteers started going back to their jobs.


I wonder what these people were thinking when they announced that they will perform for the victims.
***************************************





Pinaysaamerika

The vultures and the disaster

Dear insansapinas,

The vultures are scavenging animals that feed on carcasses of dead animals and humans.Whenever there is a disaster, they will be seen attacking even wounded animals. That's their role on earth-- they produce chemicals to hasten corrosion and make the other scavengers safe from the toxins emitted by the dead victims.


But I am not talking about this bald-faced big bird. I am referring to the singing, talking before the relief goods were distributed and show biz personalities who like the vultures take advantage of the disaster particularly the dead to promote their cause. Sa showbiz, pelikula o mapagkawanggawang image; sa pulitika, para sa susunod na election. 


1. These are the stars who sell their useless gowns and shoes and pledge to donate the proceeds to the victims. Kung tutulong, bakit di na lang magbigay kahit isandaan.


2. Yong mga artista na nagpledge na idodonate ang percentage ng proceeds ng kanilang pelikula. In short, panoorin po ninyo ang pelikula namin...whoever does the accounting?


3. mga policitians at nga artista na nagpophotoop sa pagtulong. Napansin ba ninyo yong isang retrato kung saan ang mga nakapila ay magaganda pa ang mga damit, may alahas pa na kaiba sa mga biktima na meron pang putik ang paa? Ang pinamimigay pa ay mga regalong magaganda ang balot. Mga nagkikintaban. Hindi mukhang relief. TSE.
 4. Mga artista na nakangiti pa habang papunta sa CDO na para bang meron lang silang palabas o kaya party ang pupuntahan nila.

5. Pinagnochebuena ng sardines at ng noodles ang mga tao habang milyon-milyon ang mga donasyon na dumating.


6. Katapos-tapos niyan ang mga relief goods nasa opisina ng mga pulitiko, para prepared sila sa susunod na kalamidad. 

Ecumenical

Dear insansapinas,

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays !!!

My father was an Aglipayan, my mother was a Catholic but my mom would instruct my cousin to bring me to the Catholic Church when I was young to attend the holy mass. Sabi niya kasi noon daw nag-attend siya ng misa sa Aglipay, umiiyak yong anak ng pari at tawag ng tawag sa tatay. jejeje.


My grandfather was a Protestant and my grandmother would go to either  to Catholic or Aglipayan church or whichever was more convenient to go. Sabi niya, isa lang naman daw ang Diyos eh. She was raised by my religious grandmother  who cried buckets when she saw the Japanese planes flying during the World War 2. She thought that they were crosses flying in the sky. End of the world na raw where she was partly correct because millions died.


My late father-in-law was Jewish while his son's faith depends upon the religion of his current flame. Catolico siya pag Catolico ang nililigawan niya. mwehehe.Kesehodang umusok siya pag pumasok sa cathedral. 

Merry Brown Christmas

Dear insansapinas,

I read that the celebrity mother and her children are  going to the US to have a White Christmas. Ano? Pupunta ba sila sa Texas kasi hanggang ngayon, mataas ang araw at ni isang snowflake wala akong makita. Naubos siguro noong isang taon. May blizzard lang dito sa Colorado at sa Texas na wala namang mapupuntahang lugar masyado para sa mga bata.
*********

 photocredit
I bought my  real`Christmas tree  when I was on the third year in USA. The tree was seven feet high and smelled fresh. Every night when I came home, I hang decors and lights. It was almost New Year when I finished decorating it.


By that time, I had to dispose the tree. It might cause fire because it was already dry. I didn't know I had to water it. Besides, Christmas was over.  The thrash company scheduled for pick up of Christmas trees for disposal  on a particular date and I MISSED IT. Unlike in the Philippines when you can just leave your trash in the gutter, in the US, you can not. I was sweating after I cut it into pieces so I can put it inside the garbage can.

The Fruit Cake and the Hiwalayan Blues

Dear insansapinas,

So the rumor is true that there is a fruit cake that had been travelling around the world. The cake which was made by Kroger Company in 1941  will be auctioned off in Cincinatti.  With the hope that it will meet the demise of its shelf life if it is "retired" by the buyer. TAMA NA, Pahingahin ninyo na.


If you receive a fruit cake during Christmas  (I received several before) that means:
1. you are not in the original list and to save the giver the embarrassment when he/she receives the gift from you he/she will regift you with a fruit cake;
2. the giver did not have the time to shop but there were several fruit cakes which where left overs the past holiday seasons;
3. the giver does not know your preference. (playing safe).
4. the giver wants to get rid of her  many fruit cakes,
Kumbaga, gusto na niyang hiwalayan.


Talking about hiwalayan blues, the top in list are:


1. The girl-who-thinks-enough-is enough-sheds-copious-but-her-supposed-to-be-tell-all-confession- was -edited -and never-was aired in public.


2. the boy-who-can-not-accept-that-it-is-the-end-of-his-relationship- with-his beautiful-actress-girl-friend-did-not only tell all but also took a video.

It is the end of the world

Dear insansapinas, 
The world may not have ended according to the prediction of self-proclaimed prophet, Harold Camping but to some powerful people, 2011 was their last year on earth.
source: buzzfeed

1. Osama Bin Laden

Members of the national security team receive an update on the mission against Osama bin Laden in the Situation Room of the White House on May 1. He was 54.

2. Gaddafi- Brother Leafer of the Libyan Arab Jamanhiriyah.. He was killed by the rebel on October 20,2011.He was 69.


3. Kim Jomg Il-
Kim Jong-il (born: Yuri Irsenovich Kim; 16 February 1941 – 17 December 2011) was the supreme leader of North Korea (DPRK) from 1994 to 2011. He died on December 19, 2011. He was 69.


Calamity/Disaster

To some people who died in the natural disaster, they must have died thinking it was the end if the world.

1. Taunami in Japan

. In March 2011, an earthquake struck Japan which was followed by a strong tsunami killing more than 18,000 people.



2. On December 16th, flash floods killed more than 1,000 people in Southern Philippines.

Life is like a box of melted chocolates

Dear insansapinas,

photocredit
Expired chocolates
I had the wrong impression that the reason why my former boss was a compulsive borrower and a kleptomaniac was because she was deprived when she was young. According to her she never attended any social activities in school because she had no shoes and clothes to wear. 


I do not know how she was able to come to the US and married a Caucasian. The husband who discovered his addiction to borrowing confiscated all her credit cards. Then she turned into kleptomania. First time I noticed her put some items without security tags in her tote bag, I thought she was just being playful. The cost of merchandise was less than US$ 5.00 while she bought several pieces of expensive dresses and jackets. 


She wore them without removing the price tags. Being the clueless me, I thought she just would like others to see that they were expensive. 


Before the month ended, she bundled all these items and returned them to the store. That time, the stores were not that strict yet for returned goods. There was a time when she got embarrassed (wala namang hiya eh) when the sales associate of a high end store told her that they were no longer carrying the items that she was returning in their inventories--meaning she purchased it long time ago. She was not aware that department stores cleaned their inventories yearly for new fashions and arrivals. 


Melted chocolates
My male tsikiting gubat admitted that he felt envious of our neighbors when they were studying. The father was a Vice-President of a big conglomerate and the mother was a stay-at-home-mom. Since I was a single parent, I was often missed in their schools' acitivities.


The young girls were studying in an exclusive school and so were the boys where they were schoolmates of my TG. They were not deprived. The mom brought them to school in the morning, brought them home-cooked lunch at noon time and picked them up in the afternoon. 

The Potter's Field

Dear insansapinas,

I am reading a medical thriller where the professor gathered his students to give thanks to the cadavers they used for the school year. He explained that they may be dead already but they still deserve dignity in sending them to their final destination.

CDO and Iligan- Some of the cadavers which could not be identified were put in the landfill as if they were thrash to be disposed to make the area clean and sanitary. At first, the plan was to make it permanent but the outrage of many victims who have not found their relatives changed their statements.
It may be true that the bloating bodies may trigger epidemic but they could think of something else that the dead may receive decent burial.

In the harsh jungle of the states of US, even the indigent  people who died and whose bodies were not claimed are interred in what they call potter's field. At nasabihan pa tayong Christians.

Before the calamity, I had a recurring dreaming about people inside a pit extending their hands as if asking for help. I was so scared that I did not want to close my eyes. It is not because I am afraid of them. I am afraid of what is going to happen.

**************
If you are fond of watching TV series, you will noticed that communications are done thru videoconferencing, taxts or e-mails. No need for personal contacts. So when I read that there is a need for coordination with other agencies before the President can fly to the disaster area, I am sure that the person who made the statement knew nothing but to tweet. TWEET TWEET.

I am more convinced that there were a lot of party schedules lined up and among them was the party for Cabinet officials.

Kilig Moments, Donation Scams and Donations from People

Dear insansapinas,

photocredit: abs-cbn
1. Valerie Concepcion
When you are just an ordinary mortal, meeting someone who is powerful and popular will give you
kilig moments. And that's what happened to Valerie Concepcion. She wanted to tell the world how lucky she was that the President made her feel that she was someone important --what with laughing at her jokes and listening to her songs so she tweeted. And for that, the three sisters called her insensitive. For telling the truth without malice?


2. Donations from People 
The congressmen who received or who will receive the pork was encouraged by Belmonte to donate to the victims of the Sendong tragedy. They readily agreed. That money is also from the people.

To Tweet or not to tweet

Dear insansapinas,
Because of the tweet of some movie starlet, the whereabout of the President during the time when the people in Iligan and Cagayan de Oro were suffering from the calamity that befell  their provinces was made public. Some said that it was not a Sunday. There was a suggestion to verify?


Here is the story and here is the tweet,

.
After I read the story of the flashflood and saw the bloated pictures of the victims, I could not blog. I felt depressed. Children who were anticipating for Christmas were suddenly gone. Parents, looking for their children hoping that they are alive cuddled the lifeless bodies of their loved ones. The horror of waking up in total darkness and surrounded by water were enough to give one a traumatic experience.

The spokesperson did not want to talk about accountability yet. But I believe that justice happens in mysterious ways that men and courts don't quite understand.



I just read a novel whereby a bemedalled soldier became morose and a recluse  because he blamed himself for the destruction of the whole village. He was trained to kill but the faces of the children and old people alike who died   continued to haunt him. This story has been replicated by people who are hardened criminals.In their solitude, faces of their victims won't give them peace.


Pinaysaamerika

Flashflood in Cagayan de Oro and Iligan-Who's to Blame?

Dear insansapinas,

photocredit CNN

It is almost end of the year and another calamity struck the Philippines. The reporters did not bother if the pictures were graphic or not. Just like incident of the plane crash in Paranaque weeks ago, they took pictures of the victims with disregard to the grieving relatives.

Corruption wastes peoples' money; incompetence wastes money and peoples' lives.


If the claim by the US Navy that: 

The US Navy forecast days in advance that a powerful storm was headed towards Mindanao, yet PAGASA and national disaster officials did not seem to believe it. PAGASA issued its first storm signals only on Thursday, December 15, less than 24 hours before its predicted landfall in Mindanao. PAGASA's own policy is that it would raise storm signals at least 36 hours before a storm hits.

were true, who's to blame for the wanton loss of lives of people ?


Here is the news:

Manila, Philippines (CNN) -- At least 436 people are dead after Tropical Storm Washi pummeled the Philippines, Red Cross Secretary General Gwen Pang said Saturday.
The vast majority of the bodies were found in the cities of Iligan and Cagayan de Oro, according to military officials and the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council. Five people were killed in a landslide, but all others died in flash flooding.
The provinces of Compostela Valley and Zamboanga del Norte were also hit, added Benito Ramos, chairman of the National Disaster Risk Reduction and Management Council.

Kurtina sa Bintana

Dear insansapinas,

photocredit

Kahit anong ganda ang kurtinang isasabit sa bintana, kung ang bahay naman ay unti-unting gumuguho, wala ring kwenta. Mahiwaga ba?  Kunwari naman mahiwaga. Nahihiwagaan kasi ako sa mga numbers ngayon.

Good news, bad news. Good news Balita ay tumaas ang bilang ng mga nagkaroon ng trabaho sa Pilipinas ng halos doble.. Aleluya,

MANILA, Philippines—Unemployment in the Philippines hit a four-year low of 6.4 percent in October, the government said Thursday.

Bad news:

However, concerns remained as the number of unpaid workers grew.

 

Sabi nga ng mga experts:

“It is not enough that unemployment decreased. The real concern is whether quality employment improved. It’s also a cause of concern that the number of unpaid family workers actually increased. This will not help efforts to lessen poverty,” Rene E. Ofreneo of the School of Labor and Industrial Relations said in a phone interview.

Benjamin E. Diokno of the UP School of Economics said in an e-mail that two million new jobs were created in October 2011 as unemployment fell from 7.1 to 6.4 percent and underemployment improved to 19.1 percent from 19.6 percent. However, 500,000 of these new jobs were in the nature of unpaid work in family-owned businesses.

“More bad news: Average hours worked declined, as the number of part-time workers soared. Those who worked for less than 20 hours per week rose by 1.5 million, those who worked more than 40 hours rose by half a million,” Diokno said.

Says me who is not an expert:

Matagal na yang mga family members na nagtatrabaho sa kanikanilang negosyo at di nirereport na mga trabahador. Kahit nga yong nasa farm, buong pamilya nagtatrabaho lalo pag taniman at harvest time. Pag isinali mo nga naman yan, dadami ang number of employed.

Dahil October nakita ang pagtataas--hindi ba nila alam na pag October naghahire ng mga temporary employees para sa dating na Pasko. Kahit dito sa States, ganon din.  Tapos pag January, inaalis din. 

Kaya nga kahit na lace pa ang kurtinang isabit para decoration sa bahay o itago ang mga ayaw makita, kung ang loob ng bahay ay walang laman, wala rin.

Pinaysaamerika

Cartoon

Dear insansapinas,
This cartoon was forwarded to me by bayi, a Malaysian.

****************
Amen to Miriam Santiago:
Miriam slams govt dole; Soliman fails to get nod

SENATOR Miriam Defensor-Santiago asked Social Welfare Secretary Corazon Soliman to resign after the Appointments Commission on Wednesday bypassed her confirmation.

Santiago questioned the government’s P59-billion dole to the poor this year, the controversial P35-billion Poverty Eradication and Alleviation Certificates or PEACe bonds, and her connection with the group Black and White movement.

Santiago said if Congress’ pork barrel—known as the Priority Development Assistance Fund—-had regularly been criticized despite fully structured procedures for auditing, “how much more a single unelected Cabinet member holding in her hands the power to disburse [P59 billion] beyond the wildest dreams of people who are oriented with the pork barrel?”

Red

Dear insansapinas,

Today, I went to my appointment. Without asking for my name, the medical receptionist asked me to sit down to wait for the call of the doctor. Normally in a doctor's office, the patient is made to sign a paper  where it is indicated who is the doctor to see, what time is the appointment and time of arrival.  Doubtful, whether my health records have been retrieved from the filing cabinet for reference by the doctor, I approached the receptionist. She told me that the doctor is going to call me in a few minutes. She mentioned my name. Wow, galing ng memory niya. That was the third visit only and she did not have ask for my name. Is it because, I am makulit? Is it because I have done something which reminded her of me. Then I took a look at my outerwear. RED and it was the same outerwear I have been wearing since I visited the clinic. Some patients do not use outerwear; just plain jacket or sweater.


So I am back to my childhood two-dresses-phase. That is the phase of development when you have a favorite clothes that you want to wear again and again. My mother used to scold me for asking her to wash that favorite clothes of mine so I could wear it again. Sabi niya, para raw wala na akong ibang damit. Tatantanan ko lang pagpatung-patong na ang sulsi.


Then I came to the phase when it took me hours  and a lot of sweat to choose what to wear amid the bursting closet of clothes. Wala akong masuot. Wag ka, ayaw ko lang ulitin ang nasuot ko na.


Present time


I've got the following for my outerwears and jackets during winter and yet, I end up wearing a hooded red outerwear. Para akong si Little Red Riding Hood. mwhehehe,


1. leather jacket - Ang bigat. Parang pasan ko ang isang baka. Kulang na lang itong umunga,


2. Reversible outerwear - When I am wearing it with the tiger prints out, parang may tigreng nakayakap sa akin. Pag iyong itim naman ang nakalabas, para namang may black panther na nakasakay sa aking balikat. Pag suot ko yon, mukha akong model na napabayaan sa kusina. BURP..


3, Snakeskin Jacket- This is also a favorite of mine, Pag suot ko ito maraming bumabati, Ang problema, tinutusok ako at chinicheck kong totoo ngang balat ng ahas. Ano ako, nababaliw?  Para naman akong nilulon ng sawa, Kaya lang hindi masyadong protection sa lamig,

It is Merry Christmas NOT

Dear insansapinas,
photocredits:buzzfeed 

So much had been said about the battle between the Supreme Court and the Executive Department. The Lower House with a number that exceeded the required members to sign the impeachment papers (thanks pork barrel for that) approved the impeachment in a lightning-like fashion (mas mabilis pa sa kidlat) of  the SC Chief Justice with some of the congressmen hardly reading the papers.(perhaps?)


Frankly, I have no enough words to describe what I feel except that there is a lot of negativity. Just like this picture in Arizona when a dust storm was experienced in July. Parang galit na nagdedescend mula sa itaas na gustong lamunin ang State.

Sa susunod na mga araw, ang mga tao ay malilibang na naman sa pagsubaybay ng pangyayari. Hindi nila mararamdaman na unti-unti ang ekonomiya ay parang ipo-ipo sa dagat na nawawala.

Hanggang magigising tayong nawala na ang lahat. 

Pinaysaamerika

Dial 911

Dear insansapinas,

This is the first time that I met 9-11 paramedics. I went to emergency wards in the past but there's no wang wang and no first aid workers who came to the house. Ang mahal ng bayad noon noh.
Kuripot talaga. Kahit maglakad na lang gagawin. Toinkz.


Tonight, the 9-11 truck came. No it was not for me. It is for my brother. He did not feel well since afternoon. He was planning to go to the library so return books that are due and to borrow new ones.
Since no one is going to drive for him, he called 9-11  instead.I can not go with him. Baka ako pa ang asikasuhin ng doctor at nurse sa ospital.

Got Names ?

Dear insansapinas,
I am not aware that there are names for things, events and conditions that are hardly used at all.
source: buzzfeed


When I was young and feeling "holy" (that was the time I was thinking of entering a convent. hahaha and my eldest brother had the unbelieving look and said...magugulo ang mga madre), I used to go to church early in the morning. By the time the mass was over and I was walking home, I saw this CREPISCULAR RAYS. What's that again?

That is the name of the rays of sunlight coming from a certain point in the sky. Di ba awesome?


2. When I was still among those waking up early morning to go to work, there were times or almost every day especially during winter, I found it difficult to get up . Gusto ko pang matulog. Gusto kong magbalot sa comforter. Di sana naghihilik pa ako. Di sana, ang sarap pa ng tulog ko. The name of this state of finding it hard to get out of bed is DYSANIA.

3. My mother used to tell me that in order to know an elemental that assumed a human image, look at the part of the face between the noise and the mouth. If there is no groove, it means that it is not human. Ngiii.
Paano kung sinisipon? The name of the groove is...PHILTRUM.

4. When you sit too long or whatever you're doing without moving for a long time, there are times when it seems there are needles and pins that pricked your skin. A part of that body feels asleep.  This is known as OBDORMITION. The needles and pins are called PARESTHESIA. 

The Prescription

Dear insansapinas,

I feel exhausted since last Friday where I went to my  three specialists' appointments. The second doctor's clinic was closed but I could see that the window blinds were not shut. There was a vehicle  in the parking area. I got a hunch that there was someone inside. It was not really an appointment for me. I will just pick up something but I called ahead and she said yes. My brother called the phone. Someone picked it up. The doctors may be in the other clinics. It was just a  medical receptionist who  was in. It could be that she did not want to be bothered or she was facebooking when we came. aha.


My last stop was an appointment with a nursing practitioner who would show me how to use the diabetes injectables. For six months, my blood sugar was high and I am taking the full dosage for my diabetic pills. For the past few months, I've been binge eating, chocolates and other sweet snacks. Aside from I had a scare when my bs went below normal that I was shaking, I feel a little depressed, what with the deaths of some friends of mine and the celebrities who have all the millions in the world to save themselves from the scary C and yet they succumbed to the disease. Funny but it was like I was having a death wish thru chocolates. (Guffaw). Another thing was the thought of going to my doctors for regular follow ups. Sometimes, it crossed my mind what's the use when the end will be the same--death. But reading how some kababayans sought for help to pay for the expensive treatments in the hope of living longer, I like to slap my face for failure to appreciate that all I have to do is to make the appointments in my end.

The Wife from Hell

Dear insansapinas,

This is about a male friend of mine aside from we're together in the first company, I worked for. We were five in all but it is he who became closest to me because he was quiet and well-behaved.

photocredit
 I saw his meltdown when our common friend refused his proposal. For our girl-friend, she considered it "incest" since we treated each other like sisters and brothers. Besides, she had also her love crisis at that time. She was in love with her boy friend of two years who was in love with another girl. (Ani nga sa kanta, mahal kita, mahal mo siya, mahal niya ay iba, crazy world) 

To help him forget the girl (although they remained friends) another male friend of ours introduced her to a girl friend of his. (Girl friend lang kasi, girl din yong kaibigan namin. Ahaahy). Unfortunately, the first time they went on threesome, the girl smoked like a chimney and was dead drunk before they finished the date.


Then he met a lady in the internet. She's a Filipina, separated from the husband (daw) and has a son. He went home to the Philippines and they met. He was happy when he came back. Then I received a phone call from him asking about a recruitment agency. I browsed  its website. Nothing in it except the contact number which was just a voice mail. I smelled a rat. 



The girl was insinuating that she needed the money for placement fee for this recruitment agency of temp workers in the US. I advised him not to give a single cent. From then on, the girl became cold as ice and he intercepted an e-mail from another guy. Nagkamali siguro ng padala. Boyfriend ng girl friend niya (?)


He became depressed again. He met another Filipina. Before he came home to the Philippines to see each other in person, the lady had already ordered expensive perfumes and other gifts. Para ba siyang sa Santa Claus. Even when he came back to the US, she was still asking for more gifts. Sabi ko, hindi yan bilmoko. Bigaymoko.


The romance just died. The only explanation was that the lady found him boring daw. 


He decided to go home to the Philippines for good to take care of some properties. There he met this lady who is a professional. He got no boyfriend but his family has big landholdings in their province. She never experienced to wash dirty dishes and clothes. The parents sent her monthly food provisions and saw to it that she always had house help.


After less than a year of courtship (babae ang lumigaw), they decided to get married. I was happy for my friend. Then while they were preparing for the wedding, the bride-to-be had altercations with almost all the relatives and friends. Napag-isip ako. Something wrong.


I advised my friend that instead of getting married in the Philippines,  it is a lot faster to petition her as fiancee.  She did not accede. First, her friends are there. (I agree, women tend to show off to their female friends about her conquest). Then there was already the plan of going to the US. Patay. My friend thought that he will be staying in the Philippines for good. Anyway.


My friend's mother had to go home to the Philippines to meet the parents and relatives and arranged for the wedding. Inako niya ang more than half a million na gagastusin pa lang sa reception. 


His sister bought the wedding gown. Vera Wang pa yata.


So nakaraos ang wedding. His siblings and mother in the US travelled several thousand miles to attend the wedding. She was even ecstatic when she was telling me that the church was beautifully decorated.


My friend flew back to the US to work on her papers. So he called me. Hindi ako lawyer pero marami akong experience.


Naayos na lahat, nasubmit na and the INS said that processing will take at least six months. Hige.


Then my friend called asking me if it is really six months. Sabi ko minsan nga more than that kasi maraming mga holidays both in the US and the Philippines. 


My friend called again. His wife is getting depressed while waiting. Sabi ko wala pang three months.


Then another call. Hindi na raw nag-uusap ang mother niya at ang wife sa telepono. Nag-away daw. Halos araw at gabi raw tumatawag si wife.Sumbong sa akin ng mother niya, hindi na nga raw makalabas ng kuwarto ang anak niya. May sarcasm pala yon. Tinanong pa ako kung natatawagan ako. OO naman,


The mother advised her son to tell the wife that she should think first before she opens her mouth. Nakakasakit. 


Then he called again. The brother told my friend to tell his wife not to write their quarrels and other personal issues in her Facebook. 


Last night we talked. Ano ba talaga ang problema nyan. Insecurities, sagot niya. Pinipilit na madaliin ko yong papel niya kung hindi, pupunta siya sa iba. ANO KA INS?

I remember the first time he told me that the lady wanted to come to the US. She has relatives daw dito who can take care of them.

So I asked my friend:
1. Does she know that some relatives are only accommodating if you are just a guest?
2. Is she prepared to wait for many months until she gets a job. The rejection can lower the self-esteem especially if she never had that kind of problem in the Philippines. 
3. Does she know that there are times when the couple do not see each other because of the work schedules.
For a woman that has insecurities na para bang aagawin ang kaniyang asawa palagi, malaking problema yan.
4. Depression is not only caused by problems but also by the weather. 
5. She got to be independent if she wants to survive in the US. 


My friend said that she is war freak every time he brings out the issue. Patay. She talks a lot, nags a lot and fights a lot. It is like a menopause that came earlier.


Note: My friend gave me the permission to write about his love life, Anyway you do not know him. What is important is the lesson. He asked me what is he going to do if the marriage does not work. Naku mali ang tinanungan niya. Diborsyada po ako and if I feel am miserable in a relationship, I end it while we are still friends.

Sabi niya maybe one year is not enough to know a person. Sabi ko hindi yon ang dahilan. Pag mabait ang tao mabait talaga. Kahit na matagal na kung minsan di mo pa rin kilala ang taong malapit saiyo.

Pinaysaamerika