Temporarily Blind

Dear insansapinas,

Early morning, Monday, I was already at the door of the office of my eye doctor. It was still closed. So I sat at the corner of the hallway as other patients started arriving. Since there is no bench or chair, my brother gave me the smalll ice bucket to sit on. With my colored glasses, I just needed an empty can or a small shoe box so people can make " hagis" to me some bills or coins.hehehe Di ako lilimusan, mas maganda naman ang aking relo (ahem)pero hindi naman kasing expensive noong binili ng aking favorite star na sa kamahalan, parang nakapulupot sa kaniyang kamay ang isang bahay at lupa o isang SUV.

I walked in to the clinic--that means I have no appointment. Dito kasi kailangan may appointment ka bago ka nila pansinin.  Last Saturday ang appointment ko. I had my eyes dilated for glaucoma  testing . Every time I had a test, my eyes became red except for the first two tests, years ago. The first time, it happened, I thought I got a pink eye that I had contracted from a  previous patient of my optometrist. You know the machines being used touched eyes and other parts of the faces. The second time, I thought, it was stress--the medical assistant overdid the procedure.


That's why I dread this eye test but my primary doctor insisted on it because of my diabetes.And now, my doctor is not an optometrist; he is an opthalmologist.

Mas sophisticated ang machines. May mga photoop pa pa ng aking mata, front and back. May test pa kung saan hahabulin mo ang isang ilaw. Sus. 

But it happened again. Sunday, when I woke up, I can hardly opened my eyes.The venetian blinds in my window were up so the sunlight was not filtered. Para akong vampire na nasasaktan sa init ng araw, para akong vampire na pinakitaan ng Krus. Ahhhhhhhhhh  The worst was I can only see shadows when I opened my eyes. Every time I tried to open my eyelids, they hurt.  I got runny nose that together with the tears from my eyes they're like the  NIAGARA FALLS.

It was easy going to the bathroom because it's close to my room. But I could not eat that I slept whole day. Balak ko pa namang ulam ay tilapiya. Eh maraming tinik yon.  When I woke up, I felt dehydrated. I need one drum of water to meet my water requirements for the day. 

The VOWS, Bow

Dear insansapinas,

Some writers/columnists/bloggers are of the opinion that all priests have a vow of poverty. So their brows raised when they heard that some men of cloth have retirement kitties and have solicited personal favors for their birthday. 

They are wrong, very wrong. First there is a differentiation between secular and regular priests. The secular priests do not have religious orders and they do not take vows. The religious priests belong to a particular order and they take the vows of poverty, chastity and obedience.


When I was studying in a Catholic school, we had the religious priests.as speakers in our retreats,  One day, a priest was wearing a much shorter garb. If it was not a retreat, we would ask him where the flood was. BITIN ang sutana niya. But he knew were making fun of him at his back. He explained that unlike our parish priests who were also our confessors, they did have a vow of poverty. So they do not own anything. Not even flip-flops. That morning, he was late in getting his supply of what to wear during the day. Someone must have gotten the vestment that he used to wear. 


When I was a kid, I was also disappointed to learn that the church charges for the sacraments. Akala ko libre. And the priests also get their allowances. Then I realize, they can subsist on bread alone, can they? Magkakadiabetes sila sa carbo.


Here in the States, I have worked in a Chuch (not Catholic) and its non-profit organization arm. Since I was handling the FS and supervised the receipts and disbursements, I know that our church ministers are receiving salaries, allowances, housing allowances and their pension funds are invested by our investment managers/consultants.


So do not even think that these ministers and priests know where their money are going to be invested especially if they are given already blanket authority how to manage the funds as to investment in stocks, bonds and or other CDs. The investment managers can not wait for the go-signal of the investors everytime  there are good opportunities that come unexpectedly.


If  the men of cloth of other denominations can provide for the retirement of their ministers, why can't the Catholic Church do that without the people howling? What do they think about the priests, bishops and nuns?They are immortals. They are not gods who will rise to heaven when they retire.  I do not know of a place in the Philippines where retired nuns live and are cared for in their old age. Here in the States, there are nursing homes for these church servants when they are no longer active. The nuns in the Philippines relied mostly on their SSS pensions. The congregation  care for them when they get sick. Some die in the convent.  Yes Virginia,  they are covered also by the church. They do get sick, you know. Priests have to evangelize. They have to have a ride. They do not walk in water. 

Squints

Dear insansapinas,

What are squints? That is the term used to refer to the forensic scientists in the TV series BONES which starred Emily Deschanel as Dr. Temperance (Bones) Brennan, a character inspired by Kathy Reichs, a real forensic anthropologist. Why are they called squints by the FBI agent (Buffy the Vampire Slayer,   David Boreanaz) Sealey Booth? Because they squint ( look with eyes partly closed when they use the microscope to look at specimen or evidence of the crime). By the way, the reason why she is called Bones is because she finds the COD, TOD from the bones of the deceased.

It is not the medical examiner who probes the death of a person whose remains are just skeletons. It is the forensic anthropologist like in the Casey Anthony's  daughter, Caylee Anthony.

Squints also refers to an opthalmology  case of being cross eyed. I've got a student who was cross-eyed. When I saw him last, his eyes are already "fixed". Thanks for the surgery.


Why am I talking about squints?

Because I will be visiting an eye doctor for a real reading glass. Does that mean, I have been using fake reading glass? Nah Virginia. It was only lately that I used reading glasses when I was affected by the diabetes.

But the reading glasses that I used are the over-the-counter cheap stylish reading glasses which have the same prescription in both eyes. 


My eye doctor, in probing my eyes after I complained that I have been squinting when I read and write found out that there is a difference between my two eyes. The difference is so material that if my eyes were to be realigned according to the prescription, my right eye will be at the top of my forehead and the left eyes will be down my cheek. Kaya pala, ang tingin ko sa Mundo ay hindi pantay. *heh*. My distance prescription glasses are also the same but I rarely used them except when I wanted to see signs from afar. It is the reading glass which I could not do without.What with the average of ten books that I read a week.

Bridge Over Troubled Water

Dear insansapinas,

My tsikiting gubats know that I was undergoing "stormy weather" in my career when I repeatedly played this song Bridge Over Troubled Water by Simon and Garfunkel while sipping a nice cold tea. No, I don't nag, I do not verbalize my sentiment, I just listened to a favorite song of mine. Walang luhang tumutulo. No, no sa harap ng mga tsikiting gubats ko yon.  For me, the meaning of the song is not looking for a real friend even though I had my share of having been abandoned/betrayed/snubbed by people I thought were my friends. For me it is a song that pictured me over troubled water and survive. Lately, I found this version of Roberta Flack. Parang ako ang kumakanta. AHEM. Aray nambato naman kaagad.




Pinaysaamerika

Mendicant Mentality and Away Mag-asawa

Dear insansapinas,

People criticized Revillame's game show for encouraging mendicant mentality among the poor. Why are these people quiet with the new game show that is promising give-aways worth millions as prizes hosted by Manny Pacquiao in GMA7?

If you can not lick them, join them? Ganoon?

Robin Padilla's away mag-asawa

Someone should tell Robin Padilla that it is not normal for a husband to maul his wife in public and it is not an ordinary away-mag-asawa. It is DOMESTIC VIOLENCE. 

"Sa akin kasi, away mag-asawa yun. Lahat dumadaan sa ganung mga klaseng mga aksyunan po, at lalong sumasarap ang pagmamahalan pagkatapos ng mga ganung bagyo."

Especially this kind of violence:

Pero kuwento ni Jane, "He got angry at me and started screaming inside the bar... When I stood up to leave, he grabbed my arm and pushed me to a corner. He started punching me in the face until I fell down. Royette continued punching me even as I was lying on the floor."

Pinaysaamerika

Casey Anthony after the verdict- Will she become a millionaire?

Dear insansapinas,
Books and movies were planned for Casey Anthony' story but they are on hold now for fear of immediate backlash by the producers and publishers because of people's outrage. Jerry Springer denied that he offered a million for the appearance of Casey and his parents in his show. He said that he would never touch her with a ten-foot pole. His producer however is determined to offer the same amount for the TV show that he started himself.


Even Hugh Hefner would not like to "reward" Casey Anthony with an offer in his Playboy Magazine.


source: CNN


But Casey Anthony has also admirers, mostly male. They sent her money which she used to buy cosmetics. 

Sympathetic admirers from as far away as Canada have been sending Anthony, 25, checks, which she uses to buy snacks and cosmetics, reports ABC News. 
As of Thursday, Anthony had earned $472.18 – almost $200 more than she had the day she received the verdict.

Children, Nannies and Blind Item na nakakakulo ng dugo

Dear insansapinas,

Yesterday afternoon we had a thunderstorm. Strong wind, rain and very dark skies. As I looked down our balcony, I saw a young couple struggled to reach their house. The mother was carrying the baby carriage with the baby protected by a plastic cover. She was also carrying a tote bag and a purse. The husband was carrying the stroller, a big grocery bag and a brown shopping bag.


This is a common sight here in the US. It is not a picnic to be bringing a kid for a stroll or for wellness check-up since there are laws to comply with for the protection of the child. It is not a brow-lifting spectacle to see a father carrying some tote bags or the baby himself while walking at the mall or other public area; a task which to  a Filipino father in the Philippines is  a non-macho thing.


In the Philippines, it is the nanny or the hired help who carries the baby, while the couple walk leisurely if there are no other children to attend to.


In every gathering or parties, children are brought along by the parents. Twelve years old or lower are required to have a baby sitter when left at home. So when you invite a friend, it is actually an invitation to a family.


This is probably why Casey Anthony felt that her life is one big prison where she  could not get out and enjoy life because she can not leave her daughter without a nanny when her mother is not home. She may not be able to afford to pay a nanny who receives a per hour rate because she does not have a job.


This is also the problem of the sister of my friend. When she came to the US, she brought with her, the nine year old daughter. My friend discouraged her to let her stay because she would not be able to work.
So she has been here in the States for two years and yet she could not find a job. She found one but it runs in conflict with her daughter's class schedule. The school requires the parents to pick up the children after school hours.

Papogi Signs

Dear insansapinas,
Here in the States, to warn pedestrians from crossing, they use internationally accepted and recognizable signs. 

or this sign...

In the Philippines, signs are used by politicians for papogi points:

The signage reads, "Bawal Tumawid" (Crossing is prohibited) with the smiling photo of Quezon City Mayor Bistek. For those who are not familiar with the Philippine showbiz, "Bistek" is the nickname given to the former actor Herbert Bautista.

But I like this sign best: 

More papogi point:

Blind Item na nakarelos ng lima

Dear insansapinas,
Mahilig din ako sa relos. May expensive, may mura na paghiningi sa akin ng magnanakaw, ibibigay ko kaagad may kasama pang box. Pero itong relos na pinag-uusapan dito ay million ang mga halaga.

photocredit: bling
Mahuhulaan ba ninyo itong actress-TV-host? If you can, pakikialaman ba ninyo dahil pera naman ang ginastos niya? 

GAANO katotoo na bumili ng limang mamahaling relo ang isang actress-tv host na iba-ibang design? Almost P2 million daw ang isa. Umaabot ito ng almost P10 million.
Wala namang problema dahil malaki talaga ang kinikita ng actress tv-host sa kanyang mga ini-endorse at mga teevee shows. Kayang-kaya niya talagang bumili ng mga expensive na relo.

Heat Wave

Dear insansapinas,

I'd been sleeping since Saturday. I did not realize, it is already Tuesday. I've been a Rip Van Winkle for a few days. The truth is I could not sit down for a long time. May nakain yata ako. mwahahaha.


But Tuesday, I have to see my oncologist for appointment. I checked the temp. It is 99. Whoa. Then I read in Philippine tabloid that an actress who just landed to the US said that the weather is just like inside her air-conditioned room. Saan kaya yon? So far there are 24 states on alert for heat wave here in the US.

The areas covered by the excessive heat advisory -- parts of Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Tennessee, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and South Carolina -- can expect the heat index to rise above 110 degrees Tuesday, the Weather Service said.

The hottest of the hot looks to be Mississippi and parts of Tennessee, where forecasters warned the heat index could soar to 116.

Other states included in the heat advisory are Connecticut, Delaware, Kansas, Louisiana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Ohio, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Texas and Virginia.

Saan kaya lumanding yong actress na yon? Baka sa SF na kahit July, malamig. Only the tourists walk in the downtown areas in shorts and sleeveless tops. Later they buy those ugly oversized jogging suits before their lips turn to blue.


Right now it is 62, in the Bay Area.


My appointment was 10:45. Kainitan. I reluctantly left the house where temp is controlled. The light which we call the sun hurt my eyes. I remember the tips on how to avoid heat stroke. I do not even have bottled water. When I reached my doc's office, the receptionist offered me cold water. But cold water is not also a good idea to quench the thirst.


It took me only 15 minutes to talk to doctor. I do not want to discuss it. Okay ang aking blood pressure, ayokong tumaas. I already talked to my other GREAT PHYSICIAN with the help of my son. 

Modus Operandi of Common Crimes

Dear insansapinas,

Got interested in this article Modus operandi of the most common crimes in the Metro Manila, Philippines via Resty .

Read the  descriptions of the common crimes and be warned.
There are other crimes which victimized househelps, stay-at-homes or beauty parlor operators.


Sadly, isa ako doon sa mga tangang muntik ng maging biktima. It was a semestral break and I stayed home to finish a lot of financial statements. One of my household secretaries was in the garageslashpatioslashcoveredgarden. She was talking to a woman with a small bag of jewelries, mostly broken or orphans. The woman was convincing her to sell her antique earrings. When I came out, she asked me if I have broken jewelries. She was buying old and battered jewelries. (tira-tirahan na ng panahon). Yong iba may plaster na at may cast. mwehehe.



I remember I have a set of earrings who needed to be repaired. I took them out. She got one piece and rub it with a wet cloth.. It turned black. Para bang peke ang jewelry. Sabi niya, napeke kayo nito. Tingnan ninyo nangitim. Gold plated lang. Parang gusto kong kumanta ng TUBOG SA GINTO (may kanta bang ganoon?)


Pero sabi niya, bilhin ko na rin sainyo. Patutubog ko lang at ipagbibili ko. Magkano mo bibilhin, taas ang kilay ko. Sampung piso. Mwahahaha.

Prenups and Spirits

Dear insansapinas,

In the interview with the recently engaged and soon to be married controversial couple, Hayden expressed his willingness to sign a prenup. According to him...

“Ang sabi ko lang lagi kay Vicks is, ‘Alam mo Vicks, ang sa’yo, sa’yo, ang akin, sa atin. (insert: kasi ang akin naman saiyo nanggaling. hehehe) And she was so happy!” Hayden enthused in his joint interview with his soon-to-be wife.  

Prenup photos in Libingan ng Mga Bayani:
The couple and the photo studio who were responsible for the photoops already apologized and took down the photos from the web.


Alhough the spirits of the dead buried in the cemetery or memorial parks do not stay there as if that's their final destination,  some lost souls do. These are the discarnates. Discarnate spirits are souls who linger for either good or bad reasons in a specific location, or connected with particular groups or individual human beings.

Communication

Dear insansapinas,

(reposted) Masakit ang aking daliri.


Like I remember in a big hospital which has plenty of pinay nurses. on the 12th floor two American doctors got into the elevator, then on the 10th floor,three pinay nurses got in. standing infront of the

 elevator, then the elevator opened  on the 9th  floor...then three pinay nurses standing outside  the elevator asked the pinay nurses inside:BABABA BA? so the pinay inside the elevator replied

...BABABA. on the 7th floor the same thing happened..

the pinay nurses outside the elevator asked those inside..

BABABA BA? the same reply...BABABA. then on the 6th

 floor all of the pinay nurses altogether walked out of the

 elevator leaving the two American doctors inside. then

the two faced each other and one of them said:

GOD DAMM...THEY ALL TALKED LIKE SHEEPS AND

 THEY UNDERSTOOD EACH OTHER.

What these foreign doctors do not know is

that we do not have to emote or to make a lot of gestures

like they do in order to communicate...that a

one syllable- word can express a sentiment, an

affirmation or a rejection by merely repeating

it once or twice.

Here is a poem that Pinay composed to describe it.

Bababa ba ?

Cluttered Desk, Cluttered Mind;Empty Desk, Empty Mind?

Dear insansapinas.
This was the desk of Albert Einstein who was famous for his quote:  "If a cluttered desk signs a cluttered mind, Of what, then, is an empty desk a sign?".

photofrom the net


Debates between tidy and messy desks have been raging in the social network because of the photo of the president in his presidential desk that was released by Malacanan. With the kind of staff who did not anticipate its effect to the president's image, who needs enemies? 

PNoy in hot water over unflattering photo

For a president who has a lot of aides to take care of the paperwork and documents, he can choose to ask for the file one at a time during his perusal. In fact,  files  especially which are confidential should not be lying around the desks where they can easily be accessed and copied.

For a very powerful and busy man, all he has to do is make his aide or chief of staff give him a rundown of  issues that are in the voluminous docs. IF that is his work ethic. We've been used to the two past hands-on presidents who liked to keep themselves updated with the current situations/events/problems by waking up early and catching the early proverbial worms by reading. Pasalamat nga yang mga worms na yan. Wala nang humuhuli sa kanila. 

So those who argued  about cluttered desks may have a point. So were also those  who think that empty desk may not necessarily indicate laziness.  Empty mind? Ask Einstein.

I just could not see if there is a paperweight. The only thing I see to prevent a paper from flying was the pack of cigarette. See, the cigarette has a purpose. IF there is no paper weight,  someone in the staff should go to an office store to buy even a cheap paper weight. These are not the kinds of gifts received by the President. Me, as ordinary workhorse received at least a dozen of them during Christmas and  birthdays that I was afraid my whole desk would collapse because of so much weights. 

I admit, I had cluttered desks when I was still pulling that metal chains of slavery in the corporate world up the ladder.  Did I suspect that I have a cluttered mind? Nope. I can remember a single file wherever it is in my desk--whether it is  used to cover a piece of muffin or to hide a newly-bought magazine that I would like to read in between cluck, cluck and ding ding of my computer.

Blind Item na nagpaparetrato

 Dear insansapinas,

There was a blind item regarding a soon-to-be appointed Cabinet member who is said to be playing sweet music with someone in the Palace.

The chismis was  verified by Ricky Lo, Entertainment writer:

Have they or haven’t they? Split, that is.That cliché question has been hounding Mar Roxas (soon-to-be the new DOTC head) and Korina Sanchez for months, partly fanned by a “kuryente” broadsheet report that a “third party” (said to be a highly-placed socialite) had caused their break-up.True or not?

Last time I heard about the socialite was in San Francisco during the death of a network magnate where she was mentioned to be a good "friend".


 During the oath taking of the new Cabinet member, the wife and that socialite met in the Palace. Did I see Tupperware flying or kissing? 

Here is the news: 
 It was what any quick-thinking husband would do.While waiting for his oath-taking rites to start in Malacañang on Monday, newly designated Transportation Secretary Mar Roxas spotted his wife Korina Sanchez in a chat with a female Palace aide—and saw a great opportunity to dispel some pesky rumors.

CASEY ANTHONY - NOT GUILTY

Dear insansapinas,

I was expecting that it will take a little longer to come up with a verdict but in less than 24 hours, the jury in the case of Casey Anthony rendered a NOT GUILTY verdict except for the lying to the authorities. People were outraged. The parents, Cindy and George Anthony went out of the courtroom, minutes after they heard the result. The defense lawyers were celebrating. Casey Anthony was smiling.


Is it a Stockholm syndrome or is it that the jury was too tired to stay longer for deliberation?


The death of Caylee Anthony did not have a closure. Her mother, Casey Anthony will be free and the little girl will just be a poor skeleton with duct tape in her mouth when she was found.


People were shocked. They could not believe what they just heard. The law firm of the defense will enjoy popularity. 


Interesting to note that only the lawyers were with Casey in her happiest moments. 


But like the O.J. Simpson case who was declared guilty and was spared from prison for killing his wife, after several years, he ended up in prison for  another charge. 


Weeks or months from now, this story will be fictionalized in the Law and Order, CSI Crriminal Minds which forensic procedures were used to process the evidence. I am sure that one thing they will focus on is the lack of DNA to connect or to put Casey Anthony in the scene of the crime. However, there were other evidence that only Casey Anthony could have done it. The wrapping of the body with the blanket, the hair of the Caylee with the DNA in it and the lying of Casey Anthony that her daughter was kidnaped. It is not the false information to the officers but it is the so many alibis that she concocted to avoid the mother from looking for her granddaughter. 


I hate that lady who was smiling from ear to ear as if the injustice given to the child and the saving of Casey from death penalty are two things to celebrate for. They could savor their victory but there should be no smiles just congratulatory remarks. Very insensitive.


TSEH.


But I know for a fact that even if it is the Supreme Court that  declared the innocence of a suspect or suspects, the guilt will forever etched in the conscience of the individual/s. 


Pinaysaamerika

The Leather Jacket and the Grapes

Dear insansapinas,

photocredit:creative ads
(From my other blog, habang hinahasa ko pa ang aking utak. Haba ng long weekend. Kaya nga long weekend eh: *heh*).


Experience has taught me that the crisis model of young people is one which is a maze of anxiety, riotous swings of moods and rebelliousness. They also hold to inflexibly high ideals.
My brother once saved a portion of his allowance for a leather jacket. He got to have one just like my older brother, you know the older-brother-hero-worship-kind of-thing stage. After a few months, he found that his savings were not enough even for one sleeve of the jacket. . He asked my mom to give him money so he can buy his dream jacket. My mom thought that it was foolish to buy a leather jacket that he would outgrow in a few months. (Not unless bumili siya ng plus plus size to provide for growth. Parang yong pagbili ko ng sapatos na mas malaki ng isang inch para paglaki ng aking paa pwede pa. Kesehoda kong kahit nilagyan ko ng papel ay kalap, kalap, kalap pa siya paglakad ko at naiiwan pagtakbo ko).


My mother  said no. My father said tssk tssk tssk as he left my mom as the juror, the judge and the executioner.My brother rebelled. The cause was a leather jacket which could not be used often because of the hot weather in the PHL.  It was normal for a child undergoing a turbulent passage from one stage to another so a psychiatrist/psychologist would say. He used all his money to buy grapes. My mom suspected that it was a deliberate reaction to spite her.Like Judge Judy, she handed the verdict. He was to be grounded for a week and he should eat all the grapes.(Methinks that I was doing him a favor when I offered to share his punishment by eating half). I considered the first punishment was over as in uber. The second was not a punishment until I saw my brother becoming tipsy as he finished the last few pieces.

Casey Anthony Trial: Casey, Caylee, Chloroform, Crime Part 2

Dear insansapinas,

The Casey Anthony trial was concluded with the prosecutors' last closing arguments. Yesterday, the four-hour argument delivered by the defense was merely to confuse the jurors. Several conclusions were made which needed rebuttal from the prosecutors. The defense lawyers were ready to file a motion of mistrial for every chance they could get during short recesses. Their theory of the dyfunctional family where the father was accused of sexually abusing Casey and the brother fathering Caylee did not fly. The judge prevented the defense from mentioning those alleged abuses to explain Casey's behavior during the days when her daughter was missing. There were no enough evidence.


I was also confused when the judge called for a break last night leaving the viewers not quite sure what ws really the cause of death of Caylee. The defense askd the jury to ignore the evidence examined by the forensic scientists of the FBI.  But the prosecutor spelled it out in his early argument--the killer used chloroform and duct tape to suffocate the child.


The accidental drowning is not acceptable since no person  in her proper mind would stage an accidental death as murder. The natural reaction of a mother whose child died of accidental drowning is grief and the hope that she can still save the baby would make her call 9-1-1. The lady prosecutor said that for a good mom that the defense has been portraying Casey, she questioned the lies she's been telling her family and friends about her missing daughter---that she was abducted by the imaginary nanny--that she was in Universal Studios when all the while the girl was decomposing in the area near her parent's home.


The prosecutor explained how the motive of eliminating Caylee makes the murder a premeditated first degree murder. Casey was a minor when she became a mother. Her lifestyle was restricted since her mother would make her become a responsible mother instead of leaving the child with her during her day off. 

The duct taping was also considered aggravated child abuse and because it led to the death of Caylee. According to the judge and the presecutors, it falls under felony murder. The defense objected to it but was overruled. The prosecutor averred that he was just reading the definition; short to saying he did not make it up. hehehe.


Even if the jury ruled that drowning is the cause of death, she is still liable to the crime because as a parent and or caregiver, she was negligent of her daughter which caused her death.


I did not like her poker-face. If looks could kill, the prosecutors have long been buried since the start of the trial.


I hope the jury will find her guilty as charged.


Pinaysaamerika

Goodbye to a Friend

Dear insansapinas,

He may have died depressed, angry and sick.


That was his third or fourth stroke. This year, I was surprised that after several years of marriage he and the wife separated.


I know that the marriage was not stable years after they suffered financial hardship that they were forced to dispose all their properties except for the house and lot in our village.


HE SAVED me from possible bleeding to death when I had just moved to the village.I was aloof and did not bother to meet the neighbors. They were trying to find out if I was married, a single mom or a kept woman (perhaps). There were no boys in the household except for my tsikiting gubat. That was why. Gossip transcends economic/social status and is the favorite past time of neighbors--idle or not.


I had a small garden in my front yard where I put up a trellis for my favorite veggie--the ampalaya. That day, I was feeling stressed while working on some projects that I called in sick from my regular 9-5 job. I was talking to the ampalaya why they are " bansot". Yes Virginia, I talk to dead people, veggies and flowers. When I was in an accounting firm, I talked to the wall of the office especially during audit season.


I was standing on a small chair when I miscalculated my balance. Besides the soil was soft. The chair tumbled down the ground and I was sent " flying" towards our grill fence. My palm was ripped open and an artery must have been cut. I was bleeding profusely. I was alone since the kids were in the school and the nannies were with them. It was after 2 o clock and the village was quiet. Some SAHMs must be taking naps; others were in their offices. Children were in schools.

Casey Anthony Trial: Casey, Caylee, Chloroform, Crime

Dear insansapinas,

I am watching the live telecast of the trial of Casey Anthony who is accused of killing her daughter, Caylee Anthony.

 Both the prosecution and the defense teams are presenting their closing arguments. 

I find the lead defense attorney using circuitous argument. Sometimes I like to interject, relevancy? Sorry for lacking sympathy to Casey Anthony who is accused of killing her 2-year old daughter.

The state established the motive of the killing which is premeditated murder while the defense team is trying to save Casey from death penalty. It insisted that the death was drowning accidentally. 

In my book, a mother who can party and act even if the toddler was missing for 31 days is for me is not a good mom as the defense would like to portray her. Tsehhhhhhhhhh ( ooops, remind me when I am drinking my tea). Regardless of age whether you are a teener, an adult or person who is about to jump from the calendar, the feeling would be the same. Mahiwalay ka nga lang ng isa o dalawang gabi, you already miss the kids not unless it is beyond your control or circumstances called for the separation. 
The defense is also filing a motion of acquittal and or mistrial. Tseh ulit. The judge rejected it.


I learned a lot from watching the live trial. Yesterday, the prosecution presented a witness from a hospital regarding enttrie done by Cindy Anthony, the mother of Casey Anthony and the grandmother of Caylee.

I was wondering what is the importance of that inquiry. The witness said that in the hospital, the nurses log in to the sytem to enter inputs about the patients. Now I remember my friend, the nurse asking me to teach her about computer years ago. She used to write vitals  in post-it notes which she misplaced all the time. Going home, her attention would be called by someone to post-its that cling to her uniforms.

The nurse and my doctor have a small computer while talking to me. One time, I almost told my doctor." Can I borrow your computer, I "like to check e-mail and mg blogs." hehehe

The purpose of the inquiry is to dispute the claim of Cindy (in her attempt to help her daughter) that she was the one who browsed the 

internet in their home about chloroform.