A Sporty Holy Tuesday

sports serves as an outlet for my lowtide attacks. today has been a roller-coaster ride of emotions. woke up wanting to scream at kuya edgar for calling so early and banged the phone right on his face. this has become a habit again, a bad one, this banging of phone. i apologized to kuya though after a while.

daytime was heavy. cried for different reasons: homesickness, the wait for visa, a call from Snail, and an aching body (thanks to that unfriendly hotel mattress).

lowtide didnt last long though as after dinner, my friends (karen, marvin, ritchie - the closest to me during this period) literally tugged me out of the room. played table tennis with our irani friends (ibrahim, farhoud, salah, hussain) whose hits warmed me up for a game with kuya jodi. kuya later became a very good coach and a hitting partner who helped me with my backhand.

afterwards, played patintero with the Kabayans. too bad my team was the weaker one. we lost 2 sets of 5 games each and had to crawl twice. it was so much fun and my voice was hoarse after the game.

then again went back to table tennis. won 1 out 3 sets, not bad for someone who has not held a racket for years, hehehe.

after a while i ran to the next court to watch volleyball and played as the cheerleader. reminds me of my younger days (*wink). cheered for arvi to marvin's disappointment. well, we can't be on each other's side all the time, bro.

didn't finish the match though, went back to the table for a rally.

what a sporty holy tuesday!
(please don't tell my mom that i am in the court instead of the church today)

Qeshm Bloopers

Number 1:
(karen and me sa room, habang kumakain)
Karen: gurl, ang laki na natin. tingnan mo nga braso mo.
Ruth: huh, sobrang laki na ba?
Karen: sort of. pero proportion pa rin naman...
Ruth: ah, ok.
(after a long pause)
Karen: ... sa tiyan mo!
Ruth: oh, no!!!!!

Number 2:
Ruth: Ate, umaga na ba?
Ate Marilou: Gabi na po!
*** yaiks, yan ang totoong daylight saving time.

Number 3:
(unti-unting nagkakaroon kami ni karen ng puwang sa maliit na lipunan na aming ginagalawan)
Kuya: Ruth, Karen, may pagkain pa ba kayo?
*** waaaaaaaaah!!!

To God Be the Glory

"Lord, i offer my life to you
everything i've been through
use it for your glory.
Lord, i offer my love to you
lifting my praise to you
as a pleasing sacrifice.
Lord, i offer you my life."

This is my Qeshm family. Picture was taken the night before Ate Malou, Jane, Kuya Saindy, and Kuya Arnel left for the UAE, just right after the Thanksgiving offering for the success of the Oplan Malou.

The case of Ate Malou has brought all Kabayans to unite for one cause. She's one of those who went to exit, bringing with them promises of their employers only to be dropped like a hot potato after a while. She had no money. She had no family in the UAE. Her friends were limited to a few. Not knowing what to do, she broke to tears at the slightest provocation.

Led by Kuya Ramil, we raised fund, we prayed together, and we worked out negotiations to free her of her hotel obligations. Meetings were held frequently at our villa which served as headquarters for the Oplan Malou. Karen and I, with the help of Kuya Saindy, would prepare food and everyone ate with a happy heart though the stomach may not be so full. That night, Jane treated us to a sumptuous meal of chicken pasta soup (cooked by Ate Mina) plus our combination of vegetable and tuna (again, thanks to Kuya S).

The next day was a busy one. It's Ate Malou's departure day and everyone wanted to see her off. Manong Driver, however, being the KJ that he is, didn't agree to the idea and only granted permission to a few. Nonetheless, it was a success for everyone as we all were involved in our own capacity.

The following are pictures taken before Ate Malou and the rest of the lucky ones left.
we are kuya ramil's angels
with the son of Adonis, Amir
Kuya Saindy, me, Kuya Arnel, Ate Malou, Karen, and Kuya William
ang pangit kooo!!!

karen po!

meet my newfound friend.

karen. she's my roommate. she's my every complement to every single thing. she cooks, i wash the dishes. she likes the carrot jam, i take the butter. she only eats egg yoke, i only eat the white. she takes the softer part of the bread whereas i only like the outer layer. it's a real success in geometry.

we have a lot of things in common. we click. we bonded immediately as soon as we knew each other's name. and guess what? she's Oble's daughter too. UPLB may be a distance away from UPMin but never mind the figure, the shared experiences are just too much to ignore.

at first we talked of some petty stuffs. day one was for testing the water. she talked, i talked. there was an instant liking then. and believe me, she thought i was an Iska. i also thought she was one.

day 2, we knew each other then. how bizarre circumstances have been for us. imagine us, put together in one plane, one bus, one room. lo and behold! she's from the grounds of the same U. (for more pics, visit me at tabs.)

my 2009 book list

the first quarter of the year is almost over and still i have not bought anything to read. what to do, i don't have the resources yet. however, something good is cooking and hopefully it goes on and on. as usual i have a long list of what-to-do and what-to-buy. but let's face it, i have to go slow just as yet, so let's start with the ultimate passion: books.

lately i skipped visiting the bookshop in reef mall. still, i can't hold back my tears whenever i leave a bookstore without purchasing a single item. if there is anything that could dampen my spirit, that is turning my eyes away from a good book and a good book means just anything that is interesting. so it always boils down to feeling low after a trip to the store.

this year i would be careful to buy only those that i really want. my roommates are now complaining of the boxes i have under the bed and they keep on nagging me to send them to the philippines. not that they're not enjoying. i mean, lucy has 3 of my books in her bed right now, and mel is almost done with the last temptation.

i hope blogspot would help me stick to my list. i really hope that i won't be so overwhelmed by the many books in the shop that i would again be spending too much like i did last year.

Alexandre Dumas - anything from the guru. i just love this french author. i've read most of his books but i don't know where my copies are now. i am still waiting for juan to fulfill a promise he made a few years back. i hope he still remembers that someone here in dubai wants him to go to VP bookshop.

Autobiography of Benazir Bhutto - started reading the book at the bookshop in reef mall. finished a quarter of the book, free reading thanks to kuya the storekeeper.

One Man's Meat by EB White is a "witty, succinct observations on daily life at a Maine saltwater farm. Too personal for an almanac, too sophisticated for a domestic history, and too funny and self-doubting for a literary journal, One Man's Meat can best be described as a primer of a countryman's lessons a timeless recounting of experience that will never go out of style." (http://search.barnesandnoble.com/One-Mans-Meat/E-B-White/e/9780884481928)

Prison Writing by Kim Dae Jung

Dan Brown - whoever borrowed my DB books, please return them immediately before i buy another set. pls, pls, pls!

Stephenie Meyer - i love edward cullen and that's thanks to cielo. oh yeah, i love vampire stories too. now i am missing sir joel. he's a great fan of lestat also but he wants to be the creation of either armand or of the queen of the damned. whatever! i simply love lestat. and edward cullen.

Love Story by Erich Segal - this one i want to give to Lucy.

there are more... but i am afraid it's too lofty a dream. will post next time.