Do you think I would pass for a celebrity girlfriend?

*****

Before you react and think that Richard Gutierrez is out of his mind, this picture was actually cropped from the photo below:

Outside Staples Center, May 27, 2010 (after the Lakers-Phoenix game 5)

With all honesty, I really don’t have the hoots for any of our celebrities here. When somebody points out to me, “uy, si ano oh,” referring to a celebrity, I usually look, then reply with just a shrug. Walang excitement kung baga.

So I don’t know why, when my friend told me that he saw Richard Gutierrez in the souvenir shop of Staples Center when we watched game 5 of the Lakers-Phoenix series, I went gaga and told my friends I had to have my picture taken with him [at all costs!]! And this was with shrieks ha! I patiently waited for him at the exit of the souvenir shop!

I honestly don’t know why I got so excited. I am not a fan of his. I don’t even watch any of his shows! I know him only because he’s a popular star here in the Philippines.

The only logical reason I could think of was that it was so exciting to see a kababayan star in a foreign land. It’s like, wow! Of  all places, sa ibang bansa mo pa sya makikita! I mean, makakita lang ako ng kababayan in other countries, I get excited. What more kung artista pa diba? I remember when we were in Rome, and there was news that Ai Ai de las Alas was there too. Baduy man, but I was always on the lookout for her! He! he!

So jologs na kung jologs, I approached Richard and asked him if I could have a picture taken with him.

Richard was very nice and accommodating. He of course agreed and was all smiles for our photo op. As you can see, me and my two friends were ALL smiles! Parang kinikilig pa! Richard chatted with us for a very short while after ["Ganda ng game ano?"] and smiled and waved at us when he saw us leaving the stadium.

We may not have seen some famous stars in Hollywood, but the NBA night made up for it! At least, I had a small brush with the world of showbiz!

Days ago, Wendy burst into our room, seemingly irrirated.

Wendy: Hay naku Mama, galit ako! Super galit ako!

KG: Bakit naman?

Wendy: Look! [She then hands me her Hannah Montana magazines, opened to the fan page wherein Hannah Montana fans state why they love her, with some letter senders winning stuff.]. Sila daw ang number 1 fan ni Hannah Montana! Eh ako kaya ang number 1 fan ni Hannah Montana! I collect Hannah Montana stuff! I watch all the Hannah Montana episodes! Hello! [And she said this with a lot of gestures!]

At this point, I couldn’t help but chuckle.

Wendy: M-A-M-A! I’m serious! I’m serious! I’m angry!

More chuckles.

Later, she was busy on the computer. Ayun, sumusulat na po ng letter [posted here verbatim]:

Hi! I’m Wendy de Castro, I’m 9 years old. I love Hannah Montana because she has a good voice and she is good in acting and singing. I also like her style and her songs. She also has good character, she is very funny and has full confidence when she sings. There was this time when my family and I went to U.S., and I was hoping to see Hannah Montana there because I saw 41 limos. I feel sad when I watch Hannah Montana episodes at the time we were going somewhere. I am a very, very, very big fan because I got to know a lot about Hannah Montana. I memorize most of her songs, I watched her movie almost 4 times, I am collecting Hannah Montana things, and I watched almost all of the Hannah Montana episodes. Sometimes, I practice singing in my room and my voice keeps getting better and better every time I practice. I joined our school singing contest, but I did not win, I was in 3rd place, but it’s okay. Hannah Montana is my most favorite show in the whole universe! I also love the Hannah Montana magazines. They give you great advice and it has games and cool stuff. Hannah Montana is my favorite singer and actress.

I understand how you feel Wendy. I too was a no. 1 fan of somebody before. Good thing though I’m past that stage, because I just can’t handle the “stress.”

Warning: This post contains some really gross text! If you are eating something, do not proceed!

In relation to my earlier post on doing our part to curb the water and energy crisis, my friends and I were talking on how we can save water. The tips went from the serious ones to the funny, gross, or both!

• Wag na paliguan ang pets! Let the dogs and cats stink! [The cats must be jumping for joy now!]
• Irasyon ang tubig! Mga tag limang galon lang bawat myembro ng pamilya kada araw, kasama na ligo, inom, hugas, etc! [Uy, ang hirap ata nito.]
  
• Pag nagtoothbrush ka, yung ginargle mo, ipangdilig mo na ng halaman! [Uy, pwede! Pero di kaya mamatay yung halaman?]
  
• Or, pag uhaw ka, isabay mo na sa pag toothbrush mo, para yung ginargle mo, sabay inumin mo na rin! [Nyak! Over ata ito!]
  
• Maligo ka sa garden, para yung pinanliligo mo, derecho na sa mga halaman. [Sounds fun! He! He!]
  
• Pag wiwi lang naman, wag na muna mag flush. Antayin na maging super yellow yung tubig or hanggat kaya pa tiisin ang panghi. [Eeewwww!!!]
• Pag poo-poo naman, pag di naman kalat o mabaho, hayaan na lang muna. Gamitin muna ng iba sa pag-wi-wi [or pwede din poo-poo uli] bago iflush. [Double eeeewwww!!!]
  
• Lahat ng tubig na pwede isave, isave, like ulan, pwede na din ang luha! [Super sad naman ng life mo kung nasasave mo luha mo!]
• Yung sabaw ng mga ulam, wag itapon. Gamitin sa susunod na lutuan, gawing na lang iba [eg, nilaga, gawing sinigang]. [Uhmm...nilaga-slash-sinigang? Pwede ba yun?]
• Wag na magpa-carwash, itayin na lang umulan. [Eh hindi nga umuulan eh!]

Even you, my dear readers, have some funny tips!

• Chyng: Di ako maliligo pag walang pasok! [Ginagawa na to ni Wendy at ng kapatid ko!]
  
• Boknoi: Simula ngayon, sabay na kami maliligo ni misis. [Beeepppp! R-18 ang comment na yan!]
  
• Pansitlove: Ginamit kong panghugas ng auto ko yung ginamit ko sa paglalabada. Amoy Downy na din yung auto ko. [Galing!]
  

These tips are certainly doable…but it’s up to you! He! He!

Hey, I know that the water crisis is a serious issue, but I just wanted to make you smile today! It’s the middle of the week, and we might all need a good laugh! Have a great Wednesday everyone!

Yes, I am back…but not exactly in the groove. I have had hardly any sleep, plus I got sick today!

I just wanted to say hello to everyone and to share a little incident.

Remember this? I was hoping that was the last one. Pero it comes in threes nga siguro [as Shie also suggested].

Two Saturdays ago, I was the lucky recipient of a new cell phone courtesy of my father’s retention plan in Smart. My mother not really gave it to me, but she sold it to me really cheap.  Anyway, I was mulling over what to do with my old, reliable, cute cell phone: sell it or keep it.

But before I could even think about it, I lost it at the airport [NAIA 3] last Monday, before our flight. Somebody must have picked it and kept it because when I asked Rico to ring it, cannot be reached na. Of all the luck! Bad trip talaga!!!

Imagine, I have never lost a cell phone my entire life. In addition, my brother insisted on transferring all my contacts, messages, and calendar entries to the new phone that same morning, even though I keep on telling him, “pagbalik ko na lang!” But he said, “Ngayon na!” Ayun, buti na lang nailipat lahat! If not, I would have lost all my contact numbers. Imagine…mukhang pinaghandaan!

My sister summed it well for me: Nagtampo ang phone mo dahil may kapalit na sya!!

Well, that’s life. The good thing is that incident did not set the mood for our trip!

Anyway, that’s it for now. My stomach is rumbling again!

Singapore and KL posts coming soon!

I will visit your sites soon!!!

Do you feel that, sometimes, nang-aasar ang buhay?

I do!

Take what happened to me today for instance. Last night, my brother took my jack from my car. I was pleading him not to take it. But saying he badly needed it, and after assuring me that it would be replaced the next day na [which is today], I gave in. As if may choice ako! But I wasn’t comfortable driving knowing I had no jack!!!

And guess what? Today, of all days, NAFLATAN po ako! Aaarghhh! I wanted to shout to the heavens, “nang-aasar ba kayo!” But thank God for Rico, who lent me his jack, and for an office mate; both helped the damsel in distress change the tire!

Anyway, why am I telling you this? Kasi naman, there was a message in our bulletin board here in our phase [our village is made up of different phases, ie, Phase 1, Phase 2, etc] that I wanted to share with you. It has been there since the start of this year pa. I’ve been wanting to write a post about it but never had the chance to get a photo of it. So this afternoon, I finally said, I have to take a picture NOW! So I got my camera and walked to the gate. But guess what? Nabura na po! Nabura na po! Are you kidding me!?! I knew it was there this morning, before I went to work, because I remember reading it and telling myself that I’ve got to take a picture of it this afternoon!

The white space is where the original message was written.

Haaay! Pinagtritripan ba ako ng mga elemento?

Anyway, not wanting my efforts to go to waste,  I tried my best to recapture what the message was [thanks to editing programs] and share with you what I was meaning to share in the first place.

**********

Notice the added YEHEY!? Funny!

That’s why when buying a house in Paranaque, ask about the water condition first! And water tanks are a necessity, not a luxury!

Ganyan kami dito sa Paranaque (sabik sa tubig)!

PS, I hope that the erased message will be the last “trick” that life plays on me for a long time! He he!

Santa’s letter to Wendy last Christmas:

*****

Wendy’s reply [written with sniffs and tears]:

Gosh! I hope Santa wasn’t hurt when Wendy said she didn’t like the gift much! Tsk! Tsk!

Would you be willing to watch this?

And who would you choose?

Still not over the Pacquiao craze huh?

(To Twilight fanatics, I apologize. This may seem a cruel joke! He! He!)

I remember the days when the word “spam” used to mean that canned food usually brought by relatives and family coming from abroad. When you say Spam, it meant this:

But now, with the advent of computers, when you say “spam,” it means those unwanted repeat messages that clog your site!

As for me, I have the daunting task of deleting and sifting through these spam messages [sometimes, your comments end up as spam, so I have to browse through them] that go into my comments section. Almost every day, this task is part of the maintenance of this site.

Yeah, it can be a bit tiring. However, I soon realized that there are some amusing spams! True!!! Aside from the usual other-language spam that makes one wonder what it is trying to say, like this:

RahRedaBype: Желаю автору плодотворной деятельности,все понравилось,написано по всей форме только краеугольный камень так и не раскрыт.удачи.

I noticed that there are also some very funny ones, so I decided to collect the most amusing ones and share them with you [rewritten here verbatim]!

Mackeran: Are you a professional journalist? You write very well. [Gee, thanks! You're making me blush!]

ofigennoe.ru: What’s another word for “thesaurus”? [Is this a trick question?]

Galera: Great site. Keep doing., [Parang medyo bitin.]

RouterMed: уaу….. [Now here's a person of few words!]

Moigord: I bookmarked this link. Thank you for good job! [Yeah, how come you've never been back?]

Naelith: It is the coolest site, keep so! [I think this came from the president of the KG fans club.]

Ventego: I liked it. So much useful material. I read with great interest. [Great interest ha!]

Brown: I read a few topics. I respect your work and added blog to favorites. [Oh really?]

buy ambien no rx: normally banjo committed protects antiviral richard years collapsed basements guard sequence resonance Saimlorektos Polapompos [Eto parang walang sense.]

Moonlighter: Valuable thoughts and advices. I read your topic with great interest. [Parang interest is the word of the day ano?]

Cornelius: Interesting and informative. But will you write about this one more? [Uhhh...no?]

PROPECIABUY: One of the strange things about living in the world is that it is only now and then one is quite sure one is going to live forever and ever and ever. [Seriousness!]

timberalndsale: I can’t agree with the comment any more! [Eh di wag!]

аксессуары мобильные телефоны опто: Michael, a very interesting post thanks for writing it! [I think you have the wrong blog, hindi po ako si Machael!]

hotspot shield: Andy, a very interesting post thanks for writing it! [Isa pa itong nawawala! Hindi po ako si Andy!]

So the next time you see some spam in your comments, try to browse…you might get a good laugh!

PS, Need help with your spam? Rico recently wrote a post on SPAM filters. It might help you.

Ito po ay isang aktwal na e-mail, kaya po nakasulat sa Ingles.

**********

To Mr. Recah Trinidad,

I was sorting through some of my older stuff when I came across some very important papers: One was written by you, one was written by me.

I don’t know if you can still remember the articles [or me], for it was already years ago, but in my end, I still remember everything: the do-or-die game, Ginebra versus Shell, whoever wins goes to the championship, the winning three-point shot by Kenny Redfield, the agony and pain, your article, my reaction, my letter.

(Click image to enlarge.)

Needless to say, I was a Ginebra fanatic. Yes, years ago, when it was the Jaworski Sr.-David-Hizon-Locsin-Aquino era, I wouldn’t miss a game. When I couldn’t watch, I made sure that someone recorded it for me. I was that into the team. I was one of the tens of thousands who would cheer and cry for Ginebra and was a certified member of the Barangay Ginebra.

Being young, I was too emotional and quick to react without thinking. So you could just imagine my reaction to your article.  I remember thinking, “this man is so insensitive! Natalo na nga eh! Does he really have to rub it in?” So I wasted no time in writing a letter. I thought, this man needed to learn a lesson!

(Click image to enlarge.)

That was 14 years ago.

Now, when I remember that time, all I can do is smile [and yes, laugh]. Gosh, was I really only 16 when I wrote that? It was full of passion, full of emotion. It was so not me!

Honestly, when I read it now, I can’t help but laugh…laugh at my overreaction! As an adult now who has more or less learned to become objective and think before reacting, my 16-year-old self has become a wonder to me! I understand my reaction, but it was still funny how I let anger, and perhaps pain, take over me.

Ironically, I have long since stopped watching the PBA—if I remember correctly, 1 year after writing that letter—there were other priorities, other things to amuse me. In short, perhaps, I outgrew Ginebra. However, all those memories of the times I cheered for, cried over, and yes, crushed on the players of Ginebra will always be cherished—this letter included.

Truth is, those were the harshest words I have ever spoken to someone, moreover a complete stranger! I hope you would accept if I apologize that you were at the receiving end. Allow me also thank you, Mr. Recah, because the way you handled the situation, which was, in your own words, the “meanest blows I’ve received since I started crossing mitts with Mr. Deadline,” has made me realize that letting our emotions get the best of us is not a good thing. Your calm and professional way of reacting to my reaction is something I have always admired and emulated since this article was published. Now, when I react to things, I always try to see things from an objective point of view. Lesson learned!

And yes, I do sign my name in full now.

This letter will always hold a significant part in my life, for with it are so many memories and lessons, not to mention the laughs it gets from family and friends. And for that, I will always treasure our “correspondence.”

God bless, and more power to you!

PS, on hindsight, after all that I have said, I am honestly happy you’re still writing [and did not "go down," as I predicted].

Wonder what this tree is?

If you are from UPLB, you will instantly recognize this. We call this the “Fertility Tree.”

Stories passed from generation to generation of students say that this is a place where “babies are made” [or where the "process" takes place], hence the moniker of the tree. However, I have never had the chance to know whether this claim is valid or just another trick to lure freshmen into believing an urban legend about our school.

If you look closely, you will see a hollow part of the main trunk. Perhaps, and supposedly, this is where the “milagro” happens.

In my days, the leaves were more abundant, so you can just imagine how beautiful the tree is. Thus, minus the name, it would have been nice to make tambay under the wide branches, sipping fresh juice in the cool shade.

Anyway, true or not, the Fertility Tree is part of the UPLB culture and, thus, of the lives of thousands of UPLB students! Interesting!