Smoke-less

I used to love to hang-out in coffee shops - sipping scalding hot coffee and lighting a stick of cigarette one after another. I can sit, sip and smoke hours on end reading a book. I used to hunt for coffee shops the moment I go to the mall for I did prefer to just order a venti of cafe Americano and smoke my favorite brand. That seems to be eons ago. I quit smoking for quite sometime now and I certainly have no regrets whatsoever. A friend once asked if I do not miss smoking. I stopped and thought about it and I really cannot decide if I miss it or not. Someone told me that if I want a smokeless cigarette I should try an electric cigarette. But why should I? I am fine being "smokeless".

Crazy Weather

The weather here is crazy. One moment you'd be melting from the heat and the next moment a deluge. The sudden heavy downpour caused a lot unsuspecting commuters to be drenched - as in soaking wet from the rain. Now, how could one expect these "wet" commuters to ride on a public transport? The sudden downpour is also culprit to flash floods. D2's new shoes were soaked! She said she was contemplating on taking off her new shoes and walk barefoot but thought better against it. Anyway, I told her that if only she listened to me and got those women's rain boots on sale then her new shoes would have been spared. Lesson learned - the weather is unpredictable. Always bring an umbrella.

Mid-year Crisis

My mid-year general cleaning is looming closer and closer. I dread opening the smallish-darkish storage at the basement for its content might come tumbling down on me. The last time I opened the door of the closet was sometime in January. I stored all the Christmas decorations not really in a highly organized way for when I was almost half-done, I sort of jammed, stuffed, shoved, wedged, pushed (and all other related verbs) , the rest of the Christmas decor. Now, I can envision the storage door pulsating and about ready to burst once I come near it. Oh well. I guess I just have to "brave" the task.

Boxes? Check! Plastic wraps? Check! Oh and I need to get a real sturdy box cutter for a regular cutter is just too frail for cutting cartons. Alright then. Basement, here I come!

The Karate Kid 2010

Ethan and I were supposed to watch Toy Story 3 last Friday but ended up watching The Karate Kid of Jaden Smith instead. Why? Well, the seats for the two screening time of Toy Story 3 were already sold out so we ended up watching the remake of the 1984 Karate Kid.

Daniel La Ruso is Dre Parker. Mr. Miyagi is Mr. Han. Wax on, wax off is jacket off, jacket on, drop and hang. Whatever! The remake was more interesting as it was filmed entirely in Beijing. The Kung Fu master handyman was more authentic as it was portrayed by Jackie Chan. The movie should have been re-titled Kung Fu Kid for it was what Mr. Han taught Dre Parker.

How interesting to note that the producers of the remake are the parents of Jaden Smith - Will and Jada! Wow! Jaden is one lucky kid. Imagine having the full support of his parents to the point of producing the movie. There were a lot of ho-hum parts at the start of the movie. It was like swimming through a pool of jell-o where the characters were all trying their darnest best to "act". I almost fell off my seat when the new American best bud of Dre Parker came on screen. It was like seeing the American missionary's son of my childhood.

Anyway, the movie became more interesting towards the middle when Mr. Han started training Dre Parker. I was actually waiting for the "wax on wax off" part of Mr. Miyagi but Mr. Han's "chaket off chaket on..." was more apt - especially the part when the movements were translated into actual kung fu moves. Jaden Smith is alright I suppose. He is a sensitive child actor and would probably do well even if his parents do not produce all his coming movies.

It was an "okay" movie. Dre Parker's martial arts moves were better than Daniel La Ruso. Now that I think about it, I don't think there were any credible karate moves done by Ralph Macchio except the part where he had to stand on one foot and do the "claw". Oh well. Ethan and I still need to schedule Toy Story 3.

The Phillipine Army Museum and Library

It is so sad to think that so few know of the Philippine Army Museum and Library within the PA Headquarters. It is more sad though to know that the original PA Museum and Library used to sit right smack in the middle of Serendra at The Fort, a pulsating commercial and high-rise residential area in Taguig, Metro Manila. The former Fort Andres Bonifacio saved for some 100 hectares, was sold to Metro Pacific Group under Republic Act 7227 known as the Bases Conversion and Development Authority Act of 1992. I am sure the prime military land fetched a handsome sum but the thing is a chunk of Philippine history was affected.

The old PA museum used to be located along MacArthur Avenue within the vast PA Headquarters. The building was built and used by the Americans even before WW II. What very few know was the fact that at the back of the old museum was the main entrance to a labyrinth of underground tunnels also built by the Americans. The tunnel even reached up to Villamor airbase. When the Marcos regime crumbled, the museum was opened to the public and so were the tunnels. From 1989 up to the early 1990s, the museum and tunnels were there for everyone to see. I never heard of that piece of news back then. Currently on an almost weekly basis I pass by the PA Headquarters (or what's left of it) and never even heard that there was a PA museum much more, tunnels under The Fort!

When the military land was sold, the old PA museum was dismantled and rebuilt piece by piece at its present site. The original PA HQ was under the city of Makati. Today, only the 100 hectares of PA HQ is situated in Makati for a boundary dispute between Taguig and Makati ensued when the military land was sold.

I took Ethan to the PA Museum and he was greatly impressed by the obsolete tanks on display on the grounds. We went inside the museum where a civilian tour guide walked us through the history of the Philippine Army. It was no Ayala museum. Parts of the exhibits needed repairs and the tour guide was quite shaky as he tried to walk us through Philippine history in Taglish. I felt sad. Sad for the plight of the PA museum. Sad that I only paid 20 PHP per head for entry fees. Sad for the present political and economical situation of the Philippines. Sad for the realization that too few Filipinos are keen on caring and preserving what is truly "Filipino" - sa isip, sa salita at sa gawa. ( I will be a true Filipino in thought, in word, in deed.)

Save Earth!

The rainy season has started! It has been raining almost every afternoon since last week and I guess that is good news. The dams are filling up again and that would mean that there will be no more power shortages. It also means that there will be more water for crops! I read that El Nino is quite over and in its place will be La Nina. I also read that the sun is brewing up to spew some nasty solar storms that tech and communication gadgets will be be greatly affected. Isn't it tiring hopping from one problem to another?

The price we have to pay because we abused mother earth. We really should do something to help alleviate global warming. It is not too late, right? Let's do something about it! Every little effort counts.

Wrinkly Hands

Aside from being in use for more than half a century now ( say what?!) my hands are all the more "wrinkly" because I have been doing some cooking, cleaning and dish washing since my maids left. It is a good thing that my laundry woman is still with me or else I'd be forced to either machine wash all our clothes or take them to the laundromat.My mother said I should let my kids do the household chores including the cooking. I don't think that's possible since my four girls work and leave the house at the crack of dawn. They come home from 6:00 to 7:00 pm with D1 occasionally on a 36 hour duty. My son stays at his apartment because of school. That leaves Ethan to help me around the house. Ethan "not helping" me is helping me.:) D3 sometimes help out in the cleaning when her clinic hour is set later then usual. Anyway, I think I need a better anti wrinkle lotion as the one I am using is not working at all. My hands are still wrinkly! Must be the age.

Give me an M...A...I...D

Just when school is about to start, my two maids decided to leave me hanging. The older one left some 3 weeks ago because her 2-year old was sick. Unless my older maid is secretly a doctor, I can't find logic why she needed to go home. Logistics dictate otherwise. She has no money and she still owes me. I told her that she should just send money but she said she wants to go home. So I let her go. A few days later she sent me a message asking if I could send her the money and then some so she could come back. I refused to answer because in truth I really don't want her working for me anymore since that time that she let her pregnant daughter drop by my house when the whole family was out. My older maid even had the tenacity to ask D1 for free pregnancy vitamins. Anyway, older maid is out of the equation.

The younger maid left a few days ago. The little squirk was related to older maid. They both told me that younger maid is 18. The mother of younger maid came over and asked if she could get her just turned 16 daughter. No problem. Take her away.

I think I just about had it with maids. But! no matter. I need one. No. Make that two.

I Wonder

In her mad quest to lose weight fast in time for the school's opening in two weeks, D2 went to the gym to exercise after work. She was up late last night doing the million and one things teachers do right before the start of the schoolyear. She was tired and hungry but still went to the gym. I was not able to fetch her as I went to accompany a friend to the doctor. D2 commuted coming home. She paid the fare and promptly fell into sleep. She was awoken by when she felt the vehicle stop and its passengers get off. It was right about this time that she felt something was amiss. Yup! Someone stole her wallet. It is a good thing that she only kept 500 PHP in that purse. Poor dear! Tired and 500 PHP poorer. I wonder when her dad will finally come around to parting with his precious money and buy D2 a car!

By Jones!

D2 teaches history to graders and high-schoolers. I have an affinity to history and more often than not, it is only D2 and I who discuss history. United States history used to be taught in high schools here in the Philippines. I think it was about when the US military bases were uprooted from Subic and Angeles that US history was eliminated from the Philippine high school curriculum too. My girls and my son do not know much about US history which is kind of "sad" as American history is a hodgepodge of rich events and circumstances. Anyway, the American colonial years in the Philippines is still included in the Philippine history. The other night, D2 was busy preparing for upcoming AY 2010-2011. She was busy browsing the net when she asked me what know about Gulf Coast Jones Act.

Huh? What's that? Is that the same as the 1916 Jones Law?

D2 rolled up her eyes and said "Mom, the Jones Act I'm referring to pertains to US merchant maritime act of 1920 and not the 1916 Jones Act pertaining to Philippine autonomy."

I said "duh!?" and asked her why. She smiled and said she was just testing me if I know about the maritime law. Well, why should I? My knowledge of US history does not include maritime laws! And how many Joneses were there in the US congress from 1916 to 1920?