Check this out...

"Fantasya: The Philippine Comic and Story Anthology" published by PSICOM Publishing is now out and can be found in all National Bookstores nationwide.

Please buy your copies and check out the story: The Awakening of Tonnie Seawolf. It was written by schmuck's younger sis. Too bad I can't buy a copy myself, unless you guys wanna send me a copy here.

Riel? I think you have friends who'll be intrested in this. Kindly send them my link.

Buy! Buy! Panregalo nyo sa christmas!

Just a proud sis (???), hehe.

My ode to mom and dad

I’ve been here for almost a year and five months now, and yeah.. I miss mom and dad..

When I first arrived here, I used to call them only every other week. Sometimes it’s my mom who calls me, as she is wondering why I never call her. But lately it had been different; calling them thrice a week is now normal. Must be a sign that I desperately miss them, especially now that I’m about to celebrate my second Christmas alone here.

Looking back, I am thankful to everything that both of them had taught me. Despite my being an only child, I was raised to be independent and self-sufficient. My parents never spoiled me in material possessions, but I was abundantly showered by love, affection and attention. Growing up with no siblings, my parents know that they needed to raise me to be independent because time will come that they will not be there anymore for me, and even if I do not have any “ate” or “kuya” to run to, they feel secure knowing that they’ve raised me well enough to stand on my own and make my own decisions.



A lot of people say that I look like both my parents, the upper part of my face from my mom, the lower part from my dad. I don’t actually know what traits I took after them. Hopefully I can someday be like them when it’s time for me to raise my own kids. I want my kids to look up to me just as much as I respect my mom and dad.

I really miss how “mokong” my parents are. Old as they are (dad’s 56 and mom’s 51), they are still one of the sweetest couple I know. I miss their “lambingan”, hehe. I miss it when my dad will say goodnight to me first before he goes to bed, or how he always gives me the best part of the “bangus” (tiyan hehe), I miss it whenever he says “musta na ang anak kong maganda?” (haha it’s my dad’s fault I’m vain), and how he tickles the sole of my feet when I don’t wanna wake up in the morning.



It’s my mom that insisted I learn to cook and wash/iron my clothes. It’s from her that I learn that I should wait for the vinegar to boil before stirring it so it will retain its sourness, or that putting a papaya stalk while boiling meat will help make it become soft and tender faster than normal. I am still hopeful that I have attained my mom’s green thumb, though the only successful plant I had grown up to date is mongo (yup toge), and that’s even for a science class in grade school haha.

I have acquired my mom’s love for cats, and my “walang pakialamanan” attitude from my dad. Come to think of it, it’s just lately that I realized I look for guys that are exactly like my dad. Someone who will shower me with attention yet will not spoil me, will support me yet will let me decide on my own, and will let me have the best part of the “bangus” hehe.



I miss mom and dad; I hope someday I can tour them out of the country. It’s my mom’s dream to visit the Holy Land, but I cannot bring them there yet, not until I’m out of Dubai as I cannot step back here if I go to Israel or Jerusalem hehe. My mom’s never ridden a plane before so I want her to experience that soon hehe.

I miss you mom and dad, (though you cannot read this because you both do not know how to operate a PC and much more connect to the net) and I love you so so much! I wouldn’t be where I am right now if it weren’t for you guys. Thanks!

Meeting Paulo Coelho...

Damn, I don’t even know how to start.. Okay let me first give you the 4W’s..

When: 16th November 2005, Wednesday, 6pm-10pm
Where: Virgin Megastore, Mercato Mall, Dubai
What: Book Signing
Who: (Ahhh! Wahoo! Yeeeeh! Oh!) Paulo Coelho

My emotions are taking over hehe, I’m having a hard time expressing everything. Ok, calm down, inhale… exhale…

Now, let me start:

The book signing was scheduled 6pm-8pm only, with only 3 books allowed per person. Since Schmuck and I will be coming from work (plus the traffic and the seemingly absence of cabs when you urgently need one), we arrived at Mercato at about 10minutes to 7pm. And the scene that greeted us was overwhelming. A long queue of people (hundreds I believe) was there, media, camera flashing here and there.. It was really uhm.. disorienting.

So I joined the queue while schmuck went around the store to get some chismis, and he found out that by 8pm (em punto!), the signing will stop. I was crestfallen when I heard about it. But still that did not discourage me, as Schmuck always tells me: Patience is a virtue hehe!

(My Paulo Coelho Books!)

So when 8pm came, they announced that Coelho will take a break (to get a hand massage or something hehe) but he will still resume signing after it. (Yey!) We were also informed that there would be another signing session on the 19th in another mall. So some people decided they’ll just go there, but since schmuck and I both have work that Saturday, we decided to stay.

Tummy grumbling (almost 9pm and we haven’t had dinner yet), legs getting numb (I’m in heels), and fatigue finally sinking in, we still stayed. I’ve waited long enough hehe so I might as well wait some more. Though Coelho said he’d try to get all books signed, I still can’t be at peace, not until I’m in front of him. There are still like more than a hundred people in front of me (with 3 books each), and it’s almost 9pm, and the store closes at 10pm.. arghh.. I was actually getting discouraged already but not everyone gets an opportunity like this so.. I stayed.

So after another hour (it’s almost 10pm then) and 3 more hand massage breaks for Coelho, I can actually now see him, it’s like there are now only 20 people in front of me. Yey! Coelho decided that instead of us approaching him to his table, he’d be the one to come to our line. So we open all our books to where we want the signature placed and waited.

Let me first tell you something, at about 7:30pm, since there are too many people who wanted their book signed. Coelho decided on just writing his signature, no more dedications, no more dear blah blah, so he can clear up the queue faster. So when my turn finally came, he’s in front of me na! Coelho as in Paulo Coelho! Hehe! Then his pen runs out of ink! Haha! Blooper! So he asked his assistant for a new pen, so I waited and made chikka. He asked me where I’m from, I was actually thinking of saying I’m from Latin Asia (it’s what a gay friend used to say so that it sounds sosyal haha), but I said I’m from the Philippines anyway. I told him it was really kind of him to extend the book signing, blah blah, and then the pen finally arrived.

Then he suddenly told me something that will forever be etched in my memory:

“You know what, whenever my pen is new, I love writing something long..”

So there I was, my mouth open in disbelief as he wrote something that up to now I still can’t understand. I asked him if it’s in Spanish, he said it’s in Portuguese (stupid me, he’s Brazilian! Of course it will be in Portuguese!). Then I told him that the only Portuguese phrase I can remember is “Boa noite” (Good evening) and “Boa tarde” (Good afternoon), and he laughed at me hehe. Paulo Coelho laughed at me, Ahhhhh! Hehe! Then before I go, he said it was a pleasure meeting me, and I was floating on air since then hehe..

(Coelho signing my books, as people crowd around us)

Everybody crowded around me after, just to see what Coelho had written and telling me how they envy me, ahhh! I was the only one there to get something long written in my book, all of them had only signatures or maybe Dear Blah and that’s it! I was ranting and ranting till the next morning, the giddiness was actually still there every time I remember it hehe.

(Schmuck getting his sis' book signed)

(My signed "By The River Piedras I Sat Down And Wept")

(My "Veronika Decides To Die" also signed!)

(My treasure! My "The Alchemist")

I still haven't translated it, I think it's a religious verse or something.. In case any of you can get it translated for me.. Just give me a buzz!

Tsk.. Tsk...

I am disappointed… I’ve been so looking forward to the Goblet of Fire movie, only to find out today that it will be released here in Dubai on the 21st December.. tsk..

Even Chronicles of Narnia will be released next year pa.. arghhh..

* * * * *

By the way, last Wednesday (16th Nov.) something worth blogging happened.. hehe. I can’t start ranting about it just yet as I left my cam cable back home so I cannot upload the pictures.. I wan’t pics to support my story hehe..

Hint: The Alchemist!

* * * * *

It rained this morning, the first after a lifetime of scorching desert heat. That can only signify one thing: winter’s here! Wahoo!

* * * * *

A few more weeks and it’s Christmas again. I heard some Christmas carols from the TV the other day and it somehow made me feel homesick again. I remember how I used to anticipate Christmas back there in the Phils. And now here I am, to celebrate my second Christmas alone. Tsk.. I hope Schmuck and I will not have work that day so we can somehow celebrate Christmas.

Hay, I miss home. I used to be the one who prepares the Christmas dinner. It’s just saddens me more to know that my mom and dad will again be a twosome this Christmas. I being an only child, I know how hard it is for them to celebrate without me. Sad, sad, sad...

Of the Eid holidays and being sick...

The past two weeks had been a bad one; I called in sick from work for 5 days and the rest of the Eid holidays I spent in bed sick still.

The week before Ramadan ends, my ever-recurring urinary tract infection (UTI) attacked again (attacked ba yung gamitin na word?). So I was in bed the whole week, under medication, complaining about my back pain, and all the other UTI complications that I need not and will not elaborate on.

So when Eid finally arrives, I’m feeling much much better, the infection (I believe) is finally starting to clear, when I started having fever. I’ve so looked forward to the holidays, with plans of going places, out of town maybe, when there I was, in bed, wrapped up, having chills, nursing a 38-40 degrees fever… arghh..

Then when I started feeling a little better, it’s schmuck who got sick. Maybe he got it from me after taking care of me. So he was the one who then have to call in sick for 2 days. He was diagnosed with viral fever, which explained it as we only have this very high fever, yet we have neither colds nor cough..

So schmuck is okay now, we both go to work again. But I still have this “puta” fever, I call it that way as it only comes out at night haha. The whole day I’m fine yet late afternoon till early morning I experience the chills and high fever. That can be bad.. I should really ask the doctor’s opinion, I don’t know. I just have this phobia of consulting doctors. Basta..

Kainis, what an uneventful holidays that was, except for the one day when we both felt okay and we decided to get some sun by the beach. We both missed the beach hehe.

I’ll just look forward this weekend. I have my eyes on that grilling pan and wok at IKEA and planning on cooking something nice for schmuck. Damn, if only I can get some red wine. Kainis, getting alcohol here in Dubai is really hard. You can either buy outside Dubai where its legal to sell alcohol, which is like a 3hour drive naman or you can settle na lang on those liquor stores here where a bottle would be triple the normal price, plus you must have the license to buy one, which I don’t have. Fine, sparkling water it is then..

Yey, it’s Thursday na tomorrow, wahoo!