MY 1st YEAR

august marks my 1st year here in singapore. i’ve been riding a fast car this past 12 months. seems like it was only yesterday when i boarded the plane to fly over here. now its been a year and i feel as if everything’s happening so fast.

what’s in store this coming year?

next week i’ll be in the us for a showcase – it’s more of a company conference really. so it’s a week in florida for a big world wide POWOW. then jet and i will be moving to a new flat in the east coast. the same time, our office is moving to changi. then manila in october – hopefully india as well. november in china for the asia version of the company distributor conference. indonesia as well.

december – vacation home! two weeks in the philippines and then… and then… and then its 2003 already.

ZOOOOOOOOOOOOM!!!!!

ZOOM!

one day at a time. mabilis naman ang araw ngayon.
gising ka na lang isang umaga – pauwi ka na naman sa
pilipinas para makita ang mga mahal sa buhay. o kaya
– gising ka na lang isang umaga, kasama mo na sila.

JOLO, JOLOGS

Headline sa Singapore kahapon ang mga pinugutan ng ulo sa Jolo. The way the news is told minsan ay nakakainis. Ang portrayal ng mga balita (CNN included) is so – what’s the word: “sweeping”? akala mo tuloy, ang buong Pilipinas ay puno ng mga headhunters. HeadBangers, baka pa!

I AM A PATIENT MAN

sabi ni george bush kanina when asked about saddam… “i am a patient man. when i say i am a patient man, that means…well that means i am a patient man”.

sabi nga sa kanta ng guns and roses…”what we have here is a failure to communicate”. a pity i was’nt there during the time of JFK.

RED HOUSE

kakadating lang namin ni jet galing sa labas. umaga na pala… init pa rin dito sa singapore, pero di tulad ng march to july. attached ay pic ng isa sa mga pinakamatandang coffee house dito. sikat ang kapihan na ito: the red house at east coast road ang tawag nila. parating may mga nag-shoo-shooting na mga artista dahil historical ang dating. masarap mag-kape dito, mura pa – 80 cents ang isang cup, may kasama pang history. kompara sa starbucks na $4.50, pag-yankee products talaga eh mahal.

FAVORITE TEACHERS

si mrs. capistrano (teacher ko nung grade 4), nagkita kami nung rally laban kay erap sa edsa shrine. kaya lang di na siya ST katulad nung grade 4 tayo. hehehe… medyo matanda na rin pero naalala pa rin nya ako. sabi ko – ‘maam, ako yung studyante mo nung grade 4, inapakan mo nga ang sapatos ko nun dahil bago!’. maloko yun eh – nasa mass sa gym, tinawag ako. sabi ko maam bakit? biglang inapakan ang sapatos ko, sabay sabi – “wala, bininyagan ko lang ang bago mong sapatos!”. nagtuturo na si mrs. capistrano sa st. francis sa may ortigas.

silang mag-asawa (mr. capistrano, grade 2) at si mrs. sa grade 4 – mga teacher na di ko makalimutan. siyempre, favorite ko pa rin sa lahat ay si mrs. chavez (asawa ni tibo) – teacher namin ng kindergarten at prep. hanggang ngayon naalala pa rin ang batch natin. si ms. redondo nung grade 3 at sino na nga ba ang teacher natin sa social studies nung grade 4 – si mrs. mandreza ata. lahat mga favorite ko.

NOSE PICKER

kakadating ko lang sa office. yung katabi ko sa bus, ang lakas mangulangot. gusto ko ngang sapakin eh! kakadiri… tinitingnan ko nga yung pantalon ko, dahil baka nahulugan ng tiny bits and pieces.

last friday, national day dito sa singapore – version nila ng independence day. parada ulit ang mga politica, led by LKY. good news: no decrease in our CPF (pension plan), no price increases on basic goods, pwede pa ring installment ang bayad sa taxes at tuloy pa rin ang $35/month rebate sa kuryente, LPG at tubig.

balitang singapore: may isang case na naman ng maid abuse dito… indonesian maid na-plantsa sa kamay ng amo. gusot siguro ang kamay.

balitang hongkong: filipina maid wins discrimmination case against amo. she was sacked because she only had 3 fingers.

balitang malaysia: one datu in malaysia wants to eliminate all the tigers in their province dahil it interferes with his rubber harvest. sayang…

ZOMBIE

21 july 2002

remember yung amo na pumatay sa indonesian maid nya? 18 years and caning ang parusa for the murder. bummer… bakit si flor contemplacion binitay on suspicion pinatay nyang anak ng amo, etong among nang torture before murder, kulong lang?

only in indonesia: kahapon isang eroplano ang nag landing sa expressway ng jakarta causing a massive traffic jam – gusto atang magbayad ng toll ng pilot dahil pasok siya sa tollgate.

the cranberries and no doubt will have a back to back concert here in singapore on 18 august. nood kaya kami ni jet, mura lang ticket eh… “Another head hangs lowly, child is slowly taken, And if islands cause the silence, Who are we mistaking, But you see it’s not me, It’s not my family, In your head in your head, They are fighting, With their tanks and their bombs, and their bombs and their guns, In your head in your head they are crying………..In your head…In your head…zombie zombie zombie ei ei, What’s in your head…In your head…Zombie, zombie, zombie, ei, ei, ei , oh…..do,do,do,do,do,do,do,do

PA'NO MAGLUTO NG PEPPER STEAK

ingredients:

beef, preferably t-bone, mas malinamnam kung may konting taba sa gilid. sesame oil (kung gusto mong malasa) or olive oil (kung gusto mong malasahan ang beef ng husto) black pepper (ground) kikoman na toyo o kaya asin (pampaalat)

directions:

ibuhos ang sesame oil sa t-bone

dag-dag toyo or asin

sprinkle black pepper (kailangan marami!)

marinate ng isang oras kung nagmamadale (hehehe), pero overnight para mas masarap.
para di mawala ang lasa ng sesame or olive oil, mas maganda kung pan fried. pag grilled, mawawala ang linamnam yung mantika ng sesame oil ang gamitin mong langis sa pan fry till done

mas gusto ko kung medium well lang para malambot ang karne pag luto na ang karne, ibuhos mo sa pan yung black pepper at sesame oil na natira sa marinate at ipainit, ito ang magiging sauce mo.

pag naghalo na yung pepper at sesame oil sa pan at medyo kumulo na – pwede mo na itong ibuhos sa t-bone (pwede mo rin itong ihalo sa kanin tulad ng ginawa ni edwin narciso, hehehe)
simple lang, pero rock! hehehe… subukan nyo. garantisado ito.

FIRST ANNIVERSARY

august 6 – my first year in singapore! happy anniversary to me.

has my life changed? yes

or the better? yes

how so? no more rushing to here and there, no more tension at work, no more looking behind your back in fear that somebody will harm you

any regrets? to far from family, friends, my house and favorite pets