Survey said...

1. Nervous Habits: eyes darting left and right, sweaty forehead, fast breathing suceeds a long gasp for air...


2. Are you double jointed: I am a double agent: I work for my husband on one side and my daughter on the other.


3. Can you roll your tongue: Roll where? I play tongue gymnastics in my mouth, quite necessary, to hone my French kissing skills.


4. Can you raise one eyebrow: Yes! Yet another must-be-able-to-do to keep life interesting and communications developing.


5. Can you blow spit bubbles: I try. My toddler can!


6. Can you cross your eyes: Yes, made my toddler cry the first time.


7. Do you make your bed daily: I have reached a point in my life where I can afford to have someone make my bed everyday.

CLOTHES


8. Which shoe goes on first: Always put your right foot forward because it is smaller than your left. You need the bigger one for balance.


9. Speaking of shoes, have you ever thrown one at anyone? I’ve kicked the back of chair once; also ran so fast one shoe got left behind, and imitated a Karate stance whereby one show flew away.


10. On the average, how much money do you carry: As many as I can get my hands on them seeds!


11. What jewelry do you wear 24/7: earrings, necklace, bracelet that my husband gave me


12. Favorite piece of clothing: Anything comfy and not to fussy.

FOOD


13. Do you twirl your spaghetti or cut it? twirl on a spoon, not on the plate


14. Have you ever eaten Spam: Yes, used to be a good commercial on about it in late 70’s in the Philippines. Ate Spam and get spam daily on my email too!


15. Favorite ice cream flavor: queso real and macapuno


16. How many cereals in your cabinet: fruit loops and corn flakes


17. What's your favorite beverage: san miguel beer, diet coke


18. What's your favorite restaurant: Trader Vic’s, Zen


19. You cook: Can I cook or which dishes can I cook? Yes I try, my husband does if better. I like cooking Filipino food, dinugguan, kare-kare, pancit, adobo, sinigang. I first learned to cook spaghetti in highschool with the Babebies.

GROOMING


20. How often do you brush your teeth: twice, morning and before bed. Studies say that it's healthier than 3 times.


21. Hair drying method: if just at home, I let it hang and dry; if I’m going out, I tie it in a neat bun and let it dry as long as it takes that way, I don’t have time to dry my hair.


22. Have you ever colored /highlighted your hair: It is one of the most abused parts of my body: colored, curled, straightened, cut, highlights.

MANNERS


23. Do you swear: I try not to in front of my pre-schooler.


24. Do you ever spit: rarely, and only to make a statement

FAVORITE


25. Animal: toss between a bunny or a puppy


26. Food: Filipino and Chinese food, I also like pasta and makis, and an occasional curry, tikka or shawarma. Eating, that's my disorder!


27. Month: toss between October and December, Halloween and Christmas!


28. Day: thank God for Fridays!


29. Cartoon: The Justice League and Voltes V!


30. Shoe Brand: I’d like to own a Jimmy Choo and a Monolo Blahnik just to see what the fuss is about; I love Kevin Keys, sometimes Nine West and Milano. I’m not very brand-ish, so long as it’s comfy and looks good on my feet. I always love shoe-hunting in Shoemart and of course, Marikina! Does it show that I’m a shoe addict?


31. Subject in school: Elementary: English; Highschool: Myhtology and Biology; College: Linguistics and History


32. Color: red, blue and the one you get when you mix the two: purple.


33. Sport: I enjoy watching figure skating and gymnastics, I like to be in bowling or mahjong (is that a sport?), I think I will do well, with practice, in bowling or darts.


34. TV show: Seinfeld, Friends, Alias, lately I got sucked into reality TVs, The Apprentice, The Scholar, For Better or For Worse, Beauty and the Geek, American Idol, Rockstar INXS (Super Nova soon), I also like quirky comedies like Scrubs, Ally McBeal, Boston Legal, Arrested Development. Is it obvious that I’m such a couch potato?


35. Things to do in the spring: this would be around March-April in Manila weather when things are just starting to heat up, so head for the resorts or the beach or high up Baguio or Tagaytay to cool off. Also there are no classes to hang out with friends but if you’re an adult and working, hit the shops, sale from last winter’s collection should be half the price.


36. Things to do in the summer: April-May just before the June showers arrive, so head to cooler climes or if you can’t get away, best time to eat halo-halo and ice candies.


37. Things to do in the fall? June to September are the rainy months and fall would be something like huge, wet, nasty rainFALL! So umbrella, coats, boots, anything to keep you protected and a boat – expect the floods to arrive in waves!


38. Things to do in the winter?: December – January would be the cooler weather in Manila so best to go shopping for Christmas gifts and be with family and friends.

IN AND AROUND


39. In the CD player: My car’s CD player has a compilation of love songs I’m getting organised for my sister-in-laws December wedding.


40. Person you talk most on the phone with: Irog, K


41. Do you regularly check yourself out in store windows with mirrors? Yes. I like to see if I look fat, and of course, I do!


42. What color is your bedroom: off white, nearly beige


43. Window seat or aisle: aisle

LA LA LAND


44. What's your sleeping position: I begin with sleeping on my right side, I’ve read somewhere that you should squish your heart. But I always wake up sprawled all over the place! Must be my dreams...


45. Even in hot weather do you use a blanket: yes, but the airconditioner is turned on high!


46. Do you sleepwalk: only when I can’t sleep dance or sleep strut :)


47. Do you talk in your sleep: no but my husband and daughter does, so funny!


48. Do you sleep with stuffed animals: my husband is chunky, looks like a stuffed animal who snores!


49. How about with the light on: I sleep when and where I sleep, not very fussy.


50. Do you fall asleep with the TV or radio on: radio or tv, I even fall asleep in front of my computer or in the middle of a mass!


51. Last interesting person you met: the fishmonger in Carrefour who told me only lactating women buy their clams. I told him I have a husband to breastfeed too! ;-)

Watched the film 'Munich' a while ago and the odd feeling has been
lingering in my mind and heart. Parang a dose of indigestion, it
worries me...

The movie doesn't really show preference for a side, despite it
being about a particular group's revenge on a particular group's
attacks. But what happens is it implodes - inside you, in your gut
feel - a primal fear or anxiety or imbalance at what our world
really is or what it has been for ages...a battlefield.

Such a scary reality to raise a child and yet we do, with the hope
that eventually things will get better, that people will start being
cordial, civil, forgiving towards one another; that those fighting
for so long against one another would just, in the blink of an eye,
put down their weapons (of mass destruction, pun intended!) and
embrace one another as brothers. After all, aren't we people of one
earth? We bleed just like the rest of humanity, love our family
despite our faults as human beings, cherish what we love in the
midst of all this chaos, just looking for a peace of earth where,
ika nga sa friendster note ni Tacing (hi Tacing!), we can be at
peace?

The image of the woman/assasin they killed left me with sorrow.
There are killers who fight for a cause yet you must wear decent
underwear for unexpected moments like being killed in your bathrobe!

Stop! You f%$#@&*! moron!

OK. That wasn't really my reaction; more like dumb silence. I went to the bank last week to get some cash and when I was just backing out of my parking, this jerk at the opposite side was backing out too! He just got on his car and backed out, not even caring to look if someone is doing the same or other cars are passing behind...so I honked, and yelled, and both...to no avail.

The silver aquamarine greenish car hit my poor Pegasus (a Honda City) on the driver's side, near the rear door. Arrgh! It was my first accident and naturally I was afraid. The other driver (whom I secretly called "moron") promptly came up to me and apologised. It diffused my anger and, so did, the fear that I am part of a road accident I only witness in these parts.

He tried to convince me that we'll just take my car to the garage and have it fixed and he'll pay for the damages. He too was afraid of getting a record or, worse, have his driving license confiscated. I was adamant that we call the police and I did. I dialled 999, the number to call for emergencies in these parts, and the line was immediately answered by a policeman who assured me he was on his way. Thirty minutes later, my dent-giver was getting impatient and so, he convinced me again to just forget the police and settle it between us. He offered me Dhs 100/- (Php 1,500/-) for my troubles. I declined; dialling 999 once more, where the same policeman assured me he is on his way.

A few minutes more a policeman in bike came by, youngish looking and not a word of English, signalling that he's been around the block looking for the "accident". He wasn't impressed: expecting some blood and gore and major traffic jam, I guess.

Panic and fear set in when they, the moron and Mr. Policeman started talking in Arabic. I couldn't catch a word I could understand, only, "Filipini" - meaning Filipina - and "mushkela", problem. So I called our PRO (public relations officer) who speaks Arabic but he didn't answer. I called our company driver, Vijay to verify our PRO's, Saber, number who offered to meet up with me at the Honda garage. I called Saber again, thime time, successfully. He talked with the police as well as the other driver and the thing was settled.

I needed a report that I must give to my car's insurance company so that they can fix the car. It must be done from within one week of the accident. A few minutes more and I was clutching this pink paper of a report, shaking the hand of the moron and thanking politely Mr. Policeman for his help. See picture below - drawn on the report by Mr. Policeman himself. I am car number 2.



I got into my car and drove off to Honda, my car's dealer as Pegasus was up for her 15,000 kilometre check up the next day. The guy at Honda assured me not to worry and that the insurance will pay for the damages.

What I must do, immediately, is to go to the insurance and hand them the pink report. They will then take pictures of the damage and assess the costs and they will contact Honda for the body works.

And so my weekend passed by going to the car insurance, to Honda and now I am car-less for a week as it will take that long to fix poor Pegasus.

And now the funny part: Vijay who said he will meet up with me was missing when I was at the Honda office. I was looking around for him whilst reporting my woeful experience to the service guy. Honda is part of a huge company called Al Futtaim Motors which also handles Toyota. In fact their showrooms are next to each other. Vijay was at the Toyota office, also looking around and wondering where I was, waiting for me to show up. Thankfully, there are now what we call mobile phones in these parts.

Vijay: "MaryAnn, I'm here. Where are you now?"
Me: "I'm here inside, talking to the service people."
Vijay: "Yeah, I'm inside too, where are you?"
Me: "Here in the service area, come this side."
Vijay: "But I am here in there service area!"
Me: "Toyoto or Honda?"

And so the mystery was solved as the missing Vijay was in Toyota and I was at the Honda service office.

Whew...enough events for one day!