of course i'm sorry; i did say this is a daily thing, but perhaps this is really the way i am, but i know it's not an excuse. hey! last weekend i sketched a bit.
i brought one of my watercolor sets to the second anniversary sketchwalk of the urban sketchers philippines. now i wasn't born with a talent for drawing, but it's something i enjoy doing. i'm trying to get better at watercoloring bla bla bla
in other news, more work, which i really can't wait to do--it's that good. off to my word processor now, then. have a good day kids.
0 Comments
work fact: i usually don't write before 2pm. what do i do before then? i read. i scan the headlines, check work-related tweets, wait for the week's tasks to be e-mailed, and write topics, outlines, and tentative titles. i think i need something to munch on while working. i need to fight the urge to cradle my head in my hands and doze off.
I have a cold which I believe I brought upon myself, jogging on a drizzly Monday morning. Yup, on the day of the elections. I finished up my run at around 6:15 as was my habit, and by that time the sun was already shining. The following day I felt the telltale symptoms of the onslaught of a cold: irritable throat, a sniffle here and there. That night I took a double dose of Vitamin C. By Wednesday I had no doubt I'm in for something icky, and was glad the office advised all of us to work from home. Something was up, but this isn't the place for me to tell you about it. ;) Wednesday night I had to attend a meeting for an upcoming conference, and though I was starting to feel really awful, I still went to UP (I deserve an award or something). After the meeting I got myself an orange shake (it's cold, and I shouldn't have, but it tasted good and felt nice on my throat), then another double dose of Vit C when I got home. By Thursday I was coughing up green monsters (ew, sorry). I forgot to bring a hanky (gasp!) to work, and I used up all of my tissue for my sniffles. I might also have finished off half a gallon of the office's water. More Vit C at home.
Today is Friday, and I really want to get well for the weekend. Saturday is the International Museum Day--museums open their doors to the public for free! I've got my sights set on the Ayala Museum. I miss the dioramas and I'd like to see the boats! It's been a while since I last went to the Ayala Museum for the permanent exhibits, and not the art. I remember my dad asking me on one of my birthdays what I wanted to do: go to Greenhills or the Ayala Museum? I had no idea what the Ayala Museum had, but that's the one I chose. I must have been 8 or 9. I also remember my dad reading information on the dioramas from a brochure. Good times. Yes, I was the kid who liked going to museums. I'm pretty much still that kid, and this is why I must get well now! True, I can go to the Ayala Museum some other time, but there's really something special about going there on International Museum Day. It makes me feel like a part of the museum-going people of the whole wide world. Then on Sunday, I'll be attending the Filipinas Stamp Collectors' Club's Royal Postal Heritage Tour again, this time with some of my officemates. It's a long walk, and I hope I don't cough up both my lungs or collapse in the middle of the tour. Oh well. Wish me luck! Last Sunday, my family and I watched the Special Edition release of Disney's Beauty and the Beast. It's one of my favorite animated films, and it never fails to give me the most tender of feels. Because Beast is just awww. Anyway, it got me thinking about the other Disney fairytale movies, especially The Little Mermaid. Both Ariel and Belle have something in common--they wanted more than what they had. And because they wanted more, they got in trouble. Well, they eventually overcame the obstacles (either because of their own will and resourcefulness, or because there's a prince helping them out). Most of the stories we've been told have this as a common theme. Are we being taught that aiming for something has its share of difficulties (blah blah blah) which we must overcome to achieve our goal of having feet? Or are these Disney Princesses just plain lucky they have their princes with them? [I liked Brave though, but I don't like the makeover done to Merida. it's just plain wrong, and defeats the point of the whole story.]
Every day after work, I take a shuttle service on my way home. It has a flat rate of sixty pesos which I don't mind, since I find it a quick and convenient way to get home. The vehicles are mostly vans, with the occasional SUV stepping in. One of the drivers of these vans has the habit of saying "Good evening!" before asking his passengers where they'd like to be dropped off (if we're not disembarking at SM Fairview) as we start leaving the terminal, and we would semi-shout out our destinations. He would then repeat the drop-off points, starting from the nearest first, and then asking if he left out anything, and then repeating it again.
I thought it was a good thing because it allowed him to avoid the outer lanes which are usually congested with other passenger vehicles. As he dropped his passengers off he would always say "Thank you Ma'am/Sir, have a good night." Last night was my first time to sit up front in his van, and as he asked me and the girl next to me where we'd like to be dropped off, I answered "Fairview Mercury." The same thing I've said several times before because there is only one branch of the Mercury Drug store in Fairview, so it's easy to determine where it is. The driver then said, "So that's you," with a tone of realization. "You're the one with the little high-pitched voice! I finally met you! This is your first time sitting up front, right?" It was weird I made that impression. Anyway as was his routine, he asked the same those in the passenger compartment their stops, and I was amused by his expression as he struggled to take note of, arrange nearest first, and memorize all the points in his head, occasionally talking to himself, before repeating it to his passengers. It was awesome. When it was my turn to be dropped off, the driver said, "It's your first time sitting in front, you weren't scared, were you? I drove okay, didn't I? My braking was smooth, you didn't jolt." I said it was okay, and was tempted to tell him I wasn't even fazed, and that he should try sitting in a car while my dad drove, but he had other passengers to drop off. Then he said his usual thanks, and I thanked him too as I left the van for Fairview Mercury. today, like what i hope are millions of filipinos, i voted. (i know plenty of people who did not and were not able to vote.) after voting (aside from the long morning queue it was pretty uneventful) i scrambled home, got my things, and practically ran out of the house so i could catch a cab to work. my shift was starting in 20 minutes; luckily there wasn't much traffic to be stressed about ("it's like good friday," said the cab driver). i got in at five past nine, just within the cut-off period. yes i had work, and my holiday pay probably went to my cab fare, but it was somewhat nice in the office because only a handful of us were there. i'm home now, sharing election-related stories with my family and looking at old photos of our pets. later i'll read a couple of chapters of my latest kathy reichs acquisition, have a shower (or maybe have the shower first), then go to bed for a well-deserved rest to prepare myself for another quick run early tomorrow morning. i feel like there's something missing but i guess we all feel that way sometimes after a long and seemingly busy day. perhaps some dark chocolate will do me good, yes?
Before I dive in to work, let me share with you a film photograph I took last March when I went to Sagada for my birthday. My companions and I were supposed to see the "sea of clouds" which can be viewed from one of the mountains but unfortunately, it was way too cloudy. As we trudged back to our van I slowed down and looked around. This is the kind of environment I wish I have access to every day, especially nowadays when it's too hot. I guess I'll just look at this shot and try to imagine myself back in the mountains, breathing in the fresh and cool mountain air.
Uh-oh. Somebody's in trouble for digging all that dirt. To discourage further destruction, wooden planks and the roofs of the garden fairies' houses had to be used to cover the ever-growing mole holes. "She's a real dog," we all remarked, because our other dogs are fine with sleeping all day. She's a good dog though, and the cats tolerate her even when she barks at them (she wants to play, and I feel sorry for her when the cats just look away). I'll take her out for a walk again on Sunday. (There's this handsome mutt she saw last week. She couldn't take her eyes off him.)
sometimes when my officemates and i have a few minutes left in our hour-long lunch break, we would head over to the nearby supermarket and have a look around (and cool off). we'd buy chips and candies, or during special occasions such as today (a co-worker's birthday), we'd leave with a tub of ice cream in tow. i had to leave this jar of chocolate-coated sunflower seeds behind (awww). it's one if my favorites but at 88.50 pesos for a small jar, it was expensive. maybe next week, or next month--it's not a necessity, anyway. the jar looks pretty cute though.
Before anything else, I'd like to say that no, I haven't left Blogger. I know it's been a while since I last posted anything, and I have no excuse. I'm trying out Weebly now for the quick n' easy mobile blogging experience, and because my thoughts usually exceed the Twitter limit. So, bear with me?
|
nice to meet mew!Hi, I'm Lauren, and this blog is the repository of my thoughts about erm, mundane things. As you can see, I have a thing for cats. I also like cheese. Archives
October 2016
|