"Ortigas right now?" Michelle tweeted. "A scene right out of War of the Worlds."
I looked out to the window in my office. Yes, I have access to the window again, and while the view isn't really inspiring - it's just a wall - it's still helpful. When I'm not sure about the weather, I just look out and determine whether I should bring an umbrella or not. Then again, it's sometimes a matter of remembering to look out of the window, probably because I haven't had access to the window for more than a year. For the past two weeks I had to climb up for that umbrella.
Anyway, Michelle's tweet. I looked out to the window in my office. It's already five in the afternoon, but the skies look like it's already six. It's raining terribly hard. I could figure out that much, since it's really, really dark outside.
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6/30/2010
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6/26/2010
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"Samahan mo ako sa car wash," my dad told me.
I was a little scared. It's been two years since I took up driving lessons, and during those years I haven't been on the steering wheel often. The farthest I've been without a driving instructor was, say, ten kilometers from our house - and I still struggled with parking, particularly because I have knee-jerk reactions.
But, since the family now has three vehicles to take care of - my mom's car, my dad's company car, and a SUV we bought last week - my dad figured I should accompany him more often, so we can have two cars washed at the same time. We could've done it before. Well, we did, but only once.
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I was a little scared. It's been two years since I took up driving lessons, and during those years I haven't been on the steering wheel often. The farthest I've been without a driving instructor was, say, ten kilometers from our house - and I still struggled with parking, particularly because I have knee-jerk reactions.
But, since the family now has three vehicles to take care of - my mom's car, my dad's company car, and a SUV we bought last week - my dad figured I should accompany him more often, so we can have two cars washed at the same time. We could've done it before. Well, we did, but only once.
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6/22/2010
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I remember myself as a six-year-old, always excited whenever the family heads home from somewhere when night falls. I'd stay awake unless I absolutely can't fight it, looking forward to pass by the major roads, just so I can see all the neon billboards in action.
Remember those? You'd begin at the Magallanes interchange and go through the SLEX, ending at the Alabang exit, and there'd be a lot of those blinking lights. One moment it says one thing, and the next it says another - that other thing, you won't see in the middle of the day. Everything, from cars to appliances to banks, were well-represented, and the younger me enjoyed watching the logos swoosh, sort of, from the sky and end where it's supposed to be. I know I'm not saying these things properly, but I trust you get my drift.
They ended up being an outlet for the hyperactivity that proved to be my downfall as I grew old. I don't fall asleep that easily, so I end up looking at those lights and being amazed every time. During the day, I'd pretend that my fingers were those lights, imitating the actions I'd see. I'm fidgety, and my parents say I look like a retard when I do so.
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Remember those? You'd begin at the Magallanes interchange and go through the SLEX, ending at the Alabang exit, and there'd be a lot of those blinking lights. One moment it says one thing, and the next it says another - that other thing, you won't see in the middle of the day. Everything, from cars to appliances to banks, were well-represented, and the younger me enjoyed watching the logos swoosh, sort of, from the sky and end where it's supposed to be. I know I'm not saying these things properly, but I trust you get my drift.
They ended up being an outlet for the hyperactivity that proved to be my downfall as I grew old. I don't fall asleep that easily, so I end up looking at those lights and being amazed every time. During the day, I'd pretend that my fingers were those lights, imitating the actions I'd see. I'm fidgety, and my parents say I look like a retard when I do so.
Read more »
6/15/2010
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It's a holiday yesterday. Not surprisingly, there were a lot of people in the malls, me included.
But surprisingly, there were a lot of people in hair salons and barber shops. I went to the mall yesterday to get a hair cut, and hopefully, get a foot spa. I did the former effortlessly. The latter? Not successful: there were just a lot of people.
So I ended up walking around. Imagine walking around the mall in circles for two hours, armed only with your pair of earphones. You can only check out so many books at the bookstore. Or, as it also happens, so many frozen items in the grocery.
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But surprisingly, there were a lot of people in hair salons and barber shops. I went to the mall yesterday to get a hair cut, and hopefully, get a foot spa. I did the former effortlessly. The latter? Not successful: there were just a lot of people.
So I ended up walking around. Imagine walking around the mall in circles for two hours, armed only with your pair of earphones. You can only check out so many books at the bookstore. Or, as it also happens, so many frozen items in the grocery.
Read more »
6/11/2010
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Am I the only one who finds these little conversations your grandfathers make amusing yet scary?
Sure, they're really doing it to endear themselves to their grandchildren, especially when they're just six years old or something. Besides, you don't always see each other: these encounters always happen within a family reunion, often over the holidays.
That's not exactly the case with the mother's side of the family. Since their house is closer - they used to live in Parañaque, and later they moved to Bacoor - we often visit. But my maternal grandfather wasn't always there: he worked as an engineer, or so I figured, and he was often away. When he's home, though, and we're there for a visit, he'd ask us to go to him.
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Sure, they're really doing it to endear themselves to their grandchildren, especially when they're just six years old or something. Besides, you don't always see each other: these encounters always happen within a family reunion, often over the holidays.
That's not exactly the case with the mother's side of the family. Since their house is closer - they used to live in Parañaque, and later they moved to Bacoor - we often visit. But my maternal grandfather wasn't always there: he worked as an engineer, or so I figured, and he was often away. When he's home, though, and we're there for a visit, he'd ask us to go to him.
Read more »
6/10/2010
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"Niko! Lunch?"
"Yes, fucking please, yes."
Clarence couldn't have come in at a better time. I was having a bad day yesterday. (Then again, when didn't I have a bad day?) Ironic, because I was just writing about the Glee season finale, which should be a high point of my week. I was annoyed that technology is getting in the way again, and more so because I was forced back to my original desk, beside the fuckwits. Watching them laugh at Facebook games while I type is understandably crappy, and for me, exaggeratedly so.
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"Yes, fucking please, yes."
Clarence couldn't have come in at a better time. I was having a bad day yesterday. (Then again, when didn't I have a bad day?) Ironic, because I was just writing about the Glee season finale, which should be a high point of my week. I was annoyed that technology is getting in the way again, and more so because I was forced back to my original desk, beside the fuckwits. Watching them laugh at Facebook games while I type is understandably crappy, and for me, exaggeratedly so.
Read more »
6/03/2010
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It was the second term of freshman year, and I vividly remember eating a chicken burger at McDonald's. Jason and Cuyeg were there. Kevin and Icka were there, too. Maybe Sudoy, too. I think Ian was also there, although when he dropped out of DLSU I somehow forgot some of the places he's been in with me.
My point is this: they comprised my very first lunch group in college.
Catch is, I don't have an origin story. For some reason I just ended up eating lunch with them. I don't know if it's Icka's charms (inside reference!) or my surprising affinity with Jason. All I know is, for a week or so, I was eating lunch with them, something that culminated in all of us, plus a few others, shooting our since-muted El Filibusterismo-meets-Backstreet Boys video.
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My point is this: they comprised my very first lunch group in college.
Catch is, I don't have an origin story. For some reason I just ended up eating lunch with them. I don't know if it's Icka's charms (inside reference!) or my surprising affinity with Jason. All I know is, for a week or so, I was eating lunch with them, something that culminated in all of us, plus a few others, shooting our since-muted El Filibusterismo-meets-Backstreet Boys video.
Read more »
Niko Batallones writes The Upper Blog.
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