It never used to bother me, but now it does. Why is it that some men think it’s okay to “wink” at you as a sign of greeting?

Do they think it’s “cool”? They seem to think it’s acceptable & appropriate. I can almost forgive people I’ve known for a while, but those I’ve just been introduced to?!

I get winks in pubs, clubs or bars. That’s fine, the place is a virtual meat market.

If boys happen to read this please remember the following points:

You do not wink at your interviewer.

You do not wink at your colleagues when you pass each other in the hall.

You do not wink when you’re introduced to someone.

You only wink when you think you’re so fucking hot that I’d be weak at the knees I’ll hire you.

You only wink if you’re the hot guy of my fantasy.

You only wink if your eye has an involuntary reflex.

If you do not have a condition, then stop.

If you cannot read minds & don’t know what the heck women think of you (in that way), then stop with the winking!

This morning in the Tube I was verbally abused by a “young man” for telling him to mind his elbow as it was jabbing me on my sides as we’re sat next to each other. It was before 7am, the train was not jampacked but it was full enough to have people standing around the aisle.

This moron started callig me a slag, told me to “shut your face“, that I didn’t know “nuffink” and many other words that for the thickness of his uneducated accent, I couldn’t comprehend. I told him to take a cab if he was so bothered by sharing with strangers. I added that he should watch his language and manners when in public.

The buffoon answered that I shouldn’t tell him what to do as I didn’t know him. I said I can see enough to not want to know him. I ignored him from then and he removed his filthy arm away from me.

Nearing my destination, he probably remembered he was pissed so he started jabbing me again…

This time I raised my voice and when he started launching another verbal abuse at me I told him I will call the cops to fetch him at the next stop. Luckily there was an off-duty policeman, who told him to “behave or else”. Guess what the genius did? He proceeded to abuse the guy for siding “with a chink“. When the guy told him one more word and he’s done, the idiot shut up.

All the while this was happening none of the men in the carriage dared look at us. Many of the women, esp. Asians, were giving me sympathetic looks.

When this youth started whispering threats about doing something when I get off at my stop, I said to him in a loud voice to “Stop muttering idiot we can all hear your threats! If you so much as come down my stop, I will make sure you go to jail. You and your kind do NOT SCARE me!”

Siempre pa takot ako, I decided to move away from him. There’s nothing to be had there. I know I should have done so in the first place and I could have avoided that drama. But you know what? Why should I move?

I am paying for the education and in most cases, the livelihood of these demonic teenagers! Why should I fear them?

The answer? The Government does not provide me with protection.

The off duty policeman, yes thank you for the 2-minute assistance, but the effing follow-up was to get off in the next stop after giving him a talking to. Was that responsible?

Did he think the mal-educado will behave now that the nanny is gone?

The biggest fear in this country is getting knifed by a youth (a gang of youths, in most cases). The elderly and those paying taxes are shortchanged.

My biggest worry? These airheads are breeding! These are the people who are supposed to hold this country’s economy in the future. And as a working citizen, I have the right to a life not ruled by white yobs and black gangsters.

When I stood up to this guy, I was thinking of other Pinoys and minorities. Who knows how many people he’s already abused and who bowed to him? I hope that next time, he will think twice and decide against it. I hope he changes and becomes enlightened.

How that will happen I don’t know. But I certainly don’t want to grow old in this place. I pity those who won’t have a choice. No matter how lovely the United Kingdom is, if it’s ruled by dogs, then… need I say more?

I was thinking of how to best open this post… Should I grovel? Should I detail my husband’s diagnosis-operation-recovery?

Maybe I should just say - THANK YOU - to all those who commented, emailed, SMS’d their concerns.

A thousand pardons please for ignoring your blogs and not bothering to answer all your comments.

When I joined my current job I knew we will be insanely busy this year, but I didn’t realise I’d be up to my neck with family-related situations, too. So Blogging had to take the back seat. Family and work come first.

There are a couple of things I need to catch-up on quick but I have no idea how fast I can find out:

1. Have I been kicked out of PMN?

2. Has Sassy released her cookbook yet?

3. What is Angel’s book about?

4. How is Ana’s pregnancy?

5. How is J’s lovelife?

But first newsflash: We’re not going to Pinas this year. We cancelled it due to hubby’s operation. We’re going home next year daw.

So there, first post done & it’s about thanking all of you for checking my blog out & for forgiving me for not visiting your sites. Of course I take it I’m forgiven na! hehe

Hubby’s been complaining that his sides hurt. He managed to go to work on Saturday. We went to church on Sunday, did a little food shopping, he even did the ironing (yes, he doesn’t shy away from housework).

Then I got a voicemail from him, he said he didn’t go to work today because he’s in too much pain. Thankfully (!) he got an appointment from the GP and even more fortunate it was with the “better” doctor. He got the BUPA referral and a scan request for his gall bladder. Now if he waits for NHS that will mean weeks for the results and weeks, if not months, for the consultant.

He’s due for his scan tomorrow and the only consultant near our place is available Wednesday. Hubby says if his pain becomes worse he will go to A&E (that’s the British ER). I asked him if he wants me to be there with him tomorrow. He doesn’t answer straightaway & I don’t look at him.

Deep inside me, I know he wants me to come. I want to come. BUT our Phase 1 release is this week, Friday. It’s problematic and I am needed at work. I feel responsible. BUT I am feeling horrible just thinking about it.

Hubby releases me and initially ventures the scan will be over by 10am. I know though that since the hospital is 2.5 hours away, I will not be in the office until high noon. I will be missing at least 3 meetings and the leave of absence will be without warning as the appointment was only made tonite.

So I asked him in vain really. I feel rotten, my priorities are skewed and the worst thing is I do this almost every month. I feel horrible when I can’t be with my family every time they’re sick. I cannot tend to Kelvin every day. I cannot tend to my husband every day.

Times like these, I really feel that I did bite more than I can chew.

Gordon Brown, the British PM, is under fire again. He should have realised this from the start, anything to do with genetic manipulation will be highly controversial & should be delicately handled. Instead the initial reaction from his camp was to disallow ministerial vote on the embryonic treatment which entails a hybrid human and animal embryo.

I have not been following the news lately so I’m not sure whether Brown’s controlled the threatened revolt.

But I have been asking myself, why is the thought of a possible cure to a lot of suffering people very abhorrent to me? When the first cloned sheep hit the news, I was disgusted and I feared the wrath of God will fall upon us. I have tried to reason with myself. I know the benefits of this scientific investigation. I pitied Christopher Reeves and sympathised with his campaign but I know deep inside I will never support it.

I feel horrible because on my own, I am condemning the afflicted to death and pain. And the thing all these are only in my head!

I carry so much guilt and my entire being seemed to recoil at the chance that I am trying to convince myself to side with the pro’s.

It has to do with my Catholic upbringing. It is ingrained in my being that anything that resembles an attempt to copy what should be a God-only privilege, is evil.

The media treatment and the doomsday type of films that ever dealt with cloning didn’t help either.

So today, although I understand the aim is good, I will say NO to cloning and fusing an animal gene with that of a human’s. For me, it’s taboo.

oohh but “taboo” is so naughty :-P

At least that’s what I wanted to tell our supplier. The nightmare that is our software vendor continue to haunt me.

I was not meant to be involved until the UAT phase, but now I’m supposedly running the show. And as I pointed out to the CTO my hair is turning grey even faster because of this disastrous relationship.

It started well last year, hot guy came around bearing 4-5 brollies (umbrella po) bigger than my son. The “supplier” courting the prey, us. They came around at least two more times. By the third visit, I have enough brollies to last a lifetime. Now I want to shove them up their puckered ass.

They’re not only unprofessional, they’re liars, too. Is that one and the same?

Thursday night I snapped and sent out an email containing some words that when transposed read like “you’re a pain to deal with” and “you call by 9am on the dot or else”. What else will be I had no idea. I just felt so much better. When I hit the Send Button, I was ready to rip out his heart from his throat and eat it.

If you were in my place, you’d feel the same thing. First of all, it’s not my effing job to be chasing them for status on their progress. Our last call at 4pm their project manager said they found a bug and they were correcting it and will be bouncing their site. I went to my school run and attended to my son, logged in at 8pm and what do I see?? NOTHING. Did they fix it? Did they bungle it? WHO KNOWS?

Who do you think my bosses will look disappointingly at for being ignorant?? If I am running the show, I want to know right here, right now where the heck I stand.

Friday morning I read their top honcho’s email and I nearly had a fit. The nerve of this jerk telling me, the representative of their client, to tone down my email!!! He had the gall to tell me that I am impeding the project’s progress with my incessant need for information. He even implied that I may not have enough software development experience to understand that the “drip drip” kind of delivery will make things work than alleviate them. He ended to say he will contact my CTO.

Read more »

It was grey, wet and freezing but Kelvin was not complaining. I don’t think he registered any discomfort. It was always “Where next?” after each ride or stop. You ask him to pose for pictures and his face will be in your direction and his eyes looking somewhere else.

Legoland Windsor is perfect for our little man. Most of the rides were for kids his age (or height). It was perfect hubby and I because we went solo, that is no family friends were there. Else, we’d have trouble with Kelvin wanting to go on rides he cannot possibly join with the big boys.

Read more »

I came home late yesterday as has been the case since the start of 2008. Kelvin was still wide awake and was bouncing up and down when I came in the door. He looked at his dad with a knowing smile and asked him “How about upstairs, Dad?”

Hubby nodded his approval and Kelvin led me upstairs all the while shouting “Close your eyes, mum!!”

He switched on the lights in the room and shouted “Surprise! Happy birthday, mummy!”

Of course, it wasn’t my birthday. It is our 7th Wedding Anniversary this coming Sunday and hubby thoughtfully prepared the surprise in advance. He’s working on the 23rd.

I was so surprised I thought I forgot our anniversary again! Hubby’s trying to make up for his behaviour on Mothering Sunday. And it did hit the right spot. I got a bag to boot! The tag on the card says “… shopping ka na mummy, lipat ko na savings natin sa card mo?…” Loko talaga.

He also wrote his most open and heartfelt letter to me. I guess I was so happy he finally admitted his weaknesses and pride that I ended up crying buckets of tears.

I do love my family so much. They’re my treasure and strength and they’re the reason I keep getting up in the morning to work & persevere.

Marriage can be a bitter pill to swallow. After 7 years I can’t say I’ve enjoyed the entirety of the ride. A lot of times I’ve been tempted to jump ship. But Love can overcome anything, I know.

I took over a project when the manager tasked to oversee it went on holiday. The handover was smooth and I thought it’s no big deal. Yes, I’m neck-deep in work already but I didn’t think the project will take much of my time.

The only only truth in the above is “I didn’t think”.

The project is really a simple web portal. So simple that it’s biggest feature is AJAX and all I need to do is conduct a UAT (User Acceptance Testing). Please ignore the techno-babble. The point is it’s not supposed to be frustrating me this — MUCH (((arms wide open))).

The supplier is a small software house, who we’re looking to be Partners with. So I’m stuck between reaching down their throats & pulling their guts out and being diplomatic but stern.

The third-party’s project manager got sick and didn’t notify me. How inconsiderate of this guy to fall sick, I’m now thinking. He managed to email me late in the day that he was in fact ill and I should email someone else. He failed to say who the effing elf is taking over. I trawled thru the contact list from the handover sheet and called each one. No one knows what’s happening.

Then one worker ant told me he’s just a “grunt” and as far as he’s concerned his job is done and he doesn’t know what happens to the other 90% of the effing project!

I emailed bossing, should I really be chasing these a-holes?!

Every other person in their company, including the CEO seemed to wash their hands off the entire affair. I’m not even sure why they’re bothering to be software providers when they don’t effing deliver. None of them seemed to care what happens with their relationship with us.

You thought this bahala na attitude is unique to Pinas? I’ve had the misfortune of actually working with foreigners like these even in the past. Patumpik-tumpik lang. I hate people who slow me down.

Last year I wrote about my radio and komiks love affair. Today I received a comment from someone who can obviously read and write, but also apparently has no comprehension.

It was from a student asking for materials on radio programs and also had the temerity to instruct me to email the requested materials to him/her.

I know this plagues most bloggers and other sites. Sassy Lawyer blogged about this at least once. And these sort of stupid comments caused my fave poetry site to close years ago.

It’s bad enough they’re asking you to do their work for them, but they didn’t even bother to read and understand what the topic their “commenting” in is about.

The internet is vast source of knowledge. I could easily give this person crap and he’d probably pass it to his professor. It’s just worrying because in all likelihood the Philippines education system has not yet put proper guidelines/checks on info sourced from public sites. Compounded by the fact that you do get students who are not actually craving knowledge, rather are looking for cheat-sheets ala-Recto’s offering, then in a few years time Pinas will not only have massive brain drain because of the professionals flying abroad, you are also left with an inept workforce and even more stupid & corrupt politicians.

Why such a bleak outlook? Because those who do crave knowledge will think they’re too good to stay and they will have the opportunity to leave. Those who looked for the easy way out will not have benefited from their education and will not be export-material so they become President and Senators and asswipes.