The scene: Midnight arrival on a foreign country, a chaotic airport with missing baggage and a fear of missing your ride to the hotel.

I didn’t need a mirror to tell me how I looked - like a zombie. Bleary-eyed, messy hair due to static from rubbing against the plane’s headrest, uncomfortable skin in need of a bath, and I probably stank.

My worst nightmare was confirmed when I got to the exit. It was teeming with people waiting for friends, loved ones and customers. But not one was waiting for me. Where was the rep with the placard bearing my name or even my hotel?

The little dignity I have left contained the tears and tantrum that wanted so much to burst. I turned to the left and looked - nada. I turned to my right - nada.

Ahh hang on, turned right again and saw this hot guy checking me out. Tall latino with muscly arms and crazy hair that I find so attractive. He smiled knowing that I looked back to make sure I was the object of his attention.

I managed an exasperated smile.

Thank God for small mercies. Even if I was dogtired, hungry and getting madder by the minute, I felt flattered and a little bit better.

Wala makiri talaga ang lola nyo.

I was browsing thru a food magazine  while eating breakfast. pogiBoy saw a picture of a cake and he said we should bake it.

“Then we could be Chinese Restaurant, huh mum?! (getting excited) Upstairs we can have the toilet. Here (pointing to the kitchen) we  cook and people come in the front door. They sit and eat here (pointing to the dinner table). Only kids allowed upstairs for a birthday party.”

He smiles cheesily with his left index finger pointing up “I will have a picture like this.”

I think he meant a poster for the imaginary restaurant.

“I ask people “what do you want please?” and they will say “I will have noodles and bread”"

“When I grow up I want to be Chinese!”

Kumpleto yan.

I’m not sure if he wants to be a chef or a restaurateur. But I’m sure he loves his chinese buffet. He’s even willing to give up McDonald’s for it.

There was a picture of this German gigolo who’s been blackmailing his clients aka victims.

Obviously the women are all financially-independent.

But what surprised me was the gigolo himself.

Hindi sya si Richard Gere. hehe Nakakasira nang pantasya.

It’s like the time when I joined some friends in a go-go bar. Most of the women were old and… well, they were not Rosanna Roces. Sabi nung mga Pinoy boys ang target market daw kasi e mga puti. “Exotic beauty” daw meaning pangit by Filipino standards. By standard they mean mestiza, matangos ang ilong, malaki suso.

Kung sa Cubao daw ako sumasama, like Hawaii Five-O, dun daw baka mag-table pa ko.

Anyway, nakaka-disappoint lang na first time kong makakita sa news nang totoo’ng gigolo e “exotic beatuy” pa.

Last night on his way to the loo, pogiBoy stopped to give me a hug. He looked me in the eyes and said “mum, I love you“.

Walking away he said “we marry” pointing to me and himself.

I opened my mouth but didn’t say anything.

He then went back with “When I’m big, I marry you mum huh? Please?” I nodded so he’d wee already. But he added:

“Don’t marry Daddy. He’s got smelly kili-kili.” :-D

Aaawww oedipus complex.

I had to laugh and told him “yes, Daddy’s kili-kili is smelly“. (pogiBoy doesn’t like it when I laugh at what he says when he’s being serious, who does?)

I called hubby but he wasn’t answering so I left a message:

“I’m sorry but I found another man… He asked me to marry him… He thinks he deserves me because your kili-kili stinks.”

There was a very small piece of news on the Metro last night, I almost missed it. It says that recent research concluded that marital problems cause more harm to women than men.

Is it just playing to the stereotypes potraying women as emotional and men with hearts of stone?

The news clipping on the Metro mentioned stress, depression and weight gain as “signs”. Hey, that’s me in one sentence. So the news did hit a very raw nerve.

Now googling for the news item I came across this bit:

“…the institution can either be good for your health - with lower risk of illness and longer life expectancy - or can be bad for you in terms of stress, putting on weight and lifestyle problem”

Living together is basically marriage without a piece of paper, anyway. So are we all supposed to stay single then?

Perhaps women should just treat men like disposal plates or reusable toys. Then we’ll all be healthy.

This piece of news is irritating. Like most who would have read the paper yesterday I did not read the research itself. There are so many factors to consider. Some men are not unfeeling gits, I’m sure they’re as affected as we are.

Like hubby though, they probably just don’t know how to deal with it or how to express their emotions. And that’s my real frustration.

Ewan, basta nakakainis.

What do you think?

Tonight was a rare occasion. The three of us are at home and still awake before 8pm, dinner and chores done and we were just lying contented in “mummy’s bed”.

When hubby raised his arm, pogiBoy pointed at the hairy armpit and said that those will grow too long. I said yes, adding it will grow big enough to cover him and he’ll have to live in his dad’s kilikili forever.

pogiBoy took the joke by the horn and wielded it. He said that hairs are now growing and reaching out for me. I played along screaming for help.

“Mum, they’re invisible!”

“Who is invisible? The hero?”

“No, the hair” and with chopping motion he said “see you cannot cut it”

Ahhh.

Sa tinagal-tagal nang panahon di ko pa din masasabing gets ko na ang british humour and attitude. Actually habang tumatagal lalo ko lang naiisip na dense yata talaga ako.

Kahapon may impromptu meeting na kami. Lagi ‘tong nangyayari, para bang “feel kong magpa-meeting ngayon. Anyway, ang tagal nung nagpatawag nang meeting so chika-chika kami ni jops. Tatlo lang naman kami so attempting to be friendly, tinanong ko si dong kung business o pleasure ba yung trip nya sa amerika.

Ang haba nang sagot nya. Pleasure daw, nagshopping sya, nag-meet sila nung mga friends nya nung dun pa sya nagta-trabaho. Yun daw ang ganda nang walang pamilya pwedeng basta-basta aalis nang walang iniisip maski cost etc etc.

Litanya talaga and naisip ko na na parang may pasaring itong unggoy na ito dahil last year I said something to that effect sa kanya. Panay kasi holiday nito na biglaan, mga weekend trip tapos diretso sa trabaho dala-dala yung board nya. Di ko alam kung pinapasaringan nya ko o inuunahan na nya ko thinking na sasabihin ko uli yun.

But before I could reply, sumagot si jops. Sabi nya dinala daw nya sa Asia-Pacific yung buong pamilya nya “all five of us”. At talaga naman daw mahirap na magastos pa.

In response to that sabi ko may kakilala nga akong apat ang anak di pa nakakabakasyon nang Pinas dahil sa mahal nang pamasahe. Kako they holiday in the US instead.

Aba sabi ba naman nang kumag na dong “fascinating”.

jops and I didn’t say anything after that, dong went out after a while and so did I.

Where the heck did that come from? I really didn’t see it coming. But then I should have known better. Itong lalake na ito na nung una e crush ko pa naman, talagang talo pa ang babaeng nag-me-menopause and I apologize to all women for saying that.

Pag talagang nabuset kasi ako I find it hard to let go. I keep thinking and thinking “dapat nasabi/nagawa ko ito”. Siguro talagang dense lang ako o siguro mabagal reflex ko pagdating sa mga verbal assaults o siguro I just expect people to be decent.

Dong is a jerk and jops said to me once that this guy plain cruel sometimes. Matalino nga kasi at talagang dependent sya kanya yung top bossing namin. Pero arogante at walang modo, napakahilig mamahiya, walang pinipili. I’ve lost count how many times I’ve been on the receiving end of his sarcastic evil tongue but it’s also very painful to watch him tear others down.

So note to self, iwasang makipag-usap sa lalakeng ito at all cost.

On the funny side, sabi ni jops nabanggit daw nung mga building receptionist-or-whatever-it-is-they-call-themselves na pogi itong si dong. Sinabi daw nya kay dong at talagang looking well pleased naman daw ito. Sabay hirit daw si jops nang “then I told them you were gay“… aahhh bless.

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FYI dong pala ay penis, nagkataon lang yan ang ginamit kong hirdaw.

If you’re an 80’s child then you would really know “The Cure”. Those born after would have heard about them or their music. Hubby, the guy I live with, is a New Wave maniac. I’m not.

The day he saw an advert about the NME Awards gigs, he kept a reminder to buy a ticket for o2 Arena.

It’s now becoming unfair.

I dragged my tired and cannot-be-bothered soul to OMD’s concert in Roundhouse last quarter of 2008. China Crisis was a surprise opening act, but I couldn’t for the life of me just get into the groove of the moaning songs.

I didn’t join the REM concert because though I dance to “Losing My Religion”, I’m not really a fan and again couldn’t-be-bothered. Hubby claims he sold the spare ticket. Lout.

For the Cure, I made an effort to join because, you know, they’re legends afterall.

I gritted my teeth because hubby was 45 minutes late! I was contemplating murder but I controlled myself. The concert wasn’t too bad. I didn’t know the opening acts, they were all too young for me.

For goodness’ sake, this band called “Castles Castle” (I think) has female vocalist and I honestly thought she was just writhing on stage but the kids in the crowd were going wild. The singer apparently (to me) was attempting a Bjork-type of singing, you know? Like almost no lyrics but just eeeehhh-iiihhh–eeehhhh?

The redeeming factor was Franz Ferdinand played for almost an hour before the Cure. They weren’t too bad, but they’re not danceable and they’re certainly not Metallica.

The funny thing was hubby didn’t know most of the songs played by the Cure either! Hah!

He was hoping they would play their greatest hits but instead they (of course) played their new songs during the first half of their set! When hubby called it a night and went to loo, I stayed and watched/heard “Boys don’t Cry“!

Oh, that must hurt! For hubby at least. har har

Metallica are back this week. The only woman rocker I adore, Tina Turner, is also in O2. BUT I’m not seeing them. Why? I’ve been asking myself the same thing since last year. The cost, of course.

Hubby wants to see Morrissey in the Albert Hall this May.

And I want to see AC/DC in Wembley on my birthday!!!

Be still my heart, we don’t have the tickets yet.

Cross your fingers I get them tomorrow!!!

May tendency kong mag-aswang pumatol nang batang lalake. And Denise Van Outen gives people like me hope.

She announced her engagement to Pining’s crush Lee Mead last year and recently the media was on feeding frenzy to take a photo of their engagement ring, ang babaw ‘no? Pero talaga namang hottie ang guy and bow ako kay Van Outen. Aba e ilang taon lang ang agwat namin and look at her, proud and happy na “ok pala” ang boy toys.

Sayang at wala akong pang-suntento.

On the other hand… someone is missing theirs. Okay bad joke, I’m sorry.

Aba ang BBC, may kid’s presenter pala na walang right hand! Di ko alam until I read it on the news. I haven’t asked pogiBoy  and he’s often on CBBC instead of Ceebeebies now.

I just saw on the Friday’s dailies that the Beeb has been flooded by so many complaints about it’s disabled presenters. There are parents who claim their kids might have nightmares upon seeing the woman with a stump on her right arm!

How effing twisted. It’s a good thing she’s not discouraged.

This morning pogiBoy and I were queuing at the cash machine and the teenage girl next to us was badly disfigured. Her entire face was either burnt or maybe ravaged some disease. I saw it, pogiBoy saw and he stared, of course. I told him in a low voice that “it’s rude to stare” and all he said is “okay”.

Kids do not know about “difference” in human race.

Can’t those ignorant parents talk to their kids about other people’s limitation?

I think it’s brilliant the Beeb’s got another quality presenter on their roster. Others can’t seem to get past the missing hand.

Ang gusto ko dito sa UK compared sa “tingin” ko sa US ay mataas at mabigat nang katagang “Human Rights”. Sa US kasi parang natatabunan yan nang napakaraming technicalities at historical laws.

Pero ito din ang kinaiinis ko.

I don’t remember how many times I wrote about the yobs, teenage pregnancies and overall terror from these louts pervade England and Wales alone. I might have said it before but a burly officemate said that he makes it a point to stay of clear of swarms of teeners. You just never know.

In the last two years, the use of guns and knives (easy acces to) have been steadily increasing. So what would follow? Weekly news of teenage death, theft (at least those deemed news worthy) and a considerable number of disabled and elderly abuse & crime.

How can I fault a friend for sending her 14 y.o. son back to Pinas when the boy got in a fight?

Better safe than sorry and the boy is happier back home. So happy in fact, he didn’t want to spend Christmas last year with his folks!

So I nearly choked when I read a small item of news on the London Lite on Friday. There are sectors condemning  the Met for the increased stats on the use of tasers on teeners. One group said the Police should only use tasers during extreme circumstances.

It’s almost laughable. These people do not patrol the streets, I doubt they’ve even experienced fear of going out or looking outside their window! The Met already lost, have very limited use, of guns due to potential “Human Rights abuse” and now the remaining teeth they have are being filed to bluntness.

What is an “extreme case” to these people?

Kapag sinaksak ka na? O kapag tumatakbo papalayo at hindi mo na mahahabol pero kelangang mahuli mo?

Stupid.

Kaya maraming bata dito na lumalaki dito thinking they can get away with evil because of their age.

Ewan. Minsan natatakot din ako.

Of course I want pogiBoy to grown up in a safe environment. I’ve lost count on how many times I’ve lost count in thinking of him studying in UP. How cool would that be? Have him wanting to grow up in Pinas?

Baka maiyak ako.