Sa Wakas, Meron Na Akong Unang Putok! (the wickedmouth way)

may ilang linggo na rin ang lumipas mula nang ibalita sa akin ni Kuya Chinggoy ang paglabas ng pinaghirapan nilang aklat.. ang Unang Putok ni Glentot. una ko pa lang nabalitaan na "niluluto" nila ito, natuwa na ako. unang-una, binalak kong sumali sa isang proyektong kauri nito pero hindi natuloy. pangalawa, na-imagine ko pa lang ang magiging laman ng aklat, naisip ko na agad na papatok ito. pangatlo, pareho kong kaibigan ang dalawa sa mga bumuo nito at nakilala ko sila mula sa mundo ng blogosperyo.

[caption id="attachment_3144" align="alignnone" width="207"] ang "Unang Putok" ni Glentot[/caption]

kaya kagabi, pinilit kong dumaan na sa pambansang aklatan (National Bookstore) sa may Robinsons Metro East kung saan available daw ang kopya ng aklat ni Glentot (ayon sa ads and promotion material nya sa blog nya). excited akong tumingin sa shelves, naghanap sa "new arrivals" section. wala pala. ikot ulit sa shelves, hanap... hanap.. hanap... saang section kaya naroon yun? wala sa FICTION. wala sa ROMANCE. wala sa BIOGRAPHY. wala rin sa HUMOR... nasa RELIGION shelf kaya? last resort ko na yun. wala pa rin. kaya minabuti ko nang tunguhin ang customer service nila at ibulong sa babae, "Miss, meron kayong Unang Putok?" nung bigyan ako ng isang salitang tugon na "ha??" with matching taas-kilay-sa-noo facial expression, doon ko medyo na-realize na may pagka-double meaning yung tanong ko. o baka nga sa kanya, isang meaning lang yung sinabi ko. kaya nilinaw ko, "Miss, meron kayong new arrival na libro na ang title ay Unang Putok?" "ah. sinong author?" "di po kase ako sure kung gumamit sya ng pen name." hanap sa computer si ate sa inventory nila. after a few minutes and many keyboard strokes, nagsalita yung babae, "ahh... ohh... uuhhmmm... (joke lang, walang ganung halinghing) eto. wickedmouth? isinulat ni Glentot!" "ay, yan na nga po!" "wala kami. meron sa national sa recto. meron din sa megamall." gusto ko syang bigyan ng makulay na poker face. "MISS. baka sa Sta Lucia meron?" "ah, oo. meron nga pala." ktnxbye!

nagmamadali kase ako dahil hinihintay ako ng mag-ina ko sa kanto. kaya excited kong tinahak ang walking distance branch ng national bookstore sa sta. lucia mall naman. sure ako meron na rito. bukod kase sa mas malaki yung branch nila, dapat lang meron na kase kung wala pa rin, aawayin ko na talaga si Chinggoy! (na-text ko na nga pala sya at sinabing walang stock sa robinsons metro east, taliwas sa advertisement ni glentot)

so ayun. dahil kulang na ko sa time, dumiretso na ko sa Customer Service at nagtanong ulit in a well-toned manner voice, "miss, may Unang Putok kayo?" naulit yung taas-kilay-sa-noo facial expression na natanggap ko sa kabilang branch at gusto ko nang tawagan si glentot para sabihing umiiba na ang imahe ko sa katatanong ng titulo ng libro nya sa mga babaeng akala naman nila eh ubod sila ng attractive. anyway, dahil excited akong makabili nung libro ni friend glentot, in-specify ko ulit yung tanong at dali-dali akong kinaladkad isinama sa "humor" section... Lo and behold! eto ang nakita ko:

[caption id="attachment_3143" align="alignnone" width="300"] Unang Putok ni Glentot sa Humor shelf[/caption]

hindi na ako nagpatumpik-tumpik pa, i grabbed one copy and went to the cashier. without batting an eyelash, put out my 500-peso bill and paid for my precious copy of the book! sana matuwa yung dalawang blogger friends ko. i'm sure matutuwa rin naman ako sa libro. in fact, babaunin ko ito sa flight ko sa Iloilo bukas. great timing! di ako matutulog lang sa eroplano this time. gusto ko na sanang buksan kagabi pag-uwi ko kaya lang baka matapos kong basahin, wala na kong babaunin sa air trip ko. as the name of the book suggests kase, mukha syang pringles.. once you popped, you can't stop. baka pagbukas ko ng unang pahina, maya-maya huling pahina na pala yung binabasa ko. so ayun.

sa halagang 200 pesos, nangilin ako ng isang full body massage session para mabili ko ang aklat na ito. (glentot, alam mo na kung anong gift cert ang ibibigay mo sa akin sa bagong taon, hehe)

[caption id="attachment_3142" align="alignnone" width="300"] ipinangilin ko ng isang body massage ang pagbili ko ng aklat na ito. sulit, pramis![/caption]

sulit na itong aklat na ito. sabi nga ng may-akda, somewhere inside the book, meron din itong moral story, kahit di sya sure, basta! grab your copy now! ;)

Thanking God, It's Friday!

Yay! This week has been crazy when speaking of the national HKKH-scandal headlines in the country... i'm not dwelling on the issue again as there's a lot of views that have been said about it already but before totally abandoning the issue, i just want to say i really feel sorry for the girl-victim and that the guy should be man enough to take responsibility of this scandal. no person, especially women or kids, deserve to be treated that way. anyway, let's leave this issue to the authorities.

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last week, i thought it's gonna be cut-off week already but looking at the calendar, we still have this week. so, next week should be the hell week! :p anyhoo, i still have a load of work to get done coz in a few minutes i need to leave the office.

(edit at 10:18pm)

...today i was wearing my newly purchased A B N K K B S N P L Ako?! t-shirt by the mysterious Bob Ong. I'm just too proud to brag it around coz i know some friends want that kind of shirt, too. :P well perhaps the Bob Ong fans... i'm not really bookish but surprisingly, i have an almost complete collection of his books. and on this post i have confessed that i'm one of the many fans of Bob Ong's writings. in fact, i only have the latest book, Kapitan Sino, left to add to my collection. that also reminds me to finish reading Alamat Ng Gubat which was given by the thoughtful kid, Lily Jane (LJ), on my birthday (2008). wow! it's been a year! i need to get back to reading (yeah, like.. good luck!) LJ already has the book and upon seeing it, i liked its cover--- gray. it's less thicker than my favorite yellow book and from the teasers i read from here (special thanks to Cai), the latest offing of Bob Ong must be something to stir up the Filipino senses again in facing national/social issues. I haven't got a reply from Ms. Aimee yet if the book's already available at Fully Booked so maybe i'd look into National Bookstores where copies of it are already available.

looking forward to the weekend. tomorrow, wifey and i will be going back to her dentist to do some final "repair" on her braces before she gives birth. then i'll be teaching the children choir by late afternoon and maybe wifey and i can talk about some other things for the future. hmm... it seems i want another date with @ Figaro to talk about those stuffs... iced coffee for me, non-caffeine drink for her.

hayysss... thanking God, it's Friday! weekend is the love! time with wifey, time with family... soon, time with baby! :)

working monday

(and blogging, too. LOL)

anyhoo, i was early in the office this morning and tried to finish the file that i need to report in our meeting. got done with it early too so i was able to present it smoothly. our department got out of the meeting room early (hence, this blogging time :P) while the area managers still discuss something. so basically, i'm waiting for our FREE lunch (my bosses POST bday treat - oct 26) and i'm getting hungry now... later in the afternoon, i'm scheduled to pick-up MDC's purchase order and afterwards attend to the pending return goods report. i need to get all those done by today.

weekend passed by quick and i realized it's already monday. i actually slept around past 12 midnight since i still ate dinner (or was it already midnight snack) after arriving from a wake in Montalban with wifey. We've been to two different wakes over the weekend, first was our resident workers father in Culiat, and last night was the grandmother of my choirmates in Montalban. i've had a good talk with a church minister at the wake in Culiat and i was able to introduce my wifey to him. i was inquiring about the ministers authored book, Even If It Takes A Lifetime, and he told me they were already sold out since it first came out sometime in the late 90's. but he assured me he'll inform me whenever he has decided to have copies of it reprinted. yo, i'm all for it! the book not only consists of different inspiring poems, it also includes two poems that has become popular Christian Music after our very own Glee Club mentor composed hymns for each and we ourselves recorded and performed them in numerous occasions. our choir even created version after version of each through the church tv programs Christian Music Video (CMV).

evening of Saturday saw me and wifey in a nearby car wash / coffee shop as we took dads FORD (for sale!) to have a bath. this car wash place is cozy and while FORD enjoys his bath, my wifey also enjoyed her coffee and free wi-fi access:



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EVEN IF IT TAKES A LIFETIME
By Brother Nicanor P. Tiosen

If it takes a lifetime
to realize a dream
never would I give up
though it may cause some pain.

If it takes a lifetime
to reach the goal
I will keep on going to the end -
rising up, every time I fall

If it takes a lifetime
to find lasting happiness
then would I not be surprised at all
should a beautiful day be shrouded in mist

If it takes a lifetime
gladly would I wait
for a wonderful promise
of a love that’s so great

Sweet success does not come overnight, I know.
But I’ll watch each spring from the ground and grow.
I’ll patiently hope for its fruit midst dirt and grime,
even if it takes a lifetime.

(1997 Editor’s Choice Award
The National Library of Poetry
Owing Mills, Maryland
Included in the anthology “The Glow Within”)

(copy of poem and book image above courtesy of onredawk.wordpress.com)

photo feature stories

photos from my mobile which were already transfered to my images folder here in my desktop are now piled up waiting to be posted here on my blog together with their very own "story". well, here goes:

community service, school activities, beautification (label: taas-noo Pilipino)

just slightly uphill from our house, there is this wall that the local government and the subdivision officers put up to separate the shanties from our subdivision. most children living there, however, are studying in the public school located in our subdivision and before the school year ended, they had this project which amused me. out of their artistic talents, they were made to paint a single theme at the wall making it look like a freedom wall displaying young artistic talents that people will not fail to notice upon passing the street leading to the other neighboring subdivision:



photos above show the students who have participated in painting doing what they're good at while their family, supporters and friends observe them even under the scorching heat of the sun. a few days later, when i again passed by the street going to the neighboring subdivision, the sight of the wall was something to behold:



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of land usefulness (label: life's like that)

in my almost sixteen years of stay here in our subdivision, it is only now that i have seen palay being dried in this lot area where kids from the same public school holds their baseball practices. the vacant lot area is muddy on rainy days but can look like a desert during summer. the lot area as far as i know doesn't really have a rightful owner (if it belongs to the neighboring subdivision or if it is owned by the local government) but surely it isn't our subdivisions property. to be able to reach this area, one must have already passed by the wall (yes, the new "fredom wall" mentioned above) that separates our subdivision boundary to the said lots. the said open lot can be useful for kids who'd practice biking, kite-flying, or play agawang-base and other childhood "non-electronic" games. anyway, whoever owns these palay have made wise use of the lot area. if only we have more of these in the country, then we will not have to argue about rice shortage again and again.

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fall on summer? (label: huwaaat???)

when i drove home in the afternoon the other day, i have noticed that our street was yellowish. upon driving near a narra tree, i noticed that it was its flowers falling that makes the street yellow. together with the heat of the sun, the tree, its flowers, and the yellow-covered street gave a lively ambiance to the quiet afternoon in the neighborhood. nature's beauty:



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bookstore, sparks & piolo (label: books, surprise story)

after rounding the two major bookstores key branches a couple of weeks back and failing miserably to locate author nicholas sparks A Walk To Remember, Ayah have excitedly informed me the other day that she found a copy in Robinsons Galleria. After so many "lobbying", i was convinced to get her a copy and so we headed to my favorite mall last Friday to finally have one copy of the said book. it was actually the only stock left, neither in National Bookstore nor in Powerbooks but in the newest Bestsellers book store, an affiliate of the former. Upon seeing the store (funny how i didn't notice it when strolling around the mall) which is located at the 4th floor of Robinsons Galleria near Timezone (across movieworld)... can i just say, wow!


view from the main entrance


view from its second floor


and another amazing birds eye view

after happily having the book, ayah & i went to check out some other books upstairs and i was amused to see a lot of biography books that are not very usual. among these many biographies was a material for Piolo. Look who forgot the newly-purchased book in exchange for Piolo's biography:



ok.. so ayah asked the price of the book: paperback costs 700+ while hardbound (yes, it has a hardbound) costs 1K pesos. now she has something to spend for with her first salary at her new job. :p

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pamilyang pilipino, at home sa--- (label: taas-noo Pilipino, family)

where else?



yesterday, ayah's family and i had a nice stroll in the mall, bonding in a more favorable term. they purchased some clothings for ayah's dad and after a few rounds, we ended up having a snack at Jollibee. the busiest branch in the mall located at the ground floor, building B, proved to be a haven for most pinoy families. we took the courage to ask our seatmates to have their photo taken to be posted here in my blog. a typical Filipino family enjoying what the filipino bee offers: yums and spaghetti & sundaes:



the photos above show our seat mates in the crowded jollibee branch. the lolo was with her three grandchildren and was giving them a refreshing treat at the number one fastfood chain in the country. proudly pinoy! it's always very nice seeing filipino families together enjoying simple things in life. no money can ever buy that--- filipino culture and values: simply, priceless.

hodgepodge

i've been sleeping on DVD titles lately, waking up in the middle of dawn just to see that the DVD has replayed the film. most of these titles that i watch should have been scaring me and make me stay awake the whole evening but no, they aren't really that scary. to name a few, i have watched and fell asleep watching shutter, txt, white lady, shake rattle & roll 2K, 'wag kang lilingon, and other supposed-to-be scary films. so, the other day, i switched back to reviewing and mastering watching sci-fi-slash-natural-science-disaster movies such as perfect storm, twister, the day after tomorrow, deep impact, volcano, armageddon, and my all-time favorite movie, ID4. it sure beats the solitude at home. but then again, i need to get new dvd or vcd titles. you can almost give me an exam on these movies and i'm pretty sure i can answer most if not all the questions that'll be asked. :p

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i was feeling down these past few days and discussing it with ayah has been a big relief on my part. having someone who understands and listens to your whining is a major help. they help you see through your concerns, get through it and overcome it. they make you realize that it's not the end of the world like the one in this photo ---> (click this link to view photo. WARNING: gory image) [too bad, frogs don't have nine lives as the cats do. poor froggy]. they hope with you that there's always a rainbow after the rain. ayah sure knows how to make me happy. she never leaves me. even if most of the times she makes fun of me and regard me as a clown i still feel blessed having her

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the other day we were roving around the two major bookstores in the metropolis looking for the out-of-stock A Walk To Remember by Nicholas Sparks. then the following day, while having very limited "resources" (read: MONEY), ayah called the office telling me she doesn't have fare going back home from her job interview (or job offer signing) since she bought the book of Sparks which she excitedly found in National Bookstore, Robinsons Galleria branch. but yes, she was only kidding me, but *sigh* i was already very furious. i told her to take a cab going to my office but she was hesitant knowing that i was very mad but nonetheless gave in. she patiently waited for my work off then we strolled along libis area (while waiting for the number coding to be suspended) and both of us dreamed of purchasing this new Asian car being marketed in the country today--- chery(?)

ok... dream on.

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edit: 10:07 am, opis.

hanep 'tong si kid. naa-access ang blogger na naka-block ng firewall. panis!

Stainless Longganisa

While chatting with friend Mariel this morning, she was glad to inform me that Bob Ong has recently released his newest offing: Stainless Longganisa. Being a Bob Ong fan, after reading & loving his earlier-released publications, friend Mariel knew i was going to be excited. and yes i am! in fact, i'm going to ask Ayah to come with me to the bookstore and purchase a copy. i'm also planning to re-purchase my favorite Bob Ong book, Bakit baligtad Magbasa Ng Libro Ang Mga Pilipino? while the 2nd book that i loved, A B N K K B S N P L Ako is currently not in my possession. nasa hiraman-wala-nang-balikan status, just like the yellow book. i only have with me at home the third book, Ang Paboritong Libro Ni Hudas. hmm.. i wonder if i need to invest on books. if ever i will, most of my collections would be Filipino publications. And Bob Ong's works will be on the top list.

ngarag

my office pc clock reads 7:26pm and i was (just) done with the new graph that i was tasked to do this afternoon. after a day of plotting data into MS excel worksheets, i'll be converting data again tomorrow to complete the graphs needed for my bosses presentation on Monday. And i heard our GM say to our SD: "It's gonna ba a long day tomorrow" huwaaaat??? i can't! i have an appointment, and speaking of which, the person i am supposed to have an appointment with is dead, figuratively speaking. that leads me to my next story...

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many times this person agreed to a scheduled date and once the day gets near, the person is nowhere to be contacted. you'll just end up worrying, thinking, and catching a headache wondering what is going on. i don't know how some people find it so difficult to say "NO" if they really don't feel like it. it will be more mature and proper to talk out straight than just keeping silent when you know that the person you are talking with must also live his own life, but is being kept on hold with prior commitments that both of you agreed.

guessing game again? oh please. how can some people easily make others look and feel stupid going after them. whatever you do (and i'm DIRECTLY talking now to you, dear reader) always remember this: "You will reap what you sow."

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i need to start reading Harry Potter books. maybe, it will be a good new year's resolution to read ALL HP books before the next HP movie is shown in... 2007?

i've been hearing good feedbacks from the Goblet Of Fire movie. i can opt to either just be a harry potter movie fan, or both a harry potter book & movie fan. as my thoughts dictate me now, i opt for the latter so i can practice my course of study more than just being a movie fan. there's a lot to "see" in the movie, based of course from its original concept--- the book.

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i'm missing a girl far, far away... many advised me to forget and move on but i just can't, until now. and i still feel the need to know what she's doing everyday, who is she with everyday, what are her thoughts everytime.

...my officemates see me today as how my friends see me then--- a certified masochist. i guess i'm consistent after all.

ukol sa mga aklat

mula nang makabalik ako mula sa halos isang taong pamamalagi sa lunsod ng Mississauga, hinangad kong maging palabasa. Ito marahil ang kulang sa aking sarili, bilang isang nagtapos ng kursong Mass Communication sa Pamantasan ng New Era sa Quezon City. Dahil dito, nagsimula akong pumunta sa paborito kong tambayan, ang National Bookstore, at panaka-nakang dumadalaw din sa mga sangay ng Power Books sa may Makati at SM Megamall.

Naakit ako sa mga aklat na isinulat ni Bob Ong, sa mga tema nitong makabayan at realidad ukol sa mga bagay na may kinalaman sa pagiging Pilipino. Dahil dito, una akong bumili ng kanyang aklat, ang Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro Ang Mga Pilipino? Subali't ito ay nahiram ng kung sino at hindi na nagmagandang-loob na isauli ito sa akin. Pagkatapos nito, bumili naman ako ng mas nauna pa niyang aklat, ang abnkkbsnplako?! na siya kong kinagiliwan at naibalik sa ala-ala ko ang pagiging buhay-estudyante. Target ko ngayong mabili ang ikatlo niyang aklat, ang Ang Paboritong Libro ni Hudas.

Kasabay ng pagkuha ko ng unang aklat ni Bob Ong, naakit din akong kunin ang isang aklat-karanasan ni Carlos Bulosan, Nasa Puso Ang Amerika, na isinalin sa Filipino nina Carolina at Paula Malay mula sa orihinal na America Is In The Heart. Magandang malaman ang naging karanasan ni Bulosan sa America. Dahil dito, lalo yatang umaalab ang damdamin ko para pagbuklurin ang mga Pilipino. Sa paanong paraan, hindi ko alam.

Pinakahuling aklat na binili ko para sa akin ay ang 20 Speeches That Moved A Nation na pinili at pinagsama-sama ni Manuel L. Quezon III sa isang aklat.

Gusto kong ungkatin ang kasaysayan ng Pilipinas, kung bakit nasa ganitong kalagayan siya ngayon. Halos lumagpak na mas malalim pa sa lupa, at halos gustong makipagsabayan sa isang submarino na nananatili sa kailaliman ng dagat sa pagsisid at tila hirap nang umahon pa.

Gusto kong malaman ang kalagayan ng Pilipinas noong panahon ng mga naunang pangulo ng bansa, at ano ang naging partisipasyon ng mga mamamayan bilang isang Pilipino. Dahil dito, ilang aklat pa ang nais ko sanang magkaroon ako ng kopya. mga nauuna sa listahan ko ay: ...So Help Us God na ang may akda ay sina J. Eduardo Malaya at Jonathan E. Malaya; America's Boy ni James Hamilton-Paterson. Sa dalawang nabanggit, pinakagusto ko ay yung huli, sapagkat ito ay ukol kay Pangulong Ferdinand E. Marcos. Marahil, marami sa Pilipino ang may ayaw sa kanya at ang henerasyon ngayon ay tuluyan nang nabulag ng maka-isang panig na opinyon ukol sa pamamahala ni Marcos, pero naniniwala akong dapat pa rin nating makita ang dalawang panig ng buong kwento. Sa palagay ko kase, isang katulad ni Ferdinand Marcos ang kailangan ng bansa NGAYON para muling maiangat ang Pilipinas sa kanyang pagkakalugmok, sa lahat ng aspeto.