The Straphangers Campaign thinks there are many other challenges frequently facing riders in the subways. So we are releasing our list of “ten plagues of the subways.” Bedbugs don’t make the list. While city transit has improved in many ways, riders must deal with these problems all too often. These are the subway curses of:

• Overcrowding
• Delays
• Long waits
• Flooding
• Summer heat
• Dirty seats
• Garbled announcements
• MetroCard mis-swipes
• Just missing a train
• Traveling with your newborn

 Read more here.

I’m not surprised they came up with a list of “Ten Plagues of the Subways”. People have become indifferent to rats that are as big as cats scurrying past the train tracks, anything less than that probably wouldn’t faze them.

This morning I got on the 4 line and stood by the door so I could get out rather quickly, since there aren’t too many people. The train has not even inched forward when out of nowhere, the loud, booming voice of this Jamaican lady took everyone’s attention and started to preach the litany of all litanies. I don’t care much for preachers, but this is one of the few times, especially on a Friday, when you just want to get through the day and get your job done. And again, the last few minutes before you get in the jungle are the few precious minutes you want to savor, however which way you try to create that zen-like feeling with several people riding with you on a train. But, what the hell. She’s probably doing her job, the same way I have to do mine.

Matapos ang isang napakahaba at abalang araw sa trabaho nung isang araw, gustung-gusto ko na lang umuwi sa bahay nang may nakahandang pagkain, at pagkatapos ay matulog na ng diretso. Wishful thinking, kumbaga. Saktong pag-akyat ko mula sa tren, nakita kong nag-iwan ng message ang aking ina, at kinakamusta ako. Bigla na lang ako nakaramdam ng lungkot at naisip ko din na magaling talaga sa timing ang Mama ko.

*

You know how it was when you were young and you wanted to explore and do things on your own? You cower at the unchartered territory you’re about to get into, and with your mom’s prodding, that very thing becomes undaunting. Easy, even. Then you grow up, and you become this independent, strong individual you thought yourself to be. You tell yourself you can do everything on your own, with a little bit, if not zero handholding from anyone else. And then you hear your mother’s voice, and for a moment you want to be young again, if only to hold her hand again like you used to, so you can cower all you want and let your mother face your fears away. 

Photo taken in Ocean City, Maryland

*heaves a big sigh of relief*

I’m back. Well, kind of. We completed the proposal we’ve intensely been working on for the last couple of weeks today, and to reward myself, I went to get a pedicure. Yes, no biggie, but as I’ve mentioned before, things like those don’t come cheap around here, no matter how ubiquitous our Korean friends are in the neighborhood. Finally. After about a year, my cuticles have finally seen the last of its hey days. Hello there, toes.

Three months to go, and we haven’t finalized a name yet. Ye gads.

I should probably get off the computer now. We’re roasting, or more apropos, “turbo-ing” a chicken, and this ghetto contraption stops every few minutes and fails to heat up. I know I should’ve just popped it in the oven, but I’m too stubborn to give up. Better yet, I could’ve gotten a cooked one at Costco minus the aggravation. 

 Ang larawan na ito ay kuha nung kami’y nagpunta sa Philadelphia para sa Live 8 2005, kung saan napakaraming tao ang dumalo para mapanood ang iba’t ibang performers sa larangan ng musika. 

Habang naglalakad kami papunta sa entablado, napansin ko ang lungkot na nababanaag sa kanilang aksyon, sa gitna ng kasayahan.

~~~

Apologies for not being able to visit Litratong Pinoy participants at this time. Too toxic at work, I’ll make my rounds in a day or two, hopefully.

* I’m having a case of the sniffles due to allergy season. I feel so lightheaded and woozy in the morning, and still lightheaded and woozy when I come home at night.

* The current weather is as fickle as a woman. It went from Spring to Summer to Winter again.

* Since my belly started showing, there have only been 5 women and one Asian guy who offered me a seat to date. I’m too proud to take the seat when it’s offered (I’m only a few stops away, anyway) so I gratefully refuse, but I’m still keeping a head count. Those big, burly men who looked at me, then my belly and then pretended to be asleep or too friggin’ immersed with the newspaper to notice the protruded belly? Shame on you and your mothers.

* I spend quite a few sleepless nights tossing and turning (and worrying) about the impending changes in the next few months. The only thought that puts me to sleep? God will provide.

* I don’t see the lady with the floral, puke-inducing scent in the office halls anymore. I think I miss her. Not.

* No matter how ahead you are of your game, kung tamad at papetiks-petiks ang mga katrabaho mo, magiging atrasado ang project. Bad trip.

* I should stop eyeing the Marc Jacobs Sloane bag in Sun at Bloomingdale’s. But I think the color suits my personality. I wonder if I can get away with a pre-mother mother’s day gift this year.

* The Wii console is da bomb.

 

Eto ang pulang parihabang pampublikong, err, ahhh… sasakyan. 

Makikitang ang hugis ng bus, pati na din ang kanyang mga bintana ay parihaba. Isa sa mga tanyag na icon ng bansang Inglatera. 

Mula naman dito, mapunta tayo sa isang mas malaki, at mas makatotohanang sasakyan, ang Eurostar. 

  

In the last two days, I’ve been ogling at photos and description of the food/menu at Gerry’s Grill’s website.

Over the weekend, I satisfied my Ukoy and Bibingka craving from Cendrillon (we saw R@fe Totengc0).

However, for love of all things greasy, I’d love to jet over to Manila right now and get my fix of Inihaw na Pusit, Kinilaw na Tuna and a hot bowl of Bulalo soup. Torture talaga. Di ko na kaya. Alright, I’m going back to look at the menu again.

When we heard mass yesterday, there was a family of five seated on the pew right before us. Two of the kids, a boy and a girl, were busy coloring their books for the most part and naturally were not paying attention to the mass.

When the adults were just about done saying “Peace be with you” to each other within their distance, the little girl - perhaps no more than three years old - suddenly put her crayons down, crossed her arms, loudly uttered, “No one’s giving me Peace!” and then pouted. I think, as menacing as she can muster, if at all possible for a precocious child her age. 

Man. The little girl has no idea of the abundance of peace she has to offer. 

A little too late for this announcement, but NYC is celebrating the Poem In Your Pocket Day today, April 17 and an open-mic is being held at Bryant Park right this minute (what are you waiting for? get on the train, quick!). Even the city’s mayor joined in and published a poem in today’s edition of Metro:

 Press Conference

Pardon me, sir, I’ve a question or two …
You.

Sir, you said poetry is a delight…
Right.

Reading it makes you smarter, more mature?
Sure.

But is it better for people not to read verse?
Worse.

Do you read sonnets?  Limericks?  Odes?
Loads.

All these short answers.  Why?
I -

Follow-up!  What do you do in your free time?
Rhyme.

Could poems appeal to the Press?
Yes.

But can they help with traffic congestion?
Next question.

The man rhymes! I hope he didn’t have his secretary write this, because it is pretty amusing to me.

*”it’s always better
to reject yourself
before the editors do.”

By the way, I don’t think I ever mentioned that I got a rejection letter from NYU’s Washington Square after I submitted 5 mediocre poems a couple of months ago, when they were just about closing in reviews for publication. Heck, I’m not even surprised - I had to give myself a pat in the back for even having the chutzpah to put the damned envelope in the mail. I think I’ll make like *Charles Bukowski and collect one rejection slip after another. What can I tell you, I am a slave for sacrifice.

Sigurado akong alam nyo kung saan mula ang mga parisukat sa larawan ko.

Sa panahon ngayon, pang-araw araw na nating ginagamit ang mga ito.

 

We’re having a boy.

We learned last week that our wee one will be a boy, and we’re excited beyond words. We didn’t really have any preference; for as long as the baby’s healthy, we’ll be happy with whatever we’re blessed with. Families and friends who’ve seen me are certain that I’m having a girl; when I first learned of the pregnancy, I checked a chinese calendar and it said I had a good chance of having a girl at this point; I had a dream that I was having a girl. So since everyone pretty much ingrained it in us that we’ll be surrounded with the color Pink in the days to come, I was convinced we we’re having a girl.

And quite frankly, (feeling) pretty pa din ako, kaya feeling ko, girl nga! I jest, I jest.

As if my imagination hasn’t run wilder than an unbridled horse on a field, I envisioned her wearing Wellies for Spring and Uggs for Winter. I imagined her being a Broadway child performer just like the little girl in Les Miz. Yikes.

But a boy it is! We’re just as, if not more excited. Now my imagination has J running the green lawn of a park with a little boy in tow, pulling his little shorts up as he run; of this boy carting a Radio Flyer wagon with a puppy (and, hopefully, some books) on board. Aah yes, excitement is such an understatement.

No thanks to American Airlines, our short trip to Chicago for the weekend is cancelled. Grabe, gustung-gusto ko nang kurutin ng pinung-pino yung agent na kausap ko kanina. Maliban sa monotone yung boses nya (nakakairita!), wala daw siyang makitang return flight after 6am nung tina-try ko ipa-reschedule for next week, kahit hanggang June daw. Hello? Eh katitingin ko lang sa website sandamakmak yung return flights from Chicago - NY, a two-hour flight, walang makita? Distansyang Baguio - Manila ba ‘to? Tapos nung sinabi ko yung nakita ko sa website, sabi nya, hindi daw yun updated. Gusto kong sabihin sa kanya, “Gaga ka ba?” Pero ang sinabi ko na lang, ”This is crazy!” (Naks). Paanong di updated eh unang-una, misleading yun. Pangalawa, several people do their domestic reservations online, paanong di updated? Pagkatapos, pina-hold ako, after a minute, mayamaya biglang nagbusy yung signal at nawala. Grrr. Gusto kong manapak.

Putreska. Mapapa-anak ako nito eh.

Bagamat hindi isang ‘true triangle’ ang pyramid dahil ang base nito ay parisukat, tatlo naman ang sulok ng bawat side kaya marahil ay pasado na din ang aking lahok para sa linggong ito.

Ito ang Pyramid sa harap ng Louvre Museum.

Ayon sa wikipedia, itinayo daw ito para malunasan ang problema sa entrance ng museum dahil sa dami ng mga bumibisita. Maraming kontrobersya ang bumabalot sa pagtayo nito, isa na ang urban legend na nagsasabing anim na daan, animnapu’t anim na salamin daw ang bumubuo ng naturang pyramid. Alam nyo na ang ibig sabihin nyan. Matatandaan din na kamakailan lamang, ang tanyag na landmark na ito ay kumalap muli ng kontrobersya dahil sa nobela ni Dan Brown na Da Vinci Code.

Isang napakagandang lugar na pasyalan, lalo na kung Biyernes ng gabi, dahil late silang nagsasara at mas mura ang entrance fee. Opo, kuripot ako.

~~~

This is the Pyramid in Louvre Museum.

According to Wikipedia, the pyramid was created to resolve the issues of the main entrance due to the enormous number of visitors in the museum. The Pyramid was surrounded with controversy, one of which is an urban legend that said six hundred sixty six glass panes were used to build this. More recently, this famous landmark spurred more controversy when Dan Brown incorporated it into his novel, The Da Vinci Code.

A great place to visit, especially on Fridays when they open late and admission fee is cheaper.

Before the week goes any further, thought I’d let those interested know that Spa Week is on April 14-20, where you can avail of $50 spa treatments from selected establishments in some cities, and most seem to be reputable places. Go have a massage! a facial! a foot spa! pamper yourself! It’s not everyday we get services like these err, cheap this side of the world.

–

Okay. Again, going back to the blog stats issue, someone’s been searching for an “Asian Spa with Happy Ending in NYC” and it lead to this page. Umm. Eww?

Sometimes -on Mondays usually- when I am the first person to get to an elevator bank at work, I intentionally press the Close Door button even though I know people are standing only a few feet from the door and are scrambling to get in. I just need that few seconds of silence before I go up the jungle of another work week.

Para sa unang entry ko sa LP, ang napili ko ay ang larawan na ito na kuha mula sa isang kasal na in-attendan namin noong June 2006 sa Laguna Beach, CA.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Parang bilog, paikot-ikot lang ang panahon. At sa mga panahon na ito, nagpapakitang gilas na ang init at sinag ng araw, hudyat na Tagsibol na muli.

I could’ve sworn I didn’t remove my left contact lens but it’s nowhere to be found, and now my left eye hurts like hell because of overt prodding. I wonder if there’s any recorded casualty for this type of situation.

It’s a little self-serving, but as soon as I log in to this account the first thing that I do is check the blog stats. I’m a creature of habit, and it’s one of those things I’ve automatically come to do, even though I don’t pay much attention to what it’s saying. Anyway, I log in today and saw the following key words that lead to my blog as a result:

Apparently, someone’s been searching for siopao bola bola around here. Listen, if you do find a place where siopao is to die for in NYC, please, let me know. The closest taste to the ones I’m accustomed to is from Mei Lai Wah at Bayard St. in Chinatown, so spread the love and good cheer when you (yes, you searcher you!) come across one.

I wish I can tell you I’ve been busy with many amazing adventures hence the lack of update. Truthfully, I’ve been bitten by the lethargy bug and have become a mere spectator in the blogosphere in the last couple of weeks. I try not to go online whenever I get home from work, and I must admit it’s a tad comforting that I no longer obsess (that much) about missing a post or a chism here and there. For a while back, I’ve been so consumed with reading about other people’s lives it’s eerily, err, stalker-ish.

On the baby front, my belly’s getting rounder! I used to conceal the bump with empire cut tops because I kind of looked like I just had a heavy meal when I wore a slightly tight one, but I now carry it proudly, and daintily, I might add. I’m a little bit concerned that I don’t seem to be gaining that much weight and except for the bump and perhaps a nose rounder than my already round schnozz , I think I’m still tiny for almost 5 months. The doc says things are well so I’m working my way around the ‘no need to worry’ part.

A few nights ago, I awoken to what seemed like a couple of pokes on my belly. I thought it was J so I didn’t pay much attention to it. When I asked him the following morning, he said he didn’t do poking of any sorts (now, don’t get any ideas…). Then when I was on the train to work the other day I felt something again, but this time it kind of felt like major bubble action inside my belly. I didn’t want to think the baby’s kicking already (baka kasi OA lang), but I read that around this time, faint movements are to be expected. I feel movements when I’m more relaxed, and let me tell you, it’s a weirdly amazing experience. I can’t wait until this kid does major sommersaults so J can finally feel it too. He thinks I’m just making it up, but I think he’s just jealous/sourgraping because I know better. We will know the gender in a couple of weeks and we’re excited beyond words.

I guess  that’s a good dose of make-up entry. If you’ve made it this far, yay! I’m looking forward to a warmer temp in our area, I’d like to get my ass out and do major park-walking, hopefully my entries wouldn’t come so few and far between.

My brother and his family just got back from Manila a couple of days ago, and while I look forward to their stories and pictures, I’m 5x happier because they were able to sneak bring in 10, yes, 10 Kowloon House Siopao bola bola, about 5 bags of vacuum-packed bagnets, 3 bags of vacuum-packed Vigan longganisa, 1 can of burong mangga, 3 canisters of Picnic Ketchup Fries and an SM grocery bag full of my favorite chichirya and pastillas. Heheheeee.

I would have requested them to throw in a few orders of Siomai with bottled chili garlic but that might be pushing it a little bit.

We just saw Avenue Q on Broadway earlier, and what can I say, I’ve never seen a production that has two puppets fornicating in bed. If that doesn’t give you an idea how riotous this musical is, then I don’t know what does.

A humorous take on unemployment, Schadenfraude, racism and homosexuality, the play is a must-see. Forget about bringing your kids; though it is an homage to Sesame Street, it just isn’t cut for their viewing. Do expect to laugh out loud.