Happy Birthday To The Future Mrs. Aguinaldo

I usually do my shoutouts right after a blogpost, but since today is a very special day for my very special lady, I’ll break my own rules.. (Seems like this is the thing I am better at doing.. LOL)..

So, despite being indisposed, there’s no valid excuse why I wouldn’t post a blog today, November the 11th because it is my girlfriend, Leizl Malapira’s birthday.. And for those of you who are asking who she is, she’s my wife-to-be.. She’s my High School batchmate.. And yes, I did court her wayback ‘98, but it took more than a decade until our paths crossed again.. But who can complain? Life’s chances are sweeter the second time in many cases.. Well, probably, in most of my cases..

To The Future Mrs. Aguinaldo (that’s her picture below)

Happy birthday!! I won’t mention how old are you, so don’t worry.. And, what a better way to make you smile today than to say, I LOVE YOU SO MUCH!!

And THANK YOU for being there for this hard-headed boyish (not childish) freak..

“Bacefooking” Facebook

Seems like everyone’s in Facebook hype nowadays like minute by minute, anyone can just post a shoutout and express how they feel, what they wanna eat, how drunk they were during last night’s party and the long list goes on..

I’ve got a shot on this..

Let’s roll back time people.. Imagine if in the 60’s/70’s (where Internet wasn’t as readily available for public usage) and our forefathers would wanna do a shoutout to express what were they thinking an what were they up to.. Can you picture the inconvenience if they would resort to using the megaphone and announce their public shoutouts like, “Adam Smith wants chicken stew for dinner” or “Faye Wong is a lazy ass today” or the more disgusting one like, “Brenda Maige thinks that John McKnight is a douchbag”, “Pete Rogers is an id**t” or the swearings like “Hazel Masters says F***, I hate my life”.. Would it sound cool if those shoutouts were done using a megaphone? Think again..

How about if someone liked your grandpop’s megaphone shoutout? Then, I guess, they would still use the megaphone and shout out back “Lordie Mayers likes Shannon Gravador’s megaphone message status”.. Funny eh, but life complications might have doubled up by now if our elders have done their public shoutouts literally with the help of public systems announcement tools like megaphone..

So, today, with the Internet so much available and selling like a hotcake in the market, everyone can just post their message status.. Pretty convenient, is it not? In my case, I can just post whatever I want in my message status box like, “Leonel Aguinaldo is dropdead gorgeous” (atleast it is more regal to brag in cyberspace than publicly announce it with a megaphone) or if I want something, I can just easily lift a finger, work the keyboards and post “Leonel Aguinaldo is looking for a Flames Game Seasons Tix” and and or if I’m listening to a podcast, I can just easily share the link to everyone that “Leonel Aguinaldo is listening to a podcast in http://magicradio.fm” and right there and then, the people in my list could follow the link and get hook up to the same podcast that I am listening..

But here’s the downside; and when I say downside, it’s really the most disliked or perhaps irritating part..

Let’s roll back time once more with the megaphone story.. Imagine if in the 60s/70s era, your grandpa’s friend met a new acquaintance.. It would be disgusting if he uses the megaphone and publicly announce that “Rob Franklin is now friend with Rudolf Redneck” or your grandma has a new boyfriend, it will be too loud to shout out “Ash Haul is in relationship with Stupe E. Deity” or “Rita R. Deed is married to Sir A. Yulo” as it was like shouting “Fire!” inside the movie house, making people panic..

Consider living in those era, then you just don’t want to disturbed the people in the ‘hood by telling them loudly that you’ve got a new friend or you are married to someone or you had turkey breast for lunch.. Your disturbed neighboor might shove your sorry a** if you do it in the middle of the night while they are trying to get a goodnight rest..

Another example is if your pop was listening to Elvis Presley? Then it would be troublesome to use the megaphone to tell everyone that “Andy Lim is listening to the King of Rock and Roll in 98.5RNR FM”.. What if your neighboor hates Elvis? Then your pop might be held at gun point begging for his life to be spared.. Dangerous eh?!

See? It was not at all clever for our ancestors/elders to have a megaphone as a household necessity if they have frequently used it as a “social networking tool”.. Too many lives would have been claimed by now because of public disturbance..

Now, thanks to Science and Technology that everyone regardless of age is virtually building their kingdom in social networking sites like Facebook, MySpace and Twitter..

But then again, these social web portals are not yet as secured, as safe and as perfect as we wanted them to be, especially Facebook..

I’d say, the megaphone idea is funny disgusting but wait until you’re a Facebook netizen.. I don’t have anything against the site, and let me tell everyone that I am an active Facebook user, but just the thought that my notifications come in like Noah’s great flood story is much more disgusting than the megaphone idea.. I mean, who cares if my friend adds a new friend who is a total stranger to me? I don’t see the need for my friends to receive a notification whenever I add a new one, or vice versa.. Who cares if my buddy Jay Udaundo adds Lina Llamas”? Who cares if my ex-girlfriend (who is in my friend’s list) has a complicated relationship? Who cares if “Glen Moore had spring rolls for breakfast” or if “Shelly Darlington was hammered like hell last night in a Pool Party”? I don’t..

For sure, Facebook integrated the “notification functionality” with a good purpose of building a strong network, but who wants to receive bulk and irrelevant notifications in their emails? At least, I don’t.. No one needs to be notified all the time if their friend adds up a new friend in their list or if a friend’s friend commented on their message status.. Who is interested in strangers anyway?

Didn’t Facebook see it a time-wasting for their users to be deleting unnecessary notifications from their emails? Didn’t they see it useless for their netizens to be getting pissed off reading notifications mentioning total strangers’ names? In this case, their purpose is defeated as it turned out to be irritating than helping..

Plus, people are encourage both consciously and unconsciously to do crimes like raid a bank in Maffia Wars, steal farm products in FarmVille, and gamble like hell in Texas Hold’em Poker.. I Know it’s virtual but if I am correct, the age limit for Facebook users is as young as 13 years old.. Not that old to be exposed with “crime-provoking apps”.. I’m sure no parent would want their 13-year-old boy to rob a bank or steal a farm tructor.. Not that I am pessimist, but interactive multimedia platforms nowadays are highly demanded for plain “social networking and gaming”.. Well, that’s what I thought..

Now, tell me what is your shot on this.. Post a comment below and don’t use megaphone..

(All names except for Elvis Presley and all websites mentioned in this post are fictional)..

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Happy birthday to my High School batchmate, Hazel Orque and to Aristotle Nacino.. Hope you folks had a blast..

JUST SO YOU KNOW

Mark Zuckerberg (photo above) founded Facebook with his college roommates and fellow computer science students Eduardo Saverin, Dustin Moskovitz and Chris Hughes while he was a student at Harvard University.[5] The website’s membership was initially limited to Harvard students, but was expanded to other colleges in the Boston area, the Ivy League, and Stanford University. It later expanded further to include any university student, then high school students, and, finally, to anyone aged 13 and over. The website currently has more than 300 million active users worldwide. Source: Wikipedia.org

(Photograbs from Wikipedia.org)

I’ve Got My Hair Cut For Free

Finally.. After ages, I’ve got a haircut.. Seriously, it is the first haircut I had since June.. If not for the free treat from Ninang Alfie and for the thought that today marks my 9th month of “staying” (I don’t want to use the word “living” in this case) in Canada, getting a haircut is not part of my financial burden.. C’mon, who needs haircut during the recession? I don’t!!

(My new haircut)

So, all summer, I was sporting a long straight and curly-end hair like I don’t feel uncomfortable, but just the thought that getting the scissors work on my hair will costs me 20 bucks is a much more uncomfortable feeling.. It’s like suicidal..

(Bad hair day, before haircut)

My friends would always comment that I am ugly and that they would encourage me to get a haircut but I tell them to stop rubbing the “ugly thingy” in coz I knew since the beginning of time that I am not goodlooking.. And so, they were fed up and didn’t mind me at all growing my hair long, although sometimes they would give attention to my out-of-style hair and curse in disbelief that I am not doing anything to look better but I would always tell them that atleast I do not smell stinky like many Canadians.. (Ehem, it’s true.. Don’t get me wrong Canucks)..

But while waiting for a very good friend to board a bus this afternoon, she asked me to get a haircut.. If not with the thought that she’s leaving for Drayton Valley for good, I would have not cut my hair stupid because a thicker hair helps give me warm during the winter season, but I wanted to show her that I am still an obeying brother to a big sister who knows what’s best for her younger sibling.. And that even she’s choosen to go far away, I would still obey and respect her the way I’ve done before..

And since, it’s exactly my 9th month in Calgary (but up to now, it is still more of a Calvary to me) I’d taken that haircut request as a gift to myself for continously taking the risk of living the hard-knocking Canadian life, braving the crazy weather, facing every sunrise without regrets and watching every sunset with gratitude..

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Thanks to Ninang Alfie for the free haircut.. To Ate Laila for the food (can’t resist adding winter weight with your good cooking) Now, I need 600 bucks to go back to the gym..

Another big thanks to Cherame Ralar for the wishes of having a good and long lasting relationship with my beautiful girlfriend, Leizl.. So, I guess everyone knows the news eh?! Don’t worry, she’s in good hands.. Happy birthday too..

To Charity Ann Ugalino, you’ve given your best, I am sure there will be next time and the best time for things to happen the way you’ve expected them to happen.. I still wish you good luck and be hopeful.. Your time shall come soon and I’m sure, you’ll come out stronger and wiser making your momma proud..

JUST SO YOU KNOW
Leonardo Da Vinci did not invent the scissors. There have been examples found of Roman scissors in the modern form, from long before Da Vinci lived.
Whilst Da Vinci is most frequently credited for inventing scissors with two separate pieces of metal attached at a central pivot point, tools with a similar look and function, yet clearly a different tool, have been dated in 1500 B C, long before Da Vinci was born. They were just basically the same tool but with a different name for them. Source: WikiAnswers.com

A 1 Centavo Worthy Story

Last night, I took the last bus home from a Post-Halloween Party hosted by a good friend in South West Calgary.. So, being on the bus at 11:59pm, and the thought that I still have to take a train ride from Chinook Station to Canyon Meadows Station, surely, it would take much time to miss the last bus ride from CM Station to Deer Ridge Community..

So, upon hopping out at CM Station, I’ve decided to walk home from Canyon Meadows to where I am staying in Deermont Way..

Walking alone in the darkness gives me a paranoia but I don’t have any other option.. Besides, I’ve done it several times, but everytime feels the same like having a runny nose, constipation and orgasm all at once..

Although, I love scaring myself because it is such a primal and intense feeling, I could send my system into total convulsion as far as walking alone in the dark is concerned..

Plus, Canyon Meadows Station is known to Calgarians as one of the most dangerous train stations.. Few months back, there was a teenage boy who got beaten up by gangsters after his folks dropped him at the station to meet his friends and go to a party.. The boy suffered and was injured severely that he almost got into a conma and was not able to speak in a period of time.. He was literally immobile..

Then, another story came into mind about a Filipina health professional who was raped and left robbed and so dead by a white man in Maxbell Train Station.. Although the station is in North East, I can’t help but think that criminals, like predators are just waiting for their prey for the killing.. I was too scared that maybe, a drunk “Pana” (Native Canadian) would jumped at me from the dark corner of the station and rob my stuff or worse, kill me.. I can’t help to categorize them, as most of “Panas” are bummers and are settlers in train station platforms.. Or maybe, a group of gangstah kids high on drugs might beat me dead.. And to think that, before somebody could ask for help, there’s still this long stretch from CM Station to CM Drive to walk/run.. Long enough to make someone dead before finally reaching the halfway..

So, I dismissed my thoughts by hoping, (maybe in desperation) that somewhere along the way home, I would stumble on a 100 Dollar bill laying around the ground, and that I would call a cab and enjoy a ride home, but few steps more, I stumbled on a penny instead..

I picked up the copper dollar and placed it in my pocket like it was the most valuable possession I’ve found in a Pirate’s treasure chest.. I can’t help but laugh thinking it would be more helpful if I’ve found Captain Jack’s sword, so I would have something to scare and beat the hell out of my attackers.. But with the dismissing thought of negativity, I kept the coin in my pocket..

Still hoping to find that 100D bill, I walked rather excited than scared this time.. So excited that I set my stop watch on so I could take note how long did I walk home.. Halfway.. 5 Long blocks more.. 4 Long blocks more.. 3.. 2.. Then the Seven Eleven Convenience Store.. No 100 dollars, but I am a penny richer..

So, feeling cold and numb from the 58 minute-and-11-Seconds walk, I’ve decided to swing by at Sev for a cup of decaf.. When it was my turn to pay the coffee, I was surprised that the change I’ve got in my pocket is the exact amount I’ve gotta pay, of course, with the help of the penny I picked up from the way home.. $1.76..

And the amazing thing is the thought that should have I decided to leave the penny in that same place where I saw it laying around like a useless piece of junk, I would have ended paying with the 100 dollar bill in my wallet..

Things are surprisingly amazing though they are small..

Almost an hour ago, I was hoping to stumble on a 100D bill only to get a penny.. But it didn’t take me another long walk to realize that the penny saved the only 100D bill I have in my wallet.. So, I still got what I’ve wished for – a 100 dollar bill in my pocket, safe and sound..

And yeah, maybe I don’t really need to call a cab to get home because I am literally able and fit to become a lazyhead to walk; and that long walk I just had served its purpose only intended for me..

I thank whoever dropped or left that penny sitting around the ground because it made me enjoy a cup of coffee while laughing myself out knowing that with great purpose, I’ve taken another wisdom..

So the next time I’ll walk alone in the dark, I would certainly wish to stumble on a penny instead of a 100 dollar bill; and yeah sure, I’ll share whatever story I got..

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Thank you to Tita Lydia and Ate Laila for the surprise they’ve given me yesterday.. I won’t mention it here, but I’d like to tell them and everyone that it was very much appreciated..

Advance Thank You to Louise, our Choir Conductor at the Deer Park United Church, for the gift she promised.. Soon I can play a guitar after years.. Sweet..

Have a great journey ahead Melanie.. Drayton Village sounds a strange place, but sure, you will be perfectly alright.. I’ll see you around..

Happy Birthday to Leslie Grace Ferreras (on the 5th).. Have a great one.. Where’s my invites?

JUST SO YOU KNOW
The Canadian Penny cost $130CAD annually to keep in circulation Source: Wikipedia

8 Things You Should Know How Pasuquiños Celebrate The Hallow’s Eve.

For the past two weeks, I’ve been thinking of a good post to write about Halloween.. Yes folks, it is the time of the year once again where the scariest part is to see your kids teeth decaying because of too much candy, courtesy of course by no less than – The Halloween..

I’ve exhausted every resources and even myself to give you a good read for the spooky holiday, and yes, I strongly define the word “google” in this case as synonymous to “failure”.. To my dismay, the topics I wanted to write have been discussed and posted in many blogsites; and duplicating things, is a form of stupidity.. So, it took me hours to think and figure out, pushing my neurons to work, until I saw that “glowing incandescent bulb” above my head..

So the idea of giving you a list of how Halloween in my hometown is celebrated (if my people call it a celebration) is the closest and the best thing to write about.. Why not? There have been much literature about Westerners celebrating The Hallow’s Eve in their spooky outfits, (although, I must admit, the kids look more stunned than excited in their costumes) and I wonder if they know a thing or two about how people in the East celebrate this “man-made-scary-holiday”..

But since everyone is in the mode of scaring their mates stupid, I’ll write this particular post in a light manner such while you laugh, you won’t notice that creature creeping behind you..

So, here’s a list of few things on how Pasuquiños celebrate Halloween.. But first, let me define “operationally” some terms here: 1. Pasuquin, Ilocos Norte, Philippines – a small town in Northern Philippines where I was born and raised and got kicked out into exile upon manhood just to get my balls frozen in North America.. (Use the Google search engine for more related article on Pasuquin and not on frozen testicles, aight?), and 2. Pasuquiños – obviously the people living in Pasuquin (that includes me, if they still consider me one of their sons as I am in exile)..

So let’s roll.. Here are the 8 Things You Should Know How Pasuquiños Celebrate The Eve of the Hallow..

1. We do not wear spooky costumes neither put on heavy make-ups. Kids and adult alike do not go for trick or treating.. Yes, candies are way “out-of-fashion” during this occassion and are only trendy on the Christmas Eve.. Why only on Christmas? Because there’s this thing we universally call, “Christmas carolling”, and it is where kids go from house to house to carol in exchange for Christmas goodies..

2. To Pasuquiños, the real celebration of the Hallow’s Eve would come on the 1st of November, All-Saints Day.. Who cares what happens on the 31st of October anyway? It wasn’t marked red in the calendar.. Weird eh? Yes, but traditionally, the 1st of November is the day in the Calendar where we offer mass, prayers, atang (food offering) to our departed love ones.. We have a bizzare reunion with the rest of the family in the cemetery while visiting our departed members’ graveyards, lay flowers, lit candles, share same old boring stories about how your cousin beats the hell out of you in basketball and how much money your dad make compare to your cousins dad.. The family can even hire a priest to do a prayer chant..

3. Responso/Minmindu (The Prayer Chant). The chant is a traditional Catholic/Aglipayan prayer that is believed to help repose the souls of our love ones who had gone before us.. It is usually perform in the graveyard by a priest with some of his Church elders chanting in high pitch harmonies for good 10-15 minutes.. Here’s the comic part: A family who wants to avail of the Responsorio/Minmindu has to pay some amount.. The amount varies depending on how many names of your departed love ones are included in the chant.. The range is about P150-P250/chant (that’s roughly $3-$5/chant).. Good business eh?!

4. Atang (Food Offering). In Pasuquin, we prepare our native delicacies and offer to our departed love ones either in a table set and covered in black cloth at home or in their graveyards.. The offering should have rice/rice cakes, fine wines, pop, tobacco, fruits, casa fuego, nut gum, eggs, and even coins.. (Sometimes, I wonder what our departed wants for a brand of cigars or why would they need coins.. I’m wondering if they play poker in the after life)..

5. Candle Robbing. Yes, you heard it right.. It sounds like it is a crime and yes indeed it is, but it’s extremely for fun.. We Pasuquiños do not want candies or any other goodies for Halloween.. We just want to rob candles from unguarded tombstones, niches and graveyards.. For what? To compete with the other kids in making the biggest candle wax ball; and it’s really purely for fun.. We are not allowed to bring home our “piece-of-wax-art” because initially, those candles are intended for the dead people and they should be left in the cemetery. (Unless you lose and decide to strike the winner in the forehead, then the candle ball is always a good weapon but be sure to bring it home and hide so there wouldn’t be evidence of a much heavier crime done rather than stealing candles.. But, I do not encourage kids to do so)..

6. Il-lao/Ul-law/Ul-lawa (Kite-Fying). Normally, in Pasuquin, windy season starts in mid-October until the first quarter of the next year.. Since I was born, kite-flying has always been a part of the November 1st occassion.. Although it is not at all a competition, you would always see kids and adults alike flying kites in memorial parks while visiting the graves of their departed ones.. (I have a strong suspicion that the adult kite flyers are frustrated pilots or they are just simply having their second childhood)..

7. No Pumpkin Head & Halloween Decors. Yes, unlike in some parts of the globe, our town do not grow pumpkins.. Well, we have squash of relatively smaller sizes but we’d rather cook it for meal than to make fun cutting and carving holes on it.. We also do not decorate our houses with artificial cobwebs, cardboard painted like tombstones, witch and scarecrow figures because as a Christian community (mostly by Catholic/Aglipayan faith), we consider those as works of the devil and would attract negative energy, which would enter our homes.. (When I say negative energy, I am not referring to your 37-year old brother who still lives with your folks and goes home late at night drunk nor your gossip-worshipper neighboor who loves to eavesdrop, although categorically, they are qualified)..

8. I should include this as a trivia but it is a good item to be listed.. (So this gives me a reason not to write one for this particular post).. Decades ago, the United Church of Christ in the Philippines-Pasuquin (UCCP-Pasuquin) initiated a Halloween Party and Fellowship on the eve of October 31st that ran for few years.. The Christian Youth Fellowship (CYF) would always build a big tent and set it up as a haunted house, decorated with real caskettes, Halloween ornaments and propped with people in eerie costumes and nape-opening music ready to scare the brave-hearted people who would enter the house.. This practice, initially served as an introduction of the adapted culture from the West in their celebration of Halloween having all those scary elements, as it drew both local folks and crowds from neighboring towns. For some unknown reasons, this tradition was stopped.. (Well maybe because it was not as scary as it should be or beer does not come in the free meals provided)..

So there you have it folks, minus the jokes, everything in the list is factual.. Enjoy trick or treating while I will be sleeping..

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Goodluck to Charity Anne Ugalino, Ate Becky’s daughter in her Board Exam for Engineering.. I’ll wait until my next post would be a congratulatory with the abbreviation, ENGR. before your name..

Congratulations to Mr. & Mrs. Rommel Magalong (nee: Aline Genato) for the twin baby boy and baby girl.. Enjoy your first borns and look foward to your next borns.. Then you could run a reality TV show like the one that’s in TLC.. Sorry, I can’t name the program because I am not paid to advertise..

The Husband, The Wife and The Chicken

Let me tell you a story of a husband that was so worried about her wife becoming deaf..

The husband being afraid of losing communication with his wife went to a doctor and said, “Doctor, I am afraid that my wife is losing her sense of hearing”.

“Why do you say so”?, the doctor asked.
“Because everytime I tell her something, she won’t say anything. She won’t answer me back”, the worried husband replied.

The doctor then advised the desperate husband to try talking to his wife again in a more enduring tone, and if the wife doesn’t respond back, he has to inch closer and closer asking the until the wife hears him and responds.

Felt relieved with the doctor’s advise, the hopeful husband went home with so much excitement.. As soon as he opened the door, the smell of delicious lunch is coming out of the kitchen.. He smirked and asked, “Honey, what’s for lunch” to no reply..

Still eager to try his luck, he stepped 10 feet nearer to the kitchen and asked the same question, “Honey, what’s for lunch”, then again to no response..

Feeling a little impatient, the husband moved just right back of the wife who at that time was done preparing lunch and asked, “Honey, what’s for lunch?”

The wife turned on him angrily and said, “For the third time idiot, chicken”…

Sometimes, we tend to think that we are made better than anyone else.. That we see others as big problems or we see big problems with others.. Several times, we feel, we are above other people that we don’t look ourselves in the mirror but we love looking at and putting them down.. This is why we think that we are first rate and them being not is a big problem..

We become judgemental as if we all have the right to do so without judging ourselves initially..

Is it good to pass judgement to others? The answer depends on how you hand judgment to yourself before judging them.. Many of us tend to forget that while we love judging and accusing our fellow beings of being faulty and wrong, we become much more of our negative judgements..

We jumped into conclusion about how people think about us, by prematurely questioning or attacking their ideas, views, beliefs and thoughts.. We take offensive actions based on our twisted logics thinking it is the right thing to do but it doesn’t vindicate us..

We judge people because we think that they are talking shit about us, or their silence has something to do with our previous actions, but the truth is, we never ask what’s wrong with ourselves.. Why? Because we’d rather dwell on our irrational belief that we are the more priviledged ones and they are the much miserable someone..

sometimes, our way of thinking self-destructs like a C4-timer bomb because we attack people with the wrong basis or without any basis at all, except that we feel, they need to be attacked or annihilated..

If only, unlike the husband in the story, we ask what’s wrong with ourselves instead of judging that something is wrong with someone else, then the world would never be as chaotic us hell (although personally, I haven’t seen or been to hell to tell it was really chaotic; and I don’t have plans to go there, never)..

There’s no such thing as perfect in this world except for the word itself.. Everyone has flaws, loopholes, and weaknesses.. Not everyone can be as strong as Genghis Khan or as famous as Michael Jackson, there will always be the weaklings, which we mostly judge.. But only, if we could avoid thinking negative about our neighbors and we start thinking of changing ourselves for better so it could be a precedent to other, then there aint gonna be anger caused by immature judgement.. That if we only cease commenting negatively on how other people bahave and start behaving the way we should, then there aint gonna be gossips destroying every foundation of every relationship.. That if we could only stop worrying about how anyone else thinks about us and do our own thing and lead an example, then there would be much respect for one another; no space for fabricated stories, no rooms for faulty assumptions and wrong accusations..

When we try to examine ourselves before trying to disect others, we would know surely that like them, we too are vulnerable, faulty and weak; that we don’t need to pull them down just to cope or cover up our own fears.. That sometimes or even most of the times, we become the weakest link, much vulnerable and more fearful than them, and are so afraid to admit our frailness, so we seek someone to blame for our failures..

Life like a weighing scale needs to be checked and balanced.. How could we pass soundful judgement depends on how we judge ourselves not only by what our eyes want to see.. So next time we think that somone is a big pain in the ass, hear me, there’s no one much painful in our asses than ourselves..

Now, what’s for lunch, chicken?!

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Just wanna redeem myself and do this real quick.. Happy belated birthday to the “Potato Man” and the “Wedding Singer”, Jaime Gallentes.. Seriously, it’s time for you to get a wife..

JUST SO YOU KNOW

Chicken Little was a 2005 computer-animated film produced by The Disney Company (not by Pixar). It is the 46th film in the Disney Animated Canon, and is also Disney’s first movie to be completely made via computer animation. It is based on the fairy tale of the same name, but set in modern times and given a Science Fiction spin. Source: TVTropes.org

Blame It On The Potato

I’ve overloaded my system with potatoes the whole day.. I’ve had a banana and a piece of green pears for breakfast but I was too lazy to prepare anything for lunch..

I bought three loaves of multigrain bread two days ago but I’d rather keep them frozen for the time being just so its fresh.. Or I was just making an irrational excuse why I could not get my feet to stand up and my hands to open the fridge, toast some slice and spread some soya cheese.. Either way, indeed it was a very lazy day..

Or! Maybe, because I bought 20 canisters of Pringles and I stocked them all in my room, that made me too lazy to prepare a real food for a decent meal.. Yes.. No other reason’s out there.. I was just really lazy..

See? This is what I hate about going to the grocery store.. I always ignore my list and end up buying instant products like noodles, canned beans, canned fruits or chips, and I know it’s not healthy at all..

One time, I was at the counter with a cart full of instant cheesy macaroni and canned pineapple chunks, and the old guy next in line told me, “Yeah, typical bachelor’s meal, eh?”.. I should have given him a nod but he blurted, “Oh boy, you remind me of my younger days, and now I was this big because of that”, pointing to my groceries.. That’s scary.. I don’t wanna be a 500-pounder brown hobbit.. Not with my height or people would ask me, “Oh great Buddah, is that you? I didn’t realize you’re Southeast Asian?”..

One more thing, I haven’t had ginger ale for a long time, but when I did my groceries few days back, I bought four cans of those organic brands and now I am beginning to have my gastroacidity back.. I didn’t realize that though it is organic, the ale’s still carbonated and I haven’t had such thing for quite a time..

Maybe, I should cut spendings on my grocery shopping and I’ll save the Pringles for Halloween.. Atleast, it’s more than the usual chocolate bars or candies and the kids will surely be happy.. Or I should just not do grocery shopping at all.. That means savings and I think it works better that way..

I’m full and I know, it is because of my foolishness.. And because it is winter time, I should go back to the gym soon to avoid having winter weight.. I haven’t gained weight since last year, but I just wanna make sure that what I’m eating is right and that I maintain a healthy lifestyle.. Maybe a Kung Fu class would help, basketball works fine but hey, I don’t have that many buddies to play even a 3-on-3.. Squash sounds cool too, but first, I have to learn how to play the game.. Or bowling..

By tomorrow, I should have fresh tomatoes and broccoli, and there’s no reason why I should be lazy..

And oh, by the way, give me a shoutout if you want Pringles.. I have 17 canisters in 5 different flavors sitting in my room and I am ready to give it for free..

IT’S SHOUTOUT TIME
Happy birthday to CHEDEans, Ms. Rebecca “Te Becky” T. Ugalino and to my cumpadre, Ronald “Tokwa” Andrada.. May you have a bigger amount of CNA to come.. I miss the fun..

Another happy birthday to a former CHEDean, MaMai Reyes.. Hope you’ve found the video I took during your despedida in 2006 in my Multiply site..

And to another WordPress resident, Maria Adrielle Solsoloy, happy birthday.. Have a blast..

And to everybody, enjoy the Halloween!

JUST SO YOU KNOW!
Did you know that the Indians in Peru were the first people to cultivate the potato over 4000 years ago? The Andean Mountains of South America is the birthplace of the “Irish” white potato. The Symara Indians developed over two hundred varieties at elevations of over 10,000 feet over sea level. The potato, a name derived from the American Indian word “Batata”, was introduced to Europeans by Spanish conquerors during the late 16th Century. Source: The Hot Potato Website

Random 10/23: Changes

So before I’ll crash to bed fellaz, I just want to inform you, my frequent readers that there will be some minor changes here starting with my next blog (though I’ve done it in my most recent entry on “How To Self-Cure…”)

Okay.. So, you might have noticed that there’s a sort of a “greeting board” in the last part of my blog post, which I called, “SHOUT OUT TIME”.. I’ve been doing this regular greetings before folks, but i was only using “—” <-that sign as a separator.. And so one of my friends, Michelle, suggested that I should atleast name my shout out post instead of just putting in a tiny straight line indicating that the reader has reached the greeting board.. And so, I did..

Another addition is the trivia, which I called, "JUST SO YOU KNOW".. This idea was brought out by my friend, Erick while having coffee the other weekend.. He asked if I could have a single-to-two very short paragraphs of trivia related to the topic I am writing.. So, I had this part included in my most recent post..

I am also trying not to grab still photos from the net as part of my upcoming posts people.. I am trying to work on my pencil/pen strokes just so everything that you will see here in this site is of the blogger.. Except in cases where I really need to grab some photos from other sites like photos of latest Sat feed of weather trackers and organization seals/emblems/logos and maps; well at least, only in the news updates that I am reposting from various news agencies

There is a big possibility that I may be joined by another author for this blog site, and there are arrangements being made to.. Guess what, to have my brother/sister, yeah, Eley "Pasaway" Aguinaldo writing for this site.. If this thing pulls through, it is gonna be great coz trust me, she has much stories to tell than I am.. She might also yake charge in writing Filipino/Tagalog an Ilocano posts.. We'll see..

As a tribute and part of the support system to my fellow Temporary Foreign Workers (TFW) based in Canada, The "TFW Board" is added as a sub-link/sub-page of this site to serve as "announcement board" for any activities conducted by the Calagary Catholic Immigration Society (CCIS) and for any news/concern and development from the Government of Canada (GoC) with regard to issues on Immigration, Temporary Residency, Work Permit and other TFW issues and concerns..

I'm planning to include recorded podcast in my website.. Perhaps I will create another sub-link/sub-page to where you can download and stream the audio formats.. We'll see if my little experiment works for this site.. But I am planning to include not to soon as I will still arrange some backend technicalities for the site to work the way I wanted.. So, just watch out people..

Although, by request, I am trying to come up with more comic blog posts and light posts, still, this blog is called, Aguinaldo Republic, The (Mis)adventures of a Brown Palaboy and if you are following my short URL http://i.am/leonel, this blog is entitled, Leonel Aguinaldo's Life in Random, so I'm trying my best not to swear and write cuss words much, but there will still be some points when my emotion is soaring so high, maybe in anguish, anxiety or maybe in bliss, that I can't avoid to drop the F, MF, BS, S, AH and other dirty bombs.. So, I maintain my stand that this blogsite requires READERS DISCRETION..

So, there you go folks.. Those are the lists of the minor or major changes that you'll be seeing soon in this site.. I hope you'll still be part of my growing readership..

In my Spanish tongue I'd say, "Muchas Gracias", in my Bahasa tongue I'd say, "Terima Kasi", in my Filipino tongue I'd say, "Maraming Salamat", and in my Iloco tongue I'd say, "Dios Ti Agngina Kadayo Amin"

How To Self-Cure Without Going To The Doctor

Allow me people to welcome myself back in “good-mood-writing”.. You might be asking, “why the good mood?”..

Have you been in excruciating pain that you can’t even push yourself to get up from bed? That you would rather not talk because it’s either you will talk trash or you will feel the pain stings?

(Photograb from eHow.com)

Oh well, I have been indisposed for five days with pain going up and down my spine to my skull.. Why?

In 2005, i broke a tooth while eating beans, yes folks, beans.. So, I rushed to the dentist and asked for the best remedy.. Since my tooth (then) was as strong as Hercules, the oral surgeon (Dr.Jaramillo) told me to get it filled.. So, in an instant, I got my tooth back with the same shape and feel like when it was not yet broken.. I never missed my dental appointment since then..

So fast forward to 2009.. Four years after.. In January, I went back to my dentist and asked to do a complete check-up for my oral health.. That is in preparation for my overseas work in Canada.. I told him that I think it is time to extract that same tooth he repaired four years ago, fearing that I might be spending triple the amount if I’ll get it extracted in the Maple Country..

Don’t get me wrong Canucks, but I haven’t been to any country with a free health care system except in Canada, but the Canadian Dental/Oral and Optical Health Care sucks big time.. C’mon people!! Where the hell can you find a dental/oral care system that would drain your pocket before you’ll have your partial reimbursement after waiting in vain?! I mean, I do not complain paying but dental service fee in Canada is just more than too much.. It’s a disaster..

Now, back to my tooth story.. For the past five days, my tooth was sore and my entire left gum was in excruciating pain.. Maybe because the tooth that had been filled four years ago is decaying and that the filling might probably digging it’s way low, piercing through my gums.. So, yes, i had internal gum bleedings and I resorted taking all kinds of pain killers available in the store, to no help.. To name a few, I had Tylenol, Aspirin, Ibuprofen, Dolfenal, and no one helped..

So, can you just imagine my situation running to my appointments for five straight days with so much pain like everytime it stings, it feels like there’s an arrow head that’s hitting directly my skull or my spine? For the past two days, I have not taken any solid food as it pains a lot when something touches my tooth that was aching.. I only had water and tea to satisfy my cravings..

Seriously, if there’s one physical pain I am avoiding not to have, it would be the pain that has something to do with my teeth or gums..

I’ve endured the pain when I sprained my arm while snowboarding, the pain when I was circum..(you know that thing folks) and the pain i had when I broke up with my first, second, third to my “nth” girlfriend, but hey, toothache is a more painful thing.. It’s the worse pain.. (at least to me)..

So, since my Blue Cross is yet to be processed, and I understand that half a Grand would not be enough for my dental x-ray alone, plus the drilling and the filling, cleaning and extracting that will be done by the dentist, the total estimate gives me a more painful frown than toothache itself..

So I decided to phoned my dad in the Philippines and asked in desperation, what did he do with his toothache before.. To my relief that he could help, he said that he had the same case, only that when his tooth was healed, he rushed to his dentist and had the tooth extracted.. And he too said, it’s the worse pain he had but it was a one-shot deal..

But he told me that, I can get rid of the pain by gargling with salt solution.. I was skeptic, so after the phone call, I immediately grabbed my PDA and started googling articles on “salt solutions” as a home remedy for toothache.. And, jai-ho, I have the hits and related literatures I’ve wanted, to start a desperate action for an equally desperate situation..

And so, I started this home remedy as alternative still with a little bit of skepticism, but after having three or four gargles in a regular interval, I’ve noticed that the pain is almost gone..

I still take pain killers on a round-the-clock basis, but I am just as pleased to think that for the next days or weeks, I won’t have to drain my pocket because of the costly dental services fee I need to pay just to get my tooth extracted by a dentist in the Maple Country..

I’ve tried not to talk about this “tootahache thingy” fellaz, but I guess, it might be helpful to some of you who have experienced and are experiencing the same painful struggle; and let’s be honest, this might even help you ease the burden of paying the bills you have to pay your dentist.. And yes, this post might be a good excuse to tell everyone that, “Oh, I am not afraid with the dentist, I just have a home remedy that’s cheaper than drilling an extracting”. Funny, as it may sound but yes, though old-aged, sometimes, we still have reservations why we should not brush elbows with the teeth experts..

For more related articles on salt as a house remedy for toothache, you can visit Paradise.net and Peacefulmind.com

— IT’S SHOUT OUT TIME
The blogger would like to thank Ms. Melanie Fariñas-Misay for the opportunity of working together in an organization we call, “Underground” (Ssshhh).. I wish you all the best of luck and of life in your new journey to Drayton.. Calgary will miss you.. Thank you for the BIG HELP miss (you know what I am talking about).. I’ll see you at the Send-Off Party, but I won’t be drinking coz I’m still in pain..

A very BIG THANK YOU goes to Lola Carmen Pablico for the surprise gift package she gave me last Sunday.. It’s a GAP chequered long sleeves polo, (which the price I won’t mention), but it could be a one-day pay for a regular office staff..

And, BREAK A LEG to my one and only “brother/sister”, Eley “Pasaway” Aguinaldo whose having her Canadian Embassy Speak Test on the 29th.. I’m giving you TWO Options bradah, it’s either you pass or I’ll break both of your legs..

—
JUST SO YOU KNOW:
Himalayan salts are natural crystal salts It is an ancient salt that is at least 250 million years old, mined solely by hands from the Himalayan mountains. It is the most beneficial and cleanest salt that can be found on earth. It contains balanced minerals and trace elements – calcium, potassium, magnesium, iodine, manganese, and zinc, to name a few – needed by our bodies.

Himalayan Salt is a potent way to attain glowing health and wellbeing. It allows your body to dissolve extra sodium it does not need, enabling it to return to its natural state of health (homeostasis). It is suitable for people on salt- restricted diet. Source: 88db.com

When Racism Strikes You, Get Even

(Yes, that photo above is my ugly sketch )

Have you ever been prejudiced or judged because of the color of your skin or because of your English accent? Or have you ever surprised people when they found out that you are an Asian and you could speak fluent English? Either your answer is yes or no, listen to my stories..

Okay, so I decided to talk about racism today because of an uneventful encounter with a Chinese food court attendant yesterday at the South Center Mall.. But I’ll be talking about racism in general.. The sad part maybe is that most of my encounters are with the Chinese people..

First, allow me to say that “I Am Not A Racist” and this particular post is nothing but a mere clarification of my stance on “Chinese Food Service Attendant Ethics”.. That I have many Chinese friends and they are all good to me.. Actually, some of them might agree with what I am going to say..

I have been in many Asian restaurants, but only Chinese restaurants have a very big problem as far as costumer relations is concerned.. Their service crews need a crash course if not a fullterm program on service-oriented ethics.. No questions about their food.. It’s given that Chinese people are one of the best Kitchen Men in the world and I love Chinese foods but hey, they should employ courteous food service attendants.. I don’t care if they could not speak proper English, because that is also given, but I just want them to know that they are driving their costumers away with their discourteous service crews..

THE SOUTH CENTER MALL LUNCH.
At the SCM, I had mixed veggies and Wok noodles (whatever reason why they named it Wok, it still tastes like instant noodle to me).. Here’s how our conversation went on..
Me: Can I have a plate of mixed veggies, to stay.
Chinese Food Attendant: What?
Me: I’m getting a plate of mixed veggies, to stay.
Chines Food Attendant: To go or to stay?
Me: To stay.
Chinese Food Attendant: You want mixed veggies? Why?
Me: Because I wanna have veggies for lunch.
Chinese Food Attendant: Anything else aside from veggies?
Me: Wok Noodles, no meat, no chicken, just veggies.
Chinese Food Attendant: Why only veggies, you have mixed veggies, why don’t put meat or chicken?
Me: I’m sorry but I don’t eat meat.
Chinese Food Attendant: I can’t undersand you Filipino. You ordered veggies and you still want veggie in your noodle..
Me: Do you work here to question everyone about their food preference or you’re just trying to piss me coz I’m a Filipino? Why do you have to question what I want? Are you gonna pay for it?
Chinese Food Attendant: Sorry sir.
Me: I take no apology from a racist.. do your job well..

THE YANGTZE BUFFET.
Two Sundays ago, my friends from Edmonton drove to Calgary to meet me for dinner.. Being the host, it is my task to look for a good Asian restaurant for us to share a meal.. So, I asked Ravinder, my Indian officemate if she could suggest a buffet restaurant.. She was very kind to tell me that the one in Deerfoot Mall is the best, Yangtze Buffet.. So my friends and I drove North East for dinner.. At the reception, a Chinese man greeted us with an unwelcome remark, and I quote, “The restaurant will be open in two minutes, so do some shopping and come back after”.. Annoyed at his remark, we decided to swing by to Winners and stayed for pretty good 15 minutes.. I’ve asked my guests to just go grab a bite in another restaurant but they are Craving for crab meat that time, and so we did not have any option but to go back to Yangtze Buffet.. That time, the place was half-filled with costumers mostly are Chinese.. The same guy welcomed and ushered us to our table this time..

When we’re all set, I asked my guests what do they want to drink, and both Ashley and Odette asked for iced tea.. The waitress, who was cleaning another table that time saw me signaled and she came to take our orders.. Five minutes later, she was back with three glasses of iced tea with one glass having three straws.. She served the beverage and to our dismay, she picked up the straws one after the other barehandedly and put it into our separate glasses.. My guests and I stared at each other knowing that few minutes back, that same hands consciously or unconsciously tried to destroy our appetite are the same bare hands that cleaned the table..

So, we decided to order hot tea instead.. But to another dismay, Odette noticed that the teapot they gave us is as old as their Chinese Great Wall.. It seems that they do not wash and sterilize their utensils.. There were molds inside the pot and there were tea marks that suggest, it has not been washed for a long time..

So we rushed to finish our meals and when I paid our bill, the Chinese Counter asked, “So sir, how much do you want to give for the tip”..
I answered, “Nothing until your crew has a better costumer relations”..

THE BOURBON ST. GRILL LUNCH.
One time, I went to Chinook Center for lunch and decided to buy my meal at Bourbon St. Grill, another Chinese-Operated fastfood..

The Chinese lady asked, “What do you want?”, and I said, “Can I have the mixed veggies to stay?”.

She asked in broken English “Are you Chinese, coz Chinese people don’t eat one dish, you have to atleast order two more for the combo”. So, again I said, “I’m sorry but I am a vegetarian, I do not eat chicken, if you want, give me a scoop of mash potatoes and fried beans and I’ll pay.. I’m a Filipino”

Then she turned to her Chinese Co-worker and they speak sarcastically in their Language then laughed..

When it was my turn to pay my order, I told the counter, “Have you heard of the place called Tondo, Manila?” The counter replied, “No, why?”.. Then I continued, “It is where Chinese people do business and it is where most of them are killed because of making jokes.. Be careful because if you Chinese speak Kung Fu, you’re martial art is way useless when I shove an icepick right in your temple.. I’m from Tondo and you two need a fullterm course in costumer relations before someone from my place cut your throat off”. They were shocked in silence..

I’m an Asian, and I’ve always been a costumer of Asian restaurants – Korean, Nam, Thai, Indian and Filipino restos, but I give my two thumbs up to the people that work in these restaurants.. They have superb costumer service relations unlike most Chinese food crews..

THE FINNISH-IRISH COUPLE.
There was this Finnish-Irish partners who were introduced to me by a friend during my first day of attending Sunday Service at the Deer Run United Church..

While having coffee, the man asked sarcastically, “So, you are a Filipino.. How did you get here?” I answered, “Like how you Irish and Finnish guys got here.. Why did you ask?”..

The lady cut the conversation and asked, “How come you know how to speak proper English if you are a Filipino?”, and I replied, “The same way you Irish learned how to speak the language.. Why did you ask?”..

The partners excused themselves with shameful looks in their faces..

Now, you might be asking why I shared these experiences.. Firstly, to denounce any other races’ claim that Filipinos are second rate citizens.. No way, be careful with a Filipino.. You don’t wanna mess with a Filipino guy.. Second, to show that not all Filipinos are as tamed as sheep, that like the other races, when they can growl loud to scare their prey, we can growl louder to make them run and hide.. Third, to empower those who are weak and soft-hearted, that they don’t allow anyone to step on them because they are Asians or Filipinos in particular..

Sure, the world is a one big unfair balloon floating in favor of those who can grab power, but it only takes a tip of a needle to pop them out.. Don’t be silly scared..

So when the next time racism hits you an upper cut, trust me, it won’t hurt to punch back a low blow..