Living in the City

From white boxing pants that turned slowly to crimson, Diaz looked almost like he didn't know what hit him. He is the beaten man and Manny Pacquiao reigned supreme. I am not much of a boxing fan. I find it too gruesome, violent and sadistic. Imagine having fun watching a person get hurt. And Diaz got hurt . Really bad. I salute Manny Pacquiao for the kind but unlikely gesture of wanting to bring Diaz up when the former 'signalled for help' while he was down on the floor. His magnanimity in defeat is further proven when news reports indicated, that during the few moments before the fight ended, he was already trying to tell the referee, that Diaz might not be able to handle it any longer. I am not sure of the actual words spoken and this is pure speculation on my part, but I believe that at one point he slowed down to soften the blows directed at his opponent. For this instinctive gestures alone, I salute Manny Pacquiao. An illuminating fighter, a real champion , a t...

Life is never easy in the city. The rising cost of living due to the escalating price of oil is making everybody feel hell is right here, now on earth. Hell it is, if we live without the usual utilities. How do I blog without the laptop or the desktops? How do I cook our favorite dishes? How do I get to watch my favorite celebrity chefs and celebrity travelers on TV? Oooohhh. That would be oh so not fun. ( Spoken like a true blue Gossip Girl fan) :-) I am thinking silly. Life is more than all these things combined, right. Oh yeah? Wrong! So when life wears me down, I look outside my side of the bedroom window and this is what I see. Having to gaze at all these inanimate and seemingly cold rooftops, electrical wirings, and lording it over them makes me feel bigger than how I feel at that precise moment. I grow, believe you me, relaxed somehow, in complete control. I realize that city living has taught me to stare at rooftops, to while away th...

My financial life is marked with ups and downs. Early on, while business was very good, I had been privileged to smell the roses, so to speak. Yes, but as expected, nothing lasts forever. The 'wild abandon' years went by, so fast, the consequential thorns made my hands bleed. So how do you deal with the prospect of a gloomy and financially cash-strapped retirement? I hate to speculate, but this early, I could already smell the loneliness enveloping the air. It would be in appropriate for me to talk about the details. Suffice it to say, that money is not everything, yes, but it sure is wise to save up some. For the rainy days, to have something when you get sick and perhaps, if it wouldn't be much to ask, to enjoy retireme nt . I say, while there is time, study your options. Seek trustworthy assistance. Plan your financial future, not tomorrow, not next month, not when you receive a substantial amount of income, nor cash but NOW!!!. There is no better gift you can giv...

And while we are talking about Marikina, I am calling all our residents, to please consider voting for our Mayor Marides C Fernando to the World Mayor 2008 Contest. According to its website: "During the first round of World Mayor 2008, held in 2007, more than 100,000 citizens from around the world nominated some 820 mayors for the World Mayor title. Based on the number and quality of nominations, the editorial board of City Mayors, the organisers of the contest, selected 50 mayors from across the world, who proceed to the final round. Profiles of many of the shortlisted mayors have been written. More will be added. VOTING CLOSES AT THE END OF JUNE. The results will be announced in September." So, ifhave the time why not proceed to to this site and vote for MCF. That would bring again another feather in her cap. And who wouldn't want that? We only have a few days to go. So please VOTE.

Talk about good governance, Marikina City is at the forefront once again. This morning some city employees came over to do a survey about house numbering. Let me say, that at the moment , the street where we live utilizes a hassle-prone type of house numbering. Imagine that our number is being used by three or four other houses, including our next door neighbor. But theirs is fine. We are xxx-A and they are xxx-B. No problem. Thing is, we get door-belled every so often for mails and deliveries which are not really intended for our household. It is such a hassle, considering that these delivery people ring our bell as if there was no tomorrow. Grrr. But at last! Finally! There is relief in sight. Marikina is doing a city-wide survey or housemapping activities to rationalize its house numbering system. The task is also in aid of updating the city's real property database and city-mapping system. Ah hah! Finally, the tax evaders' days are numbered. An efficient house numbering ...

Yes, he did. Typhoon Frank was slowly coming in at about 9:00 in the evening on June 21 in Metro Manila. I could feel the that this was no ordinary breeze. It was definitely cold, blowing like hyperventilating winds, loudly wheezing its velocity that smelled nothing but disaster. I was near our bedroom window trying to tweak one of my blog's templates when I suddenly shivered. I wondered WTF is happening. Please excuse the abbreviated profanity. Just as my partner arrived from a get-together, the wind was really blowing hard. I had to close the windows. But I thought the tropical storm was somewhere in Mindanao? We couldn't sleep. We were watching the History Channel. At about 2:30 in the morning, the winds began lashing, pouring all its strength against the roofs and the trees. My blood pressure was acting up. I prayed hard, not so much Lord. Spare us, as always. I guess it was already 4:00 when we fell asleep. And so when I woke up there were no TV, phone, computer, ele...

I am happy that our atis fruit tree is bearing fruits again. Last year, it bore two but this year, there's quite a number. We can't wait to do some harvesting soon. It is always good to plant, and harvest fruits nurtured by our own hands. It's like watching a child grow. There's a different kind of enjoyment when we experience those tender moments with our plants. Remember, plants are alive. They breathe, and get hurt when they do not get enough care and attentio n. I am happy to note that this fruit tree now enjoys better sunshine. Our neighbor's mango tree used to tower above her, thus blocking that much important aspect of plant growing; but has recently been pruned. Alas, it seems the tree grew happier, that within a week, it started bearing quite a number of fruits, to our satisfaction.