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Few days ago I surprised myself that I almost did not remember that I’m now past the 365th day of being an OFW. Living within the breeze of the Gulf didn’t hurt. What I thought of ‘okay-let’s-see-if-it’s-oh-kay-there’, is actually more than okay. It’s perfectly fine that soon at least five more colleagues from my previous office would be arriving here. The more, the happier.

It would be my turn to orient them
(a) why there are no security guards at the banks and other establishments, that it would eventually lead to getting irritated when you’re back home and there’s series of inspection whenever you chance to enter a building in the Philippines; it’s a sad fact that it’s more secured here;

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I’ve been ‘flipping through’ the pages of the free e-books since we started with our online Jane Austen Book Club. However, I didn’t think twice when I saw this Austen pack containing Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice. The 25% price slash was too strong to resist. After all, this contains Austen’s most known novels (and had film adaptions, too). And I know you would agree that the real book is still better.

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When the impossible happens,
It makes us think that the remote is probable,
That black can be white, or otherwise,
That something (is) maybe wrong,
It is bizarre yet incredible.

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The only time I went to National Museum was when we were required to see Spoliarium and other paintings by Philippine National Artists, as part of arts appreciation chapter in our Humanities class. I find it strange (and a bit of shame) to have not been visiting our very own museum, while I find time to explore the foreign ones. Hence, I’ve booked this tour (with a college friend who I thought might want to revisit the place, too) before coming home for a vacation.

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The five-way lechon that we had in Claude Tayag’s house is just half of the picture of our visit there. I didn’t expect there’s much justification to why Bale Dutung (Kapampangan term for House of Woods) in Angeles City is called as such.

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(An old photo of the church pre-eruption) displayed in the mini-museum). Bacolor Church reminded me of Cagsawa Ruins in Daraga, Albay. As written near the church entrance sideways to the bell tower that survived:

San Guillermo Parish Church is named after the town’s patron saint. The church was originally constructed by the Augustinian friars in 1576 - also the town’s founding - with Fr. Diego De Ochoa, OSA, as the town’s first parish priest having been installed as such two years after. In 1880, the church was destroyed by an earthquake only to be rebuilt by Fr. Eugenio Alvarez in 1886. Lahar flowed from the slopes of Mt. Pinatubo which erupted into world notice on June 15, 1991, buried the church at half its 12-meter height prompting of its more than 50,000 town residents to evacuate to safer grounds in resettlement areas.

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A month before taking my vacation last year, I’ve booked two local tours. One of which is the Ultimate Kapampangan Tour. I really looked forward to this tour organized by fellow blogger Anton Diaz, with Ivan Man Dy, Ivan Henares and Spanky Enriquez. 

The tour is being arranged ideally for 30 persons. We met up before 7:00 AM in Makati and the bus left on time heading to Pampanga. Since this is a culinary tour and that we were warned that we will be eating a lot throughout the day as intended, I did not take breakfast at home. True enough, just as the bus was still parked near 6750, Spanky handed crispy ensaimada to each of us. It is uniquely delicious that I tried to source it before returning here, but I didn’t find one. Also, Ivan handed a bayong (I like it so much that I brought it here, I’m attaching different scarves to it) to us. In the evening, it was more than filled out of Kapampangan goodies.

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I felt like I was in a business class flight inside the Gold Class cinema in Marina Mall. I enjoyed the reclining chair, all the people had their feet up, and having the popcorn and nachos served on the table just beside you.

If I haven’t read the book,

(a) I might probably still appreciate the movie Twilight. But I might just see it once.

(b) I will find it definitely unnecessary to scream and/or swoon when some of the Cullens (family of vampires living in Forks) made their first appearance at the cafeteria.

(c) I will find it really, really odd why the Cullens are uberly white and Edward’s lips are so red.

(d) I might notice the missing link, somehow lost, why Bella and Edward are suddenly obsessed with each other and why they can never be apart since then and when.

(e) I would find it impractical that Bella went to Port Angeles just to buy the book about Quilete Legends wherein she can just google related things about that, just like what she did after buying the book.

(f) I would have unanswered points like why the Cullens decided to be vegetarian vampires (i.e. drinking only animal blood), why Rosalie is so unwelcoming of Bella while the rest of the Cullens approved of her, etc. (Please refer to letter F below).

(g) I will find the flying and crawling from one tree to the other and fighting scenes at the ballet studio entertaining.

(h) I will assume that there will be a sequel because of the ending.

(i) I might decide to read Twilight book (just like my officemates) after watching the film.

Because I have read the book....

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I recently fancy my self-made combo, which I named Mc Sugoi Meal. I would buy tuna salad with vinaigrette dressing from Mc Donald’s and Makki from Sugoi. It cheers me up as I devour the seemingly light salad, in between the delicious hurt that strikes my nasal area as I munched the Makki dipped in huge amount of wasabe.

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As I wrote here, our Department held its annual get together cum team building within a Dhow Cruise. It’s one of the rare occasions that colleagues from all three offices in UAE gathered, without necessarily discussing work. Although there were little chattering about professional encounters as we catched up on each others’ lives. It was also a great time to mingle and reunite with fellow Filipinos, which we term as Filipino community/Pinoy Department.

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Mansfield Park, our third novel for the Jane Austen Book Club, is a better read than Emma. The story started so right, as if intending to touch a soft spot in a reader. Fanny Price came from a poor family and was sent to live with her well-off relatives in Mansfield Park Estate. It’s like a Cinderella story for the sole point of view of coming from rags to riches, with the variation of having wicked cousins (minus Edmund) and a bitchy Aunt Norris.

An initial major unacceptable part for me was for Fanny having a crush-turned-to-love for her elder cousin, Edmund.

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With less than 60 tempting days to come, I aim:

(a) Not to buy any pair of shoes for myself. My last shoe indulgence for this year should stop with this one. I already know why, but sometimes I can’t help to ask (again) why there’s an imeldific* factor in each woman (remember the book title Why men don’t have a clue and women need more shoes?);

(b) Not to buy another bag for myself until middle of 2009 (my latest purchase was on 31st of October). I’ve accumulated so many bags since I came here (excluding the bags that I left home). I am sending home some together with my other stuff in the last week of this month through air cargo. I don’t want any excess baggage in my December trip;

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