The Journey. It’s Mine. [Raine’s Mom, Problogger, Techie-wannabe, Wheelchair-Traveler]

Just when there were only the top 3 finalists, I wasn’t able to watch American Idol this week. First I thought that because it has been raining heavily recently, that’s why some channels’ signal have disappeared. Yes, unfortunately it included Channel 16 on Dream TV: Star World — the cable channel where American Idol is shown here.

Now the skies have cleared and still no signal in some 10 channels. I decided to call the Dream TV Hotline last night and was told that we need to re-align the position of the dish or something.

I told my bros to do the thing within the day…but since they are puyat last night from their first paid band gig, they’re still a little sluggish to comprehend the instructions! he he he.

So…later. I still can catch this week’s 2 episodes of AI tomorrow at lunchtime, if we Star World channel working! But I already scoured the web for this week’s development. I don’t normally do that to avoid spoilers. But this time I made an exception.

Anyways…there are just two Davids left. I just wish America gets tired of the pop-balladeer type in David Archuleta and vote for the real, whole-package talent that is David Cook.

mom: good night raine, tulog ka na. (go to sleep)

raine: good night mommy, i love you.

mom: hmmm…palagi? (always?). kahit nagagalit ako? (even if get angry?)

raine: yes ma’. masaya ako ikaw ang mommy ko. (I’m happy you are my mom!)

mom: I’m happy too Raine…i love you.

raine: good night ‘ma, i love you.

mom: (speechless and can’t sleep anymore!)

What more can I ask for? Who needs sleep when you are loved like that?

Now it’s my turn. Ready?

Sing!

I only knew you for a while
I never saw your smile
’til it was time to go
Time to go away (time to go away)

(more…)

Happy mothers’ day to all the mothers out there. I just have no words to describe what a mother is. Words just aren’t enough. Selfless doesn’t even describe what a mother does.

Now that I am a mother, I know that I am a work in progress towards what a real mother is like. I have one that is always so giving and caring, I am not even an inch of her. Though what I know, I got all from her. Everyday with her, I still am learning.

To me, it often comes tricky to tell my mother what i feel about her. Well, except when I’m angry about something, not necessarily towards her!

I know my mother doesn’t need a plasma mount, or anything material for that matter for her to feel loved. I need not even say a word. But whatever I do, she gives me more actually. That’s just the way mothers are, I think. They always give you more — more than you ever need or wanted, without asking for anything in return.
So…happy mothers’ day…one day is just not enough. Everyday should be mothers’ day.

what rice crisis?!

there’s the highway, man!

look who the cleaners sent?!

who doesn’t need more of such tranquility?

Today would have been my father’s 62nd birthday. He died before he reached the age of 60. In our family, we never gave each other gifts on special occasions, such as birthdays, Christmases and the likes. Not even a card.

We just never got used to the act of gift giving I guess, but that doesn’t mean we do not express our love. My parents just raised us believing that there are too many ways of showing your love and appreciation to one another, aside from gifts and words, aside from hugs and kisses. Duh? I sometimes wonder what other ways. But yeah, there are.

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Well…I am not in a any category as the bloggers that Matt Richtel talked about in his In Web World of 24/7 Stress, Writers Blog Till They Drop, NY Times article.

Two weeks ago in North Lauderdale, Fla., funeral services were held for Russell Shaw, a prolific blogger on technology subjects who died at 60 of a heart attack.

In December, another tech blogger, Marc Orchant, died at 50 of a massive coronary. A third, Om Malik, 41, survived a heart attack in December.

Other bloggers complain of weight loss or gain, sleep disorders, exhaustion and other maladies born of the nonstop strain of producing for a news and information cycle that is as always-on as the Internet.

I love what Larry Dignan wrote at ZDNet:

Let’s put a little perspective on this blogging thing. You could be getting shot at in Iraq. You could be a single mom working three jobs to stay afloat (Happy Birthday mom). You could work in a coal mine. You could be in a life and death battle with Leukemia.

You could be doing any one of thousands of high-stress jobs. Sure, the Web has a lot of stress but let’s get real: If you’re stressed out over 5,000 RSS feeds chances are good you’d be stressed by any profession you chose.

The point I was trying to make was that nothing (certainly the deaths of Russell and Marc Orchant and Om’s heart attack) exist in a vacuum. You have to take care of yourself.

I agree. Whatever your job is, you’ve got to take care of yourself. Also, like what I have always believe in, your job is not the be-all and end-all of your life. Life isn’t just all work, you gotta have a real life as well, and find the balance that works for you.

(more…)

Finally, here comes scientific evidence.

From Science Daily:

Whether a young man’s mother earned a college degree and whether she worked outside the home while he was growing up seems to have an effect years later when he considers his ideal wife, according to a study by University of Iowa sociologist Christine Whelan.

High-achieving men — those who earn salaries in the top 10 percent for their age and/or have a graduate degree — are highly likely to marry a woman whose education level mirrors their mom’s.

Could this explain why the wife and the mother-in-law never see eye-to-eye, because they are too the same? You tell me, I don’t have a MIL! Ha ha ha. And I think I will never have one.

Okay, I guess that much has been given all along. Only that there are still too many men in the world who get more blinded by a woman’s pair of legs instead of her brain and personality.

It would be interesting though, to see what eventually happened to those guys who married a pair of legs. Well, as a friend of mine always say: such guys only get that, a pair of legs!

Hmmm…it’s nice to know that men are now learning that brain+personality definitely trump a va-va-boom body.

As I write this, Raine has been sitting on his bus seat for some 5 hours already on the way home. He and lola will be arriving home around 2 am tomorrow.

Goodbye alone times, Mommy! Here comes Raine — the center of your world. He he.

But gosh…I miss him a lot. The past week he wasn’t here, I have been calling almost everyday. But it should do us both good I think. if we do this from time to time. My baby is not a baby anymore. He’s like a big man telling me about his day each time I called. That and he being all A-okay even if I wasn’t there!

(more…)

Sometimes I surprise myself. I think I have always bitten more than I could chew. But I chewed it anyway, even if I almost choked to death in the process.

This is one good time as any to sit back and check on myself. Can I really handle all these things I take on and now have? Am I happy, even if these things keep me on my toes all the time?

Ever since, I’ve always taken more than my plate can handle. If you ask my mother, she would say I was running even before I could learn to walk. In fact, she would still say that I still do not walk and that I am still running.

(more…)

I got the following via Hsien,

Your Mind is Purple

Of all the mind types, yours is the most idealistic.You tend to think wild, amazing thoughts. Your dreams and fantasies are intense.Your thoughts are creative, inventive, and without boundaries.You tend to spend a lot of time thinking of fictional people and places - or a very different life for yourself.

What Color Is Your Mind?

Hmm…interesting! I’m not sure if that last one is good or not. Though I really love watching TV shows that showcases people and places, their culture and lifestyles. But I don’t know about thinking a lot about them!

Idealistic and wild?! Odd combination, don’t you think?

Also…I’m not such a fan of purple anyway! Ha ha ha.

Anyways…that was kinda cool.

20 minutes ago, Raine and my mother took the bus going to Manila to visit my sister-in-law and nephew in Meycauayan (Bulacan) for at least a week.

I was so looking forward to this day because 1) i wanted to know how Raine or me will fare during the “separation” Since we came home, I’ve never been away more than three days without him; and 2) i wanted some peace and quiet in the house because lately, we’ve been in each other’s neck!

(more…)

busy, busy. we are busy bees.

my internet connection cannot keep up with me!

ha ha ha.

Today we had 12 hours of brownout. Yes, you read it right. 12. hours. of. brownout.

It was just freakin’ irritating, considering the summer weather and my desperate need to go online on a regular basis.

I didn’t want my blood boiling of frustration so I slept the whole afternoon. I do not have a UPS, and so it irritates me more when the electricity here decides to flicker on and off. Anybody will agree with me that it sucks big time if you are in the middle of a composing a blog entry or paying your online bills, when the electricity goes off. Only in the Philippines, eh?!

Not to mention what that does to the computer, your home theater lighting (which we do not have!) and the rest of your home appliances.

Did i already say the we had 12 hours of brownout today?!!

I am writing this because I want to help Reyna Elena’s campaign and also because I want to share what I know about Pinays in the barrio who are married (or even just involved) to somebody from a foreign country.

—

First of all, it pains me to hear of a story that a Filipina is being accused of a scam. It pains me to know that a foreigner feels like he is being scammed by his Filipina lady love and her family.

I grew up in this small barrio and after 18 years of being away, I went back home to stay (for how long, I don’t know!).

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