Blood Moon Rising

Last August 29, 2007 was very memorable for me.
Not only did my mom reach "Golden Girl" status by turning into the big Five-0, a rare event also took place. A total lunar eclipse happened. But it wasn't like most lunar eclipses.
The moon this time indeed looked like a big round pizza pie smothered in tomato sauce. It was red!

The weather wasn't so favorable at the start of the eclipse.
It was partly cloudy here in Cebu and we were not able to set-up camp at one of the mountains.
We didn't have any special instruments aiding us in watching this wonder, left only with our naked eyes we prayed for good weather.
I was hoping fervently for the pesky clouds to part so that I could witness it.
Enduring all sorts of insect bites in the chilly early evening air.

Finally the clouds gave way and I was squealing like a piglet for everyone to come out and see!
They have all gone inside to watch tv or do other things thinking that the weather would be crappy the rest of the night.

Then we saw it. After looking up a few minutes, slowly having stiff necks.
They all went inside and started to watch tv again. Saying it was "Okay" "So that's how it looks, beautiful!" and that's about it.
I, on the other hand, dashed inside and took out my camera and started snapping pictures.
Wishing to preserve a part of it.

I don't have a high-end digital camera. I just used a Kodak C330 for taking these photos.
The resolution is crap! But this is the best I could do with the equipment that is at my disposal.
Still, even with the crappy resolution, I would share my pictures. I'm generous like that.
And I was kind of proud of myself for taking said photos. I rarely take photos.















This last one is not actually mine, I saw it online.
Had the weather been favorable and if I had better equipment, the pictures would have looked something like this.


I was just chuckling on the inside when I heard the old folks' tales, explanations and superstitious beliefs about the total lunar eclipse.

Some did not permit the children, especially the very young ones from going out past 6:00pm.
Pregnant women were also forbidden to step outside the house much more look at the moon at the time it happened.

They still view the eclipse as a bad omen.
It has something to do with a giant fish-like creature swallowing the moon that time.
Pregnant women were not allowed to look at it, as it may have adverse effects on the unborn baby.

Still, it was fun listening to these folktales.
For those who were too chicken to step out and look.
Well, there is always a next time.
Since lunar eclipses happen at least twice a year.

Sleep Deprived

There are times when I find it really hard to sleep.
I don't know if subconsciously I am avoiding it.
Sometimes I could stay up for days. I've been up three consecutive days without getting any shut eyes.
It was a horrendous experience but sleep just eludes me.
My mind seems restless and troubled.
Yet, whenever I try to sleep, I just can't!
I lie there staring up at the ceiling and thoughts just flood my mind.
Fuck it! I know what you are all thinking and NO I'M NOT ON ANY DRUGS/LIQUOR!
I just had to make it clear.

Days errr nights like these I spend it on polishing my writing.
I try to jot down the thoughts that crowd my head, yet every time I pick up my pen and start, the thoughts that were once there suddenly just vanish in thin air and I'm left with a void, a blank. Nothing comes out!
It sucks!

But last night was different, hell I couldn't sleep again so I was back in my old cycle.
This time, I partially won the battle. I was able to write something down.
It's still is not quite finished. But I decided to put it in here anyway.
Love it or hate it. This blog is just all about me baby!

(Read more...)

I couldn't come up with a title, so suggestions are also welcome.

Changing Times?

*Don't even think about it bub! That person is only 15 years old! So kindly get your hand out of your pants lol*

I have said before that kids today are growing up at such a rapid rate, sometimes you tend to think they all skipped that part of growing up and immediately moved on to being adults.
Looks-wise probably this is most true.

I was once again reminded of this when I chanced upon this blog entry.
My sympathies goes out to this dude, its alright, I don't think you are a dirty old man.
With how kids dress today and look sometimes it can't be helped that they would attract sexual attention from older people. *Though this is not reason for older people to act on their desires*

I have also heard of so many stories of men being imprisoned, labeled as sex offenders for dating a minor because they lied about their age. *This excludes the DateLine NBC's To Catch A Predator category* where they knew, were informed at the beginning that the other person is supposed to be underage and still continued with their perverted desires.

They look old and mature too so I can't really blame these guys for believing their lies.

What sort of punishment would be appropriate for a minor who does something like this or would it be okay to let them off the hook because they are kids?

As kids we already know what the difference between good and bad is.
When we did something wrong like tell fibs, most of the time our parents had some sort of punishment ready for us so we be discouraged in doing it again.
So, I ask in these instances where the minor had the full knowledge of what they were doing and still did it anyway, what should be done?

I always shout bullshit when some people say they would acquit the kids of all the blame because they did not know what it is they were doing!


related articles: Kiddie Skanks or Idiotic Parents?

An Insight Part I (The Early Years)

At such a tender age, I already knew how it was like to suffer. To be different.
I was born it seems just a normal, healthy baby. Yet, as I grew, different illnesses would come up.
Draining my strength, my family's, our finances, everything.
Knowing later, that most if not all of them were manifestations of Marfan's Syndrome.
A rare congenital disorder that affects the connective tissues.
Yet despite these troubles, my parents made sure that even with our problems, we would get to have the best of what they could give.

My brother and I were sent to one of the top schools in our city.
When it came to material possessions, we had the things we wanted and needed.
We were loved, pampered and cared for.
I had all the love and security a child could want and need.
But the world outside my little sanctuary of a home proved to be a more different thing.

The first manifestation of this disease ever observed in me were my flat, bow-legged feet.
I had to wear shoes that double as braces, orthopedic shoes, but I hated it.
Another alternative was to wear my shoes inverted. Putting the left shoe on the right and the right to the left. Of course people thought I just made a mistake. Sometimes well-meaning strangers would even come up to me and put on my shoes for me, the right way.
I always had to explain in my own childish reasoning that its what my mama taught me.
And explain about my feet and all that. They just smile and say "Oh, I see!" and off they go.
One gets used to those kinds of little annoyances, sometimes I say people are not so bad after all.
With perseverance, a few fights on putting on those bloody shoes, wearing inverted shoes, bearing all humiliation, that problem was eventually corrected.

The second problem that came up was my eyesight.
I couldn't see clearly. I had to bring the pictures so close to my face, I almost had to kiss it.
My brother kept asking me if I couldn't see. My mother heard him and became distressed.
I was starting out kindergarten then.
One time, the teacher asked me to answer something on the board. I couldn't!
My mom observed that I kept taking two steps forward until I was already so close to the board, then I answered.

After that incident, she decided to take me to an opthalmologist.
Every doctor she went to, gave the same findings. It wasn't good at all. My lens were dislocated, I was nearsighted. My vision was fluctuating and blurred.
The doctor said I may need eye surgery as the only means of me being able to at least see.
My mother did not consent to the idea. I was still three years old! Yet, already considered medically blind.

Then an international team of eye specialists visited the Philippines.
My doctor recommended me to be checked, since I was a rare case.
Thanks to Project Orbis they gave me hope. They did not recommend surgery for I was too young. They advised me to take some vitamins and I could remember these eye drops were given too.
My eyesight was improving. By age of five I was able to have glasses.
I was ecstatic! I could see! But my glasses were so thick the eye grade so high that literally I looked like a frog with bulging eyes whenever I put them on.

Before I reached the age of five, I was also hit with another rare disease, life-threatening this time. I almost died. It was called Kawasaki's disease.
At that time my doctors didn't know what it was, they thought it was a severe case of amebiasis. They did all sorts of lab tests, they almost had to cut me open just to figure out what the matter was. It got so bad that some relatives even thought that it had a supernatural cause. Faith healers were brought in as an act of desperation.
Then, one doctor found the answer. I spent thirteen days in that hospital.
Soon, it proved to be a sort of pattern. Whenever I'd be hospitalized I always seem to spend thirteen days in confinement.

By the time I was nine, it was discovered that I had scoliosis.
The discovery was made accidentally.
I feel off a chair and had fractured my right arm. When they took x-rays on my arm the doctor saw a little curvature of the spin so he suggested that another round of x-rays be taken to confirm his suspicion.
When he had the x-rays, he was shocked that the curvature was already so severe, being more than fifty degrees, it formed an S shape.
Surgery was again suggested. Which again my parents did not consent to.
Besides, the cost was staggering! At that time they told my parents it might cost about half a million pesos. We didn't have that much!
So I had to wear Milwaukee braces to help stop the deformation of the spine and to correct it.
This was the start of my nightmares.

Before reaching ten, it was also found out that I had a heart disease. Still connected to the Marfan's syndrome. My aorta was dilated and I had a leak in my left ventricle. So far, my doctor did not advise yet for me to get surgery for this particular problem. If things get worse, it might reach that point.

Yet, even with all these things plaguing me. I still turned out to be a good individual.
Many thanks to my parents for this.

Pants On Poochie

You can call it my pet peeve, an irritant of some sort. Because it really pisses me off when I see people clothe their animals.
Why do people put clothes on their pets? Why???
It is something which I strongly believe is stupid and crazy!
Whenever I see such a sight I can't help but feel sorry for the animal.
This trend was started by an equally stupid person; Paris Hilton. Now, almost everyone is doing it to their pets.

No matter in what angle I try to look at it, I do not find it cute!
Merely just a waste of money. Now, there are hundreds of companies trying to cash in on this ever-growing stupid trend.
There are already companies that cater to pets. They have a line of clothing for dogs and other animals that includes jackets, shirts, pants, accessories and even shoes! for pete's sake!
No self-respecting dog would ever put on a pair of sandals if its up to their choice! *even if god would give them the ability to put on those things themselves*

Don't get me wrong, I am a pet-lover too and I own 3 dogs, 4 puppies and a cat. I love them with all my heart and I pamper them as much as possible, treat them like babies. But I do not put them in clothes because I have not forgotten one thing, THEY ARE ANIMALS! Animals that need not be clothed!



Related post:
This World Is Going To The Dogs

I Want My Earrings Back!!!

We were out four days ago with my family. It was already two o'clock in the morning when we decided to call it a night. At the last hour we decided to not go home and have an early start with grocery and produce shopping so we headed for the wet market to buy the things needed for the house.
Immediately jumping at the opportunity to go for I rarely go there, only tagging along whenever I wished to before.
I was excited because I was hoping I might pick up a few tips and pointers on how to select vegetables, meats and stuff. Since lately I've been interested in learning how to cook.

It was nearing three o'clock when we got to the place.
Even at that hour there were already a number of people busy with their own shopping.
I was enjoying my self, looking at the fresh produce that just arrived, observing the whole market scene, sharing jokes with my brother and sister-in-law, cool air and shopping.

As I was walking along with my sister-in-law, my brother who was walking a few steps behind us noticed a guy was following us.
He called out our names, making us stop and turn our heads to see what he wanted.
The moment I did, I noticed the guy but didn't think anything of it. I assumed he was just someone who lives near there. He didn't carry anything and looked kind of scruffy.
He kept right on walking and brushed past me.
My brother immediately approached us and told us to be more observant in our surroundings since the market place is also known not only for their produce but also of the many scalawags who 'work' in that area and victimize unsuspecting buyers.

I completely forgot about the guy following us soon after. We kept walking and shopping and looking around when my brother's mother-in-law said we were going to buy some rice.
She headed for this store that sells only rice, we went along with her.
As we waited for her, my sister-in-law and I were busy talking, my brother was peering at the different kinds of rice being displayed and sampling some.
It was an open type of store. Anyone could just pass by without you noticing it.

We were all standing facing the rice being displayed when suddenly I felt someone put their arm around my neck. I thought it was my brother, so I didn't bother looking up immediately.
Then, he moved his hands to my ears and started massaging my earlobes. I wanted to turn my head right then, but he prevented me from doing so. He then whispered that if I exert pressure or scream and cause a scene he would stab me.
My sister-in-law who was standing beside me was unable to move or even speak, she was so nervous it rendered her immobile.
I felt my earrings lock snap and he took them.
He, then slid his hands all the way down to my waist and I thought he was going to check my pockets.
That's when my brother noticed the thief and pushed him away.
When his hold was released I immediately turned and faced the person who robbed me.
My heart was pumping because my brother was about to beat the crap out of this small man and I knew he must have a weapon concealed.
When my brother was about to punch him he pulled a thick, sharp ice pick from his waist and told my brother that if he puts up a fight he'd stab him. My brother didn't move as I was so close to the thief, we were standing face to face.

I told him that we won't fight with him and he should just leave.
My brother wasn't aware the thief already had my earrings and he was just thinking that the guy was a pervert.
The thief then turned to me and asked me for fifty pesos cash! The nerve of the freak!
I had a good look of his face. His eyes were a bit bloody. He looked stoned or high.

I told him I didn't have any money with me. He then eyed my bag.
He said he didn't ask much, just fifty pesos and he'd leave.
I was firm with him. I told him I didn't have any cash with me which was true.
Before we started shopping, I gave the money to my brother's mother-in-law as we left her in-charge of the expenses since she knew more about produce shopping more than we do.

When my brother's mother-in-law saw the guy she thought it was just another beggar hassling us for money. When she asked what was the matter the thief then turned his head.
My brother was about to approach him when he noticed and pulled the ice pick.
He stopped and told the thief to just go away. He was fearful that the thief would attack his mother-in-law next.
The thief faced my brother and asked him for twenty pesos as if they were buddies all this time.
My brother told him that he has nothing to give.
He asked again, but my brother was quite firm.
I don't know what possessed him to just walk away after my brother told him for the second time he didn't have the money.

These all happened without a single person trying to help us.
The clerks in the store's excuse were, they thought the guy was with us because they saw us just talking there.
Then one of the girls who were selling some vegetables then whispered to me that people here don't really exert any intentions of helping since these low-lifes have little gangs and whoever tries to get in their way would be dealt with violence.
So the locals reaction is to just turn their heads and pretend they didn't see anything happen.
Nobody in that crowded marketplace even tried to help.
Thank you so much Filipino helpfulness and sympathy!

When the thief left, my brother asked me if I was okay.
I told him there's nothing he should worry about since I was fine all he was able to take was my earrings.
He was surprised since he didn't notice the guy took my earrings. He thought the guy was just being a pervert.
I tried to dismiss it immediately and not cause any further scene.
Though I was burning inside and wanted to kill that person.
He violated me and the people I love and hold most dear!

I've had those earrings for three years.
It was a pair of silver earrings with stones, not really worth that much if you take into account the market value of the thing.
But, I loved those earrings because they were a gift from my brother which he gave to me when he was still in high school.
He patiently and diligently saved a little of his allowance everyday 'til he was able to buy them and surprise me with it on my birthday.

He turned his head to where they thief went and was about to go after him.
I stopped him and said that even if those earrings were indeed valuable to me, his life was more valuable than them.
I would not let him risk it for a pair of silver earrings which I could always buy.

If that piece of trash wasn't carrying an ice pick even I could beat him black and blue.
In my eyes he was a midget, very short man. I was taller by two inches and I'm only five foot three!

I told them to continue shopping and not think of the incident any further.
I refused to let that scum further ruin my day. I won't give him that victory too.
So we bought other things we needed and walked back to our vehicle where our mom was waiting.
As we walked towards our vehicle, my brother saw a patrol car and hailed it to stop.
He then talked to the police officers on board and told them of the incident.
But the unsympathetic, lazy, good for nothing 'arm of the law' just shrugged and said that its a natural incident especially in those parts of town.
They then said the best thing we could do was go to the police station and report the incident and look at some old mug shots.
My brother then asked IF we could identify the guy would they go out and have a search and arrest him. They then looked at each other and then turned to me, asked what item was stolen. When I told them it was a pair of silver earrings they sort of smiled and said they'll do their best.

"Fuck you!" I said to myself. Right then, I decided to not report it. I'm not going to go through all that hassle and still have nothing done about it.
If the thing is not deemed expensive might as well forget about it even if a CRIME was committed.
Thank you so much Philippine Justice System!

When we got to our vehicle, I immediately told my mom what happened.
She was fuming mad, as any mother would be, but I immediately said we'd just go home.
I needed the rest and I don't want the incident to be brought up again.
I'll just log it here and save it as part of the many misadventures I've had.

I still want my earrings back but I'm just glad we got out of that one without a scratch.

I Now Remember Why I Abandoned Watching Local Shows

Geeeeeeeeeesus!
What the hell happened to the Filipino shows?
Everything is so trashy these days!
I seldom tune into local networks now. And looking at local channels again, I realize why I almost abandoned watching TV.

All the shows are crap!
And thats putting it rather mildly.

Many older folks wonder why kids today have dumbed down. If only they'd watch what's being fed to our youths, what type of information these little sponges are absorbing via the tube, they would know the answer to their questions.

I have categorized all the shows in prime time into 3, not counting the NEWS of course. But then again, most news today are all about celebrities and what they do with their pathetic lives. They think that people care who it is they are rumored to currently sleep with, who's their new beaus/girlfriends, what type of fights they are into etc.
I will try to word it out in a language many would understand...
WE DON'T GIVE A FUCKING DAMN!

So, can you please give us decent news?

Here are the three categories:

1) The cheesy dramas/soap operas/koreanovels

Good lord please spare the young Filipino masses!
Its always the same story over and over and over again!

Poor girl and her family is abused.
Poor girl decides to fight back
Poor girl gets job
Poor girl gets successful
Poor girl is always pretty
Poor girl gets rich boy of abusive rich family to fall in love with her
Rich boy already has vile, malevolent girlfriend
Vile, malevolent girlfriend schemes with rich boy's family to break the relationship apart
Vile, malevolent girlfriend and abusive family never succeeds
Vile malevolent girl friend and abusive family becomes poor
Poor girl becomes rich and helps rich boy

And with other plots either the bad guys die and they all live happily ever after

Blah!!!

Its the same story time and time again, you can immediately tell what would happen next. But it seems the people can't seem to get enough of this trash.
Every local channel has their version of this story. Same thing only with different actors/actresses!

When will you people learn?

2) Fantaserye/magic

The story again is poor and lame
The special effects horrendous
And did I say the story is poor and lame?
Oh yes I did!
Its more or less the same with the cheesy dramas/soap operas/koreanovels but this time they tossed in a few elves, dwarfs, ghouls and other creatures that I can't even identify.
Never thought provoking...

Next!

3) Comedy/sitcom/gameshow

If the contestants in said game shows are not celebrities, you can bet your last cookie they won't win the grand prize.
Pre-planned? Its up to you to judge...

The comedy is hardly ever funny in local sitcoms.
Most is slapstick.
They always pick on some random ugly and/or gay dude to be the recipient of all their nasty jokes and crass humor. They do so because they know damn well their jokes are not funny.

==============================================

I am no longer surprised why the IQ's of today's Filipino generation is way below satisfactory.

With what they are watching on tv today, it is more entertaining watching monkeys throw shit at each other.
Uhm wait! We see that on t.v. everyday as well.

All I can do is shake my head.

Give me a good book anytime please!

And thank God for cable and satellite. Amen!