The bark that rocks the cradle

When our neighbor got a dog (or a puppy?), I was majestically frustrated and downright angry whenever I hear it bark and wail for minutes. It would stop but would go at it again after a few minutes. The whining was getting on my nerves. The worst part was it wailed and whined when I was about to doze off, EVERYDAY.

For two weeks, I’d wake up and grumble because my head would be aching with the sound of puppy dog in my head. I couldn’t sleep as soundly as I used to.

I can sleep better now though. The melatonin helped, too. Puppy dog wails still, everyday. But I feel sad now for puppy dog because its owners seemed oblivious to its everyday whining. Obviously, puppy dog is having issues! C’mon, crying everyday?! Maybe it’s not getting the ration of food on time? Maybe it doesn’t want to be chained (well, animal rights activists would say an emphatic “NO TO CHAINS!” definitely)? Maybe it needs a longer leash? Maybe it’s not comfortable to where its at? Or, maybe it misses its dog mom (and if it misses its dog mom, I’m sure it’s not a bitch!)?

Those two weeks, with puppy dog’s cries digging into my consciousness, I felt maddening frustration and silly anger because it’s happening when I’m about to get a shuteye. I was frustrated and angry with puppy dog that time.

A friend visited once and she told me that puppy dog will get used to its new environment. I told her, I believe puppy dog already had enough one week to get used to whatever its supposed to get used to. The question is, would I get used to it not being able to get used to things its supposed to get used to?

But now, after almost a month, I say, poor puppy dog. What makes you cry all this time? Haven’t you gotten used to your circumstance? Why do you cry, whine and wail everyday?

Normally, bitches (pun intended) make us cry. But what makes a bitch (no pun intended) cry? What makes ME cry? I guess, bitch or no bitch (with or without pun), it has something to do with how one feels. When one is treated lowly, is hurt, or in pain (i.e. a hungry dog on a short leash) E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y,  there is one thing to do that will give at least an instance of release – CRY.

But I don’t know how long puppy dog’s suffering would go. Would it just bite one day? Or would it remain cowering in a corner? Would it go mad maybe? Or just cry endless rivers?

Dog whisperer, anyone?

User friendly and Friendly user, defined.

User friendly.

Kung ang isang bagay ay madaling gamitin ng kahit pangkaraniwang tao upang mapadali ang kanilang buhay, masasabing ito ay “user-friendly”.

Friendly user.

Kung ang isang tao ay madaling gumamit ng ibang tao upang mapadali ang kanilang sariling buhay, masasabing siya ay “friendly user”.

The Wake Up Call

I’m in my new corner. Somewhere on the 23rd floor. Near the window. Very very near the window. I can see other buildings (and other windows, at that) from where I’m sitting. New cubicle, but old faces.  Old smiling ones.

Daddy Elms once joked, “What will you do if you see an airplane about to come crashing through the window?”

I told him, “Paparahin ko, Daddy.” Others interjected with different answers but none came close to his supposedly correct one. We should “Turn off the remote!”, he said.

It seems that I keep moving to places, too — locational changes. Two months back, we have to move out of  5437 (or was it 5947?) to be closer to work. Then, a month after, work called for transfer from M2 to DS. Ahhhh! What timing!

And as October goes, November comes. The late rainy season has coincided with the incoming December breeze. So hard to wake up with the cool wind tightly hugging every pore in my body. I always wish I could sleep longer… Just like last Sunday when everyone’s spending the holiday in the “hacienda”.

I was still recharging from my night shift from work and was on the bed when the Buen Family arrived. In short, I was dead to the world then. I just realized that they’d finally come because my nephews, Yno (aged 7) and Deen (aged 5), came into my room and told me that they brought pizza. Yno even placed a plate of pizza on my hand (which I told Yno to place it back on the box and save me another slice too… which, well, unfortunately gone “missing” when I woke up). I lazily sat up from bed and hugged them both, as customary whenever I meet them.

I told the boys that I just got home from work and would need to sleep. And they said, “Ok, Tita Jaja!”

By dinnertime, Yno was waking me up again. He said, I should get up or else everyone would be finished with their meals. I told Yno, my head hurts and that I need 30-minute more of sleep. He then placed his hand on top of my unruly bun of hair while insisting that I really should get up and join the rest for dinner. He was so makulit! He kept telling me, it’s lonely taking meals alone, that I won’t be able to join EVERYBODY if I don’t wake up ASAP, that I really need to EAT! I didn’t know how long Yno was trying to wake me up, until finally, he said, “Tita Jaja, I know! You can wake up now and then after eating, you can go back to sleep!”. That revved me up, and so I woke up.

The thing was, everyone’s done with their dinner.

And no, I didn’t get back to bed after eating. It was movietime, and it was Ditseng Ellen’s birthday salubong, too! But I really couldn’t keep my eyes open. They were begging me to go back to sleep! So I went to bed ahead of everyone else, again, which made me missed the lambanog shots. Nonetheless,  I’s too “drunk” from lack of sleep. One shot would instantly punch me out anyway.

I Need a Jerk!

I bought a new dvd player two weeks ago.  I remembered it was raining then and somehow, clips of my most recent movie-venture Twilight Saga: Eclipse kept playing on my mind. That somehow made me missed my stash of un-watched collection of movies under my bed and also inspired me to finally ACCEPT that my electronically-challenged old dvd player has gone to its final rest and all I need is to move on and buy a new one! Welcome Fukuda! Hehehe.

What made me frustrated was that, I can’t find The Mentalist among my stash of discs. I remember clearly that it was what I was watching when my player froze. I was still at my old lair then. Again, I had to go through Kubler-Ross’ stages of grief and finally come to terms that The Mentalist has left me for good. Hello, Acceptance. And so I turn to House MD.

However, watching House MD‘s Season 1 “infected” me. I got colds, chronic abdominal pains and fever. My three-day rest day from work became a three-day “wretched-day”. Ugh! But I have recovered. I guess the gastronomic delight that Berto experimented helped a lot: sauteed tofu and (left-over) chicken meat with green leafy veggies (aka: ginisang pechay na may tokwa at tirang manok) and crispy Tilapia!

And now, I am thinking of doing another movie marathon since  I’ll be  home-alone again for the weekend and  I really haven’t gotten my strength back to play badminton.

So, as my system begins to hibernate, I trust that old movies shall act like hypnic jerks on my powerless body and send signal to my brain that I’ll be up and active by next week. It’s a must too! Weekends are booked again. Oooh, I need a clone!

just a month-ender blog

as yet again, i do have a lot of backlog writings on top of my head. well, i could do it while at work. thanks to the post-by-email feature in wordpress which makes it possible for me to update my blog even when i’m not logged in to my account. however, whenever i am into the mode to do so, there would be new updates to read, new tickets to create, old tickets to update or just simply calls to take. hehehe. i am here to resolve callers’ tech issues in the first place anyway, and just am blogging on the sidelines (grin grin!).

but oooh, how i itch to put an ending to David and Sarah’s love(ful/less) story! i can see all the clouds clearing now. in fact, i am just torn between heavenly destiny or hellish fate. hmm, maybe, i’ll just make two endings. it’s up to the readers which link to choose — hellish fate or heavenly destiny. it makes me recall those “Choose Your Own Adventure” pocketbooks which i got addicted to when i was in secondary school. hahaha!

and june is here! soon, rain would be in season again. the precarious heat is getting into my nerves. i’m getting the tan that i don’t need. my fault. i always remind myself to buy a replacement for my defective umbrella but always am putting it aside (soft word for “forgetting”).

and yes, i did say june is coming! the month of may was a blast with my big serious face pasted on the wall after just two months in prod (april top agent, unbelievable! hihihi!). suddenly, all the agents and TCs know me by name (why would Liz have to choose that shot of me all serious during a call, eyes bulging, for everyone to see?) chanting “burger! burger!”, “kahit cereal lang”, or the most uttered, “painom ka naman!” when they chanced upon me. but name or no name, i do take my calls very very seriously. especially when i have none, and have time to blog!

i’m also getting workouts during weekdays. vball practice (just not to coincide with movie time, my smallest plea, which is almost always granted. hehehe). weekends are for the actual games. well, we’re onto 0-2. haha! no win yet. but at least we’re giving them a not-so-easy wins with both games having decision sets. all the same, we lost. coach said if we could win our last three games, we could still make it to the semis. time for me to cross both my fingers and toes on that. hehehehe.

anyway, i can smell the rain! that’s one thing i’m looking forward to. nothing has changed. i still love it when it rains.