Nightmarish day

I'm a bit bothered because my sister told me this morning that I was screaming in my sleep last night. She had a bum stomach and couldn't sleep well so she was jolted when I was supposedly shouting in anger. And that was twice!? Man, I can't remember a thing. Must have been stress or some repressed feelings I'm not aware of. Could it have been because I wasn't feeling well, with a really bad cough>

Anyway, on my way to work at noon, I just got a ride in time as the heavens wept copious tears. And was it an eternity. In fact, it lets up a little then comes in torrents again. Sigh! I really hate rain, especially here because the water rises on the streets and when you commute, it's inevitable to get drenched. Add to that the jeepney driver was insisting on filling up his vehicle even when we were already packed like corned beef! Waahh!

Well, it's a relatively quiet payday Thursday and I'm really not up to working because of the coughing. Oh yes, please check out my Squidoo lenses and MyLot, too.

MyLot, Squidoo

I've been neglecting this blog. Sorry! Well, it's just that I'm exploring the world wide web and finding other places to spread my excess energies (huh?) Actually, my search for ways to earn online while engaging in my passion (writing, that is) is never-ending. And till I actually find one that pays, I'm gonna keep at it. Of course, that's after thousands of pesos scammed and wasted. Still, I continue to hold out hope that there will be legitimate programs that can answer this need.

For now, I've created a couple of lenses with Squidoo and am posting a bit more in MyLot. In case you'd like to visit and be part of these sites, please check them out here:

MyLot
Squidoo

Lens1 on Education
Lens2 on Jeepneys

Odds and Ends, This and That

Been feeling out of sorts and under the weather the last couple of days and with nothing better to post anyway...

Yesterday, however, my aunt came over because we had arranged to renew our passports. The thing with her is she has become an American citizen, and since she is a holder of their passport, each time she buys her ticket there, they refuse to let her buy a one-way ticket. The solution is for her to get a Philippine passport. Of course, this could be trickier than most because of her status of having dual citizenship.

Just to cover the bases, we all decided to get our birth certificate from the Census office, which will issue the ones on security paper. Just for the adventure, we all trooped together (my aunt, my sister and I) and other than the fact it will be released on Monday yet, lining up wasn't such a big deal. Only because our need for the birth certificate isn't prompted by having to seek work abroad, which most of the clients are.

Since we had really planned on dropping by the mall, off we went aboard an airconditioned bus. the fare: P10 each, not bad especially since traffic wasn't all too heavy. At Cubao we got off at Farmer's, and began walking... We did manage to check out Gateway stores, which my aunt had never been to.

We looked around condo units on pre-selling and were impressed with the offer. Since it was 4 pm after scouring the stores, we had a snack, which included Dairy Queen. We were on our way to get a ride, when we happened upon mattresses on a Buy One, Take One offer. Too good to pass up, we ended up spending for these and taking the cab home instead.

It was a very tiring day, but fortunately, I felt a little better...

Not his year

Roger Federer, he with 12 Grand Slam titles, came crashing down to earth when Majorcan Rafael Nadal give a blistering and consistent performance on grass to raise the 2008 Wimbledon Championship trophy. And it was a long, long battle...

It was Roger's inability to convert on his breakpoints that eventually led to his defeat, a heartbreaking one, by his own admission. After ruling the Queen's grass for five years, almost eclipsing Bjorn Borg's record of consecutive wins, the Fed Express finally ran out of steam.

He's not likely to admit that he knew in his heart Nadal was playing catch-up fast, but that's what the 22-year-old Muscleman from Spain has been doing in the last couple of years. With four French Open titles to his credit, consecutive at that, it was only a matter of time when he would finally be able to spell out Federer. And work on it, he did.

Well, this time truly a picture speaks a thousand words. Looking at Federer clutching his runner-up plate is truly devastating. There is next year to look forward to.

Photos by Fotosport International/R. Parker; Getty Images/C. Brunskill (www.wimbledon.org)

Waiting in suspense...

It's been an exciting Men's Finals at Wimbledon, and even just listening over Radio Wimbledon, the thrill and nerves is as jangling. At this time, the champion has yet to be declared, but Rafa Nadal, the No. 2 seed, leads two sets to love, and getting ready to close out the match at 5-4, Federer up. But as luck would have it, mother nature has dictated a time out with rain delay being called.

It's now midnight where I am, and I can hardly keep my eyes open. So, while I really, really want to be around to listen and rejoice with whoever will take home the crown, I'm gonna have to sign out in a couple of minutes because there is work tomorrow, and I'm not feeling as hale and hearty as I would like to be.

So, to Rafa or Roger -- go, guys. And congratulations to the eventual winner! If Roger does not make it, there must be some truth to history repeating itself as in the case of Bjorn Borg who was chasing his sixth consecutive Wimbledon crown but ended up losing to lefty John McEnroe. If he pulls a really magical rabbit from his hat, then Federer, you deserve it.

It's her Dish

In two sets, defending champion Venus Williams beat younger sister Serena to raise her fifth Venus Rosewater Dish at the All England Club. Consistency was the key to her victory, and while she does feel a little sad having to win at the expense of her sibling, Venus was nevertheless thrilled that her preparation paid off.

Great game, guys... even if it was just listening over Wimbledon Radio. So, wonder if Roger and his cardigan will be making history tomorrow.

Photo by Reuters/A. Pierdomenico (www.wimbledon.org)

NUMB3RS

I am so out of the loop. TV series loop, I mean. As in, television has held little interest for me nowadays. Sure, some days I manage to sit it out and watch a program or so. Of course, it makes a world of difference that there is no cable here in the house. There are four television sets but no cable. Sigh!

So, it came as a surprise that during the ride home from work with a co-worker, I happened upon a DVD he was playing that I thought was actually a movie. Stupid me. It seemed every time we went home, it was the same movie playing over and over again. It turns out he was playing the series 'Numb3rs'. Very interesting because I really love these types of series. I like CSI. Alias, and their ilk. But then unless I get DVDs of past episodes or happen to catch them elsewhere on free TV, then I'm out of the loop.

Having caught just a few of the Numb3rs episodes, (imagine mixing crime and math, wow!) I know it's already caught my fancy but alas, I really have to begin searching for past episodes if I want to update myself. Oh well, we'll see.

Another Williams finals

For the 8th time, the Williams sisters -- Venus and Serena -- will meet for the finals of a Grand Slam event. The All England Club or Wimbledon has much prestige in it that Serena, who has two of the Venus Rosewater Dish, is hungry enough to keep Venus from getting her fifth.

Surprise semi-finalist Zheng Jie put up a huge fight, becoming the first Chinese to reach that round for Wimbledon. She may have been bested by one hungry Williams, but she proved that Asians are becoming a force to reckon with in the tennis circuit.

So, who am I rooting for this Saturday? Don't really care. While I concede the Williams sisters are talented tennis players who have proven time and again they are champions, I've never really been big fans of theirs. Dunno... must have been turned off by their father, Richard, early on in their tennis careers.

So, the Venus Rosewater Dish for 2008 goes to...

Photo by: Reuters/K. Doherty (www.wimbledon.org)

Sunrise

This photo I took several years ago in San Juan, Batangas. You would never think the beach where this was taken was so blah, judging from this picture. It only goes to show that beauty is in the of the beholder (in this case, the camera lens)...

Aia Girl

After a long, hard day at work it is always a joy to come home and enjoy the antics of my 2 year-old niece. Well, she is turning three in October. Unlike her two older brothers who took a bit of a time to talk, Aia can talk a storm, no stutters, often sounding authoritative and just plain hilarious. Of course, in her terrible two's she can be a handful, but always she brightens up my day, whether it is something she says or does.

Thank God for Aia Girl...

Tired and weary

The boss has been away for nearly two weeks. I thought the whole time he was away I could relax and take it easy. Fat chance! I might as well have gone on the trip with him with his million and one demands. It really makes things difficult because he is not a seasoned traveler; neither is he patient or a techie. Had he been any of the above, life would have been simpler.

For one, he has only one (as in 1) credit card to his name. He refuses to get another for reasons that boggle the mind. It wouldn't have been such a problem if he used his available cash. Nope... he wants to use plastic all the time. And since his card is not Gold or Platinum, he runs out of credit quickly. So, we who are thousands of miles away from him, have to raise the funds to pay off his debts.

Second, he has absolutely no patience looking for internet connection/access. In case this is available -- which usually is the case in hotels around the US -- he does not take the time to check out his email and messages, always relying on text messaging (SMS), thereby incurring astronomical roaming charges. With email and the internet, we can chat and he can give instructions till we both turn blue in the face. But he hardly even checks his email, so there...

Then he isn't very mindful of the time difference. I get messages near midnight, or at dawn. As in there I am in lalaland, and suddenly I get roused by my messaging tone... from him. No wonder I feel so tired and weary. And I kissed my weekends goodbye because I was always on call then.

So I don't know if I prefer him to be away (abroad) or just in the province because at least his demands are more easily catered to without having to bother so many people at such ungodly hours.

Am I glad he is coming home...