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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.
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)
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)...
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...
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...
Pump prices of gasoline jumped by another P1.50 per liter. Arghh! Can you imagine , a year ago gasoline prices were in the vicinity of P30 per liter and people were already complaining then. Now, it's doubled and they've stopped complaining, instead commuting to beat the crunch.
It's hilarious how you go to a gas station in a fancy, brand new car and purchase P200 worth of gas. Laughable because that's just around 2 plus liters! You might as well leave the car and take the jeep or bus.
Of course it really is so much more convenient to have your own vehicle to get around. But pondering about how much it takes to fill a tank, and the necessity of the errand makes you think a zillion times whether or not to take the car or just commute.
A few weeks ago, while on a jeep, two drivers were sighing about the escalating gas prices. One said there was even talk that next year, crude oil will be hitting P100 a liter. If that happens, one said, no one will be plying the route. It's just darn crazy...
Even my dad who goes to the farm weekends has decided it will be more practical to just take the bus. That way he saves on gas and gets to rest while on the trip...
After Maria Sharapova, Ana Ivanovic followed suit. And so it is that the glamour girls of the sport have packed their bags for home. I've got absolutely nothing against these young ladies being tall, gorgeous and all because they do know and love tennis as well. It just gets to me that there is so much preoccupation about their looks and what they're donning at grand slam events.
Now, the Asian tennis players seem to be making a mark at this tournament. They've managed to upset their opponents, which is a really great thing because it's the Europeans and Americans that usually dominate the sport. So here's to rooting for Asian blood to take centerstage.
So Wimbledon is now entering its second week and with the draws compressing, it will be interesting to follow if Federer or Nadal will face off once again for the finals or if one of the Williams sisters will be lifting the Venus Rosewater Dish... again.
Well we just have to tune in and watch as the games unfold.
Photo by IPS/M. Pozzetti (www.wimbledon.org)
So much for Maria Sharapova's scene-stealing outfit... After two rounds at Wimbledon, she's joining Serb Novak Djokovic in packing bags and heading for home. Hey, aren't they the reigning Australian Open champs? Hmmm.
I guess tennis has really become unpredictable these last years. Of course, not to discount the dominance of Roger Federer, who's been at the top for nearly three years. These days, it can be anybody's game. Well, just looking over Federer's shoulder is Rafael Nadal, who just may pull a great stunt and finally prove he's not just a clay-court guy.
The truth is I miss Andre Agassi, Pete Sampras, Boris Becker, even Michael Chang and Steffi Graf and Arantxa Sanchez Vicario. I miss their showmanship on court. Power tennis? I'm not really so gung-ho about. Because play that way and in a couple of years, they have to contend with injuries. Now a good game by Agassi and Sampras or Graf and Monica Seles, wow! Really keeps you glued to the screen, your heart thumping with excitement. Even Goran Ivanisevic was a showman.
Well, there's next year again for Sharapova and Novak... And here's to looking out who will reign supreme on the queen's green.
Photo by IPS/M. Pozzetti (http://www.wimbledon.org.)
Hayayayay! The office is one big construction site at this time. As in, the entire Batasan Pambansa complex is full of scaffoldings, cement, construction workers, hammering, digging, chipping and what have you. They're making use of the long break to get things going. The facades are undergoing a facelift, the bathrooms (so many of them) are being renovated, even our 6th floor has not been spared. So it's one huge facelift for the complex.
In exchange, there is never any peace and quiet, with all the racket and commotion caused by the hammering, pounding, chipping away at plaster and cement. And the dust is terrible!. Worse, you never really know which areas are passable.
Making matters worse is that I've been under the weather lately. I can feel a cold and cough tickling. At least the Vitamin Cs I'm glugging seem to be holding them off. But I can still feel it coming.
Then there's the internet lull at the complex following the typhoon over the weekend. Connections have yet to be restored. What a bummer week this is turning out to be...
So many things happened over the weekend, and am I thankful the home and family are all intact and safe.
First there was Frank -- one bloody typhoon that whipped through the entire country from south to north, leaving thousands homeless, hundreds dead, and millions worth in damaged property. Did Frank make his presence felt... While it's been overcast with thunderstorms in the past weeks, nothing could have prepared us for the early morning attack last Sunday when Frank hit the metropolis after ravaging the Visayas and other parts of the country in its path.
Mom, who was in the farm with Dad for the weekend, roused us at 4 in the am to warn us that Frank was about to hit land. They've been awake since 2 because the wind had been howling and the heavens pouring leaving the surroundings flooded. The caretakers had to seek refuge in the main house lest they get trapped in their modest homes. It was, Mom described, like a refugee camp with lights out for the most part. Good thing there was a girl scout who fashioned a makeshift lamp using our precious VCO.
After checking on the doors and windows, shutting those that need to be shut just as the winds were starting their fury, I hit the sack again but sis tuned in to the radio for regular weather/storm updates. An hour or so later, Frank hit land, whipped everything in sight, dumped rains and made certain everyone would stay home for the rest of the day. Power was out for several hours making it difficult to do chores around the house in darkness. The house (boohoo!!) was feeling the effects of the storm, mostly in the living room when water started seeping into the house. It was a never-ending mopping session and dumping water outside until late afternoon. Power was restored for about half-an-hour then went off again. With power out, the kids were restless and bored. We had fried rice for lunch and salted fish on the side. The rains were intermittent and lasted till late in the evening.
News that an inter-island vessel sank added to the tension. I can imagine the nightmarish situation for disaster officials who would have to contend with various rescue missions. Sulpicio Lines sure is unlucky. It's another of their vessels that turned over; 700 passengers and crew on board, and the survivors are coming in trickles, if at all. Now what is with these people setting sail in spite news of bad weather? Tsk, tsk.
Our house-help, who was due in from the province (the same area where the sunken ship originated from) had us worried. But she sent in messages that she was safe but stranded. Whew! That was close. Now, she is back home, none the worse for wear.
In many parts of the country hit by Frank, there is still no electricity. Those who lost their homes are holed up in evacuation centers -- mostly schoolbuildings. Classes were suspended in areas ravaged by the typhoon. Communicatioan facilities are getting back to normal. Even internet connections suffered heavily and need to undergo repair.
It's just the beginning of the rainy season and who knows what else lies ahead...
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!
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