Original: Marisa Sukosol

Vocals and guitar: Arnie Zablan

Drums: Chaucer Mercado

Credits to: pinoybaifernians.com

Hindi ko marinig yung lyrics but these are some of the lines …

I don’t know how can I hide this any longer

Keeping all of these inside my heart

…

Can you hear my heart screaming?

Calling you and loving you

…

I hope that you’ll feel it too 

that I’m so in love with you … someday

S is thinking about her pamangkins – justin, jake, yuan and vienna – and she is apprehensive about the future. S is pro-life.

January 22, 2023

Dear Mom:

Can you believe it is already the year 2023? I’m still writing ’22 on everything! It seems like only yesterday that I was sitting in the first grade and celebrating the change to a new century.

I know we really haven’t chatted since Christmas, Mom, and I’m sorry. Anyway, I have some difficult news to share with you and, to be honest, I really didn’t want to call or talk about this face to face.

But before I get to that, let me report that Ted just got a big promotion, and I should be up for a hefty raise this year if I keep putting in all those crazy hours. You know how I work at it. (Yes, we’re still struggling to pay the bills.)

Little Timmy’s been okay at kindergarten, although he complains about going. But then, he wasn’t happy about the day-care center either. So what can we do?

He’s been a real problem, Mom. He’s a good kid, but quite honestly, he’s an unfair burden on us at this time in our lives.Ted and I have talked this through, and we have finally made a choice. Plenty of other families have made the same choice and are really better off today.Our pastor is supportive of our choice. He pointed out the family is a system, and the demands of one member shouldn’t be allowed to ruin the whole. The pastor told us to be prayerful and to consider all the factors as to what is right to make our family work. He says that even though he probably wouldn’t do it himself, the choice really is ours. He was kind enough to refer us to a children’s clinic near here, so at least that part is easy.Don’t get me wrong, Mom. I’m not an uncaring mother. I do feel sorry for the little guy. I think he heard Ted and me talking about this the other night. I turned and saw him standing at the bottom of the stairs in his PJ’s with his little teddy bear that you gave him under his arm, and his eyes were sort of welled up with tears.

Mom, the way he looked at me just about broke my heart, but I honestly believe this is better for Timmy, too. It’s just not fair to force him to live in a family that can’t give him the time and attention he deserves.

And please, Mom, don’t give me the kind of grief that grandma gave you over your abortions. It’s the same thing, you know. There’s really no difference.

We’ve told Timmy he’s just going in for a “vaccination.” Anyway, they say the termination procedure is painless. I guess it’s just as well that you haven’t seen that much of little Timmy lately.

Please give my love to Dad.

Your daughter

(Author unknown)

My laptop was malfunctioning.

I did everything I know to fix the error.

Deleted all my unlicensed software.

Removed all downloaded movies.

Changed the BIOS to default settings.

Etc.

Unfortunately, my Top-top didn’t want to cooperate.

I told my mother about it.

After 2 days, she asked me if the problem is already solved.

I said no.

She said she’s going to ask someone to come and check it.

At the time, I didn’t care who’s gonna fix Top-top.

My only concern was to have it fixed and get back to my normal online life the soonest.

So, my mother brought this man to our house.

No.

It was not “crush” at first sight.

But I must admit, I was stunned when I first saw him.

He is exceptionally good-looking.

I couldn’t believe it.

I mean, my family’s been living in this place for the past 9 years.

All those years, I was clueless of his existence.

How come I didn’t know that somewhere in our small community, there is a handsome prince named A****?

And we actually live in the same barangay???

Seriously?!?

Is this a joke?

What a joke.

So anyway, it wasn’t “crush” at first sight.

He got my attention, alright.

But looks are not enough to keep my attention.

I don’t know him and we’re not friends.

Who knows he might be a criminal.

Or, he might be in a relationship already.

And the hair!

I don’t go for men with shoulder-length hair.

*Shrug*

All the while he was fixing Top-top, I wasn’t talking.

Mom went outside to talk to a neighbor.

We were left alone.

To avoid the awkward moments, I went inside my room thinking “ang tagal naman nya magkumpuni.”

After a while, my mother called me and asked me to talk to him.

Don’t get her wrong. She was not pushing me to flirt or anything like that.

My mother believes that if we have visitors at home “pakiharapan ng maayos.”

To think that I was the one asking for a favor and I didn’t even offer a glass of water!

Am I anti-social or am I just painfully shy?

I don’t know. I think I am somewhere in between.

My mom reprimanded me for the second time so I was forced to go out and sit on a chair near him.

That’s when he started talking to me.

He said he didn’t want to come and check it because it’s Christmas.

Blogmates, the date was December 24!

He said he just couldn’t say no to my mother.

Well, I think that was very gentlemanly for him but somehow I felt like I’m such a big “abala.”

It’s embarrassing.

At least, he couldn’t refuse my mother.

It means a lot.

The silence was killing me.

I didn’t know what to say.

Good thing, Cinderella came up, out of nowhere.

It was such a relief!

She’s very talkative and obviously, she has a huge crush on him.

He was very friendly.

I can hardly remember how it happened but we ended up talking and laughing.

Thanks to Cinderella who broke the ice.

He said he took IT in college. He mentioned that he graduated on year 2007.

I graduated last 2005. I think he’s younger than me. So what? At the time, I didn’t feel anything for him yet.

I also learned that they have a band (he and his friends). I didn’t ask if he is a drummer or a vocalist or what.

But I was dying to know! You see, these musically-inclined men, they intrigue women.

Maybe that’s the reason why his hair is long? And yup, he has earrings.

Cinderella asked him lots of questions.

But each time, his eyes are focused on me and he was smiling at me.

Which I couldn’t stand!

Anyway, he said I had to buy a new hard disk.

But that is not the problem. I finally bought a new hard disk.

Top-top is now okay. It’s now working fine.

The problem is when I saw him again a day before New Year, he just looked at me but didn’t say hello or hi.

Like he doesn’t know me at all!

He doesn’t remember me.

He doesn’t know my name! He never asked for it.

And that is the reason why I was drunk on  New Year’s Eve.

I hope you don’t misinterpret. I’m not a professional drunkard. Four shots and I was already sleeping!

And this is the first time that I got drunk because of someone. But 60% of the reason is because I just wanted to drink alone.

I can’t believe it.

He doesn’t remember me.

We were talking for more than an hour.

He was looking straight into my eyes and for a few seconds, I felt like I’m the most beautiful woman in the world.

S = Stupid

He told me to text him if there are problems (with the laptop??).

But he doesn’t remember me.

It’s useless.

Either his memory is short or I’m just so easy to forget.

That is what he said when asked why he chose XQ over HL.

HL is perfect. Pretty and smart. But she is bland. She’s boring.

On the other hand, XQ is pathetic and dumb. She’s also clumsy and her stupidity is over the top. But man, you gotta love her persistence and determination to get his attention.

She may be stupid. But at least, she’s “not that stupid” to be in a relationship with someone she doesn’t like.

She’d rather be left alone and be sad.

She’s the perfect example of a faithful lover.

In one of the episodes, she drove a pregnant woman to the hospital even if she doesn’t know how to drive.

She doesn’t have a driver’s license! Talk about stupidity at its highest level.

She could have called an ambulance. Or called a doctor. Or asked the men around to drive for them. Or called a taxi.

There are too many options but she picked the most dangerous one.

I couldn’t look at the screen when Joe was furious and yelling at her.

“Are you an idiot?! What if you killed the woman and her baby? Can you live with that?!”

Gosh. I couldn’t take it. She just cried and said she was sorry. What the … ?!

Good thing the episode has a nice ending. I thought I was going to have a heart attack!

Joe embraced her and said “thank God, you are okay.”

Hey, that’s the only sad part. Most of the scenes are extremely funny.

I simply love the Taiwanese version of Itazura na Kiss.

More intense and better kisses. LOLz.

All episodes of ISWAK done.

Now, back to work!

Yes, blogmates. I have a crush. After 4 years of being isolated from the male species (hahaha!), I have a crush. This time in the form of a real human being. This time, I am not in love with a virtual person, or an anime character, or a Korean actor. But this time is worse because he does not even know my name. I’m not saying that those Korean actors know me. All I’m saying is I’m stupid.

Well, I’m not in love. It’s just a crush. And my friends are not very supportive because we don’t know him at all. We don’t have common friends. He might be a criminal or worse he already has a girlfriend. That’s right, blogmates. It would be better for him to be a criminal than to be taken. LOLz. Joke.

Anyway, for the entire month of January, I’m busy trying to forget about him. What the .. ?! I’m so stupid. I went out with friends and tried my best to occupy my mind with other things like reading and watching all episodes of It Started with a Kiss.

Are you familiar with the plot? A girl is madly in love with someone who can’t like her back. For 5 years, she did everything to win his heart and almost ended up having her heart broken. Can you imagine the embarrassing moments she had to endure? It’s hilarious. I can’t bare to see some of the scenes because, blogmates, S is a woman. I feel embarrassed for her. Even if it’s just a drama.

I think that is the major difference between men and women. You can court a girl even if she doesn’t like you and yet there is still a possibility of winning her heart. But men. *Shrug* You can’t change a man’s mind. If he’s not interested then he’s not. But the girl in the story was able to do it. She won his heart … after FIVE YEARS! Haha! It’s one of the best love stories for me. Better than The Notebook and 50 First Dates. Just my opinion.

Here is something you ought to know. I asked J if it’s acceptable for a woman to court a man. She’s a modern lady who has a masteral degree in Men and Relationships. (Hahaha! I love you friend!) She said it’s dangerous. He might not reject you but might take advantage of the situation. Or, he might like you too but won’t see you as the future mother of his kids. Mmmm … that makes sense.

Regular exercise and proper diet are on top of the list. Walking makes the heart stronger while running makes the lungs work harder. On the other hand, eating the right kind of food can help an individual achieve his ideal weight. Fruits such as strawberries, oranges and acai berries are said to help lost weight in a short span of time.

Another fruit that is gaining popularity in the weight-loss market is the african mango. It contains vitamins that claim to lower the cholesterol level and accelerate the body metabolism. It is also rich in leptin hormones which are known as appetite suppressants thus helping the person control his yearnings for foods that will make him gain weight.

Everything said, active lifestyle and a balanced diet can do wonders in burning those unwanted bellies. However, you must understand that experts have varying opinions regarding “balanced diet.” This means that we have differing needs and that it is always best to consult your physician about what is most suitable for you.

Recently, I learned how to tweak the CSS (custom style sheet) and I’m so excited to designed my own blog(s). First, I am studying different Photoshop techniques. For me it’s difficult because I am completely ignorant about this software and I have no background in image types. I am slowly introducing myself to PNG, JPG, and GIF files. It’s crazy because I used to hear these terms in my previous job but I never bothered to ask what they really mean.

Anyway, I’m not using Genesis for Blogful Life. I installed Headway for this blog but I’m not sure yet if this is final. Headway is a drag and drop framework. Knowledge of coding language is not necessary to customize the design and it’s not helping me in my ambition of becoming a web designer. Yeah, I’m so ambitious. Hehehe. Someday I want to say that I’m a freelance writer / web designer Anyway, for now I have to do it manually to understand how this thing works. Wish me luck.

1. Snack Gift Basket. Nothing beats a basket full of sweets, chocolates, pastries and goodies. Kids and adults will surely enjoy it. Regardless of the gender of the receiver, this is one of best gift ideas that you could ever have. It’s so simple and easy to prepare. You can also place your order from online stores and have it delivered directly to your loved one. Don’t forget to add a ribbon on the basket to make it more special.
2. Kitchen Cookbook . Not all women love  to cook, some would rather eat. But you can still give your girlfriend or best friend a foreign cookbook to inspire her to try her skills in cooking. The best thing about this gift idea is that you and the receiver can actually learn simple recipes together hence an opportunity to bond and get closer.
3. Watch for him. If the ladies are addicted to shoes, the gentlemen are hooked with wrist watches. Give an Oris Williams F1 watch to your dad, brother, or boyfriend and you will surely bring out the generous side of him. He’ll either take you shopping or treat you to a nice restaurant

There are lots of cute gift ideas. You just have to be creative and unique. Most of the time, you won’t even have to spend thousands of dollars to please people. After all, it’s the thought that counts, right?