Beloved

 

Despite my fiercely persistent requests for him to stop playing basketball,  he enthusiastically insists he is still fit as a fiddle to play this physically demanding game.

So I promise I will stop being a nagger and just let him be.  But it's difficult to ignore the bruises and scratches on his arms and legs when he comes home after a game.

Happy 48th birthday!  

P.S.

I will be on a blogging hiatus as my beloved sister is coming home for a few days to celebrate her own birthday (Oct. 2) with us.    Hurray to sisterhood bonding moments!!!  :D

Your place or my place?

A nasty separation has forced a good friend of mine to throw himself into the dating world, yet again. Faced with the nagging thought of being alone, he finally dust the cobwebs off himself and decided to explore what's out there.

No sooner had he taken two steps out when he suddenly realized how daunting this task was going to be.  A separated father of one in his late 40s is not an attractive tagline to put on a dating site. But he thought what the heck, he might as well be honest than pretend to be someone else.

In his emails, he mostly laments how frustrating it is to find someone who didn't mind his extra baggage, let alone someone who shared his interests.  One would think that with all these social media sites available at one's disposal, it would make things quite easy but it has its pitfalls too. 

It seems that when one doesn't immediately connect with another person on a certain level, it would be quite easy to just move on to the next person in the 'list' of potential prospects.  There is a prevailing sense of detachment that crops up to serve as a buffer so people tend to be less invested in commitments.

For the life of me, I cannot fathom the idea of going out there at our age. The stress and anxiety one has to go through the motions of  presenting your best foot forward. The rigors of thinking what to wear for first dates, then the never ending waiting game for the other party to set another date, the text messages that get ignored, the phone calls that are never answered. But worse of all, that ache in your tummy that signifies rejection.

I've had my share of flings, long distance relationships and broken heart episodes complete with sleepless nights and crying woes. All these experiences turned me into a bitter person but I was still a 'hopeful' romantic as opposed to a hopeless one.

So I consider myself truly lucky I found my significant other at the ripe old age of 39.   4 years down the line, we might not have the perfect marriage but nothing compares to the sweet sensation of waking up next to someone every morning. 

I fervently wish my good friend all the best in his quest to find his special someone, but I'm also very grateful I don't have to go through anxious first date moments ever again. 

Light and Sound Show

The title does not refer to any museum or a musical fountain show but rather the freaky thunderstorm complete with massive lightning bolts we experienced  last night.

We had just finished dinner and was washing the dishes when it started to rain heavily.  Then loud thunder could be heard reverberating across the skies. The alarms of our neighbors cars went off every single time the ground shook from the vibrations.

I immediately switched off all the electrical appliances like our computers and the TV even though I was totally engrossed in the replay of the blind auditions for "The Voice."  Based on our past experiences we know that  lightning bolts can do much damage once it strikes electronic gadgets. I grabbed hold of the flashlight as well as the rechargeable lamp because I was anticipating the electricity to conk out but amazingly it didn't.  

With nothing left to do, we went up to our bedroom and watched the light and sound show unfold right outside our window.  It was scary as massive lightning bolts would brighten the skies, followed immediately by loud reverberating thunders.  I kept my eyes closed but D would keep me updated every time a bolt of lightning struck. 

In times like these, you realize how much one relies on electrical appliances like the TV or the computer to keep you occupied.  But there in the midst of a huge thunderstorm which lasted for almost 2 hours, conversing about anything under the sun is the key to keep you entertained. It felt good to return to the basics and talk about anything without any distraction like the blaring TV or playing Scrabble or 8 Ball Pool (for D) on FB.  

I was still narrating the plot of  a  film I watched at the recently concluded Cine Europa when I heard the faint sound of a snore.  D had fallen asleep! Either our talking points were too boring or he was simply too tired from a long day.  Hopefully, it was the latter.   There goes my long spiel about having meaningful conversation in the dark for nothing.  Apparently, I was merely talking to myself.  :D

Tis the season to be humpty dumpty

Another reason why I like the month of September is the start of the new season of my fave TV shows.

There are TV shows which I've been following faithfully since its inception.  Grey's Anatomy is the medical drama peppered with doctors, residents and interns who lead very interesting lives in and out of the hospital they work in. It has provided me with helpful medical information. I sometimes believe I turn into a hypochondriac just by viewing its episodes.  

Survivor is the mother of all reality shows. It depicts how castaways survive in a remote island without the bare essentials.  I like the synergy among the castaways who bicker, back stab and just about do anything to win the one million dollars. For its 25th season, Survivor is on some remote island here in the Philippines so that should be interesting to watch.

Parenthood is about the Braverman family. Their ups and downs, their joys and sorrows are highlighted weekly. It has a good ensemble cast composed of veteran TV stars among them Peter Krause (6 Feet Under),  Lauren Graham (Gilmore Girls) and Craig T. Nelson (Coach).

When it comes to the 'singing' contests, I tune in to The Voice. I like how the contestants are chosen based on their God given talent (singing voice) than their looks or personalities. I like the mentors who really go out of their way to train and guide their team during the live performances.

There are some TV shows, I caught mid season. Yet once I read all their previous episodes, I'm now hooked on them.  I like the sarcastic sly humor I get from the 30 minute episodes of  Nurse Jackie.  It is very shocking how irreverent the episodes of Shameless are but I can't stop tuning in each week to see what the dysfunctional Gallagher family is up to.  It is just too bad I still have to wait until next year for that.

I wasn't particular keen on Mad Men when it first came out in 2007.  I thought it was too Americana for my taste. I wasn't too familiar with the advertising industry except for the sometimes annoying TV commercials they bombard  viewers with on a daily basis.  But my sister kept hankering me to watch it so I gave in to her demands.   Now we discuss every detail of this show on Skype. Though it seems we would have to wait for next year for Season 6 to find out Don's answer to "Are you alone?".

I actually have no good reason why I watch Sons of Anarchy.  A show about biker dudes in a small town who are into drugs, guns smuggling and other illegal stuff.  Last year,  I was channel surfing one night, caught an episode and thereafter tuned in every week.  Maybe it is the bad boy vibe that appeals to me.

So yes it's couch potato time!  Bring it on, I'm ready.

Try to remember the kind of September

Time goes by so fast.  

Open your eyes and it is already the 9th month of the year.

I like the month of September.

It is the first 'ber' month.

In these parts of the globe, it means longer nights.

And cooler climates.

It also marks the month we came home for good.

This year, we have been here for 11 years.

But who's counting, let's just move onwards.

Towards the end of this month,  my beloved hubby turns a year wiser.

He calls the silver hair on his head ... highlights!

So I won't contradict it.

Besides his salt and pepper hair adds character to his features.

He is still quite young at heart.

And his sense of humor keeps *me* young (at heart) too.

I end with the words of  Tom Jones.

He wrote "Try to Remember" for the musical comedy "The Fantasticks".

My favorite version is the one sang by Perry Como.

His soothing voice does justice to this hauntingly beautiful song.

Try to remember the kind of September
When life was slow and oh, so mellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When grass was green and grain was yellow.
Try to remember the kind of September
When you were a tender and callow fellow.
Try to remember, and if you remember,
Then follow.

News junkie

I'm a big fan of news programs. I absorb news like a sponge. When I'm cooking, the TV is always tuned to either a local news channel or CNN.

But as much as I like watching the news, there are times I notice some glaring mistakes.  Misspelled names of people, places and events. Unverified reports all issued for the sake of exclusivity. Different angles of one incident reported by rival news networks, all of them dishing out different information. You cannot tell who is reporting accurately.  

But my pet peeve is when reporters themselves get the facts wrong.  For me, a good news reporter must be familiar with all the facts before s/he reports on air. You can absolutely tell if a reporter is merely speculating or reporting truthfully.  In this day and age when citizens can go online to check the authenticity of facts, it is imperative we are fed the real figures by the very agencies that are tasked with providing the news.

For instance, a radio reporter was asked if the late DILG Secretary Robredo's parents were still alive. She answered 'Yung lang po nanay niya, ang buhay pa rin".  That is not accurate as both his parents are still around albeit in frail health. 

Another thing that gets me all riled up is the manner certain persons (not just reporters) introduce the President. They refer to him as President BeNign0 S. Aquino III but the correct way is President BeNign0 C. Aquino III.    Everybody knows the middle initial is the surname of one's mother, so why would they use his 2nd name, Simeon as his middle initial??? 

It isn't just the local news networks that make mistakes, this also goes for the international news agencies.  But in fairness to them, they immediately issue an erratum notice to correct their errors.  But here it is seldom done. 

Lately, one of my must watch TV shows is The Newsroom on HBO.  It stars Jeff Daniels as a TV news anchor. The show presents the behind the scenes travails of a news program.  Yes, it veers towards the liberal Neorealism side of the US political spectrum and it deals with issues that are not relevant in this side of the globe.  Yet the brainstorming sessions, the gathering of facts and the appropriate resource persons, the writing of the stories to the actual TV show as it airs live - they are all  fascinating to absorb for me, the news junkie.

The Newsroom airs @  9pm every Wednesdays on HBO. 

Weekend edit

I had to wear my 'editor' cap, this weekend. 

My sister emailed some articles for me to peruse for any grammatical and syntax errors. As well as offer my opinion on the coherence of the write ups. I was also consulted by D to edit several paragraphs he wrote for a school project. 

And to think that my sister is *the* editor of a trade publication while D is a history professor.

Surely I don't mind helping them but it can be mentally taxing for my rusty brain cells.  But their heartfelt praises of gratitude is enough reward for my efforts. 

Perhaps, next time I should charge them for my services. :D