Today I learned

Pandora is the first woman in Greek Mythology.

Octothorpe is the pound or the number sign.

These I got from watching the game show "Million Dollar Drop".

It is quite interesting and is mostly based on trivia questions.

You are asked a total of 8 Questions from different categories.

You are asked to place a million on the correct answer.

Then the wrong answers are dropped one by one.

You win the total amount left at the end of the 8 questions.

I mostly get the answers if they dealt with geography, music & movies.

But draw a complete blank when it comes to things related to the Philippines.

Subjects like local folklore, OPM (Original Philipino Music) and local geography.

This is where D can share his knowledge.

If we had 'played' on tonight's show, we will go home empty handed.

Because I had no idea the pound sign is known as Octothorpe.

Boo hoo.  :D

My attempt to rhyme

Saturday Poetry

 Amihan is her name
Blowing chilly wind
Into my window pane

Early mornings I awake
Reaching for my blanket
Which I do take

To protect myself 

From her cool breeze 

In order not to freeze

Her cold embrace

remind me of

Yonder days of grace

A period of

Innocent wonders

Which now makes

Me ponder

A life that quickly passed
Leaving me
Mostly aghast

Time has flown by

Oh so fast

I'm amazed

I still last

Yet I'm grateful

I still feel such splendor

So remain humbly thankful

Disruption of Service

This morning, I woke up and there was no electricity. 

I called Meralco and was informed our barangay will be without power from 8:30 AM to 4 PM as they were installing anti lightning devices to their electric posts.

Nice!  NOT!

So I spent my time reading in the natural light while fanning myself, now my arms hurt from holding a hard bound book in one hand and the 'pamaypay' in the other hand.

When it was lunch time, I realized I've forgotten how to cook rice without the rice cooker so I just opened canned clam chowder soup and had it with 2 slices of loaf bread which I 'toasted' in a frying pan. 

After lunch, I decided to defrost the ref as it started to melt without the power on.  Good idea since there was still some cool air emanating from the refrigerator.

I took another shower at around 3pm and decided to gulp down the remaining contents of the Coffee Crumble ice cream which was starting to melt.

So I'm glad I survived 8 hours of no power by being productive.  Doing things which I would otherwise neglect as I would be sitting in front of my computer.  Plus I got to eat ice cream so that's an extra bonus.

But please no more power interruption!!!

Shaken not stirred

The James Bond franchise turned 50, this year.  I'm 44 years old so yes I grew up watching most of the films featuring this slick British agent provocateur who fought against outlandish villains, bedded beautiful women, likes his martini 'shaken not stirred' - all done under Her Majesty's secret service.

Growing up, I always associated James Bond movies with fancy gadgets, exotic locales, Bond girls, the familiar James Bond theme music (which is now currently playing in my mind!).

It also came with amazing soundtrack composed of songs made famous by artists like Matt Monro ("From Russia with Love"), Shirley Bassey ("Diamonds are Forever"), Sheena Easton ("For Your Eyes Only") and Duran Duran ("A View to a Kill") to name a few.

So there is no way I would have missed  Daniel Craig as 007 in the 23rd offering of the longest running film franchise of all time.  It has to be said that I absolutely adore Daniel Craig in all of his films so seeing him as James Bond is quite an intensely thrilling experience! 

I really recommend "Skyfall" it is one of the best James Bond movies I've seen!

4 More Years

Millions spent on campaign sorties.  All of them manned by an effective team made up of volunteers and experts.  3 heated debates in which they argued on a variety of issues.  An assortment of campaign ads which I don't get the privilege to watch. 

It all led to an important date - November 6, 2012.  Or the morning of Wednesday, November 7 in this part of the globe.

America has voted and decided they want 4 more years of a Democratic President.

As I watched the extensive coverage of CNN on the election, I couldn't help but admire how seamlessly the whole process unfolded in one single day.  I didn't see any long lines of people waiting for their turn outside voting precincts.  No confusion and chaos as people looked for their names on the long voters list posted on the walls.  No election observers from major political parties crowding the entrance to voting precincts handing out sample ballots. No piles of garbage filled with 'kodigo' or the list of people to vote for.  Everything was orderly and well organized.  

Then a few hours later, the results were announced. The defeated candidate conceded graciously. The winner gave his victory speech.  End of process.  No claims of cheating or electoral sabotage. 

People partied till the wee hours of the morning and now wake up with a newly elected President who has a tough mandate to deliver his programs to the best of his ability.   Time to move on and get to work.    

No qualms about it, he has a tough job to do but I think America chose wisely. I'm not a Democrat nor a Republican when it comes to my political affiliations. I find myself right smack in the middle between being a liberal and a conservative. Besides, I'm not qualified to vote because I'm not a citizen of the US of A.   But as a keen observer of the electoral process which unfolded in just a single day, I can't help but wish our local elections set for next year will be as organized and a hassle free process!

Sumo San @ Edsa Shangri-la Mall

I've been meaning to eat at Sumo San @ the Shangri-la Mall for the longest time.  On a few occasions, we found ourselves in the area, the Japanese restaurant was always full and we didn't want to wait as our tummies were already grumbling.

For my 44th birthday last month, I decided to call ahead to reserve a table for four. My parents got there early so they decided to order California Roll (P258.00) for appetizers.

When I got there, I was totally confused on what to order as their menu was quite extensive. The menu itself was quite heavy but it did have pictures of the dishes they offered.   I just went by my gut feeling and ordered what I thought look and hopefully tasted good. 

I added Crunchy Tuna Roll (P238.00) to our appetizers.  For our main course, I ordered the Rib Eye Teppan (P779.00) and Gindara (P778.00).  

As well as the customary noodles for long life dish - Seafood Yakisoba (P258.00).

Conclusion: The portions of the dishes are a bit small but quite tasty.  Their menu is quite extensive as they serve steaks, seafood and sushi.  A distinct Westernized Japanese flavor is the main cuisine.  A bit pricey but the family friendly ambiance makes it conducive for celebrating special occasions.

Kids birthday parties

A few weekends ago, D & I were invited to the baptism/1st birthday party of the son of a co faculty member.   These birthday parties are quite fun. There are many games (well for the kids), and of course plenty of food to feast on.

Yet I always feel a bit awkward. It is being quite apparent during these sort of happy occasions that we stand out as the childless couple. It used to be quite exhausting to keep explaining that we don't have kids, not out of choice but out of circumstances which are beyond our control.

Nowadays, I leave it to D to do the 'explaining', I simply smile like I know something they don't.   When the truth is I don't really understand why despite our numerous efforts we still haven't been blessed with an offspring.  

It has been almost 2 years now that I gave up the 'battle'.  There are days when I still wonder if I made the correct decision. Other days, I shrug and accept the fact that we will be a childless couple.  While other days (after all, there are 30/31 days in a month!) I still burst into tears whenever I hear that friends and friends of friends are expecting and will soon be mothers.

D has been reassuring me that it is just how life is. We win some, we lose some. But what's important is we remain true to our faith and accept that challenges and struggles are also part of God's plan for us.   Amen.

Serenity

I guess it is more PC (politically correct) to be called a stay at home wife rather than a 'plain housewife', these days.   Frankly, I don't see any vivid difference because they both  basically convey the same notion.  

For the past decade now I've been a homebody ergo I don't have a 9 to 5 job but it doesn't mean I got it easy.  I guess in same way, I'm lucky because I don't have to commute daily,  deal with traffic and office politics. But it has its disadvantages too which I'd probably tackle in another post.

So long weekends, school holidays doesn't basically get me all excited because for me it is just a couple of days or a couple of weeks when D is home the entire day.  Since he is a homebody too, we just basically coop up in front of our respective PCs (personal computer) lost in our own virtual realm for hours on end.

Yes I know, it sounds pretty boring, right? But believe me, it is also these moments when I find myself at my happiest with a serene and peaceful vibe that envelops me like a warm blanket on a chilly day.

Each of us totally focused on our own activities. Often, no words are spoken as we both wear earphones to listen to our respective genre of music. D prefers to listen to jazzy tunes.  I'm more inclined towards songs from the 1960s to the 1980s range.

An eerie silence permeates the entire apartment. But we are at peace, our hearts are smiling, contentment reigns.

Yes life is grand, indeed. :D