reality bites

the pain is back.

a year ago, everything was fine. we were a team. solid. unbreakable. we had fun with each other's company. life was not perfect but its ok, we had each other to turn to anyway. last year, we faced villains together. but now, its different. it seems like we have become each other's nemesis.

one misunderstanding grew into a serious fight. the plethora of emotions clouded judgments. each had its own version of the story. each had its own version of the truth. both may have been saying the truth but the ego and the pain may have been stronger. and so each had an interpretation of its own.

now, its getting ugly. its hard to see traces of past friendship. ignoring each other is a norm. pretending that you dont see each other has become a mechanism for survival.

and thats so painful.

knowing that the smiles that you give could be returned with a blank stare. realizing that the person whom you considered as a friend doesnt see you as one anymore. it hurts to recognize the fact that youre no longer needed in their lives.

somestimes, the question is still there. why does it have to reach this point? why does it have to resemble this childish kind of misunderstanding? taking sides, either you're with me or against me.

getting used to this needs more time. but there's still that tiny bit of hope that one day, it will get better. restoring the friendship to what it was before is an illusion. but hoping for civility is not a dream.

meanwhile, thanks for the friendship.

si erap

so birthday pala ni erap ngayon. iba dapat ang isusulat ko pero umiinit na naman ang ulo ko dahil kasalukuyan ko syang pinapanood sa tv. ang kapal ng mukha! yeah, this government is shit but that doesnt erase the fact that his government was shit too! putik, akala mo kung sinong pagkagaling galing na presidente! argh, politicians! mga poncio pilato. ang hilig maghugas kamay! kainis! even if i dont see a significant improvement in this government, hindi ko pa rin pinagsisisihan na nagpakaloko ako sa kakarally at kakalakad ng ilang kilometro nung college para lang mapatalsik sya. kapal!

with wings

just this week, they were talking about aviation in 'good times'. mo has this fascination with airplanes and everything about aviation thats why they talked to an airline pilot, whom they named bob, in the show.

bob has been a pilot for 25 years already and is probably working for an international airline company now. they asked him trivial things like which airline has the prettiest flight attendants (british air, sia and jal), do they really get to sleep with them (a lot of girls are attracted to the uniform), which domestic airport is the hardest to fly to (naga and all those with short runways), etc etc. and yeah, pilots do have a distinct way of talking. like theyre breathing into the mic or eating their words.

just thought its nice to share some more trivia here too =)

- pilot's food are prepared separately not because theyre too choosy or they have different food preferences. they do this for security reason. para pag nalason yung isa, may isa pang magpapalipad ng eroplano. and this is a fact.

- mo was asking if in long flights, do pilots really fly the plane the entire time. not really. a captain's work is crucial during take off and landing. but while cruising, its the first officers who take over. dito na natutulog ang mga kapitan. and airplanes now are smart. you just plot your destination and the plane will go on 'auto pilot'.

- may multo din daw sa mga eroplano. there was this story about a flight attendant who talked to a lady who was requesting her to relay some message to her husband. when the flight attendant relayed the message to the husband, the husband said that his wife is indeed on the same plane but she was in a casket. scary.

- flight attendants are like restaurant waiters so try to be nice to them, always. come on, they carry your heavy luggage(which you should have checked in)and place it in the storage bin, they smile at you even if they feel shit because they havent had a decent meal yet, they flush the toilet because you dont know how to, they were reprimanded because you filed a complaint against them for calling your attention when they saw you using your cellphone in fligt, plus many others. but the most important reason why you should always be nice to them, they could have had their sweet revenge on you without you knowing it ;)

- some pilots prefer female flight attendants not because of what youre thinking but because theyre more caring and detail oriented. pag ang lalaking flight attendant daw pinakuha ng tubig, bibigyan nya si captain ng plain tubig. but if the flight attendant is female, she's gonna ask if he wants it with ice or just the plain thing. pero pag bading daw minsan may lemon pa =)

- female flight attendants could go to work even without a cent in their pockets. hatid sundo kasi sila.

- a lot of aircraft accidents are caused by miscommunication between the pilot and the control tower. hindi magkaintindihan dahil sa ingles thats why they have to undergo an intensive training in english.

- the black box is colored orange ;)

thats all folks. will update this pag may naalala pa ko.

ooops...i did it again

the first time i did it, i was reading a pocketbook with my earphones neatly tucked in my ears. upon reaching north ave stn, the speakers were blaring with reminders that the first coach is reserved only for senior citizens, pregnant women and those who are traveling with kids. syempre nagbingi-bingihan ako. excuse me but i didnt take that round trip just to get off at north ave and take another risk of not grabbing a good seat for a 30-minute train ride to taft. the guards know this modus operandi so they still have to check the trains for hard-headed passengers like me.

of course i know this too so i pretended like i heard nothing. i was comfortably seated but on my peripheral vision, i was looking at the approaching guard. and he stopped in front of me. still i didnt look up.

guard: maam, for pregnant lang po dito.
me (looking up): pregnant ako (trying hard not to laugh)
guard: pregnant kayo? (nakangising aso)
me (seryoso look): oo
guard: (no more dialogue; walked away na nakangising aso)
me: whew! (mukhang i still have to work on my lying skills hehe)

then last friday, i did it again. but this time, i was pretending to be asleep, still with earphones tucked in my ears. upon reaching north ave, the guard was waking me up (mahirap gisingin ang taong gising)

guard: maam, maam, last station na po.
me: kunwari kakagising
guard: maam san po kayo?
me: taft
guard: maam san po kayo sumakay?
me: cubao
guard: maam dun po sa kabila yung sakayan
me: para sa pregnant to di ba?
guard: aah, pregnant ba kayo?
me: (tingin ng masama sa guard)

then the guard walked away.

grabe, im getting used to this. i wonder what other alibis or antics could i use next time. hehe

of exams, corruption,and generals

for security purposes, i was advised to hide this post

of exams, corruption, and generals

i was in the midst of wracking my brain just to come up with decent answers for my exam when i received this text from eyva

"uy pare, co ung maj gen barbieto sa news n may corruption case? Nkta ko lng ung ticker tape sa ch7. c barbie ba un?"

so i googled his name and saw this news item from inquirer.net "Major General Barbieto and the Ombudsman"

MANILA, Philippines - Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman or dered the suspension of Maj. Gen. Jose T. Barbieto, commanding general of the 4th Infantry Division based in Camp Edilberto Evangelista in Cagayan de Oro City. Barbieto, along with a non-commissioned officer, Staff Sgt. Roseller Echepare, were suspended for six months pending the investigation of a complaint filed by army officers. The complaint alleged that the general and his sergeant extorted money from applicants desiring to enlist in the Army without undergoing the regular examination procedures. Payments of P25,000 to P30,000 were demanded with Echepare allegedly serving as the collector for Barbieto. Incidentally, the Army recently announced that it is recruiting 3,000 new soldiers this year in line with the plan to create six additional battalions.....At one time, he headed the AFP delegation to the Mutual Defense Board meeting in Honolulu, Hawaii."

So i texted eyva and said, syet! sya nga!

MGEN BARBIETO or Barbie as we call him is one of our bosses back when I was still working for the AFP. He was Deputy J5 when MGEN GARCIA (yes, the controversial general who also faced corruption charges) was J5. So you see, im not new with bosses whom i see in the news because of corruption charges.

I could not remember how i felt exactly when i learned about MGEN GARCIA's case. I remember though that we were supposed to have a meeting on that day wherein he was supposed to be the Chairman. The attendees were all generals and because he didnt show up, my immediate boss, who was a mere Major, chaired the meeting. Astig!

Anyway, I remember that we were all shocked upon learning about it. I think it was a Navy officer who told us about it and so I ran to the library to look for THE news clipping. And i felt goosebumps because I didnt know that he would be capable of doing such thing. Yeah, we hear about corrupt officials in the news everyday but I didnt expect that I would be working closely with one of them.

And learning this latest news about some official I know who is actually facing corruption charges is quite frustrating. Its a shame that he is facing corruption charges but the actual nature of his charges is what makes it more frustrating. I mean, what on earth is he thinking asking peniless soldier wannabes for thousands of pesos? Isang heneral na nagmistulang fixer sa LTO.

Sometimes, the military is such a funny organization. They are just so addicted with protocols, and structures, and proper decorum but they couldnt follow just a simple command: do not steal.