Rey1756

Month Past 10/01-31/2009

2009-09-22T18:59:00.007-05:00

First week of Oct has been raining and its getting cold. Thu 10/15 weatherman confirmed that this is a different October weather. It's 10 degrees below average temp. Sat 10/10 W left for Arkansas with her bosses. And we had our first snow going to winter. Fri 10/16 Pointwest had a small gathering at home with W's bosses, some staff and former colleagues. Notes: US records a budget deficit of $1.42 Trillion!!! but unofficially exits recession in the third quarter growing at 3.5%. Microsoft Windows 7 goes on retail.

Month Past 09/01-30/2009: Dry September and Ondoy

2009-09-22T18:53:00.004-05:00

Tue 09/01 continued working on the pathway that I started last month. Sun 09/06 second time to ride bike. Took same route the first time. Starting to get back the hang of it.
Mon 09/21 heard in the weather news that this is the driest Sept since 1817. But in SE Georgia there's rain and flooding. Tue 09/22 at 4:18 pm is officially the start of Fall. First Day of Autumn. Can winter be far behind? Arrgh.
Tue 09/29 it was a year ago that the stock plunge at it's lowest since 1993. Up until today it hasn't fully recovered. Recession is still here and unemployment is still up. Life is hard and I count my blessings.
Lifetime Fitness is closed beginning 09/20 to 09/26 for renovation. Feel lethargic. A body in motion stays in motion and a body at rest...feels good:)
Note: 09/14 Actor Patrick Swayze dies at age 57 of pancreatic cancer 09/25 Typhoon Ketsana or Ondoy by Pag-Asa's code name created havoc in the Philippines. Marikina was hard hit. Water water everywhere and not a drop to drink...worst flooding in Metro Manila and scores of tales to talk about...

Month Past 08/01-31/2009: Mpls to Atlanta Routine

2009-09-22T18:49:00.006-05:00

The first three weeks of the month W's departure going to Atlanta is every Saturday. Then she comes home Wednesday. Last week of this month her departure changed to Sun 08/23 and back on Wed. No idea how long this Mpls to Atlanta and back routine will be. One thing is sure a long haul is good for the business.
Tue 08/18 I embarked on another project. Clear a pathway in our backyard to have easy access to the walk leading to the pond at the back of our lot. The sun is up, it's warm but since it has not rained for days there are no pesky mosquitoes. Makes work easier digging up thorn bushes, cutting shrubs, leveling the path a bit and covering it with plastic. Only time will tell when I'll finish it. Right now I'm into it.
Note:
08/01 Former Pres Corazon Aquino passed away after a one year battle with colon cancer

Month Past 07/01-07/31/2009

2009-09-22T18:46:00.003-05:00

Thu 07/02 A guy named Sam Jones drove by our street while I was outside doing the garden. He offered to seal our driveway for a $100.00. I have been thinking of doing it myself. But after processing the cost of materials, labor hours, clean up, heat of the sun, quality of work vis-a-vis done by a pro I figured it's a fair deal. Our front door neighbor who usually does it himself also decided to have his done.
Sat 07/04 is the 4th of July.
Mon 07/06 I had my first bike ride again after so many years. About ten years or so since I came here to the USA. It takes a while to get that confidence of riding like: "Look ma no hands". The bike? We bought it almost a year ago (I think) from W's staff who was going back home.

Month Past 06/01-06/30/09

2009-06-30T18:43:00.006-05:00

Wed 06/10/09 The Lifetime Fitness Gym started renovating its dressing rooms this week. They started with the Ladies. Lo and behold. I had a big ooops moment. I did not notice the sign indicating that they temporarily converted the Men's to Ladie's Room and vice versa. I was surprised and at a loss when I saw women inside the room. I thought I entered the wrong room which in fact was converted into the Ladies Room at that time. The women I saw (lucky? they were not undressed) were also surprised at first. But I heard them chuckle as I beat a hasty retreat. That's when I noticed the sign outside.
W's routine now for the week is departure to Atlanta on Sundays and arrival on Wednesdays. So I have the house to myself beginning Sunday afternoons 'til Tuesday night. And I'm usually off Tuesdays. Time to catch up on house chores...if I feel like it :)
Notes: 06/25 Michael Jackson passed away from cardiac arrest. Farrah Fawcett of cancer.

Month Past 05/01-05/31/09 (Mother's Day,Baptism,Patio Set, First Cruise)

2009-05-31T18:32:00.018-05:00

I have been remiss in doing my blog journal. For May and the following months I have not been keeping notes for my entries. Aaargh.
Sat May 02 went to Antler's Park in Lakeville, MN to celebrate Arlyn's birthday. It was still chilly out but fun.

May 5 Tue is Cinco de Mayo and like St Patrick's Day police are extra vigilant for DUI's. Stick to burrito, fajita, and enchilada.
Sun May 10 is Mother's day. As a "dutiful" son I called mi madre to greet her. Jet and Annette also had their long awaited baby baptized today. A happy couple after years of trying. I was keeping my fingers crossed that they don't take after one of their wedding sponsor which happens to be moi.
Tue May 12 is my day off . My productivity goal for the day is to assemble the patio set that we ordered Fall of 2008 but was only delivered early this year. Mission accomplished and this is not premature unlike Bush's.

Fri May 15 there's a small gathering at home. For whatever occasion I can't recall. The important thing is everybody is happy, good food and good company.

Sat May 16 W left for Atlanta for a business trip. She's back Wed 20 May just in time to prepare for our big event for May: Our First Cruise. Destination: Alaska. It's a seven day cruise. Our embarkation is at Seattle on the 23rd. Three couples: Beng, Lucy and W with their respective spouses. We flew in to Seattle on Fri 22nd where we met with Beng and Joseph. On Sat 23rd Lucy and Fil picked us up in our hotel proceeding to Seattle Port for embarkation and departure. Pics below:

Month Past 04/01-04/30/09 (Holy Week,Birthday,Log Cut,Wedding Anniversary)

2009-04-30T22:15:00.024-05:00

Sun 04/05 is Palm Sunday. Beginning of Holy Week. Beginning of rituals e.g. no meat Fridays. Eons ago there would be no shows on TV except one or two channels with religious programs. You have no choice. Either you watch it or turn off your TV. Most of the shows are replays anyway. There was no betamax then or VHS or DVD or the Blu Ray. Only a number of radio stations would air playing somber music. There were record players but you're not suppose to listen to your LP collection since most likely they are "not appropriate" for the occasion. People were supposed to be gloomy. But times, as often do, change. Kids now have no idea what "sacrifices" :( we as kids then went through especially with our elders who were always on the look out and ready to reprimand if you play with gusto. I guess Holy Week for them was an occasion where they could finally enjoy some peace and quiet. You think they'll let us play Nintendo if we had it then since we would be just sitting in a corner minding our business? Now Iam them. It's not about rituals. It's finding the meaning of the occasion..."For God so loved the world that He gave his only begotten Son"

And it snowed on Palm Sunday. Wet snow but it did not last (pics below). And it's April. It's summer in Manila and I'm sure everybody would be looking forward to a long weekend. That's another change.
Fri 04/17 marked another year being a quinquagenarian. LIII to be exact. W and I celebrated eating dinner at Spice Thai and thanking the Lord for blessing me with another year still in good health, with a job, a house and a better half better than moi.
Tue 04/14 was my day off. And I thought now is a good time to cut the cut trees that fell last year at the path in our backyard. So I did some sawing and carrying most part of the morning. And now we have what I call a log seat in our garden (pics below).
Fri 04/24 W and I went to Portland, Oregon to attend Fil and Lucy's 25th Wedding Anniversary. First time to be in Portland. Took advantage of our short stay and rented a Nissan Sentra to move around. A compact car but its got pick up. A funny or it could have been serious incident happened on our way to the wedding anniversary. W and I were supposed to pick up Lucy's friend who came all the way from LA at her hotel. W called her up about 20 minutes before pick up to make sure she's ready. We were about 15 minutes late arriving and she was not at the lobby as agreed upon. W asked the hotel receptionist to call her room. There was no answer even on her cell. So we waited another 10 minutes thinking she might be on her way down when we called. Since we were already running late for the ceremony we thought she might have decided to just get a cab after our wait. So we hurried off to church which is a good 20 minutes drive if you don't get lost. It took us about 35 minutes. And don't ask why. Surprise, we were late and Lucy's friend is nowhere to be found. Like I said it could have been serious. What if something happened to her inside her room and she fell unconscious. I told W we should have insisted that they check her room. Fil and Lucy were already taking their vows. When Lucy saw us she had this questioning look: "Where is Agnes?"
On a side note for April: Gas price is at $ 2.35 more or less on the average. Jobless Claim is at 5.9 M as of 04/02 and unemployment is at 8.3% highest in 23 years or since '86. H1N1 or Swine Flu (Porky Pig et al are filing their formal complaint) is becoming a concern.
Pics below includes Lake Haas view in our backyard and new plant growth breaking ground with moi clearing last year's stems.

Month Past 03/01-03/31/09 (AJ's,DST,St Pat's,Red Cross)

2009-03-28T13:05:00.011-05:00

Sun 03/01 W and I attended the celebration of Alexander Joseph (AJ) Simba's 1st Birthday. First child of DingDong and Cherie. Food was great. Filipino fare. With this type of gathering you also see how your other friends' kids have grown.

Sun 03/08 Daylight Saving Time (DST) Begins. Move your clocks one hour forward. I counted about ten clocks that needs adjusting including the car's. Days are getting longer...finally. It's nice to be going home from work when the sun is still up. Gives you that feeling it's still early in the day and do some chores.
Tue 03/17 is St Patrick's Day. The boozing actually started Sat 03/14. Green beers, green river (in Chicago), green pants, shirts, caps, faces and parade. You don't have to be Irish to join in the fun. Gives you another reason to get inebriated...another pint laddie and don't forgit me leprechaun...cheers. But I remain sober. After eight years or so in MN I have not really attended or experienced the celebration. Must be the age...On a side note the temps are beginning to look good. Yesterday 03/16 we almost hit the 70's. Today it's in the 60's. Couldn't be better.
Fri 03/20 is officially spring as indicated in the calendar. But a meteorologist mentioned that if you base it on meteorology spring actually started Sun 03/01. The calendar date is based on astronomy...uhm...vely intelesting.
Tue 03/24 is my bloodletting day. When you start receiving notice cards from Red Cross you know its time to bleed. I did it at the Lutheran Church in Burnsville. The attendant who took my blood is good. There was a slight prick when she inserted the needle but other than that all went well. She timed me at 6 minutes plus a couple of seconds in filling the bag. Now that is fast. And no bruise the following day.

Month Past 02/01-02/28/09 (Valentine, Ash Wednesday,Snowstorm)

2009-02-28T15:13:00.009-06:00

We've been lucky this past few days. We're experiencing a "heat wave". Wed 02/11the weather man said we just set a record. We were above freezing for more than 60 or so hours for February. This has not occurred since 1984. I've been living in MN for the past 8 years. During my first years I've never been conscious of the change in temp during winter. Be it a negative, zero or freezing it's all the same: Friggin' Cold. But lately (signs of age) I do loathe it when temp drops to 0 or negative. My extremities starts to complain. I'll take anything above 0. Now I'm not surprised why sometimes I see guys whose been living here all their life wearing shorts when we hit the 30's. Heat wave:)
Sat 02/14 was Valentine's Day. I was scheduled to work the closing shift. W and I did not do anything special. I also read the article of Randy David of Philippine Daily Inquirer for Valentines entitled the Unloved. The gist: "GMA now outranks every president as an object of public contempt". Sad she lost her way. But you also feel betrayed more so because she took over after EDSA 2. There was so much hope. You expect she learned a lesson from that historic moment. That she would do better in fighting corruption. Improve the country's economy with her economics degree (classmate of Pres Clinton). Carry and surpass her father's legacy (Pres Macapacal). Alas she fell into that adage: "power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". She is now called Ate Glue (a dig from Ate Glo) because she clings to her position tenaciously and has no intention of ending her term even if the people clamor for it. Contempt is not enough reason.
Mon 02/16 I was waiting for the traffic light to turn green on my way home from Kohl's. I looked at my rear view mirror and saw a very unusual sight. An old couple in their late 70's or early 80's in the car behind me were smoking! And it's not your shallow smoke and puff but the deep smoke and feel it puff. I was observing them for almost a minute before the light turned green. It was a natural for them while conversing. I tell you some people are smoke resistant or should I say smoke proof. This couple are an example. First hand and second hand smoke they experienced and lived with and they still get to enjoy it way past their golden years. Sadly unlike most...
Wed 02/25 is Ash Wednesday. Can't believe it. I guess it's early this year. Start of the Lenten Season. Fasting and fish Fridays. Went to St Michael's in the afternoon for the customary putting of the sign of the cross on the forehead using the ashes from last year's palm leaves. Palm leaves to welcome Him: Hossanah. It's ashes to signify His suffering and death. Also our death because of our sins.
Thu 02/26 we had a snowstorm. A bad one. Streets were still not plowed when I went home. Or they were plowed earlier but the snow just kept falling the whole day. I was planning on taking 35E South but a semi was blocking the intersection where I'm supposed to make a U turn. Took HW 13 instead. Almost an hours drive on what would have been 30 minutes. I witnessed a car trying to change lane but since the snow was thicker in between lanes it got stuck in the middle. It's wheels just spinning. No traction. I thanked God I got home safe. But I still got to clear the snow on our driveway. It's okay. Just glad to be home.
On a footnote. On my way to work I heard on the radio that the US just hit the highest unemployment rate in 42 years. And there's still no light at the end of the tunnel.

Month Past 01/01-31/09 (Visits,Inauguration,Chill, Layoffs)

2009-01-31T22:59:00.026-06:00

Thu 01/01 first day of 2009 we had a small party at home for lunch. A newly wed couple, first baby couple and husband finally able to bring her wife to the States couple. At least one if not both husband and wife are working with W. A quiet afternoon reminiscing. Nice start of the year.
Sun 01/04 we had the Simba family as visitors. Dingdong and Cherie with their first child. Cherie's mom, and her sister Carol Banawa with her daughter.
Sat 01/17 some of W's staff dropped by for lunch and tete-a-tete aka gossip :) just kidding.
Sun 01/25 attended the first birthday celebration for the year. It was Mike and Lori celebrating their second child Aaron's first birthday.
Fri 01/09 took advantage of my day off by going to the dentist for annual check up and cleaning and finally get my haircut after five months..."Just a trim for you?" asked the lady cutter..."No, do a cut number 3 or 4 which ever is the shortest" I said..."I think you'll feel two pounds lighter" she replied ...just what I need.
And the snow kept falling. Mon 01/12 I counted three vehicles ditched on my way to work. Tue 01/13 I heard on the radio that we've accumulated 23" of snow and it's been the snowiest since Jan '04 and the coldest -18 (not counting the windchill) since '03. To drive home the point I was late getting to work . Slow traffic at I-35 because of a rollover. There was an ambulance, tow truck and three squad cars. You can't see the vehicle. It was way down the embankment. Thu 01/15 on my way to work temp read -22 and windchill of -35. On my way home it upped a bit to -14. Windchill advisory has been raised all day and frostbite is just an exposure away. By Wed 01/21 the weatherman says our temps have been below freezing since 12/29. Whose counting? I'd say your attitude should be "Bring it on" otherwise you'll dread getting up early in the morning going to work. Who am I kidding?
Speaking of work. I'm just thankful that I still have a job to go to every morning freezing or not. The news on the job front has not been good. Mon and Tue 01/26-27 layoffs have been reported at Home Depot and Target. W is already looking at sending some people back home because contracts have been abruptly terminated. It's hitting closer to home and the end is nowhere in sight. You're still in luck if you just have to tighten your belt. For those who are now juggling their funds it'll be strike one and it's gonna hurt bad. The difference is the former means you need to adjust your lifestyle and learn to live below your means. Pare down or do away with unnecessary expenses. The latter you are already juggling with your necessities. You pray you don't drop any balls: medicine expense, school, mortgage, food, credit payments. The American dream has become more elusive turning into a nightmare.
Tue 01/20 is a historic moment. It's my day off:) And it happens to be the inauguration of the 44th and the first African American President of the USA: Barack Hussein Obama II. I get to watch it on TV. And I have pic proof that I witnessed history in the making. I wish him good luck on his term with all the problems besetting the nation. We really do need Change.

Pic Left: L-R: Mark, Pearl, Dennis and wife, Linus and Keith with their first born Otiks

Right pic: Keith (left)getting ready to start the ball rolling: Let's Eat!

Pic Left: A repose after meals but W still nibbling

Right pic:Group pic while watching Mark & Pearl's downloaded Wedding Pics in Mark's new HP notebook

Left pic: Up Close, Keith and Linus first born:Otiks

Right pic: Visit from the Banawa-Simba family

Left pic: Group pic L-R Cora with AJ (Dingdong and Cherie's first born),moi, Dingdong with Carol's daughter,Cherie, Cherie and Carol's mom, Carol

Right pic: Carol's daughter about to open her gift with a impish smile

Left pic: After a day's running and excitement somebody needs to take their Zzzzz

Right pic: Mike and Lori celebrating their son Aaron's 1st B-day party. Blow the candle.. pffft

Bottom Left & Right pic: Moi witnessing Pres Obama's Inauguration on TV at Prior Lake, MN

Left pic: W with her "kids"

Month Past 12/01-12/31/08 (PacMan,Red Cross,Christmas)

2008-12-31T22:04:00.018-06:00

Thu 12/04 was my day off. I thought I'd try my hands at cooking. Turns out I didn't need a fire. Checking the contents of our ref I saw some veggies that might rot before W arrives from Manila and a roasted chicken. I ended up doing a coleslaw and a chicken sandwich filling. I was itching on using the food processor. That inspired me to do it. Result: it's edible for me:) Now I'm thinking of using the slow cooker...mmm...I have to check what availble ingredients I have.
Sat 12/05 is the "Dream Fight" of Manny Pacquiao and Oscar dela Hoya.Turned out to be a nightmare for Oscar. The fight ended in Round 8 by a TKO when ODLH threw the towel before the bell sounded for Round 9. Some wags said he threw the fight. I doubt it. We have to give credit to The Man. Pacquiao was relentless and fast. He did his homework. He was lean and hungry. Although Oscar was richer. It's his Golden Boy promotions that ran the show. But after this fight, me thinks Pacman will have a say on the purse.
Mon 12/08 had our first "serious" snow. Later in the week chilly temps with wind chill is our regular fare. And it's not yet officially winter...not until Sun 12/21. Day before,Sat 12/20, it was preceded by a nasty snow. It was also W's office party. On my way home to pick up W I counted no less than 5 vehicles ditched at 35W (North & South). On our way to the party at Junbo Restaurant in Bloomington there was this car blocking one lane of I 169. The driver calling on his cell for help.
Tue 12/30 is Red Cross day for me. Time to donate blood. The weather forecasters failed this time. Miserably. The forecast was snow in the morning and taper off by noon. Just a few flurries in the morning. I said to myself that's nice. By noon nothing. So far so good. I like it when they make a wrong forecast for the better or so I thought. But by 1 or 2 p.m. heavy snow started to fall just in time for the rush hour. It was hard driving on my way to the Lutheran Church in Burnsville for the bloodletting. Road was slick and thick with snow. Everybody was talking about the weather when I got to the church. I heard an old guy commenting: " I told my wife why she bothers listening to the weather when all she has to do is look out the window and whatever she sees outside is the weather." Truly spoken by a man who has been let down by weather forecasters much too often... like today. Going home after the bloodletting, (which was a success although the attendant had to really poke on my vein as he said it's hard to find and the blood flow sluggish) after about two hours its still the same. No let up on the snow fall. Meaning I had to shovel when I got home...huff and puff, my hands are freezing, my nose is running and my breath is smokin'.
What is Christmas without Noche Buena? Pics below is the celebration at home with some of W's staff. The Filipino "IT community", at least in W's network, (those that W worked with since '96) has grown big and diverse (others now working in different companies) that Noche Buena is now celebrated at different homes. It used to be that there's only one venue.

Left: Photo op before the feast

Right: Show your San Miguel Beer in Minnesota

Wed 12/31 New Year's Eve we had to go to two venues. The De Guzman's and Salay's.

Left: The De Guzman family: Dante, Lydia and their two sons

Center: The guests

Top Right:More guests

Bottom Right: At the Salay's. Jay's mom also celebrating her birthday on New Year's Eve.

Month Past 11/01-11/30/08(DST Ends,Election,Thanksgiving)

2008-11-30T22:15:00.012-06:00

Sun 11/02 Daylight Saving Time Ends. Set all your clocks back one hour. You do that Sat evening so you gain an extra hour of sleep. Or so we thought. But most people stay up late knowing they have that extra hour to sleep. Like moi. 'Tis the season of long nights, shorter days... it'll be cold and dark...when you leave for work and when you go home from work... you and your neighbors will seldom see each other on the streets...we hibernate just like every creature on earth
Tue 11/04 is the day of reckoning. It's Election Day. Finally we're done with all those campaign ads on TV. The mudslinging and half truths. It's a record for the voters turnout. Early, early Wed 11/05 Obama was declared the winner. History was made. The first African-American...his campaign shibboleth "it's time for a Change"...very apt. How you wish the Philippines would have the same quick count. Alas, we can only dream, pray, hope wish, desire...because those who are entrusted to make it into reality, especially the candidates, would want it otherwise. How else can they call their Doctors to "cure" votes before, during and at the last possible moment. "Hello Garci" can you hear me now?
Thu 11/20 took W to the airport for her flight to Manila. She'll be gone for almost a month : (. It'll be business and personal trip. She 's one of the godparents on her staff's (Marc and Pearl) wedding. Have the house to myself again. Another reprise of All Quiet on the Western Front.
Thu 11/27 is Thanksgiving Day. Spent it quietly at home. Heated a boxed pizza for dinner. I was invited for a Thanksgiving dinner at Rosemount by W's staff Chev but I did not feel like going out. It's late, cold, a bit of a drive and I have to work early following day. I really appreciate the invite but had to RSVP.

Month Past 10/01-10/31/08(Gas Price,Anniv,Max)

2008-10-31T22:00:00.017-05:00

Sun 10/05 W is back from Arkansas. That's where she went straight from our Arizona vacation.Picked her up from the airport. Then took her back to the airport on Tue 10/07 for her flight to Manila.
Gas price is going down. Fri 10/10 it was at $2.75 . It's the only good news from this dismal economy. Wed 10/15 it was at $2.57 (imagine at $3.70 to almost $4.00 about a month ago). After a week 10/22 it was at $2.36. By the 29th it was at $2.07. You save on gas but your investments are going down the drain.
Thu 10/16 I noticed that one of the large trees in our backyard fell right in the path walk blocking it. We've been experiencing strong winds these past few days. I was not mistaken that I heard a loud thud one early evening. I thought some heavy object fell in one of the rooms but I can't place it. I also mowed the lawn and started tying red ribbons to mark the maple tree saplings in our backyard so we won't cut it next year's spring when we do our "clearing". Took some pics of what's left of the fall colors.
Sun 10/19 I noticed that one of the apple tree bore its first fruit. A small one. Perhaps pre mature as shown in the pic below.
Tue 10/21 we celebrated our 22nd (phenomenal) anniversary by dining out at Red Lobster restaurant in Burnsville. We made sure that we get there before six or else we have to wait at least 15 minutes to be seated. We tried their on going promo of eat all you can shrimp. They had about five different ways of cooking it and tried all of them. Burp...there goes the weighing scale.
Sat 10/25 the fall leaves has accumulated. Tired of raking it I decided to mow the lawn for the last time this year in preparation for the winter and bag the cuttings. Took the 4:30 anticipated mass in Farmington so we would be able to visit our friend Eileen and her husband Max who suffered a stroke sometime Sep 28 while we were in AZ.
The Dr said he was lucky (another term for a miracle) that the memory side of his brain was not affected. We've been trying to get in touch with them since we arrived from Arizona after Eileen got hold of W informing us of what happened. Their answering machine is always full. Finally this Sat we got lucky and Eileen picked up the phone. Max was kind enough to allow us to visit him. Eileen said he's been refusing visitors lately.
On our way home from the visit we dropped by Movie Gallery near our former home where I used to buy pre-viewed DVD's. I told W I'll check it out if they have any good sale. There's also a pizza place beside it called Ted's Pizza. Sadly, we noticed that it closed down. Another victim of a troubled economy. Their pizza was good. It had a flavor of it's own. Across is a small bar and restaurant called the Ugly Mug. Good for the owner they are still thriving.
Sun 10/26 we got winter's appetizer. It was windy, cold and flurries. Good thing that we attended mass and visited Max day before. It's not a nice day going out. So I bled our outdoor faucets to prepare it for winters' freezing temps. Brrrrrr...five months and counting...

Month Past 09/01-09/30/08 (Financial Crisis,Arizona)

2008-09-30T22:00:00.025-05:00

Mon 09/01 is Labor Day. I remember my first year in the Yu Hes Ey. I was befuddled that Labor Day is celebrated on Sept 1. If you've been celebrating Labor Day every 1st day of May for forty five years you'll have the impression that it was observed internationally on the same date. Anyways I had my day off and so did W. So off we went to Menard's to shop for garden materials like the pavers. W noticed that the garden solar lights she had her eyes on have been given additional discount thereby convincing me that we purchase it lest next time we come back it'll be gone. A dutiful spouse that I'am I said ok. Had lunch at King's Buffet then headed home to install the lights and pavers.
Thu 09/04 I did another "honeydue" task. Assembled the lounge chair for the three season porch. A friend who frequents the Mystic Lake casino gave us a $0.25 per gallon gas coupon discount that would expire the following day. There were about 5 coupons and the gas station was just at the end of our street. So W gave the other coupons to our neighbors. Funny thing is I decided to gas up early evening and while doing so an old Asian woman at the opposite pump approached me and gave me another coupon. I thanked her for it. I guess the promo was only good until the following day and those with extra coupons still in their hands were giving it away. With the price of gasoline we'll take whatever discount we can get. Alas I just had to throw it.
Sun 09/07 W and I worked on my side of "garden project". It would be our last garden work for this year. I was not able to finish my side as I still really can't envision how I want it to look. Just set the pavers and see what happens. Now that most plants are on sale W's been asking me if I want this or that plant to be on the garden. And I say okay or whatever if it's really cheap. We'll see how it turns out.
Sun 09/14 after mass we had brunch at Applebee's then to Home Depot and bought their patio chairs and table set for a bargain and a fire stand at Lowe's for a discount.
Wed 09/17 is not a good day for the economy. It has been so for the past days. But all that news about Lehman's Bear Stearns and bailouts of AIG, Freddie Mac, Fanny Mae brings with it a doom and gloom scenario. You just keep on wishing that everything will be fine before it hits you where it hurts. Then Mon 9/29 it happened. Stocks plummeted. My 401K took a big hit. Think about those retirees. We were still in Arizona vacationing when I saw the news on TV.
Sat 09/20 because I had to work Sun and I'm not getting off work until 6:00 Sat I checked on the yellow pages the churches' mass schedule near our place. Lo and behold I found one that has an anticipated mass at 7:00 pm. So I called W and told her I'll pick her up after work to catch the mass at The Church of St Mary of the Purification at Shakopee. It's a small church in a small community. About fifteen minutes drive from our house. As fate would have it the priest couldn't make it that night so the lay minister presided over the mass sans homily. Prior to the mass when he announced that the priest won't be able to make it he explained that he is authorized to conduct the ceremony. But if any member in the congregation feels that they would rather have a priest preside over the mass they are free to leave to attend mass the following day. Nobody took the offer. We were such a small group, maybe 30 to 40 people. Mostly old couples like us??? I can't believe it....we are now them becoming senior citizen!
Highlight for this month is our vacation trip to Arizona. Went to the Grand Canyon and other interesting places. We left Fri 09/26 at 11:15 am and arrived 12:32 pm in Phoenix. We are ahead by an hour in MN. We departed Tue 09/30. W and I took separate flights on our way back since she's going straight to Arkansas from MSP Airport. Ryan her staff was kind enough to pick me up at the airport. Since he also dropped us off at the airport I had my car parked in his apartment. I can't believe I drove a total of 1,000 miles from the airport and back when we returned the rental car.
Thu 09/25, day before we left for Arizona, I mowed the lawn maybe for the last time this year before the cold weather really sets in. I noticed this red clump on one of the fallen branches at the side of lawn. Looking at it closer it was a cluster of red insects. Creepy but interesting. I took a pic of it and so with our green backyard before it goes bare this winter.

Weeks Past 08/04-08/31/08 (BBQ,PW Outing,Plum)

2008-08-31T22:00:00.008-05:00

This is a month's worth posting. I'm sooo delayed. I planned on posting journals on a weekly basis. It's not gonna happen. I'll never be able to catch up. Besides some weeks are uneventful (thank God for that). But I was hoping, again, that I could put some thoughts (do I have that? Unbelievable! Better stick with the truth. The truth? "You can't handle the truth!") for those uneventful times.
Spring and summer found us spending more time in the garden. Cleaning the backyard and planting as shown in my previous entries. By the time we get done you just want to get rested for your day job the following the day. Even opening your computer to read e-mails gets to be a chore.
Mon 08/04 I noticed the third bloom in our orchid with the fourth on the way. By Sat 08/09 the fourth also blossomed.
W bought additional plants for her project Wed 08/13 I had my planting chore cut out for me as the pics show. I can't remember how many pots there were. I'm sure it's more than ten. Pics below would better illustrate it.
Sat 08/16 W's Regis group had a B-B-Q get together at home. The weather cooperated. It was sunny and bright. A lazy afternoon. The staff enjoyed the day eating and watching a re-run of the Opening Presentation of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games. The day also coincided with my Mom's b-day. Gave her that important call.
Following Sat 08/23 was PointWest's summer outing at Bunker Beach,Coon Rapids. A lot of people got lost going to the place. That includes us (W and moi) with GPS and a printed direction from Mapquest,duh. Blame it on the street signs, directions, everything else... except us. The guys responsible for the lechon (roasted pig) as the lunch's piece de resistance arrived late. Somewhere along the way they also lost their way. People were already hungry so they did not wait. Mr. Lechon became a merienda and take home.
Mon 08/25 W flew to Arkansas for business. This week highlighted the Democrat's presidential nominees' convention. Tue 08/26 was Hillary's and Thu 08/28 was Obama's. It's a close and bitterly fought nomination to be the Dem's presidential candidate. Hillary's supporters did not expect it to run this way. A year ago they thought it would be a walk in the park. Like a given. Now they are fighting tooth and nail to stay in the race. I call it an upset in the making. Whoever planned Obama's campaign strategy and ran it is good.
Fri 08/29 I noticed the plum bore its first fruits, two actually, albeit small ones. I think its premature.

Pic at right below, the finished product. New plantings can hardly be discerned. Hopefully next year we can see the difference IF the plants survive the winter

Pic at left, Me, lining up the pots to be planted

The planting starts

The grilling starts at the porch

The usual tete-a-tete in a gathering

The tete-a-tete group can't wait any longer so they decided to take matters into their own hands. Lets b-b-q

Finally, let's eat

Other guests

The Bunker Beach

The rented Pavilion

A summer outing without a b-b-q?

Too late the lechon.

Just the right sport after a good lunch.

The wave pool.

Plum's first fruits.

Week Past 07/28-08/03/08 (Orchid Bloom)

2008-08-03T22:05:00.003-05:00

Wed 07/30 W is back from Chicago. I also noticed that the orchid (Phalaenopsis)in our dining area had its first bloom. Success!! I just followed the instructions that was hanging on the plant (left pic). Voila after winter then spring a flower bloomed. Sat 08/02 planted additional eleven potted plants at W's project. I'm still looking in my pic file if I was able to record this "effort". It helps your "recall" facility when you have pics that freezes those moments in time.

Week Past 07/21-07/27/08 (Husker Red Beard Side Planting)

2008-07-27T22:02:00.008-05:00

Wed 07/23 W flew to Chicago for about a week of business. A quiet week except before W left for Chicago she bought a "number" of plants day before that I'm now obligated to plant or they might wilt and die. So Sun 07/27, just like a "devoted" husband I "dutifully" planted the plants on both sides of the house. Luckily it was not hot that day as it took me a good three hours to complete the task. Three hours contempalting on whatever. If you see somebody doing garden work and focused at that. Rest assured his mind is not only on the task at hand but somewhere else thinking about....life, finance, work, past, present...or asking himself...why am I doing this?...Afterwards...with back and legs stiff, you slowly pull yourself up, stand back and look at your work satisfied you accomplished something that day. Now you hope that after this coming winter it will survive to grow and bloom for next year's spring.

Week Past 07/14-07/20/08 (Backyard Clearing)

2008-07-20T22:38:00.004-05:00

Mon 07/14 picked up W at the airport and had dinner at New China Buffet in Bloomington. This week the highlight is backyard clearing. Tue 07/15 I started working on my backyard project. Clearing shrubs and weeds (third pic second row). Wed 07/16 poured sand on the pavers located in W's part of the backyard project so it would hold together and I'm just about done with mine (first pic second row). First pic top row shows W working on her project. Second pic second row is the "before" pic taken last year. Third pic first row show the general improvement and the pavers (small brownish patch on the left) . By Thu 07/18 I started to cover my backyard project by recycling the black material (shown at the middle pic first row) that was used as a fence to prevent soil erosion during the construction. Bottom pic is the "before" pic I was working on.

Week Past 07/07-07/13/08 (Alarm-Bloodletting-Passport)

2008-07-13T22:19:00.010-05:00

Wed 07/09 an alarm system was installed at our home. There was this sales guy walking around the neighborhood to promote their alarm system Pinnacle. He offered us discounts and we thought it was a good deal since we will also be able to get a discount from our home insurance. His installer finally got done around 10:00 pm. I asked him if this is their usual schedule. He said yes. He's not happy about it but that is the only time they could talk to homeowners on weekdays. That is around 5:00 pm. He said sometimes he gets to finish ast 11:00. I can only imagine what time the other house will get done if ever the sales guy was able to close another deal after us.
Wed I started cleaning the floor tiles installed at the porch to remove the grout residues. Took me almost the whole day. Tile work is never done. Thu 07/10 is blood letting day again. This time it was not a success (again, second time). I guess the attendant did not fully insert the needle in my vein. The blood flow was slow. Another attendant tried to correct it later to no avail. I guess my blood started to clot and it just stopped flowing. I was only able to fill about one third of the bag. I hate it when that happens. They lost one potential blood bag and a waste of my time.
Fri 07/11 I finally received my Passport in the mail.
Sat 07/12 dropped off W at the airport for a business trip. Sun 07/13 I started sealing the floor tile in front of the house. Took me almost half the day. Not as hard as cleaning.
Below are some "before and after" pics in our yard. After almost a year.

Week Past 06/30-07/06/08 (Passport-4th of July)

2008-07-06T22:15:00.002-05:00

Tue 07/01 I finally got a call from the Philippine Consulate in Chicago. I mailed my Passport for renewal sometime 05/23 Fri. They called after a week leaving a message but it was not clear. I called them back but only got an answering machine in the extension I was directed to. So this went on. I eventually did get hold of somebody but it was not the person working for my renewal. She said she'll pass on the message. Until finally Tue after three weeks. It was my day off, I was home and the phone rang. Bingo. The lady (it was not the person working for my renewal but they got my last message) at the other end said I might need to go to Chicago since they have started the new Passport that is machine readable. Renewal must be done in person. I explained to her that I submitted my application way back May when renewal by mail was still acceptable. And I have been trying to get hold of the person processing my renewal for weeks to clarify the cause of delay and what needs to be done. She said she'll talk to her supervisor and she'll call me back. Kept my fingers crossed. After about thirty minutes I got the call. She informed me that they'll process my application but it will not be machine readable. "Maraming Salamat" is all I can say.
Mon thru Wed 06/30 07/02 is continuation of out tiling project. This time the kitchen and master's bath. This is our major project for summer. It's tiring because we can only work early evening to late night with the help of Dennis and his Dad. It's messy because of the grout. I'm glad when it's done with. Tue 07/01 I tried my hand installing the tiles on the side wall of the kitchen. W was also there to assist. Night before Dennis and his Dad installed the tiles for the back splash. As can be seen from the pics we were a success. We did that six more times. Then I also did part of the master's bath.

Wed 07/02 was my last session with the chiro. End of the package. One less appointments to think about. It feels good when they pop your back and neck. But since I really don't have any serious back complaints yet I didn't find the need for a follow up. Hopefully I won't need it.
Fri 07/04s is what else: Fourth of July. Fireworks. We met some of W's staff at home early evening . The plan was to watch the fireworks at Mystic Lake Casino so we had dinner at the Casino. The place was not that full. After dinner we ended up at Axel and Rosch's (A&R) house. Their home is situated close by the Casino. They have a good view of the fireworks. Pics below shows the group in front of A&R's home posing while the fireworks was on going. Inside their home and some of the fireworks.

Week Past 6/23-06/29/08 (Pacman)

2008-06-29T22:10:00.008-05:00

Sat 06/28 attend birthday party of one of W's staff, Meds. She's 'ty-4. It was also Pacquiao's fight with Diaz. So we stayed and watch the fight on the Pay Per View. Pacman is still The Man. Everybody was waiting for his interview after the fight. He's getting better in answering questions and expressing himself in English. We had a laugh when they interviewed Diaz. Since it's live they can't edit or bleep what he was saying. He kept saying the f... word when he's emphasizing something. It's part of his vocabulary. So be careful with your daily conversations with close friends and relatives. The ones you don't mind what you say or how you express yourself. It becomes a habit. Given the opportunity to speak in public unrehearsed you'll be in a bad form with your habitual expressions.
Sun 06/29 after mass we met some of W's staff at the Clubhouse for a brunch. Sort of hanging out.

Week Past 06/16-06/22/08(More Tiling)

2008-06-22T22:32:00.033-05:00

Mon 06/16 Dennis with his Dad who is vacationing continued installing the tiles at the facade of the house that was started Sat 06/14. They came a little after 6:00 pm since Dennis had work that day. Helped them but more on dismantling the pallet and cleaning up. We had a late dinner around 10:00 pm before they went home. This work schedule continued on until Wed 06/18. It's tiring to say the least. You don't get things squared away until past 11:00 pm.
But when it's done it feels good.

(L) The finished product. A new facade. There's still work to be done: Cleaning and sealing the tiles. My sole responsibility.

(R) From a different angle.

Sat 06/21 is the First Day of Summer according to the calendar. For me it started more than a week ago. W and I attended Dante and Lydia's Off to College celebration for their son Stephen who got admitted at Fordham. Then we went to Linders Garden Store by Rainbow Foods parking lot in CR 42 and Hi-way 13 to exchange some of the plants we bought last year that did not thrive.

(L)Proud parents Lydia and Dante with Stephen their son who is going to Fordham in the background wearing maroon shirt and drinking pop.

(R)They had a lot of guests from lunch to dinner. Extra seating in front of the yard.

(L)Like a fiesta with various Filipino food on the table. Each labeled with a description for the uninitiated.

(Below)The usual guests. Some of them helped in the preparation and clean up. And of course get the spoils from the left overs.

Sun 06/22 was Dennis and Jackie's turn to host a birthday party for their precocious daughter Sam. Another food galore.

(L)The birthday girl Sam second from right.

(R)Blowing the candle.

(L)They also set up an inflated castle at their backyard. Never had that when we were kids. Think of how that castle expands their imagination.

(R)Birthday girl about to blow the candle with proud Mom looking on.

Week Past 06/09-06/15/08 (Tiling)

2008-06-15T22:43:00.008-05:00

Mon 06/09 gas prices broke the $4. One of the gas station on my way to work had a sign for $4.09. In SF it was already at $4 when we were there last week. This is crazy.
Sat 06/14 a former co-worker of W, Dennis, started installing the exterior tiles we bought about a year ago. He's a programmer at Northwest Air but he's hobby and sideline is doing handyman stuff. I had to help him buy materials and install the tiles. Busy day and hot. We rented a tile cutter at Home Depot around 11:00 am and returned it before 6:00 pm. We were charged the full 24 hours. They did not mention that if you rent it 6 hours or more you'll be charged the 24 hour rate not the hourly. It amounted to $87.00 ++. Felt like a rip off.
Sun 06/15 is Father's Day and I have to work. Called my Dad in LA when I got home to greet him. Seems he and my Mom had what I call "old couple's tiff" in the morning putting my Dad in a state of snit. So he decided not to go out to celebrate with the rest of the household. Anyways when I called early evening everything's okay. But to me he missed the fun.

Installing the tiles. Finally after a year since we bought it. (L)Dennis working partly covered by W

(R)Different angle. Notice bigger tiles lying on the floor. These are for the cement floor.

(L)Another shot. Foreground front wall beneath the window will also be tiled

Week Past 06/02-06/08/08 (Pannekoeken)

2008-06-08T21:24:00.004-05:00

Mon 06/02 is W's Golden year. It's also our scheduled flight back to MN. Back to reality. We took the BART(Bay Area Rapid Transit) system going to the airport. We had to transfer train mid way. We realized we took the wrong one, duh. Again Ryan picked us up at the airport. Took the car from the apartment. Treat W to dinner at Mystic Lake before heading home.
Back to work on Tue 06/03 .....
Sun 06/08 after mass we decided to have brunch at Pannekoeken. We were surprised that it 's closed. We thought they were doing good. But then again we only ate there about two times. Both on a weekend when they have a good crowd. Weekdays might be a different story. It's a restaurant specializing in Dutch pies. But they also have your regular fare (e.g. burgers) in their menu. So we ended up at McHugh's Grill next door. I ordered their Dagwood sandwich. It was filling and good. I remembered the comic character Dagwood who likes to make a sandwich for his midnight snack.
Side note on gas. It's at $4.00. Ugh. At San Fo it's more expensive by a few cents.

Week Past 05/26-06/01/08 (San Francisco)

2008-06-01T22:04:00.023-05:00

Mon 05/26 I got a missed call message on my CP from my sis-in-law in NJ. I think they were in Pennsylvania vacationing with the kids taking advantage of the long weekend when she made the call. I was concerned when I saw the message. Turned out they were worried when they saw the news on TV about the tornado that hit MN over the weekend. I told her we're not even near the affected area. We were also thankful that we were spared.

Thur 05/29 thunderstorm mixed with hail struck our area. Again, we're thankful that the hail were small and short in duration when it rained. The weather is really going bonkers.

During the week I had to scramble to find somebody to cover my schedule for Sun 06/01 and Mon 06/02. It's W's golden year on Mon and she was planning on going out of town over the weekend to celebrate. Thank God for Chris and Craig. They saved the day at short notice. W was already busy making reservations to San Francisco.

Early morning Sat 05/31 off we went to Edina to meet with Ryan so he can drive us to the airport for our 9:00 am flight to San Francisco. That saved us from the long-term parking fee at the airport.

Our flight was delayed by an hour giving us time to grab a snack at Northwest's lounge before boarding.

Arriving at San Francisco I already have a missed call message from my brod JD when I switched on my CP. I told him we were visiting his city by the bay and he insisted that we meet Sun 06/01 so he can drive us around. I think we exchanged about three missed calls until we finally got to talk to each other.

So where did we go after checking in to our hotel? Jollibee to have lunch. W already had their address written down. So we ordered burger, palabok and their freeze drink ube and macapuno. Burp. That was good. Afterwards...

Pics below shows our general activities:

(L)Powell St. Facade of our Hotel Building

(R)Cable car approaching at Powell St station about 5 min walk from the hotel. Line starts at right

(L)The Sax Man at Powell st Cable car station. Entertaining people waiting for the ride

(R)San Fo Fisherman's Wharf where restaurants abound selling crabs cooked in a variety of ways

(L)Golden Gate bridge as viewed from the bay cruise. Windsurfer foreground

(R)The Alcatraz as viewed from the bay cruise

(L)Other side of Alcatraz as viewed from the bay cruise. This is the side where you dock

(R)The famous landmark in San Fo, Lombard St. with its one way zig zag downhill course overlooking the bay

(L)Lombard St. as viewed at the other end. There was a party at the top floor of the building at left

(R)In front of the Capitol with JD and Ces. They picked us up in our Hotel early Sunday and this is our first itinerary

(L)The Golden Gate bridge up close and personal

(R)The Golden Gate bridge up close and personal with moi and W with your typical "turista" pose

Week Past 05/19-05/25/08 (Passport/Tornado)

2008-05-25T22:07:00.006-05:00

Fri 05/23 I had to work on my Passport renewal through the mail. The Philippine Consulate is in Chicago. Don't want to drive, don't have time. The mail in renewal form needs to be notarized. The notary service here is far different compared in the Philippines. I just went to the bank where I have an account and have it notarized for free. It's quick. Hassle free. Back home you need to look for an attorney who is licensed to notarize public documents. Then you have to pay a fee depending on how many pages you have on your document. Their offices are usually the hole in the wall type. Mostly located near City Hall where people transacting business with the local government might need their services.

The Post Office does not take credit card for money order as payment ($55) for the renewal fee. Only cash or debit card. I had to go back to the bank's ATM to withdraw. I realized that since I've been using credit card there are times that I don't even have a single $ in my wallet. Not advisable.

After going over the requirement checklist and making sure it's inside the envelope I was finally able to mail my application. Now the waiting part. I've done this 5 years ago and did not have any problem. Keeping my fingers crossed that alls well.

Sun 05/25 there were reported tornado touchdown near Minneapolis. A number of houses were destroyed. Luckily it was nowhere near our area. With spring turning to summer it's tornado and thunderstorm to look out for.

This weekend is supposed to be along weekend with Mon 05/26 being a Memorial Day, a Holiday. Just my luck I'm working the whole week.

Week Past 05/12-05/18/08(Garage Sale/Porch)

2008-05-18T22:09:00.019-05:00

Tue 05/13 gas price was at $3.69. I'm not surprised but concerned. It's going up fast to $4.00. My last entry on 04/20 it was at $3.39. A 0.30 increase in a month!
This week I had two consecutive days off Thu 05/15 and Fri 05/16 after working nine straight days. Ugh. Having two consecutive days off gives me that mind set that I can start a project one day and still get a rest the following day. So I decided to start on the three season porch. It's time to sand and stain the ledges and flooring to protect it from the elements. Besides I bought a palm sander about two months ago and I still have to learn how it works. Never had one before just my elbow power. But with this project I will need mechanical help.

Thu 05/15 as planned I started doing the porch. Started late at 11:00 am and worked on it for about 8 hours and I only covered a third of it. The sander worked fine and I'm getting good at it.

Fri 05/16 when I woke up my quads were aching and my lower back stiff. That's what you get for spending much of your time squatting and stooping. I thought a good run on the treadmill and a steambath would do the trick. So off to the gym to warm up and stretch. It helped. But I noticed that if I keep still for a while like stretched out on a sofa my quads become stiff. So I had to stand up slow. Must be the lactic acid in the muscles. By Sun 05/18 it's almost gone. It's good I had the Fri off for rest and recovery. Golden boys really need a good rest after a hard days work.

Fri 05/16 was also the pre-garage sale in our community (Sat 05/17 was the actual garage sale day). But early birds get the best bargain. We accompanied some of W's staff who were on the look out for bargains. First time that I went around for a garage sale. There were lots of people driving around their SUVs, beamers and mercedes. We ended up eating late dinner at a Chinese buffet. The waiters were waiting for us to be done since we were the last customers. We closed the restaurant so to speak. Then I don't know why we ended up talking in front of the restaurant for almost an hour. I told W we should've just invited them back home for coffee. They were engrossed they forgot the time. That ended the day.

Week Past 05/05-05/11/08 (Mother's Day/Long Week)

2008-05-11T22:53:00.010-05:00

Sun 05/11 is Mother's Day. Like a dutiful son, Sat 05/10, I called my mom in LA because I have work Sun.

Also Sun some senior staff of W volunteered to help in clearing the backyard from our wood cuttings. It's more of an excuse to hang out together and eat. That's what I came home to after work. They were preparing dinner and bantering. Pic at left shows the group almost done with the repast. A chair is empty. Wonder who is missing?

This is a long week for me. Started my work day Tue 05/06 and my day off won't be until Thu 05/15 next week. I have a new staff coming on board and I still have to train her. Short entry long week.

Week Past 04/28-05/04/08 (60K Maintenance-RePave)

2008-05-04T22:37:00.011-05:00

Mon 04/28 was my car's 60K maintenance. Another drain in the pocket but (I hope) worth it.. I believe following your car's scheduled maintenance will keep your vehicle trouble free. Saving you money by avoiding costly repairs if not properly maintained. In my case getting a new engine block for free. The dealer saw my maintenance log is "immaculate". So when I had that engine trouble and it was after the warranty coverage they replaced the engine. But still whatever notion of reliability I have for that make is all but gone...shattered...kaput
Sun 05/04 I had to redo the paver I did Mon 04/14 because the color was different from the pavers already installed. W noticed it.!#@!*?. Back to the drawing board. Transferred the pavers to another location where it matched. It's spring... it's summer...thunderstorms...yard work...tis another season...it's still in the 60's though but I like it.

Week Past 04/21-04/27/08 (Rice,Gasoline,Goodbye)

2008-04-27T22:06:00.007-05:00

Tue 04/22 they've started limiting the number of rice sack you can purchase in most stores. Not really a good time this year. Gasoline prices hitting the roof, scarcity of rice and even flour and home foreclosures. Add rise in unemployment. The next President who is going to be elected here in the US has his or her work cut out. The economic stimulus checks expected this May that Pres Bush passed would just be a temporary relief. A flicker of light in the dark.

Thu 04/24 I had a visit from my District Manager. Didn't expect him to be dropping by. I was getting to leave as I need to cut my hours. My co worker came in 15 minutes late otherwise he wouldn't have caught me. It was a quick update and checking on how things are going. Did some errands afterwards. Bought a cartridge for our copier and signed up at the Prior Lake Public Library. One of the reasons I joined is because our printer was not working and I need to print a form from the internet. They have three computers with internet access that you can use for free. Printing black and white document would cost you .10 cents per page. I need only one page. I was also able to borrow 2 DVDs at no cost. My next foray would be the books when I get back. It was raining and nippy the whole day with temps in the 40's.
Fri 04/25 one of my co worker informed me it'll be her last day. Goodbye. Her doctor advised her to take a rest. I was expecting her to transfer to another store ofter Sun 05/11. That would have been her last day with us. I guess it was preempted. My District Manager took care of the schedules. I guess she talked to him when I left early yesterday.

Week Past 04/14-04/20/08 (PointWest 5th Anniv/Birthdays)

2008-04-20T22:47:00.028-05:00

Mon 04/14 is our eldest brother's birthday who paid me a visit recently. Mon also marked the first time for this year that I started to do work in the garden. Put some pavers at the back lawn to make it look neat and easier to mow. Left is the "before" pic and right the "after". Wed 04/16 is a friend's birthday in Manila. We used to work together. It's nice to know when she replied to my e-greeting that her kids are almost done with their college studies. Thu 04/17 is moi's birthday. W arrived on the 16th so we were able to celebrate the following day. We tried the Italian restaurant at the Prior Lake town proper: Perron's Sul Lago. Bit pricey but it's not your regular franchise resto. The place is "hidden" but thriving. It's not where you would really want your resto because it goes against the grain of location, location, location.
Sun 04/20 marked the 5th Anniversary of Pointwest. W's company based in Manila. It was held at the Wild's Golf Community Clubhouse. Their group is still growing as seen from the pics. It was also a recognition for the loyal employees and ex employees who provide opportunities for the company. And a Thanksgiving to the Lord for company's growth and five years in business.

Also Sun I did some errand in the afternoon and I passed by a gasoline station and saw the price. It increased by .10 cents since my last entry whining. It's depressing. Gasoline is the barometer for consumer goods prices. It won't be long everything will have a price increase. It will be in increments but it adds up. Sum your expenses at the end of the month. And you'll feel the pain in your pocket.

Week Past 04/07-04/13/08 (Haircut/Donation)

2008-04-13T22:50:00.005-05:00

Wed 04/07 had my haircut after almost 4 months. I try to delay it as much as possible and wait for coupons to get discount. Haircut, to me, is expensive at $16.00 plus $2 tip. I guess I still can't help comparing the price in Manila or whatever, it's still pricey. I requested the hair stylist if I can collect my cut hair so I can use it in our garden to ward of the rabbits. She said okay. But while she was washing my hair after the cut her co worker swept the floor. When we learned about it she offered if I wanted to just get the bag where they collect all the cut hair. I said OK that'll give me more hair to spread in the garden and hopefully the rabbits would refrain from nibbling the dayillies.

Thu 04/10 another winter storm warning (and it's already spring) is in effect beginning early evening. It was a mixture of rain, snow and strong winds but no accumulation. Today is also a red day for me. Another blood donation that fit into my schedule. It was done at the Y gym where I used to work out. I came in early as a walk in because their schedule was already filled. Turned out to be fastest yet in terms of the process. I was the second donor and I was out of there in less than an hour. That was good as the weather was becoming unpleasant.

Fri 04/11 while watching the BBC news the Philippines was part of their international news coverage. It was about the rice shortage and the need for the government to intervene to avoid crisis. It's ironic and heartbreaking. The International Rice Reasearch Institute (IRRI) is in the Philippines and yet, as the joke goes, it's findings and expertise never crossed the street. Foreigners who learned from the institute e.g. Thailand, became self sufficient and rice exporter. Yet the Philippines would rather import. Why? Because there's profit in importation. Somebody's pocket gets lined with plenty of cash in $$$$. Meanwhile agricultural development lags behind. The Philippines (our home) can really be a great nation if only it's leaders (supposedly the parents) would stop thinking only for themselves but instead look after the future of their children (it's citizens). Abba, why are we being punished?

Week Past 03/31-04/06/08 (Spring Snowstorm,Gas,Small World)

2008-04-06T22:11:00.005-05:00

Mon 03/31 another spring snowstorm struck the twin cities. The aftermath is shown at left. With wet snow everything is white again as it clings to trees and shrubs. I thought I was done shoveling.

Gas prices is starting to kill me. Tue 04/01 it went up to $3.29. It's April Fools Day but this is for real. Everything is going up except for the housing market. After a year instead of appreciating our house's market value went down.

Fri 04/04 after coming from the chiropractor a not so good situation transpired at the office. For one my opening associate had an emergency and called in. Sat 04/05 was good news though. Our Profit & Loss statement for Feb came and we made a huge profit.

It's a small world. Fri 04/04 I was calling a tech support to verify an insurance eligibility for one of our customers. Lo and behold. The call center is based in Lipa City, Batangas, Philippines. Our accent gave us away. She asked me if I'm a Filipino and I asked her the same question. That made the coordination a lot easier. Filipinos tend to go out of their way if they know they are helping a fellow kababayan. That's our good trait. Let's not talk about crabs. Anyways it's nice to know that call centers are not only located in Manila. That opens new job opportunities for those living in the provinces. It will also decongest Metro Manila.

Week Past 03/24-03/30/08 (Chiro Brother)

2008-03-30T22:22:00.006-05:00

W signed up for a chiropractic consultation at the gym sometime last week. Since it's discounted for a couple she also signed me up. I went to their clinic for my consultation this week. Dr J ran a thermal and static scan attached to a computer down my back from my nape (cervical) down to lower portion of the spine (sacral) and x-rays side and front to see the shape of my spine. A computer print out of the result was handed to me. She then explained how the spine and nerves work to provide natural healing of the body. Based on the initial result of the scan as shown in the printout she told me where the "subluxations" are in my spine and how it will be corrected. So a series of "adjustment treatments" must be scheduled. The spine was compared to a bent rubber hose that cannot be corrected with a single stretching.

Mon 03/24 I had my first of thirty something adjustment sessions. It was quick. I'd say two minutes. The Chiro Dr told me to lie flat on my stomach (wearing my street clothes). He then ran his fingers down my spine "feeling" something out. Deep breath in then out. A sudden pressure with his hands was applied down a certain spot on my spine. Unngh. Then lying down on my side with a jerking motion, with his one hand on my shoulder pushing it and the other at the hips pulling it, I felt and hear a crack on my lower back. That felt good. Last while lying on my back he again ran his fingers feeling the back of my neck. Then he held my head moving it slowly from side to side. I knew what was coming. This is what some of our barbers do in Manila. I heard stories about people breaking their necks. I'm not sure if it's true. I told myself just relax and let it go. He's a Chiro Dr right? He knows what he's doing right? With a twist of his hands I heard a crack on my neck. And I can still move. The session is ended see you again.

Fri 03/28 morning I drove W to the airport before reporting for work.. She's going to Manila again for two weeks. Business and personal trip. Sat 03/29 I was back at the airport to pick up our eldest brother who flew in from Canada. He attended a company meeting and was able to squeeze a visit overnight on his way back to Manila to look at our not so new home and say hello. With a limited time we proceeded directly to the Mall of America to buy some things for his kids and shoes. He said our clothes are priced lower and without taxes. We were planning to eat at the Mall but being a Saturday their food places were packed. You can't find a table at the fastfood section and there were lines in almost all the food stalls. Off to Burnsville we went. Had a late lunch that was also our dinner at the Old Country Buffet. Bought a coffee liquor at the Blu Maxx liquor store. A quick shop at the Burnsville Shopping Mall then home. Sun 03/30 after the 8:30 mass we had brunch at the Clubhouse then left for the airport at 11:00 am. That was really a quick visit. By 1:00 pm I'm home by myself for the next two weeks or so.

Week Past 03/17-03/23/08 (Easter)

2008-03-23T22:20:00.018-05:00

Mon 03/17 is St Patrick's Day but celebration started since the weekend. Hooray for Green Beer.

Thu 03/20 is the First Day of Spring. As if to mock the day winter storm was forecasted late in the evening thru Fri 03/21. I thought it bypassed us. I woke up at 5:30 am and nary a trace of snow on our roof. But by the time I was about to leave at 6:30 am there it was. Falling, wet and gaining strenght. There was already an accumulation in the driveway. The road was slippery and slushy. I witnessed a car spin as it turned right on County Rd 42. Later it was my turn on my to the gym. I did not spin but the car kept on moving forward as I stepped on the brake when the traffic light turned red. I had no choice but to make the left turn. Luckily the vehicles on green did not move forward immediately though I heard a honk. It would have been a perfect T-bone. I thanked God profusely. It was Good Friday. Pic above is my drive going to the office from the gym.

March is really the snowiest month. The rise in temps from negatives to teens and twenties is the perfect snow maker. I heard the weatherman on the radio telling his story when he was new in MN. He asked his senior colleague what advise she can give him. Her reply: "Never make any important life decisions during March."

Sun 03/23 is Easter. I've read somewhere that this is the earliest Easter celebration in 95 years. Two years ago I wrote about Easter and a link on how Christ's suffered. This Sunday there were three scheduled masses: 7:00 am, 9:15 am and 11:00 am. All three were packed. After mass W and I attended a birthday celebration cum Easter party. It was Randy and Leslie's daughter, Leyla, celebrating her third birthday. It was at the social hall where they are renting their apartment. It's the same place where W and her staff rented their unit when they first arrived circa 1996. It's also where I stayed when I first came to the US to visit W in '97. Memories. Bottom two pics shows Mom lighting the candle and proud Dad with guitar looking on.

Week Past 03/10-03/16/08 (Running Shoes & Birthdays)

2008-03-16T22:48:00.002-05:00

Wed 03/12 I lost my running shoes at the gym. I usually leave it under a bench when I go take a shower. I'm thinking it was not stolen but somebody took it by mistake...I hope. Now who would steal a used running shoes including the socks? Would you? (gross as W said). Fri 03/14 went back to the gym and asked for their lost and found. "Anybody turned in a running shoes?' I asked."What color?' she asked. Showed my other running shoe to the attendant. "It's a Reebok with almost the same color" I said. Wait, wait while she rummaged inside. I thought that's what I heard she was doing behind the door. Afterwards she showed me two pairs. One had seen better days. I think the owner must have left that on purpose to be thrown away. The other was mine:). "You're in luck" she said. "Seen any black socks with it?" I asked smiling pushing my luck and thanked her.

I know two people celebrating their birthday this week: Fri 03/14 is my fraternal bruder Boots who now reside in Texas with his daughter. He worked on her papers for years so she can join him in the land of milk and honey (you really have to work to the bones to get that milk and honey). He likes to end his e-mails with "Remember the Ilocano in Alamo." He turns 53. Sat 03/16 is my biological brother Jo in New Jersey. We were hoping that he and his family will relocate in MN. That will have to wait. With the housing problems I guess it's not a good time.

Happy Birthday and Enjoy your Day. May God Bless.

Week Past 03/03-03/09/08 (DST)

2008-03-09T22:33:00.004-05:00

Sun 03/09 Daylight Saving Time begins. Meaning set your clock ahead one hour. Spring is coming! Hooray! It's about time. Temps have been at a single digit or negative. You can count the days that it broke 20's or 30's. One good thing about it is you don't get much snow. In Columbus, Ohio they got 20" of snow over the weekend. Breaking the record of 15.3" set way back Feb 1910. It was also reported that 4 died shoveling. That is bad.This is one of the coldest winter I've experienced in my almost seven years stay in MN. I guess age also has to do with it :). With Daylight Saving Time days are just gonna get longer. People will have the tendency to stay out late because you lose track of time with the sun still up even at 7 pm.

The gas price is heading north again. Tue 03/04 it hit $3.05 by Thu 03/07 it was at $3.19. Their projection would be at $4.00 by Memorial Day in May. I hope they are wrong. It's starting to hurt.

Week Past 02/25-03/02/08 (Corruption)

2008-03-02T22:44:00.007-06:00

"Pain is Weakness Leaving the Body" printed at the back of the shirt worn by a guy working out in the gym. It goes with "No Pain, No Gain". Mantras to push your body to the limit...or injury...
This week Fri 02/29 is the end of February. A leap year. Woe to those born this day. Their birthdays will neither be here nor there except once every four years. I guess women will like it as they grow old. They will not be "lying" about their age...technically.

I haven't had much time to read the news in Manila. It's sad last time I checked corruption again reared its ugly head...lines. Powers that be...why are they so greedy. It's been accepted, a given...their greediness. Why else would a Director General advise a technical consultant working in a project that cost millions of dollars to "Moderate their greed". Who are "they"? "Moderate their greed", meaning they are "entitled" to a kickback or commission (sounds less derogatory) but moderate it. Not $130M which is 50% of the project's cost...maybe $65M so it won't be obvious. Denials, denials. There is no such thing. Their noses so long you can hang your clothes. Poverty is everywhere that "they" refuse to see. The people are hungry and sick and "they" feed them with rethoric. The poor sell their bodies...they sell their children. Food they can only imagine and garbage their source of living. It is sad. The Philippines. Proud to be identified as the only pre-dominantly Christian nation in the Southeast. But the leaders, if they can ce called as such, practice it only in public like the Pharisees. They show their devotion especially when they are being photographed while praying. Eyes closed, lips quivering...the whole nine yards...mea culpa.

Jesus said you cannot serve two masters. It is obvious who or what they worship deep in their being. Have they no fear?

Week Past 02/18-02/24/08 (Lunar Eclipse)

2008-02-24T22:31:00.020-06:00

Mon 02/18 is Presidents' Day. It's a Holiday to some and the Federal employees. It was also my day off. The place I mentioned in my earlier blog, Unique, is having a 50% off on all of their items. I decided to check it out after going to the gym. I was surprised that the place was packed. The parking lot was full. I guess if you already know the place and the price of the items you can't resist but check it out to see what bargain/s you can get. That's what I did. Books you can buy for a dollar. CDs from $0.80 to $1.50. Last time we were there W and I were looking at a statuette (left pic) that would look nice in the living the room. It's solid, heavy and selling for $40.00. I bought it for $20.00. Also picked up some books and CDs.
Wed 02/20 we witnessed a lunar eclipse. We were lucky unlike the people at the Wasatch Front in Salt Lake. And I thought Metro Manila is bad. I wasn't able to watch the full cycle. Gotta get up early and it's time for bed.

Week Past 02/11-02/17/08

2008-02-17T22:07:00.003-06:00

Thur 02/14 is Valentine's Day. W and I decided to celebrate it on Wed 02/13 to avoid the crowd. I was able to get off early since I'll be having a long day on Fri 02/15. And Thu is my day off and I don't feel like going out. So we tried Olive Garden an Italian Restaurant in Burnsville. I cannot recall if we've been here before. It might have been years ago. Their food is good. With the salad and bread it was filling. We had to ask for a box. We dropped by Pier 1 Imports afterwards situated near the restaurant to check on their clearance items. W bought additional rattan boxes that were on clearance. She's been organizing our pantry.
Thur my day off I just stayed home. I got caught up organizing our DVD collections. Or my collection. It's my vice. But I mostly buy the pre-viewed ones. I can't afford the new releases or don't want to spend that much money. Besides the pre-viewed ones work well.
As I mentioned earlier Fri 02/15 I had a long day at the office putting in 12 hours. One of my co-workers had to take a medical leave. Tiring day. Glad the week is over.

Week Past 02/04-02/10/08

2008-02-10T22:42:00.001-06:00

Wed 02/06 is Ash Wednesday. Start of Lent. There's a mass scheduled in our church at 2:00 pm. I was wondering why the odd hour. It was my day off so I was able to go. Turned out the kids studying in the church's school are attending the mass. And some of them were assigned to put the ash sign of the cross on our foreheads. I was looking for W as she mentioned she'll drop by from work. I didn't see her on my way out. At home she said she saw me. She thought that I also saw her because I looked at her direction but did not acknowledge her. I said I just did a scan on the churchgoers. I guess that's what you call looking but not seeing.
Fri 02/08 W called the office to tell me she got a call from Manila informing her that my sister finally gave birth to a baby boy. Their fourth child. All of them boys. She just need another one to complete a basketball team. Congratulations. She really wanted a girl. But still grateful that the baby is normal and healthy.
The weather? Still in the negative temps. Why oh why?? The weatherman said we'll still be seeing that "Minnesota hunch" for quite a while. Describing how people hunched with their coats to protect themselves from the biting wind and cold.

Week Past 01/28-02/03/08

2008-02-03T22:13:00.004-06:00

Sat 02/02 was Groundhog Day. I didn't follow the news so I don't know if the groundhog did not see its shadow meaning winter will end soon. Regardless we're still in the negative temps. This I think is the winter where we have the longest snap of negative temps. Weathermen say it's normal that's why MN is also sometimes referred to as the "Icebox" state. They say we were just spoiled these past years because of the "mild" winters. We were given a respite again on Mon 01/28 when the temp hits the 40's. A heat wave. But then on Tue 01/29 it went down to a -10 and on Wed 01/30 to a -14. What a swing.

Week Past 01/21-01/27/08

2008-02-02T20:25:00.008-06:00

Tue 01/22 I finally got to pick up my car at the dealership after a week. To think that I was only planning to have it oil changed and be out of there in an hour. They still charged me for the oil change. Whatever they can "recover" since I didn't have to pay for anything for the engine block replacement. So far I didn't have any problem while driving this week. I still have to check on the gasoline consumption but it won't be "accurate" this winter with the cold temps.
Sun 01/27 after mass we met up with three (Ryan,Jove and "Catsup") of W's staff at the Clubhouse for brunch. Ryan worked on our ailing computer afterwards. We, or rather he, was able to get it running again with the new hard drive that my brother Jo installed in August when they were visiting. Meanwhile Jove and Catsup helped me assemble three shelves from IKEA that was in the basement since last year. To the pantry it went. I'd say quite a productivity for a Sun.
Your metabolism really slows down as you age. With our brunch I still felt full later in the day. But the guys are at it for merienda and early dinner. Looking back in my twenties and even thirties I also have that huge appetite.
Sun 01/27 we had a break from the negative temps. It hit the 40's. It nice to be walking out not feeling that freezing cold weather. Snow is still everywhere. With the total accumulation it's not enough to melt them away in one or two days of 40 temps.

Week Past 01/14-01/20/08

2008-01-20T22:07:00.003-06:00

Mon 01/14 I was able to take off early (2:30 pm) from work. For some reason I decided to have my car's oil changed at a dealership in Bloomington near our workplace inspite of making an appointment for Thu 01/17 at Burnsville where I usually have it done. I was thinking I would be done by 3:30 pm or 4 pm tops. I was wrong. After about 40 minutes Sarah, the service receptionist came up and informed me that they need to check the engine because of the unusual noise. I knew what they meant. I noticed lately that the engine's idling sound is like that of a diesel engine. I thought the cold temperature was causing it and it was due for an oil change. The service attendant thought so too. But after changing the oil and the sound still persisted they need to look at the engine.

I was told I need to leave the car. They need to thoroughly check the engine and see what's causing the noise. Talk about the unexpected and inconvenience. What's running on my mind was the $$$$ amount. They gave me an estimate of $500.00. It "MAY just be the timing chain" but they are "not sure". They "need to open the engine".

It's like a doctor telling you he needs to open you up to find out what's wrong. My mind was racing like I don't need this. By now it was almost 5 pm.

When can I get the car back? By Wed 01/16 because they have to order part/s that may need replacement and are not sure if they are available. Do you have a loaner car? No they don't but they have a discounted price with Enterprise car rental. Bite the bullet. How else am I going to go home and go to work.

They dropped me off at the car rental which was a block away. The rental guy tells me the only available unit they have is a van (really?) which of course is more pricey to rent. I ended up driving a Toyota Sienna. By now it was almost 6 pm. And I had to pump gas into the van because it was almost empty.

Wed 01/16 I got a call from the shop. Good news and bad news. Bad news: The car would be delayed. They have to check the pistons. One was not seated properly and it hit the engine block's rim nicking it. I almost had a heart attack when I heard it. Piston!!Engine block!! Your talking about the car's heart and lungs. I kept mum and waited for them to finish. Good news: There won't be any charge for the repairs. It will still be under warranty and they'll loan me a car so I don't have to worry about the rental expense.

When will the car be ready? Tue 01/22 next week. Thu 01/17 I went to the shop to pick up the loaner. They showed me what happened to the engine. I wish I had my camera with me and took a picture of it. One of the valve was damaged. To say that the engine block was nicked is putting it mildly. They had to replace the whole engine block with a new one.

Anyways, life goes on. Tue 01/15 at 7:00 pm I attended a Diversity event at St Mary's Basilica in celebration of Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday. I went with my District Manager and some other managers from the other stores. In my December blog I planned on showing my brother the Basilica but unfortunately I took the wrong turn and we were not able to visit the church. In simple words, I got lost. Finally I went there. My brother and I were almost there the last time.

Thu 01/17 after getting the loaner car at the dealership it's time to donate blood again. I came early at the Lutheran church in Burnsville since I didn't make an appointment. Signed up and waited at the hallway with the other donors. So we were seated across each other lining up the hallway. There were about ten or eleven of us. We were wondering why they haven't started processing us when it was already past 2 pm, the time it was suppossed to start. After a while a lady from the Red Cross told us they are having a glitch in their computer system and they don't know how long it will take them to get it fixed. It was not communicating with their handheld thingys. Fifteen minutes at the earliest. About two donors decided to leave as they have other appointments. An elderly guy in front commented that it's like waiting for your flight at the airport. There's always a glitch. Anyways they finally got us moving after a little over fifteen minutes and I was done a little after three. What an exciting day huh!

Week Past 01/07-01/13/08

2008-01-13T22:59:00.000-06:00

This week gas prices soared again to $3.00 ++. It's been steady at $2.75 to $2.85 for a couple of weeks. A year ago it even went down to $1.85. That's an increase of dollar per gallon. Ouch, and we're slowly heading into a recession. The dollar is really getting a beating.
Sun 01/13 after mass W and I went to an Italian restaurant Buca di Beppo at Burnsville for lunch having received from the mail a $10 gift certificate for their promo. It's been over a year since our last visit. Their servings are huge, filling and carbo loaded. We discovered this time they've changed their menu. You have more options in terms of serving sizes but its still filling. This company is still trying to survive its financial difficulties since its former head made a bad judgement. They are trying everything to attract customers. There was a time when you have to make reservations for dinner or you have to wait in line for quite a while.

Since we haven't been in the area for over a year we noticed a new store named "Unique" across the parking lot that's attracting a number of shoppers. We checked it after lunch and found that it's a second hand store although there also new items on sale. A bargain hunter's paradise. In their book section I found and bought "The Purpose Driven Life" priced at $2.91. It's still looks new. I have been planning on buying the book for years but it was not on top of my list. And there it was staring at me (actually there were two) asking what are you waiting for? Just the thing I need to read in time for Lent. It was meant to be. Thank you.

Week Past 12/31/07-01/06/08

2008-01-06T22:35:00.000-06:00

A Happy and Peaceful New Year

Tue 01/01 W's staff celebrated the New Year at home. I'd say again there are new faces. Quite a contrast when my brother and I celebrated Christmas. Without further story telling let the pics do the talking. It was suposed to start at 3:00 pm but the usual "Filipino Time" prevailed. Bottom pic shows W opening the gift given by her staff. It's a GPS because they've known her for getting lost to attend meetings with her clients at different venues.

Week Past 12/24-12/30/07

2007-12-30T22:40:00.000-06:00

Mon 12/24 is Christmas Eve. Spent most of my day at work painting our Dr's office. Finally, I got to practice painting a room. Now I have an idea on how to go about painting rooms in our home. Tedious as it was, there is that feeling of accomplishment when I got it done. I was apprehensive at first if I could finish it with the alloted time I have to work that day. But it's done finally.

When I got home I had enough time to rest and prepare our "noche buena" before attending the Christmas eve mass. There was a church choir Christmas presentation or carol. It started a bit late from the scheduled 10:00 pm. We were able to get home around almost 12:00 am to celebrate Christmas eve. Pics below shows moi and my brother having a toast of red wine. Merry Christmas.

Tue 12/25 Christmas Day I took my brother for a drive in Minneapolis. The day is cloudy, cold and freezing and the streets in the city were empty. Minneapolis is like Makati. Busy during weekdays and empty on weekends except at night when restaurants, theaters and clubs are open.I was trying to find the St Mary's Basilica but I took the wrong turn. So we just 'toured" the city. Then snow started to fall as forecasted so we headed home.

Thu 12/27 W arrived from her sojourn in Manila after almost three weeks. Picked her up at the airport and proceeded home. Tired from her travel, we decided to just stay at home for dinner so she can recover from her jet lag. Then ate out on Fri 12/28 at Old Country Buffet and Sat 12/29 at Mystic Lake Casino since my brother would be going home on Sun 12/30. It's the last hurrah to enjoy each other's company with W now present.

Finally Sun 12/30 we took my brother to the airport for his 11:00 am flight to Manila. There is always this feeling of nostalgia when you send off somebody after spending time with you. Brief as it may it's always there. But life goes on...

Week Past 12/17-12/23/07

2007-12-23T23:02:00.002-06:00

"Winter Begins" is written on the calendar dated Sat 12/22. Very apt. Snow and spinouts greeted the day. A reminder of what to expect in the coming 90 days before spring officially begins. Nonetheless my brother and I decided to take the anticipated mass when I got back from work. It is expected that there'll be more snow the following day Sun 12/23. We were not disappointed. I had to shovel snow in our driveway. The day did not only bring snow but also strong winds causing snow drifts. I was thinking of taking my brother out but caution took the better of us. Still, you wouldn't believe how many people are still out doing their last minute shopping. Here's my take on what they're trying to make:

Neither rain, sleet or snow
Will prevent people to go

To shop 'til they drop
And buy 'til they die

Just to make sure presents are bought
For people precious in their thoughts

Christmas is near
And everybody's astir

Busy in preparation
For the coming family celebration

Joyful in anticipation
For the coming reunion

Gifts must be had
Regardless if the weather is bad

Week Past 12/10-12/16/07

2007-12-16T22:13:00.000-06:00

Mon 12/10 from the gym I went to the airport to pick up my brother Ric who flew in (11:00 am) from Manila to spend Christmas with me. I was a bit late as he was already waiting for me. We went straight to Apple Valley to drop something in our store located there. So I had him window shopping immediately. We are really getting old. Last time I saw him, maybe two or three years ago, he didn't have that much whites in his hair. When you're part of the Golden Boys Club and the AARP is very much interested in inviting you to join the association that is expected.

Wed 12/12 the weatherman on the radio was exuberant in describing the hoarfrost that occurred overnight and it's effect in the early morning. I took a couple of pics below to show what its really like. The tree branches shimmered in the sunlight. Wonders of nature.
Thu 12/13 was my day off so I took my brother to the Mall of America. It's convenient and relaxing going to this place on a weekday as there are not much people especially this holiday season. You're not suffocated by hordes of shoppers. Sat 12/15 it was a different scenario. When I got home from work my brother told me in the early evening news it was reported they had to close the Mall for about an hour or two because it was packed. I can imagine bedlam. A customer was complaining they've been looking for parking space for over an hour. And I tell you this place has a huge parking space.

Fri 12/14 we went out for dinner at Hong Kong Buffet. In this kind of weather with snow and temps below freezing your choice of places to visit are limited. It's either you go to a mall or eat out where you are warm and protected from the environment. Going to work on Sat 12/15 morning the temp was -5 and my hands were freezing even with gloves on. The windchill was about -15. And it's still one week away from the official winter season.

Week Past 12/03-12/09/07

2007-12-09T22:01:00.001-06:00

Thu 12/06 drove W to the airport for her 9 am flight to Manila. She won't be back until after Christmas on Thu 12/27. I told her it's not a problem to spend Christmas with her family as my in-laws are not getting any younger. Lucky for me my parents have visa so they come by and visit us every year.

Like an individual about to go on solitary confinement (an exaggeration) I have conditioned myself to spend a quiet Christmas alone. I was looking forward to it. A change in the usual hectic holiday celebration. A time to really reflect on the meaning of Christmas. Nothing cerebral for that's way over me. Just contemplate and hopefully not fall asleep doing so. That's what usually happens when your mind is so blank. Duh.

I have long recognized that my link to our circle of "friends" is W. The people we hang around with are either W's co-workers, have worked with, or doing business with. Without her I don't think I'll be getting any invitations for any Christmas get together. I prefer it that way. I feel very uncomfortable mingling with people and doing small talk and then nothing. I'm not a good guest or host for I don't talk much but I try to be a good listener.

Anyways, my brother Ric called from Manila and said he was able to book a flight Mon 12/10 going to MN. So he'll be spending Christmas with me. There goes my contemplation:) I told him it'll just be the two of us. So he'll have the quiet time he longs for but has to contend with whatever food I'll prepare during his stay. But W would have none of it. God bless her soul. Day before her flight she prepared and cooked some of our meals so we'll just reheat it. I told her I can manage. I assured her it'll be edible. Delectable? That'll be another matter.

With temperatures below normal like 10 and below I advised my brother to brace himself for the freezing temps. Sat 12/08 on my way to work the temp was a -5 and winter is not even here yet. Not until 12/22 Sat. What in the world am I doing in MN???

Week Past 11/26-12/02/07

2007-12-02T22:00:00.001-06:00

Sat 12/01 W's company Pointwest had their 2007 Christmas party at Junbo restaurant. The theme was "Oscar Awards Night" so they had everybody dressed to the nines. It's the first time it was held in a restaurant. It also coincided with the first snowstorm for 2007 in MN. My closing co worker called in as it was difficult for her to drive in such a nasty weather and road condition. My other co worker requested if she could leave early. I can't refuse. I had to close shop early (7 pm) with my District Manager's approval. Traffic in our store slowed down beginning 5 pm and I had to be at W's affair by 7 pm.

I'd say their party was a success in spite of the storm. It was also the first time that they invited their clients' executives. Majority came in spite of the weather. Former Pointwest staff also attended even if they have to shell out a minimal fee. Pics shows some of the activities beginning at the bottom: food being served and the kids enjoying themselves; guests acting as judges watching the presentations of Pointwest staff who were divided into groups; awarding ceremonies; dancing the night away like there was no snowstorm.

The drive home (I left around 11 pm) took me almost an hour not including the time I spent scraping the ice on my windshield before I could drive off the parking lot. Snow were still falling and the roads slick and covered with snow. The snowplowers can't keep up.

At home I tried to drive over the snow that accumulated in our driveway. No success. No traction. It was thick and slippery. I had to shovel snow to get the car inside the garage. My front door neighbors saw my car stuck as they were walking out their guest to her vehicle and offered help to push. I thanked them but told them I'm good. A workout at 12 am. It's good that I'm off the following day.

Week Past 11/19-11/25/07

2007-11-25T22:18:00.002-06:00

Mon 11/19 is my day off but I had to report for work because our Regional Manager scheduled a 4-hour refresher training in my department. Anyways it was done by 11:30 am and I still have most of the day. Hit the gym and home.

Thu 11/22 is Thanksgiving Day. This time it was not done in our house unlike last year . First venue was lunch at Dante and Lydia's abode for W's staff. Ate then played billiards with Dante's brother Jo to while the time before going to the... Second venue was merienda cum dinner at Ross and Lally's residence to coincide with their daughter Mimi's advanced 7th birthday celebration. The attendees are the oldies and some of W's staff that has "been around". Ate and drink a couple. George C also surprised his wife Miki with a birthday cake to celebrate her 3_th birthday that day. I teased her by inverting the number on the cake to make it appear older. My mistake. I think she did not take it well. Never, never, never play around with a woman's age. Mea culpa. Thu also showed the first sign of snow accumulation albeit thin. You could still see the lake at the back.

Sun 11/25 Jay and Jovy celebrated their daughter Jena's 7th birthday. So it was pig out this week. Pics below shows the events for the week.

First four pics at Dante's and Lydia's...their abode, Thanksgiving prayer, posing before finally partaking...tsibugan na!! Next four at Ross and Lally's...get your plates, blow the candle, the ladies and the surprise birthday cake from George...Last two pics at Jay and Jovy's...blowing of the candles and grace before meals

Week Past 11/12-11/18/07

2007-11-18T22:45:00.001-06:00

I've been trying to get a dental appointment since June. And they always tell me that the next available slot would be for the next month. Tue 11/14, my day off, I thought I'd try and give them another call. With the holidays coming nobody would be thinking of going to their dentist. I got more than that. Somebody cancelled their appointment that day. I immediately grabbed the opportunity so off I went for my annual check and cleaning. I didn't realize that I've been going to the same clinic for over five years now. I was told they need to give me a full x-ray since the last was five years ago. At least I know that my teeth and gums are still healthy. I almost gave up on them because of their full schedule and was planning on going to another clinic.

Afternoon Sun 11/18 the first snow started falling. It did not accumulate as the temperature was in the 40's. But there it was. Not flurries but globules in form. Like I said in my last posting the message is well taken. Winter's a coming. This time its not subtle.

Week Past 11/05-11/11/07

2007-11-11T22:30:00.001-06:00

Cold season is definitely here. I'm referring not only to the temperature but also the virus (not the computer). I got one and my body is trying to fend it. It did not help that the house is "dry". Mon 11/05 I had to switch on our humidifier after turning it off for spring and summer. It's official in our house that warm days are gone. It's not a good feeling waking up in the middle of the night with your throat feeling dry especially when you're coming down with a cold. It's irritating.

Mon was supposed to be my day off but I just learned that there's a broadcast scheduled at work so I had to come in to watch and tape it. My District Manager also dropped by and was surprised I was there. Anyways I had to stay for about an hour.

Tue 11/06 was a long day for me. Our Regional Manager flew in and my District Manager decided that our store would be one of his first itinerary. It also happen that the Regional Manager of the main store is doing an audit and the City Fire Marshall did his inspection same day. I'd say what a day and my cold is not helping any. You made sure that everything is clean and in order. But Murphy's law always kicks in at the worst possible moment. While talking with the Regional and District Manager we were standing beside a display cart in front of our department. The Regional Manager casually ran his finger on top of the cart and you could see one week's accumulation of dust. Of all the things we could miss...

Fri 11/09 first time this year that flurries started coming down albeit short and immediately gone. But make no mistake about it. The message has been noted, winter is here.

Week Past 10/29-11/04/2007

2007-11-04T21:34:00.001-06:00

This posting is way too late (11/20). W's laptop which I'm now using (our desktop is still down) had a serious virus attack and it's still under attack #&*!?#...

Wed 10/31 was Halloween. I had to work closing that day. When I got home the Halloween party with W's staff was winding down. Only the "senior" staff were left bantering with W. We're also left with candies and suckers. Now if they were chocolate...umm...There was also another party at Lydia's for the "old" timers. W's staff has grown big that holding the party in one house together with the "oldies" would make the place incommodious.

Looking at the calendar and seeing that Nov 1 falls on a Thur it's most definite that in Manila they have another long holiday to commemorate the dead. It's one of the things I miss. Definitely good for govenment employees like me, then, but bad for business. Imagine paying holiday hours.

Sat night 11/03 I had to turn back our clocks one hour since Daylight Saving Time ends midnight. Pity the people working overnight they have to work one extra hour and we get to sleep one additional hour. What does it mean turning back the clock? At least at 6:30 am you'll start to see a bit of light in the sky. The trade off, by 5:00 pm it starts to get dark.

Week Past 10/22-10/28/07

2007-10-28T23:10:00.001-05:00

Tue 10/23 on my way to work a police car blocked County Rd 16 so I had to make a detour. Apparently there was an accident. Then I forgot that a portion of Old Shakopee Rd was undergoing road repair since Mon 10/22. They had the appropriate sign announcing the project since last week. So I had to make two detours. Luckily I have more than enough time to get to work making the trip less stressfull in spite of.

Sat 10/27 we attended a wedding reception for W's former colleague Nannah and her Caucasian husband Gregg at the Edina Country Club. They had their wedding in the Philippines and this is their reception for friends residing in the YuHesHay. She mentioned that the cost is more expensive than her actual wedding in Manila. There was the usual toasts and speeches. And everybody danced the night away.

Sun 10/28 after mass W and I had brunch at Old Country Buffet in Burnsville. Then went to the nearby TJ Maxx to walk off that excess calories. I was drowsy I told W to just meet me at the car when she's done window shopping. It was one of those light nap that you wake up when you start snoring. And the weather is just right that the car's interior is not hot nor cold. It didn't take long for the W to get done though I was hoping it would be longer.
We proceeded to Cal's afterwards and bought a concrete garden seat and a planter that are now being sold at 50% discount. The seat was heavy that I huffed and puffed transferring it from our car to the garden at the back of the house. That really woke me up. Then I noticed how scarlet red the leaves of the Red Japanese Maple has become that I took its pic (shown above). After a day or two the leaves were all gone. It was its last blaze of glory before dying or hibernating for the winter.

"Week Past 10/15-10/21/07"

2007-10-21T21:37:00.001-05:00

I got nailed, twice. Mon 10/15 I took my car for a change oil. I noticed for the past couple of weeks that my left rear tire must be leaking air. I have to pump air into it at least once every two weeks than lately every week. So I requested the attendant to have it checked. Later he informed me that there's a nail in my tire and it'll cost me so much for the repair. I said go ahead to get it done with. Then I realized on my way home that I might have gotten the repair at no cost in our store. Sure enough it's free when I asked the following day. Nailed twice: tire and the repair fee.

Mon 10/15 I drove W to the airport for her 9:00 pm flight to Arkansas for a business trip. She's meeting with two her colleagues (Beng and Lucy) at the airport who'll be flying in from Portland. So I have the house again to myself until Thu. Aaaaah... solitude.

Sat 10/20 was different. W arrived Fri 10/19 with Beng. They tendered a welcome party for her at home Sat so she can meet the staff and see for herself how they are doing. It was the usual sing-a-long after dinner. There are lots of new faces. Young kids. No pics this time. I just came from work and attended the Saturday mass. I was tired. After eating I just went up to our room, watched TV and dozed off.

"I'm wiping myself now", that's what I heard as I was taking a leak in the restroom. This guy inside one of the cubicles was talking to somebody on his cellphone. Can't you tone it down. You don't have to announce to the whole world that you're done and wiping your a...who were you talking to anyway...it was a Sun 10/21 at work. Sunday,,,wish I was home.

Week Past 10/08-10/14/07

2007-10-14T23:33:00.001-05:00

Its been a rainy week creating conditions ideal for fungi to fluorish. So Wed 10/10 as I was about to do my mowing I see these mushrooms thriving in our lawn. Edible? That would be incredible.

Finally the mystery car that I wrote about last week is gone. I didn't notice the exact date when it was taken, hauled or towed. I just happened to look at that specific spot and voila something's missing...the car is gone.

Footnote...the housing slump is far from over. One observer said that there's still no light at the end of the tunnel. What is interesting is I read an article at TIME Magazine (I would like to thank my brother Jo for gifting me a 1-year? subscription) that from 1890 to 1990, with inflation factored in, housing prices hasn't change that much. It was pretty much on the same level. It was in 2000 to 2006 that there was a sudden increase. The middle income cannot cope with the price hence mortgage companies with the aid of investors offered sweet deals like no downpayment, interest only payment and what have you. All these in the impression that prices would continue to go up and buyers can sell for profit or refinance. It did not happen. Foreclosures became like an epidemic. The rich will just get richer. They are the ones with money to spare to take advantage of the glut and low prices in housing and properties. Buy now and sell later.

Week Past 10/01-10/07/07

2007-10-07T22:43:00.001-05:00

Wed 10/03 woke up early. It's my day off so I can sleep over but I can't. So I took my camera and took an early walk by the lake. It was a nippy morning and the ducks were taking their early dip. After four straight days of overcast skies and intermittent rains the sun decided to show itself. Fall is here. Leaves are turning yellow, red, brown and falling. Very soon Haas Lake would be visible again from our living room.

Walking back to the front of our house the car that's been parked in front of the vacant lot beside us for almost three weeks caught my attention. Since I had my camera I took its picture for whatever purpose. I call it the mystery car. No license plate front and back. I know that police cars patrol our neighborhood. I don't know if they took note of this dark blue Toyota Corolla.

This week last year was a busy week for us. Sat 10/06 is exactly one year since we started our move to our current house. It was also our first night to sleep here. Has it been 12 months? There are still boxes and things that needs to be sorted and done. I'm still missing our paper shredder. I guess everything will be in place once the basement is done. When? No idea. The garage? There are still misplaced articles. I'll get it done slowly but surely.

Sun, 10/07 W gave a treat to her staff from Arkansas who drove all the way to visit their co-workers and friends here in MN and join in the Saturday's pay-per view Pacquio fight party. So we had brunch at the clubhouse after mass. It's nice to know that Jerome and Tetch (4th and 5th from left) are expecting their first baby.

Sat 10/06 W and I were not able to attend the pay-per view Manny Pacquio's fight at the Custodio's in Rosemount. I did something dumb. I locked my car keys inside the trunk as I was about to go home. I told myself to unlock the car doors first but I was in a hurry to load the paper towel and bath tissue so I opened the trunk by remote. When I was done loading and shut the trunk lid I groped for the car keys in my pocket. Nada. All I could do was look at the closed trunk thinking of slamming my head into it. My plan of getting home quick to catch the 5:00 pm anticipated mass then proceed to George and Miki's house for the Pacquiao fight did not materialize. W brought my spare keys after trying that trick of using your other remote by phone to unlock the door. Since we're at Bloomington and will be a long drive going to Rosemount we decided to have dinner in the area. Finally I was able to try out the Atlantic Buffet<> restaurant. W said it's also owned by World Buffet. My verdict: World Buffet is better.

Sun 09/30 W was watching the premier season episode of Desperate Housewives. She called my attention and said that the show took a potshot on our (Philippine) doctors. I don't have to elaborate what its all about since the article below that I copied and paste will tell all.

RP to Desperate Housewives: Apologize for Slur by Sheila Crisostomo Thursday, October 4, 2007 Philippine Star

Malacañang, together with the Department of Health (DOH) and the Philippine Medical Association (PMA), yesterday expressed strong protest over an episode of the American TV series “Desperate Housewives” wherein one of the lead characters insulted Filipino doctors.
In a scene in the show’s Season 4 premier episode, actress Teri Hatcher’s character Susan Mayer said as she was being examined by a doctor: “Can I see those diplomas ‘coz I just want to make sure that they’re not from some med school in the Philippines.”
Malacañang said it will ask for an apology from the show’s producers for the “racial slur.”
Executive Secretary Eduardo Ermita said the TV show belittled the abilities of Filipino doctors and sent a message that Philippine medical schools produced “substandard, inferior” medical practitioners.
The demand for an apology was coursed through Philippine Consul General to Los Angeles Mary Jo Aragon, who wrote to the show’s producer, ABC Studios.
Aragon expressed in her letter the government’s displeasure over Hatcher’s remarks that “only served to create racial stereotypes.”
DOH Secretary Francisco Duque III and PMA spokesperson Dr. Bu Castro also found the dialogue highly deplorable.
“I find it very offensive especially after I watched it personally. It’s patently objectionable and derogatory. That’s really unacceptable for us,” Duque said.
He said he would immediately write the producer and director of the American show to manifest the country’s protest.
“They should apologize for a seemingly blanket statement that we all find very offensive. And I’d like to register that protest in behalf of all our Filipino doctors, not just in America but all over the world. There’s really no basis (for that dialogue),” he said.
Duque added that the show’s researchers are not good, as they did not know that “Filipino doctors are among the best in the world.”
“We’re one of the best and in fact we’re probably the second largest doctor-professionals in the US and many Americans have acknowledged in countless ways that our doctors are really very professional, competent and with excellent bedside manners and good rapport with patients and patients’ relatives,” he said.
Asked if such impression was a product of the leakage scandal that rocked the country’s nursing profession last year, Duque said, “That should not be the case because we’re talking here about doctors and not nurses.
“That comment came from ‘Desperate Housewives’ and as far as I’m concerned, Filipino doctors are not desperate doctors,” Duque said.
For Castro, the dialogue was “outrageous and offensive to the character and dignity of Filipino doctors.
“There are American citizens who are among our graduates. I don’t think they are trying to say that they are trash. That (comment) is totally misplaced,” Castro said.
Castro said he would write a letter of complaint not only to the producer and director of the show but also to the US agency regulating movie and television shows.
US Ambassador to the Philippines Kristie Kenney, meanwhile, expressed “great respect” for Filipino doctors, nurses and other medical practitioners, contrary to the statement made in the US television series.
Kenney said she has not watched “Desperate Housewives” and could not give any comment about Hatcher’s dialogue.
“We all have great respect for Philippine health care, known throughout the world for their dedication and compassion,” said Kenney during her visit to Camp Crame in Quezon City.
When asked to elaborate, Kenney insisted that she has not seen the television show because she has been glued to Filipino channels since she was assigned here.
“You got much more information than I do, I watch Filipino TV. I haven’t heard the story. I don’t watch US TV here,” she said.
“Desperate Housewives” is an American television comedy-drama series produced by ABC Studios – the Walt Disney Company’s main television studio, and Cherry Productions.
Since its premiere in October 2004, the show has been well received by viewers as well as critics.
In April this year, “Desperate Housewives” was reported to be the most popular show in its demographic worldwide, with an estimated 115 to 119 million viewers. – With Michael Punongbayan, Cecille Suerte Felipe

Reactions from friends and acquaintances are varied. Some are asking for "blood" while others are saying not to be too onion skinned. I say let it pass. There are thousands of Filipino doctors in the States and the Philippines that have proven themselves to be at par if not better than their diverse colleagues. Scriptwriters will play around with issues even if its not accurate. They may be referring to the recent Nursing exam scandal. For lack of creativity and superciliousness they thought what the heck doctors and nurses are one and the same.

Week Past 09/24-09/30/07

2007-09-30T22:30:00.001-05:00

Mon 09/24 was bloodletting day. Finally the right day to donate blood. Red Cross has been calling and sending cards with information on where and when they will be having their blood drive. I guess it shows on their record that I'am again eligible to give blood sometime August since my last donation. It was at the YMCA in Portland Ave where I used to work out. I did not make an appoinment so I came in ten minutes before their scheduled opening. It helped. I did not have to wait long even if there were three people already booked for the opening hour. But in any case I was with a reading material.

Early evening another thunderstorm passed by our area. Dark clouds, strong winds and heavy downpour. It lasted for about thirty minutes then its gone except for some drizzle and overcast skies. It may be short but if the winds are really damaging that's a loooong thirty minutes.

Sat 09/29 early evening, walking back towards our house as I took our mail after coming from work I saw five wild turkeys "strolling" in the woods in our backyard. First were the two deers. Then a beach ball (pic below) that looks incongruous in the woods. Strong winds brought about by the thunderstorm stranded this beach ball. A neighbor must be missing it.

Week Past 09/17-09/23/07

2007-09-23T23:43:00.002-05:00

Fri 09/21 was my day off. Time to mow the lawn. This past week's thunderstorms and cool weather has been helping our lawn grow faster compared during the height of summer. The pest control guy from Rove also came for their quarterly pest treatment. I showed him what happened to the plants I planted at the back. My suspect are moles or gophers eating the leaves and worst the roots. I just hope they grow back next spring.

Fall and Baguio

Sun 09/23 is the start of the Fall season. The calendar states:"Autumn Begins". Not that I'm complaining but there are days when we're still hitting the 80's when it's dupposed to be in the 60's or 70's. Enjoy it while it lasts. I remember one TV station weather forecaster mentionig that this year may be a mild and less snow winter. He was referring to a 10 year trend. Again, I'm not complaining. It would be sweet if the temps would be constanttly in the 60's and 70's. Baguio residents, you don't know how lucky you are. A pity, lack of planning and good leadership is slowly "killing" (if its not dead yet) the city. It's natural resources are being depleted with its commercial developments. The city can only take in so much with very limited resources especially its water supply. The smell of pine trees as you start to ascend the zig-zag road is all but gone. Uncontrolled logging and kaingin farming is taking its toll. The salubrious climate or environment it was known for is a thing of the past. It was a joy to walk along Session Road now you can smell diesel fumes from vehicles clogging the street. It was the place to be during summer for its cool climate. Now you don't want to be there crammed with people and traffic gridlocked. I have many fond memories of the place. It is where W and I spent our honeymoon. Unfortunately the hotel (Hyatt Terraces Plaza) where we stayed fell victim to the tragic earthquake that occurred in 1990. It should have prodded the local officials to envision and implement an urban plan that would sustain the city's future growth and development on the way to its recovery. Seventeen years later, the city is groaning. It's overweight, it can't carry itself. But its lure to the lowlanders is still there albeit diminishing. I remember in the late 80's one Friday night while enjoying San Mig at Aberdeen Court's Cafe de Chine in Quezon Ave with three of my drinking buds. Out of the blue around 12:00 midnight we decided to drive up to Baguio. So we paid our bills and away we go. We reached Burnham Park around 4:00 am. It was chilly considering we were not dressed for the location. We parked and caught a shut eye then toured the city during the day. Afterwards we continued with our San Mig at Burnham then drove back to Manila later in the afternoon. The allure of Baguio. But even then, looking back, it was starting to wane.

Week Past 09/10-09/16/07

2007-09-17T20:39:00.002-05:00

Tue 09/11 I had a hitchhiker on my way home. As I walked towards my car in the parking lot I noticed this guy standing at the corner of our store's gas station exit. I didn't give much attention. But as I was opening my door he approached and asked me if I'm heading towards 98th st. He looked harmless. This is where you realize how you react to unexpected situations. I could've told him I'm going the other way which is true because that's an alternate route. But then again I need to take 35W to go to Hi-Way 13 as I planned on going to Menard's to buy some pavers. That means taking 98th st. That influenced my decision to say yes and take him on board. But what if you are leery of the person...you have to think fast and say otherwise without hesitation or that person will see through you...I realized I can't tell a lie straight faced.

Finally Wed 09/12 after six years ex-President Joseph Ejercito Estrada was given the verdict of guilty by the anti-graft court for economic plunder My bet is that the National Penitentiary won't even see his shadow unlike Ro Tae woo of Korea. True, he's been under house arrest for the duration of the trial. He still enjoys all the ameneties since he's been detained in his resthouse at Tanay Rizal. At least the verdict has been handed down. That's a BIG step forward in the Philippine justice sytem. Short of a miracle...

Week Past 09/03-09/09/07

2007-09-09T23:27:00.003-05:00

"Dragon's Blood"

Finally they turned purple. It's called "Dragon's Blood" or Sedum Spurium .I planted these sometime April. When my parents visited us (June to Aug) my Dad kept on asking if the flowers would just remain green. I told him it's supposed to turn purple. But it was taking so long that I myself was having doubts. Then suddenly it turned purple. Alas my parents have gone back to LA missing the transformation. But the bees have been attracted to it.

Sat 09/08 after mass we tried out a new place (for us) : The Lake House Grill along Hi Way 13. A cozy restaurant. Food is good and tasty. I tried their pasta (forgot what its called in the menu) and W liked it after having a sample. She teased me that finally I ordered something that's tasty and not "weird". It happens that when we go to a new eating place I always try something different listed in the menu. W, more often than not, would comment after having a small portion: "Tastes weird". That's what its all about. To dare and venture into the unknown world of gastronomy. Brave a new path and go where no man has gone before...or should that be eat what you have not eaten or tasted before.

Week Past 08/27-09/02/07

2007-09-02T23:16:00.001-05:00

Tue 08/28 another thunderstorm decided to pass by our area. Second time this month. Again hardest hit was Bloomington and Richfield. One of my co-worker had their neighbor's tree leaning in their backyard. Their power had been cut off. Tree service companies have their hands full. They're not done cleaning the "mess" from the previous storm and now new fallen trees and branches have been added. This time our store did not experience any power failure.

I'm not done planting. Since most of the nurseries are now discounted at 35%, W bought three "Tiger Eye" tree and moi planted them on Thu 08/30 . What "convinced" me to buy is its leaves changes color during the fall season from green to yellow to scarlet red and it's height when full grown is just about 6 feet. Two were planted at the back of the house and one in front for accent.

Tue 08/28 W decided to be added to my Lifetime Fitness membership. I signed her up Wed 08/29. It's good that she'll be doing physical exercise to complement her weight watchers diet. That would tone her muscle, improve her stamina and burn more calories. I hope she can sustain it. She easily gets bored working out at the gym. But I admire her for being able to stick on her diet program for months now. Pounds lost? about 20.

Sat 09/01 is the start of September for my "Week Past" blog entry. The "ber" months are here. I don't suppose they've started playing Christmas carols in Manila. I remember not so many years ago when radio stations, specially the AM's, immediately aired yule songs on 09/01. The reason they gave was so people would forget their problems and start having that "Christmas feeling". It might be an overkill but their intention was benevolent. Stores are different. They are now displaying "some" Christmas items mixed with Halloween goods. It's no different with playing Christmas carols but the intent is different. Hi ho Hi ho it's off to shop we go ...

Week Past 08/20-08/26/07

2007-08-26T22:17:00.001-05:00

Mon 08/20 I had my second interview at BlueCross/BlueShield. My brother Jo and his family is scheduled to head home to New Jersey at 7:00 pm. Since they have a van it was decided that they'll spend some time for the kids to enjoy the Mall of America before proceeding to the airport. It's my day off so by 1:00 pm I had the house to myself. W went to work. The house suddenly became quiet and still since Mom and Dad, aunt and sis, followed by my brother and his family, came to visit. Solitude. Moment like this I'm reminded of the passage "Be still...and know I'm God". I took the moment to thank God for the brief get together. For keeping everybody safe and in good health for the duration of their stay. For the food and other blessings that we shared.

Fri 08/24 W and some of her staff tendered a small party for some of their clients. No pics this time. I was not really into it as I was pre occupied with the coming inventory of our store. I'm missing a bunch of items and that woud hurt my P&L big time. After dinner they hit the magic mike and sang to their hearts content. Not wanting to be blamed in case another thunderstorm strikes I hied to our bedroom to watch a pre-viewed DVD I just bought "The Proposition" . I did not get the story as I kept nodding to sleep.

Sat 08/24 was my high school batch's reunion. Wasn't able to attend again like last year's. With our inventory prep there was no way. It was hosted again by Eden and her hubby Dennis at their new home in Fallbrook CA. Their theme this year was Hawaiian or luau. Pic below shows the attendees.

Sun 08/24 W and I had brunch at the Wilds Clubhouse after mass. It's our first Sunday together by ourselves. Went to work at 5:30 pm to prepare for our inventory. I had to label our items with enlarged item numbers so the person doing the inventory could easily read it to hasten the process. We did not do it six months ago. It cut our inventory time by almost an hour. It was nice of my District Manager to let me go home around 12:30 am while he finish up the process. They were done at around 1:30 am.

Week Past 08/13-08/19/07

2007-08-19T22:30:00.001-05:00

Tue 08/14 another thunderstorm was forecasted. It rained hard late afternoon accompanied by hail the size of pearls. Wish it were pearls! The lawn and trees we planted are finally getting the amount of water needed and then some.

Wed 08/15 my brother Jo, his wife Janea and three kids arrived from New Jersey. Just like my aunt and sis from Boston they would be here only for five days in time for our Mom's 78th birthday. It's good to see them again including my nephews and niece. They rented a van so there was no need to pick them up at the airport. They wanted to try out the Garmin GPS they just bought. Sleek. Just enter the address of your destination and it'll lead the way with voice instruction. If you missed a turn it'll "advise" you to make a "U" or recalculate your position to give the new direction. This gizmo is great especially if you're a limo or cab driver. No fear of getting lost even if your new in the area.

Thu 08/16 we celebrated Mom's birthday at home. I bought the cake and W bought chicken and pasta at Bucca di Beppo. She also grilled some rib eye steak, uhmm yummy. As expected Dad loved it. I'am full.

Sun 08/19 my brother and I took our parents to the airport to catch their 12:00 pm flight. After two months stay with us its time to go back to CA. The day is cloudy and sort of gloomy much like what my parents are feeling as they prepare for their departure. I know it's stressful for them to be travelling on their own at their age. Mom needs a wheelchair as she finds it hard to walk the distance from the check-in area to their departure gate. Airports nowadays are humongous in design to better accomodate the ever increasing travellers and traffic.

Before the day is done I would be tracing their whereabouts as their flight was delayed. My brother-in-law who was to pick them up in LA called and said they were not in their scheduled flight nor in the flight that followed. I called the American Airlines. The first person I talked to was of no help. She kept on saying she cannot give me any information for security reasons. Yeah right, I was giving her all the passengers' information. All I wanted to know was if they were able to board another flight and at what time they were expected at LA. What if it was not a delayed flight and something happened to them in transit. Very frustrating.

Breath in, breath out, now relax. I called again and with a very calm voice I told the operator that I have a problem and I'am very worried. This time it was a guy who answered and was very helpful. He resolved the problem quick. I was able to call my brother-in-law of the new flight schedule and arrival.

My parents were supposed to arrive at 4:00 pm Sunday they never got there until almost 12:00 am Monday. Their baggage came in on another flight. They were able to get out of the airport past 1:00 am. The drive from the airport to the house is another 45 minutes. My bro-in-law spent almost ten hours at the airport. He has to report for work early morning. I can only say I'm very grateful and appreciative.

Cause of the delays: Stormy weather in Chicago their stopover.

Sun 8/19 I accompanied my brother and his family to the Waterpark of America. It's an indoor waterpark so although the weather was rainy that day it was still packed. We were wrong when we thought otherwise. It was also my first visit to the place. The kids loved it.

Pics shows Mom with her 78th b-day cake, Jo/Janea and kids at the Waterpark, and group pic before Mom and Dad's departure and eventual delays.

Week Past 08/06-08/12/07

2007-08-14T22:47:00.001-05:00

The Works

Mon 08/06 I had an interview at BlueCross BlueShield. Afterwards, though it's my day off, I attended a lunch meeting at our Eagan location with other managers and our new doctors. A meet and greet. It's nice to connect the face of the other managers from the voice that you hear on the conference call.

The Storm

Early Sat 08/11 at 3:00 am when the forecasted thunderstorm struck our area. Lightning flashed, thunders rolled and gusty winds blew. I did not give it much attention as I was sleepy. Just opened my eyes a bit to peek at the window then went right back to sleep. I did not realize the intesity and damage it caused until I drove to work early that morning. Not much in our general vicinity but when I reached Bloomington at Old Shakopee Road there were tree branches scattered on the streets. I saw an old pine tree that fell and rested on the corner of a house. Traffic lights were dead. When I reached our place of work we had no electricity. I heard power was cut-off between 3 to 4 am. The back-up generator only lasted for two hours or so. We were not able to open until 11:00 am. Sad part is throwing away cart loads of food items displayed in our coolers because it was exposed to temperatures above acceptable level. What a waste and tedious work. They were scanning each item before disposal because it was priced by weight. Wasted food, added man hours. Immediate benefit for me is I don't have to water the lawn and other plantings. Saved on water consumption and man hours.

Week Past 07/30-08/05/07

2007-08-05T22:50:00.001-05:00

Wed, 08/01 the I 35 W bridge collapsed into the Mississippi river at about 6:05 pm. Built in 1964 and opened to traffic in 1967, it carries about 140,000 vehicles daily . W with her colleague used that bridge day before to meet with a client. It was also about the same time or thereabouts that they crossed it on their way home. What a difference a day makes. What a difference a second makes for those who are about to or just crossed it when it collapsed. It is a tragic event. Sat, 08/04 I heard over the radio a Senator emphatically saying that: "No bridge should collapse in America". Meaning due to structural failure.

I can't help but notice and compare how the situation was handled. I did not see any political figure, e.g. the governor or mayor, at the scene the first hours when the tragedy happened. The only government officials I saw were those involved in the emergency rescue and recovery effort. A press conference was called about three hours after the incident.

If this happened in the Philippines (God forbid) like the Guadalupe bridge (built in the 1950's) in Makati rest assured that it would be crawling with politicos faster than you can say "wassup?" From the Mayor to the Barangay Councilmen. The Senator, Congressman, Governor, and Cabinet Secretary. Grandstanding before the cameras, finger pointing here and there and giving their one cent worth of presumption and assumption as to why the bridge collapsed. For good measure they will apppease the public by declaring that they will conduct an investigation and insinuating that "heads will roll". A parody. Meanwhile the rescue recovery effort is hindered because of their presence.

You'll be surprised how our politicians will instantly become experts in bridge structural design by mouthing words and technical terms fed by their consultants or shall I say lackeys. They'll suck every mileage of publicity that they can get.

The date of the collapse is noteworthy:080107 or 08=01+07 or 08-01=07 or it's the first day of August!! Are you convinced??

Week Past 07/23-07/29/07

2007-07-29T22:15:00.000-05:00

Finally after two false alarm my co-worker's spouse gave birth to a healthy baby girl (their second) on Tue 07/24. The waiting is over, finally.

My aunt lamented that time really went fast when you are enjoying. As mentioned in my last entry, they flew in Sun 07/22. Tue 07/24 they spent the whole day at the Mall of America. As I was driving them to the airport early (3:30 am) Thu 07/26 for their departure that's when my aunt made the comment. Everybody (dad, mom, and my sister) were quiet. Parting is really such a sweet sorrow. I treated them to dinner night before at Mystic lake and on hindsight I guess that melancholic feeling was already there especially with my sister. She was more "subdued"that night.

Fri, 07/27 I drove again to the airport for W's arrival from Manila. She arrived a little after 5 pm. On our way home we called my parents so they would be ready to go out. It's my parents 55th Wedding Anniversary. My fault that I forgot to bring my camera to document our simple celebration. We were planning on going to Red Lobster. Being a Friday we saw the waiting line outside the restaurant and thought otherwise. We''re hungry so we ended up at Cam Ranh Bay. To think that I originally scheduled their departure on this date. Changing their flight schedule costs me $$$$ but spending their anniversary with us: priceless. But where's the pic???? :(

Pic below at right is that of moi, my aunt, dad, mom and sis taken day before they went back to Boston

Sat 07/28 there was a PointWest party at home to welcome Rene, one of their exec from Manila who flew in a day ahead of W for client meetings. Pic below left shows Rene with W and some of their staff exchanging banter.

Week Past 07/16-07/22/07

2007-07-22T23:30:00.001-05:00

Tue 07/17 I drove W to the airport. She'll be going to Manila for over a week. It'll be business trip and short vacation. So that leaves me and my parents at home. But not for long.

Sun 07/22 my sister and aunt from Boston flew in for a short (four days) visit. So we picked them up after mass. It was supposed to be a surprise visit. But since they (aunt and mom) have been communicating over the phone daily since my parents arrived somebody slipped. My dad only learned about it night before their arrival. From the airport we went straight to JunBo, a dimsum restaurant. My aunt was honest enough to say that she's already hungry having left Boston early morning and almost twelve noon (their time) when they arrived in MN.

That puts me in charge of four visitors without W. No problemo. Since most of the days I'll be coming home a bit late from work I told my mom to just check out the fridge on what food they can re-heat or cook. Just for safety I also showed her where the fire extinguisher is located and how to use it.

Week Past 07/09-07/15/07

2007-07-15T22:56:00.000-05:00

Learning

My parents arrived Fri 06/08. So it's been a month this week. And I'm learning things. I did not know that my Mom does not like going to theaters to watch movies. She gets dizzy. I learned this when we suggested that Sat 07/14 we would go watch a Filipino movie being sponsored by Couples/Singles for Christ as a fund raiser at the Mall of America. She said she'd rather not go and told W the reason. I got curious so I asked her when was the last time she went to watch a movie. She said when she was still single. It dawned on me that when we were growing up, we never went out to watch a movie as a family nor did we went out as a family like what most do on a Sunday. I can recall going to my grandmother's house on weekends. But to eat out...if any of my siblings is reading this, he or she may hit me in the head if I'm missing something.

Our Dad, I also learned, doesn't want a "repeat" or re-heated food. He'll just eat salad instead. Pressed for time during the week W would usually cook our food that would be good for a week. There would probably be three or four kinds good for two servings. We'll divide it, put it in it's container and just re-heat it. Sometimes we'll buy a take-out for additional mix. I've noticed that at first serving Dad would have the appetite. But serve it second time during the week the gusto is not there. Even the binagoongan, one of his favorite dish. Oh well, I just rationalize it would also be good for his health. He won't be eating too much and the salad would provide the roughage.

Looking back I guess my Dad never did, or if ever seldom, ate re-heated food. Dinner time in Manila we always have freshly home cooked food. With my Mom a full-time homemaker and with househelp that's a given. Lunch we sometimes re-heat leftovers from dinner. Dad doesn't eat lunch at home during weekdays because he's at work. On weekends lunch are not "repeats". Eureka. It's not because Dad became picky with age but it's what he's been used to. But when in Rome you have to do what the Centurions orders you to. Alas, we also have to please the "Emperor" :) so now Mom cooks dinner for us. Now that's a treat. But W and I better not get used to it since it's temporary.

Week Past 07/02-07/08/07

2007-07-08T22:30:00.002-05:00

Added some plants in front of the house. It's still planting and landscaping that's taking most of our downtime. I've finally did some dent at the back after working on it this past two weeks. I was able to edge pave and put a mulch on it. Menard's was having a sale on it's paver and mulch. Pic at left shows the development.

Sat 07/07 we went to George and Mikki's home blessing at Rosemount. Food was great like pancit Malabon, binagoongan, kare-kare, sisig, relleno, ginaataan and tupig to name a few. There's nothing like Filipino dishes cooked home style. There was even gulaman for beverage. My Dad and Mom enjoyed it and was able to meet some of our friends' parents. Their peers.Sun 07/08 I took the 8:00 am mass at St Peter's in Richfield so I could be at work by 9:00 am. I just observed that there were only 2 or 3 kids (12 and below) in attendance. Mostly elderly couples, me included :). We were about 100 or so parishioners. It just caught my attention because at Farmington and Prior Lake there would at least be a "sprinkling" of young couples with their toddlers in tow at the same mass schedule. Just proves that St Peter's surrounding community is "old". The church itself by design can be circa 70's. I have to check on that. Writing this entry, I also remembered that the priest who officiated the mass must be retired. Walking, or should I say shuffling with his cane, he was being assisted by another priest to walk and climb the three steps going up the altar. Opening the mass he said, "Fear not it is I". That elicited laughter from the congregation. I think they "aged" with the priest.

Week Past 06/25-07/01/07

2007-07-01T22:55:00.002-05:00

This week is the start of the 7th month (July) and the end of the 6th (June). We're half way through the year. Before you can even say "summer", fall is already knocking on the door meaning winter is not far behind. But summer is here indeed. The heat is oppressive even at night. I don't know if our central air is not up to par. We had to use electric fan at night to sleep comfortably. Even resort to opening our windows. Reminds me of Manila. Unfortunately our basement, where its cooler, is not done yet so we cannot sleep there. That's what we usually do at our former home in Farmington.

Early Wed 06/27 around 5:45 am as I was going down the stairs I saw from our living room window two deers treading their way slowly in the woods at our backyard. Still sleepy I got hold of my camera. Alas they were gone before I could even say "cheese". That would have been oh-some if I had the pic.

Fri 06/29 I called American Airlines to extend the stay of my parents from July 27 to Aug 19. I was just "reminded" that my Mom's birthday is on Aug 16 so might as well celebrate it here with us.

Highlight for the week is planting and more planting. W's been buying perennial plants to add to our landscape. Most of it at the back of the house. I also bought pavers and mulch at a bargain to line the lawn at the back. I'm posting these pics and hopefully next year if my blog is still active I'll have the "before and after" comparison. Pic at left is the work of W. That's a total of 34 plants or holes that she dug. Gardening is her form of exercise now. At right is a Japanese Maple whose trunk is bent. I told W it's a Japanese tree alright since they have this knack for shaping or altering, some say "deforming", the trees' trunk and branches to look unique. That seedling is a tad expensive though.

Week Past 06/18-06/24/07

2007-06-24T23:41:00.001-05:00

Another late entry. Sun 06/24 I got a call from my co-worker giving me a heads up that his wife might be due. We're not expecting it until last week of July or early August. Anyways, it's supposed to be my day off and we had the day planned with my parents. I realized that it's hard to really "enjoy" what you are supposed to be doing when you are "on call" or anticipating a call to go to work. I was a worrywart. We went to lunch after mass and blocked out the thoughts to relish the food. Then went to Lowe's to walk off the extra pounds gained and buy their discounted perennials that W saw. That's when the call came. My co-worker had to bring his wife to the hospital. I need to report for work to cover the remaining hours before we close. I rushed W to finalize what she wanted to buy and drop them off at home.
Before I closed shop my co-worker called to inform me that it was a false alarm. That's good as it won't be pre-mature and though it's inane it also solves my scheduling dilemma for the week. Coming back from work I had to help W transplant some of the plants we just bought lest they wilt.
Way to go to end the week.
On a side note, while we were parking at the church my Dad asked, "Is this a anticipated mass?" I was caught off guard. I said it's a Sunday and a morning at that. I hope it's just one of those instances where you just lose track of the day in a week. You're retired and basically your day would be much the same... I hope ...
That's the week past...

Week Past 06/11-06/17/07

2007-06-17T23:40:00.001-05:00

Wed 06/13 I miscalculated the amount of work needed to plant the perennial seedlings that W bought. I also thought there were only twelve seedlings. Turned out there were twenty six. Thinking it would be a breeze I volunteered (that was before I realized my numbers were wrong) to help when W decided to plant them as her exercise. We started around 4 pm. Break for dinner then I continued on 'til past 8. The reason it took us or me that long was the first holes that W dug was small so I still had to do some digging. When I asked her to make it bigger it was way a bit bigger. No comment on that. Since our soil is clayish I also had to amend it with manure and humus. Pic at left shows the seedlings planted near the rocks. Three in each rock. They are barely discernable. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll be able to take new pictures showing their growth and the change in the landscape. Pic at right is W's landscaping as I mentioned in my previous blog and below as seen from tne deck's stairs. She did additional improvements.

Wed 06/13 Sat 06/16 we went to check out the U of Mn Arboretum at Chanhassen. It's a beautiful place where you can take a trail and hike to explore the gardens or drive the 3-mile route with parking lots along the way so you can alight and check out the various types of flowers, trees, shrubs and also the birds. That's what we did since my parents can't take those long hikes anymore. A couple of steps here and there at every stop is good enough. Pics below shows some sites at the Arboretum with Dad, Mom and moi included.

Sun 06/17, I added two fruit trees in our backyard. We were told that for the cherry and plum trees to bear fruit it must be cross pollinated with another tree just like the apples. So Sat we bought another cherry and a Toka plum tree. I planted it Sun which turned out to be Father's Day. But we celebrated it day before knowing that on Sun restaurants would be full. We had brunch at Mystic Lake. It's the first time my parents went there. Dad enjoyed the prime rib. Pics below left shows the Toka plum. It's already tall and I think I need to prune it. Right is the EvanBali cherry. Looking at the pics it's like I'm just somewhere in one of the mountains in the Philippines especially with my attire. Yup, the shirt is what we call "camisa de chino" that our farmers usually wear. I brought that when I came here to MN way back 2000. This is what I usually wear when I work in the garden even way back at Farmington.

Week Past 06/04-06/10/07

2007-06-10T23:14:00.001-05:00

The day has finally arrived, Fri, 06/08, I picked up my parents at the airport around 5:30 pm. Took them home to drop off their bags and pick up W for dinner. Took them to King's Buffet for a Chinese buffet ... burp. Looking at them at their age (late 70s early 80s) I thank God that they are still lucid and can walk without any assistance although Mom has knee problem that slows her down.

W and her staff had their outing Sat, 06/09. The venue was same as last year's. This time I didn't go but took my parents instead to shop for their needs. The temps this week are high and a bit humid. It's good for my parents since they can't stand the cold temps. Summer is really here.

Our desktop computer just conked out last week. Ryan one of W's staff tried to recover the system to no avail. I'm grateful for his efforts and time spent trying to revive it. I need to buy another internal hard drive so we can access the existing one and recover our files. I also called my brother Jo for advise on the hard drive. Right now I'm doing this blog entry on W's laptop.

W's also been busy in the garden doing some plantings/landscaping of her own. So she did one corner plot as shown in the pic with a birdbath. It's still in progress.

Week Past 05/28-06/03/07

2007-06-03T23:03:00.001-05:00

Sat 06/02 was W's birthday. Her staff threw a party for her at home. I call that "sipsip":). A slang used in the Philippines equivalent to bootlicking. It was supposed to be a surprise? but they can't get a hold of me? to be an accomplice. So they had to inform W of their plans to make sure she'll be at home. They brought the food, drinks and the invites. It started at 3:00 pm 'til 10:00 pm. They also cleaned up afterwards. Our front door neighbor who, we didn't know, was also hosting a party had their guests park their vehicles a long ways off since we started early. Pics below would better describe the event. Some of the guests also took a walk in the park and posed for "Kodakan" moment. The lake in our backyard is designated as The Haas Lake Park.

Finally the birdhouse has an occupant. A friend of W gave her two birdhouse (for Wrens and Chickadees) as a gift when we moved to our new home. I put up the Wren's first about three weeks ago. Sat I noticed two birds busy flying back and forth from the woods to the birdhouse with what looked like dried twigs or grass in their beak. They were at it the whole morning busy building a nest inside the house. The birdhouse, last pic, becomes a birdhome.

Week Past 05/21-05/27/07 (Mow,Plant,1st Birthday)

2007-05-27T20:23:00.001-05:00

Wed 05/23 is the first time that I mowed the new sod in our new home. Finally. I just thought I'd mark this "first" day for a task that I would be doing again and again and again.

Fri 05/25 I got home from work early. After taking a short "power" nap (actually I fell asleep while watching TV) I thought of marking and digging the holes for the additional trees that we plan on buying. I enjoy working in our wooded backyard especially this early evening (except for those pesky MN mosquitoes: they're a special breed). You get lost in your thoughts. Except for my breathing I can hear the birds' chitter. Reminds me of Mt Banahaw. By the lake you hear the ducks squawking. Overhead you hear the wind coming like the sound of a distant wave when it rustles the leaves. You hear it from afar, the sound of rustling leaves. As it comes closer you look up and notice the leaves overhead starting to stir then the tree top sways as the wind passes overhead. The wave like sound on top of you. The breeze brushes you and its refreshing. And you thank Him for moments like these.

Sat 05/26 W and I went to Cal's Garden and bought three more fruit bearing trees: Pipestone Plum, EvanBali Cherry and Fireside Apple. I didn't realize that there's a lot of varieties. Especially the apples. I only know the ones that I see in the grocery stores like Red Delicious, Fuji and...and... I think that's it. I was glad I prep the holes so planting the trees was a cinch. We've planted a total of eight trees so far: four fruit bearing (I hope it bears fruit)and four shade trees (two oaks and two maples). Pics below shows the trees. It would be nice to see how they develop through the years with these pictures as reference. Top left is the maple tree and right is the red oak. Second row left- pin oak, right- evanbali cherry. Third row left- fireside apple, right- pipestone plum

Early evening Sat 05/26 after hearing mass at St Michael's in Farmington we attended a birthday party at Jay and Jovy's house. Their second child, Joshua, is one year old. They've put up their house in the market with plans of moving to Rosemount. They said the market is still slow so everything would depend on how soon they can sell their home. W and I we're really lucky that a friend decided to buy our house. It was a win-win situation. Though we did not get the desired price we still earned something from the sale and our friend got a good deal.

Week Past 05/14-05/20/07

2007-05-20T23:16:00.001-05:00

Wed night 05/16 I made a reservation on line for my parents' flight to MN from CA. It'll be the first time that they'll be seeing our new home since we moved here in Prior Lake from Farmington in October last year. Tickets:$864; gasoline, food and other incidental expenses:$$$$; reunion: Priceless. Their arrival date is Fri 06/08.

Sat 05/19 was Garage Sale day at the Wilds as authorized by the Wilds Homeowners Association from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm. Fri 05/18 was pre sale day so a number of homeowners started to display and sell their goods. Some of W's staff who are starting their "long term" assignment dropped by our home after work and checked out the sale especially for home furnishings. They were able to buy items at a bargain. But W just gave some of our things. Now that's what I call a steal... with the owner's consent. I even gave a spare bulb to Med's who got the lampstand.

Mon 05/14 is election day in the Philippines. Senatorial, congressional, governor, vice-gov, mayor, vice-mayor, councilor positions are all up for grabs. It's well and good that it's over and done. Politically motivated killings will now cease. The Philippine Daily Inquirer counted the tally at 147 deaths since the political campaign started 14 January. Deplorable. But its lamentable and insane that in the final phase of this electoral process a victim would be a dedicated teacher who was just performing her duty of safeguarding the ballots. Its not even part of her job description when she applied for the teaching position. Seeing the anguish of her 12 year old son in the front page of a paper as she was being buried just breaks your heart. What is going on in his young mind? I cannot understand why our polticians would bribe and even kill just to get elected to the office. Is it really worth it, the power, influence and pork barrel? Talk about the character of these people who are about to assume office if they are willing to go that extent. And we expect them to lead. Ironic and sad that as the only pre-dominantly Christian nation in Asia the kind of people we put into office to be our so called leaders worship mammon.

Week Past 05/07-05/13/07

2007-05-13T22:58:00.001-05:00

At The Pump

Tue 05/08 gasoline prices broke the $ 3.00 mark. Ouch. Thu 05/11 the price went up to $3.29. Aiieee. My pocket hurts. I saw on TV news the other day that in some states there are not a few people pawning their valuables for gas money. Unbelievable.

Mother's Day

Sun 05/13 was Mother's Day. It's a multi billion business. I read in the papers that people would be spending on average $135.00 for the event. Approximately 85% of the population would be celebrating the day. Total estimated expenditures: $ 1++B. The Philippines no doubt is fast catching on the commercialism. Father's Day is not as big an event, yet. Like last year, I called my Mom in LA after work. I caught them celebrating at a Thai restaurant with my bro-in-law Mervin and the rest of the family. They are part of the 85%. Last year when I called to greet her they were driving home from AZ.

Since I had to work W went to a get together at Rosemount to celebrate Mother's day. They are also part of the 85%. Were you?

The Garden

Lately I've noticed that when I get home from work when there' still light I always try to tend to the four trees that I planted . Check the condition of the lawn and plants and do "spot" watering. I find it relaxing to watch the trees and perennials I planted grow. Spring is really here and there are still many areas in our backyard to work on. The woods at the back have turned green again. It's nice but it's now starting to conceal the lake view.

Week Past 04/30-05/06/07

2007-05-06T22:18:00.002-05:00

House Blessing

Sat 05/05 or Cinco de Mayo we had our house blessed by Deacon Darryl. Three houses were actualy scheduled that day. First (11:30 am) was Ross and Axel's home. Then ours at 1:00 pm. The third house at 3:30 pm was Fred's and Ayesha's. We are all about 10 minutes drive from each other. We are very grateful that the Deacon was kind enough to accomodate all of us. It was a long day for him and his wife. I hope they did enjoyed the company. The Deacon even showed his singing prowess by doing a number on the magic mike before they finally got to go home.

The guests had to shuffle from one place to another. It was like a fiesta for them. The weather also cooperated. It rained mid morning then the sky cleared rest of the day.

We are also grateful for some of W's co worker who helped out in preparing the food and cleaning the dishes: Barry, Jen, Perl, Jason and other new faces whose names escapes me. Mea culpa.

The food. There's plenty of them. Days before, W would consult me on what and the amount of food to prepare. I would listen to her suggestions and give her my recommendations. But I know for a fact that none of it would happen. Once she's in the kitchen doing her work better clear out of the way. After giving food to take home to most of our guests I'm still looking at about a week or two of left over food to consume. Following day...

Sun 05/06 I drove W and Lucy to the airport for their flight to Chicago. Then went to work. Reality.

Pics below shows the Deacon leading the prayer to start the house blessing. Left pic (in color) some of the new faces in W's staff. Bottom pic (in B&W) the not so "new" staff. Most are now here for a long-term assignment. Bottom right pic are the "seasoned veterans"; l-r: Anna, W, Lucy and Linus.

Week Past 04/23-04/29/07

2007-04-29T23:07:00.002-05:00

Planting Week

I'd call this planting week. Wed 04/25 was my day off. It was also the day that our airconditioner was delivered and installed. So while the technicians were busy installing it at the side of the house I planted a maple tree in our backyard. I bought it Tue 04/24 at our store on my way home. It's called "Autumn Blaze" that turns red orange during autumn. I hope it survives. Sun 04/29 after mass and brunch at the Wilds W and I went to Cals Garden and Market. We ended up buying a "Sweet Sixteen Apple" tree, border plants and a bird bath. So I undertook another planting mission after catching a "power" nap. At my age one should comprehend the body's need to recharge especially if one must undertake "hard" labor:-) . I took pictures of the two trees (left is the maple and right the apple) and border plants (center pic) that I planted. Hoping that it survives it would be nice to have a "then" and "now" pictured chronicle. Sun 04/29 is also my Dad's birthday so I dedicate to him the apple tree that I planted Sun. He turned 82 in CA.

Bloody Day

Wed was also the day that I was again able to donate blood at a Red Cross drive at Burnsville's Good Shepherd Lutheran Church. This time my blood was kind of sluggish. Probably I lacked fluids since I just came from the gym. It took a bit longer to fill the blood bag compared to my last donation. I thought it would be aborted but the attendant just made some adjustments on the needle stuck in my arm. It would have been a waste of time and resources. Not to mention my "royal" :-) blood. It would be of no use.

Birthday atThe Old Neighborhood

Sat 04/28 was the birthday celebration of Lynette, Keith's better half. The couple who bought our house in Farmington. Walking around the house brings back memories. The hostas I planted are starting to sprout again. The bunch is thicker. So are some of the lillies. I remember while I was planting them late afternoon my uncle from TX called inviting me to move to their place. I told him we'll see. One thing I noticed about the lillies is that there are no rabbit nibbles. I hope those rabbits (they've multiplied remember?) didn't follow us to Prior Lake:+) Somehow I now feel a bit cramped after experiencing the woods and lake view at Prior Lake. Still it's our first home in the YuHesHey. It's filled with memories.

Week Past 04/16-04/22/07

2007-04-22T23:16:00.001-05:00

Tue 04/17 another year was added to my age. It's now a half century plus one. W and I celebrated it by having dinner at The Old Country Buffet. I was in the mood for a buffet. That was the closest from where we agreed to meet.

Sat 04/21 turned out to be a food binge. W's staff, Meds, dropped by at home and invited us for a brunch at Mystic Lake. It was her first time to try out the place. The place was not that busy for a Saturday. After brunch we were still able to do some garden work before going to church. After mass W and I went to Patio Town to check out their garden landscaping display. Since we were already at Hi-Way 13 in Burnsville, W mentioned that we were near the new Chinese reataurant, Ming Dragon, that her Chinese friend recommended. The place is not big but their food tastes good. You know it's a good Chinese restaurant if customers are predominantly Chinese. That was the case that Saturday. Chinese families, young and old, having dinner together. So we had for appetizer spicy pork intestine. It was not that spicy but good. The intestines were sliced into slivers mixed with cilantro and not too spicy sauce. Our entree was dried fried bass served with vegetables and marinade sauce. The skin was crispy and the meat soft. Spicy beef stew that was not on the menu but we saw the other table having it. Our curiosity got the best of us. The owner told us it'll be spicy since it's cooked Schezuan style. Our curiosity ascended another notch. We said go for it. Since rice is our main staple we had fried rice with salted fish. For this one, W and I agreed that Mandarin Kitchen's version is better. But for the rest of our orders they were good, The Spicy beef turned out to be between mild to really hot spicy. The beef itself is not hot but the soup is. You can see tiny red chili floating with other vegetables.

Ooops...

I can't help but take a picture of our weekly community paper and post it in my blog. The proof reader must be pulling his/her hair by now. Can you spot the clanger. To whom who erred: "It' s alright, it's okay, we still love you anyway." Nobody's perfect...but how could you :)

Week Past 04/09-04/15/07

2007-04-15T22:42:00.001-05:00

Tue 04/10 a winter storm warning was in effect until Wed 04/11. And I thought we were done with snow. Oh spring I thought you came. Where art thou? The good thing about this snow storm is the snow did not accumulate since the temp is above freezing. But early morning commute can still be hazardous since temps drop at night and early morning freezing those melting snow.

Thu 04/12 talk about multi tasking. On my way to work I noticed this lady driver on my left putting her make up on while driving. We were on a 40mph road and I know it's not like going 60 or 65mph but then again. She was using the vanity mirror on her sun visor. She was craning her neck and that's what caught my attention. I thought she was having problem looking through her windshield. Then I noticed she was doing something other than driving. I did not notice if she was wearing an earphone. That would be something else.

Fri 04/13 was Friday the 13th. The first of two this year. The second occuring on July. So what's all this hype about Friday the 13th being unlucky? Apparently according to this link a number of not so pleasant events occurred on a Friday with roman numeral 13 somehow getting involved in it. Such is fate for Friday the day and thirteen the number. You think if that lady driver, doing what she was doing, met an accident on a Fri the 13th its because it was Friday the 13th?

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