1941-2007

Last December 23, my uncle finally went to rest. After struggling with liver cancer for almost a year and a half, he finally had his last breath.
Last year, I remember my cousin bringing him to China for some herbal medicine to prolong his life since according to the doctor, no matter how much chemo my uncle takes, his life will not extend anymore. The herbal medicine let him live for another 6 months since the doctors only gave him 3 months to live but then he was still able to extend his life to almost a year after taking the herbal medicine...

I wonder how it feels to die. That uncle of mine was a big man, stands more than 6feet and weighs more than 200pounds... The last time I saw him was 3 months ago more or less, he was still very alive, not thin and still talks happily, though he gets tired easily.

I haven't visited him yet in the wake, maybe I will, but mostly I won't.

I pity him because he didn't know he had cancer. We hide it from him so that he would be able to enjoy his life to the fullest. We thought that if he knew he had cancer and was dying, he would be spending the rest of the time left mourning and depressed, so we didn't tell him anymore...

He was 66, too young to die. My dad's almost the same age as him, but my dad's still alive and kicking, not to mention that he can still drive and go to work, plus have a little fun with his friends at night before going home.

My uncle was not a heavy drinker to suffer from liver cancer. But instead, he got liver cancer from the medicines he takes after having a bypass surgery in the heart 20 years ago. He's taking almost 20 tablets daily to support his heart. Sad thing: the thing that's letting him live is also the thing that let him die...

christmas = money & work

Christmas could only mean one thing for me
MONEY and WORK
simple reason, it's only during christmas that I get to work so hard that I barely get to sleep. With the line of business that I'm having, one can easily imagine how toy business is running during holiday seasons.
hopefully holiday season is ending soon Ü

Deprivation issues?

My gf hates my ex-wife so much because she saw what my ex-wife did to me hahaha! My body's filled with remembrances from her, the tiny pinches became scarrs, and the cuts I got turned into keloids (she throws kitchen knives at me before when I go home past 8PM no matter what the reason is, may it be traffic, overtime etc.)

The worst part, I'm earning so much and yet she's only giving me P100 everyday for transport fare, breakfast, lunch and merienda...Sad thing I can't make kupit of my salary so that I could eat better...She doesn't even provide me with a car and so I have to take bus and then jeepney in going to work and vice versa because she fears I might use the car for porma on other girls, lame reason yet I was too stupid to just accept it.
I weigh 180lbs before she started depriving me, in the span of 2 years, I became 105lbs. Too underweight for a person like me who stands 5'7.

With P100/day, I can only afford eating instant noodles for lunch and pandesal for breakfast and merienda. Bus fare costs P18 from Ortigas to Lawton, then I would take a jeep from Lawton to Divisoria which costs P7.50. In a day, my transport fee alone already costs P51. Only P49 left for my entire day. With P49, I buy 5pcs pandesal for breakfast which costs P5, I bring my own coffee which I put in a stainless jug. P44 left. I buy Pancit Canton for lunch, 2 packs to fill my stomach, each pack costs P5, so 2 is P10. I have a little kitchen in the office so I just need to cook it there. P34 left. I buy something heavy for merienda, like pandesal with cheese since I'm not really sure if I can still eat when I get home (I'll tell you why later), I eat about 3 pcs of pandesal with cheese, 3pcs for P10... P24 left...That's my savings everyday, though I cannot really call it savings since I use it to buy my needs...I only get to save P120 in a week... good enough for grocery stuffs...and a good toothbrush would already costs my entire savings for the week...

I'm not dreaming of buying a cellphone anymore, I was using a Sendo back then, I don't know if people are familiar with that...It's like only I have that kind of phone...
It's still with me, though the charger's already broken, the unit is still good...

I leave work around 6PM in fear that traffic would take me hours and my wife would throw knives at me when I get home later than 8PM. Luckily, I usually arrive home no later than 7:30PM. However, sad thing is, my dinner would most of the time be my wife's nag & shout. I would be lucky if I get to have dinner twice a month...even if the viand would be corned beef and pork and beans, I really appreciate it, coz that's what my wife can afford to cook...or rather to microwave lolz Ü

I play with my child when I get home, even when I feel so weak due to hunger that I can feel myself shaking when I throw my child in the air...
After that, I take a shower and go to sleep at 9PM.

I wake up at 4:30AM, leaving home by 5AM. By 6AM I'm already working and waiting for other workers to arrive...everyday is just a plain routine for me...and it went on for half year or so...until I met someone who changed my life...

why nag?

I don't really understand why my ex-wife is still pesting me up to now when in fact she can choose not to even see nor talk to me forever...
Before I was typing this blog, I was talking with my youngest brother who have a very naughty yet creative mind. He told me that maybe my ex-wife is still in love with me hahaha! So anyway, we cross that possibility out. On second thought, even if she is still in love with me, I will NEVER get back with her again. Living with her for 4 years was a complete hell life. For the last 2 years of our marriage, I was suffering so much that deprivation was not even a term to call it. Though I must admit that our first 2 years of marriage was sweet and uncomparable...

I told my brother that maybe my ex-wife feels that I'm too kind for her to shout and nag at. I don't like the way she talks, even when she's not shouting...It makes me feel like she's doubting me on something I don't even know...

The girl I married and the ex-wife I know right now is not the same anymore.
The girl I married doesn't smoke, drinks occasionally, talks softly, doesn't curse, doesn't hurt and don't nag.
The ex-wife I know now smokes a lot, drinks a lot (would you imagine we had dinner at Gerry's Grill the other night, she ordered beer tower and finished it all alone?!and she's 6 months pregnant!), talks like shouting, cursing is like a habit, hurts me with pinches and punches, and nags all the time!

My son taught me a lesson

Ok, so last night, after work, I decided to take the kids out for dinner.
Then, something unexpected happened. My ex-wife followed us. Apparently, my ex-wife had a talk on the phone with my son and my son had told her where we're going... To cut things short, my ex-wife was with us last night...

We went to Mall Of Asia... Then, while walking, there was this lady (on her 40's I guess) who was walking briskly, then, she slipped and fell into the floor. So, at first I looked if the woman was okay, I was about 5 meters away from the woman. Then, after looking at her for about 5 seconds, I told myself that I should help her because she's still on the floor, perhaps looking for help. So, I pulled my son whom I was holding and we approached the lady. I kneeled down a bit and gave my hand to the lady so that she would stand up with the support of my hand. To my dismay, the woman shrugged off my hand pushing it away. At that time, I felt embarassed, I was just being courteous and yet she just rejected it (the heck!). But then, I just held my son's hand and we walked away without looking back...

While walking towards them, (my ex-wife together with my daughter and the nannies who were just staring at us) my son asked me what did I do. I told him that I was trying to help the woman but she doesn't want my help. Then, my son told me,"why are there so many foolish people papa? They are so proud of themselves that when they fell on the floor, they don't even want others to help them." My son has a point, maybe next time, I should just be an usisero like what most of the people do when something or someone is suffering from something, instead of helping them...

Then, my ex-wife, who is such a pessimist, laughed at what I did. She said something like I was making papogi yet it seems the girl doesn't like me. THE HELL! I did it without any intention like that! Besides, the woman looked much much older than me! I really hate my ex-wife, I have no regrets that we separated, honestly. She doubts everything about me...when in fact she was the one who cheated that's why we broke up

personal profile? hmm...

alot of people always ask me if what do I do for a living, because it seems that I'm living an extravagant life. IT SEEMS! hahaha! I just tell them I am self employed, coz that's the truth. I import toys from China then distribute it to Divisoria and everywhere else in the country. I have warehouses to store toys since I have 6 containers every night during Decembers and 2 containers on normal days. My income is not really steady since its a win or lose game, its a gamble...

Just like last year, I lost 70M due to mismanagement, oh I really hate it, to think that it was Christmas season and I was feeling that way. Good thing I was able to catch up right away because of Christmas shopping rush Ü

so, estimation of how much does a self employed person like me earn annually? Let's just say, I can buy 30 BMW 7Li series... just canvas how much an 7Li series costs and you'll know. Hint: 7 digit, approximately around the lucky number hahaha!

my work time isn't really steady since I don't have a permanent time for work... sometimes I don't have work for a week, but that rarely happens LOL, sometimes I work the entire week wherein I only go home to take a shower, so it really depends...

my kids are getting tampo these days coz I've really been so busy due to xmas season, I just told them to be more understanding and I'll try to bawi after New Year, maybe bring them somewhere or shop somewhere, MAYBE! hehehe...

It's nice to see how little kids grow, would you imagine this was my little boy before, he was 4 months old I think. And my ex-wife always tell me that our little boy looks like a dwarf haha! He used to be so ugly, nobody noticed him whenever we would take him out. Then, months passed by, his looks changed. We took him to have some photo shots, he looked better than before, he was 9 months old. It was hard to let him pose and smile because he was such a cry baby hahaha! It took us almost 2 hours for him to have a good shot...

Good thing his looks evolved. In fact, he looks like a binata now even if he's only 4 years old hehehe! The heck, he looks like me no doubt, and my wife tells me our son looks like a dwarf, so it's like she's also telling me I look like a dwarf hahaha!

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it's almost Christmas

I can feel the spirit of Christmas. But unlike before, Christmas season has changed alot from what I used to have when I was a child...
I remember when I was a child, my dad would bring us siblings to Cubao to watch Christmas lights, he would even carry me in his shoulder because I'm the youngest and I was so small then, around 5 years old hahaha! Oh how I miss the old days...

I'm thinking of bringing the kids somewhere this Christmas, or maybe just celebrating it plainly at home wouldn't be so bad, just a little boring hehe...

Chinatown Ongpin

I've been lsiving in Chinatown for almost 2 decades now. Not to mention that I have memorized every single store located along the vicinity, but morpeso of how things have evolved in it...
The one thing that has not changed since I came to live here was Masuki, sinpce the 1980s up to now, the ambience is still the same. Not to mention their waiters too! Their waiters have been working there for more than 2 decades now, that's what they told me...
ho
Hmm... Shopper's Mart...Chinatown's biggest grocery...Before, they used to rent the place. But now, they were able to buy the whole building where the groery is located...and a little tidbit, the family of the son of the owner died during the Tsunami in Thailand...

Bee Tin Grocery, I LOVE THIS STORE SO MUCH! Only this store in Chinatown offers great Champoys and peanuts! I admire the owner, how he loves her wife so much (their both in thier 70s now I guess) and how he was able to manage their used to be little grocery store into a big one. Plus, there were able to buy the whole building of where their grocery is located...and buy houses and lots in Greenhills...Ü

Anson's appliance shop isn't very noticeable in Ongpin. But, if I'm not mistaken, the owner is indeed a no read no write person who strived his best to success. He must be very rich to be able to build branches in Makati and Ortigas (across Podium)...not bad...

These are just some of the things that I love in Ongpin. But, if there are likes, there are also dislikes...I hate copycat stores who steal other's name just to be popular...
Eng Bee Tin, I hate how they tried to copy Bee Tin Grocery's name just to be popular right away. A lot of people mistake them to be of the same owner.
Eng Bee Tin must be the worst shop in Ongpin based on my experience, they act so corteous in giving Tikoys during chinese new year, and luckily I was one of them who got it for free. So my friends who were also able to get and I were so thankful to them. Later, when I got home, my mom told me that the Tikoy is already spoiled! So I tried texting my friend if hers was also spoiled, she said her dad told her that too! And our other friends also encountered the same! So, it is not by accident that the Tikoy got spoiled coz all of our Tikoys were already spoiled even before it was cooked! And, a little tidbit too, their hopia can last for up to a month, what the fuck! They must be adding formalin to preserve it hahaha! An original hopia would spoil in less than 5 days.
I know that this revelation would shock a lot of Filipinos but, no Chinese are buying hopias and tikoys in Eng Bee Tin because they doubt on the ingredients plus the price! Their hopias and tikoys are much more expensive compared to others. For example, a normal hopia costs P20, they sell it for P35. A small tikoy costs P25, they sell it for P35. see the difference?
Only Filipinos buy there because that's the only store they know because only Eng Bee Tin advertises on television... poor them =(

so sick

I've been so tired lately. Working 14 hours everyday just doesn't feel right. But what can I do, I only have December to rely on, my business is at boom only during Christmas, so whether I'm suffering or not, I need to do it painstakingly...I just feel oh so sick, having a fever and a bad diarrhea and still going to work...aw...

LBM because of Golden Fortune

I woke up around 3AM today due to tummy ache. Right before I knew it, I was having diarrhea. At first I thought I just over ate since we had late dinner at Golden Fortune last night but, it just doesn't feel that right. I tried to puke but nothing came out, so I tried to sit on the toilet bowl for a while to see if I can poo poo, and there it goes, I was peeing shit! I feel sick! I was so sleepy but I can't sleep because of tummy ache...Finally around 5AM I was able to sleep...
I woke up around 8AM this morning. I took a shower in an instant thinking that I was back to normal and that I would be going to work by 9. But, after having breakfast, I felt my stomach crumbling again, then it hurt so much that I took a poo poo again, again, another pee of shit. So I decided to just stay at home the whole day to avoid having 'accidents'.

I felt asleep around 10AM...I don't know why despite the fact that I had just woke up and even took a shower, I still feel sleepy... Then, I woke up around 1PM to have lunch...I was having fever, my eyes were all red, I looked like a monster hahaha! So, I took 1 tab of Biogesic and went back to sleep... good thing when I woke up around 5PM, my fever was gone but I was all sweat!

I thought I was going to have dengue, good thing my fever went away quickly... I just hate the fact that I still have LBM ugh... I love Golden Fortune, but I wouldn't suffer from LBM if it's not because of them, partly it is my fault too because it was me who went there to eat, but it is more of their fault because they should serve good food...right?
Plus, Golden Fortune doesn't have a direct water pump from NAWASA or anywhere, they just get it through a tank or something from somewhere else, so we can't really rely on their water's cleanliness. And their service is quite bad, very slow and they forget it most of the time, you will need to follow your order up several times... I've been there more than 10x because my shop closes at 9PM and that's the closest place to me, plus they give 50% discounts during 9PM onwards daily...and a buy 3 take 1 promo on Tsing Tao beer...their food is good especially the hotpot, but just like what happened to me, I doubt if I'm still going back again...

a few days from now I will try to post something different from the recent posts. I will try to post something that's worth reading for, and not something that I just want to blabber...

I'm just too busy right now, I work 14 hours a day... having to wake up at 6AM and be at work by 7AM, then going home by 9PM, it really hurts my back badly...


On the other hand, I really need someone (an architect or engineer) to check on my floor in the living room. I was sitting by the sofa awhile ago, then I thought that there's an earthquake coz the sofa's shaking... then it stopped, then shaked, stopped, shaked, until I realized that when my dog passes through, the floor shakes...I tried knocking on the floor, shit it's very hallow! Like there's only the tiles left and no cement! And the space of hallowed is quite big, about 4 giant steps of 2 meters...I'm going to have it checked when I have the time, maybe next month... besides, before I have i checked, I might go to our neighbor downstairs first and see if they installed something in their ceiling to cause our floor to be hallowed...we're in the 4th floor, so I guess that makes me worry more...

Reminiscin' my younger days

I miss my younger days when my brother and I used to go fishing at Pasig River (now you can imagine how old am I, Pasig River wasn't even that dirty before!), even though there aren't any fish! hahaha!

I miss the days when my brother and I will wait for our grandmother to sleep and we'll sneak out together with our neighbor. Then our neighbor will drove his dad's car, and we'll go roadtripping all the way from Antipolo to Alabang, I can still remember Zapote Road still looks like a forest before... I was in elementary then, around 12 to 13 years old, that was in the 70's...

I kept on laughing whenever I would remember our younger days especially those that seem to be 'unique' ones. Poor kids for this generation for they never experienced to climb on acacia trees, fishing in Pasig River, watching movies at Avenida, and oh how I love to shop with my dad at Avenida when I was young... so sad that those stuffs are only remembered through memories