at first light

SB left the windows open last night so the sound of heavy construction woke me up early in the morning.  I lay there next to him listening to his soft snores and watching the pulse on his neck.  I like watching him like this, finally still and peaceful.  I discover new things about him like how long his eyelashes are and how those laughter crinkles at his eyes don't go away anymore.  I also notice how well he rolls up in the sheets like a little sausage roll.  Since the weather is heating up and I don't really need the sheets I can think it is adorable.  And I do.

Love letters for Willie

Willie, I have 3 letters for you: 

BLT

(unfortunately, I don't mean the sandwich, honey.) 

Babayu. Layas. Tsupi.

Pwede rin: 

BLTB 

(unfortunately again, not the bus company either, sweetie.).
Babayu. Layas. Tsupi. Bilis! ;D

**Ang larawang idinikit ay kinulimbat mula sa yahoonews.com.   Ang sinumang nagmamayari ng naturang larawan ay mananatiling may-ari nito. Busisiin ang Patakaran para sa karagdagang impormasyon.

you might meddle with such hifalut'n foolishness, hey?

As a young boy Anthony Smith  dreamed of sailing a raft across the Atlantic.  At 85 years of age, he has finally achieved his childhood dream in 66 days and 2800 miles.
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/42467925/ns/world_news-americas/

This gives me hope that one day I will accomplish my own dream of launching balloons of water at my loud, drunk, always fighting neighbors with my custom built trebuchet.  It is not quite as lofty  a goal, but I imagine it to be thoroughly satisfying.

(source)

unreality

The movie Thor is coming out soon and there are a few critics who are unhappy with the casting of African-American actor Idris Elba as Heimdall.  Apparently they don't think a black man is the right choice to depict a Marvel comic book character of a Nordic god.  Riiight.

In case you are not a comic reader this is what Heimdall looks like:

Historically accurate I imagine, with no room for artistic interpretation or creative license whatsoever.  Let me add some other depictions of the MYTHICAL Heimdall for reference:

Now here is Elba's Heimdall, a fierce and vengeful god :

Even better, I will include Elba's response to the strict historians:
"It's so ridiculous. We have a man [Thor] who has a flying hammer and wears horns on his head. And yet me being an actor of African descent playing a Norse god is unbelievable? I mean, Cleopatra was played by Elizabeth Taylor, and Gandhi was played by Ben Kingsley." (emphasis mine) (source)

Game, set, match.

DFA for dummies

Si Kamote matapos pagkaguluhan ng mga bekimon sa DFA

Hindi pa naman expired ang passport ko, pero kinailangan kong magpa-appointment sa DFA (Department of Foreign Affairs) para ipa-update ang pangalan ko at para na rin i-apply ng passport si Kirov.  


Nadiskubre ko na may ilang makulit na pagbabago sa pagpoproseso ng passport ngayon.  Sa mga may balak mag-apply or mag-renew ng kanilang passport, narito ang pinakasariwang impormasyon at ilang walang kwentang tips tungkol sa nasabing proseso:

1)  Bagong new look - Mula noong March 8, ang passport services ng DFA ay nalipat na sa gwapong-gwapong building nila sa Bradco corner Macapagal Avenue sa Aseana Business Park, malapit sa MOA (Mall of Asia).  Nakaka-miss man ang nakasanayan na nating basketball court, pero ngayon ay totoong opisina na ang inyong daratnan doon kung saan makikita ang pinakabagong teknolohiya tulad ng fibre optic lines at electronic records system.  Pero, syempre, nandoon pa rin sila manong guard at ilan pang mga DFA personnel bilang palatandaan ng kadalasa'y baliktad na pagusad ng ekonomiya ng Pilipinas.  Narito ang mapa ng bago nilang opisina: DFA New Office Map.


2)  Bagong mga contact numbers - (02)737-1000, (02) 831-8971, (02) 551-4437, (02) 551-4402, (02)834-4855 and (02) 834-4424.  Tandaan na ang mga numerong nabanggit ay para lamang sa mga gustong mag-apply ng passport at hindi sa mga kailangan ng EB.  Kung hindi makontak ang mga nasabing numero, maari rin namang magpa-appointment via http://www.passport.com.ph/.  May bago silang patakaran na ang may mga confirmed appointments lang ang i-a-accommodate nila sa bagong facility.  Bawal ang escorts, nanay, tatay, kuya, ate, lolo, lola, tita, tito, yaya, driver, alalay, kapitbahay, bf, bff, ff o sinumang hindi naman mag-aaply o magrerenew ng passport, maliban na lang kung ang aplikante ay menor de edad, may kapansanan o sadya lang tanga.  

3)  Wag na magpa-FOTO ME - Isipin mo na lang na para kang pupunta sa isang pictorial o photoshoot ng FHM o Cosmo na may photographer na at po-pose ka na lang sa harap ng camera.  Yun nga lang, bawal ilabas ang maseselang bahagi ng katawan tulad ng ngipin lalo kung bulok, manilaw-nilaw o kulang-kulang.  Bawal din ang alahas at bangs kaya kung pasaway ang buhok mo, tadtarin mo na lang ng gel o basain ng baon mong "mineral" water para kumapit ng husto sa iyong anit.  Wag na wag gagamitan ng laway ang buhok.  Mangangamoy.

4) Maging handa para hindi maging kawawa - Bago mag-apply or magpa-renew, siguruhin munang kumpleto ang iyong mga papeles para hindi kung kelan nasa DFA ka na, saka ka magngangawa.  Para sa listahan ng mga requirements, basahin ng mabuti ito: Passport Application Requirements

5)  Isabay sa pagpaplano ng kasal ang pagplano ng pagkuha ng passport - Pinakamadali at pinakasigurado ang pagpapa-appointment online ngayon kesa mag-walk-in.  Ang kagandahan pa nito ay makakapili ka ng araw kung kailan mo gustong magtungo sa DFA.  Ang catch?  Sa dami ng aplikante, inaabot ng isa o dalawang buwan (o higit pa) bago makakuha ng libreng araw.  Para ka na ring nagpa-reserve sa simbahan o reception sa kasal, kaya isabay mo na  ring planuhin si passport, di ba.

6)  Padaliin ang buhay - Bisitahin lang ang site na ito: http://www.passport.com.ph/ at mag-fill-up ng online form para sa ePassport appointment system.   Yan na ring form na yan mismo ang gagamitin bilang application form na dadalhin sa DFA sa araw ng pag-aaply.  Makakatanggap ka ng email confirmation para sa iyong appointment at link sa accomplished application form na parehong kailangan mong i-print.  Ang dalawang papeles na ito ang unang hahanapin sa iyo ni manong guard sa pagpasok pa lang sa gate ng DFA kaya kalimutan mo na ang pustiso mo, wag lang ang dalawang ito.

7)  Iwasan ang DOTA, Facebook, Starbucks o gimik bago ang araw ng iyong appointment -  Ito ay upang makasiguro na nasa DFA ka na 30 minutes empunto bago ang scheduled appointment mo dahil ide-dedma to the world ka nila kung  late ka o di kaya ay sobrang aga.

8)  Tumulong sa pagpuksa sa mga mapagsamantalang kapitalista - Siguruhing may dalang black bolpen para hindi ka mapilitang bumili ng Bic ballpen sa presyo ng isang Parker pen (Well, in-exaggerate ko lang ng konti so you get the picture) sa mga buwayang naka-abang sa tatanga-tangang mga aplikante na kanilang mabibiktima.

And last but not the least,

9)  Wag patanga-tanga -  May kasabihan po tayo na "Ang kalabasa ay pampalinaw ng mata, ngunit sa duling ay wala nang pagasa."  Kung hindi marunong magbasa, gamitin ang bibig at tenga.  Kung walang bibig at tenga, gamitin ang pera.  "Money talks", ika nga.  At kung wala namang pera, para saan pa ang passport mo bakla?  ;D

good times, good friends, good grief

It has taken a week but I have survived the end of most of my rugby season.  For me it all hit the apex last weekend when I tucked away my playing kit and went into full fledged supporter gear.  The US women's team flew in for the HK women's sevens which I took time from work to attend.  It was my first time seeing them in action here because they didn't attend for the last couple of years.  A couple of the women from the world cup 15's play for the sevens team and there a a few old timers that are my age although they don't look like me.  These women are fit!  I have seen one of the ladies on the national scene for what may now be a decade and she is still one of the fastest runners and hardest tacklers on the pitch.

The women suffer from the misfortune of limited funding and support.  They had only trained together once in the past four months which may have hurt them in their match against Canada, who they had beat in Vegas, but this time Canada took a convincing victory and went on the win the tournament.  I was very sad about this having lost my own domestic grand final in double overtime. It would have been nice to see my team win everything but seeing them at all made me happy.  I find that I miss fellow Americans the most when it comes to sports.  Three seasons later I still struggle with the way my HK teammates think it is perfectly normal to scream at each other and engage in nasty behavior toward the opposition.  Off the pitch they are a warm and close knit group of friends but on the pitch is another story.  I believe I am just as competitive but I just don't feel the need to make enemies with all the other teams when beating them is plenty good.  It was nice to spend time with a group of elite athletes who support each other in a positive way.

 

The ladies get into the spirit.

 BTW she caught that ball and managed to pass it

Sino si Ser?

Madami ang nagtatanong kung sino daw ba itong si Ser a.k.a. Hun na madalas kong banggitin sa mga posts ko.  Well, handa na ba kayong malaman?

Yan si Ser.

Ang kagalang-galang kong asawa

na hindi ko ipagpapalit sa kahit anumang yaman o karangyaan sa mundo.

Bihira kaya ang ganyang mukha.

Endangered species, ika nga.

Lalo pa ngayon uso ang takutan tungkol sa end of the world,

dapat lang alagaan ang mga katulad nyang nilalang.

Ako na ang mag-uumpisa.

At sisimulan ko ito kay Ser.

Labyu, Ser. ;D