Earthquake

Who felt the earthquake that happened just a couple of minutes ago?

Going Deaf

It feels like this is being done directly above our bedroom!

Considering the size our apartment there isn't anywhere to hide. This has been going on for weeks since the owner decided to add rooms on the rooftop (now the 6th floor I guess). Thank God there are two floors between our place and the actual construction site. I'll go crazy if I lived on the 5th floor. Not everyone leaves the house for work you know!!! Argh! I hope they finish up all this construction really soon!!!

Image Source: Threadless

Help Has Arrived

These past couple of weeks have been really good for me. I never realized that things could turn around so fast for me. I know that in reality things have already been in the upswing for sometime but something in me was unable to fully appreciate the blessings in my life. It's so hard to explain and impossible for those who haven't gone through what I have to really grasp what I am saying but still I just want to share the fact that life really does not have to look impossibly bleak. There's always battles to be fought but it doesn't have to all be an uphill climb.

I guess all I really want to say (without going into details) is - GET HELP. It really does make a difference.

For me help has arrived and after two weeks of being a spoiled and pampered momma it's time to help myself again.

Thanks Mark. I will be strong again...someday. :p

It's a boy!

We are happy to announce the most recent addition to our family...Chub-Chub.

Chub-Chub is a dwarf hamster (Phodopus roborovskii). I have no cam (We really need one!!!) so i'm just going to post a pic of another roborovski that looks a lot like him.

Mark and I bought him Tuesday night as a gift to Sam. We were prepared to for Sam to snub Chub-Chub but was pleasantly (understatement) surprised when Sam got really excited. Unfortunately we really can't leave Sam alone near the cage because he keeps on hitting the cage really hard, which scares Chub-Chub. We can't let Chub-Chub out either until I find a hamster ball somewhere because he runs soooo fast and is really hard to catch. I'll be giving Chub-Chub until tomorrow to adjust to his new cage and will start taming him the next day. I am so happy about this. It feels like Sam has a little wiggly brother. Chub-Chub seems sad though so I'm asking Mark to go back to the pet shop tomorrow to buy Chub-Chub's brother. Yay!

I'm so happy we found the perfect pet for our family. ^_^

Walking in the Rain

I have always liked rainy days. It might simply be that in this country the rain provides respite from the heat but it might also be because the rain makes me feel a bit more at peace.

When we were kids my sister and I used to go out and play in the rain enjoying the moment despite the fact that we ended up shivering and almost unable to move much sometimes (at least I remember me shivering and feeling that way). Each time the sun started to peek out I felt both disappointment and relief since I knew I could go in and take a long hot shower...another thing I really loved.

The other day, when I wrote the post about being upset, I decided to take a long walk in the rain. I needed some exercise to get a healthy dose of endorphins and to get me started in my quest to get in shape. Donning on my new rubber shoes (which we got at half the price at Ali Mall ^_^...Don't you love introductory prices?) and this dry-fit shirt I bought a year ago (also on sale then...hehe) but was then too tight for me (yes I fit in it now! Yay!), I said bye to Sam and his yaya, who was scurrying to give me an umbrella. I pretended not to hear Gemalyn and went on my not-so-merry way.

Walking in the rain in this city proved to be a very interesting thing to do. Some of the reasons (I'm sure I'm bound to forget some of the interesting stuff I noticed then) why it was really interesting for me was....

1. People kept looking at me strangely - This guy, who was selling old umbrellas that were obviously stolen or at least scavenged , approached me but suddenly veered away when he realized that I was enjoying the rain. It seemed that some people were scared. I loved it.
2. People offered me an umbrella and jeepney drivers shouted at me to get off the rain and ride instead - This wouldn't have been so strange if they did this to everyone without umbrellas. The thing is, there were plenty of people with heads down scurrying to get out of the rain and nobody seemed to really notice them. I, on the other hand, who obviously was enjoying the rain, kept on being "helped" by people. It was nice but it would have been nicer if people noticed those who were actually in need and not just those who were doing something that was not the norm.
3. I broke a sweat from walking but didn't feel sticky - Really stupid for this to be interesting because the rain obviously washed away the sweat. It is still interesting for me though because I now know of another way to exercise (aside from swimming) and not be bothered about the heat and the sweat. I do not really like exercising and the sticky feeling (especially on a humid day) is one of the many factors why I feel that way.
4. I wasn't bothered by the air pollution - I started walking after it had already been raining for hours. It was great breathing in (though I still didn't take deep breaths) the air in EDSA and not feel all choked up with the smog.
5. There were less vagrants in EDSA - The rain really does keep people indoors. Even the beggars didn't like to get wet much and no one bothered me while it was raining hard. On my way back from Quezon Ave (yes I walked all the way there from out house) the rain had abated and the little kids were already out pestering me for coins and the doughnuts I bought for Gemalyn.

If you've never walked in the rain, you really must try it. Make sure you take a hot shower after though or you're guaranteed to get the sniffles. If you want a relaxing walk where you can meditate a bit or simply daydream I suggest you take a walk in LB or in UP Diliman. If you do want to see people weirded out by you though, EDSA or any other main street in the city would be a great place to do it. Make sure to look up and close your eyes with arms a little outstretched for maximum effect. ^_^

Oh...and this brings me to my next topic...Who wants to join me do something ala Improv Everywhere here in the Philippines. It should be fun! Leave a comment if you don't know my email or phone number and I'll get back to you. ^_^