Tale of Two Guys - July 20, 2009 SMS conversation

Robert: ano gawa mo? so boring…

Robert: ako < --- emo sa barko.

Herman: bakit ka emo?

Robert: babe honestly, di ko pinagplanuhan na maging tayo. all i want is to be single para mas mabuti ko maayos buhay ko. but i hope we work this out…

Herman: I realy hope we could work this out. Sna wag ka mag give up. Huhu.

Robert: :-(

Herman: Huhu. That seems like theres a possibility ur gona give up on us ah.

Herman: Kausap ko nga un frnd ko asking for advice… Sabi nya wag mag give up. At least daw masasabing ive tried and did my best to work thngs out. Nalulungkot ako dun sa huli mong sinabi :-(

Herman: Nalulungkot ako kc m doing my best 2 better my self and make thngs better… tapos ikaw maggiveup ka lang. Nakaklungkot isipin yung ganun.

Robert: iniisip ko nga parang unfair ako e. :-( nalulungkot ako kac kaw ung tipong tao who dont dserve to be hurt.

Herman: M reading ur old txt. U said: babe, i miss u so much… ur smart, ur goodlookin, u got a hot bod, ur funny, ur sweet… am so lucky to have you… am scared coz now am really falling in love. i hope you wont break my heart, coz u knw ill nvr break yours! tc :-)

Robert: minsan naiisip ko we just met at d wrong time… :-(

Herman: There’s no other time. We were bound to meet when we met. Thnk of happy thots. I misd the way u used to check on me, say u miss me and how u always remind me n words that u love me.

Robert: :-(

Herman: Ang ironic, kc m doin all i can to assure u of my love… ikaw naman u wnt a single persons life, w/c makes me insecure. Hay… theres no perfect relationship naman. Irs always a 2way street and team effort. Stil, m hoping for d best.

Robert: feeling ko i need time to love myself and be selfish. sa tingin ko kac ive been to consecutive relationships, and am jst wanting time for myself. anyway, kahit ganon am still glad u r thre 4 me.

Herman: That’s a gud way to start loving urself. Bt don’t be too selfish ha? Question lang… So san ako lulugar in all of that?

Herman: Does that mean naka time deposite na ako?

Herman: feeling ko i need time to love myself and be selfish. – kung sakaling ganito nga? Wud it still mean na love mpa din ako? San ako dapat lumugar?

Robert: lets jst work this out. jst gve me enuf breathing space. :-)

Robert: Ok. Fair enough (smiley). Asahan ko yan ha?

Robert: yung gusto ko lang alam mo pinapasok mo kasi ayoko darating yung araw magtanim ka ng galit sakin in case mahurt kita.

Herman: I knw what m getting my self into. Bt don’t make it sound like thats a license 4u to hurt me.

Robert: i have no ryt to hurt u in anyway. we’re both jst as vulnerable to get hurt.

Herman: Thanx. That’s an assurance.

Quotes from Lemony Snicket's "Series of Unfortunate Events"

Sanctuary... is a word which here means a small, safe place in a troubling world. Like an oasis in a vast desert or an island in a stormy sea. (found @ 2:11 on the video below)

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[first lines]
Lemony Snicket: [the Littlest Elf has just come to an abrupt halt] I'm sorry to say that this is not the movie you will be watching. The movie you are about to see is extremely unpleasant. If you wish to see a film about a happy little elf, I'm sure there is still plenty of seating in theatre number two. However, if you like stories about clever and reasonably attractive orphans, suspicious fires, carnivorous leeches, Italian food and secret organizations, then stay, as I retrace each and every one of the Baudelaire children's woeful steps. My name is Lemony Snicket, and it is my sad duty to document this tale.





[last lines]
Lemony Snicket: Dear reader, there are people in the world who know no misery and woe. And they take comfort in cheerful films about twittering birds and giggling elves. There are people who know that there's always a mystery to be solved. And they take comfort in researching and writing down any important evidence. But this story is not about such people. This story is about the Baudelaires. And they are the sort of people who know that there's always something. Something to invent, something to read, something to bite, and something to do, to make a sanctuary, no matter how small. And for this reason, I am happy to say, the Baudelaires were very fortunate indeed.


Source: Internet Movie Data Base

Tale of two guys - Conversation over SMS

HERMAN: (5:04 am) L hav a long day 2day and a cmfortble shrt wud b perfect. That red shrt feels very cmfortable 4me,tapos ayaw mo ipahram. Now m wearing a shrt not so comfortable and L b wearing ths the rest of the day.

ROBERT: (4:59) bahala ka mabadtrip. U don’t trust me.

HERMAN: (5:08 am) I trust u babes. Mejo nagmamadali lang ako. Pasensya na. I Love u. (smiley)

ROBERT: (5:03 am) ok. take care. honestly you won’t feel comfortable in that shirt. 1. its Kevin’s fave. i feel nega wearing it at impt situations. 2. its not cotton, mainit. 3. may amoy sya kahit konting mapawisan ka. so sorry. sometimes u jst hve to trust me.

ROBERT: 5:05 am) i hope there will come a day i wont have to explain everything so much (coz i know I have the right not to) w/o making u mad. u just have to trust me.

HERMAN: (5:19 am) I trust u. I dont know lots of stif like thngs frm d past that m nt part of, like the history of that shrt so u hav 2 let me knw. Let me knw once and L remember it for gud. Dnt wory, i remember all our shared experiences so time wil come na u dnt hav to explain to me. I love u babes.

ROBERT: (5:06 am) take care. ok? i care for you.

HERMAN: (5:22 am) Thanx.

ROBERT: (5:13 am) ok. good luck.

ROBERT: (5:34 am) we need to keep distant from each other if we want us to make it thru. pls. i hope you remember that i made it clear to u why I moved out of my old place and started anew.

HERMAN: (5:46 am) I remember clearly. I was just n a hury kanina. What d u exactly mean by “distant”?

ROBERT: (5:40 am) basta “space”. honestly this has nothing to do with you kanina. i am suppose to txt you that yesterday. i remembered to to txt it to u jst nw.

HERMAN: (5:49 am) Space… sure. (smiley)

HERMAN: (5:51 am) Basta u promise 2 make gud use of that space to over come some of d issues na kontrolado mo. M at the gallery na. start of my long day na. Haay… I love u.

ROBERT: (5:45 am) ok. thanks. pero I think that will involve u not staying at “our” place…cge sorry to bother u. i hope i am not giving you a hard time.

HERMAN: (5:53 am) Ur asking me to move out?

HERMAN: (5:55 am) when you go home to the province, isn’t that more than enough space?

ROBERT: (5:49 am) i guess not. im sorry I have to put you thru all this mess. i just need a sanctuary. away from my family. Away from anyone else.

HERMAN: (5:58 am) Are u asking me to move out? Pano set up natin, like meeting and stuff?

HERMAN: (6:00 am – me calling you via land line) Pls answer d phone. I need 2 at least resolve ths and nt think of it the whole day.

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(had an intense discussion over the phone)

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HERMAN: (6:21 am) I feel guilty, i feel bad. Wla pko gnagawa i feel tired already. I feel fuckd up and low. M sorry hindi ako mkapagisip ng matino ds morning. Mahal kita and thats an assurance. L do whatever makes u happy.

ROBERT: (6:13) stop sounding like a victim coz apparently u also have a part in this.

ROBERT: (6:15 am) alam mo if ur a victim, u r ur own murderer.

HERMAN: (6:23 am) I wnt to make thngs better. Pls let me knw what will make u feel ok.

ROBERT: (6:19am) nothing i know of. jst move on w/ ur day. Resume. and stop making excuses for urself. Not your fault, ok? stop also sounding like a victim coz it irritates me. if ur strong, learn to control and manage urself. take care. sorry for the bother.

ROBERT: (6:22am) Naiinis lang ako kasi mahusay ka in making me look bad. but apparently that just aggravate things. i may have problems w/ my life, but am not evil. i do not intend to hurt anybody.

HERMAN: (6:35 am) I don’t try 2 make u luk bad nor luk like the victim. I would understand y ud see it that way. Sory kung may nasabi akong hindi mo nagustuhan I jx say thngs based on how i see and feel. F mali ako just let me knw. I want to make things better, no pretence, all sincerity.

HERMAN: (6:36) Nainis ako sa sarili ko.Im in such a hury naiwan ko yung fliers.

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(1 missed call)

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ROBERT: (6:32 am) san ka pinakamalapit anytime? Ihatid ko jan.

ROBERT: (6:35 am) malakas ulan dito. jst tel me wher to drop ur thing off so u wont waste gas and time.

ROBERT: (6:43 am) sobrang lakas ulan dito. huwag ka na umuwi. Jst tell me where is the nearest point I can drop it off.

HERMAN: (6:51 am) Sorry i missed ur call. Super lakas dn ulan d2. Ok lng, pwede pa naman cguro ihabol bkas un flier. Dnt wory about it.

HERMAN: (6:56) Babes, sorry i upset u ths morning. I knw u dnt need me pero i trust you and believe that u love me. And for that, I am sincerely happy. Sna alam mo din na mahal kita. Pasensya na, hati kc un isip ko ths morning kc nga daming gagawin today.

ROBERT: (6:51 am) focus on your job.

HERMAN: (7:36 am) Babes, whats my assurance na pnapamove out mo lang ako, at hindi gusto mo makipaghiwalay sa akin? Kc ang fear ko s not moving out but takot ako nab aka gusto mo na akong hiwalayan.

HERMAN: (7:45 am) I Love You.

HERMAN: (7:56 am) Babes, i want u to knw that i love u. I feel like an idiot for not understanding ur needs. All I ever wanted s for you to be happy. I love you very much.

Lessons learned

It wasn’t an accident (I guess). I broke my laptop LCD last night. Ironically, I did not feel remorseful about it… I was just worried that I have my entire work file in it and I might not be able to access them unless I have the monitor replaced, and that would cost money.

I was supposed to feel bad about the damage my gadget incurred, but for some unexplainable reason, the incident made me become calm and quiet. Different from how I used to be. I think it’s a good thing… For me, it’s a lesson learned. I am grateful.

I felt in control while containing all my emotions within me, but by doing so I was being drained with all my physical energy. It’s amazing how brain and emotional work drain the energy out of us. I felt sleepy and tired and hateful of my self. But I understood where I was wrong and where I needed to fix my self. I realized that what he said, at a certain point, was right. It is indeed a vicious cycle, it’s tiring and I have to make it stop… make it better.

He sat by the stairs, I think he’s looking at me, I am not sure but I can felt he was. His mere presence is a comforting proof that he is there, that he cared. Tired but caring.

I am note sure if I am making sense of what I said here. This might not mean anything to you as a reader but it definitely meant a lot to me.

I woke up today feeling reverent. I know things will be better after today.

My laptop got fixed for 10K. I am not sure if I have enough to get me through until next cut-off. Nevertheless with all the lessons I learned from this adventure, I am definite that I will be able to get through life the farthest possible distance.

I had my gadget fixed. Next step is to fix my self.

P.S.

While driving to the service center, I was contemplating on this poem:

"DON'T QUIT"
Author Unknown

When things go wrong, as they sometimes will.
When the road you're trudging seems all up hill,
When the funds are low, and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest if you must, but don't you quit.

Life is queer with the twists and turns,
As everyone of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out:
Don't give up through the pace seems slow.
You may succeed with another blow.

Success is failure turned inside out,
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far;
So stick to the fight when you're hardest hit,
It's when things seem worse,
That you must not quit.

An encounter with a corrupt traffic officer

A friend and I were on our way home to QC from Cavite last June 28, 2009. We took Macapagal Ave. The light turned red at the MOA-EDSA extension intersection, we made a full stop.

We were at halt for a good 3 minutes when an ambulance with its siren screaming at everyone and lights flashing approached and stopped behind him. It could be an emergency, he thought. But the big traffic sign on his right side says… “No Right Turn On Red Light”. But what if there’s a dying person in side the ambulance? Or someone somewhere needs to be rushed to the Hospital?

Choosing the best option, my friend turned right while the red light is on to let the ambulance pass and decided to just continue driving. No sense stopping at the corner after making that turn.

Then from afar, a person uniformed in an orange shirt started flashing a flash light (more like a pen light). Another guy even walked in the middle of the road attempting to stop my friend. My friend continued driving and eventually stopped at a distance with the traffic enforcer asking for his licence.

At 8:02 pm, this conversation took place.

(NOTE: to play recording click "MUSIC" icon)

The traffic enforcer, who refused to give his name, obviously knows that what my friend did is excusable but nevertheless would still like to reprimand my friend with a violation ticket. Sensing that my friend knows his right as a motorist, the traffic enforcer opted to lower down his violation to “not wearing seat a belt” (which is the most idiotic thing since all throughout the conversation I and my friend were wearing our safety belts).

Another appalling thing was, the police office was talking about the commission they get from the fine people pay whenever they commit a violation. He was trying to ask us to pay the violation (which is not even valid) so that he can get it percentage.

To test the officer’s credibility, my fried half-heartedly agreed to give him money instead of a ticket. The fowl character officer accepted the money and returned my friend’s licence.This traffic enforcer is one of the most idiotic person I’ve met, the most unreasonable and dishonest.

Why does our Government hire this kind of people to do our traffic management? I don’t know how to express my extreme disappointment toward that corrupt traffic officer and how inefficient our government is training them. Are they being paid unjustly, so low that they have to resort to extortion?

After the draining discussion, with one of the most depressed looking, narrow minder, corrupt traffic enforcer (I can’t believe this is the kind of person out government hire as a traffic enforcer), my friend, equipped with logic and a clear cell phone recording of what transpired, decide to take the extra mile to file a report against the officer. He made a U turn and went to look for the traffic officer’s headquarters. He also reported the situation to trapik.com.

It pays to know the traffic rules but it’s a bummer to have imbeciles working as traffic officers. I am not generalizing but this sort situation happens… and it happens frequently.

This experience make me feel less proud being a Filipino.