Three different women with one common predicament.  All are victims of emotionally abusive relationships.

I received a text message last week from a friend that have not kept in touch for months.  After the customary hello’s and how-are-you’s she opened up that her husband had burned their house down.  At that point I realized that she needed someone to unburden her problems to and since I had nothing to do in the evening I arranged for us to meet in the nearest Starbucks.  I was taken a back when I saw her.  She looked haggard and it seemed she had aged so much from the last time I saw her.  For almost three hours I listened to tales of domestic quagmire and by the time we parted, I had a throbbing headache!

A few days after, Mark and I were dining out when we ran into a familiar face who we knew got ditched by her boyfriend for another girl.  The guy, the ex, the culprit - happen to be someone who had been nothing but good to both Mark and I so we were astounded to learn about the dark secrets of their three years of living together.  Her stories revealed a man with jealousy and temper issues… a side so alien from one who always seemed calm and compose.  So there. A sad realization that you only get to know a person’s true character after living under one roof.

And just recently, the last of the three episodes.  An unassuming wife whose husband got another woman pregnant.  The marriage has only just begun when disaster came flying faster than a speeding derailed train.

I cant delve into the details of these relationships.  They’re too depressing to even think about.  Things like this leave a deep permanent imprint that not even the longest time can erase. It engraves itself into your personal history that, though forgiven, it is simply extremely difficult to forget.

Can anyone blame these women for loving and trusting too much?  They did so believing that the men they gave their hearts to were their knights in shinning armor, the mortal incarnation of the angel they asked for in prayers.  Its cruel that often, the devil in an angel’s disguise is discovered only after tragedy has struck.

(Photo: Mark’s Diablo shirt courtesy of Blizzard Entertainment.)

Earlier to the PAWS event, my teammates and I had a mini adventure at the Manila Ocean Park.  Its the first and largest aquarium facility in the Philippines showcasing a diverse underwater life that an ordinary sea fearing homosapien like moi may never have the courage to see in their natural habitat.  Popularly known as The Oceanarium, it opened to the public early this year and it instantly became a hit.  Everybody, us included, was curious and willing to shell out P400 bucks for the two hours aquatic tour.

We wanted to avoid getting entangled with school excursions which normally happen on weekends but when we got there at opening time, we found ourselves drowning in the throng of small children, parents, nannies, and teachers.  It was like a cage of little critters unleashed at recess!

We moved along with the kids, noise and all, and before we knew it, we entered the first stage Agos (Flow).   There’s a waterfalls on one side with vines climbing up to the ceiling, giving the illusion of an inner forest and strange, exotic creatures lurking below.  The fishes were something I’ve never seen before.. not in books nor on TV.  They simply amazed me, some were hard to spot because they blended with their surroundings.  It took me more than a second look before I could distinguish them from the rocks and sea plants… at one point I came face to face with what seemed like a giant Tilapia! Yaiks!

Next stop was Bahura (Reef).  This part was enclosed in semi darkness and, thankfully, with air conditioning.  Small to medium sized aquariums lined up the walls, each containing a variety of the most fascinating creatures in the Philippine coral reef, from fishes to anemones to giant spider crabs.  That last one was creepy, and seemed lifeless.   Kinda reminded me of Shelob.  Only a restrained move every now and then gave away it’s alive and breathing.

Laot (Fishing Ground) was a wider version of Bahura and one of the most breathtaking areas of the facility.  Giant aquariums housed a large number of the most humongous groupers.  Stingrays glided on the glass exposing their “nostrils” - if that’s how they’re called - and delicate mouths.

A tunnel leading to the other wing of the Oceanarium displayed the imposing beauty of Buhay na Karagatan (The Living Ocean).   Marine animals in different shapes and sizes intermingled in the small replica of their wide abundant world… and for a second a weird thought struck me.  Fish or not, I wouldn’t be able to survive in this sea of predators.  There were just too many!  If Laot was breathtaking, Karagatan was spectacular.

The last of the large aquariums was Ang Kalaliman (The Deep)… getting acquainted with Filipino terms ha! :)  Now, this really gives me the creeps.   Sharks were enclosed in one tank  and since these were the biggest and deepest among all aquarium, it was dark and eerie.  I had mixed emotions not meeting my friend JAWS.  Apparently, the enclosure cannot contain his bigger than life ferocity… he’d probably devour all his hapless roommies to the bones!.  Above were countless stingrays and Talakitoks co-existing in their glass tank.

We took a few more flash-less pictures (err… so as not to agitate the animals, camera flash is not allowed but noise is!  are underwater creatures deaf?)  then we headed to the upper floor excited to see more!  It turned out, that was the final stop!  Huuwwhhhhaaattt?!  That was supposed to be two hours… how come it was over in 30 minutes! Shockers.  I should have known, hanging out with the fishes is highly encouraged to stretch the time.

I wanted to try the glass bottom boat ride or the fish spa but none of my teammates were interested.  Spirits were deflated after we emerged from the dark Kalaliman and found that was the end of our virtual life in the ocean.

Overall, it was quite an experience although it left me wanting for more.  I felt the entrance fee was expensive for the short tour… but then again, it really is expensive to maintain such a facility.  I’d still love to be back and capture the experience with more photos, even  with the lack of clarity.   Being the first of its kind in the country, the Oceanarium is already serving its purpose of educating all who come to visit  about the marine environment and the number of issues assailing it.  I’m proud that the Philippines now has its own Oceanarium to rival those of neighboring asian nations.

PAWS (Philippine Animal Welfare Society) held a dog show today at the Mall of Asia.  Of course, we made sure not to miss it!  It was a chance for Wilson to meet other dogs and flaunt his cuteness to all canine lovers this side of the planet.  It was a half day affair and when we got there around two in the afternoon, the place was already packed.  A race track was set in the middle of the open auditorium and dog athletes were busy warming up on the side.   Others seem to be oblivious to the pressure and saw the race as just another walk in the park, taking their time to walk down the track while their owners knelt at the end of the line begging for a little effort to win.  There were Saint Bernards, Dalmatians, Daschunds, Beagles, Schnauzers, Shih Tzus… Wilson was one of the few Maltese in attendance.

It was an afternoon that the dogs and their owners all enjoyed…. we’ll the dogs were more the celebrities than the owners.  Wilson dazzled a number of fans, posing for pictures here and there.  If he could only write, Im pretty sure that he would have been asked for an autograph.

After the event, we strolled around the mall and let Wilson do his thing… meet a few friends, bask in the afternoon sun, and water the lightpoles as he always does.

NCAE or NCEE? Now Im getting my letters mixed up. I know its NCEE for National Entrance Examination, the qualifying exam all senior highschool students had to take that will define their choices for a university degree. It was only this morning when I turned on the car radio that I learned it has been changed to NCAE for National Career Assessment Examination. Now, that gives away my generation… obviously, Im dated.

If there’s one thing that I remember when I took the exam, its the feeling of nervousness during and after it. I cannot recall anymore how long I had to wait for the result but it was ten times worse than the actual exam. The uncertainty whether I garnered a score good enough for my desired field of study was just hell. Eeerrrr… another indication of ancient history?  Technology has improved tremendously since my time so the results may be rolled in just a few days making the waiting game a little less nerve wracking.

The NCAE will be administered nationwide on August 28 . Wait… that’s tomorrow already! It’s gonna be a looonnnngg night for the seniors, probably not from studying but more on the anxiety of getting it done and over with.

My NCEE exam may be ages ago, but the experience left a mark universal to all who’ve gone through the same life changing examination. I can only wish all seniors out there, good luck and sleep tight

I attended a training yesterday conducted by Guthrie-Jensen that touched on facilitating effective and productive business meetings. We were given an activity that tested how well we can resolve disputes and differences in opinion and come up with a consensus. Here was the problem:

Several people are marooned on a small yacht in the South Pacific. The boat has just come through a violent storm leaving it leaking and without radio communication. Unknown to the passengers, a nuclear test is scheduled in this area within an hour. A small seaplane has landed alongside alongside and the pilot has advised them of the situation. There is no hope that a large-scale rescue will work. The pilot has no radio contact either. Only he can fly the plane, and he can carry only one additional passenger. The yacht cannot be towed. The bombing is deadly and too far-ranging for anyone but those on the plane to escape.

Your job is to decide who will be saved. Which of the following passengers should be allowed to go with the pilot?

1. The captain of the yacht

2. A political leader

3. A grandmother

4. A university professor of economics

5. An award winning actor

6. A university philosophy professor

7. A prominent religious leader

Majority of my teammates chose to save the religious leader on grounds that he can use the experience to convert people to the path of righteousness. Others were followers of the political leader. He can use his influence to form an investigative committee and pass a law to ban the nuclear testing in the area. One was convinced that the yacht captain should go because he is more qualified to explain what really happened and why the boat malfunctioned.

All points taken, but I find it hard to agree. In my own humble opinion, I say that the actor holds more power and influence than any political or religious leader, no matter how popular they are. If Kiefer Sutherland was that actor, he might even pull off a stunt and save everyone from the looming disaster (that’s my showbiz idol right there! )Seriously, an actor has the ability to draw and hold people’s attention regardless of their political or religious convictions. That’s why I had to let him fly with the pilot. Just the news of him going missing, and the media will be all over the place, running endless reports on tv, and they’ll be swarming the ports anticipating his arrival. That alone gets half the work done. He does not need to know the law to get the issue to the senate; they’ll invite him over and exploit the opportunity to get media attention themselves. There might even be a movie made out of it with hightlights on the other passengers’ stories thus leaving a lasting memory for their loved ones.

A political leader, no matter how righteous, will still have to deal with the opposition. The religious leader, even if politically correct, will have to appeal to believers of a different faith. News and intrigue will always follow an actor, whether he is liked or not, its reality that he has a natural hold on people’s curiosity.

I got my teammates to concede and we ended up nominating the actor.

Now, who will you save?

I’m working day shifts until the end of this month. I’m so used to working nights that the sudden change of routine feels strange. And cumbersome. For some reason, working on normal shifts doesn’t feel so normal anymore. Even our dog had to adapt to the change. Wilson had to spend most of the day by himself while Mark and I head off to work. There’s the traffic that never seems to lighten up; the endless queues in almost everywhere - restaurants, banks, public transport, office entrance…. What, can I say, the world is wide awake! Now, I dont mean to complain but nightshift has it perks.

But on to the brighter side….

It seems I have missed so much. Its like emerging from a cocoon and relish what seem to be a fleeting moment to finally see the sunlight. Yesterday, I got the chance to talk to my “day” friends who were all surprised to find me fully conscious in the late afternoon. Just one day and already I got two invites for a little get together. I also got to enjoy the primetime tv programs that most day people are too familiar with. And I prepared dinner the proper way - wide awake. But the best part of all is getting that sound sleep that one can only get from a normal bedtime. This alone, is enough reason never to doze back to night shifts.

I read this hilarious news in the internet about a wife’s ingenious way of extracting vengeance from her philandering husband. She did so by auctioning the crime evidences on e-bay! Well, not really the items, but a photo of the mistress’ underwear and the condom packet as it turned out that selling used under garments is against the online department store’s policy.

Read it straight from the ebay post

From a reader’s standpoint, the arcticle came across as amusing. But imagine the surprise, anger, and hurt when she discovered that her husband for twenty two years had been cheating right under her nose. If I were in her shoes, I dont know if I can even find the words to write it as amusing as she did.

I was fascinated by the tale of a garden gnome that went missing only to return seven months later from … would you believe…  a world tour that took him to 12 countries and chronicled in photographs.

What may have enticed him to go for the big escape? Let’s hear it straight from Murphy, the globe-trotting gnome:

“Hello! First of all I feel I should explain my prolonged absence. A gnome’s life is full of time for reflection, and whilst surveying your garden one summer morning, I began to get itchy feet.

‘I came to the conclusion that the world is a big place and there is more to life than watching the daily commuter traffic, and allowing passing cats to urinate on you.

‘So I decided to free myself from the doldrums of the Shire and seek adventure.  My travels have taken me across three continents, twelve countries and more time zones than I can possibly remember.

‘There have been high points, low points, and positively terrifying points.  But I have survived - small thanks to the companion with whom I have shared these moments”

Continue Reading Murphy’s Story

WIlson Update:

He had his haircut last May, this is how he looked then:

And here he is now. Notice the smile? He’s just too happy to be out in the park and meet other cute little doggies.

There are a number of things that Mark and I love about our apartment. For a couple and a little dog, its more than spacious for us. We live on the second floor and right downstairs is a gated garage. And although apartments here in Makati are a bit pricey, we got this place for a bargain since our landlord is also a friend of ours. Its strategically located; there’s a church and a grocery a few blocks away and if I only wanted it, I can walk from here to the office! Talk about convenience.

But living in a condo-type apartment can get too close for comfort like for instance, smelling your neighbors’ fumes, pleasant or otherwise. Like right now, its a few minutes before lunch and the aroma of our neighbor’s cooking has penetrated the walls of our unit, creeping in up to our bedroom. Another, the unit adjacent to ours was vacated a week ago and some renovations had been going on to get the place ready for the new tenant. The strong scent of paint and thinner almost got me suffocated the other day, even Wilson was restless. Other times, there’s just the scent of air fresheners, dissenfectants, but thank goodness there never was the smell of decomposing garbage.

I think that’s just amazing. I spend most of my time at home sleeping and I dont really pay much attention to our neighbors but somehow I know what’s going on just by sniffing their fumes.