Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog

Murmurs Mumblings - My Thoughts conversation with myself, rants, and more mumblings Ain't Nothing But A Hound Dog

I been complaining blabbering about walking to/from my house which is a 20 minutes uphill/downhill walk. For a ‘happy feet’ (aka flat footed) like me is not exactly my idea of a daily pleasant walk.

The universe somehow got a mixed impression and decided to add spice on my walk by introducing… Dogs.

Our family used to have pet dogs…both was japanse spitz. Both was too lazy to bark, had lousy sense of direction, but can easily figure out where the refrigerator is.
So, I can say I had a pleasant doggie experience. In manila, I can walk with dog strays lumbering in every street corner. The trick: I don’t provoke them, ergo I can walk unscathed.

Apparently, this trick is not applicable here. It seems the dogs here are having ‘too much’ attention and very excited about almost everything.

My first encounter was with a dog with a size almost to my waist. It barked at me from afar, I ignore and continue walking at my normal pace. I guess, it doesn’t want to be ignored so it dashed in front of me and barked continuously at me. With its size, the dog can easily knock me over, so I stood still, in attempt to calm it down. 5minutes passed, it is still barking! Worse, I can’t move a single muscle as it became more aggravated. Finally, when it relaxed abit I managed to grab my phone. I was already on the brink of tears, when suddenly the owner finally realized that it was his dog causing raucous. Although, the owner apologized profusely, I can’t help glaring back.

Of course it didn’t stopped there, I guess the word spread among doggies that an alpha-chicken-girl is on the loose and they can vent all their bark on her. A few days later, my path got blocked by two dogs, (although a bit smaller than the first one) and barked at me with enthusiasm while showing their pearly whites.
How uncute.
This happens to me a lot of times, so I have to stand still, pray hard and either I get saved by someone or they’ll just run off.
Walking uphill is already tiring, and sometimes I just want to rest my feet or go to the loo, spending 10-15 minutes just to stand still is ridiculous.
So, I enlist the help of my friends and some colleagues for suggestions to this doggie problem:

1. Stand Still and Pray very Hard – Yup. That’s what I am doing…I am already about to use some ample amount of tears
2. Act tough – yeah right, dogs were sniffing my butt, how can I act tough on that!
3. Maybe the dogs don’t bite – Unless the dogs have a programmed chip that says ‘WILL-NOT-BITE’ , I will not risk it. When I was young, my mum used to say on other folks, that I am so gentle and wouldn’t harm a fly. Look at me now. I rest my case
4. Use a long umbrella – I tried this once… the dogs let out a long, low growl * faints*
5. Go to another path – there is only one path!
6. Use MSG – this will lead to option 7
7. Call the police – Either I will say “ Mr.Policeman, the dog ate my MSG sandwich” or “mr.Policeman, I am so afraid of the dogs, could you please escort me and we’ll se how things go”. I have a feeling I will end up dumped in a psychiatrist’s office
8. Knock on the compound neighbors – It is to tempting to ask: “Excuse me, is this your dog biting at my butt right now” *turns back*
9. Bite back the dog – I called the person who suggested this ‘Stupid’ and refused to acknowledge that the person has a fiber of common sense at all.
10. Find a new house – and that’s what I am doing now. Eviction is one bark away. *sigh*

Going Deep

Murmurs Mumblings - My Thoughts conversation with myself, rants, and more mumblings Going Deep

Okay fella chilis, our problem has been identified. We should start squeaking and for better effect, cross thy legs to have that desired high pitch voice.This is the manifestation of the Natural Law of Selection. We need to evolve. blegh!

Thanks to E...
Deep Voice Men Have More Kidskids

The Magic at Work

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style The Magic at Work

Almost every kid dreams of going to Disneyland. True. The inner kids in my parents wanted to go there as well….(I better thank whoever conceived the idea of building Disney in HongKong)

Of course, I get pretty much excited as well and I even had my checklist to do:
1. Pictures! – After this trip we ended up with 1000+ pics…nyih! I don’t think we can have all of them printed. Picture taking started with the first sight of a Mickey sign. Pose on any landmark/statues on the area. I think we even stayed 30mins at the Cinderella castle just to take pictures (@.@). Yup, we patiently queued up to take pics with the Disney chars.

This cat really luvs my mum…





This is Chili D’s ideal boyfriend:

My fave cha would be this one:

As of the moment, I don’t care if he is a ‘bootleg’ , I think he is enough to tide me over :P

This is my ‘spot the mushroom’ pic part 1


Part2:



I got seized by mushy moment, so I took pic of this lovely broze(?)/brass(/) sculpture of Cinderella dancing with her Prince:

Okay, exit drama queen, move on to next pics.


For all the ‘happy’ people and bagnets like me: presenting Chippendale!!!


2. Watch the shows – I luv the 3d show, you can actually smell and feel the breeze what is happening on the screen


These are from the lion king show.Yes, thanks to technology, good resolution pics can be produced even without using flash.


Circle of Life ensemble

Simba looks kinda cute huh?


While these are from the Golden Mickeys show.


3. Ride, ride, ride! – I didn’t manage to go for the rides. Why? No one will be taking pics of my parents on their rides.
This is my fave shot: (mum will kill me)

Dad is the poser and is throwing tantrums saying I am not taking enough pics of him

I just shot this pic, simply because the angle and lighting looks good to me…hmmm


4. Buy Souvenirs – the Raison D’Etre . My eyes feasted on the variety of goodies on sale. However, the internal money changer in my mind was hitting the panic button, every time I check the price tag.
We ended buying very few things : magnets for my mum , biscuit for my dad and a pin for me of Donald.

Ah heck, we had a great time taking pics with the merchandise anyway.






AIre!The captain and the parrot daw.

5. Mickey Ears – No mickey ears for me, I ended up with Mimi’s ears (cat’s ears). Well, wala ako makitang bunny ears and bunny suit eh!

6. watch the noon parade – they say that when you’re in a foreign land you can easily spot the noyPis – they are the one usually smiles from ear to ear :D
This is my ‘Spot-the –noypi’ pic



Could you imagine wearing these outfits at sweltering time of the day? But they seem to be enjoying it :






Buti pa itong si Ariel, nakalusot sa init eh!


May I gulat, Alice:



7. watch the fireworks - There is an unwritten rule that a disneyland experience is not complete without watching the fireworks. The fireworks compared to the other fireworks shows is not that really grand, but somehow I can relate to my friend when s/he said that hot tears welled on his eyes , and suddenly plans something for his beloved “kids”




8. Pull Mickey’s tail. – :p

Now for my fave three pics:

A. Oyange na Oyange

B. Hidden Treasure

C. Ilikeit

When it Rains …it pours…

Murmurs Mumblings - My Thoughts conversation with myself, rants, and more mumblings When it Rains …it pours…

Autumn 2007. Preparing myself to work I peered on the window to get a glimpse of the weather. I saw tiny droplets splattered on my window glass, I realized that it is started raining. I have a problem with rain. I like gray clouds and couldn’t be bothered if it is all cloudy all day long, but I want myself to be dry. Reason: A slight drizzle on my head can give me headache, worse migraine. Ergo, whenever I got drenched by rain, I need to immediately take a bath to neutralize the temp of my body with my head. So I changed my coat to a thicker one, don a scarf and mitten. I decided to wear two trousers to heat up my legs. In this way, I just need to keep the umbrella cover my head and couldn’t be bothered with the rest of my body. Shoes?! Boots or Trainers? I am a flat footed dude, leather repels water more based from my experience, aside that the boots I am wearing is altered to give arc to my ‘happy flat feet’. I finalize my garb and set-off to the bus stop.

Now, I live on the suburb. One user quipped me this “You must be rich? Isn’t that place a bit too far? You must have a car”. Yeah right. I am living in a temporary housing, that until now it disappoints me that this kind of inconvenience was not considered for someone totally new in the country. As a matter of fact, I am one of the few people who walk my way up. The walk in the morning is 20 minutes downhill, which is still okay as gravity is a friend in this situation. Going home is 20 minutes uphill, where suddenly gravity is a fiend. Actually, sometimes I need more than 20 minutes because I have a doggie problem (which is another entry).

Anyhoo, the walk started okay, the rain is light and no wind to blow my umbrella. After 10 mins, in the middle of my walk, rain poured heavily. No wind, but my coat was already wet. My trousers were getting wet as well. And water from all directions started veering down ward, down to the path I was walking. And when there is water, there are puddles. I easily managed to avoid the puddles. what I am not prepared of is a flood in the street across and I need to cross that street. While thinking of what next to do, one idiotic driver decided to whiz his car and water splashed at me. Yuck!!! Water Splash counter:1

I looked around if there were any cabs…nada. I tried calling for a cab, no cabs available at the moment. Could you believe that luck? So, I had to decide whether I should wait for a cab (in which I am not sure whether there will be one) or hasten up to catch the bus (note bus intervals are 15-20 minutes, and sometimes they are late). As I was about to decide, another moron driver whizzed his car and splashd water on me. Water splash counter:2


Dear driver, there is a lamppost illuminating me, my umbrella is maroon in color and I don’t think I have the size of a pixie not to be noticed. Just because you are beating the morning rush, I don’t think that gives you the right to splash other people. It’s not like I wanted to be in that place. It may not be now or in the near future, but I always believe that the universe is a good equalizer, you will receive the same treatment with what you did to me, perhaps not in the same way, but the outcome will be the same.


Another thought occurred to me: Should I just take a leave? For a newbie like me and still in the initiation phase: excusing myself because of a heavy rain is quite lame (in fact the weather became sunny in the afternoon), in this world where impressions lasts, it matters.
Kicked that thought out. I still had no luck with the cabs. I decided to brave the floods; i gambled that it could be only sole deep. Alas, it is ankle deep, water started to seep inside my boots. Well, I could brag that this is nothing compared to the flood in Manila, but wait, the night before I was tending two wounds in my feet. Flood water + open wounds, this is not good. I don’t fancy myself getting hospitalized in a foreign land alone.
To add more injury: a few more metres from the bus stop, another car whizzed by and splashed water at me. Water Splash Counter: 3

I was on the verge of tears, if someone poked me at that moment, I would just breakdown and cry.

The bus was late and I hardly made it to the second leg bus. Totally aggravated by the whole situation, I cried silently inside the bus.

I arrived in the office in a very foul mood (who wouldn’t?) My shoes and socks stinks to the high heavens, and I do not exaggerate, as someone asked me what was that smell. Not funny.
My legs were trembling; two wet trousers clinging in your shins will do that. I tried removing the other one, but the nylon trouser is clinging and producing static.
Since, I was shivering, I decided to wear my coat again, but the outer lining was wet, so it was making me more chilly.
So, never should anyone say ‘it is just a rain’, given the compounded situation and be in the actual situation itself, a rain can reduce a person to tears.



Omake:
While writing this entry, I suddenly find myself unable to figure the word for small flood water in street potholes that starts with ‘P’.

AoiSoba: What is the word again for small street floods?

Tomodachi: A. Pond?
B.Puddle
C. PlashPlood

Ngi….

HaHaHaHa ^o^


Omake2:
Tomodachi: So what is the answer then?

AoiSoba: B! for puddle!

Tomodachi: Isn’t it that’s a dog breed? (poodle)

Ngi uli!
Hahahahah ^o^

Destination: Macau

Paglalakbay ni Pansit Bughaw - Sa Maganda at Dukhang Mundo Personal photos using "tira lang ng tira" style Destination: Macau

I think it is almost a given fact that when you go to HongKong the first time, you must as well go to Macau.Since I am traveling with ‘two kids’ I might as well maximize the time and the kunsumisyon.
Surprisingly, we enjoyed the Macau trip albeit that I feel sick in the ferry (I got situated in the rear part Ugh), most of the building retained their Portuguese architectural façade, the egg tarts are really tasty,the St.Paul ruins is amazing despite the fact I can’t get a decent souvenir photo due to the crowd (so many people in the foreground…sigh…). And did I say that the egg tarts are really tasty?

It helps that for this trip we have a guide to lead us and shared some ‘interesting info’ to us….(Disclaimer: these are either 2nd hand or 3rd hand info, citation and validation is still needed)

A. The Lady of Mercy – Apparently, the locals are not pleased with this joint project for the ff reason:
• It costs hundred million dollars
• The lotus underneath the lady is clipping her feet. Feng Shuei wise the lotus should be open
• The lady is facing the mountain, with the sea on her back. Feng shuei wise, her back should be against the mountain and her eyes on the vastness of the sea
• The lady doesn’t look oriental


B. Two Black Granite - Again, this made some eyebrows of the locals raised up in the moon, as this also costs a hundred million dollars….Art explanation: the 2 granite slabs are a Portuguese and Macau men talking. Go figure. I guess politics and arts shouldn’t be placed in one bucket.


C. The Tower – I forgot the official name of this one, it was said that the management of this tower offers a unique kind of entertainment: free jumping. And to make it a memorable moment, a photographer will be there to capture how you scream your lungs out. According to the guide, there was this Filipino guy, a jolly guy that is, who tried doing it. At first, he was cracking jokes to his wife about not coming back and he even jumped out with gusto. The guy made it alive but he got so unnerved, white as a sheet, and when he was given a candy,he ate the wrapper and threw the candy away. Someone needs to confirm if this story is true.


D. Ma-ko (did I spell it correctly?) - The oldest temple in Macau. Story goes that when the conquistadores was asking the locals where they are, the local replied Ma-ko meaning the ‘place of our mother’, hence macau (people please verify), the place also serves as sanctuary for beggars who came from the ‘other side’…Anyhoo, we had a heck climbing the series of rock steps and my dad got heck of a fun taking photos of me with bullet size sweats and panting for dear life

At the foot of this temple is a stall of Portuguese egg tarts, I didn’t manage to take a pic of it, as it didn’t had a chance to ‘live long’ upon our purchase. We were barfing egg tarts afterwards.

E. Stanley Ho’s new Casino building – still under construction, but the vines have it that the design is heavily laden with feng shuei symbolism, such as encompassing the whole area on the palm of his hand. The structure also looks like a certain ‘hand gesture’…a message to his competitor they say.
F. Again, forgot the name of this church – but I like the façade, so I will mention it here, plus the noypi guard there is really nice.






G. And look who is also famous in this area:


H. Crown Casino (?) – Jackie Chan’s casino.. I am no fan, but at least he is investing his money. His casino is easy to spot with this “crown” atop the building.


In the lobby you an see gold nuggets in fibre glass enclosure as part of the lobby floor, this is again has something to do with Feng Shuei.


But the “gold” here is actually outside the hotel and guarding the doors. ISn’t he a cutie?!


Note that the girl in pink behind is doing the shoe shine thingie… (the blasted idea irritates me, shine your shoes in skimpy suits?)
Anyhoo, here is the close-up pic…


I was about to take a pic of the other guy,kaya lang may panget na sumingit…suya.


I. St Paul Ruins – skipping the part on how come only the façade was left standing…

some tidbits to know on the design…some people actually find some of the designs/symbols eccentric. Let’s take a look on it first….

Have you noticed the design of the blessed Mary standing atop the monster? Or the skeleton? Or the demon?the snake ? the vessel?





Nope, but here are my guesses (not so sure on the snake):



This is my ‘spot the mushroom’ pic:



Sirit?


Back to my problem, how can I get a good ‘I-was-here’ shot, with so many people in the foreground?:



I got my problem resolved, thanks to my friend Eeyuh:


J. And for me, this is the best thing I saw: