We were flooded last Sunday.


the house
It was raining Friday afternoon and it didn’t stop until Sunday morning. I woke up at 4:30 am on Sunday because of the foul smell I doubted was coming from our septic tank. So I rose to check where the smell was coming from. But what I found out was water downstairs! The water outside was rising by the minute and it entered our house. I woke up everyone in the house to salvage stuffs like our clothes and furniture, etcetera to prevent it from soaking in the muddy and smelly water. Electricity was shut off by 5am.


the living room flooded
There was no typhoon to have caused the flood but the non stopping rain. Neighbors said the water from the reservoir was released that caused the all of a sudden flood.

Anyway, it wasn’t the first time we had floods. From my observation, after a year or two intervals we get flooded this time of the year. I practically grew up with the flood so it’s nothing new. We sometimes miss it although after the flood we have to exercise all of our muscles cleaning the mud and disinfect the whole house. We usually don’t get water inside the house when there’s a flood. But when it does, well, it just does. We have a pool in the house hehehe.


save me!!
I tried to go to town but the water flowing in every baranggay intersection was forceful. There was support made by the residents in those areas in order to cross the current. I tried crossing in the first intersection and it was indeed strong. I could feel as if my leg is about to break! I was able to cross though, however the next intersection was stronger, so I decided not to go and I wasn’t able to see how the flood in town is.


If I did, I could have seen the candidates in the 2007 Miss Earth pageant. I was told by friends through text that the candidates were stranded. The bus they were in couldn’t pass through the flood water. So they had to wait until the bus could. I was told some of them went down the bus to check how the flood was.

Here are photos, that i liked which I managed to capture.


this boat passed by in front of the house


you're such a pig!

type mo ata ako!



town

More below or in my album

All I did was walked around and wander in the flood water.

In the afternoon I went wandering again and met with two friends to stroll in town in the flood water. But that time the flood water was decreasing. Though very slow, the current was no longer that strong and we could walk in the water just fine.

It’s back to normal again although there are still traces of mud outside and I hate it! It stick on the soles (and it feels so heavy) where you have to wash slippers with water everytime I go inside the house!

For the pics (of course we cannot let the flood sudside without picture posing as if loving it was posted all over our faces. My cousin even dressed up for it. Funny!).


I am the man!


As always, my cousin Kris, up for it!


Here are the complete set of pictures I manged to capture during the flood. And you can view all of me in the flood water in my album.

Perhaps for an indefinite time, I am going to post survey questions or whatever this numbered question things are called. I get all these sets in other blogs and firendster.

I got this one from one of my favorite blogs: NathanExposed

1. Do you try to look hot when you go to the grocery store just in case someone recognizes you from your blog?

i don't think blogging is a craze here in my area so i don't worry getting recognized. but i like to look hot just because i dont think I am. I need extra effort to be hot or recognized. hehehe

2. Are the photos you post Photoshopped or otherwise altered?

just the resolution, lighting, cropping and some girlish art. but alterations like making me look buff or tall nose and what nots, No.

3. Do you like it when creeps or dorks email you?

hmmm,,if he's cute underneath that dorkiness, why not. I don't mind.

4. Do you lie in your blog?

No.

5. Are you passive-aggressive in your blog?

i am just a SO -SO, like i am in real life. I get in trouble when i think too much.

6. Do you ever threaten to quit writing so people will tell you not to stop?

what? why would i do that. as if i am a celbrity. No. i am a no V.i.P.

7. Are you in therapy? If not, should you be? If so, is it helping?

i should be. I should be in physical rehab for my MPS (myofascial pain syndrome) but can't afford it. I also have anxieties and wqas advised for counselling. I can manage, still, however. if i cant, then i'll go counselling. hehehe

8. Do you delete mean comments? Do you fake nice ones?

i dont get any comments so what is there to delete?

9. Have you ever rubbed one out while reading a blog? How about after?

rubbed out i don't think I understand what this means, but i guess, i haven't.

10. If your readers knew you in person, would they like you more or like you less?

maybe, maybe not.

11. Do you have a job?

been Out of job for two years now. will eventually have one, soon. i will tell you.

12. If someone offered you a decent salary to blog full-time without restrictions, would you do it?

Hell Yea!

13. Which blogger do you want to meet in real life?

i dont really know. i dont know much bloggers but i read a dozen of blogs.

14. Which bloggers have you made out with?

myself. hehehehe

15. Do you usually act like you have more money or less money than you really have?

neither.

16. Does your family read your blog?

my sisters do and my cousins

17. How old is your blog?

i had my accident in seot 2005, i started this blog in Nov that year. so that makes it almost two years old.

18. Do you get more than 1000 page views per day? Do you care?

i dont know. but i do care if I will get a lot of hits!

19. Do you have another secret blog in which you write about being depressed, slutty, or a liar?

hmmm...that sounds nice.... Maybe i should make one.

20. Have you ever given another blogger money for his/her writing?

I wish.

21. Do you report the money you earn from your blog on your taxes?

------

22. Is blogging narcissistic?

sort of. but i wish its not that narcissistic. i try my best to do away with "I" but when I start to try, what comes out first is "i". Darn it!

23. Do you feel guilty when you don't post for a long time?

not really, but i get frustrated not being able to post. this is like my diary. a release of my inner thoughts.

24. Do you like John Mayer?

he's ok.

25. Do you have enemies?

well.... i have ex friends but not necessarily enemies. lets just say we have our own separate lives now.

26. Are you lonely?

sometimes. Yea, i guess.

27. Why bother?

bother what?

Labels: memes, surveys

Allow me to say something about a friend who became one of my closest for several months now. After being tandem-tagged with a former friend, I luckily break away from that but not to say that I didn’t like being with my good ex-friend. He has always been as good as he could. It is sad to loose a good friend like him because of a little misunderstanding gone badly and pride. But perhaps, like I said in my previous post, sometimes what we thought forever may not just be forever.

“Are you sexually active?” as Isagani “Gani” Lopez would say is one probable question you would most likely hear from him if you get introduced. That is because he is. He is also, gay.

I’ve known Gani for almost 5 or 6 years already but we never got this close until only last May. It was in the process of getting to know each other and, of course, eliminating all doubts about our own negative perspective towards one another one by one.



I never am that judgmental towards anybody who I haven’t met personally. It is very common to people to have opinions about others and sometimes their opinions are not just very nice. And it is somehow normal for people who hear negative opinions about a person to be the basis of their impressions. Sometimes, it becomes the end-all-be-all of everything. In my case, however, I don’t take those opinions for granted but they never become the means to define the person who I have never even conversed or get to know. And so, they became doubts hanging in the closet.

With Gani, that was the case. If words can kill, he may have several deaths already! Gani was constantly mocked behind his back for his abilities by some gay people we know, at least used to. They would say something like “degree holder na nag puputos sa lumpia” (he’s a degree holder who wraps lumpia and sells them) in a really spiteful tone and would theatrically mimic Gani’s mannerisms on how he would belittle those who belittle him as well. It’s like a dog eat dog thing among them, stabbing themselves behind their backs. But with Gani, his backstabbing is just to retaliate and from what I have observed, his’ is in line to truth.



He is an example of the typically misunderstood person maybe because he is loud, “valerya” as we would say in the gay slang locally (which means being mean, basically). Gani is known to be money oriented. Money oriented I would mean to say that he base everything, well, almost everything with money. And I don’t think that is a bad thing. He is just being particularly practical about almost everything since money is tight for him. He lost his parents several years already so he is earning for himself, and for his other siblings/relatives not to mention his “husband”. In my relationship with him, my doubts about our closeness and of what we think about each other individually are laid out and we talk about it openly, almost. Overall, if you don’t know Gani, you would think Gani is selfish, arrogant, despicable, and everything to him has a price tag.

I knew all about this negativity about him for years, not to mention he was rumored to have stolen something from someone (which isn’t true). And as I hang out with him and began conversing with him about almost everything, my closet full of doubts is little by little being emptied. I knew now where is Gani coming from. I mean, yes, all that impressions about Gani is in one way or another true but they are not bad at all if you only knew what is behind all that defenses.

Yes, Gani is a degree holder and he wraps and sells lumpia. From that little business of his, he was able to get that degree, purchase for himself a motorcycle, pay his bills and have little for recreation. Those who mock him for being in a sense poor because he has to wrap and sell that thinly filled lumpia and earn a living from that doesn’t know what its like to be pleased of that little achievement which in time will become something to really be PROUD of. As the saying goes “Big things come from small beginnings”. It is true for him.

Gani is selfish because he is a typical gay person who yearns to be loved. But aren’t we all? He may have thought that everything has a price tag, even in love, because a number of gay men in the country buy love, he’s not alone in that aspect. I really can’t blame him if that’s what he thought of since it is definitely hard to be ultimately happy with someone you are not sure loves you back. The giving of something is what secures the seemingly superficial happiness that somehow fills the void in deep. To be loved back if you’re not secure of some matters is a big thing. What’s good about all that is he knows exactly what he is doing and why is he like that. His selfishness should not be mistaken because lets look into ourselves, aren’t we selfish ourselves of the things we do not have control of? Another things is, in a completely different aspect of being selfish, his opinion is what I own is mine, so respect that.

There may be price tags for everything for Gani, but it isn’t exactly like that. He is a “businessgayman”. Every job you do for me and every job I do for you has a penny attached to it. Pay me in accordance with what job I can do for you, vice versa, only if money is involved. Usually, people who are like that are really misunderstood. Lets be honest, money is very essential these days even if we have just about enough of it. Well, charity may not be in Gani’s vocabulary as it seems but, no, he knows how to help and when to help.

Gani is arrogant because of his achievements in life. His arrogance exudes which becomes a point of ridicule by some. He is indeed a strong person and what he went through and is going through in his life makes him even stronger to face life’s unfair treatment. Now isn’t that something to really be proud of? He unconsciously shows this arrogance in ways that does not tune up with the demands of observers that’s why people think of this arrogance as something that depletes his integrity. He may lack humility in himself but it is something he can be most capable of. His modesty radiates from other things in a different form. And if you know what they are you would admire Gani for that.

You may not like to be around Gani because you may think he is a disgrace because of his being arrogant, loud, money oriented life and so on but to me, Gani is one hell of a good decent friend! And I like having him around! He may be very outspoken about what he thinks of you or in general but isn’t that a good thing? You not only get what other people think of you, you in part get to asses yourself. Gani is being true to himself and it is a brave effort to let others know what and who he is. And it is a double dose of valor in his part to accept their impressions and criticisms and learn from it as well as be open for defeat. His sharp mouth may hurt but he is open for enlightenment to change that sharp words.

Gani is, most of all, a believer. He prays for the Lord’s guidance and more strength. Even if he is a sinner, like we all are, he believes in God and has strong faith. I especially like it when we discuss about our beliefs and what we think of God! His humor is incomparable. He is trustworthy, and is definitely a very good friend.

If I may define what a good friend is to the best of my knowledge is someone who would tell you upfront what he doesn’t like about you, he would tell you his intentions, secrets are kept and I mean not totally kept but would protect you in the best that he could if you have something going on in your life. A good friend will tell you what others think of you constructively, even if it’s something bad. A good friend would not only tell you what you should do but will give you guides on how you will do it. A good friend knows when not to talk but just to listen. A good friend does not make you any less of what he is. A good friend shares. A good friend understands when you mention something bad about him or does not agree with a certain thing and you both discuss it in a mature, good natured manner to come up to common ground, with no grudges inside. A good friend gives way. A good friend teaches you what he thinks will be best for you if asks for it. And most of all a good friend doesn’t just show you when to have good time but also to have a one hell of a blast!



In more ways than one, Gani has been that good friend. His negative personality people sees is actually not a bad thing. He knows what he is doing and why he is doing it, and to me that is enough to understand his demeanors. He may aggravate some people but that is utterly nothing but a joke (although some of his jokes are kind of true but it means nothing at all). I may not know him that well and there are still a few hangers of doubts in the closet but I definitely would want to commend him for being the friend that I needed to be in the special list of my best friends in the gay category. I don’t want to think that I am benefiting from his friendship but it is true. I am learning from Gani, and I hope he is also learning from me. I am having fun in a totally different way. No pretensions, no inhibitions. And it is just so good being true to myself (of course, without getting in other people’s ways). So far that is what Gani has taught me.

We will not be tandem-tagged even if we hang out more often than usual. People see us together at times or along with Jeric (Gani’s best friend). Gani and Jeric is the tandem. And I am not to break that. I know where I stand in this friendship. I am just in a definitely good time hanging out with them both!


gani with a cute boy named Andrew

Labels: friends, gay, people, persons

I don't know how many FILIPINOS read this blog, or there could be none. But anyway, I am republishing this "appeal" posted from my Friendster bulletin by a friend. I have heard it on the News and seen the report on TV about the derogatory remark about Filipino Medical practitioners. I wouldn't really care about that normally, but to think that a lot of filipnos trained in the medical field be it nurses, doctors or nursing aids, are servicing the americas yet they have the guts to degrade medical schools in the country?? As a matter of fact, my uncle who is a doctor works in the states and his wife is a physical therapist who heads the institution where she works. Now isn't that one example of filipino greatness?

Please join in the petition. I have signed. May you too, Filipino, or not, please do sign by clicking the link below:

Filipino Americans demand for apology from ABC and Desperate Housewives

Dear Kababayan and Allies:

I heard through the grapevine about a remark made on an episode of "Desperate Housewives" last night. The scene entailed Teri Hatcher's character (Susan) at a hospital, being told by her gynecologist that she might be hitting menopause. Susan
replied, "Can I just check those diplomas because I just want to make sure that they are not from some med school in the Philippines. " If you go to abc.com, you watch the full episode and witness the scene at about 18:50 minutes into the episode. This type of derogatory remark is not only unnecessary and hurtful, but is also unfounded, considering the presence of Filipinos and Filipino Americans in the health care industry. Filipinos are the second largest immigrant population in the United States, with many entering the U.S. and passing their U.S. licensing boards as doctors, nurses, and medical technicians. In fact, the Philippines produces more U.S. nurses than any other country in the world. So, to belittle the education, experience, or value of Filipino Americans in health care is disrespectful and plain and simply ignorant.

As Filipino Americans, we need to band together to ensure that this type of hateful message is not allowed to continue on our television and radio airwaves. Given the recent amounts of media attention that has been given to Michael Richards(against AfricanAmericans ), Isaiah Washington (against gays), and Rosie O'Donnell(against Asian/ Chinese Americans ), it is ridiculous that this type of hateful speech made it through various screenwriters, the show's producers, the show's actors, and ABC itself. Yet, this isn't the first time that negative remarks have been made about the
Philippines or Filipinos in the past. In recent years, we've heard one too. many "dogeater" comments by "comedian" Joan Rivers on the red carpet or in her standup act, and I believe that it is about time that we stand up for ourselves, so that this type of hateful speech never happens again.

Please join me in expressing your concern, disappointment, and/or disgust to the producers of ABC.com. You can sign the petition at http://www.petitiononline.com/FilABC/ or you can reach them directly abc7@abc.com.

And please feel free to forward this widely to other Filipinos/Filipino Americans/Asian Americans and other allies.

Sincerely,

Kevin Nadal,
Filipino Performance Artist/ Activist
knadal@gmail.com

Today, I just felt I needed some warmth. Warmth like a tight hug can do. Especially from someone with a scent of a man.

*sigh*