When everything seems so perfect, I have this feeling that sooner or later a terrible event might happen. I don’t know how to explain this but this is how I feel every time things go smoothly. What I realized is that this kind of thinking does nothing but spoil the good times.

So instead of worrying about what might happen, I try to enjoy the happy times to the fullest. I may not be able to do it all the time but at least I’m trying. I’m pretty aware now that this is the right thing to do.

I had the chance to watch the last few games of the Safina-Kuznetsova’s final match in the 2008 Toray Pan Pacific Open. Being a Safina fan and finding out that she’s up 1 set, I was really happy. And she went strong until the match point and won her 4th title this year. From rank 15 at the start of the year, she finished off rank 3. Kinda amazing.

Looking forward to seeing her get on to the top spot next year.

The weather today is very gentle. The sky is not so clear. The sun has not fully risen yet.

I’m here at a waiting shed waiting for the bus.

Blackbirds are everywhere. They roam around in search of food. For leftovers. One bird spots a small plastic container with round colorful sweets. It is hesitant to pick it up because I am just a meter away. I look away, it quickly goes straight to poke on the container and takes a piece. It flies away and enjoys breakfast on top of a street lamp.

The bus arrives.

I get inside the bus and takes my usual seat. The other two passengers who also get in, take their usual seats as well. “This is the simplest way on how to explain comfort zone,” I tell myself.

The aircon is probably set to its lowest temperature. It’s very cold but I’m not complaining. I like it this way.

I suddenly get pissed of the same view I’m seeing going to work each day. Same people. Same bus. Same route. Same time. Same me. Same stupid, crappy me.

I’m tired.

A few weeks ago, Esti, Manny, Bea and I went to Genting Highlands. We reached the place by riding the world’s fastest cable car called Genting Skyway. It is also Southeast Asia’s longest cable car which spans 3.38km. The cable car ride was smooth except for some isolated turbulence. Haha.

Okay, so the primary reason why we went there is the casino theme park. The truth is I’m not a fan of thrill rides. This is because the first time I rode a Ferris Wheel, I almost passed out. Alam nyo yong maliliit na peryahan sa probinsya?Ganun. So after the whole ride, I felt like throwing up due to severe dizziness. Since then, I never thought of riding any thrill rides again.

Not until this Genting getaway. I just convinced myself that I should give it another shot.

The funny part is that we started with a stupid ride. I don’t know how it is called. But it is just your ordinary horror train. Natapos na yong ride, e wala man lang mumu. Nakakabadtrip. Haha.

Then, the real deal came. Flying Coaster. In this ride, you will play the role of superman. Para kang si superman dahil lilipad ka talaga. At one point there are 2 consecutive 360-degree turns. Amazing. Tapos may part din na bubulusok pababa. All in all, I enjoyed this ride.

Next stop is the Corkscrew. Isang malupit na roller coaster na may 360-degree turn din. Pakiramdam ko e ang tagal nung ride. Tapos may kasama pa ako sa car na sumisigaw ng I-O-W-A sa takot habang umiikot o bumubulusok pababa. Ayoko na ulitin ‘tong ride na ‘to.

We also tried Pirate Ship. Eto yong pic. Gusto nila sa bandang dulo. E ayoko. Umupo ako sa gitna. Hahaha. Ayun, sumunod naman sila sa akin. Haha.

Then we tried the Grand Prix Fun Kart. Ang galing ko pala… May na overtake pa akong anaps. Haha.

Tapos ang next ay ang walang kwentang Flume Ride. Parang wild river lang ‘to. Nabasa ang sapatos ko. Badtrip. Ang lamig lamig kaya sa Genting. Tapos ang kapal pa ng fog nung araw na yon. Pero masarap naman. Ang sakit sa tiyan pagpababa na yong sinasakyan mo. Hay.

Then uwian na. Madami din kaming kinain. Hehe. Next time na lang yong ibang kwento. Haha.

After being involved in the development of the Fund Administration System of our office in Taiwan, I will be transferring to another team next week. I’m quite sure that my new assignment will be a bit more challenging because we are going to rollout a new insurance system in our Kuala Lumpur and Singapore offices. I don’t exactly know the scope of the project but what I was told about is that I need to join their team to deliver the project as early as possible. I hope I will still be able to have slack time every once in a while.

This transition also means that… Makakawala na ako sa bossing ko. Ayaw ko kasi syang katrabaho e. haha. Tinagalog bigla. Mahirap na kasing mabasa nya. Haha. Pero wala naman akong nabanggit kung saan ako nagtatrabaho e.

So, just wish me luck.

I have been looking for a minimalist WordPress template for a long time but I can’t find a good one. Since I had a considerably light schedule yesterday, I decided to give this itch a good scratch and just modified the template I’m currently using. I thought the picture below would be a nice banner because it matches my tagline so I used it.

With the help of PaintShop Pro, I was able to come up with my new banner. Man, I’m satisfied!

I also changed the template so that the entry titles, date, links, etc. would be just plain gray.

To complete this minimalist thingy, I’m thinking of removing the colorful widgets on the right panel of my blog. I have yet to finalize it though.

The picture above which depicts me crying was taken by Estelito when we went to Genting.

So yesterday, our team went to this restaurant in Sri Petaling called Fusion Haven. This restaurant is called as such because the food they serve is a fusion of different cuisines – American, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, British, Malaysian and a lot more.

I ordered Grilled Spicy Chicken Chop (I think the better name is Spicy Grilled Chicken Chop) and a cup of white rice. The dish comes with a piece of Onigiri which is actually flavored steamed rice. To my surprise, it didn’t just look good but it actually tasted so great. It’s crispy yet so juicy. Haha. It looks like I’m promoting this restaurant. Haha. To give you a glimpse of this oh so yummy meal, I’m posting its picture.

After the satisfying main course, I ordered Warm Heart Chocolate and Ice Cream. They actually use a special blueberry ice cream in the recipe which makes it more special.

The only negative points I can say about this resto is the fact that their service is very slow and the manager doesn’t know the basics of customer service. Haha. Pathetic manager/owner.

NOTE: The pictures above were nenoked from someone else’s blog. Haha.

I must say that the 1-Gb flashdrive I got for free two years ago is one of the best flashdrives in the market today. Why? Well, for the simple reason that it survived a tough ordeal last weekend.

You know the small pocket within a pocket of a typical pants? That is where I usually put my precious flashdrive. And last weekend, I forgot to check that small pocket before putting the pants into the washing machine. The funny part is that I only discovered it this morning when I decided to wear the holy pants.

The moment I saw my thumbdrive in that small pocket, I tried to think if there are important files in there. The good news is that I have a backup. Thanks to my portable hard drive.

And when I got to the office, the first thing I did was to plug it into my computer to check if it’s still working. Luckily, it is working perfectly fine. Isn’t that amazing?

Her name is Ime. She’s probably in her late 40s now. What I admire most about this woman is her high sense of optimism and joy. Despite her disability, she always manages to smile and she doesn’t simply keep her happiness to herself. Her smile is so contagious that it can make other people smile as well.

She reminds me of the days when we attend the REACH mid-week service in UP Los Banos. During those times, I, together with other guys, would go to her house to pick her up and assist her in riding the car. Most of the time, she would remind us to be careful not to drop her. Her reminder seemed very threatening all the time. Everyone’s serious when we start to move her to the back of the car. Except me, of course. Sometimes, I would ask her if I could borrow her wheelchair one time to stroll around the campus. She would laugh out loud and say, “Ikaw talagang bata ka!”

There was a time when we had the mid-week service in a different venue. We finished late that time. Maybe 10PM. I’m not so sure. The nice thing about it is that we had the opportunity to just accompany Tita Ime to her home. We just walked all the way to her house while we were pushing her wheelchair. The goofy me kept on resurfacing. I asked her if I could sit beside her on the wheelchair. Or if I could just sit on it and she will be the one to push it. And we laughed and laughed until we reached her house.

I also remember that whenever we see each other, I would hold her hands and say a sweet hello. I would also smell her hair while massaging her shoulders. I know she’s very happy when I do that to her.

Tita Ime is one of the many people that makes me wanna come back to Los Banos. The truth is I haven’t seen her for more than 4 years already. Maybe I should pay her a visit the next time I return to the Philippines.