What would you do if you see your friend get physically hurt by someone? Would you sprint to the nearest phone booth and change to the S costume? Or would you forget about the custome and just help your friend? I did neither. I actually did nothing. I just stood there frozen in place and stared in shock at the scene unfolding before me.
The friend was an officemate and the “someone” was her husband. They had an argument and the hubby slapped my officemate, called her names and pushed her to the ground and striked her again and again. I wanted to interfere so badly but Blow stopped me because we might just complicate things and we don’t want to intrude in their marital problems. We wanted to report the hubby to the authorities but we were in an isolated island and there was nobody to report the altercation to. The couple left in the middle of the night which left us all to speculate about what happened to her. The next day I talked to her and she told me she was okay and they were able to patch things up between him and her husband. She told me that it was the first time that he mistreated her and that she threatened to leave her husband if it will happen again. I offered her help and words of advice. She assured me though that she’s fine and that she’s really okay. So, I let her be.
I just hope that she won’t end up dead though because I’ve seen so many frightening cases of domestic violence on TV and read about it on books and on the papers. The victim oftentimes feels that he or she doesn’t have any choice or gets blinded by their “love” for their partner that they just accept the abuse in silence.
This whole thing will probably haunt me for life. Until now I keep going through the scenes in my head wondering what I could have done to help her. But sadly I realized that as much as I want to help her even want to fight her battles for her or make choices for her I can’t because it is after all her life. As much as we want to help there are just people who doesn’t want to accept it or maybe they need to go through their problems on their own.
May 28, 2008
Help-less
May 26, 2008
Reader's Circle
Yesterday I attended a Reader's Circle at the KopiRoti coffee shop along with fellow book worms. The activity was a brainchild of Aicha who got inspired by the comfy reader’s lounge of the newly opened coffee shop, Kangaroo. She thought of reading good books for free so she thought of creating a readers circle where book lovers could swap books. So she told her friends to bring three books that they want others to read and meet up. One of her friends, Chi, told me about it and I brought Rhea along. We were supposed to meet at Kangaroo but it was closed so we went to KopiRoti instead. So there we were, Aiha, Jesh, Chi, Rhea and Me. We talked about books of course and even if it was the first time for some of us to meet there was an instant camarederie and we were comfortable enough to confess our obsession or rather passion for books. It’s really nice to meet up with people who share your passion..oh wait! i think I’ve said that before about my first blog EB.
There was a very good and varied selection of books there from Isabel Allende to Jerry Spinelli and much much more. I envy the others for knowing that many authors and good books. I am a bit prudent when it comes to exploring books and authors. Oftentimes if I read a good book then I would read all the books of that author before exploring other authors. And I would only read new authors if it comes highly recommended from a trusted source. I’m looking forward to reading the book I borrowed, Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie.
Also, it was comforting to know that I am not crazy after all because sometimes when I go to second hand book shops like BookShop or BookSale, I get this feeling that I’m gonna find a book that I’ve been looking for. That a book is waiting just for me to find it. That the book and I were meant to be.It feels like magic LOLS I thought it was weird to feel that way but when I told the others about it they assured me that I’m not alone. So I’m not crazy after all or even if I am, atleast I’m not alone :)
We’re planning to meet every other Sunday so leave me a comment if you’re interested to join us. The next meet up is scheduled on June 8.
There was a very good and varied selection of books there from Isabel Allende to Jerry Spinelli and much much more. I envy the others for knowing that many authors and good books. I am a bit prudent when it comes to exploring books and authors. Oftentimes if I read a good book then I would read all the books of that author before exploring other authors. And I would only read new authors if it comes highly recommended from a trusted source. I’m looking forward to reading the book I borrowed, Balzac and the Little Chinese seamstress by Dai Sijie.
Also, it was comforting to know that I am not crazy after all because sometimes when I go to second hand book shops like BookShop or BookSale, I get this feeling that I’m gonna find a book that I’ve been looking for. That a book is waiting just for me to find it. That the book and I were meant to be.It feels like magic LOLS I thought it was weird to feel that way but when I told the others about it they assured me that I’m not alone. So I’m not crazy after all or even if I am, atleast I’m not alone :)
We’re planning to meet every other Sunday so leave me a comment if you’re interested to join us. The next meet up is scheduled on June 8.
P.S. Please join our yahoogroup, Davaoreaderscircle
May 24, 2008
Dream house
A few months ago, Blow and I were talking about our dream houses. He told me that he already have a drawing of his dream house. I asked him to show it to me. I forgot about it but was surprised when a couple of days ago he handed me a folder and said to look at his dream house. I opened the folder and saw a floor plan with complete details of his dream house. I can’t help but be amused because I was expecting a perspective drawing or just a rough sketch and not the actual floor plan with all the details. Guess he must have really given his dream house much thought. After that we discussed about doing a floor plan for the second floor of my parent’s house. My mom told me that when I get married, I could have the second floor while saving up for my own house. Blow and I discussed about it and we both wondered if we need to reinforce the existing beams and all to support the second floor. We have heard several horror stories of houses and even large infrastructure collapsing down due to poor engineering works and etc. That’s why it is very important to secure legal documents during construction works and sign a contract with the contractors as security to all parties. One should consult lawyers about this matters and someone knowledgeable about the California construction law or the construction laws of wherever state you may be.
May 22, 2008
Saving
In relation to my previous post, I really have a hard time saving up my hard earned money. I posted before an article from Colayco about The basics of Cashflow that deeply impressed me yet I just can’t put the principles into practice. I am human and a very weak one to resist the temptations of the material world :) Seriously, right now I’m thinking of having my own house but my monthly income is not enough that’s why I’m considering applying for a loan. At my age I really wanted to have my own space not just for myself but for my future family. I wanted to have my own stuffs and decorate my own house the way I want it.
Online Shopping
I have always been a shopaholic. I just can’t resist it when I see a cute blouse or shoe or slippers or just about anything that catches my fancy. I am really impulsive and I can’t control my urge to shop. Now temptation has become more accessible because of the internet. There are a dozen sites that sell just about anything like in ebay or multiply. Since I discovered these sites I have become a chronic online shopper. I’ve purchased books, blouses , Havaianas and etcetera. Sometimes I wonder why my funds are dwindling even when I seldom go to the mall now and then a package arrives and I would remember that I have purchased something through the internet. Good thing that there are loans to help out.
May 19, 2008
Operation Tuli
I can't help but laugh when this scene greeted my eyes when I got home last week.
My nephew and his friends just got circumcised at the Operation Tuli sponsored by the local government. Tuli is the filipino word for circumcision. It is the process or removing the foreskin from the penis. For filipinos, Circumcision is not only for health reasons but it is also part of the Catholic ritual...not sure or perhaps just plain 'ol pinoy tradition. It is a painful process according to my nephew that he even screamed during the operation and some of his friends even backed out.Lucky us girls because we only have to get our ears pierced to be considered circumcised...errr right? Circumcision in the Philippines usually happens during the summer for boys ages between 7 t0 10. For the boys it signals the start of their journey towards becoming a man. When you see boys wearing oversized shirts or sometimes skirts and walking like they have a heavy load between their legs then they are on their way to becoming Men ;)
Tuition Fees
It’s enrollment time! In a few days it’s back to school once again. Parents who have kids at school are probably anticipating the upcoming school expenses. I am a working student pursuing post graduates studies. During the first semester of my first year I paid for my own tuition and school expense. It was really a financial burden but it was something that I wanted to do thus I persisted and budgeted my finances. Fortunately during the second semester my scholarship application with our company was approved thus I worried about the finances no more. To those who are struggling with their finances not only for their schooling you might want to consider making loan. Many firms are now offering loans, you can check the link for more details.
May 14, 2008
Babu Santa
Last weekend we went to Babu Santa Beach Resort at Talicud Island. It was an approximately 40 minutes ferry ride from Sta. Ana wharf. The fare is P50. When we arrived at the resort, there were no other people there except for the caretakers so we had the resort practically to ourselves. We rented a closed cottage for P400. It was ok but it had no furniture inside, good thing we brought tents and sleeping bags. The first thing we did was of course had a photoshoot and then cooked our dinner and ate. We then swam despite the huge waves because there was a storm somewhere ‘til we got exhausted and gathered inside the cottage. There was no tap/fresh water for washing up so we ordered gallons of water brought by a horse for P10 per gallon.There was also no electricity or gen set so we borrowed a lamp from the caretakes to light up the cottage while we drank and got merry :) There was a bit of a disturbance that I will post about soon. The ff. day was basically the same, eating, picture taking and swimming then it was time to go home. It was a hellish ride on the motorcyle ride towards the Sta. Cruz pier because there was no scheduled ferry that day.
The beach and the place in general was just OK, Canibad is still on top of my list but the outing was unforgettable.
Before dusk
the open Cottages
Blow,Kalai,Friday,Me,Joy,TJ
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