tick-tock-tick-tock

don't you just hate waiting?????

sunog! sunog!

nasunugan ng inuupahan nilang bahay ang kaibigan ko kahapon! buti nakalabas lahat sila ng bahay kaagad, and everyone is safe. the fire started in the kitchen, but pretty much the entire house had smoke and water damage.

it will cost $150,000 to fix the house and they will not be able to live in it for 4 months. buti nalang at mandatory ang insurance dito para sa mga bahay, kung hindi, naku! san naman kukunin yung perang yon di ba? mabait din naman yung may ari ng bahay at hindi sila sinisi or anything. sino naman kasi ang gustong masunugan di ba? at least mapapagawa na yung bahay niya.

they lost everything in their kitchen and most of the things in their living room. i wonder what else they need to (partially) start over?

mabait parin talaga ang Lord dahil walang nasaktan sa kanila. there is always reason to be thankful talaga. you just have to see past the trials and see God's hand at work.

RIF-ed

RIF = Reduction In Force

5 people were laid off from our office yesterday. thus beginneth the first wave of lay offs after the merger was announced between the firm and THE BANK.

one of the people who was laid off was actually someone i was truly, truly fond of. it broke my heart to see her say her tearful goodbye. she was a great employee. unfortunately, there is no real method to this madness, we don't really know what the formula is to laying people off. it's not about seniority, not really about performance. it seems like lately, if you're called into your boss' office and he shuts the door, you're out of luck.

the big boss gave a speech on the trading floor before the end of the day. this weighs so heavily on his shoulders because he is the first to know who and how many will be let go. i had a lengthy conversation with him the day he found out about the lay offs and he started our conversation by saying, 'almira, if there is one thing i hate about my job, it would be this.' i've never had to break the bad news to anyone so i can only imagine how difficult it must be. at the end of the day, these people are your friends even though it's really just work that tie you together. still, you spend at least 8 hours of your day with these people. you are aware of their quirks and their issues. you develop a fondness, later on, a true friendship with these people. and then, unfortunately, there will be a time like this when you have to see them go.

the stress and the sadness at work has been giving me headaches. it's been extremely difficult for everyone. at least 150 people were laid off from NY yesterday alone and there are more to come. morale is low, nerves are shot. it seems like everyone should hope for the best but prepare for the worst.

HOPE. i guess that's what separates the men from the boys. i know where i should rest my hope in. come what may, God is in control of my life!

be nice to me...

i gave blood today!

i am a blood donor virgin no more.

this week is life safety week at our building and one of the activities was donating blood. the blood centers of the pacific where there to accept blood donations so i signed up to donate. it's for a good cause and it doesn't me cost a dime, so why not?

i ate a good lunch because i've been told that skipping a meal or donating blood on an empty stomach will make you pass out. so ron and i shared a patty melt from taylor's and some onion rings. delish!

after i filled out a long form and they asked a series of questions about the time i've spent out of the country in the last 12 months (where and how long ), i was set to donate blood. i sucked up any anxiety i had and told myself, 'there's a first time for everything!' takot kasi ako sa dugo. so this is a big step for me. so i lay on the bed and donated blood. i felt like my time took longer that the other donors...yun pala i had to squeeze the ball the gave me every few seconds to encourage blood flow.

after donating, they give you snacks and you have to stay in the facility for at least 15 minutes, just in case you pass out. i was feelin' good. feelin' cocky. in my head i was saying, 'yes! hindi ako hinimatay!' so i was eating peanuts, drinking water, waiting for my 15 minutes to be up. when out of the blue, i started feeling weird, the room started to get dark and i felt like i was spinning. there was a lady sitting next to me and i said, 'uhm, i think i need to lie down.' she stood up immediately and informed the nurse. the nurse told me to move my legs a little while i was lying down so blood will continue to circulate. so much for my confidence! after two minutes, i sat back up feeling much better. the nurse asked my how come i knew what to do when i get that feeling...i told her, 'it always happens to me when i accidentally cut myself and the wound starts to bleed.' so sanay na ako!

the needle is bigger than your vaccination needle. it is a bit painful and uncomfortable, the small wound is still bleeding so i have to keep it covered maybe until tomorrow. i think it will bruise, too. i wont forget the feeling of that warm blood flowing through the tube down to the bag below, the needle pulsating with the flow. freaky!

i will donate blood again. the nurse said that the blood volume with be replenished by the body in about 5 days, but the red blood cell levels wont be the same until after 55 days or so which means no donating for at least that long...not that i'm in a rush to do this all over again. i'll definitely try my best to donate every year.

i really feel this is something worth doing. i know deep inside we all want to do something good for others and i think this is one of the easiest ways to reach out and save a life.

day off and day dreaming

i took yesterday off with the intention of taking michelle to the new california academy of sciences at golden gate park but due my unpleasant situation and michelle's slight temperature, we stayed home and did what this mother and daughter does best - lie in bed and watch tv.

i was supposed to report back to work but still due to my unpleasant situation, i had to stay home and answer nature's frequent call. i was working from home though. there were too many reports to approve and i felt so guilty not coming to work. but i knew i would have been miserable in the office and the other women using the ladies room will not be pleased either. (i don't need to elaborate!)

so here i am dreaming of vacation places when i know that all vacations will be put on hold for a good year at the very least. i would love to go to aman pulo when we go to the philippines but i'm not sure i can afford to spend $600 per night for a room. so i dream of something else...that much dreamed about trip to morrocco...wait! that is yet another expensive trip.

so i move on to mexico's caribbean coast. aaaaah! the white sand beaches, fish tacos, and a margarita on hand. ayayayayay! golly! after this month, who knows what kind of vacation i will be able to afford.

so i dream a more realistic dream. vacations will be different for at least one year. we will be spending our vacations and long weekends at home. our new home.

dehydrated and crabby

food poisoning. need i say more?

*sigh*

no more new clothes! it's time to tighten that already tight belt. i've been glued to cnn live online to catch EVERYTHING that's going on. stocks are dropping like flies. ford was selling stocks for 2 bucks, GM was 4, we are at 13!!! can you f'n believe it? --- sorry! been hangin' out with an italian new yorker from brooklyn. kapish?!?


'buko pie! buko pie! bili na kayo ng buko pie!!!'