every little good thing in life

I’ve had this video for a long time. About a year ago, when my iPod was new, I kinda had this phase where I filled it with funny commercials not locally shown here. Yesterday, while we were at the canteen, we remembered this particular commercial.

Let’s be thankful for the little things. Like knowing it’s a Friday and we can finally have that much needed R&R. Or finding that parking spot we’ve spent such a long time searching. Or that extra crab serving at the bottom your noodles. People say that life is hard. I don’t. It’s just that we focus on the bad things and don’t appreciate the good, no matter how infinitely small. A toast to life! Cheers!

things about marriage

I found this article by Ylonda Gault Caviness in the Good Housekeeping magazine last January while my wife was having her nails done at Lil Nail Shop (owned by Tricia) and I was left to play with myself (not that kind of play you pervs). It was written by a woman, so it’s in a woman’s perspective, but I think it goes both ways. The actual article is quite long so here are some snippets (read it online here, totally worth the time).

Let’s face it, marriage is not for the faint of heart. You want to believe your pure love for each other will pull you through. And it does. But it ain’t always pretty. That may sound grim. But here’s a secret: Sometimes it’s the least romantic parts of marriage that have the most to teach you about yourself, your partner, and the nature of love. 

1. You will look at the person lying next to you and wonder, Is this it? Forever? Marriage isn’t a destination; it’s a journey filled with equal parts excitement and tedium. Once you let go of all the hokey stories of eternal bliss, you find that the reality of marriage is far richer and more rewarding than you ever could have guessed. Hard, yes. Frustrating, yes. But full of its own powerful, quiet enchantments just the same, and that’s better than any fairy tale. (My take of this: Go find yourself a beautiful wife (like I did). That way, you’ll never wonder and just utter to yourself Oh man! So pretty! How lucky am I!)

2. You’ll work harder than you ever imagined. Human beings, you may have noticed, are not simple creatures. Your man has mysterious, unplumbed depths—and from where he sits, you’re pretty complicated, too. As two people grow and evolve, the real work of marriage is finding a way to relate to and nurture each other in the process. (My take of this: Yup! Work! Work! Work! I now render overtime work almost everyday. Not that kind of work you say? Oh! Uhm…then I’m totally spaced out. Next!)

3. You will sometimes go to bed mad (and maybe even wake up madder). A break in the action will help you figure out whether you’re angry, hurt, or both, and then pinpoint the exact source. Without a time-out, sometimes a perfectly good argument can turn into an endless round of silly back-and-forth, rehashing old and irrelevant transgressions as you get more and more wound up. (My take of this: Very true! I almost always wonder why we fight, being that I am the most easy person to talk to! )

4. You will go without sex–sometimes for a long time–and that’s okay. Sexless periods are a natural part of married life. A dry spell isn’t a sign that you’ve lost your mojo or that you’ll never have sex again. It just means that maybe this week, sleep is more important than sex. And don’t kid yourself; no one is doing it as often as popular culture would have you believe. Instead of worrying about how much you think you “should” be having sex, keep the focus on figuring out your own rhythm. The key is to make sure that even if you’re not doing “it,” you’re still doing something — touching, kissing, hugging. (My take on this: Whoa! Wait a minute? That’s not okay. Why? Why? Why?)

5. Getting your way is usually not as important as finding a way to work together. When it comes to certain disagreements, there is no right or wrong—there is simply your way of looking at things and your husband’s. Instead of harping on how wrong he is, I can usually swallow the verbal vitriol and simply say something like, “I see your point” or “I hadn’t considered that.” After I sincerely acknowledge his view, it seems to become easier for him to hear mine. (My take on this: My way is the best way! What? You don’t think so? Oh man! Okay, you got me, I’m kidding, it’s really her way is the best way!)

6. A great marriage doesn’t mean no conflict; it simply means a couple keeps trying to get it right. As important as it is to strike a balance, it’s also important to have a big, fat fight every now and then. Because when you fight, you don’t just raise your voices; you raise real–sometimes buried–issues that challenge you to come to a clearer understanding of you, your man, and your relationship. I wouldn’t give up our fights for anything in the world, because I know in the end they won’t break us; they’ll only make us stronger. (My take on this: Uhm…Next!)

7. You’ll realize that you can only change yourself. There is a bit of that makeover fantasy in all of us–something that makes us believe we can change the person we love, make him just a little bit closer to perfect. We may use support and empathy or shouts and ultimatums, but with dogged conviction we take on this huge responsibility, convinced we’re doing the right thing. Whatever our motives, the effort is exhausting. Transforming a full-grown man–stripping him of decades-old habits, beliefs, and idiosyncrasies–is truly an impossible task. And you will come to realize, sooner than later if you’re lucky, that it is far easier to change the way you respond to him. (My take on this: Yeah! I’m a lazy stubborn mule! So deal with it!)

8. As you face your fears and insecurities, you will find out what you’re really made of. many of the deepest frustrations in your relationship are an opportunity for you to confront yourself. That can be difficult to accept–after all, it’s so much more comforting to keep a running tab of your hubby’s deficits and tell yourself that his failings are the only thing standing between you and a better marriage. But if you let it, this bumpy journey toward self-awareness can be one of the more fulfilling rewards of a committed, long-term relationship–you’ll learn to love your quirks and be compassionate toward yourself, just as you’re learning to do with him. (My take on this: Yeah! What she said.)

waiting in vain

Remember my sleek and black Dell PC? Well, it isn’t here yet. It’s on the second floor lobby, sitting pretty, gathering dust, waiting to be eaten and pooped on by the rats! So when I asked our Department Head for an update, it turns out that the IT people are apparently having a hard time setting up the PC, which they were able to resolve as one CED team has their PCs working just fine, not to mention the TLs who got first dibs months ago. So I asked the proverbial WHY? I mean these IT folks have years of college on their backs to specialize in stuff like these, and yet installing a few software is making them scratch their heads. Really?! Oh come on! Pretty soon I’ll be needing some Chicago personal injury lawyers for kicking somebody’s butt and get them moving! It’s been two months you guys! What’s happening?!

Vien Ceaucesceu

Our friend Ka recently gave birth to a beautiful baby boy named Vien Ceaucesceu. Weird name huh?! And I don’t even know how to say Ceaucesceu! I wonder where they got that, and what they were thinking. Because if I were Vien, or Ceaucesceu, or Vien Ceaucesceu, I’d really be pissed! I’m kidding! Hehe! And while you guys are buried with all the baby bedding and baby poop (ew!), let me just say congratulations to the new parents. I know you guys really wanted him, and we really think you’d be great parents.

decorating our apartment

I live in a pink building. There! I said it! Go ahead and make fun! I have no idea what particular look the building owners were desperately trying to get, or what they were thinking for that matter, but I don’t really get a pink building. The receiving room (sala) is painted light green, whereas the bedroom is light pink. Forgive me but I’m not that knowledgeable with colors. I’m limited to basic primary colors, and add “light” or “dark” to get the right color, hence the “light green” combination. We so want to repaint the whole apartment but don’t want to exert that much effort for something we’re just renting, just one of the disadvantages of renting.

We are still on a hunt for that perfect couch. We read/heard (maybe from Real Living or one of those lifestyle channels) that you should really invest in a nice and comfortable couch because it’s something you use everyday, maybe to rest, sleep, watch TV, etc. We also need some side tables to match and maybe some lamps to brighten and set the mood. We read/heard that strategically placing table lamps and floor lamps can really do so much. Pin lights way out of date, torchieres is the way to go. Oh yeah, we need a nice bookcase! I have a bag full of books, and my wife has tons more.

We are also thinking of putting some wall murals to liven up the place. I was able to find some cool murals from blik that you can actually stick to your walls. Coolness! They have these Giant Robot and Nintendo (Super Mario Brothers) murals that I really really like, but I don’t think the wife will agree. The blik Invader mural (much like the Atari game Galaga if you could remember) is also great. Now all we need is some nice soul to lend us the money and we’re good to go. Any offers?  

you ate my sandwich

Photo from www.tbs.com.

As I was stepping out of the bathroom this morning, with my glorious beautiful naked body wet from the shower, my wife saw me and said Grabe babe ang taba mo na. Para kang si Sir XXX! How’s that for a wake up call huh?! It sure made me want to live, I mean, run, on a treadmill for days!

And then a few hours ago, I bought a delicious crispy chicken burger sandwich with cheese for myself and a regular classic burger for my wife (because that’s what she wanted). Guess what happened? She accidentally ate my sandwich! I felt like Ross of Friends shouting “You ate my sandwich!”

I know! I’m fat! But you’ll see! You’ll all see!

Happy weekend!

DVD marathon

We are currently watching Amazing Race Asia Season 2 on DVD. We bought the dibidi in Ruins, BF Homes, a few weeks back, and now we are hooked!

Our favorites include Henry and Terri. They are really funny, especially Terri. If we ever qualify for Amazing Race, provided I underwent Orovo detox first so I won’t slow us down, I think we will be like Henry and Terri, with my wife (as Terry) shouting all the orders and me (as Henry) crying from embarrassment, I mean, frustration. We always rewind the DVD when these guys come up.

And of course, we are gunning (as we don’t know who won so don’t tell) for Mark and Rovilson. These guys are really athletic, what with hosting Gameplan and Sports Unlimited, so the challenges were quite easy for them. We can’t wait to go home and have a dose of fun and excitement. We are currently on the New Zealand leg.

Next on our list is LOST Season 4.

heading out

We have decided to celebrate Kimpoy’s birthday on Monday, August 18, because it’s a holiday and thus a lot of free time. So later today, we will be heading to Makati to try to find a special gift for her. I know nothing beats giving personalized gifts, and I just hope we can find something we can personalize. I myself prefer to receive gifts that aren’t store bought and wrapped. It seems to have more soul, or something like that. It has that “special” tag we don’t really see. Come to think of it, I don’t think I have given anything personalized before, not unless you count buying a ready-made ribbon and sticking that to the gift. But I’m sure my wife can think of something. She’s great with things like this. She almost always outdid herself when making gifts. So anyway, any idea what an 18-year-old girl wants?

Have a great  long weekend!

the husband cooks

I feel like we’re refugees. Around two months after moving to our new apartment, it’s still bare, though the moving boxes have been cleared and most of our stuffs are in their right places. We still need a good sofa, a set of dining chairs and table (we’re using a borrowed dining table and a couple of monoblock chairs), and a proper place to put the stove, as the current two-burner stove we have is sitting on my old pair of mags.

So last night, because my wife has been so good taking care of care, I decided to treat her to some free time by cooking our dinner. Yup! I cooked! Here’s a cooking tip I found, though I don’t really know if it’s true, put some oil when using butter to fry food so the butter won’t burn. So here we go. Put some olive oil on the pan, add butter, and saute some garlic and onion. Then add some deboned chicken breasts seasoned with salt and freshly ground pepper. That’s it! After a few minutes, the chicken is cooked. And what can I say, it tasted great! Now on to new and better dishes! 

faster way

Is it just me or do you also notice that there seems to be a lot of people using motorcycles (bikes like Honda XRMs) right now. With the oil prices still on a hike, it has become the preferred mode of transportation. The problem here is that most of them have no regard for safety. They try to squeeze their way into any available spot without considering other people’s right of way. They sometimes appear out of nowhere, and you suddenly see yourself hitting them. While this may be covered by your auto insurance, the real dilemma here is the lost time spent, the traffic you’ll cause, and worst, what if somebody dies. I have my fair share of almost hitting a bike more than I would want. I just don’t know what these people are thinking, faster way to work or faster way to heaven?