Ito si Mamang Driver na walang pambili ng sapatos kaya pati yung tsinelas sa kubeta ay gamit niya...ok lang kasi na ka Ralph Lauren cap naman sya!

One morning, we decided frolic under the sun. This is the Marina Club. Behind are the tall condominiums of Juffair.

Mama pajama on her 9th month of pregnancy.

SURPRISE, SURPRISE!

My daily ritual consist of kissing my wife, going to the toilet, driving to work (pansin nyo walang breakfast?), checking my our beehive (yung site na to), and checking my favorite blogsites. The first blog that I'll read would probably be the first one on our list of links. Besides, I need my daily dose of comedy before I start my boring day. To my surprise I found out that they released the list of Pinoy Blog Awards finalist! I rushed to finish Mr. D's blog entry to see if I made the cut....

In one category, I was glad to see Anne and Edmun's site. This little girl has gone a long way since she asked my advice on how to blog. But sad to say that our site wasn't in that category. Instead, I found that we are listed as a semifinalist for "Photoblogging". Ehh??? I asked myself several times "why did I get nominated for that category?". I didn't post a lot of of photos? But whatever it is that they found on "THE HONEYSPOT", I'm just glad that we are recognized.

For the category Blogger of the year, I'm upset that Jessica Zafra didn't enter the contest. But if she did, I bet that she will get the award. Check her out at www.twistedbyjessicazafra.blogspot.com

Up next on the honeyspot...more photos to come!

OVER A CUP OF STEAMING PEANUT BUTTER

Yesterday, me and my wife went out to do our shopping for this month. It is very timely because we hardly have anything in our freezer except for a bag of ice cubes. As we entered the newly designed superstore of Geant we came across the section dedicated to Christmas Decors. There were about 5 ugly looking Trees showcased on a pile of Christmas lights for the desperate holiday shoppers. Kinda ironic when you think about it… a Christmas promotion in the middle east??? You must be kidding! But to the management of the superstore, it's only commerce. Christmas sells you know.

As we walked in awe of the decors, I couldn't help but reminisce the memories of Christmas past. Those precious memories when I was still a young boy, and my dear departed relatives were still alive. I remember my grandfather would prepare his priced chicken for a year to be slaughtered before Noche Buena. My dad would make me a canon made of bamboo that I loved to play with. It made a muffled booming noise because I would stuff it with a tin can or a piece of cloth as my weapon of mass destruction. The usually dim street of Santiago would be lit up like a cabaret from the Christmas lights that neighbors put on their houses.

During Noche Buena, the kids would be lining up the buffet table and try to make the tallest sandwich for dinner. My grandfather's roasted chicken would be the competing with the ham that was given by his Chinese kumpare on the table. And after dinner he would make the traditional hot chocolate beverage that tasted more like peanut butter rather than chocolate. Those memories are so special that I could smell cup of steaming peanut butter under my noses as I walked pass the over decorated tree.

We bought Santa's hat with disco lights and a box of dancing lights for the apartment. After that I asked my wife to move on…all that holiday spirit made me home sick. This holiday, I wish that I can make our Christmas Merry and memorable for my wife…and our little baby boy (?). It surely won't be the same. But I hope next year will be different.

Happy Holidays!!!

PS: Congratulations to Gigi and Ryan for a bouncing baby boy!

EVAT

Balitang TFC muna....

Ipinatupad na daw sa ang EVAT sa mga airport ng Pinas. Sa mga expat na di nakakaalam at di pa uuwi ng Pinas this year siguro ay ok lang sa kanila. Pero magugulat ka kung sasabihin ko na lahat ng bibilhin mo sa abroad lalo na ang mga electronics, kapag dinala mo sa Pinas ay lalagyan nila ng 10% EVAT!

Para sa isang ordinaryong mangagawa na katulad ko, mabigat yun. Mamimigay ka na nga ng pasalubong sa mga kamaganak at kaibigan mo tapos ita-tax ka pa ng gobyerno? Ano ba ang kinalaman nila kung ibibili ko ang tatay ko ng imported na alak? Gagalisin na nga yung tao sa pag-inom na Ginebra pati ba naman yung alak na minsan lang niya matitikman lalagyan pa ng tax!

E kung ibili ko ng imported na pabango ang nanay at mga kapatid ko para makalanghap naman sila ng pabango na hindi imitation, at matanggal ang amoy tuyo na kinain nila ng tanghalian bakit nila lalagyan ng tax?

Tax ka na nga sa mga mangongotong sa iyo paglabas mo ng NAIA, may tax pa rin sa loob! Besides nagbabayad din naman ang mga expat ng mandatory tax sa POEA kada uwi namin sa Pinas para lang makabalik at magtrabaho ng malayo sa mga mahal namin sa buhay di ba? Masakit lang sa loob na ang mga bagay na iuuwi mo na nasa loob ng balikbayan box mo ay kakalkalin para malagyan ng EVAT. Bakit di muna nila sugpuin ang graft and corruption bago nila pagtripan ang mga pinaghirapan ng mga bayani ng makabagong panahon? Kawawa namana ng mga domestic helpers at ang mga taong mababa ang kinikita sa abroad. Minsan na nga lang makakauwi bibigyan pa nila ng sakit ng ulo.

THE CONTROL FREAKS BANNED FRIENDSTER

Hi everyone! It's been a long while since I updated our blog (sounds familiar ba?). Life sucks! (really familiar eh??) Our broadband at home was cancelled for over a month now by lawless bandits (we call them local servers). My friend from the internet shop (in which my home PC is connected to) told me that there had been an inspection in our area for illegal internet and satellite cable connections, thats why he had to cancel my subscription for a month. He had to remove all the cables visible to the inspectors. Now its really annoying to stay at home with just the TV for entertainment. Now, if you missed my blog entries then you can blame the government! Hehehehe!

The same guy that owns the internet shop on my block is the same guy who runs the network at my work place. He can be very friendly outside but be also follows protocols at work. Since I work for the government, they are so strict about the websites that the employees visit. Ofcourse, number one on their list is Porn. Now who the hell will visit a pornsite using the hospital PC? You will be surprised to know who.

Anyways, one of the latest sites that was blocked other than www.jandbabe.friendsterblogs.com is www.friendster.com! I believe that friendster has been very instrumental to the Pinoy expat to be in contact with their friends...but why the hell did they block it? I can only think of one reason...maybe they use a lot of their working hours visiting friendster? Or to the web administrator friendster = to porn. They are so unfriendly! So to whom it may concern, If I were you I would look at the major problems of our LAN connection (this includes speeding up the connection and upgrading the PC's you pricks!) instead of picking on useful sites such as friendster.

DON AND ED TO THE RESCUE!!!

I don't know where I will be without friends. If they make pocket size friends my pockets will be full. But those exceptional ones I will surely carry close to my heart...Drama!

Early in the morning I had a problem with my car. As soon as I left the parking lot and turned the steering wheel to the right, I knew that there is something wrong with Tita Cory (our HRV is golden yellow). There was a sound coming from the steering...kinda like turning a rusty lock from a nuclear sub...When I reached work I'm still bothered by the sound which made me pop the hood. As I might have guessed! There is a leak from my steering oil reservoir! The oil is down to an inch. The alternator is soaked with transmission oil and I got a little scared. I heard about cars that burn because of leaks. But theres no need to hurry, Don's brother is my reliable mechanic. He can fix it really good.

After bringing it to the garage, I was told that it will take time to fix my shit colored car. There is no way I can go back to work asap. The only way to get back quickly is ti call Don the reliable! Thanks Don for bringing me back to the hospital...I'll make a copy of the Kama Sutra DVD for you dont worry! hehehehe!

And when I needed a ride back to the garage in the afternoon there is always the dependable Ed. He's the real deal! This guy will always be there to help. I have never heard him say no to me. Kudos to both of you! (what is kudos by the way???)

MY NANNY IS LIKE A SATELLITE

It’s another day of work for me. Yesterday, I thought that I have already finished my report to my boss, but after he browsed the papers he saw that there are a few things missing… that’s why today, it will be another day facing the office PC.

In order to finish my papers, I needed to go to Ate Raq’s for her files. But tough luck! She has an appointment for an x-ray so I need to wait for a little while.

Pass our narrow hallway that is being renovated (it looks like a Gap store because they removed the ceiling panels. Now everything up there is exposed. I like it that way, it’s rugged.) I overheard the nurses having a conversation while they take their morning coffee. If all the nurses are inside one room at the same time, then they must be talking of something very important! I must get inside the pantry for a scoop! Hehehehe!

I have a bunch of interesting co-workers. Sometimes you can’t help but compare my workplace to the news room of CNN! One girl in particular sounds like the late Inday Badiday because of her rough, annoyingly-high-pitched-raspy-voice. No rumor can escape the pointy ears of our staff! We are always up to date, and sometimes the news is being broadcasted even if it hasn’t happened yet! I think you call it precognition…

I walked in, and the news is about… Sarah Geronimo and Mark Bautista… Not as juicy as I thought the topic will be, but on a lazy day (like any other day after the previous boss had been booted out…) it is good news! Rumor has it that Sarah and Mark were invited to a Sheikh’s house for dinner. Apparently, the kids of the Royal Family are a big fan on the singing couple. How? We’ll the Royal Filipina Housemaid’s watch TFC (or ABS-CBN) at home while they baby sit the kids, that’s why! If the maids can influence them with a small thing like music, then I guess those kids learned more than that! One time my friend Shaikah cussed in Tagalog, which didn’t surprise me as much because she already told me that she had a Pinay nanny when she was a kid. Kudos to our kababayan!

Back to Sarah and Mark…

The couple was invited to a lavish banquet at the Sheikh’s residence, and was asked to perform their famous songs. And at the end of the evening Sarah was given a set of gold jewelry and an envelope full of cash! Mark received an expensive watch and probably some cash. People pay so much for good entertainment here. Especially when they are royalty.

And as for me…I’m still waiting for Ate Raq’s to comeback so that I can get my much needed files.

More coffee please!

Dear Janners

Dear Janers,

Kamusta ka na??? Miss ka na namin dito. This is the first weekend na wala ka, and it all came to me last night na we look forward to the weekends and day off's kasi alam namin na magkakasama uli tayo. Yun nga lang nag-evacuate ka na dito sa ating maliit na playground. Pero di naman kami totally nag-goodbye sa iyo, kasi alam namin na magkikita pa tayo…di ba???

I'm glad that you liked the video that we made for you. Matagal ko na talaga binabalak gawin yun para sa iyo kasi special ka….special child ka naming! Hehehe! Siguro napapansin mo na most of the time that we are out lagi akong may dalang digicam. It is the longest video I have ever made. Nag-enjoy naman ako sa paggawa kasi nababalikan ko yung mga pics and the memories that went with it. Mas may meaning kapag nilagyan mo ng music di ba? Si Papi Ed nga pala ang pumili ng song ng Nikelback (tama ba spelling?). Yun daw ang theme song/favorite song mo.

Dun nga pala sa mga taong di ko nacover sa video, pasensya na po! Kasi limited ang time ko at di mag-fit ang sched ko sa mga ginagawa ko. Tambak nga ang paper works ko sa trabaho e. Daig ko pa ang nagtake ng accounting sa paggawa ng costing, charts at graphs. Hope you guys understand.

Dapat nga bumili ka ng car jan…at h'wag scooter! Kasi naiimagine na kita na para kang character dun sa movie na "Dumb and Dumber", sa scene na umakyat sila sa Aspen Colorado ridding a scooter. Magyeyelo ang sipon mo, at for sure pagtatawanan ka nila pagdating mo sa trabaho kasi may yelo ka sa ilong! At kapag na-ihi ka sa upuan mahihirapan kang tumayo kasi didikit ka na sa upuan. Hehehe!

Ok mahaba na ito…sulat na lang ako sa iyo next time. Regards kay Nonoy at Dennis! Miss na rin namin ang company ninyo. Sulat kayo uli ok?

ps: dito nga pala sa spoof ko ng My Sassy Girl, nahirapan akong paputiin kayo...pero mas succesful naman ang pagputi ni Papi kaysa sa iyo. hehehe!

Nagmamahal,

Dennis a.k.a Vin Diesel (mumtaz)

THE BEST PANCAKE

Aunt Jemima is the best pancake the honeyspot has ever tasted! Perfect for the lazy ass husband like me! => We discovered this product when we went shopping at Geant Supermaket a year ago. The name had a recall to it. I probably heard it from my cousin Geoff or my friend Sarah. And then when I read "just add water" I told myself that this is it! The only problem that I encountered was, after adding water it looked like a sticky substance... it looked nothing like the one on the box! Aha! Thats the time when it occured to me that it needs to be cooked. Talino no? After cooking we tasted the fluffiest and the tastiest pancake we ever had! Sarap!

This is one of the few products that I like at Geant. I hope that when we come back there will be a fresh supply of the long awaited ice cream "Ben and Jerry's". Siguro kaya wala silang maibigay sa akin nung una kasi I was asking for a "Tom and Jerry's ice cream". Nyee!

SMALLVILLE

Why are most superheroes sterile and frigid? Is it because they wear tight-stretchy-pants? Or is it because they wear their underwear on top of it? I can only speculate for now.

One thing I know is that I hate watching "Smallville". I've seen the show a couple of times because I wanted to know how different the story line goes from the original Superman. But to my dismay, I found that the show lacks substance. I'm a Superman fan, but I hated the fact that Jerry Siegel turned a superhuman into a shmuck when he is not wearing his costume. He always manages to keep himself out of the limelight for some reason. He avoids direct confrontation, romance, sex, and always keeps himself on a safe distance. If he was real I probably wouldn't like Clark Kent. He is too good for a person, always self-righteous and tries to make himself weak when he is not. To top it off, why are superheroes super jinx? Remember the case of Spiderman?

It would have been a good show to tell you the truth. The only thing that I like about Smallville is Kristin Kreuk! She is super cute! Now why would Clarke Kent pass on a girl like this? Is there something wrong with his mojo? I would like to think that he is just being careful because he might break Lana Lang (is she the same as Lois Lane?) from his super strength. Overall, Smallville is not my favorite show…not until Clark Kent decides to take control of his life. We are in a generation based in reality...so why not put some of it in a fictional charactes life?

FRIENDS

I have been watching Friends reruns on channel ONE and MBC 4 for more than a year now. Both stations show the same sitcom on different time slots and different seasons too. But there is only one thing I notice on every episode, you can almost see Jennifer Aniston's nipple every time! If this is the producers sick idea of keeping the ratings up, then it definitely worked. But nipple or no nipple, Friends will always be on my list of great shows to watch. It never fails to make me laugh.

AUBREY

A picture can be interpreted in a lot of ways, like the one that I took last night at the Bahrain Mall. There were circus professionals who delighted people with their display of talent, but this one amazed me....Lets try and analyze this picture.
*******
A child was mesmerized by the size of the couple. He is probably wondering if he will grow up to be as tall as them. The child got scared and peed on the floor...
******

The couples parents made them eat a lot of Star Margarine when they were kids. And as a result, they grew up be freaks without a fashion sense. Only Boy Abunda can get away with this crappy attire!
******

Long legs? I wonder what else is long with them? =>
******

I grew up with 80's music, and they actually made me think of the Spandau Ballet's song "Gold"!
******

Everybody in the background doesn't seem to care about these gigantic couple. Probably too busy thinking about Eid (end of Ramadan).
******

According to the US survey about men and sex, Men tend to think about sex every minute. Hmmm...must be amazing to watch them make out and perform sex! bwahahahahahaa!
******

The ostrich feathers that they carry compliments their height!
******

It's almost 2:00 am, and I should stop thinking about these guys. For me they are just too weird to me remembered.

Happy Birthday Mommy Lou! (A picture of my parents giving their wedding speech to us. Parang makulit ba ang dad ko? Oo makulit yan! Diyan nagmana ang....kapatid ko! hehehe!)

BIRYANI BLUES

In the middle east, one of the most disgusting thing that you can tell a Pinoy aside from telling him "you're mom is a whore" (pu...bleep! bleep!), is that you like Indian food (lets not give credit to the Arabs by calling it Arabic food ok? click on the links to know the difference.). But then again why not? Indian food is full of aromatic spices, the ones that we are not accustomed to. Well, curry is not on my list since we've grown familiar with this spice.

A week ago, I had a craving for this kind of food...(P........!!! magkamatayan na kapag bukas may nang-alaska sa akin ha?!). Huh??? I can't explain it man....Maybe because there was one time, about four years ago when I had to do overtime at work, and there isn't any food around except Burgerland BDF. They used to serve luch there. There was also this nice Pinoy guy who gave me a taste of Mutton Masala. He said that this is the only thing that he has that taste a little like pinoy food. All the rest taste like shit! (joke!) And so I tried...mmmm...taste like Mechado with curry! Bingo! Lunch at last! But at that time I can only eat a small portion of it, because I knew that the soft yummy thing inside my mouth is mutton. Overtime became a lifestyle for me from then on, and Masala has been a stapple every now and then. (huh?)

So thats my story...Indian food is not bad at all. It just takes a little getting used too. I know for a fact that the Powerpuff Girls are made of it. "Sugar and Spice (curry to! pusta?!!) and everything nice".

"I would like to thank Ed "The Navy Seal" for providing the Miller Lite for tonights blog."

JACKED-UP-CAR-STEREO

Right now I found time to back up my massive mp3 library. In a span of 4 years I managed to come up with a large collection of my favorite songs. And most of it are downloaded from the internet...I'm an mp3 junkie! I like the feel of finding the nicest songs on the internet in their highest quality. Wala lang...I just find it amusing to get free songs. I never bought a single original audio CD since then.

During the days when mp3 players are still expensive and new, I bought myself a Creative mp3 player...yung 32Mb pa yun. The shit cost me a lot of money, but it served its purpose. Now, I learned my lesson about digital music and storage, thats why I only burn my mp3's on CD's. It's cheaper and safer!

Thanks to Jan for the car stereo adaptor. Now I don't have to buy a new stereo for the car. I just plug in my CD/MP3 walkman in and voila! I got a jukebox ready to play music. And the original speakers that I got from my honda ain't that bad too! Thats why nowadays I drive as slow as I can so that I can savor the music.

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEYSPOT

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY HONEYSPOT!!!

I am proud that in a span of one year I got to make 3,700 visitors read my thoughts. Well, it’s probably more than that because our counter was installed maybe 3 months from October. But nevertheless, “The Honeyspot” had been an inspiration for some of my friends to follow the road to blog.

I have learned a lot of things from this blog. I have me a lot of friends who constantly made it a point to open this site everytime that they open their computers! Thanks to you all! Keep reading our entries.

Please visit the links below. Yan ang mga inspiration ko besides my wife and little baby Diego.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ANNALYNE!!! Ganda ng pagka-edit ko ha! Anyways, hope you like it. Pwede mong ipadevelop yan. - From ate and kuya of the honeyspot.

RECAP OF THE WEEK

I'm sorry bloggers for I have sinned. Its been a week since my last blog.

We've been so busy these past weeks. Aside from our Queen Bee getting sick 3 times in the last two months, we were also busy with other stuff. One of which was to participate in the "Medical Mission 2", sponsored by the Tau Gamma Phi and O.W.W.A. Bahrain.

Overall, it was the best! We get to spend time with our colleagues and friends. It was probably the first time that we mixed buisness with pleasure. And to top it all, we helped our fellow OFW's who needed the basic medical service. And its all for free!

Carlo Casal, RN who is the president of the Tau Gamma Phi Bahrain Chapter gave awarm speech that day. He explained the need of the OFW for medical attention as well as the OFW's need for the company of his fellow Pinoy. He said that some of the people who came, did not need medical attention, they just needed to be around Pinoy's. I had patients who came to me saying that. They were overwhelmed with the gathering of Pinoy's in one spot. And in a way, just being there made everyone feel at home. I can totally comprehend. Cause right now I'm stuggling from a bout of home sickness.

Many thanks to the people who made the "Medical Mission 2" a great success! 154 patients in a span of 6 hours while having fun is good. Oh! You should have heard my wife laugh so hard that day! I would like to thank Gulf Daily News, Bahrain Tribune and Abante Middle East for the pictures (OO! Lahat ng diaryo andun ang mrs ko! Di ko nga rin alam kung bakit e.) Many thanks to Kuya Bong Belvis, Carlo and Dr. Ivan for inviting us and sharing the nice experience to us. We are glad to be of service. Next time po ulit!

MABUHAY ANG MGA OFW AT, ANG SAMBAYANANG FILIPINO!!!

Janjan, Cecile, Vin Diesel and Lany. So where the f*#k is Ed??? We missed you buddy!

Medical Technologists in action: Free Blood Typing, Hemoglobin and Urinalysis Exam to all OFW's. Mabuhay ang mga OFW's!

Medical Mission 2 at the OWWA Philippine Embassy Kingdom of Bahrain. BDF Hospital Nurses in action.

DEAR ED

Dear Ed,

Wazzup????

First of all, nice car pare! Feeling ko ako si Vin Diesel ng sumakay ako dun. Lalagyan mo ban g hydraulics yun para tumalon-talon?

Oo nga pala pare, naisip kita mga ilang linggo na. Kapag ikinasal ka na ano nga pala ang ipapalit mo sa pangalan mo? Dapat cool muslim name para outstanding ka! May mga name suggestions ako para sa iyo. Sana ay magustuhan mo para may mapili ka.

1. Mohammad Ali – Ito pare for sure matatakot sila sa iyo. Pangalan pa lang astig na kasi malufet na boxingero ito. Maganda ito para kapag darating ka na puede akong sumigaw ng “The Champ is here!” kaya lang kung sa Pinas ko isisigaw iyon ay baka ang akalain nila ikaw yung mascot ng Jollibee na si Mr. Champ.

2. Karim Abdul Jabbar – Isa pa ito sa favorite ko. Di ko nga alam na muslim name ito nung bata ako e. Yun nga lang, baka macriticize ka sa height mo…

3. Haji – Ito ang bagay para sa iyo. Pangalan pa lang kilabot na. Kapag tinawag kitang Hajji ang iisipin nila isa kang “kilabot ng mga kolehiyala”! Ang guapo ng dating pre!

4. Abdul – Ito daw ang short-cut ng Abdulla sa Arabic. Kaya lang medyo bastos kapag sinabi ng mga kano na cool ka. “Abdul-the-cool”! Hehehe!

5. Al Fakher – ito naman pangalan pa lang playboy na playboy ang dating mo! Kapag tinawag ka mag-reply ka agad ng “Al Fak yhuu too!” hehehe!

6. Al Manure – Kung pipili ka paki-huli na lamang ito kasi parang amoy kasilyas ang dating. Wala lang, nabasa ko kasi ito sa may restaurant malapit sa Central Market.

Yan na lang muna, kasi nakalimutan ko ang iba. Ihahabol ko na lang kapag naalala ko. Pero kahit ano pa ang ipalit mo sa pangalan mo, you will still be Ed to me.


From your future chicken shit cleaner,

Kumander Robot

Dr. Jose Reyes Memorial Medical Center, Christmas of 1995. The best pa rin ang Group 5! Most of the interns wanted to be in our group kasi daw super cool! Calling all members of Group 5 please email me.

Ito yung gusto ko sana i-post. Sige nga find nemo!

FINDING NEMO part deux!

Ok ladies and gentlemen! Final na po! I am experiencing a series of unfortunate events. Guess what happened at work? I was waiting for our patients to come but nobody came. Nada!! Because nobody is scheduled today. I overlooked the schedule board, tomorrow pala yun! So I went home at around 8:30am. Ok lang. Got loads of things to do. But before I enter the car there was another surprise inside my bag. I got 3 set of keys inside, car key's, Lany's house key's and my set of house key's (that I thought I forgot)! This just means that I locked my wife in the bedroom. And if I stayed at work, I would have came home to a starved, ragging mad pregnant woman at home. ;P

Could I just be experiencing an early stage of Alzheimers?

FINDING NEMO

I was trying to upload a new photo last night about finding nemo but I couln't get signed in. I thought that there was something wrong with the website or something... Today, when I got to my locker I found out that I brought with me a different set of house keys (kay honey ko pala yun). Good thing I have a pair of green scrubs lying on top of my locker. Coincidence? I'm still waiting for the next unfortunate event to unfold. So what do you think will happen next? The theme is about "Locks". (cue Jeopardy theme song)

OOPSS I DID IT AGAIN!

Kagabi habang nakatambay sa bahay ng tropa, may nadiskubre ako ng pagkakamali ko sa blogsite na ito. Medyo nakakatawa ng nakakahiya na madyo nakakatakot. Bakit? E kasi nadiskubre ko na hindi lang ang mga malapit kong kaibigan ang nagbabasa nito, pati mga ibang lahi sa hospital ay nagbabasa rin! Minsan pa naman ay may mga patama ako sa namumuno sa amin sa wikang Ingles! (nyehh!) Di lang yun! Nakadisplay pa ang mga mukha namin. (nyehhhhh!!!!) Kung ano man yung mga sinabi ko, yun ay pawing totoo at hindi ko na mababawi. Ang problema lang ay kung may gagamit nun para isuplong ako sa mga kafuckyarihan.

So kung nababasa nila ang mga entry ko, malamang babasahin din nila ang mga blog na nakalink sa blog ko! Hayup! Kaya heto ako nagsusulat sa salitang Tagalog para hindi maintindihan ng mga kups.

Yuki! Nagduty ka ba kagabi? Natulog na kami pagkauwi. Pagod na rin kami. Sama kayo mamaya kung puede, magagala kami.

PUFF THE MAGIC DRAGON

This is one of my favorite song when I was a child. Being raised by two uncles who were in a folk rock band, I can't help but be influenced by their music. Puff is my favorite dragon next to Bruce Lee and Mushu (little dragon from Mulan).

Yesterday as I watched the news, they said that America is threatened by the booming Chinese economy. Each year a big percentage of Americans lose their jobs over the issue of "outsourcing". One of the problems could be that Americans tend to pick white collar jobs, and leave the blue collar jobs to immigrants, illegal aliens, aliens from outer space (Tulad ng sa palabas na Roswell), and to third world countries such as China, India and the Philippines.

If this is the case, our country could do more damage to the US if the political bullshit can be avoided. China has benefited a lot from multi-national companies, and local entrepreneurs as well. Could this factor be influenced by the Chinese diet of noodles? If this is true, then the Philippines could be the next emerging dragon of Asia! Because instant noodles is the only food that the common-tao can afford with their extremely low wages. (optimism ba to?)

But what is really installed for us in the coming years, if TV has pre-occupied us with telenovela's? if our fallen heroes "the Japayuki's" are now unemployed? if the political scene continues pull the economy down? if the nurse's leave our sick behind for greener pastures? if we keep electing substandard politicians? Our Asian neighbors had left us by a thousand miles towards progess. And in 10 years if the situation is still the same, the only kind of people that will be left behind is the poorest of the poor, some would migrate to another country. And those who can afford to pay for a change of citizenship will only have memories of the old Pinas.

"A dragon lives forever,
but not so little boys
painted wings and giant's rings
make way for other toys.

One grey night it happened
Jackie Paper came no more
and Puff that Mighty Dragon,
he ceased his fearless roar.

His head was bent in sorrow,
green scales fell like rain,
Puff no longer went to play
along the cherry lane.

Without his life-long friend,
Puff could not be brave
so Puff that Mighty Dragon
sadly slipped into his cave."

posted by Dennis "por all op our kabayan prends"

REAL GENIUS

If there is one movie that made me what I am today, it would be "Real Genius". It stars Val Kilmer as the handsome, cocky, smart ass genius, who discovered that being an academic is not everything. He can be found transforming the school dorm into a skating rink, and doing unthinkable things like using liquid nitrogen sliced into pennies to be used to outsmarting vending machines. During the betamax era, kids like me would kill to be Val Kilmer! The 80's has transformed nerds into glorified geeks.

But who doesn't want to be smart? Our parents raised us with a piece of bamboo stick on their hand that bruised out butts to force us to become Einsteines. But if being a genius means being like Val Kilmer then by all means! Give me that lab coat, slick my hair with gel and give me a pair of ray ban shades. Because the future's so bright, I got to wear shades!

So here I am 20 years from now, wearing a lab coat, semi-kalbo head and still wearing my Killer Loop shades. I'm living my fantasy turned reality...atleast the shades part worked, except I'm not a genius. Just a guy in a lab coat wearing shades.

Watch the long awaited movie of the decade! Once Upon A Time In Japang! A story you will never forget, or shouldnt forget...or else.

SOUTH BITCH DIET ver. 1.2

Yesterday we headed to the biggest mall in Bahrain to window shop. One of the shops that we eagerly wanted to visit is the Al Hilal Bookshop. This is probably the most up to date bookshop on this island. At the self help section my wife handed me a book and told me "this is for you". To my surprise she gave me a Dr. Phil diet book followed by The South Beach Diet. And then an idea came in. ting! Why not blog about the "Navotas Beach Diet!"

When I was a young lad of about 3 years, I can remember my father and my grandparents bringing me to the beach every morning near their house for a shower of vitamin D. They would always take me to the jetty (pantalan) because it is the cleanest part of the beach. The entire strip sand is covered with garbage. Tons of it! But thats another story. Here is my diet when I'm at home.

NAVOTAS BEACH DIET

1. Patis

Patis is synonymous with our small town. It is a part of every meal. In fact, some of us cannot eat without it. An average Navoteno household may consume a bottle of patis in a month or more. No meal is ever complete without it.






2. Bagoong Alamang


Another staple food of a Navoteno. No one cooks the best shrimp paste in the world but my parents! They somehow make it not too salty and a little bit sweet. You can eat it with rice because they put a lot of pork in it. Everytime I go back abroad my dad prepares 3 cans of this good stuff. Most of the time I end up with just one, because I give some of it away to my anxious friends.

3. Tinapa, Tuyo at Daing

The simplest of food can turn the rice cooker upside down. Especially when my mama prepares her special garlic rice! It never fails to boil my gastric juice to a heaping lava! Mama uses used oil to cook her rice, it puts a lot of flavor in it. Kasi used oil nga e! Don't use car oil. Vegetable oil will do.




4. Squid

My visit to my parents house is not complete without my fathers pusit recipe. He will cook it any way he wants and it will always taste good because it is fresh! I like it adobo(the darker the sauce the fresher and tastier it gets) , relleno (stuffed) or just plain grilled. I don't know why but it always taste good with overnight rice (bahaw/kanin lamig). One time I tried it with with pandesal (dinner rolls) and it still taste good.



5. Fish balls

My afternoon is not complete without my favorite merienda. This is also a bahaw kanin meal. Often sold my Mr. Johnny Bola (because he barks it that way. "bolaaaa!") in the afternoon about 5pm. I don't buy it in sticks. I get a bowl and Johnny fills it up with vinegar, soy sauce and chilli combo sauce. I spent about P.10-20.oo on this and about half a kalero of cold rice. => Sarap! Happy balls talaga!


6. Jollibee
I love everything in Jollibee! Because it truly has the Filipino taste. The first time I tasted this is when I was a kid when we went to watch Superman in Cubao. We bought it in the first Jollibug in Pinas. And I got to tell you, this bug isn't that big before. Now his ass is bigger that its head! Eventhough there was a scare that the burger patties were not made from 100% beef, because it came from cultured worms, we still shoved those glorious tasting burgers in our mouths. But its sad to say that the old recipe is not the same anymore. It tastes different now. Or perhaps my taste buds aren't the same as it used to be. I love you Jollibug!

7. Galunggong
Our household, especially during the times when my father use to earn his living as a fisherman, we always have fish on our table. One of the best thing you can do to a fresh fried fish (FFF di ba parang 666 yun?) is to eat it with pandesal. A habbit that I learned from my Tito Cito (the youngest sibling of my mother, and by far the coolest tito in the family.) He said its like being in the days where Jesus fed his followers with fish and bread. Try it and tell me how it is.

8. Talangka
Sorry I can't find the pic of my favorite crab. I already found them like this, bottled and prepared. After the rainy season there used to be a guy selling Talangka in our neighborhood. Usually carried in nets balanced on a flat bamboo pole on a mans shoulders, be would call out to the neighbors to sell his crabs (ay kadiri! lets use talangka ulit. pangit ng crabs parang kuto so bulbo....reminder! PG 18 tong blog ko mg chong ha!) Mom would buy a small basin full of those creepy crawlers, wash them in fresh water, put salt in them to cook, and them after an hour voila! Dead crablets ready to eat! You open the shell first, and then you sqeeze the hell out off the crabs until you get all the orange colored things on your rice. Some put kalamansi on it, but I prefer it plain. Squished out crabs! Yummy!

9. Kapeng Barako
Translation: Kape = Coffee, Barako = Male/Macho/bull/musculine
Macho Coffee, as some may call it, is one of the most strongest coffee in pinas. If you make espresso out of it, you better be ready for a kidney transplant. Its like a horse kicked you in the head! gosh!

When I was a kid an uncle of mine called me "palos". Palos is a quick slippery fish, an alias for a slippery criminal or something like that. Now dont know why they would call me like that, but then during my adult life I remembered my Tita Daisy (my moms cousin) feeding me pandesal and kapeng barako every morning. Then I said "thats it!" This is the reason why I'm so active when I was a toddler. Now I know what I shouldn't feed baby Diego.

10. Pula, Stainless and the Saint




Pula = Emperador Brandy







Stainless = Ginebra San Miguel







The Saint = San Miguel Beer





Usually, my friends and I have a night cap, every night! Then I was rehabilitated here in Bahrain for 4 years. We have all sorts of alcoholic drinks here, but nothing compares to these 3. In my town, you should know how to drink stainless or else you will get beaten up by the mob. Thats why my father recommends gargling gin in the morning! Hehehehe! Joke!

PAHABOL:

11. Tahong


Lastly, the all time favorite pulutan tahong! This is a seasonal delicacy. Some men have been inspired to compare this shell fish to a woman. hmmm... Maybe because of the seasonal harvest, they both have red tide! hehehehe! But beside the fact that it looks like the female genetalia (uy! scientific ang dating ha!), I never heard of a Navoteno that died of red tide. Lucky sons of the beach! (kasi laki sa tabing dagat)

That ends our lecture about the special diet of the Sons of the Beach. I would like to congratulate everyone from my home town for its 100th year this coming January 2006. Thanks for the info Commander Mang Carling Bernardo, retired US navy. I hope you enjoy your vacation next year!

After counting the 10 things I like in Pinas, I might say that I am a bit relieved of my headache. Like Julie Andrews said in her song "my favorite things": I simply remember my favorite things and then I won't feel so sad. Its true pala. Because we had an accident last night. Tita Cory slammed on a concrete fence, denting the rear bumper. Hayyyyy!!! Im just glad that my family is ok.

What to do yani?!

posted by the "KING OF BEER" Dennis na taga-Navotas

CORY

This is the new member of the family "Tita Cory". We just had her last week. Cute s'ya kahit na kulay jebs! Ito na kasi ang kinuha namin kasi ang philosphy ng kaibigan ko ay : "if you want to ride, don't ride the white horse!"

WELCOME TO MY WORLD part 2

This shot was taken during a radiation leak at work. I came out of the room looking like the Incredible Hulk. Not the end result that I was looking for. Akala ko kasi the Hunk ang kalalabasan!

WELCOME TO MY WORLD part 1

There are a lot of questions coming from my friends asking me about my job. They all know that I work in a hospital, but what do I do there? Here is my answer to satisfy your curiosity.

Top: This was taken during the time I was weighing coke for drug addicts. Joke! => I prepare media that is essential for human embryo culture.

NEW BLOGSITE

Hi guys! I have recently visited Anne and Edmon’s blog, and I found it quite interesting. I don’t know who writes their entries, but either way the topics are very light hearted in nature. I like reading things like this to ease up the pressures of daily life. Anyways, I linked the site up to our bee hive so that you guys can visit them.

Their last topic is about Christmas. Christmas in Pinas really does start early. As in! When the months end with a suffix ”–ber”, everybody will start hanging their x-mas lanterns outside their house with matching x-mas lights yun! But sad to say that it isn’t my favorite holiday, not ever. I like Christmas eve and especially New Years eve! The best yun! But lets cut this topic for now. For the meantime while I’m still at work, I have to pretend to be busy or I might get in trouble with the new boss.

Dennis 1 – Boss 0!

BLOGGING 101

I never imagined that someone would actually ask me about blogging advice. I feel inadequate pa naman.  Blogging had been a way of life for me for the past year. There were good times and there were bad times. There were difficult times when I couldn’t write a single topic. But I found inspiration from veteran bloggers, and my daily life.

I’m glad that I chose this as a hobby. It opened up new doors for me. I met bloggers and new friends thru this site. What a great way to wave my flag of friendship.

Thanks to our avid readers who comeback to our colony and read our post. You are one of the good reasons to blog. And as long as you are there, we will be here!

PS: If possible, can you guys write something on our tagboard?

Thanks a million!

THE HONEYSPOT (No sugar added)

CITIZEN ED

Our bee colony would like to congratulate fafa Ed for his US citizenship! Hoorah!!! Although, he promised to keep his dual citizenship status, we are proud of his accomplishment. How many Pinoy,s would die to be in his shoes (figuratively speaking…I hate the smell of old shoes. =>). You are living the American Dream big boy! From now on you will be known as “Citizen Ed”.

Posted by: Citizen Dennis from the Impeachment Capital

LIFE: EXPLAINED BY A PATHETIC BLOGGER

Whenever I see a freshly made blogsite I noticed that the first thing that they will blog is how they see life. Its not bad. In fact we all agree in one thing, life sucks! It is full of hardships and mishaps. One can never tell how things will end. But I also agree that life is a journey. The best things in life are the experiences that you have. At times I find myself telling my adventures to people younger than me, like an old man... I love life! sige countdown uli tayo ha.

1. When was the last time that you did something for the first time? I cant wait 'till that first time comes again. I have tried a lot of things. Somehow I feel like I'm running out of things to try out.
2. I like telling my wartime stories to my friends. The more stupid and abnoxious the better!
3. Just in case I die, I will miss my favorite food. Because I heard that when you get to heaven you won't feel any hunger. No liquor. How do you guys like this place as your after death hideaway? In my own little way I guess I can relate to Eric Clapton when he said "cause I know I don't belong here in heaven."
4. It's not that I support satan. I don't want to go to hell! I will miss the cold weather if I get stuck there.
5. But enough about the material things, there are more important treasures than that. Having friends is one of the reasons why we survive. No matter how big they are, age, gender, religion, even if they have extra toes, we would not have evolved into the people that we are if not for them.
6. Family. I am lucky to be in two families now that I am married. I got an extra mom and dad, a couple of sisters and a brother now. Buy one take five! My wife gave me a good deal for all of them. But they are not cheap! Her parents sends us a lot of goodies every now and then.
7. Biological Family. There are 3 members in my family, and I love all of them. I have a sweet sister, a loving mother who cares so much for my salvation more than anything, and a caring father who tries to make me feel special and loved through the years. I owe my life to them. Truly irreplaceble!
8. My wife. She is a living witness to my triumphs, failures, joys and pains. I found love and happiness in my honey, that I decided to live the rest of my life with her. If I die tomorrow and have the chance to live again, I would chose to be with her again.
9. Diego Luis dela Cruz. My reason to live has doubled with the coming of our baby boy (coming soon). He will be born in December, the same month as his mother and aunt Diane's birthday. Now I have a christmas present to look forward to. In a way, I think me and my wife has found the secret to immortality. This little boy will spread our genes someday, and all his offsprings will know us. Atleast our names will be remembered every All Souls Day.
10. Because life is a journey.

When you get to be 30, you start to look back from your childhood and asses your achievements one by one, and measure your success. At 40, you enter the era of midlife crisis and convice yourself that you have done well in life.

Well, for me life is a journey. I remember almost all the faces that I have met, and cherish the experiences that I have enjoyed so much. And everytime I go back to those memories, it inspires me to live my life in a different way...better, fuller and richer.

Thank God I'm alive! Now all I have to worry about is getting Alzheimers disease. I hope not. Because I want to remember each one of you, and treasure you for the rest of my abnoxious and pathetic life. =>

CHANGE

I have recently been listening to my mp3 of Blind Melon, Wolfgang and 2pac. All of them wrote a song about change, so I decided to write mine too.

Back when I was in college and grunge music dominated the airwaves, I came across a writting on the walls. Sometimes it was written with a permanent marker, and some days it was written in chalk (naubusan na siguro ng pentel pen). The message goes like this:"News Blackout!!! The dry cell battery's polarity is not what it seems. Positive is really negative and vise versa! by Engr Salenga." I saw this message from Isetan Recto to Mendiola. The guy who wrote this must be seriously nuts I told myself.

After graduation, I worked at a hospital in E.Rodriguez QC and I explored the best way to get there from Navotas (layo no?). That day I chose to get down at Tayuman and ride a jeep to Espana corner Trabaho market. I am always fond of ridding near the jeepneys estribo because it is easier to get off from there. One afternoon a normal looking guy rode the jeep where I was on. He was wearing a sky blue sport shirt with matching clutchbag in his arms and stayed near the estribo (sabit lang). He was gazing at the passengers inside and he spoke. "Mga kababayan! News black out lang po! Ako po si Engr. Salenga at nadiskubre ko po na niloloko tayo ng gobyerno. Pinalalabas po ng ating gobyerno na ang polarity ng battery ay baligtad! (his eyes widened as he spat on the floor) ang positive ay negative. At ang negative ay positive! Matagal ko na po itong ipinaglalaban ngunit muntik na po akong ipakulong. Sa katunayan para mapagtakpan ang nadiskubre ko pinapunta nila si Lea Salonga sa America para matakpan ng kasikatan niya ang pangalan ko! Salenga po ako. Si Lea ay Salonga! Katunayan hindi lang po iyan ang ikinakalat nilang kasinungalingan sa atin. Ang sabi nila, ang kalangitan daw ay kulay blue.Pero sa katunayan ito ay Pink!" (nyee!!!)

After that brief encounter things were never the same for me. Whenever I look at the sky I ask myself if its really blue. Or is it really pink? Who knows. But when I left that jeep I knew something for a fact...he was wearing pink.

the truth is out there...

X filed,

Dennis a.k.a. Bamboo (roll?)

"The Queen Bee" posing onher first day wearing a fraternity dress...ehem!..Maternity Dress pala!

Ganito ang pose ng mga may stiff neck, at yung isa sa kanan bandang ibaba ang pose ng avid fan ng "Kampanerang Kuba". (Baskin Robbins, Adliya)

HIGH SCHOOL REUNION

Wazzup??!!!! I came to work too early today. I should have known that the procedure will start at 9:30 am. And knowing my doctor, she will probably start at 10am. Good thing that the internet is working or else I would have been hiding in my secret corner sleeping!

So whats new? I saw a message on my friendster bulletine board that Ellen Nario (married na ba?), old high school friend and CAT batallion commander created a yahoo group for our HS batch. After reading the short message I knew that she wanted us to have a reunion! (am I right? sabi ko na nga ba I'm a psycho!) Then I remembered our batch's misfortunes... Isn't it nice to go back to the old HS? "I want to run to the halls of my high school. I want to scream at the top of my lungs. I just found out theres no such thing as a real world. Just a lie, you have to rise above. I just can't wait for my ten year reunion. I'm gonna bust down the double doors. And when I stand on these tables before you, you will know what all this time was for."

What do I miss in HS? The food! I love the fried rice and barbecue drowning in ketchup at the canteen. There are times that I dream of it. After scrutinizing the fried rice's ingredients I found out what makes it really tasty...bits and pieces of left over barbecue probably from last week! Thats why it has that smokey taste. The other thing is the spaghetti at the old Vicencio Cafeteria. I never tasted spaghetti like that in my life. Through the years I have been researching for that recipe but I wasn't successful enough. Tough luck!

Back then there were a lot of misfortunes that faced us. During our junior year, we didn't have a JS Prom. The school had a different parish priest that neglected the repair of the school grounds. Thus, the school ground is a huge swamp filled with water from the flood (Navotas kasi e.) coming from the estero con river/manila bay, and debris intended for the grounds renovation. It was there until we were seniors. So for two years we didn't have that elusive prom. (mahirap kasi sumayaw at magparty sa mga foot-bridges na naka-helera. Pesteng baha yan oh!) Good thing that none of us had Dengue fever or Malaria. Feeling Vietnam con Badjao kami nun!

Now, if I push a little harder and find the old farts, our dream prom could be a realilty. I might even ask someone from ABS-CBN to make it a TV-reality series. Hahahaha! If it comes true they better prepare their old school uniforms. It will be a blast seeing a bunch of 30 year old something, fat and balding professionals having a party! Par-teeee!!! There are a few things that I would like to do in that party:

1. Wear my old uniform (duh?! di na kasya! amoy baul na yun!)
2. Spike the punch with gin and vodka (some of my friends are alcoholic. for them baka pure unleaded gas na lang ipainom ko!)
3. Have sex in one of the classrooms (siempre with my wife! hehehee!)
4. Bug one of my classmate experiencing early midlife crisis to the point of suicide. (para may climax ang tv-reality series. not like that pinoy version of big brother. you guys suck!!!)
5. Jamming with my music teacher Ms. Diana Gabriana to the tune of "jumbo hotdog" by the infamous Masculados.

I have to stop here. Lets wait until I met with Charo Santos. Baka manakaw ang idea ko ni Oprah! Hehehe! For now lets find the rest of the pack.

"Calling all San Jose Academy de Navotas batch '92 please stand up!!!" email me at sinneddc@yahoo.com or find me at friendster. At the moment we have like...ah...5 members! Join naman kayo so that we can reserve the videoke bar near the church! hehehe!

PHILIPPINE BLOG AWARDS

I so surprised to see "The Honeyspot" on list of the Philippine Blog Awards website. I never thought that they would consider this entry, because it has been months since I last sent them my nomination....Uhu! you heard it right. I nominated this site. Me! And why not? This spot has been here since October 2004 and it's still here. Our visitors has reached almost 3,000, so why not be nominated? I am not trying to be number 1. I just wanted to see if I can make the cut. Ofcourse the PBA must have some criteria to be a nominee right? I'm just happy to see The Honeyspot on the list of great bloggers. Happy na ko!

Before we were even nominated I have been trying hard to put some add ons on this site, like a new banner. I just couldn't figure out how to put it. I need help! Help!!!

DEAR JANJAN

Dear Janjan,

Hi my friend! How are you doing? I read your blog from my laptop (oie! sosi!)(www.jandbabe.blogs.friendster.com/my_blog). Because everytime I try and access your friendster blog from our lab computer I always get the message "access denied". Pak-syet! I hate this message! It reminds me of your ordeal with your superiors. Samababitz! If I had an Iraqi friend I would have asked him to blow himself up for you. I have Pana-dol friends, but the only thing they blow up are their armpits. Thats why everytime I arrive home from duty I'm always dizzy (sabog!).

We are glad that you update your blog more often. The blog of fafa Ed remains the same. One hit wonder nga lang ba? => Joke lang po!

I hope that friendster blogs have tweak's, so that you can have a counter for your visitors. It's nice to keep track of bloghoppers. By the way, I hope you don't mind that I linked your blog to our blogsite. I want our readers kasi to have the experience of reading your blog. Your hengeelish is very fluenter! You have all the "K" to pass the IELT's. (tama ba? "R" yata kasi wala namang word na "karapatan" sa IELT's. hmmm...)Tips naman para kay Honey ko!

Anyways, I wrote you an open message here because I know that you will be visiting this site soon. You are one of our avid readers kasi (korek?). Memorize mo na nga di va? (POP-QUIZ!: What is my favorite food at LOLITA's?) Basta always remember, If you have a problem just call us (kasi wala kaming load pantawag! hehehe!). We'll be here for you and fafa Ed too. Keep your chin up! Ambon lang yan! Always remember that, Honey Lany, Bebe Diego and fafa Ed labs you...(ok tama na mamumura mo nanaman ako nyan! hehehe!)

Keeping my hairy chin up,

Dennis a.k.a. Vin Diesel (Mumtaz)

TO ALL MY FRIENDS

Did you know that those who appear to be very strong in heart, are real weak and most susceptible?

Did you know that those who spend their time protecting others are the ones that really need someone to protect them?

Did you know that the three most difficult things to say are:I love you, Sorry and help me Did you know that those who dress in red are more confident in themselves?

Did you know that those who dress in yellow are those that enjoy their beauty?

Did you know that those who dress in black, are those who want to be unnoticed and need your help and understanding?

Did you know that when you help someone, the help is returned in two folds?

Did you know that it's easier to say what you feel in writing than saying it to someone in the face? But did you know that it has more value when you say it to their face?

Did you know that if you ask for something in faith, your wishes are granted? Did you know that you can make your dreams come true, like falling in love, becoming rich, staying healthy, if you ask for it by faith, and if you really knew, you'd be surprised by what you could do.

But don't believe everything I tell you, until you try it for yourself, if you know someone that is in need of something that I mentioned, and you know that you can help, you'll see that it will be returned in two-fold. Today, the ball of FRIENDSHIP is in your court, send this to those who truly are your friends (including me if I am one).

Also, do not feel bad if no one sends this back to you in the end, you'll find out that you'll get to keep the ball for other people want more .. Ok, this is what you have to do...: Send to ALL your FRIENDS! But you have to DO THIS within an hour after you open this mail!

Now..... MAKE 1 WISH!!!!!!

Make it now, It's you last chance!!

I hope you did make a wish, Now send the mail to:
1 person~ your wish will come true in a year
3 persons~6 months
5 persons~ 3 months
6 persons~ 1 month
7 persons~ 2 weeks
8 persons ~ 1 week
9 persons~ 5 days
10 persons~ 3 days
12 persons~ 2 days
15 persons~ 1 day
20 persons~ 3 hours
*** If you delete after reading ... you'll spend a year of ill luck! But . if you send it to (at least) two friends ... you'll have 3 years of good luck!!! ***

Ito yung pinadala sa akin ng friend ko sa Texas na matagal ko ng di nakikita...kaya naman gusto kong i-share sa inyo! => You can copy this message and send it as many times as you can to all your paking prends! Ang pinaka-favorite ko dito na parte ay yung bandang huli. Kaya naman hindi na ko naglakas ng loob na burahin. Gusto ko nga ng swerte e! Sana next time personal message naman ang ipadala nya. Nakaka-urat na kasi makarecieve ng mga chain-email-messages e! Kaya yung mga me balak ka magpadala sa akin ng ganito baka gawin kitang palaman sa tinapay (SPAM).

(To Mama Ellen, please don't be pikon ok..labs pa rin kita man!)

posted by: Dennis

BOKAL PART II

I have always wanted to shave my head and free myself from hair gel. But there is a deeper reason for it. I've been experiencing a chain of bad luck in the past weeks. My grandma gave me several solutions for this.

• Throw a bottle of gin while giving a big curse. She said that its effective. Sure broke the curse during the time when my relatives started die almost every month. But they are old! So maybe I wont waste the bottle at all. I can curse when the hang over comes.
• Put a certain amout of cash under your pillow at night after saying your evening prayers. The next day give it to the poor and needy. If you can't find any, then buy bread and feed it to the birds. That might work...but I havent tried. The bread ends up toasted, with butter.
• Knocking on wood. Its simple. Check yan! No cash needed, so double check! Two thumbs up pa!
• Putting a coin inside your shoes. Son of a bitz! The last time I did this I got chased by dog! After all the running I got the biggest kalyo of my life!

So I guess that all these are worthless pieces of advice from grandmama. Kaya one day, I decided to go to my barber and looked straight into his eyes and said..."Shave my Fu@^*+ head!"

And if my bad luck still continues I would probably went to extremes like shaving the hair from my armpit, one for each bad luck. Good thing that it stopped!

Bald and handsome,

Dennis

BOKAL

I have done it! I finally got the courage to tell my barber to give me a semi-kal-shaolin-monk look. (the rock really inspired me to do it) It took roughly ten minutes to do it. And now I feel liberated from years of hair gel abuse. Bath time is cut into half thanks to the low maintenance look. And in more ways than one, I feel so rugged after all these years. "60% of the time, it works all the time!"

Happy Birthday to Trisha and Ate Weng. Both mother and daughter will be celebrating their birthday this month. Im definitely looking forward to the food at the dinner tonight! I hope that I could taste Kuya Conrads cooking. =>

COMFORT ZONE

I learned from a tv documentary about one's comfort zone. It is defined asyour personal territory in the bounderies of your mind that no one should invade. In the movie "Meet the Parents", they call it the circle of trust. Wherein honesty is the ultimate key for a sound relationship. The zone is a sphere in which we are incased in. If anyone crosses that boundery without our consent, they better prepare for WAR!

Men have gone so far to look for comfort. It has lead our fathers to distant lands. For some of us it's the simple things that makes us safe and happy, like ice cream when we're down. A soft clean blanket to shelter us through the cold night. Our life partners that keeps us company on our journey called life.

On daily basis we secure our dreams and ambitions by all means. We struggle to work 5 days a week, and spend countless hours pushing pencils, losing immeasurable sweat under the sun just to get it. But what if one day something wrong happened to that security blanket?

Last sunday everyone at work was stunned by a circular from our administration that our boss was going to be replaced. Time stood still for a while, and my future plans lay frozen indefinitely. My ex-boss might not be the ideal deparment head, but for the past several months she made sure that our family's will have food on the table, and a little extra something in our pockets each month. She may not be a good listener, but we benefited from her decisions.

I feel violated. Foreign invasion is going on inside our secure area, and our comfort zone is breached. Its time to weave another security blanket and move on to another episode of my life. As for my dreams, thawing is not such a bad idea.

NIGHT JOGGING WITH ED

Ed (US Navy Seal): ...parking his car...
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...how long can I run???...
Ed (US Navy Seal): ...warming up...
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...can i even reach the overpass???...
Ed (US Navy Seal): ..."Game!!!"
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...hahh...hahh..hahh..

after the overpass>>>>

Ed (US Navy Seal): ...run...run...run...
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...hahh...urgh...kahhhh...

after the first billboard>>>>

Ed (US Navy Seal): ...huff...huff...huff...
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...heeehhhhh....heeehhhh...

before the 2nd billboard>>>>

Ed (US Navy Seal): ...huff...huff...
Dennis (Lab Rat): ...slowing down...heeehhhhh...heeehhh..."ang hirap pala ng walang praktis noh?!"...

(voice over...)
"Tune in next year for the next episode of NIGHT JOGGING WITH ED!"

The End

THANKS FOR STOPPING BY

Thanks for dropping bye bloghoppers! We hope that you liked our site.

A week ago I have been humbled by a small event in my life. And in a flash, a few of my unforgettable memories during college played in my mind. College was the best time of my life as a teen. Because it was probably the first time that my parents gave me the responsibility to steer my own life. I have partial responsibilities of course, I didn't pay for my education, lodging etc. But I have general control over my career. In spite of all the good luck and grand wishes that everyone in the family gave me I did not see that failure is just lurking around the corners waiting for me. I learned then that life has its turns…some good and some are just terribly bad. And even the most careful person in the world can make a mistake. It might not even be my fault anyways, but it'll still be counted as mine. Here are some things do when you're down:

--Learn to admit your own fault. Specially the ones that you can't change. There is a passage in the Bible about that, I forgot. Remember that there are things that your powers can't undo.

--Prepare for a major disaster just incase you crash and burn. (This involves lots of vodka! It fuels the pain, but after burning you feel like a Phoenix being reborn in your own ashes.)

--Never hit the wall with your bare hands. It hurts!!!

--When you're down and troubled and you need a helping hand. And nothing is going right…You've got a friend. No matter where you are, even in the shittiest places, your friends are there for you. In a click of a mouse, a phone call, a knock on the door…a ring on your bell… a tap on your window too!

--Never vent too hard on your friends especially when you look like the hulk. Too scary!

--Reflect on these quotes:
"When the going gets tough, the tough gets going."
"Try and try until you succeed."
"Always give yourself another chance. You're the best friend you have."
"Reflective thinking turns experience into insight."
"Change brings freshness."
"Anger is the most impotent of passions. It affects nothing it touches and hurts the one who is possessed by it more than the one against whom it is directed."
"It's not the load that breaks you down, it's the way you carry it."

--Listen to Parokya Ni Edgar's "Buloy"…you might pick up a thing or two.

--Correct your mistakes. I don't believe that it's never too late to do that. There is always a second chance.

If it doesn't work, go back to the part where I wrote vodka and start all over again. Its difficult having a bad week.

Cheers!

posted by Dennis

Slipknot audition rejects a.k.a. "SLIPPEDSNOTS" (sa tagalog mga dumulas na kulangot...yuck!)

Sombrero buddies.

Some animals are big enough to be fashioned as a hat...but were not sure about the crab though.

Bed scene from "Kingkong the Movie" starring Ben David and Nora Aunor

Janners in her new version of the Lazy Boy Chair..."Lazy Girl Chair". It vibrates! =O

Once upon a time in a far far away castle a long long time ago...oops! Japeyks pala tong libro!

May bagong winner ng "Tag Price Queen". Hulaan nyo na lang. hmmm...

BILOG NA BILOG NANAMAN ANG BUWAN

Hi to the all the new visitors for dropping by. You are always welcome to share the blog experience with us.

In modern psychology it is said that there is a direct relationship between the moon and our state of mind. In fact the moon directly influences the rise and fall of the tides. Full moon = high tide, and vice versa. The human body is mainly consist of water, hence the moon also affects us. On a full moon it is said that there is a strong disturbance in nut cases like us. Hence the word LUNATIC was coined.

I don't know if there was a full moon last night, but we certainly felt a different kind of craziness. Me, Lany, Jan-jan and Ed went to Marina Mall last night to window shop. Being in a small island can be boring at times, so with our pockets empty of cash (except for lint) we drifted to the local mall. Enter the sales lady's nightmares!

I can't describe how fun things got that night...but I'm pretty sure that the sudden attack of madness, and a long feeling of euphoria that we found at the mall has nothing to do with the full moon, but thru the company of good friends. Honey... Were in good company!

(Photo-blog time! Scroll up. )

BABALA! Mga batang manininghot ng rugby sumalakay sa Bahrain F1 Circuit. (left to right: Denciong Dapa, Laning Pilay, Jan-payuki at Edong Taga)

"Happy Birthday Ed!!!" July 16, 2005 Juffair, Bahrain.

IT'S A BOY!!!

I can't contain my feelings any longer! It's my wifes day at the doctors office, and the baby's gender was predetermined by ultrasound...at first, the doctor was keeping it a surprise. Little did she know that I can read those white dots on the screen. Ladies and gentlemen, our baby has a penis!!! Hooorahhh!!! It's a boy! It has a dick!!! Thats why the baby is so active. We saw it scratching its baby ears and little baby chin. Its sooo cute! In this case I'm planning to name it "Diego". Just because it sounds nice when you say in English...and very musculine too! Now I think I'm ready to prepare for the baby's coming. We are definitely going to watch those cool violent anime cartoons. This is also a good chance to buy a new playstation when he grows up. I have so much to teach him (Not to mention my Julio-Valiente-Leon-Guerrero con Lapid moves that I learned during childhood.). I'm so happy that not only did I have a son, but I also have a life long playmate and friend. Here's to the good times! May the Lord keep it rolling!

the honeyspot

BLOGGERS BLOCK (writers block)

Hi everyone!
It's been several days since my last blog.
And I honestly can't think of anything to write anymore.
In the past few days I have visited a few blog sites to see whats up in the blogging world.
Perhaps, this way I might gain some insight on what to write...
Movies...not my style. We haven't been to a movie theater in a long while.
Intellectual stuff...I envy my friends on friendster blog that can still write this kind of thing. It probably means that they are constantly thinking about their lives and how events in their lives mean to them. Too Heavy!
Religion...I only know one guy who writes this stuff. And after reading a sentence I went back to the Inquirer website entertainment section. Not my style.
Food...who can go wrong with food? There is not a minute that I don't think of this. This is number 2 on my list. Sex is still number 1! hehehe!
Travelling...Bahrain is only 665 sq Km. About 4 times the size of Washington. It's pretty small compared to Pinas. I was teasing my friend Sarah about this place. I told her that its so small that you can smell your ass if you turn 360. We don't go out much, because there is nowhere else to go!
Funny stuff...I am so entertained by www.deardiarya.blogspot.com and www.kwentongtambay.nicanordavid.com. Some of their stories are shallow but very funny and full of wit. How do you pull this kind of thing??? But I'm shallow. And I love reading their blogs. Life should be like that. You should be able to inject humor in you daily life so that you won't get bored. But are they really that funny in real life? I would like to invite them for a beer one day and find out.

Amen.

posted by Dennis

ULTRASOUND BLUES

We are very happy of the last time that we saw the baby via ultrasound. A week before that we have already concluded that our baby is moving. We swear that sometimes we can feel its strong heart beat. But this week was different experience. During the ultrasound the baby's arms moved! Probably because it didn't like the feeling that someone is pocking it with the scanner! It even turned and rolled around like a swimmer doing a kick. It took as a while to finish the scan because we are trying to know its gender. I guess it is shy to show its bleep! Bleep! => As the days roll by we only got excited to see the fruit of our love in person. Now, I am counting the days for our baby's birthday...the same day that I'll be shaving my goatee. Or else my wife won't let me kiss our small caboodle.

Dennis

DEAR DIARYA

I found a new blogsite that made me laugh. The sites owner and I probably share the same humor. If you guys have the time, please read his blog. Two thumbs up! FDA approved! www.deardiarya.blogspot.com

posted by: Dennis

WHATS A CHICKEN WITHOUT FEATHERS?

A couple of weeks ago I feel lazy to go to work because I feel bad. My back and my joints are a pain when I move. I also had a slight fever. But it never was a habit of mine to be absent at work so I depended on 2 tablets of paracetamol to relieve the fever before I start my day. On the third day, I was lying in bed with my wife ready to nap when it occured to me that I might have a viral infection. What is it, I dont realy now. And then I felt a something hot bump on my face. It could just be a pimple. And then my side started to itch. It felt hot and itchy too. And then it occured to me that I have the chicken pox! I have been waiting for this disease all my life and now its here! I figured that at some point I am going to catch this. Throughout my college days I researched about this chicken to find the most effective cure. But when I came to my doctor (They were arabs) to my dismay my worst enemy was written on my sick leave form as "Checkin Pox". I figured that after recovering from this, they would call it as "Check-out Pox". =>

OUR WEDDING TESTIMONIAL

Before I go on, we would like to thank Weddings @ Work and its members for the wealth of nuptial info that we received. The members are so nice to share everything that they know. And from there we found the right wedding suppliers for us. You got our two thumbs up!

Here are the list of our suppliers with their testimonies:

BING BRAVANTES the wedding coordinator
If you want a really hardworking wedding coordinator with a good track record she is the one you are looking for. She belongs to P.E.P. Events group of coordinators. No matter how stubborn we are she never blew her fuse. Just give her your right phone number so that she wont mix up your secret message to your bride. Wink! Wink! If we get married again we will definitely get her!

ALEX FRANCO for the wedding cake
If you want the tastiest, jaw dropping cake without shelling out a huge amount of cash you better get this guy to make you one! My wife got in touch with him only from email and he was nice enough to make the wedding cake of our dreams. I thought that it would cost us a lot, but to our surprise Alex Franco’s Cakes are worth it! You just have to order it months in advance. He gave us lot of freebies and served our cake himself. This guy is super bait!

2171 FLOWER SHOP for the flowers
Who can forget the sweet Ma’am Joyce who made the floral arrangement? She made our flowers look like great. Kahit yata kampuput kaya niyang iayos na may class! With her arrangement to suit your budget, you are always a winner with her. Her flowers are very flexible, elegant and classy.

VELVET MOOD for the music
These musicians are recommended by my friends Ipe and Zen. Although they are from a different faction, this group headed by April Silangcruz is probably one of the best of its kind. We hired a flutist, a pianist, a violinist and a lady singer. Even if we had a small group of minstrels, they made the ambiance and the ceremony very elegant. Our guests especially our Uncle Diether was impressed by the musicians. Coming from a member of the German Orchestra it must be good. Sayang lang kasi we didn’t have the chance to mingle with them. If you are going to hire them ask of the pianist Marius and the flutist April. We didn’t have any regrets hiring them.

CHITO VECINA for our photo and video
I can’t say much for the quality of his photo kasi we haven’t even finished sorting out the raw photos from the wedding. Hence, photo album is not finished yet. But I have so much respect for this guy and his work. Very mabait din! Very professional! I raise both my hands up to him!

SILKY TIPS for the bridal gown
Bow down to the master of designs Raul Rajo of Bahrain! They make dresses for royalty, and he is very professional with his work. For this one, I admit that we can’t afford to have a dress made from this shop. But thanks to our friend Ate Cely, she managed to get us a discount from Raul. My wife is very happy with her wedding dress. And I swear that besides me, she also wanted to marry the wedding dress! ;>

ROSS REGALA for the make up
If he is a painter, he would probably be a Monet. If you are going to get a make up artist, I suggest that you get a recommendation from your photographer. The make up should complement the photographer’s lens. Regala and Vecina is a winning tandem.

UNIFAIR for the wedding invitations
They are probably good.(?) We were in such a rush to have the invitations done that we didn’t bother to know the quality of the invitations that they make. They give nice discounts and they can deliver your invites in a rush but, the quality that they give is poor. Think twice and ask around before you get their service. Not only is their place hard to find, medyo delikado ng konti. We almost got mugged looking for their place. I suggest that they should call themselves UNFAIR rather than UNIFAIR.

WESTIN PHILIPPINE PLAZA our home base and residence before the wedding
This is a 5 star hotel. They will give you their 5 star service. But I suggest that you flaunt a lot of money before the hotel reception so that they can treat you better! I have a personal issue with one of the staff here before the wedding. But it’s not entirely their fault. I admit that I don’t frequent 5 star hotels, but my first check in surely made an impression.

PATIO VICTORIA for the wedding reception.
Nice place but very pricey! Their price keeps changing so you have to pay in advance. Plus, you have to scrutinize the details of the contract kasi maraming additional! If I were you get a coordinator that knows this place para you won’t get scammed! Watch out also for the barangay tanod outside the place. Kasi yung iba nanghihingi ng left overs and tong! Good food and classy garden.

FARLEY for the gowns
He is the guy who made the gowns. A bit hard to find because he lives in Tonsuya Malabon. Not a commercial place just to find from a map, but he makes high quality gowns! You can read about him on W@W. It only cost us a fraction of what we anticipated. Next time uli!

BABS for the unity candles
When I decided to become cheap on candles I knew who to turn too…my sister! She made a hell of a candle! Sure its my design, but she is good with her hands. So, if anyone with a small budget would like to have a nice candle please contact me: sinneddc@yahoo.com


PROF. RICHARD VINLUAN for his artistic works
If there is one guy that I can call reliable it will be Richard. He was there to help us with our wedding needs. He started from the place holders and the whachamacolit na survey cards yata that burned a few of the tables at patio. Hehehe! it was really neat! and then he also helped with the invitations and driving us home whenever Daddy Tony is tired. You are one big help! Thank you very much!

FRIENDS AND FAMILY for the rescue
Our wedding wouldnt be complete without the help of our parents, family and friends. Let me start rolling the credits!

Daddy Tony, Mama Mila, Cheche, King & Shey, Anne, Richard, Daddy Rod, Mama Lou, Babs, Ria, Tita Wena, Dr. Ipe, Dra. Zen, Ate Cely, Mayette, Angelo of Cathay Pacific, Ate Raqs, Ate Telly, Gara, Sh. Sarah and Hamad, Ate Weng, Kuya Conrad, Trisha, Tita Udeng, and the guy from Navotas who let us borrow his Pajero! hehehe! And to those who I forgot to mention, dont worry. As long as this blogsite is standing I'm sure that you will be mentioned in my coming blogs.

Thanks Everyone!

From,

Dennis and Lany

THE WEDDING CEREMONY

I have been wanting to finish my wedding blog so that I can skip to another topic but fate has not been kind to me. Unfortunately, illegal internet connection had been cut for two weeks now, rendering me very powerless. Sucks! But let me continue my story as I steal a few minutes of my work time at the office. Read on amigos!

The wedding ceremony went well. It is not perfect, and I won’t dare to tell you why because I might hurt a few people. But let me highlight some of the events during the ceremony:

The bride’s entrance was great! I bet it will be remembered in years to come.
Father Rex Cortez gave a very funny but informative homily even if the ceremony was late. If you are planning your wedding, make sure to put this guy on your list.
We didn’t make a mistake of hiring the ultimate quartet! Velvet Mood certainly made an impression that day. Especially, when they gave their rendition of “Our Father” by Malotte. I saw the expression on my Tita Flor’s face when the soprano hit the high notes. They definitely made a difference in our wedding. A million thanks to Dr. Ipe Lopez and Dr. Zen Lopez for recommending it to us.
The Unity Candle Ceremony was not perfect (because we didn’t practice. Hehehe!) But the candle was gorgeous! We didn’t spend much on this. We can’t afford a Balay Kandila. And it would certainly be a ridiculous purchase! My sister Diane handcrafted the candle’s flower-works, and I did the acetate and design.
Sisters Lany and Cheche aesthetically redid the pillows. It was ugly when we bought it in Divisoria, but was made lovely by tweaking the design a little bit.
Speaking of surprises, my boss for 4 years at the Delos Santos Medical Center, Dr. Elizabeth Arcellana-Nuqui was there to witness the event. It is an honor for me to see her beside the church doors smiling at us. She is really a wonderful person. My friend Jhen Cusipag from Norway was there with her mom, Lynne Ulip from Saudi Arabia, Michelle Papna and Luella Vertucio were there too. These guys are by buddies at the lab. It was surely nice to them to be there! I love you guys!

After kissing the bride at the end of the wedding, and all the pictures had been taken, my bride and me felt a sigh of relief. Married at last! All the hardships that we encountered preparing for it paid off. Two years in the making din yun! Now all we thought about was getting to Patio Victoria and celebrate our first day as husband and wife.