that was painful... and i'm really pissed...

Tiger lost his singles match against mike weir at the president's cup. he was 3 down after several holes, but started chipping away at it inspite of the more weir-friendly crowd. the venue was in canada, where mike weir is from, that's why. Tiger even managed to go 1 up but in the end, wasn't able to hold it. inspite of his loss, the US still won the cup over the international, 19.5 to 14.5 points. still, Tiger lost... that's kinda disappointing more than painful...

what's really painful was the Pittsburgh Steelers' loss to the arizona cardinals... there's more to it than just the game. arizona's coach and assistant coach were former Steelers offensive coordinator and assistant head coach respectively. i won't even name them. both were passed-over for the head coaching job, which bill cowher left, in favor of mike tomlin. ben also had a falling out with then offensive coordinator, when he (OC) said he felt ben rushed back to the game after his motorcycle accident and apendectomy. ben didn't like what he said, thus, the falling out. before the start of the game this afternoon, former OC shook hands with his former players EXCEPT for ben. what was that bs??? he's now a head coach. he should be above that kind of crap!

i'm really pissed... we'll get back at them...

almost over...

september is almost over... a lot of significant dates in september. of course, there's september 11, which is very significant to americans. but for most filipinos, that date used to be remembered for something else. that was former(deposed) Philippine president, ferdinand marcos' birthdate. when i was in grade school, that date used to be declared a special holiday to commemorate his birthday. of course, we loved the idea because it meant no school for us. but my dad hated it. he said it's a day wasted, both for the economy and the students. i didn't understand then what he meant...

another significant date for filipinos is september 21, the day martial law was declared by marcos. the year was 1972. it was a military takeover, and they were everywhere. during those years, everything was suppressed. i didn't understand the gravity of this until later on. the Philippines was under martial rule until january 17, 1981, when it was finally lifted.

on a personal level, a significant date for our family is september 25, my paternal grandfather's birthday. i remember him only with fondness and love. i still miss him even though he'd been gone for more than 30 years. he was the only lolo i ever knew since my maternal grandfather was kidnapped by japanese soldiers during wwII, and was never heard from since. my mom's family were told he was brought to the mountains where he was tortured and eventually killed for being suspected of being a supporter of the filipino resistance group during the war. that was really a sad part of my mom's family life.

so many stories to tell about my family but i won't. not here or maybe not ever...

=(

fell off the wagon... uuuggghhh...
will play catch up, and hope to get some headway...
am not surprise anymore...

finally...!

my d-link wireless usb finally gave out on me yesterday after i posted my latest blog entry. timing, huh? very frustrating because i want to check on some things after i was done with my tasks yesterday.

anyway, after breakfast today, hubby laid out a cable connection for my use, from the main internet hub in his office in the basement, to my office in the main level. he had to drill some holes through a wall cabinet, but it was ok. they are hidden anyway...

...and now, after much tinkering with my wireless, malfunctioning, unpredictable d-link the past several weeks, i now have a reliable connection! finally!

i'm happy. need not worry about suddenly losing connection. yipppeee!

back to my tasks for the day.

'later...

friday morning!

friday, thank gad it's friday...

it rained again last night, and we woke up to a very chilly morning. it's 8:33am right now, and the temp is only 55°F, a far cry from the usual mid-60s we wake up to. autumn is indeed here...

i'll load up the washer after i post this and continue with my ironing. i know... exciting stuff... someone in the off-chance reading this would probably asked, why i iron so much. well, that's what we(my siblings & i) experienced growing up. my mom irons everything. she won't let us go anywhere with un-ironed(unpressed) article of clothing. we didn't grow up that way. it is our family's thing... may sound ridiculous to you, but not to us.

on a different note, i fervently wish that the upheaval in Myanmar be resolved peacefully, with no more violence, whose main instigator is the military junta governing the country.

peace.

ahhh...

i'm tired... i did finish a lot but i still have a long way to go...

i watched the season premieres of csi and without a trace. as with premieres, they're continuations of the finales. i like both, and so with criminal minds, ncis, and the unit. the show that surprised me the most because i thought i wouldn't like it was cane. it was really good. they showed clips of future episodes and they look very promising. i hope they do well... among the new shows at cbs, i don't have high hopes for viva laughlin. all its trailers didn't do anything for me. as with a model, it doesn't have the 'it' factor. won't hold my breath on that one...

ok. i'm going to bed now. i'm really tired. still have a lot to do tomorrow. but thank gad it is friday.

by the way, the us leads the international team in the presidents cup, 5 1/2 pts to 1/2 point. if only they are this dominant in the ryder cup...

am still...

yeah... i'm still at it... doing the laundry and ironing. my bad. i let it pile up to the point i'm almost buried...

i'm giving myself until the weekend to finish. i have to even before i can start with my project. i cannot have it hanging over me. i cannot work that way.

so no internet use(surfing) for me except for my blog posts and checking the scores at the president's cup... i can't resist that...

bad girl...

hmmm...

i made lechon sa hurno again for dinner tonight. i just popped it in the oven to brown a bit. while browning, i am finally, after much procrastination, am ironing. it's long overdue...

while ironing, i'm watching Oprah's, and the discussion is about sex, erotica, open relationships in a marriage, etc. inneresting... =) but majority of what they are discussing, hubby and i already know, and in fact, been practicing... =) not the open relationship, though. we still(highly) believe in monogamy. i may be liberal in a lot of things, but not that. i don't see that as an option for us...

i was channel switching last night, between cbs' comedies, abc's dancing with the stars, and pbs' the war. but we watched majority of dancing. the women performed first, with the gents getting their turn tonight. our early fave among the women is sabrina bryan of the cheetah girls. she was very good with her chacha altho' we (and the judges as well) felt there was too much hiphop in it. the rest of the ladies, except for josie maran, a model, were good. i won't say anything more about josie's performance. the judges said it all.

i'm looking forward to watching helio castroneves tonight, mainly because of julianne hough, last season's grand winner's partner (apolo anton ohno). will also watch out for mark cuban. i hope he does well. i like him. he can be an asshole, but a lovable asshole - unlike donald "combover" trump...

i also watched a part of the bachelor. i like the jersey girl. i didn't see who were cut, though. i hope she's not one of the 10...

ok. i'll check my lechon in the oven, and jump in the shower. will pick up hubby in a few...

g'bye for now.

who knew...?

who knew, that iran's president will visit the US, and be invited by an ivy league school, to speak to their school community?

who knew, that ahmadinejad, would request to be allowed to lay a wreath at ground zero, and that nypd would have considered if not for the public's outrage on his (insulting)request?

who knew, that former world boxing champ, oscar dela joya, likes to cross-dress?

who knew, that donald trump would advice bush to start "hiding" if he wants another republican to succeed him in the white house in 2008?

who knew, that the long arms of the law, may have finally caught up with oj simpson?

who knew, that benjamin abalos, former mayor of a major city in the philippines, and now the country's election commissioner, would time and time again, manage to evade inquiries and investigations on various allegations of anomalies, and still keep his position, and enjoy the "perks" that goes with it?

who knew, that after the 1986 people power revolution in the Philippines, and the overthrowing of the marcos regime, that two marcos clones, joseph estrada and gloria arroyo, would become presidents, and we will again experience the same, if not worse, level of corruption we experienced during marcos' rule? we just never learn...

the falling leaves...

fall or autumn started today, but it didn't feel like it at all. our high today was in the lower 80s, but i'm not complaining. if we can stretch this kind of weather longer, we will...

Steelers played the 49ers today, and got another win, which brings them to a 3-0 record. their two prior wins against the browns and the bills were downplayed by some sports columnists saying they were lightweight opponents. now their singing a different tune, and marveling at the Steelers defense. ha! i hope they continue to win...

i wasn't able to watch the season premier of cold case and only saw the tailend of shark. hubby and i watched ken burns' new documentary series, The War, on pbs. it is about the 2nd world war as told through personal accounts of men and women from 4 different towns in the US - Mobile, AL; Sacramento, CA; Waterbury, CT; and Luverne, MN. the series is in 7 parts and will continue until october. i hope our local library buys the dvd set so i can borrow them. i will surely miss some, if not most episodes as they will be shown the same time as my favorites, which will all have their season premiers this week.

my son was moping again... he asked to be driven to the library to finish his schoolwork. unfortunately, his crush was also there. he wanted to talk to her but wasn't able to muster enough courage to, and now he's very upset with himself. kept telling him what he felt was normal, and he's not alone, but he just won't be appeased. he went to bed early saying he wasn't feeling well. i hope he feels better when he gets up tomorrow.

ahhh... the travails of young heart...

season premieres, series premieres...

season premieres and series premieres will start tomorrow. finally! i'm done with (most)reality shows, which are summer staples, and repeats of my favorite shows. the pioneer of reality shows, which graduated from being part of cbs' summer programming to mainstream programming, survivor, premiered last thursday. the locale this season is china. i like team fei long, with James as my favorite castaway. by the way, they won the first immunity challenge...

cold case and shark premieres tomorrow after 60 minutes. shark switches timeslot with without a trace, maybe after seeing that shark can stand on its own, without the backing of their thursday powerhouse. not that cold case isn't one...

if you noticed, i am a cbs watcher. i very, very seldom stray away from them. i watch from the early show, to the soaps, to the evening news, to primetime, to dave, till craig, if i'm still up. i like, and strongly supports katie couric's cbs evening news. her newscast has meat and substance. brian williams', on the other hand, tends to be dramatic, which detracts from the real news. i believe that katie's gender has a lot to do with her low ratings, which is very frustrating and insulting. she is as capable, hardworking, and efficient (if not more) as her colleagues. give her a chance!

i'm stepping off the soapbox now... 48 hours mystery is already on...

g'night, people...

goodnight...

uneventful day... lot's of procrastinations... very unproductive... it's embarrassing... need to take action...

will go to bed soon... tomorrow's another day... a better day...

g'night...

also...

two other artists i would have never heard of, if not for perez, are
amy winehouse and lily allen. really, really good artists, who unfortunately, seem to care more for "other things" other than their music. really sad because both of them have the potentials to be great artists. unfortunately, they seem to not appreciate their own talents...

it is really sad....
and i love their music...

either you love him or you hate him...

that's sums up your opinion of perezhilton, the unabashed, self-proclaimed queen of all media. he admits to being a media whore, and is absolutely shameless. but he is also a hardworker and very loyal, which are only a few of the reasons why he is a huge success. there are no gray areas in his world-famous celebrity blog, perezhilton.com. he calls it as he sees it, and makes no apologies. i don't necessarily enjoy him all the time, but i do for the most part.

one thing i really, really like with perez is his support of very talented but untapped musicians(artists). my personal favorites are Eric Hutchinson and Meiko, who both will be guesting in perez's concert on the 30th. tickets were immediately sold out, and people who were lucky to get tickets will surely be treated to a wonderful night of music from these two artists. their music is clean and unadulterated so unlike your typical music-factory, commercially-produced music. i hope their sound remains even after their success.

...and i'm sure they will be huge successes...

wednesday... crab cake... Kid Nation...

not much happening...

as planned, i made crab cakes for dinner. it was ok but not great. it's a bit salty. maybe because of the mayo and old bay seasoning... i dunno... i have to tweak the recipe next time, like i always do with the other recipes. i did not with this one so...

Kid Nation premiered tonight. i like the show a lot. very interesting concept, very interesting cast of characters. the kids are really smart, funny, and are just being kids. my early favorites are Sophia, who won the first gold star, Michael, Zach, and Jared, who is very funny. this show has a lot of potential inspite of some bad press it got due to alleged complaints from parents, that were floated around during the start of the promotion for the fall lineup. thanks to that, i think it created more buzz...

just watching interviews of Dick & Dani right now. i'll watch the rest tomorrow. i'm going to bed...

g'night, people.

kid nation logo courtesy of cbs2.com

at last...!

the big winner of big brother 8 was finally crowned, and it's none other than - Dick! he won $500k.

Dani got $50k for coming in second. not bad for a summer gig. other than that, she and her dad are finally speaking after nearly two years of estrangement; she met Nick; and she gained weight, which made her prettier. hopefully, she does go back to school. that girl is one smart cookie. she's also tough.

ok. my summer obsession is over. done finito. kaput. tapos! hopefully, i'll soon get back to my normal routine, pre-bb8 season.

"my name is cynthia, and i'm a bb8 addict..."

screencap courtesy of dawn of bb8dish screencaps.

early morning chill... shrimps with garlic in olive oil and butter

it was chilly again when i got up this morning at 5:30. it's been this way since last week. i don't mind the cold weather just not the snow. can we skip winter, and go from autumn to spring?

i finally used the shrimps i bought from the grocery store a couple of weeks ago. i found a recipe of gambas al ajillo at Market Manila and another shrimp recipe from JMom's website. market man used olive oil in his recipe while jmom used butter. i tweaked both recipes and came up with my version.

i washed and peeled the shrimps before i brined them in water with sea salt for approx 1-1.5 hours in the fridge. i didn't cook until after i picked hubby from the train stop. here's how i did it.

heat 3 tbsps of olive oil
add half a stick of butter
saute chopped or minced garlic; don't brown
add pepper flakes; stir, 2 minutes
add shrimps; add paprika
stir until shrimps' color turn pink
turn off heat and drizzle with lemon juice

i didn't add salt as the shrimps are already salty from brining, and i also used salted butter.

i like this recipe because i didn't have to labor in the kitchen. it was simple, fast but very tasty. it was very good to say the least. i love it, and so did hubby. my son didn't taste it, though. he had cereals and bananas (again!) in his room. he was in a typical "teenage mood" aka grumpy.

there were lots of leftover so we'll have them again tomorrow. but i don't think it will be as good as when it was freshly cooked.

next in my menu, crab cake.

win day!

Tiger won!
the Steelers won!

...and Alan Greenspan had an interesting interview in 60 minutes.

manic sunday...

it's gameday!

Steelers will play their home game opener against the buffalo bills today. kickoff time is 1pm. i hope they (especially ben) continue to play as good as they did against the browns.

also, today is the final day of the tour championship. Tiger is leading the tournament. if he wins, or even comes in 2nd, he will also be the first fedfex cup winner with an additional $10m in prize money. i'm no longer astounded by the amount of money involved where Tiger is concerend. the interesting thing is, Steve Williams, Tiger's caddy, gets 10% of his prize winnings. he's a million dollar richer after all is said and done. all i can say is wow, Stevie...

let the games begin!

one pleasant surprise...

early this afternoon, i got a phone call from the hair salon i go to to inform me of a pleasant surprise. to give you a brief lookback, i had my haircut 2 weeks ago, and jen, my stylist, asked me to write my name and contact number at the back of a ticket stub. it was to be entered in a raffle draw promo they have in the salon. fastforward to this weekend, i was the lucky winner of the raffle. =) never in my life had i won anything in a raffle draw. this is the first time, and boy was i excited.

so off to the salon i went. jen was equally excited for me as she handed me my prize. it is a big wicker picnic basket with lots of pittsburgh pirates (baseball team of pitt) goodies and tailgating must-haves. there are also 4 tickets for wednesday night's game against the arizona diamondbacks. unfortunately, i'm giving those away as it is a school night. maybe if it was the minnesota twins, i'd go, school night or not... =)

i love my 'farm boys'...

the Tour Championship & the FedEx Cup

today is the 3rd round of the tour championship. if Tiger wins this, and i have no doubt he will, he also wins the first FedEx Cup. his closest rivals for the cup are Stricker and Michelson, but they're not anywhere near Tiger's score. not only that, they're not anywhere near the level of Tiger's play, and that's where the biggest difference lie. that says it all.

he finished yesterday's front nine at -7, the lowest 9-hole score of his career. he had 5 consecutive birdies and topped it with a 70-foot eagle putt to finish the front nine. how exciting was that for those who were there watching? i was following the tournament on Live@ but they didn't show Tiger, which is a bummer. they only showed snippets of his round...

i'll be watching, of course. where else would i be?

chilly saturday...

i woke up to temp in the 40s at 5:30am. i forgot to turn off the alarm...grrr... got up to use the bathroom, and went right back to bed. finally got out of it at 9:40am.

didn't have any fancy breakfast. just bagels for myself and hubby, and biscuit breakfast sandwiches for my son. hubby wants breakfast fast, and doesn't want to wait an hour for it so... which is just fine with me. no big clean up.

daytime temps, as forecasted, will stay in the mid to high 60s today. first chilly day of the summer. yes, it is still summer. fall will not officially start until the 23rd. i didn't catch what the farmer's almanac's winter forecast was. i hope it will be mild. i'm ready for chilly days, but not the snow...

i have tons of laundry to do. i have my whites (still) in the dryer for 4 days now. 4 days!!! what is wrong with me??? uggghhh... such a procrastinator...

happy saturday, people!

really...

i need to get down to business, and buckle down to work. really.

i wrote my to-do list in my notebook, but not here. not sharing yet until i have, at least, started some real work on my project. it's long overdue now. my fault. i lost focus. too many distractions. a lot of procrastination.

no more excuses. i have to get on track, and stay there...

random... part 2

yes! final hoh was won by dick. he evicted zach (duh!) and is going to the final two with dani. as carolyn of bb8dish said, "it is going to be a fairytale ending if it's D&D in the final two". we got our fairytale ending. but most importantly, i hope they will be able to repair their fractured relationship. that is worth more than the combined $550k they'll win from bb8. that is priceless...

bill belichick and the new england patriots were fined by the NFL, $500k and $250k respectively, for cheating in last sunday's game between the patriots and the ny jets. a patriot employee, allegedly instructed by belichick, was caught in last sunday's game, on the jets' sideline, videotaping their defensive/offensive hand signals. in my mind, that makes ALL their super bowl wins suspect! now, putin's "pocketing" of kraft's 2005 super bowl ring doesn't sound as bad. bunch of cheaters...

the Steelers have FIVE super bowl wins, and we can proudly say they were won fair and square, and very well-deserved!

Tiger Woods played until the 11th hole before play was again suspended due to darkness. he will have a looong day tomorrow...

and so would i...

random...

i'm still in a sniff-sniff-cough-cough condition...

former Philippine president Joseph Estrada was convicted of plunder and sentenced for life. another case of karma...

the Tour Championship, being played in Atlanta, is suspended due to inclement weather. Tiger and Stricker are the only pair who hasn't teed off...

tonight will be the last of a 3-part competition for final HoH in the bb house. i hope Bush's address does not preempt the live show...

i cooked beef caldereta (beef stew) for dinner, my son's favorite. it is not your classic caldereta but an improv. with ingredients not readily available, you learn how to do improvs on certain Filipino recipes. i think it's good enough. ask my son and hubby...

sniff, sniff, cough, cough...

have not been feeling well since monday afternoon. aches and pains in my extremities, shoulders, and back. yesterday was the same, but felt worse as the day wore on...

popped 2 tabs of acetaminophen before i went to bed. i was sooo cold; in and out of sleep. i guess the tabs kicked in because i started feeling warm. turned fan on; fell back to a restless sleep. somewhere in the early morning, hubby moved to the living room couch because he was cold from the fan. that's where i found him, when i got up to turn off the fan, and go to the bathroom. woke him up and asked him to move back to the room.

i still got up at 5:30 - prepared son's breakfast and hubby's lunch. limbs still aching; sniff; cough. 'thought of asking hubby to just take the car so i don't have to drive him to the train stop, but remembered i had to have a blood test this morning for next week's followup check for my thyroid.

so off we went. dropped off hubby. had blood test. started the washer when i got back. checked on bb8 updates. will prep ingredients for tonight's dinner, and if i'm up to it, will do some ironing.

did i say i was not feeling well today?

never forget...

In Memoriam... 9.11.2001

• United Airlines Flight 175
• American Airlines Flight 11
• World Trade Center Towers 1 & 2, New York City
• American Airlines Flight 77
• The Pentagon, Arlington, VA
• United Airlines Flight 93, Somerset County, PA

2,974 lives lost... never forget...

Malu Fernandez & Kris Aquino: two peas in a pod, part 2

didn't i say in my entry of august 19, that karma is a bitch? well, here's an update relative to that post:

• about a couple of weeks ago, Malu Fernandez issued another apology. i've read it, and i don't have an opinion on it... but the most important thing was what a lot people have been waiting for her to do - resign. and she did. the same day she made the "sincere" apology. she made a mistake, she faced the consequences (altho a tad late), and she paid for it. hopefully, she will now find peace.

• anytime soon, one of Kris Aquino's show, Deal or No Deal, is ending. kaput. they're giving all sorts of reason to its demise, but i don't really care. what i know is that, none of her shows are doing well in the ratings game. not surprising at all. a lot of people are getting tired of, and turned-off by her antics. she should get off her high horse, face reality, and stop believing her own press. perhaps this would be a wake up call, but i highly doubt it.

to borrow a phrase from Janelle of BB6, "bye-bye, bitches!"

oven-roasted pork belly aka lechon sa hurno, a variation of lechon kawali

last week, i was looking at food blogs, specifically Filipino food blogs, and they made me long for home. my mom's cooking, the local goodies, the fruits...

when i went to the strip district about 3 weekends ago, i bought two slabs of pork belly from the asian store, thinking of using them for adobo or binagoongan. the asian store is the only place i know where i can get them. never seen pork belly sold in our local grocery stores. anyway, i saw a recipe for lechon kawali, and i got excited. if i like lechon kawali, hubby loves it. but i hate frying. i don't like oil splatters, specially the amount of cleaning that comes after. then i saw the oven-roasted lechon recipe of Sassy in her pinoycook website, and bingo! i searched some more for other recipes, and i finally did a variation, and came up with my own version.

i boiled the slab in water with sea salt, peppercorns, quartered onion, crushed garlic, and about a quarter cup of vinegar - for about 2 hours. after boiling, i air-dried it for another 2 hours, rubbed it with olive oil, and popped it in the oven at 300 degF until lightly browned. i let it rest until after i picked hubby from the train station at 6pm. when i got back, i broiled it until the skin showed blisterings. i let it rest for about 10 minutes before i served it.

hubby's grin at the sight of the lechon was more than enough consolation for all the labor i put into my first ever lechon. unfortunately, my son is not a big fan of fatty foods so he got himself a bowl of cereals and a couple of bananas for his dinner.

meanwhile, hubby and myself enjoyed the artery-clogging dinner very much, and finished it off with a slice each of chocolate cream cake.

ok. please pass the lipitor now, honey...

honorable mention to the Filipino food blogs i visit all the time. my source, not only of recipes, but much inspiration in the kitchen. you are invaluable to someone like me, who is not an expert.

pinoy cook
Market Manila
purplegirl's kitchen

thank you!

they come in 3s...

this is a happy Sunday for me. i am a huge sports fan, and though i don't play any sports, i enjoy watching it. and today, my favorites didn't fail me.

1st, football season officially started today. the Steelers played their season opener in Cleveland against the Browns. they started strong, and finished strong. they totally smoked the Browns 34-7, with Roethlisberger throwing a career-high 4 TD passes! a good start to, hopefully, a very good season. congratulations to the players and the new coaching staff headed by Mike Tomlin. go Steelers!!!

2nd, as i predicted, Tiger Woods wins the BMW Championship, and is now leading in the Fedex Cup points standing. it was very close, especially in the front nine, where Baddeley and Stricker tied him for first in several holes. Tiger played flawless golf, made birdies when it matters most, and set another tournament scoring record. he is a fierce competitor but never forgets to have fun, and that is one of the things that sets him apart from the rest of the field. give him five more years, and he will be setting more records that will set him apart, this time, from the golfing legends he so admires. next week will be the final leg of the Fedex Cup, the Tour Championship. should he win there, he will set another record, this time, as the Fedex Cup's first winner.

3rd, another history-making event, this time, at the US Open. Federer defeated Djokovic in straight sets for the finals. this is Federer's fourth straight US Open championship, and is the first man to win four consecutive since Bill Tilden in the 1920s. he is now just 2 grand slams shy of Pete Sampras' record of 14. there is no doubt he will tie it and surpassed it in the next two years.

for me, Federer is the greatest tennis player of all time, as Tiger is in golf, and Michael Jordan is in basketball. i consider myself lucky and privileged to have witnessed these guys play, and excel in their respective sport.

i told you, they come in 3s...

gut feel

i should have listened to my gut. then i would have spared myself the unecessary tension...

after i came back from a short trip to the grocery store, i was alternately watching the us open semis between federer and davydenko on cbs, and the bmw championship, the 3rd leg of the fedex cup playoffs, on nbc.

tiger is in 2nd place going into tomorrow's final round. still a good thing because he is really playing well.

federer, meanwhile, won the first two sets, but was down 0-3 in the third set. that didn't even make me nervous, and that's no disrespect to davydenko. i just know that federer will come through, and he did. he broke back several times altho he seemed to have a hard time holding his own serve. but he came through, 7-5.

i felt really good about those two results, and so i thought, "they come in threes..." i just know in my gut one of the Donatos will win the PoV.

...and she came through, as always, for herself and her dad. Dani won the PoV. she is now the Veto Princess. (Janelle is the Queen)

this is a good night.

uggghhh...

i'm on pins and needles...
i need to find something to do for the next 90 minutes...

oh, lordy...
my tummy hurts...
i feel like throwing up...

i need to calm down...
it's just a game...
it's just a show...

I CAN'T!!!

news

i'm already tired of hearing news about the war. but there's just no way you can avoid it... there seems to be no end or resolution to it. the US should have not been there in the first place...

the Iraq war has so far, cost the American people (not the government because those are taxpayers' money) $449 billion. staggering amount considering a lot of social services were being cut left and right in every single city and town in America just to fund this war.

to add insult to injury, there was a report this evening at nbc nightly news about an Iraqi who used to be the Iraqi government's watchdog. he recently resigned his position, and fled to the US because of threats to his life. all the threats were due to investigations his office conducted on the rampant and widespread corruption within their government. the corruption is so bad, he is calling for the US government to stop supporting the Maliki administration.

how could something like this happen to the most powerful, most influential country in the world? mind-boggling...

meanwhile, there have been 3,760 casualties since the war started on march 19, 2003.

staggering numbers indeed...

the good, the bad, and the ugly... bb8

the good - today was my court date at 10am at the courthouse for my speeding violation. i arrived at the parking lot the same time as the magistrate and another man, who was also going to the courthouse. when we got there, we signed up, and waited in the waiting area with about 8 other people. the magistrate started hearing cases just before 10, and the proceedings were fast as he was already in his 3rd case by the time 10am came. i thought to myself, that is a good sign, and it was. i didn't imagine it to be that painless altho i wasn't really nervous. to make the long short, all 4 points assessed for my violation was waived, which is my(our) biggest concern since that would have affected our insurance rate - AND - the fine was also lowered. a check for the refund will be sent by mail. i think the entire proceeding was over in 10 minutes. so that's the good.

the bad - something happened that i was not very happy about, and only aggravated me more. i won't go into details here. i'd rather keep it to myself...

the bad - re bb8... Zach won HoH. that sucked since Dani almost won...

the ugly - still on bb8... Zach nominated Dick & Dani for eviction. he totally turned against them... it was actually a good strategic move on Z's part. it's just that it just sucks when you're at the receiving end of a betrayal...

only hope is for one of the Ds to win the PoV because that is where the real power lies. the PoV winner holds the power to send someone packing.

in all these years that i have been watching BB, not once did my favorite houseguest win. they all got screwed... i hope my luck changes this season and see one of the Ds win.

friday's eve; doctor; bb8...

yup! i laughed the first time i heard it. and i heard it first from Jon Burnett, kdka's meteorologist, while giving the forecast for thursday, friday's eve. =)

i went to my doctor yesterday for a follow-up check. i was there a month ago due to high blood pressure, and was given a prescription for norvasc. unfortunately, my bp was still high so i was told to double my intake, and gave me a new prescription for a stronger dosage. i was also given a prescription for a muscle relaxant as i complained of neck pain, that causes a tingling feeling on my hands (and/or legs), which is caused, according to my doctor, by tension! ooohkay... a lot of stuff contributing to that tension but i'm not putting them here...

one thing i can put here though, that causes my tension, is big brother 8. tonight's episode was the most brutal (but exciting)! it was bb fast-forward meaning, two weeks worth of shows compressed in one - live! yeah! eviction. hoh comp. nomination. pov comp. eviction. so in that order it was - Jess. Dick (yes!). Eric & Jameka. Zach. Eric. i'm sooo happy Jess & Eric are gone, and relieved Dick won HoH!!! but i can't discuss it anymore. i'm drained by all the excitement, and i've already said it all at bb8 dish, the best bb8 website of all! booyah!

g'night, people.

not really...

last night, as i was going to bed, i checked on my son again. i was surprised to see him sitting up in bed because we already said our goodnites half an hour ago.

his first day in school didn't really go as smoothly as i thought... he was frustrated with himself, for letting other kids bother him. my son's issues has everything to do with his inadequate social skills plus the fact that there are indeed bullies in school. i always tell him that he cannot let these kids bother him, to walk away when they try to start something, and report them to someone of authority. the school is very good in dealing with bullies, and educating kids about it.

my son knows all these but being a young teenager, he cannot help but be affected by it. his inadequate social skills also makes him question some kids' real intentions as he already got burned in the past. as a mother, i cannot help but be hurt and frustrated by it. a parent can only do so much for their child. and there are battles that you cannot fight for them, but still, these things hurt knowing how much it is affecting your child.

i told him he always has choices. the choice to let these kids affect him or the choice to stay focus, and do well in school to achieve his goals. i also reminded him that he has a support team who is always there for him. it's a good thing he has a session with his therapist next monday so i told him to discuss his apprehensions with him, and find ways to better handle his frustrations, stress, and trust issues.

after everything is said and done, i can only hope and pray.

first day of school... hello and g'night... again.

yay! seems like a good first day for my son... whew... i hope it continues...

we had fun organizing his things just a while back. he told me they don't have to take home any books, thank G*d, and they won't have a lot of homeworks, too. i think it would be mostly papers and reports, which frustrates him the most, not because he's not good at it but because he is such a perfectionist.

was very crabby this morning... my wireless usb adapter was not working properly, going on and off, and not getting any signal. it was actually my son's. he's been having problems with it so we switch adapters. i was able to make it work yesterday after tinkering with it but not this morning... grrr... i had to use my son's computer to check my emails. i tried to uninstall so i can re-install but it won't let me. an error window kept popping up and i don't understand what it was. so i tinkered some more, still won't work, got frustrated, got up and had dinner. after cleaning up, i tinkered with it again, and voila! here i am with the adapter working. =) hubby said not to turn off the computer anymore, just the monitor, until we find a replacement or solution to the problem.

so that's what i'll do... g'night, people!

labor day; golf; tennis; big brother 8 - part2

still labor day...

tiger didn't win... came in tied for 2nd place, and guess what? phil michelson won. but tiger is one spot up in the fedex cup points standing. unfortunately, phil is now first... uggghhh...

james blake lost to tommy haas in a 5th set tiebreaker. he had several matchpoints but failed to convert any of them. he came up short again... uggghhh...

the seed was planted by Dick but Jess is doubting it big time. my hope is, she would continue to listen to Eric, as she always does, and Dick keeps his mouth shut for once, and the plan goes without any more hitches... oh, Dick...

dinnertime.

labor day; golf; tennis; big brother 8

happy labor day! ...and tomorrow is the first day of school... =(

the tv is on and it's on the us open with blake playing against haas. i like james blake a lot. he's such a cool guy, and a good tennis player. but i love roger federer. since andre retired, all my affections are now with roger. =)

i'm not watching the deutsche bank golf championship but i have the live feed on my computer. my tiger is not playing well... i'm ok with that as long as phil michelson, who is leading, does not win.

it's crazy in the big brother house right now. dick and dani (with zach) are planning a huge move to shake things up. i hope it works out as planned and not backfire on them. i really want father and daughter to be in the final two. but with big brother, everything is possible. as they say, expect the unexpected.

we'll see.

2nd of september; US Open; Deutsche Bank (FedEx Cup playoffs)

uneventful sunday. nothing spectacular. nothing extraordinary. just another sunday.

watched US Open tennis. i'm quite bummed about it since maria sharapova lost yesterday. she was totally out of her element even though she won the 2nd set at 6-1. the wind bothered her, Radwanska staying inside the line for her service also bothered her. it's a shame since she's the defending champion. oh well... there's still federer...

i also watched the Deutsche Bank Championship, the 2nd leg of the FedEx Cup playoffs. Tiger was playing really well until the bogey on the 17th and a missed birdie opportunity on the 18th. that would have put him in 3rd place going into the final round tomorrow. he's 3 shots off the lead. i hope he continues to play well and win this one.

that's it. just another sunday...

the 1st of september; hello & goodnight...

how time flies... as we say in the Philippines, we're now in the "ber" month, which means Christmas and the new year are just around the corner.

it was a late morning for me. i didn't get out of bed until 11am. that was because i didn't fall asleep until after 2am... that was the third night in a row i fell asleep that late. maybe because my mind was on overdrive for things bb8 and the wso released by amy and drC.

my son was preparing his own breakfast when i got up. said he was very hungry... after brunch, and after cleaning up, i went to the post office to mail (again) our payment for our electric bill. hubby mailed it the day before but i forgot to put postage on it, and he didn't notice either so it was returned... =(

from the post office, i passed by the library to pick up the castaway dvd borrowed by my son. i then decided to have a haircut. i went really short with it, and as always, wasn't too happy with the result when i got home. i will most likely go back next week, and have it "tweaked".

i've been sitting in front of my computer since early afternoon. got up only to prepare and have dinner. been here since... i finally saw the wso - both the report and the video and will look at(study) it more tomorrow. what's good about it is the availability of a live coach whom you can contact anytime and on an unlimited basis. i hope that really works because i want to earn something on my own, and be able to help hubby. i really need to manage my time well, and not get sidetracked... we'll see...