Today was a very interesting day. I would like to recount parts of it here.
Today is Saturday. 28th of July, 2018. My family and I went with my folks to go to Glorietta. Martina and I were going to have our haircuts.
Let's start with our lunch. The three of us ate in Yabu, where I was pleasantly surprised. The food was pretty good, way better than when we last ate here. I had the chicken katsu curry, spicy hot. It was pretty good but since I had a lot for breakfast it affected me negatively.
Anyway we went to Bruno's Barbers a little past 12nn. There was a line but I didn't mind waiting. While waiting for my turn Eric, the husband of my, cousin greets me. Turns out he had a haircut there. He was also with his two kids, JG and Adi. Boy they've grown. JG is in college already and Adi is pretty tall already. By the way, Adi is my god-daughter.
When it was my turn to get a haircut I was lucky enough to be assigned to Mr. Tom. Not only did he know the haircut I wanted, turns out we both share something more. He's been through some problems my family is having right now. Something I'd rather not blog about, but talking to him about it made me feel a bit better about our situation. It also strengthened my resolve to overcome this current problem we have.
That's basically it. After the haircut we bought some groceries, passed by Starbucks, and went with my folks to head home.
I don't want to talk about the interesting part, let's just say I'm very very grateful for what happened today. No, I'm not talking about how bad and bloated I feel. It's the mental and emotional positive vibes that made my day.
Out.
Saturday, July 28, 2018
Tuesday, July 24, 2018
[781] Vehicle Improvements
Three years ago my dad purchased a used Suzuki Samurai to replace our trusty 1993 Toyota Lite Ace. Just recently he (finally) convinced to stop daydreaming about owning and modifying a classic Volkswagen Beetle and instead help him out with the Samurai.
Well, here we go. We haven't started on anything... yet. I did show him a few youtube videos of some problem areas for the Suzuki Samurai, most notably the shifter. I won't be surprised if the alignment bolt for the shifter is already broken, similar to the video. This will probably the very first thing my dad and I will try to address with the Samurai, finances, time, and resources willing.
After that if we're crazy enough we'll probably try to find a way to tackle the electrical wiring of the Samurai. None of us are electricians though, and I do not know any reliable automotive electrician, but I do agree with my dad that the wiring harness should either be restored or replaced.
After that we'll probably need to find new seat belts for the front seats. I think they still work but they're so old the plastic is about ready to crumble.
Writing about the Samurai and what improvements we can do to it brings me back to our 2001 Toyota Rav4, aka my daily driver.
My driver and I have noticed that all four wheels leak air fast. We fill it with 32 psi on a Saturday and come Monday some wheels have 28 psi and others have 30 psi. I've even had an experience where one tire became totally deflated. When we had it sent to be vulcanized there were no punctures, but they did notice that air was leaking from the rim so they put some sealant on it.
This means that we'll have to have the rims fixed. I do notice that the paint on the rims are mostly chipped. I won't be surprised if that is the reason why air is leaking out faster than what is normal.
Aside from the rims, the Rav also needs a new stereo unit. This isn't much of a problem since we have a spare head unit here that we can probably have installed to replace the current head unit.
Finally, one last thing I'd like done on the Rav4 is to have the steering wheel leather wrapped. The current state of the steering wheel is very old and crumbling. My hands literally get dirty whenever I drive it, because the material of the steering wheel is turning to dust.
Yeah, so many things my dad and I would like to have done to the car, but resources aren't readily available. Hopefully my dad and I get to sort things out so we can have the cars back up to our standards.
Out.
Well, here we go. We haven't started on anything... yet. I did show him a few youtube videos of some problem areas for the Suzuki Samurai, most notably the shifter. I won't be surprised if the alignment bolt for the shifter is already broken, similar to the video. This will probably the very first thing my dad and I will try to address with the Samurai, finances, time, and resources willing.
After that if we're crazy enough we'll probably try to find a way to tackle the electrical wiring of the Samurai. None of us are electricians though, and I do not know any reliable automotive electrician, but I do agree with my dad that the wiring harness should either be restored or replaced.
After that we'll probably need to find new seat belts for the front seats. I think they still work but they're so old the plastic is about ready to crumble.
Writing about the Samurai and what improvements we can do to it brings me back to our 2001 Toyota Rav4, aka my daily driver.
My driver and I have noticed that all four wheels leak air fast. We fill it with 32 psi on a Saturday and come Monday some wheels have 28 psi and others have 30 psi. I've even had an experience where one tire became totally deflated. When we had it sent to be vulcanized there were no punctures, but they did notice that air was leaking from the rim so they put some sealant on it.
This means that we'll have to have the rims fixed. I do notice that the paint on the rims are mostly chipped. I won't be surprised if that is the reason why air is leaking out faster than what is normal.
Aside from the rims, the Rav also needs a new stereo unit. This isn't much of a problem since we have a spare head unit here that we can probably have installed to replace the current head unit.
Finally, one last thing I'd like done on the Rav4 is to have the steering wheel leather wrapped. The current state of the steering wheel is very old and crumbling. My hands literally get dirty whenever I drive it, because the material of the steering wheel is turning to dust.
Yeah, so many things my dad and I would like to have done to the car, but resources aren't readily available. Hopefully my dad and I get to sort things out so we can have the cars back up to our standards.
Out.
Saturday, July 14, 2018
[780] Post Birthday Thoughts
It's been two days since I celebrated my 38th birthday.
I know my previous posts have been mostly negative, that's just how I am. This time I'll try to look at things from another perspective.
I've been through a lot since 2017, and to be honest I know someone who's going through so much more. We're still here, still living, still striving. Aerosmith said it best, "life's a journey; not a destination."
So here I am, another year older, another year of experiences under my belt. I'm still trying to better myself and there will be times I will slip and revert back to my old attitude, but I will do my best to keep moving forward.
Out.
I know my previous posts have been mostly negative, that's just how I am. This time I'll try to look at things from another perspective.
I've been through a lot since 2017, and to be honest I know someone who's going through so much more. We're still here, still living, still striving. Aerosmith said it best, "life's a journey; not a destination."
So here I am, another year older, another year of experiences under my belt. I'm still trying to better myself and there will be times I will slip and revert back to my old attitude, but I will do my best to keep moving forward.
Out.
Sunday, July 08, 2018
[779] Looking Back
As yet another birthday of mine draws, I've decided to think about how my life has been since the past year-and-a-half. Let's start from 2016, where events started that lead to major changes in my life in 2017 and onward.
2016 was a relatively great year for me. My daughter got accepted into one of the better schools in Metro Manila to start her primary schooling (or grade 1 as we call it here). I may have gotten into some rocky stuff at work around March 2016 or so but it was nothing I couldn't overcome. In fact, I can proudly say I actually thrived at work. The cost though was me withdrawing a bit from my officemates, but at the time I felt that the best course of action was to just shut up and work. And things did get better as 2016 drew to a close.
2017 started all the major changes. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were let go at work. It was a major bummer because I was doing pretty well at work and I was motivated enough to gun for a position I wanted. I also felt I could get that position with enough time. Sadly that was not the case. Less than a week into the new year we were told we were being let go.
It took me a while to recover from that. During that time period my point of view in life started changing. I was never one of the people who could claim my faith in a higher being was strong, so that was one of the first to crumble. Even when things started to get better, my faith remained relatively empty.
It was during the middle to latter part of 2017 that I started to become a bit more positive again. To hope again. My wife and I came up with a plan that would help give us, along with our daughter, a shot at a better future. I tackled this with as much enthusiasm as I could. Things were going pretty well and I feeling really hopeful.
2018 arrives and my wife loses her father not two weeks into the new year. It was a sad blow for her, but we still pushed through with our plans. We knew that we had to achieve this new dream of ours not only because of the promising future it could give us, but also because this was a new challenge for us. We may have been afraid of what could happen, but we were both ready and willing to tackle it.
Unfortunately something happened again that basically put our plan to a halt. Let's just say my wife got sick enough to put our plans on hold. I'm not even going to say it is on hold, as I have basically given up on anything that could better my future. I just plan on living and working and making sure my daughter is going to get the best future that she can. That's my only dream now. Nothing any more for myself. Any dream I have gets taken away anyway. I give up. Once I know my daughter is a strong, independent woman who can provide for herself and take care of herself, my job is done. I can die. Basically that means I have to provide for her until she finishes college.
For those of you who say prayer and putting your faith in a higher being, I'm sorry. My faith has been near empty since 2017. Nothing has happened to change my mind. And don't even try to scare me about "oh don't ask the higher being to take all your blessings from you, you may regret it." I am grateful for the things my wife and I have. I just don't want to believe anymore. I find it pointless. I've both prayed and worked hard for a goal of mine, and from what I was taught if you do both the higher being will provide. Well, he or she hasn't.
Don't tell me that the higher being has other plans for me. Or to just try and listen because he could be swaying me in a different direction. I had plans. I had dreams. I was working hard for those dreams and to find out I can't achieve them anymore? Never mind. I have no more plans. Just live, work, provide, and die.
This isn't all negative though. I'm starting to accept that circumstances did not go my way. I'm starting to fight through all this and hopefully rise above everything. I'm learning to be resilient and to persevere through the ups and downs of life. And I'll be doing these with the help and strength of my father, mother, wife, daughter, and friends.
Out.
2016 was a relatively great year for me. My daughter got accepted into one of the better schools in Metro Manila to start her primary schooling (or grade 1 as we call it here). I may have gotten into some rocky stuff at work around March 2016 or so but it was nothing I couldn't overcome. In fact, I can proudly say I actually thrived at work. The cost though was me withdrawing a bit from my officemates, but at the time I felt that the best course of action was to just shut up and work. And things did get better as 2016 drew to a close.
2017 started all the major changes. Due to circumstances beyond our control, we were let go at work. It was a major bummer because I was doing pretty well at work and I was motivated enough to gun for a position I wanted. I also felt I could get that position with enough time. Sadly that was not the case. Less than a week into the new year we were told we were being let go.
It took me a while to recover from that. During that time period my point of view in life started changing. I was never one of the people who could claim my faith in a higher being was strong, so that was one of the first to crumble. Even when things started to get better, my faith remained relatively empty.
It was during the middle to latter part of 2017 that I started to become a bit more positive again. To hope again. My wife and I came up with a plan that would help give us, along with our daughter, a shot at a better future. I tackled this with as much enthusiasm as I could. Things were going pretty well and I feeling really hopeful.
2018 arrives and my wife loses her father not two weeks into the new year. It was a sad blow for her, but we still pushed through with our plans. We knew that we had to achieve this new dream of ours not only because of the promising future it could give us, but also because this was a new challenge for us. We may have been afraid of what could happen, but we were both ready and willing to tackle it.
Unfortunately something happened again that basically put our plan to a halt. Let's just say my wife got sick enough to put our plans on hold. I'm not even going to say it is on hold, as I have basically given up on anything that could better my future. I just plan on living and working and making sure my daughter is going to get the best future that she can. That's my only dream now. Nothing any more for myself. Any dream I have gets taken away anyway. I give up. Once I know my daughter is a strong, independent woman who can provide for herself and take care of herself, my job is done. I can die. Basically that means I have to provide for her until she finishes college.
For those of you who say prayer and putting your faith in a higher being, I'm sorry. My faith has been near empty since 2017. Nothing has happened to change my mind. And don't even try to scare me about "oh don't ask the higher being to take all your blessings from you, you may regret it." I am grateful for the things my wife and I have. I just don't want to believe anymore. I find it pointless. I've both prayed and worked hard for a goal of mine, and from what I was taught if you do both the higher being will provide. Well, he or she hasn't.
Don't tell me that the higher being has other plans for me. Or to just try and listen because he could be swaying me in a different direction. I had plans. I had dreams. I was working hard for those dreams and to find out I can't achieve them anymore? Never mind. I have no more plans. Just live, work, provide, and die.
This isn't all negative though. I'm starting to accept that circumstances did not go my way. I'm starting to fight through all this and hopefully rise above everything. I'm learning to be resilient and to persevere through the ups and downs of life. And I'll be doing these with the help and strength of my father, mother, wife, daughter, and friends.
Out.
Thursday, July 05, 2018
[778] 2018 Birthday Wish List -- Dream On Edition
Since I'm in a better mood today I'd like to post yet another 2018 birthday wish list. It is highly improbable that I get any of these things, but hey, a guy can dream right?
So without further ado...
Out.
So without further ado...
- My own daily driver. Top three I'd consider? Honda Jazz, Ford EcoSport, or the 2019 Suzuki Jimny. All automatics, of course. Something that has better fuel consumption than our 2001 Toyota Rav4, yet has the same compact size so it can still fit great inside parking spaces.
- A condo in Makati. Somewhere in a nice, safe location. Even just a one-bedroom to share with my wife and daughter. Should have parking space. This would make sure we would not have a hard time bringing my daughter to school and my wife to work. We wouldn't have to wake up that early just to be able to avoid traffic.
- A small piece of land in the province. I've been thinking of learning either beekeeping or mushroom farming so I can try to set up a small business. Once I save up enough funds I'll most likely be taking a short course in either, then hopefully I can put into practice what I'll earn. Just so I have some passive income.
- An electric guitar and amplifier with cables and effects. A Gibson SG, a small Marshall amp, some nice cables, and maybe a wah-wah pedal since I already own a turbo distortion.
Out.
Tuesday, July 03, 2018
[777] My Take on the Current NBA
So yesterday (Manila time) I found out Bron was signing with the Lakers. Today I find out Boogie Cousins is signing with Golden State.
Basically Golden State might be stronger than last year. Once Boogie is cleared to play and gets in relative game shape, the Warriors might be unbeatable.
I'm actually happy that the players now have control of where they want to play. Does it suck that one team gets stronger while other teams don't? Yes. However, players have earned their right to choose where they want to play. Who wants to play for a dysfunctional team, right?
Anyway to be honest I've lost interest in rooting for any specific player or team. I guess the Knicks still have a place in my heart (don't ask me why, maybe because of the Sprewell era). I stopped rooting for Sacramento when they drafted Bagley (don't get me wrong, I want to see him succeed, I just wanted the Kings to draft Doncic).
I'm interested to see what happens this coming season. Will Golden State beat their record of 73 wins? Will LeBron's finals streak come to an end? Will the East field any legitimate contenders for the championship? Will Boogie come back to form from his Achilles injury?
Finally, I don't think Golden State did anything wrong. I think they are setting a standard that other teams should strive for. Instead of wishing they get worse, I just wish other teams would get better. Raise the game and everyone benefits.
Out.
Basically Golden State might be stronger than last year. Once Boogie is cleared to play and gets in relative game shape, the Warriors might be unbeatable.
I'm actually happy that the players now have control of where they want to play. Does it suck that one team gets stronger while other teams don't? Yes. However, players have earned their right to choose where they want to play. Who wants to play for a dysfunctional team, right?
Anyway to be honest I've lost interest in rooting for any specific player or team. I guess the Knicks still have a place in my heart (don't ask me why, maybe because of the Sprewell era). I stopped rooting for Sacramento when they drafted Bagley (don't get me wrong, I want to see him succeed, I just wanted the Kings to draft Doncic).
I'm interested to see what happens this coming season. Will Golden State beat their record of 73 wins? Will LeBron's finals streak come to an end? Will the East field any legitimate contenders for the championship? Will Boogie come back to form from his Achilles injury?
Finally, I don't think Golden State did anything wrong. I think they are setting a standard that other teams should strive for. Instead of wishing they get worse, I just wish other teams would get better. Raise the game and everyone benefits.
Out.
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