Ampalaya for lunch....

How's weekend everyone....? Sorry for the short drop by again, still stuck with my tight schedules, but this time it's a bit better than the last time.... Medyo wala na ang tungkol dun sa last issue sa trabaho o baka nasanay na lang talaga ako.... By the way, they've came up with a way to check people's performance lately so starting last thursday we have to write down all the job we're doing within a day both completed and job in progress before timing off and place that in a tray inside the boss's office.... Doesn't seem to help about the "protected people" issue.... But hey, i think i've created something positive with my anger-outburst there.... Kahit papano nakatulong ako....

Over time is also back in the limelight kaya ito lang ang weekend ko ngayon, sunday.... Nakakapagod tapos balik trabaho na naman ulit bukas.... Iniisip ko na lang na at least this time ay balik normal na naman ang laman ng wallet ko for a little motivation thingy.... At least my one day weekend pa rin ako kaya make the most of the day na lang.... I just had my lunch a while ago, amplaya na ginisa sa baboy at hipon.... First for almost two months na nakatikim ako ulit ng proper pinoy dish, na-miss ko talaga.... Masyado kasing stressing ang mga nakaraang months kaya wala na halos akong ganang magluto pa kaya puro sandwich lang palagi ang laman nitong tiyan ko.... Buti buhay pa rin ako ngayon, medyo nabawasan lang ng six kilos ang timbang which is good dahil nabawasan din ang mga extra-bilbil ko.... =D

By the way, speaking of ampalaya, napanood ko lang to sa tv few days ago.... Did you know na ang humble ampalaya pala ay may taglay na active ingredients na panlaban sa Diabetes....? Ampalaya daw o Bitter melon sa wikang inglis ay nagtataglay ng chemical na nagpu-promote ng proper digestion and removal of unwanted substances sa katawan na gaya ng sobrang glucose na nagri-result sa diabetes....

The health benefits of the humble Bitter melon were noted around 500 years ago in the writings of China's most revered medical scholars.... Though some may find its bitter tasting and a little hard to swallow, the taste actually doesn't really bother me at all.... Today researchers are returning to these ancient texts in the hope of finding clues to combat modern diseases like diabetes....

This brings back memory.... Nung ipinanganak kasi ang bunso kung kapatid, may pinasipsip silang katas daw ng mashed ampalaya leaves soaked in cotton buds dun sa sanggol.... I was wondering kung ano ang purpose nun, pero ngayon alam ko na....! Pero hindi dahil dyan at lalong wala po akong diabetes kaya ampalaya ang naging ulam ko kanina, nagkataon lang siguro na masarap ang ampalaya kaya nung makita ko ang ampalaya dun sa tv program ay hindi medicinal values ang pumasok dito sa utak ko kundi sarap, lasa, pagkain, busog he-he....! Tsalap kasi....! Have a great weekend all....! =D

Muling nagparamdam....

Tahimik tong blog ko ngayon buong linggo, hindi dahil walang bumisita kundi dahil wala ako dito.... As usual, busy pa rin sa trabaho plus mga personal na problema at drama sa buhay at kung ano-ano pa dyan na basta-basta na lang sumisingit.... It's a good thing na easter ngayon, long weekend kaya big chance for me to sort things out at makapag-relax ang isipan.... Masyado kasing buholbuhol tong mga schedules ko ngayon na ewan ko kung san nangagaling at patuloy pa rin akong inuulan....!

Big events also happened this week.... I really thought that i'm going to lose my job....! Nakabangga ko kasi ang mga so called "protected people" in our company.... I wasn't scared of them, all i wanted was to stand on my point and be heard, and i did....! They really have to think about it before sacking me there because, hindi sa pagmamayabang to ha, i'm a very effecient and dedicated employee na kahit tatlo pa ang ipalit nila sa akin at gagastos sila ng husto sa mga yun ay hindi pa rin kayang ipagpalit sa qualities ko....

I work like a one man team all the time, wala na halos toilet at inum ng tubig, but at the end of the day ay tapos ang trabaho na dapat sana ay pang two to three days na job, and i don't even complain about hard or easy job that i've received.... Basta ilagay mo lang dyan sa work-table ko at gagawin ko kahit ano pa yan....! Oha, san pa sila makakakita ng ganyan na empliyado, ni hindi manlang ako nagwi-whinge tungkol sa payrise na kagaya ng iba dyan na hingi ng hingi hindi naman pinapalitan ng sipag sa gawa....! Or i might suffer a stiff-neck the whole week sa sobrang kasusubsob sa trabaho, but that won't be enough to stop me from completing a job on time which is in my case the efforts almost did not pay.... !

I just felt bad because all this time i was really so friendly to everyone sa work at tahimik lang talaga akong tao at walang gulo.... They can say what they want to say about me as long as they don't hit me physically ay walang problema yan, they have the right to say anything and suffer the consequenses also from the almighty up above kung hindi tutuo ang pinagsasabi nila so it doesn't really bother me at all.... Last wednesday, sabi ko lord, hindi ko kaya tong mga tao na to, ayaw ko ring manakit o makasakit kaya plis gawin nyo lang po'ng tabla ang laban....

I was scheduled to see the big boss kasi last thursday kaya patay kang bata ka tanggal ka na ngayon....! Pero himalang hindi ako pinatawag man lang....! Baka binatukan o di kaya pinitik ni lord ang ilong nya at tuluyan nang nakalimutan ang dapat nya sanang gawin sa akin ha-ha....! May mga sipsip kasi sa loob na pini-feed ng stories tong uto-uto naman namin na big boss at nakikinig naman tong isa instead na gumawa muna ng sarili nyang imbistigasyon para naman magmukha syang may-isip din at may sariling disposisyon, big boss pa naman sya sana....! Nagmukha tuloy syang tanga at utak ipis dun sa nga masnakakaintindi ng sitwasyon....!

Don't get me wrong, my work place is the best ever in australia.... It's only the people working there that creates all this trouble, ika nga kahit sa paraiso ay may ahas rin.... Madaming hepe kasi....! Ito ang mga taong out of this world ang mga virus.... Hindi kayang gamutin ng syensya....! Would you believe na ito lang yata ang trabahong napasukan ko na walang tumatagal na managers....?! At present, our acting managers are the owner and the president of the company dahil walang nag-survive man lang na mga managers dito talaga dahil madami sa mga nagtatrabahong feeling bossing din ang pang wildlife sanctuary ang mga attitudes....! Buti na lang kind ako sa mga animals....! =D

Kaya hindi ko na halos maasikaso tong blog ko dahil dun.... Pero blessing naman na nadagdagan ang mga clients ko dito sa raket ko on book illustrations.... The present one is an author based in africa na hindi ko pa masyadong pinagkakatiwalaan dahil sa reputasyon ng mga afrikano na medyo mahilig din mangraket ng kapwa, pero susubukan ko pa rin basta kunting ingat lang sa money matters at bank account infos.... All in all, makulay, kumpletos recados to'ng mga nakaraang weeks kahil halos magkanda-heart attack na ako sa sobrang stress....

I just hope that everyone is doing well sa kanikanilang mga life and blogs.... Happy easter to all....! =D

Tagged by Redlan....

*Copy this entire list of questions and change all the answers so that they apply to you. Then tag and pass it along to other blogging friends. Let’s see how well we can get to know one another!


Hello everyone, i'm back as usual for my weekend blogging.... Kung napansin nyo ang nakasulat sa taas in red text, inilagay ko yan dyan just to make sure na walang magtatampo just in case na matagalan bago ko masagot ang mga comments and messages nyo dito.... =D Hindi ko po kagustuhan to, sadya lang pong maraming dumating na raket ngayon sa buhay ko na hindi ko pwedeng palagpasin dahil sayang ang datung he-he....!


Anyways, saka ko na lang ikukwento sa inyo ang tungkol dun dahil mahaba na tong tag ni Redlan at wala akong balak na lalong pahabain pa at baka antokin lang kayo ng kakabasa....! Salamat dito Red....! =D


1. What is your occupation? - I'm currently working in a mining electronics company....

2. What color are your socks right now? - Wow, pati pa yun....? I like white sock, mahirap lang labhan....

3. What are you listening to right now? When i'm in front of pc i normally tune in to star fm via the internet, nakakatawa ang mga jokes ng stardinas gang....!

4. What was the last thing that you ate? Just had my breakfast a while ago.... Sandwich with cheese, boiled sweet corn, banana, and a cup of coffee....

5. Can you drive a stick shift? You mean a manually operated gearshift for cars....? Not really good.... I prefer automatic transmission....

6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? I would be white... Probably not so exciting color but as soon as you'll try to use it, you'll find yourself scrubbing it against the surface much longer than the rest of the colors in the box....!

7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? It was AB last night, then we went chatting on MSN after that....

8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Oh yes....! He is a very wonderful person, peks man cross my heart ha-ha....!

9. Favorite drink? COFFEE....!!!! Can't last a day without it....!

10. What is your favorite sport to watch? I am a big basketball fan when i was still in pinas, but that kind of sport is hard to get by in australia so i've learned to love australian football and tennis nowadays....

11. Have you ever dyed your hair? - Never.... Someday maybe, when i get crazy....!

12. Dog named - I have a pet dog before, his name is Oliver (silky maltese terrier, color : brown), but he was adopted by a friend because i was too busy to look after him and i was worried that he might get sick because he's got this funny way of over-doing commands given to him.... When i say stay, he would sit there for hours until i come back home from work, controlling even his toilet needs....! But we have a lot of dogs in pinas, the favorite one's name is Chase (labrador x Terrier, color : White w/ brown spots)....

13. Favorite food? - Arroz Ala Valenciana....!!!! Food for the gods he-he....!

14. Last movie you watched? - Bruce Almighty, for the 25th time....! Like ko lang ang flow of comedy....

15. Favorite Day of the year? - Probably christmas day because we have a long break during that time....

16. What do you do to vent anger? - Walk away if possible.... Or divert my attention to something....

17. What was your favorite toy as a child? There was no particular one, but i remember that we've spent so much time playing the scrabbles....

18. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Actually they'are both good seasons, but i think spring because it means flowers and flowers means colors....

19. Hugs or kisses? Can i have both....? I like hugs and i love kisses too, can't make up my mind at the moment....!

20. What kind of pie? - Absolutely meat pie....! I have a racist joke for that, actually it also came from my viet friend Tom.... He said that american and vietnam war was all about a big misunderstanding between the two countries....! When americans went to vietnam to visit, the vietnamese thought that they'are there to create trouble so they've approached them,

Vietnamese : Pea or pie....?! (peace or fight?!)
American : (looked at each other first and replied with a big smile on their face) ABSOLUTELY PIE....! So there you go, that's how it all started....! Baka magalit ang mga vietnamese sa'kin nito ha-ha....!

21. Do you want your friends to email you back? Anything comfortable for him/her is also fine with me....

22. Who is most likely to respond? Is this about the email still....? I always reply friend's emails....!

23. Who is least likely to respond? Not me....!

24. Living arrangements? Well, i'm on my own in my tiny apartment unit so i do thing whenever i like to do things, i'm the boss of my own....!

25. When was the last time you cried? It wasn't actually crying, just teary eyes.... Sometimes i get emotional when i am hit by homesickness ha-ha....!

26. What is on the floor of your closet? Aha....! You know those space bags, where you put all your old clothes and it has a small hole on top to suck all the air out using a vacuum cleaner to make it flat and save storing space....? Yun....!

27. Who is the friend you had the longest that you are sending this to? Should be Redlan, but this already came from him so i'll say Karmi....

28. The friend you have known the shortest amount of time that you are sending this to? - I think i like to hand the second over to Marie....

29. Favorite smell? When i met AB, she was using the NENUCO cologne.... I miss that smell.... It's like a cross between the lemon grass and kalamansi but milder.... =D

30. What inspires you? Plans, hope, possibilities, goals, expectations, life....!

31. What are you afraid of? Not to be there for love ones when they need me....

32. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Anything except chilli.... I'm not a big fan of hot foods....!

33. Favorite car? Big 4WDrives, SUV's....!

34. Favorite cat breed? A golden Burmese cat with dark face looks so clean for me....! But i'm not really a cat person....!

35. Number of keys on your key ring? Around five only, thanks god....! I can't believe those people that carry a bunch of twenty heavy keys with them like those prison guards....!

36. How many years at your current job? Just 3 years, this is a new one but best paying job....!

37. Favorite day of the week?? That will be wednesday, because there's a lot of best shows on tv....! After a very busy day, all i have in mind is to sit and watch tv....

38. How many provinces have you lived in? If you'll ask cities in pinas, my answer is 3.... Roxas City, Iloilo City, and Manila....

39. How many countries have you been to? Only Philippines, and here in Australia now.... 2 countries....!


Thanks Red for this tag. I am tagging Karmi and Marie....

This time an award from Honey....

Another award he-he....! This time it's from Honey naman, not my honey but somebody else's honey....! =D This is like walking in the streets of hollywood and reading names of famous actors when suddenly i've walked accross my name in one of those celebrity stars on the footwalk, custom made by Honey lang pala for Pepe....! Salamat dito Honey....!


Last night by the way was the sydney's once a year colorful, crowded, and full of fun event the Mardi Gras, This year's Mardi Gras features a number of festival events, including an outdoors Mardi Gras Fair, and culminates in the nighttime Mardi Gras Parade, followed by the Mardi Gras Ball.... Hindi ko pa to napanood to sa talagang event venue mismo pero makikita naman at mapapanood ng live on tv.... Anyways, eto ang isang short footage to give you an idea on how the fun is like.... =D

A doggie from Bunso and Zkey....

It's friday again kaya nandito na naman ako wooohooo....! But before anything else, i would like to thank Bunso and Zkey for this very late ko nang ipinagyabang na naman na award ko he-he....! Thanks Zkey, sensya na sa delay pareho ha....? Anyways, eto na sya, DYARAAAAN....! =DBunso and Zkey actually are regular visitors and blogo-friends of my astig museum, but since i only post artworks ang limited text there ay dito ko na lang sila inilagay para na rin makilala nyo sila dito.... Ito yata ang tinatawag na bagyo ng mga awards, signal number 3....! At meron pang iba na hindi ko pa nagawa dahil busy, pero promise bukas lilitaw na lang bigla dito na parang bula....! By the way, this week has been so very busy for me, but as i've promised ay sisikapin kong huwag pumalya pagdating ng weekends.... Kumusta na ba ang lahat....?

Also, there was a very unexpected event this week.... I think it was last wednesday night when i've just came home from work, cook myself a dinner, and have just finished eating when my mobile phone received a text message.... Si Kneeko, one of my friends here in the blogos at kapit-island din dyan sa bisaya ay nandito na rin pala sa downunder ngayon....! Naalala ko na binigyan ko pala sya ng phone number ko nung sinabi nya nun na on his way to australia sya this february, pero hindi ko ini-expect na tutuhanin nya na tatawagan ako....!

Medyo halata pang feel na feel nya ang lamig dito dahil sa medyo nanginginig nyang boses habang nag-uusap kami sa phone, baka feeling shy lang sya dahil first time namin narinig ang astig na boses ng isa't-isa ha-ha....! Sadly we did not meet in person because of some critical reasons, undercover kasi ako, ssssh....! Joks lang he-he....! Busy lang talaga, pero binalita nya sa'kin na ikakasal raw sya this coming week kaya congratz and good luck na lang sa'yo Kneeko....! Wag kang matakot, everything will be alright....! Inhale... exhale.... Ganyan lang yan, please continue....! =D

Kneeko pala is from the marble island of Romblon, hindi yung cake isla po 'to, a few hours boat-ride lang followed by sang batalyon na mga pating from my city in the visayas kaya "bisaya gid nga tuod" sya like Redlan , Zj, and Pepe....! I never been to Romblon but we have a neighbor for more than 20 years in the phils na taga Romblon and they'are good people.... They love seafoods so much like me kaya mahilig akong makikain sa kanila nun ha-ha....! Hopefully in the future ay magkikita kami dito, pero sa ngayon alam kong busy pa sya sa preparation ng kasal nya.... I might ring him up again in two weeks time just before the easter show at baka gusto nilang mamasyal, as long na hindi ako busy....

All in all, my week was almost perfect kahit walang sign ng summer dahil sa La Niña na natapos lang yata ang summer season dito pero ni hindi man lang lumagpas ng 30 degrees C ang temperatura kaya kasing lamig ng autumn ito.... Maspagpapawisan ka pa yata sa loob ng fridge, promise....! I hope it's not a bad timing rin to para kay Kneeko na nasanay na sa mainit na panahon dun sa Saudi Arabia where he was working before.... Patay kang bata ka, pasma at rayuma ang aabutin mo dito....! Anyways, i'm off to visit your blogs any moment from now, kung sino man ang nag-iwan ng mga comments and messages nila dito, i'll be with you at your blogs in a short while.... Salamat sa inyo and have a great weekend up ahead....! =D

Hero award from Redlan....

I'm a HERO wooohooo....! Talagang hinintay ko muna ang weekend bago ako nag-post nito para makapag-isip ako ng mabuti.... Thanks dito Red, i really appreciate your effort, alam kong gawang kamay mo talaga to salamat he-he....! Pasensya na sa delayed posting, masyado kasing limited ang time ko ngayon.... Alam mo ang ganda nito pwedeng pagkakaperahan....! Jokes lang....!


By the way, if you want to see more of this arts try visiting Redlan's blog because it's full of interesting topics, you'll never regret your visits there....! Promise ko pala sa kanyang magku-comment ako ngayong weekend at napakarami ko nang na-miss na mga entries nya.... I'll do that first thing tomorrow morning Red....


Kumusta na pala ang lahat....? Ako ganun pa rin, busy pa rin sa work as usual at wala na halos time na maglalabas o kahit mag-ikot man lang sa shops, ni hindi ko nga nagawang dumungaw man lang sa may bintana buong araw plus nakahanap pa ako lately ng extra income online kaya eto, nakapako na tuloy ako sa harap ng pc most of my time pagkagaling sa daytime job.... Ni ayaw ko na ngang rin matulog minsan dahil pakiramdam ko ay aksaya lang sa oras yun, instead na madami kang magagawa kapag gising ka.... Kung hindi lang talaga dahil dito sa dalawang mga mata ko na ayaw mag-cooperate all the time ay magpapakapraning na lang talaga ako just to cope-up with my busy schedules....! Hay buhay nga naman....!


I find this job, or shall i say it found me.... May nagbisita kasi dun sa Astig museum ko few week ago at nag-offer na kung gusto ko raw maging illustrator ng pambatang mga libro.... At first ay ayaw kong magtiwala kasi sabi ko sa sarili ko, pano naman namin gagawin yung deal dahil quarter a world away ang layo namin sa isa't-isa....? By the way, nasa Thailand pala yung author ng books, teacher sya and at the same time ay nagsusulat ng aklat.... Luckily, one of my friends here in the blogos happened to know this person at dati pa silang magkasama sa trabaho kaya binigyan nya ako ng guarantee na fair tong tao na to kaya yun tinanggap ko na....


Hindi gaanong malaki ang bayad dahil sya lang ang nagsu-shoulder ng bawat publications nya at mababa din ang currency nila compared to here in downunder, pero okay na rin sa'kin at least nagkarun naman ako ng exposures di ba....? Per drawing pala ang deal namin, so multiplied by 15 ay medyo okay na rin.... Matagal ko na kasing pangarap na maging illustrator mula pa nun kaya lang walang magandang break kaya if ever na maging successful to, i will be very happy....! Anyways, it's already midnight, tulog na muna ako.... I'll be visiting your blogs again tomorrow, i still have one more award to post pero bukas na rin yun.... Ingatz all, have a good weekend everyone....! =D

Heto pa ulit from Bry....!

This one's from Bry naman....! Salamat dito Bry....! You know, it's a great thing na na-uso dito sa blogos tong mga tags, awards and other things kasi hindi naman sa lahat ng oras ay very fruitful and flowery tong utak ko para mag-isip ng topics for my updates.... Some might find them very annoying, but for me they create a kind of breathing points where at times na wala na akong maisulat and instead na iwanan panasamantala ang blogging at umupo sa tabi at magminimuni ay eto meron pala akong pwedeng ilagay just to keep the fire burning di ba....?

Ewan ko lang sa inyo kung agree rin kayo rito sa idea ko na to, basta yan ang views ko towards friend's tags, and awards here in the blogos.... Kita nyo naman, meron pa rin akong pang update ngayon at madami pang for the weekend ko naman ipu-post.... At the same time ay nabibigyan ko rin ng pang updates ang iba.... Kahit na medyo nangangapa pa tong utak ko ngayon ng topics para i-post dahil busy nga ako sa trabaho ko the whole week....

By the way, i've made two kids happy pala today, what happened was i had a whole boring day today kasi inaantok dahil sa kakapuyat ko dun sa movie na "Ong Bak" kagabi, thailand's finest yata yun about the culture and the thai-martial arts ang "Muay thai" at medyo naduling rin mga mata ko sa kababasa at kahahabol dun sa subtitles....! It was fantastic, actually i've seen that maybe around twenty times already he-he....! Kaya yun, hating gabi na natulog tapos maagang gumising para pumasok ulit resulta, zombie ako buong araw....!

Anyways, balik ako dun sa mga happy kids.... Bandang mga 5 pm kaninang hapon, kalalabas ko lang ng trabaho sabay perform na naman ng aking trademark na daily goodbye kaway sa mga nakatingin na mga unggoy sa'kin sa kanikanilang mga office windows at aktong magtatravel na akong pauwi ng mapansin ko ang isang puting ibon sa may damuhan.... Sabi ko, parang kamukha to ni Dexter a, my ex-pet cockatiel na isip tao at tamad lumipad at ang gusto ay maglakad lang ng maglakad.... Dexter - taken from the cartoon character, Dexter the scientist na may hair-do din na yellow he-he....! Nakakatakot lang kasi baka sa sobrang kalalakad ay biglang maapakan ko na lang sya minsan.... Malas lang kasi accidentally nakalabas sya sa bintana at naligaw ng landas at naging palaboy nang tuluyan mga two taon na ang nakakaraan at similar ang looks dyan sa inilagay kong pitsel este picture pala sa kaliwa mo.... San na kaya umabot ng kalalakad yun....?

Na-realised ko rin na born in captivity yun dahil sa bright colorations ng balahibo nya na present lang sa mga captive breed dahil sa color-mutations na siguro dala ng controlled diet nila.... Sinubukan ko syang lapitan ng talagang malapit na malapit pero ayaw pa ring lumipad, tapos ng hinawakan ko ay lumipad pero bumalik malapit sa akin at dumapo sa may sangga kaya hinawakan ko na, kinagat pa nga ako sa kamay, at judging dun sa kagat nya na hindi gaanong masakit ay male cockatiel sya.... Ang mga female birds kasi masakit mangagat na kagaya rin sa tao ha-ha....!

Hindi ko naman pwedeng iuwi kasi baka gutumin lang lalo sa apartment ko dahil walang mag-aasikaso sa buong araw na wala ako.... Madilim pa kasi ako umaalis tapos gabi na rin kung umuwi kaya sabi ko kawawa lang sya dito sigurado.... Good timing naman na may dumaan na dalawang batang babae kaya tinawag ko tapos sabi ko, sa inyo na lang to pakainin nyo ng kare-kare with matching bagoong, rice, and ice cream mamaya....! Joke lang yung last part, maintindihan naman kaya, australians kasi yung mga bata....! =D

Nanghinayang din ako dahil sana finders keepers yun dapat, pero parang tuwangtuwa naman yung mga bata at nagmamadali pa ngang umuwi dahil sa sakit ng mga tuka ng ibon sigurado....! At least, after school ay hindi na siguro sila maggagala ng tulad kanina dahil may ibon na silang aalagaan sa bahay di ba....? Sana dinala ko na lang pauwi, sayang tsk....! Anyways, i've made someone happy today at proud na rin ako dun.... Nakakapagpataba pa ng puso he-he....! =D