The Awkward Silence

Awkward Silence. The brief suspension of sound brought about by uncomfortable situations. (Definition by me)

For me, stepping inside a lift is a peaceful experience because I know that I am a few floors away from home. Boarding with other people is a different story. There are 3 situations: you are the speaker, you are the listener or you are alone and you don't to talk and the other one does the same.

If you are the speaker, obviously you have someone with you that you are talking with and other people are just strangers. Even if you talk in a small voice, anyone can hear it unless you whisper like a ghost. Whatever the strangers hear, they will listen and most probably you will be judged or laughed at after the ride. 

The situation is vice versa for listeners. I am guilty with this because even if I refuse to listen, I can not refuse to hear. In moments like this my brain is on a rampage. My thoughts become active, it may be thinking something mean, but wait till the door closes before you let it out.

That Cat...

I love cats. My family and I adore them. Anyone who knows me well is fully aware of it. We have two cats at home: Chiyo and Evil. They live a very fulfilled life with us. We provide shelter, food and love. In return, they kill pests and  spare us from their paws as they continue their lives under our roof.

Cats are natural hunters. It may be a stray or a house cat but it will find a way to kill anything that moves. Our pets killed not only pests but also creatures flying around the area. There was one time when Chiyo, the alpha male of the house, almost killed an adult Maya bird. My Mom and I forced him to open his mouth to let the poor bird go. Fortunately, it lived to tell other birds about it and a few days later no birds can be heard chirping around the vicinity of the house. Some victims are not lucky: rats, cockroaches, flies, insects, mosquitoes, butterflies, birds, etc.

I was not surprised about the video I found in the net about cats. See for yourself:

Many people took advantage of the cat's ability to hunt for prey even in the past centuries. I am happy that the cats at St. Petersburg Hermitage Museum in Russia are considered guardians of the arts. I value history and arts because it is the foundation of humanity. Without it humans have no identity and origin, it is enough grounds to suspend them from existence. Thank you purr-y friends for protecting it and in exchange, we give you kitty chow and a free medical and dental consultation. hehe.

Felines are often misunderstood creatures because they have a paranoid persona. They fear that anyone who comes close will cause harm to them. Their reputation is just a mere killer who only deserved to be left alone in the wild. All these are true but they are very gentle creatures. They will make a slave out of you but they know how to be sweet and affectionate.

To all who appreciates the meows, purrs and their sandpaper kisses, kudos to you.

Sleep well tonight because in the morning, they will surely wake you up.

cha

Video Source:
http://www.artlog.com/2012/490-russian-cats-protecting-art-one-mouse-at-a-time#.UChXZ50gdRZ

Winning Badges

Caution: Severe addiction on collecting Foursquare badges, highly expected.

This is my current addiction: collecting Foursquare badges. To start with, Foursquare is a social network based on locations. You get to create a your own profile, meet people and discover places. I started my addiction last January 2012 when I got my first smartphone. I downloaded the app when my sister encouraged me to join the fun.

Oh my word, it is fun. At first, I was fond of collecting or stealing mayorships. Sometimes, I create places that is not on the map yet and assume myself as a mayor. I got fed up when I learned that there are some dirty tricks that other people do to steal mayorships. That is not competitiveness, that is cheating. I focused on collecting badges and damn, it is challenging. There is less pressure and everything is fair play.

As of the moment, I have 45 badges. After an hour, I am sure that it will increase by 2 or 3 or more. This is a different kind of fondness and I am loving it.

Later!
cha

If it isn't Best, it's still Good

Nutella prounounced as “NEW-telluh”. Upon learning the correct way to say it, I realized that my whole life was a lie. In a different light, life must go on and that new jars must be consumed.

I saw the big jar of happiness after washing the dishes. I reminded my little brother that our Nuttela is not best anymore. He said that even if it isn't best, it's still good. Good point! I will never have the heart to dispose this precious wonder. I tasted it and it wasn't that bad. Haha!

In the name of Nutella, I shall continue eating it without bread.

Nuttela addict mode, activated!

cha.

*Picture taken from:

http://www.nutellachocolate.com/

Going Green

Our home is made up of happy people, noise and rubbish. When it comes to happy people, there is no doubt about us, the inhabitants. Noise, yup, it is also us. As for the rubbish, well, we are just sentimental people that we refuse to throw some things. Don't get me wrong but we are not like the families in a "Clean House" show.  We are not exactly hoarders but we love buying things in bulk. We do throw or give out some stuff if we have time. We even visit the junk shop at a regular basis(that is if we fill our recyclable bins with stuff). It has been two years when we decided to segregate biodegradable and non-biodegradable garbage. Decaying matter becomes my Mom's fertilizer for her plants but most of the time, it just goes to the garbage truck. The effort was worth it because we know that we are doing something for the environment.

Lately, besides doing usual business, I been retrieving my pile of rubbish way back in college. Reviewers, old documents, card boards, art materials and plastics as such are now out. I shredded the important but old papers like bills, bank notes, photocopy of passport etc. Useless paper like crumpled, thin papers that jams the printers, receipts have also made it to the shredder. Printed bond papers without back prints were stacked for home, office and school use while some are saved for donation. White papers have a high commercial value most specially the shredded ones. I separated a bin for colored papers too because they have a different price. 

Food and Travel

Lately, I analyzed the posts in my blog with the highest rate of readers. Food and travel pulls more readers than any other topics I wrote. To think, I always wanted a separate blog for travel and food.

1. Food
2. Travel
3. Truth and Controversies
4. College and High School Experiences
5. Personal Experiences

I am not a frequent traveler but I was blessed with the opportunity to roam a little. It all started at 2009 when I was sent to Japan as an exchange student. While in there, I realized that the greatest lesson in life is not always available inside a classroom. It is found around the world where culture, people, beautiful spots and food blend together to form the uniqueness that a country posses. 

Sooner or later, I'll be publishing a new blog site about F&T. For now, anything I write about it can be accessed here in my personal blog. 


"The best part in an adventure is getting lost. Once you acknowledge the fact that you are, that is when you find what you are looking for". (I am not sure if some famous personality wrote something of the same essence as this, but if no one does, I will claim it. haha!)


cha

Of Libraries and Bee-o-tchy Women

I published a blog entry on my multiply account about what libraries never run out of: beeotchy librarians. I don't mean to generalize them but it is as if they follow me at every library I visit. I do admire them in a way because of their vast knowledge on the system of organization of books and some are exposed to different kinds of reading material that they know a lot of things.

Ang-bawat-Library-ay-indi-mawawalan-ng... (For members only)

Is it about the silent concept of the library? Hell, I lift the chairs and talk in whispers with my companions. Is it the personal problems of the librarians? Hell, set it aside when you are at work. Is it the way they are trained? Damn, it is extremely ineffective and I doubt it if kids would ever live their lives being proud of their libraries.

My first time at a huge, old, and scary library along a 2-letter street was traumatic. I was screamed at because I do not know how things operated in that decrepit place. I mean, it was my FIRST time there and we can not even find a tarpulin or a manila paper hanging somewhere to tell us what to do. We asked nicely but to no avail. I thought they might be having a rough day but when we came back they were still the same. Wow, of all wows but I think they should act nicely simply because students prefer to study the books rather than to rely on the net.