Topshop e24

New Look e10

cath kidson 24.65

“We are now well into the second week of probably the worst flood to have affected Ireland in hundreds of years, and there is still no let-up for many people.” – Irish independent.

Being born on an island where on average 225 days a year it rains you think we would have listened to Rihanna when she sang…under my umbrella ella ella. However despite being capable of keeping the frizz at bay from our barnots it seems when it comes to owning a durable umbrella that will sustain the winter weather we are all not akin.  So heres my pick of my favourite three styles. No golf brolleys here- you can still look effortlessly chic as you prance around in puddles in your wellies (ok maybe not wellies then). My ultimate choice would have to be the clear dome style from Topshop, you can see out and people can see in all the while being protected from the treacherous downfalls. New Look and Cath Kidson also have some lovely prints such as dogtooth and floral to choose from. Its time we invested in an umbrella ladies.

During a flight from Athens to Corfu last October (as a charter flight passenger) I used my mobile phone’s A-GPS to track the route – and of course satisfy my curiosity and test the accuracy while off the ground. The mobile phone was -of course- set to offline mode for safety reasons.
This is the landing at Corfu airport (yellow line, imported as KML in Google Earth) and it shows clearly why this airport is considered to be a bit scary when the weather is not good…
The weather during landing at CFU airport last Friday was very cloudy/rainy and really windy with lots of turbulence. Although it seemed that we were due to land on a south-southwest approach, at the very last minute the course changed and we landed from the north clearly due to strong winds. I also suspect the possible presence of a microburst at the south end of the runway but I can’t be too sure about it. The good thing is that there’s a Doppler radar quite close to the airport.
Note that this happens nearly every time a southbound flight is due to land and the weather is bad, something that happens usually during autumn and winter.
So you can see that when weather conditions are such, the pilot has only seconds to align the plane with the runway… And as further to the north is Pantokratoras mountain, the southbound landing planes can only make a last minute U-turn.
The thing is that the view can be really amazing as you can see the Corfu old town and every detail (when clouds allow ofcourse) but it can also be scary…well sometimes at least. Especially when a relatively large plane such as an Airbus A320 is involved.
I am pretty sure that when the new airport at Lefkimmi is built no such problems will exist anymore as the terrain in the south part of Corfu is not mountainous and approaching the runway will be far more easy, with no last minute U turns.

And this is the entire route recorded by the A-GPS

As for the built-in GPS device: At some parts there seemed to be no GPS signal (mainly while taking off)… and I can’t say that it can be safely used for navigational purposes at such heights unless ofcourse it is placed somewhere with unobstructed view to the sky (although I had a window seat there were times that no signal was available).  Not to mention that it takes pretty long to acquire signal when no Internet connection is available.

10.6 mile run  today all off road in atrocious conditions, less than 20m visibility, 60mph winds and torrential rain.   I had a great time! – really.

My Chi running focuses today were supposed to be multiple form focuses – they went completely out the window, instead my main form focus was keeping upright!

With hindsight not the safest decision to go solo running off road at 1500ft. today, but I did have my spot personal beacon.  This was the first time I have used it and it seems to have only sent 3 OK messages out of the 6 or 7 I actually tried to send, but still worth the money.

Started at Balkello car park and decided that today I would really try and keep my long slow run, SLOW for a change. SLOW to me is running at/below 142 bpm, which is my areobic limit as defined by the “Maffetone Method” In practice I only managed an average heart rate of 157bpm with a max up to a whopping 182.   In fellrunning I have found it virtually impossible to run a long SLOW run, but hopefully this will change as I lose weight and my aerobic capacity increases.

Today’s run was partially recce’ing a circular route which will be in excess of 20miles around the Sidlaws, today’s section was definitely runnable (route here) and should I get better weather next time (surely I must!) I would hope to make the halfway point nr. the woods South of Glamis.  Once this target is achieved I will try the anti-clockwise leg to Glamis from Balkello car park, and fingers crossed I have a 20+miler off road route within 15 minutes drive from my front door!

No pics today as they would have been whiteouts, in anycase my phone suffered water ingress and was rendered useless, luckily I have insurance!

My Garmin 305 suffered water ingress to the screen but fingers crossed its seems fine so far.

In terms of nutrition I used four poer gels and 2/3 of a go bar and 2.5 pints water.  I carry an Inov8 25l sac with bladder, but I am finding the inov8 bladder fiddly so I have asked Santa for an OMM 25l and platypus 2lr bigmouth for Christmas!

In terms of aches / pains, I was lucky enough to run/walk for 3.5hrs with no pain of any kind, I put this down to chi-running completely.  I would normally have had major pain in the left knee after this kind of terrain for 3.5 hrs but learning to land on the midfoot and keep the feet aligned forward is making a huge difference.  I also had no stiffness after the run, and though feeling tired now I still have no signs of stiffness at all.

I have just started doing the pre-run looseners, and am working towards getting back into post run stretching, I am sure this will only help make things even better.

Got to go and think about where next week’s long run will be,  Metcheck 7 day weather forecast for Dundee looks good, but I am getting itchy feet looking at my Ochils & Glenshee 1:25k maps!

Planning for bad weather or other roadblocks will keep your fitness program in gear.

As fall turns to winter, the hardest (fitness/health) thing for me is exercise. (Next week, that hardest thing may change to the approaching onslaught of holiday food!)

When the roads and sidewalks are slick and potentially dangerous, it’s easy to say, “Maybe tomorrow.” That statement has been the death of my fitness regimen more than once. But there are other options.

My daughter Melanie is training for a triathlon, so has taken up swimming. She can go to the pool regardless of the weather, and put in a full-body workout that I’m sure trumps my measly walk/run and strength training sessions. (I’m SO proud of her, and her sisters, who’ve recently taken up distance running! I think they’re my inspiration.)

We all need to choose the fitness activities that suit us best (note the plural). I love being outside walking/running, doing yard work, shoveling snow… It makes me feel like I’m accomplishing something, even if that something is simply enjoying the beauty of God’s creations.

Maybe you like tennis, or racquetball, biking, hiking, mall walking, treadmilling or … (fill in the blank). Whatever it is you like to do, be sure to have a backup plan if there’s a chance you’ll be way-laid by the weather or some other limitation.

That “just in case” Plan B can save you from the guilt of an exercise (lack of) plan gone awry. Rather than guilt over unmet goals, we need to feel the satisfaction of success. And we make our own success by soaring over the stumbling blocks that life presents us with.

So make a plan. And don’t be afraid to share. What are your particular exercise challenges? What are your ideas about overcoming them—or how have you already overcome them? We’re all in this together. So I’ll do my best to help you, and I’d love it if you’d return the favor.

Will today be your Day One? Congratulations if it is, or if yesterday was. ’Til tomorrow, keep confident and resolute!

Maybe this will cheer you up.  I, for one, will never get sick of it.

Or, if you’re the type of person who is easily creeped out by babies doing unnatural things, check this one out instead.

Enjoy!

Window shutters believe it or not provide you the best security. They protect you from outside strangers, provide the privacy you need and make your home look furnished. These aren’t, however, the only things they can provide you. There are even special shutters for protection against bad whether. If you live in a stormy area where thunder storms and hurricanes are normal, it is best you buy security shutters for your window.

There are many different types of security shutters. You can find all sorts of them in stores. However, you need to know exactly what you need before you go out to buy them. Every house has different needs according to the area which you live in and the weather conditions there. The interlocking shutters made of aluminum can provide the most protection. Though they might not be the most decorative window treatments but they do provide the best of privacy as well.

If your weather conditions do not include storms and hurricanes and include sharp sunrays then you should go for the aluminum awning shutters. It also protects the entire house from the heat. They are very affordable and of course do not come at the top of the list for the most stylish window coverings. The great thing about them is that you can find them in endless sizes. They can fit many things besides windows like doors, patios….etc.

wow. wordpress seems like a good getaway from blogspot. a fresh looking dashboard which is power packed with features.

while, i shall use this as my secret hideout from stills-of-life.blogspot.com (where i can’t set any privacy settings). access to all my posts here shall be limited to a few trustworthy people. so if you have the luxury to view this blog, then, please do keep it to yourself ok?:)

and so, i just ended my last presentation for this semester with service processes. it was a total wreck. this guy from my group fielded all the questions from the prof and the class. while the other 3 of us just stood looking wee bit blur. and the worst part? i rambled through my personal part and was basically trembling due to lack of familiarity.

For this, i regret. I regret for missing just one meeting (due to having to attend another) and thereafter, the job allocation was just one sided. I wasn’t even given a chance to volunteer my service, even if i wanted to, cause they thought that it will be easier for one person to compile everything.

For one, i am never a free rider. and seriously, i hate to be left out of the loop and feeling no sense of ownership to my projects. how do you expect me to present naturally with confidence when i didn’t partake in the project?

and so, i looked like a clown, albeit one without confidence and fluency.

and yes, i admit that the guy in my group was great to step up to shield all the questions. But, to be honest, i could also provide the answers that he came up with. I just couldn’t and feel that i’m not in a position to assume and answer because i wasn’t kept in the loop. And because of the simple mistake of not distributing work properly, you make the others look bad. how great.

i know i suck. and i don’t need you to add on to that.

If there is a weather associated with the town in which I live, the town of The Götet, El Gotembürgo, Göteborg, it would be the weather experienced today. The clouds flying as near to the ground a possible without being a mist. And there dense as hell aswell. It’s not really raining but the air is so ‘wet’ it feels like it is. And just when you think it can’t get any more depressing; here come the snow. But it’s too hot (and in that not saying that it’s hot… not at all) so the flakes just melt and make the ground more wet.

I hate the wet.

Had a lecture on Amie L. Thomasson and Roman Ingarden today, on fictional objects (kind of). It really did my head in.As does my latest iPhone app-purchase: Fling! I know I am going to read about those furry balls all night (and don’t get any ideas about dirty comments) since I’ve played with them all evening (I am warning you; don’t!).

I am hoping to be able to present some music news to you all soon. Still waiting for the bass-recording to commence. When it does I’ll post, and Twitter, stuff on it like a mad man, like a mad man I tell you (or more; write to you).

Wanted to end this post with a nice picture, but no nice picture was found. Sorry…

Greetings Everyone,
We’re back in Oz after possibly the roughest trip of our sixteen crossings.  The winds and seas were much rougher than predicted.  Another yacht travelling with us had their sails shredded and limped along under motor to Willis Island to do repairs and to cadge some more fuel.

We’ve had a couple of days in the marina and a trip to Sizzlers thanks to a good friend in Townsville and are now sitting in the duck pond outside the marina (St Vinny’s marina) waiting for the wind to go north so we can go south.  My Mum has rallied somewhat and is going into St Vincents Hospital in Lismore for physio to try and regain mobility to stay at home.  Dad is looking forward to me being there to take the load off his shoulders.

Please pray for the north-easterlies to kick in so we can head off.  Looking forward to catching up with as many of you as possible when we get mobile in the van again.

God bless,

Pam and Phil

I am totally broke today! *that’s the same words I said when I came back from Makassar, right? Actually, I am so broke this week. Right now in my wallet, I have money only enough to pay taxi rent from hotel to airport. Tomorrow I’ll be back to KL. Then next Monday, I’ll be here again! uh uh uh.. (O_o)

miskin hina..

When people seing me flying here and there *actually KL-KT-KL, people might be thinking people like me got a lot of money. The truth is, not necessarily!! Sometime, we are poorer than people who look ordinary. Because when you are traveling, you most likely tend to spend more money than you should. *Especially people like me! So, even though you are out of budget, you always think like “alah.. it’s okay to spend more. It’s not that we always come to this place!!” Duuhhh.. it’s a WRONG WRONG WRONG way of thinking!!

*I am scolding myself! (-_-!!)

So now, I’m waiting for friend to pay their debt to me. One of them is from my housemates. One cannot pay because she still don’t get her salary yet. The other one, because I said she could bank in the money after she calculate electric and water bill and deduct from that. Then, I’m waiting the money from who I lend the money with. She will pay, it just that she don’t have money yet. So, I cannot ask about that right now, because for sure she feel worried and sad. ~sigh~

And the worst part is, I have a debt too. Not PTPTN one, nor card credit debt but the one I lend money from my officemate. Today, I went to Pasar Payang to buy something she asked me to buy. And there are a few other officemates too asked to buy things. I hate to say cannot, its like I refuse to help them. I can’t say I don’t have money, there will be a lot of questions follow after that. So I asked the money from her. Luckily, my officemate got money, and she without hesitate bank in the money. ~wheww, thank you!!~

Actually, it’s not that I don’t have money at all. One, I refuse to take it from that bank. That’s my saving *saving to Sydney as well.. ehehe.. The other one, I’m not sure how much I have in there. Use the account only to make online banking and pay the astro bill or top up hp creadit.

money oh money...

Okaylah, I already made you boring with money issue. Let’s change the topic!

This morning, Farah and I jogged along the beach, even though the weather quite windy and I had an early session this morning. Look how windy it was..

tengok daun kepala tu..

waktu ini, dalam pukul 6.35 pagi.. lebih kurang la

masa ni.. ombak sangat kuat.. dan besar!

But when I went back to hotel, I got dizziness. I still hurry to the hospital, as my boss already waited me there. Luckily, he had session with dental to discuss about charting, something that is not related to me. So I just skip from the session, and wait my user out side the room. Suddenly, I got stomach ache. It’s a weird thing happened to me. Keep thinking why I got stomach ache. So I just took a nap in the pantry. Luckily after 30 minutes.. or more.. ~uh uh (-_-!!)~ the pain disappeared.

When back after work from hospital, Farah and I went to Pasar Payang, we went to Pasar Payang..

Pasar Payang dari parking kereta Farah..

to pay this..

penyu.. kecil.. besar.. dan BESAR!!

on the way back, I saw this..

trishaw..

which remind me to the memory we tried to get in the trishaw. The worst part was, 2 person in a trishaw.. bayangkan betapa seksanya pakcik beca tu!!

Then, we went back to hotel. At 6.30pm, we went out again with my boss to send him to airport. Before that, we had dinner ‘fish and seafood celup tepung’ again..

cuttlefish & ikan pari celup tepung..

crab, prawn and the eater's hands..

On the way back from airport, we went to Mydin again *we went to this place almost everyday. Farah wanted to buy an umbrella. Terengganu already start raining all day, everyday!!

Oklah, I’m tired already. Tomorrow morning, I have to wake up early, pakcik taxi will wait for me in the loby at 7am. And I’ll make sure, I take much more photo, like the ‘Collapsed of Sultan Mizan Stadium’, the airport, etc.

reagrds,

~Ha~

Brrr. Listopad, ale počasí úplně aprílový, chvíli svítí sluníčko, chvíli prší a na tohle jsem dneska doplatila. Vyběhla jsem s cílem 11 km, ale nakonec z toho sešlo. Ve Hvězdě jsem se jednak trochu zablátila, což by tolik nevadilo, vlastně to bylo docela hezký, dusat po tom mokrém koberci ze spadaného listí, ale problém byl, když začalo pršet. To vlastně ve Hvězdě taky pořád nevadilo, protože stromy toho moc dolů nepustily. Ale sotva jsem vyběhla ven, začaly na mě dopadat tvrdý ostrý krupky. Brrr. Netrvalo to sice dlouho, ale stihla jsem promoknout a hlavně boty jsem měla celý mokrý. A já nechci nastydnout. Tak jsem to zkrátila a viděla bych to na dnešek tak na 6 nebo 7 km.

Greetings Everyone,

A special prayer request.  Michelle e-mailed today to say my (Pam) mum had a stroke and is seriously ill in hospital  We are cleared ready to leave PNG but the weather is gale-force with contrary winds.  Please pray that we may have the right weather to get home swiftly and in time.

Thankyou,

God bless,

Pam and Phil

This weekend Stevie and I braved the wild weather to take a trip down to the barn. Luckily someone was willing to hold him while I chased down my horse in the pasture. He also go to take a bit of a tractor ride. Despite the nasty weather it was nice and warm outside and Stevie had a blast.

[I will be attaching pictures soon, but I wanted to get started posting some of my latest adventures before I'm too far behind.]

The weather did not cooperate with me through my entire stay in Turkey. I attempted to go to Ephesus, home to an amazing set of Roman ruins and possibly the late house of the Virgin Mary, but it rained. I attempted to go to Olympos, a backpacking favorite set near the beach, also home to a fair amount of Roman ruins, and the Chimera flames, eternal flames coming from the mountain, but the treehouses which act as hostels were significantly damaged in recent floods. This is how I ended up in the small resort town of Fethiye. The population is half-British, and the town looks like it was taken from the French Riviera and transported into Turkey, hence the region being called the Turkish Riviera.

The town was quaint, quiet, and relaxing, which is a good combination. While there are no great beaches directly in Fethiye, there are some easily accessible by public transportation. Most boat trips leave out of Fethiye, and are by far the most popular option for travelers. You can choose from a single day cruise around the islands, or take a three day cruise to Olympos. I didn’t do any of these, but I am sure they are quite lovely.

My favorite part about Fethiye was the hostel I stayed at, called Ferah’s Place. Home to about 5 cats (although the population seemed to grow every day), I was in cat heaven. Everyone staying at the hostel was American, the first time I’ve come across that many Americans in all my traveling. We enjoyed calm nights lounging in the terrace, drinking cay (tea), and playing with the cats.

I did two day trips out of Fethiye – first to Iztuzu Beach – nicknamed Turtle Beach because it is one of the last nesting places for loggerhead turtles in Turkey. It is heavily protected by the Turkish government, which means no developers can build anything on it. There are a handful of beach beds and a small hut serving snacks, but no turtles in sight. Luckily, I had seen a turtle in the Fethiye harbor the day before, so I was satisfied. It was a nice beach, but it took a long time to get to from Fethiye. The second trip involved a trip to Kayakoy, an abandoned Greek city. After Turkey became a republic, the Greeks living in Turkey all returned to Greece, leaving behind cities that nobody ever inhabited after. The stone houses had wooden roofs which quickly deteriorated, creating abandoned buildings that look older than most probably are. For half a day, you can climb in and around the old houses and up the mountains, discovering the only inhabitants left – goats.

Another great part of Fethiye is the fish market. Tons of fresh fish are brought in daily from the harbor and sold in the center of a small market. You pick out the fish you want, they clean it, and you take it to one of the surrounding restaurants which provide you with salad, garlic bread (or baked potato), sauce, and of course, your perfectly cooked fish. The restaurant charges 5 TL (about $3), so for a large sized sea bass and all the works, my grand total was $9 (USD) and one of the best meals I’ve had on my trip.

I stayed longer than I intended to in Fethiye, but sometimes it is nice to relax and take things slow. I drank a lot of cay, tried raki (grape infused/anise flavored liquor, actually pretty gross but all the Turkish men drink it), and met some really great people at the hostel. Very worthwhile!

People have been not-so-nice for the past few days… maybe its the shit weather?

Maybe I’m just grumpy from recent events. People have forgotten how to be thankful when someone does something for them. Seriously.

Well lotsa work to do so tata, hoping a good day tomorrow for us, and a little more respect from us

<3 C.

A podle toho to pak vypadá. Z mých smělých plánů sešlo, když jsem se ve čtvrtek probudila do chumelenice. A nešla jsem ani včera.

Odhodlala jsem se až dnes, ale trochu mě škrábalo v krku, od rána jsem smrkala (s tou svou chronickou rýmou nikdy nevím, zda je to nachlazení nebo alergie) a měla jsem v puse aft a to všechno způsobilo, že jsem si troufla jen na krátký okruh, čili 6 kilometrů.

No, zítra zkusím Strahov (ve Hvězdě bude strašný bláto). Příští týden by už počasí mělo být lepší, takže bych to viděla na trénink po, út, pá a v sobotu pak jet do těch Říčan.

And colorful, too. I’ll take this any day over the nor’easter that’s going on above ground. This is an old-style newsstand, stuffed to the gills with magazines, candy, junk food, and sodas. Something for everyone.

This place is huge. Took ten hours to drive here. It’s been raining like crazy the last few days. It’s cold as hell. Tired. Bored. Tired. Blah. I was interviewed for the news yesterday. I gotta try to dig up the clip on the ol’ internet. Fucking phillies. Let’s get em, you red men.

(Clearer version)

Currently, i am hating the weather. It’s a storm out there. I think this is the first time since elementary school that i’ve experienced a storm in california. I hate wind and rain put together, especially if it’s cold wind and cold rain (asia’s rain puddles are warm). Anyhow, I think this sudden drop in weather is happening throughout the nation. It’s very strange, yesterday’s weather was not nearly as cold as today.

The funny thing is, since there’s a tree right outside my dorm window, whenever the wind blows, the tree is completely moved, so my room is filled with brightness for a few seconds, then dreary and dark.

I still have 2 classes throughout the day and i barely feel like moving from my room. It’s definitely not a day to walk to classes.

Dear Linda,

This is in response to your request for us to email you about some kind, giving things we have done.

Since the summer of ‘04 I’ve been blessed to bake goodies for our faithful, cheerful and diligent parking lot attendants. We are so blessed by them taking care of our cars while we are in service, plus helping us enter and leave the parking lot safely. They are consistent in dreadful heat, overwhelming cold, harmful rain and painful snow/sleet. They are never irritable or late. Our cars are always safe and we have no fear of vandalism or accidents in the parking lot. The men who serve in this capacity are very careful to do their jobs well.

I have missed some Sundays due to work or not enough cash to purchase the baking supplies, but now that I have a roommate, she has agreed to bring the baked goods to the gentlemen, if I need to work as I did today, and for the past year or so I seem to have had the finances to purchase necessary ingredients or at least be able to be creative with what I have. They are a wonderful asset to our church body and exemplify servant ministry in the flesh. Thank you for asking us to write you, because YOU are being kind and giving to us by letting us share – Love, Kitty

Please feel free to send in your kind deed. You’ll be an inspiration to others.

I realized that I haven’t blogged for a while, sorry about that. The truth is that I haven’t really had much to tell. I go to class, eat lunch then hang out in the lounge, pretty much that. On the days off I try to go see something new, or meet up with friends. Last weekend we ended up going to a Japanese restaurant , or izakaya, as they’re called. We were about 30 people, mixed Japanese and gaijins (ok, you all should know by now what a gaijin is, so I’m not explaining it anymore), and the sole purpose for this was to get to know each other better, and, of course, the nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink). Obviously we also ended up going to karaoke afterwards. Of course. We’re in Japan after all.

Some of the 30 people.

Karaoke!

On Saturday I traveled in to Shibuya to meet up with Haruka, one of my friends back from Växjö Uni (she was an exchange-student there), and we took a stroll around the block. While figuring out what to do, we bumped in to H&M…and it was the biggest freckin’ H&M that I’ve ever seen! FOUR stories high! Apparently there’s one 7 stories high back in Harajuku…gotta see that one too…

H&M – the Japanese version.

Being very Swedish (sometimes), I had to go in and have a peek. And shop…

 My new H&M-shoes! <3

Going in to H&M showed itself to be a minor adventure, since it was packed with people, and awesome clothes…also, finding and getting to the escalator to go either up or down proved to be quite a test itself. But it was fun, I have to go back some day soon, when there’s hopefully less people there (yes, I know, as if that will ever happen…).

After this little adventure, we went to the top of some very luxurious mall (brands that basically charge you just for looking at their products!), to a restaurant/cafe, where I ate gold. Yes, gold. I’m not joking. It was the most expensive cake that I’ve ever eaten in my entire life (almost 1000 yen for a tiny piece of chocolate-cake with some gold on top of it and a drink!), but at least now I can say that I’ve eaten gold. And no, I had no idea it had gold on it when I ordered it.

My choco-gold-cake (sorry for the bad photo).

On Sunday I headed back out again, since it had been Alyssa’s birthday a few days earlier, so I met up with her, Sonia, Chris W, Kate, Alex (the girl – there’s three Alex’s in our class, two guys and a girl. Quite confusing sometimes), Nathan and Alyssa’s friend Vincent. Lunch in Crea Mall then off to – guess where? Oh yes! – karaoke! For four hours this time! Great fun, and quite interesting, not to mention cheap when you go karaoke:ing without taking the nomihoudai! To commemorate this event, we got in to a purikura-booth and took some photos, here’s one:

Purikura!

Purikura is yet another very Japanese phenomenon, that I’ll take the time to fully explain some other time. Remind me to do so, because I’ll definitely forget. It’s fun though!

To talk about my life here in more general terms, I can tell you that the weather has been really bad lately, due to yet another annoying typhoon that’s blowing around right outside Japan. Luckily we don’t live along the coast, so over here’s it’s just raining and cold, sometimes windy, but that’s annoying enough. Hopefully the wind will be so strong tomorrow that the trains will be cancelled, which means that the utterly boring literature-class will be cancelled! Please, please, please!!!

Talking about class, well the Japanese class is same old, same old. There are days when I can hear myself scream inside my head, wondering if I’ll ever learn this language as well as I speak English, but I’ve told myself that I will! That’s my resolution! Ganbarou! History and literature, on the other hand, are just plain boring! Why do we have to take these classes? I came here to study Japanese, not take classes in English! Gah! Luckily these classes give me time to catch up on my facebooking and general internetting… Oh right, I forgot that my coordinator in Sweden reads this too, so just forget what I just wrote, I’m a goooood student, as always! Promise! I actually do take notes, at least during the history-class when I copy the teachers power point presentation! (^_^)v  But seriously, do I really need those credits? Really? Yes, yes, I’ll do my best, but the classes are still boring as hell! At least the history-teacher is good… To my defense I can say that I’m definitely not the only one to feel this way for these classes – everyone (that I’ve spoken about it with) feels the same way!

By the way, we’ve got mid-term exams coming up next week and the week after…Wish me luck…

So…I have nothing to post about.  Like, zero things.  So I’m going to post about how I have nothing to post about, just see if I don’t.  This weekend was comprehensively average.  And that was just fine with me.  We did nothing exciting, and had nothing exciting happen to us.

Well, unless if you count the walk in the rainstorm on Saturday night, that’s not very average.  See, it was all raining and whatever.  I love rain and I love thunder and I love lightning and I love high winds, and I love taking walks in all of the above, so Joey thought it would be a good time for us to go for a walk.  But for some reason, I was feeling all homebody and didn’t want to go out.

“Well, I’d consider if if we walked to Starbucks and got a Caramel Macchiato,” I said.

“Are those good?” Joey asked.

“They are good,” I replied.

So I put on my trench, rolled my pant legs up to mid-calf and we located our two huge umbrellas, and off we walked in the pouring rain.  It was seriously coming down, so I was thankful that we each had our own ginormous umbrella to keep us dry, and they really worked.

We arrived at Starbucks only a little wet.  Caramel Macchiato in hand, we then headed towards PetSmart, which was about 3/4 of a mile away, to look at the kittens.  I’m sure anyone who drove past us thought we were loony, walking down Greenville in the rain with our Starbucks, but who really cares about those people anyway.

The walk in the rain turned out to be just the thing for a dreary Saturday evening, and it was good we hadn’t driven to PetSmart because there was this super cute Maine Coon kitten that I wanted LIKE REALLY BAD, but Joey was right to make me leave it.

So we walked home.

By then the rain had stopped, and there’s almost nothing more annoying than trying to carry a HUGE and WET umbrella without getting all the water on your jeans.

End of story.

Typhoon Pepeng has weakened into a tropical storm; it was sighted 230 kilometers northwest of Laoag City. It is expected to remain stationary for the next three days according to Nathaniel Cruz of PAGASA. It  dumped an estimated 402.6 mm of rain in Laoag City Ilocos Norte and  417.3 mm of rain in Vigan, Ilocos Sur during the same 24-hour period ( from 8 a.m. of October 4  to  8 a.m. of October 5).

It seems that Pepeng is still in the Philippine territory, right Segundina?

On the other hand PAGASA announced the coming of  a new typhoon locally code named Quedan (international name Melor) which is expected to enter the Philippine area of responsibility by noon Monday. The new typhoon  packs a maximum sustained winds of 205 kilometers per hour and gusts of up to 250 kph.

Ang Bagyong Segundina

Noong bata pa ako ang lahat ng mga dumarating na bagayo ay ipinapangalan sa isang babae. Tinanong ko ang aking magaling na ninong, si Inspector Asyong (Livestock Inspector ng BAI noong araw) kung bakit walang bagyo  na ipinapangalan sa pangalan ng mga lalaki. Napaisip ang genius kong ninong na kamukha pa ni Rizal kaya marami siyang Maria Clara sa buhay. Akala ko ang sasabihin ay dahil sa pabago-bago ang isip nito kagaya din ng pabago-bago niyang direksiyon. Naitanong ko na kasi kay Mr. Calauang (pronounced as kalawang) ang aming industrial arts teacher at pabago-bago nga raw ang ihip (o isip) nito. Mali ako.  With authority ito ang sinabi ni ninong: “Kapag ipinangalan mo sa lalaki ang bagyo, lahat ng mga puno ay matutumba at pati ang mga bundok ay magigiba.” Matalinhagang magsalita si ninong kaya hindi ko siya nasasakyan kaagad sa mga sinasabi niya lalo na kung lasing.

Matagal nang namayapa si ninong at parang kasing tanda ko na rin nang tanongin ko siya; kaya napapaisip naman ako. May katotohanan ba ang sinabi ng aking magaling na ninong? Ang alam ko kasi lahat ng mga technique sa panliligaw na itinuro niya sa akin ay puros tumama. Kaya nga napangasawa ko si Tisay na noon ay ipapakasal na lang sa isang anak mayaman. Pero ang tungkol sa pangalan ng bagyo na gawing pangalan ng lalaki ay hindi ako sigurado kung totoong dodoble ang lakas nito. Mali na naman ako. Hindi ko dapat pinagdudahan ang sinabi ng genius kong ninong. Tignan mo naman ang hagupit ni Ondoy, binaha niya ang mga bayan at siyudad at giniba pati ang mga bundok sa landslide.

Kaya ibalik natin muli ang mga pangalan ng bagyo sa pangalan ng babae. Mas maigi na ito kaysa danasin na naman natin ang malakas na hagupit ng isang bagyong ang pangalan ay Pepeng. Duda nga ako sa paliwanag ni Colegiala kung bakit niya tinawag ang bagyong Pepeng na Pepeng mabaho at Pepeng malaki. Pero hindi na ito mahalaga, ibalik na lang natin sa pangalang babae ang lahat ng mga bagyo. At least dahil pabago-bago ang kanilang ihip o isip, kadalasan ay hindi sila tumutuloy sa atin. Utang na loob hirap-na- hirap na ang Pilipinas, di ba mareng Chi? Lalong nauunano ang paglago ng ating ekonomya tuwing tayo’y nasasalanta ng mga dumarating na bagyo.

Pero may mga darating pa raw na bagyo sa ating bansa (mabuti kung ang ibig sabihin ng bagyo ay sexy) at muling masasalanta ang ating mga ari-arian at mga pananim. Iyan naman ang inanunsiyo sa atin ng PAGASA at ang Matang Lawin na anak ni DENR Secretary Lito Atienza. Sabi naman ng gungong na si Banong ay bakit hindi na lang daw sa Malacanang  bumisita para masaya. Puwedi ba iyon? Gusto ba ninyong mapinsala ang tahanan ng mahal nating pangulo? Huwag naman ganoon… Kaya kung may darating man ay gusto kong ipangalan ito sa isang babae.

Sa darating na bagyo dalawa lang na pangalan ang pinagpipilian ko na ipangalan. Bagyong Mer, o Bagyong Segundina. Mga magaganda at kapwa “bagyo” talaga ang katawan. Kaso may pagkakaiba sa ugali, iyong isa ay pinong-pinong magsalita at kumilos. Pero iyong pinakabata sa kanila ay may pagkabutangera, hehehe. Kaya out na siya sa aking pinagpipilaan.

Bagyong Segundina, iyan ang gusto kong ipangalan sa susunod na bagyong daratin. Mahinhin, pinong magsalita, ngunit may kapilyahan nga lamang (sa pagba-blog lang). Sa halip na malakas na ulan ang papatak ay ambon lamang. At kung sa lakas ng hangin ang pag-uusapan ay bugang bentilador lamang. Kahit ilagay mo pa sa signal number 5 ang Metro Manila ay di ka manganganib.

Kaso, may kapilyahan si Segundina. Laging nasa loob ang kulo, hehe. Kagaya ng nasabi ng ninong ko (ewan ko kung sang-ayon kayo) pabago-bago daw ang takbo ng isip ng isang babae. Kaya ito ang peligro, papaano na lang kung magbago ang isip, este ihip ng hangin ni Bagyong Segundina? Sa halip na ambon ay torrential rain ang papatak. Sa halip na bugang bentilador lamang ay tornado na ang hatid na hangin ni Bagyong Segundina? Sa halip na wala nang pagbaha pa ay may rumaragasang tubig na naman galing sa mga dams at kabundokan. Kawawa naman itong mga bagong kasal baka sa mga evacuation centers pa nila ipagpatuloy ang kanilang honeymoon. 

Pero, teka, huwag na lang kaya. Masyadong malikot kasi ang imahinasyon ni Segundina. Baka mamaya iyong darating na Bagyong Segundina ay malikot din ang imahinasyon. Sa halip na bubungan ang liliparin ng hangin ay iyong mga underwear lang na suot ng mga kalalakihan at mga kababaihan from Mega Manila to Malacanang. Matutuwa si Doc.bobonyo dito at may idea na siya tungkol kina Adan at Eva sa Paraiso.