I was on my way to meet Jay for breakfast. And, while I was in the elevator, I got busy returning my phone inside my bag when I realized I was going the opposite direction... going up! Crazy huh? Turns out I forgot to press the basement button and when it opened on the ground floor and the lady boarded, it automatically went up, of course.
Anyway, after an additional 5 minutes in the elevator, I was finally off to Starbucks to meet the funniest man online. I got there first (thank God!). Boo! And he was there 3 minutes after. We had a honey-glazed doughnut and mint blend tea each (c/o Jay... maraming salamat po kuya).
I had a grand time chatting with him, laughing rather. But, I missed spidey. In December perhaps. Topics discussed withheld on the grounds that it definitely can incriminate me. Hahaha.
Oh, and my heartfelt thanks for the ma pa (from Bee Cheng Hiang no less)!!! I know the long journey to get it to me was the better part of the gift. Ang sarap, pare! Promise, I'll share it with my babies.
That's Jay, another good online friend proven to exist in real time! See you in December! (On a side note: mas maputi ka in person... Jet, blineach mo ba?)
Just in case you're wondering what the letter says, here it goes:
-----------------
26 Sept 2004
Hi Din Din!
Dahil sa sobra mong pangungulit,
hindi ko nalimutang maghanap ng BCH bakwa
sa airport. No mean feat -- dahil ulyanin ako.
I hope you guys enjoy the meat
sent w/much... with much -- I don't know.
Hehehe. Concern? Affection? Di pa nga kita nakikita.
In any case, all the best from Jet & I.
VTY,
Jay
P.S. Nagtae ang sign pen ko. Gardemet.
September 20, 2004, Manuel L. Quezon III
In MgA kWeNtOnG tAmBaY nG sIrAuLo Sa SiNgApOrE, Batjay reports an end to egg rationing in Singapore.
GALING KAY MANUEL L QUEZON TRILOGY: (astig! na special mention ng isang respetadong tao na apo pa ng idol kong don manuel l. quezon)
Last night during dinner, someone mentioned he reads my blog and praised the blog of Batjay. This made me resolve to catch up on my blog-reading.
Want to know why Batjay's blog has fans? Read this entry, which made my day: Kwentong Tambay: SIR, ANONG GUSTO NYO SA ITLOG NYO? NILAGA? PRINITO? O MAY PULBOS?
Audio Blogging With MP3 Files - Secondthoughts - 08/16/2004
I noticed that Batjay put a link directly to his MP3 file. When you click on that link, you'll download the MP3 file first before your computer plays it. For some people, it's as if nothing happens, because it can take a while before they hear the song.
If your web server provides streaming MP3 or streaming audio, instead of linking directly to the MP3 file, link to an M3U file.
An M3U file is a simple text file that contains the complete URL of your MP3 file. This text file ends in .m3u
When people click on an M3U file, they will hear the song while the MP3 file is being downloaded. I'll post an example in the future.
Anyway, Batjay sang Joni Mitchell's Circle Game, which you will find in the Ladies of the Canyon CD. It was popular in the 1960s and 1970s, but the melody and lyrics will strike a chord in you.
Enough chit chat.
Listen to Bajay's And The Painted Ponies Go Up And Down. His version will surely give baritone Tom Rush a run for his money.
Filipinos like Ate Sienna, Gerry Egbalic of Dekarabaw.com and Jay David of Kwentongtambay.com continue to serve Filipinos who have discovered blogging as a means of conveying qualms, successes, angst and opinions ranging from personal to political. Their commitment to help other Filipinos to connect and bond through this medium is extremely commendable.
Kudos to you from me and Somalilanders from all over the world who enjoy the benefits of this blog. I hope we do personally meet someday.
THE FULL ARTICLE:
Ate (pronounced as Ah-teh) is Filipino for older sister. An ate plays a role of a confidante, protector and friend. Philippine media introduced Ate Sienna to the young generation of Filipino children 13 years ago. Batibot (the country’s version of Sesame Street) is graced with Ate Sienna’s pleasant, funny and accommodating spirit that comforts and moulds the minds of Filipino children.
Gigi M. is the Filipino virtual community’s Ate Sienna. She pays constant visits to Filipino blogs of compatriots who live and work in different parts of the globe. Her blog, became a hang-out of Filipinos who enjoy her succinct delivery of home grown humour presented through her colloquial writing style. It has become the hub of Filipino bloggers who wish to wind up after a day’s hard work.
She created Pansitan.net (Pansit is a Filipino noodle dish with pork/chicken, shrimps and vegetables), now a hub of Filipino bloggers sheltered by Ate Sienna’s host. She also designed their templates to suit their respective personalities.
She then created Manilena.com (Manilena is a woman who lives in Manila, the capital of the Philippines) where she generously shares results her hard work. Free templates are easily available and can be downloaded, to those with limited technical know-how in web designing better visit and have a peek.
Taste of Africa has gone a long way since it started with Blogger.com. It crashed and rebuilt by Filipino friends who selflessly spent time and effort to keep this blog going. Jay David, an engineer in Singapore and Ibalik have constantly assisted this blog in its technical difficulties. Kid (yes, I still remember you), a student from Manila, designed the first header of this blog. Today your eyes are fed by the creative work of Ate Sienna who created the new template of this blog.
Filipinos like Ate Sienna, Gerry Egbalic of Dekarabaw.com and Jay David of Kwentongtambay.com continue to serve Filipinos who have discovered blogging as a means of conveying qualms, successes, angst and opinions ranging from personal to political. Their commitment to help other Filipinos to connect and bond through this medium is extremely commendable.
Kudos to you from me and Somalilanders from all over the world who enjoy the benefits of this blog. I hope we do personally meet someday.
I've been really busy lately. So busy that I'm starting to break out -- a sure sign of work-related stress. But instead of attempting to touch your hearts with a tale about my long battle with acne, today, I have decided to redirect you to one of many on-line "pastures" I enjoy -- where the grass is greener, the writing touches or tickles, and zit puss is non-existent.
The first stop on this tour of the www is the home page of a guy from the land where unemployment is low, cigarette boxes have pictures of dead babies and chewing gum is frowned upon. Meet Batjay.
While I am faking my comfort with the English language (you could almost hear my faux American twang, can't you?), Batjay keeps it real. His Taglish blog reads like a conversation with that fun, shoot-from-the-hip neighbor who you were forbidden to play with as your mom was afraid you would have too much fun.
We have not met yet; but in my head (ergo, I am making this up), Batjay sounds like the kind of guy who starts a Saturday night with a quiet dinner and ends it by jumping off an illegal gambling barge in the middle of South China Sea after he accidentally set fire to it while running from the dealers he duped at the black jack table. Or at the very least, the kind of guy who would lug a huge Spiderman doll on his international business trips so he could photograph it (now that, I did not make up).
This ex-disk jockey, now a conference-speaker-slash-engineer can dish out a delicious bwakananginangyan and revel us with daily narratives about how something new or funny or silly or amazing has enriched his life. Believe me, there is a lot of wisdom in the stuff he thinks about while picking his nose on the train.
He is one of the nicest guys I have never met. If only he wasn't so in love with and married to the love of his life, Jet, I would definitely set him up with my sister.