. . . it had to involve a sword-wielding martial arts expert.
(a correction was quickly re-posted to, ahem, save our scalps)
3.30.2014
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE (MARCH)
WORKED IT
Damn right I worked it
LIVED IT
As we were waiting in line to clear immigration at the Lisbon airport, we couldn't help but hear the loud and amusing giddiness from two hipster-ish ladies ahead of us. "We're in Europe!", one gushed. "Oooh, they're gonna stamp our passports now!" the other exclaimed.
When the immigration officer handed back their documents, they proudly replied in unison: "Gracias!"
The immigration officer deadpanned: "Wrong country."
One of the girls immediately went into fix-it mode and chirpily said: "Oh, I'm sorry. I meant 'Grazie' "
The immigration officer just stared at them.
The ladies slunk away.
Lessons to be learned here:
Lesson 1: Because hipsters, that's why.
Lesson 2: heck, it was our first time to Portugal as well, but even we knew that the country had its distinct charm, unique beauty and, above all, its own language.
Lesson 3: Tindahan ng Filipina-Fatima and/or Hotel Aleluia-Restaurant Buffet might be the most beautiful combinations of words in any language
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE (FEBRUARY)
WORKED IT
Oooh oooh, a lot. I'll have to break out the bullets:
* I'm proud to say, my first ever use of a hashtag was #PHthankyou
my second was #howdoyouuseahashtag
*London Fashion Week? Philippine designers, assemble!
#bringbackshoulderpads
* It's Saturday, I must be in Manchester
#noappointmentwalkin
* It's Tuesday to Thursday, I must be in Edinburgh and Glasgow
#walangKmagkilt
LIVED IT
I suppose you could think of some things that would earn you more pogi points than taking your wife to a champagne and lobster dinner on top of Europe's tallest building on your Fifth wedding anniversary, but you'd be wrong on every one of them and I'd hate you forever
#bowchikkiwowwowwwwwww
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE (JANUARY)
WORKED IT
(below is a copy/paste of a recent fantasy basketball trash-talk e-mail exchange between me and my bro-in-law that touched on Philippine-UK bilateral relations)
(what can I say, I run a high-brow fantasy league)
Bro-in-law: "...maybe there's not really much else to do -- it's not like PH is a British foreign policy priority."
Me: "Au contraire...they've been looking to SEA markets to trade with, they're playing a key role in the MILF peace deal, and the UK was the largest foreign donor to Yolanda (plus the LLDD-Hyphen-L single-handedly accounts for 0,1% of the British GDP)."
(drops the mic)
LIVED IT
Shout-out to the Fil-Com for staging a most moving and meaningful thanksgiving rally right in the heart of London
(picks up mic, drops it in donation box)
3.29.2014
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE (DECEMBER)
WORKED IT
November's great tragedy led into December's heartening fightback. And what a fightback it was out of the UK. The country stands as the biggest contributor to the relief efforts, thanks to the combined forces of the government, NGOs and the general public, the Fil-Com and all forms of royalty. . .
. . .from celebrity royalty
. . .to royal couples. . .
. . .to pop royalty . . .
LIVED IT
I was just happy to have a blessed Christmas and spend time with my most cherished LLDD-Hyphen-L and LLDD-Baby
I was just happy to have a blessed Christmas and spend time with my most cherished LLDD-Hyphen-L and LLDD-Baby
and Peppa Pig, and Suzy Sheep, and Candy Cat, and Emily Elephant
WORK-LIFE IMBALANCE (NOVEMBER)
WORKED IT
PAL's back, baby! Yep, after an absence of over a decade, we have direct flights between the Philippines and Europe once more -- Heathrow, no less! Make no mistake, this re-launch is a big thing, as many a potential business partner and tourist has told us that they "just can't be bothered with taking connecting flights." You could tell there was a lot of pent up joy over the news when this unassuming pic casually taken by an Embassy colleague. . .
. . . ended up being the all-time most popular Embassy facebook post of all time, with close to a thousand likes, over 250 shares, and nearly 30,000 views!
And here my blog sits on six followers since 2007.
LIVED IT
Reminder No. 4,845 that the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I are meant for each other: we went on a short trip to the States, with NY our first stop and DC the next, and almost immediately after arriving in Washington she said (completely unprompted and uncoached by me), "mas maganda dito, mas gusto ko kaysa New York."
Awww, sweetie.
Awww, sweetie.
I hadn't even mentioned all the area outlet shops yet
Can't really blame the LLDD-Hyphen-L for her sentiment, as no sooner had we set foot in New York did the place turn on its "charm". And most of it wasn't even directed at me, nor the LLDD-Hyphen-L -- it was directed at the LLDD-Baby! Among other incidents:
- We were at a subway stop that didn't have any elevator or escalator, so the LLDD-Hyphen-L and I had to lift the LLDD-Baby and her pushchair carefully down the stairs. As we're going down, some guy from above mockingly yells "Hey sweetheart, when you get to the bottom tell your parents to come back up. I wanna be carried down too!"
- We stumbled upon the John Lennon memorial in Central Park, and I thought to take a picture of the LLDD-Hyphen-L and the LLDD-Baby standing in front of it. A hipster-type comes up to us and says indignantly "You know, the baby won't understand the significance of what you're doing."
- We were on a bus, and the LLDD-Baby was taking a nap in the arms of the LLDD-Hyphen-L. The LLDD-Baby coughs a bit to clear her throat (as napping babies do). The guy in front of us instantly spins around and shouts "Cover the baby's mouth, I don't want to be catching anything! COVER THE BABY'S MOUTH!!!"
Welcome to New York, sweetheart
But it's all good, as we just focused on the positive, still enjoyed ourselves, and generally just made our own fun.
buti na lang may Jollibee sa Jersey City
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