my friday the thirteenth story

"There are nights when the wolves are silent
and only the moon howls."
--George Carlin

it was already late at night (read: nine-ish) and we'd just gotten back to the company in batangas from a visit to a colleague's house in sta. cruz, laguna. my urinary bladder was already complaining due to the long drive and too much soda. when the company vehicle came to a halt, i rushed out and practically ran through the deserted hallways to get to the restroom.

i went in through the door leading to the locker area since it was my nearest access to the restroom. i noticed that more lockers were already installed but nothing more than this made a different impression on me. well, saved for the observation that the locker area was also deserted and i was the only breathing soul there.

because i really had to and not because i was suddenly afraid, i rushed out of the locker area, proceeded to the restroom, and chose a cubicle. it was such a great relief when i was finally able to let go of unnecessary liquid from my body.

when i was ready to face the world again, undisturbed anymore by the urgent call of nature, i went out of the cubicle. i opened the cubicle door just in time to see one of my male colleagues walking nonchalantly along the restroom hallway. since he belongs to the facilities department, i figured he was there doing a regular dead-of-the-night check. still, his presence for whatever reason inside the ladies' restroom didn't really register as appropriate and i felt the need to demand why he was there.

"woist, bakit ka nandito?"

"ah...eh...kasi...sa mga lalake 'to."

oooops! my bad. sa lagay na yon ako pala ang nasa maling lugar. bwahahahahaha...

no wonder then why he, too, had a surprised look on his face when he saw me.

with a flood of "hala! oh-em-gee. oh nooooo! i'm sorry," i hastily ran out of the men's restroom red-faced and stifling laughs i could not share with anyone (or anything) just yet but the deserted hallways.

warm colors over there, blissful warmth here

"We all possess the thunder of pure fury
and the calm breeze of tranquility.
If it wasn't for tomorrow, how much would we get done today?
Whatever your purpose... embrace it completely.
Get lost in the clouds every now and then
so you never lose sight of God's wonder."
--Paul Vitale

yesterday, the sunset i saw over tagaytay as i walked out of the workplace was fantastic. however, i think that's an understatement.

it was glorious! i could barely keep my eyes off the wonderful sight that i had to walk backwards just so i could continue walking over to the parking area without losing sight of the burst of warm colors as the sun went down. walking backwards is unsafe -- i know -- but i was feeling like a child filled with glee; i felt it safe to let my guards down. the wind was blowing nicely as well. as rays caressed my face, the wind kissed my hair.

in front of me was a a big picture of nature's generosity and the shower of light i have always loved. behind me was mt. makiling, majestic, silent and, at that time of the day, lending the attention it usually gets to the call of the photons in not-so-distant tagaytay. if i was feeling low, how could i not feel soooo good all of a sudden? but i was feeling bouncy and i felt lighter all the more!

yesterday was not the first time that i've seen wonderful sunsets in this area. our parking lot is a wonderful spot to view a quiet, inspiring world from. this especially holds true for people who take time to embrace (and to be embraced by) the cool, cool breeze and enjoy a picturesque skyline -- free from pollution, free also from eyesores called billboards.

i wanted to take a photo of yesterday's sunset showcase. i fumbled with my stuff and realized i only had my camphones. i ended up wishing i had my dslr with me.

today, i brought my dslr. however, today, i missed the sunset. oh well. i'll try again tomorrow.

note: actually, my camphones don't disappoint. i have such good rapport with them, i'm able to take nice pictures with them -- including sunsets as viewed from our parking lot. here's a collection of photos i took with a k530i sony ericsson during one very hectic day last year:
http://kulitjr3.multiply.com/photos/album/292/almost_sunset

this game called...

Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits, or goals about you. At the end, choose 25 people to be tagged. You have to tag the person who tagged you. If I tagged you, it's because I want to know more about you.


1. i've been blogging since may 2004.

2. this is not the first time i gave in to this online tagging game.

3. my gizmos -- camphones, dslr camera, personal digital assistant, computer, thumb drives, external hard disk drive -- have names. i used to use "minion." late last year, i decided to rename them to "steward." hence, i have k770i steward, k530i steward, steward the dslr, ipaq steward... my 200GB external hard disk drive carries the name "kulit." my older transcend 128MB drive which i got sometime during the first quarter of 2004 retained the "minion" label; i'm gonna convert it to another "steward" soon. my 4GB transcend thumb drive is identified as Tsteward. doing away with the "minion" tag has everything to do with the power of words.

4. i am looking forward to setting foot on coron, palawan and enjoying the sights the place has to offer this march. this explains why i'm excited that february is here already. i got my tickets for the coron trip last december. who me?! excited? ;-)

5. it took six months before i found out that i was co-author of a scientific paper that got published in american institute of physics' applied physics letters. hooray! 'twas my thesis. the article got published in may 2008 and i only found out about it in november 2008, when i typed "v magusara" in google's search field. google is my other best friend... and yeah, i sometimes do THOSE searches. talk about stalking myself, haha!

6. i bought two bright yellow t-shirts last sunday. because. i. adore. yellow. and i decided that i will wear more yellow this year. yellow and apple green, pink and blue... more orange, too!

7. i have not been able to finish a book last month. i should make up for that this month -- gotta finish reading at least two (2) books!

8. i miss riding bikes.

9. for this year, i intend to eat home-cooked meals at least thrice a week. this means, i am currently developing the habit of cooking my own meals at least thrice a week. the important implication of that statement is this: I AM cooking. hehe.

10. for even just once, i'd like to be part of a documentary -- either as concept developer, reporter, director, or researcher. i'd like to have my mark on at least one documentary. meanwhile, i satisfy myself with documentary shows -- that is if i'm not watching soap operas, haha.

11. hopefully, i'll reach batanes this year.

12. i am pleased with my efforts at growing my savings. i want to invest on a business this year.

13. i now perfectly understand why i did not get into the semiconductor electronics industry.

14. i like eating yellow cab pizza co.'s hot wings!

15. i prefer having pens and writing markers with different colors.

16. surprise, december 2008 surprise. i joined a choir convinced that i'd be singing alto. imagine my shock when the choirmaster assigned me to first soprano.

17. my right hand is lazy. i think it's jealous of my left.

18. magluya akong kalag kung dili ko kalaag. kindly translate that.

19. seasons of love from the musical rent remains to be one of my fave songs.

20. when i read angels and demons in 2004, i got interested in ambigrams. i ended up making one for my name. go here: http://vinokulafo.blog.friendster.com/2006/03/aint-this-cool/

21. i am mighty glad that i was able to get reunited with my TOSP family early this year. i did miss the community activities during the time i was away.

22. i collect google banners. christmas day. new year. valentine's day. google anniversary. olympics... name it. i have a folder in my computer reserved for 'em google banners.

23. i am thankful for people who care enough to exert some effort on pulling me back to calmness (and making me see reason) when my temper's about to sow mayhem.

24. one of my targets this year is to further reduce my soda consumption to "once in a blue moon." i've never been a soda addict but i just want to further reduce my soda intake.

25. there are rules which i break. that rule preceding number 1 of this list? i'm breaking that. see? feel free to write down 25 random things about yourself if you have the time... and if you feel motivated to do so. i am interested to know more about you. come on!