Hello mga friendship! Kamusta na kayo? Well, if you ask me, okay lang ako at in-love. Charoooot!
Because of the good feedback we received from our first response to some of our Barrio Siete letter senders seeking for advice, we are once again opening our mailbox para matugunan ang iilang problema ng ating mga ka-barrio na nangangailangan ng payo.
This time, hindi lang si Ate Charing ang magbibigay ng payo, we have a guest ‘counselor’ to help us in solving these mind-boggling dilemmas. It’s none other than our resident critic/diva/mental patient extraordinaire Eklat!
Yes, pinagbigyan tayo ni Eklat, in fairness ang bait-bait niya grabeh! Siguro nakalaklak ng depressant ang bruha at pinagbigyan tayo. Hahaha!
Anyway, here are the letters with Ate Charing and Eklat’s advices.
Once again, all letters are condensed for clarity and space issues. Read on.

Dear Ate Charing,

Hello and good day! I’m Elvie, 32 years old, married for 10 years and I have an 8-year old son Matteo. Sumulat po ako Ate Charing because of my son. You see, I work as a PR manager for a luxury label while my husband is an manager of a 5-star hotel. My problem is this. One time when I got home, I saw my son Matteo in our room, standing in front of the mirror, face fully made-up he looked like a clown, and he was wearing my ruffled dress and my strappy heels. I was totally shocked Ate Charing, I scolded him so bad he cried the whole evening. My son is only 8 years old and I’m afraid he might be gay. Please help.

Sincerely,
Elvie

Dear Elvie,

Alam mo, I feel bad for you talaga. First of all, you should never leave your son at home with just the yaya or the househelp. Haven’t you heard of those in the news na kinikidnap ng katulong ang mga anak ng amo nila. My gosh! Hindi ka na natuto baka sabunutan kita diyan eh.
Anyway, my advice to you is this. Do not leave your make-up on the dresser. Children tend to experiment you know. Put them in a make-up kit so that they can learn the basics of putting and returning things back appropriately. You said mukha siyang clown sa make-up niya, well, it’s your fault. Teach your child about the basics of applying make-up: Less is More. Lalo na kapag daytime, use shades in the pink family or light brown so that it appears young and natural. And the outfit he was on? Ruffles? My gosh, that is so 2007. Dapat idonate mo na yan sa Ondoy victims. Trends are always changing so it’s not a wise investment to stack clothing that are just for 1 or 2 seasons. Invest in classic pieces like a little black dress or a white button down shirt, a skirt that falls right above the knee in a solid color and a pair of tailored pants. About the shoes, strappy heels are also a thing of the past. Black patent heels are always your best option if you want an all-time pair of shoes.
I hope natulungan kita Elvie.

Fashionably yours,
Ate Charing

Eklat Reacts:

I totally agree with you Ate Charing. First of all, there’s nothing wrong with dressing up so young. I started dressing up and shopping for myself at 5. Suri Cruise is a style icon already at age 3. Teach your son about fashion. You should know that because you work for a luxury label, right? Let him read fashion magazines. Subscribe to French or Italian Vogue if you can because they are more fashion forward compared to it’s American and British counterpart. Remember, fashion is a friend, don’t fight it.

XOXO,
Eklat

Dear Ate Charing,

Hi, my name is Paul. 51 years old, married and living in Alabang. My wife Stephanie is 15 years younger than me Ate Charing. We’ve been married for 5 years but we still don’t have children. I wrote to you because I’m bothered. My wife can’t drive so I hired a driver for her so that she can go wherever she wants when I’m at work and not available. The problem is, this driver is young, tall, dark, and a bit handsome. On one occasion, a friend saw them together shopping at Greenbelt 5, holding hands and kinda sweet. On another occasion, my sister saw them together at the grocery carrying canned goods to be placed in the grocery cart with our driver’s hand in my wife’s waist. I have not seen it myself Ate Charing but I don’t think my friend and my sister would make up these stories. Please advice.

Yours truly,
Paul

Dear Paul,

I feel sorry for you. With a wife that is so much younger than you your priorities are most likely to be different. Anyway, here’s what you should do. First of all, Greenbelt 5 is an expensive place to shop. If you compare the luxury items sold there and the same items online, mas makakamura ka talaga. Even in Hong Kong, malaki ang difference ng presyo nito even though it’s the same item from a specific label. It’s best to shop luxury items online or abroad kumpara dun sa binibenta sa Greenbelt 5. Hermes will be opening soon in Greenbelt 3 so I assume your wife might drop by there. Tell her to compare the prices first. Impulse buying is not a good thing you know. I bet they won’t accept returned items if you are unsatisfied with what you bought or you found a better price abroad. Visit online stores or even e-bay. Everything she needs might be there.
I hope I’ve helped you.

Shoppingly yours,
Ate Charing

Eklat Reacts:

Well, according to you Paul, your sister saw them at the grocery carrying canned goods? OMG, that’s definitely not okay. Processed food in cans is unhealthy compared to the ones sold in the market. Haven’t you heard of preservatives? Gosh. It’s not just unhealthy but what you are buying is just crap. All chemicals and toxicity level is high. Tell your wife to buy fresh produce from your neighbourhood palengke or supermarket. Hello? SM and Salcedo market on weekends has a lot of fresh organic produce noh without chemical sprays and it’s a sosyal place pa to make your groceries compared to the murky and filthy palengke. Not only will these fresh farm produce make you healthy, you are also helping our local farmers by patronising their products.
See?

XOXO,
Eklat

Dear Ate Charing,

Hello. My name is Vicky, 23 years old, single but dating. My boyfriend’s name is Mark and loves me so much. I wrote to you because I have a problem. I’m pregnant and it’s not Mark’s baby. It happened at my girl friend’s birthday. Mark wasn’t there because he was out of the country for three months. I got so drunk and when I woke up, I was already undressed. I did not know what exactly happened, that’s how drunk I was Ate Charing. A month after, I discovered I’m pregnant. I immediately left the country and I’m staying here in my aunt’s home in San Francisco. I wanna go back to Manila but I’m afraid Mark will leave me if he knows I’m carrying someone else’s baby. I told him I’m just here for vacation. Please help Ate Charing.

Lovingly,
Vicky

Dear Vicky,

Isa kang malanding babae. Haynaku! Anyway, nandiyan na yan, so ano pa bang magagawa natin. Wala na akong maraming masasabi pa sa’yo. My advice to you is this. When you plan to go home and you purchase a ticket, use your credit card na mayroong miles. It’s better than your normal credit card because you earn points. I have one that I use regularly in shopping and guess where it brought me. Paris, France! ‘Di ba bongga? Some airline companies have frequent flier benefits too so you might as well grab that chance because I’m sure mas dadami pa ang magiging biyahe mo now. One thing, once your baby is born, you get lots of benefits too. Airfare would be lesser because you get discount rates and you get to avail other benefits especially in the US because of your baby.
Good luck.

Jetsettingly yours,
Ate Charing

Eklat reacts:

True Ate Charing! I will also advice the same. Yaya Indira uses her credit card with frequent flier miles and it brought her to Bangladesh, India, Afghanistan, and Pakistan for free! She was there as a volunteer for the US Army and it really made her the person that she is now. Strong-willed, diligent and very much capable of handling everything that I tell her.
Seriously, love your baby. Shower him/her with all the love that you can give. Pamper him/her. Go to Dior and Yohji Yamamoto, not Baby Gap or Gingersnaps. They have better clothes there and it’s more fashionable than other mainstream baby clothing labels.
Wishing you the best.

XOXO,
Eklat

Well, what can you say? I really hope nakatulong na naman tayo sa ating mga kababayan. Sana ay hindi kayo magsawa sa pagpapadala ng mga sulat dito sa Barrio. Just remember, love one another because we are a one big happy family.

Charing!

photo credit: teamsugar

This blog entry is also posted in Barrio Siete. Photo Credits: Here

Here’s the social climbing rule when riding on a plane.

“Do not ever, ever, ever, ever, ever request a fellow passenger to change seat unless you are dying in your assigned seat.“

Have you been in this situation? Where a passenger asks you to exchange seat for some out of this world reason why they must be on the seat assigned to you?

Been there. Many times.

I remember on a flight back to Manila from Minneapolis. I boarded a Northwest Airlines flight to Japan. I would find a middle-aged Filipina seated on my assigned seat. She begged that we exchange seat because she’s suffering from chronic urinating withdrawal pee symptoms that if she missed by 1 sec, she’ll die. And so, I obliged. That seat happens to be an aisle seat. This was a 12-hour flight from Minneapolis to Tokyo. All throughout that flight, I noticed her get up only once. The facker put one over me!

In Tokyo, we would change plane. So everyone will have to de-plane and board another aircraft bound to Manila.

Lo and behold! There she was again! Was luck playing with me? Or was I being tested to say the right thing this time?

“Mama, palit na lang po tayo ulit!” the woman begged. This time around, my flunking good manners and irresponsible conduct overcame my body. Hahaha! Charing! Kayo naman, joke lang yan.

“Ale, wag kang mag-iinarte. Ako yong katabi mo nang dose oras papuntang Tokyo at wala kang saket. Sa susunod, pag bumili ka nang tiket, piliin mo ang upuan mo nang maige at siguraduhin mong 1st class. Ngayon, umusog ka dyan kung hindi, malelechehan ka pag sinabi ko seyo ang saket ko!”

Yan ang aking litanya mala-angkel arkanghel sabay nang aking mga nan-lilisik na mata. Hahaha! Charing lang. Pero di na ako nakipag-palit nang upuan.

For all three hours na byahe to Manila, hindi tumayo ang ale para umihi.

It happened again. Kanina lang, on my flight from Manila to Tokyo. Yes, I was seated sa aisle seat. This time around, Filipina again, bata pa sya, basta alam ko, mas matanda ako hahaha! Me anak sya, lalaki siguro mga 3 or 4 years old. Funny, dahil inglis ang bata with some terrible, terrible accent! Dyusko! Di makaya nang eardrums ko. I commend the parents for teaching the kid early on to speak English, pero por dyos por santu! Ang accent, makakabiyak nang nyog! Ugh!

Anyway, panay tingin saken. I figured, she wanted something. Sa totoo lang. Mga Filipino/Filipina lang ata ang gumagawa nang ganito. Alam ko na sasabihin. Ilang beses ko na kasing narinig to.

Hindi nakatiis ang ale, kinausap ako.

“Mama, pwede pong mag-palet nang upuan kasi ang Mister ko nakaupo sa Seat 25 para po me katulong ako mag-alaga nang bata.“

“Katulong mag-alaga nang bata”. Hmmmnnn…

Umalpas ang pagka-maldita ko.

Tinitigan ko ang bata. Mukhang normal naman. Kumpleto mata, nakita ko kanina tumatakbo, pa-inglis inglis pa, me mga kamay at mukhang matino naman, except medyo maingay lang. Bata eh.

Alam nyo naman ako, due diligence muna. So, tinitigan ko nanay. Sosyalera ata to. Di nya kilala, si Reyna katabi nya.

“Ah, misis, saan po ba naka-upo si Mister?”

“Seat 25 po.”

“Aisle seat ba sya?”

“Nasa gitna po”.

“Ganito na lang misis. Kausapin mo ang katabi nang mister mo na mag-change seat, para lipat ako dun sa aisle seat, at lipat naman dito ang mister mo, magalang at mala-Reyna kong sinabi.”

Nag-isip ang gurl, meya’t meya…

“Wag na long po Sir”.

“Ah, ok” sagot ko na naka-ngising demonyo sa utak ko. Hehehe!

Of course! Hindi makipag-pa-palet nang chair ang puti dun sa katabi nang asawa nya sa Seat #25. Hindi yan ugali nang puti, unless na lupasay ka na’t nag-hihingalo at malapit ka nang matigok sa assigned seat mo. Eh kung kasinlakas mo ang mga buwaya, mahiya ka naman sa sarili mo! Arte nitong katabi ko at ang mga ibang Filipino/Filipina dyan who have no clue how to social climb.

Makinig.

Ang upuan sa airlines, especially pag long-haul flight is a perfect networking opportunity seyo at wag mong sisirain sa walang kwentang request na mag-palit nang upuan dahil hindi yan ina-appreciate sa western world. Mga lecheng kaartehan lang to nang mga Filipino. At dahil sanay na ako sa ugaling ganito, hindi ko na rin makita ang reason kung bakit kami mag-papalit nang seat. Para saken, bumili ka nang Business Class at wag kang sumama samen sa Economy dahil ganito kami dito.

Kung gusto mong aisle seat, or window seat, pwes, once you buy a ticket, dun pa lang, ayusin mo na. Or, kung internet check-in ka, mamili ka na, dun pa lang. Or kung late ka na, pwes kausapin mo ang tao sa check-in counter. Dun ka mag-inarte at mag-lupasay. Wag sa harap ko.

Kaya, do not ever, ever, ever, ever ask your seatmate na mag-palit kayo nang upuan dahil ora mismo, tinigbak mo ang chance na maging friendship kayo.

Wag kang ganid you selfish, second-rate, trying hard moron! Hmpt!

Here in Barrio Siete, we come across different kinds of readers from all walks of life. Contributing articles through email is one aspect where readers can share their stories about their respective lives or experiences. Pero dapat matuto ka rin makipag-social climb noh kasi hindi naman lahat ng nagsa-submit ng mga articles eh napipili ng council para ipublish lalo na yung nagpopromote lang ng blog nila. Ano kayo sinuswerte? Charing!

At dahil nasa vacation pa ang La Kapitana at wala akong magawa dito sa aking kubo, pinakialaman ko na ang laman ng barrio mailbox. Aba, at meron palang mga sulat from our readers na humihingi ng mga payo. Well, dahil na-curious ako at gusto ko silang matulungan ay ako na ang nagbasa at ako na rin muna ang sasagot sa mga ito in behalf of the Barrio Siete writers kahit walang pahintulot mula sa kanila. Hahaha! Kung may pinadala kayong sulat, well, maswerte kayo at napunta sa mga kamay ko dahil malamang isa na ito sa mga nabigyan ko ng mga payo. Pasensya na at naka-condense na ang mga sulat dahil konti lang ang space. Ang importante ay naihayag ang problema ng mga letter senders. Basa na mga kapatid.

Dear Ate Charing,

Ako po si Flor. 36 years old, may asawa at merong isang anak. Sumulat po ako dahil may problema po ako sa mister ko. Simula po kasi ng makapagtrabaho siya sa isang bangko ay madalas late na siyang umuwi. Kadalasan ay amoy alak pa ito. Nagduda po ako nab aka may kalaguyo ang aking mister dahil minsan ay amoy-pambabaeng perfume ang pinaghubaran niyang uniform. Mas lalo po akong nagduda dahil minsan ay may nakita akong mantsa ng lipstick na kulay pula sa kwelyo ng polo niya. Sinubukan kop o siyang kumprontahin pero deny to death po siya Ate Charing. Please tulungan niyo po ako kung ano ang aking gagawin.

Nagmamahal,
Flor

Dear Flor,

Una sa lahat salamat sa iyong sulat. With regards to your problem, naku hindi mahirap yan darling. Alam na alam ko ang sitwasyon mo. Sabi nga nila, been there, done that, kabayong bundat. Ito ang dapat mong gawin. Ang mantsa ng lipstick sa kwelyo ay mahirap ngang tanggalin dahil ang lipstick ay may chemical sangkap na dumidikit sa tela lalo na kung shimmer ang finish nito at hindi matte. Mataas ang oil content kaya kahit na basa-in mo ito sa tubig ay kakapit pa rin ang mantsa. Dapat ay budburan mo ng powder ang lipstick stain at dahan dahang kuskusin. Huwag mo munang basa-in ha? Tapos ibabad mo sa tubig na may oxalic acid para dahan dahang naaalis ang mantsa ng lipstick. Kapag hindi pa rin ito matanggal, mas mabuti kung dalhin mo ito sa dry cleaners dahil they know what to do. Promise. Yun nga lang, medyo mahal sila kung mag-charge. Subukan mo rin palitan ang mga polo shirts ng asawa mo. Buy shirts in fabrics that are stain proof para hindi na kapitan ng unwanted stains ang mga damit niya.
Sana ay makatulong itong payo ko sa iyo.

Stainfully yours,
Ate Charing

Dear Ate Charing,

Hi and good day to you. My name is Josh, 28 years old. I live in Pasig but I work as a call center supervisor in Makati. I wrote to you Ate Charing because I need some helpful advise. You see Ate, I’m gay. I’m happy to be one and I have a boyfriend of 2 years. The problem is that I come from a very conservative family and they don’t know that I’m gay. I have a close female friend who knows that I’m gay but my family thinks that she’s my girlfriend. It’s okay with her though because she understands my situation. I don’t want to live in the closet anymore Ate Charing. I want to come out. Please help.

Love,
Josh

Dear Josh,

Good day to you too and I hope you and your boyfriend is in good condition. You know, I can totally understand you because I have a friend with similar problem like yours. I’ve helped him and I’m sure I can help you too. I told him about my carpenter and interior designer. You see, his closet was too small before and I told him to make it bigger so that it can accommodate at least four people inside. Have you seen Oprah’s walk-in closet? Ganun na ganun na ang itsura ng closet niya ngayon. Hindi mo na kailangang lumabas sa closet kung palalakihin mo naman ito ‘di ba? Ngayon ay doon na rin siya natutulog, nagluluto at naliligo dahil meron na ring banyo ang closet niya. Oh ‘di ba? Hindi mo na kelangan mag come out sa closet at masaktan ang conservative mong family. Puede mo na sila imbitahing pumasok sa closet mo at doon kayo mag-bonding.

Straightfully yours,
Ate Charing

Dear Ate Charing,

Mabuhay ang Barrio Siete at mabuhay kayo. Ako po si Nancy, 32 years old at nakatira sa Mandaluyong. Sumulat po ako dahil may problema po ako sa kambal kong anak aged 7 years old. Noong birthday po kasi nila ay binigyan sila ng biyenan ko ng playstation at simula noon ay nawili na sila sa paglalaro nito. Masaya naman po ang kambal kaya lang simula nang mawili sila sa playstation ay napansin kong bumaba na ang grades nila sa school. Pagdating kasi nila sa bahay ay instead na mag-freshen up at mag-aral ay dumidiretso na sa playroom , umupo sa sahig at harapin ang paglalaro ng playstation. Nangangayayat na rin po ang kambal dahil wala na sa tamang oras ang pagkain nila. Tulungan mo po ako Ate Charing.

Respectfully yours,
Nancy

Dear Nancy,

Mabuhay ka rin! Naku, malaking problema nga yang kinakaharap mo. Ganyan na ganyan din ang ex-boyfriend ko noon na adik din sa playstation, hiniwalayan ko nga. Anyway, ito ang masasabi ko diyan. Bumili ka ng bonggang bonggang sofa with matching coffee table. Dapat kasi ay comfortable ang pag-upo ng mga anak mo habang naglalaro at hindi lang sa sahig naka-squat. Bad yan sa posture nila dahil baka maging kuba sila in the long run. Piliin mo ang sofa na may solid na likod at sturdy and post para hindi gumalaw. Huwag yung masyadong malambot dahil hindi mataas na quality ang foam na gamit dun. Invest in a sofa that will last long, huwag itong tipirin. Pag nasira ang cover nito ay maaari mo pa naman ipa-reupholster pero I’m sure matagal pa yun kaya sa susunod mo na problemahin. Okay?

Sittingly yours,
Ate Charing

Hay naku! Yan na munang tatlo ang sasagutin ko. Masyadong na-drain ang utak ko sa pag-iisip ng solusyon sa mga problema ng tatlong ito. Juice ko ha. Hindi pala biro ang magbigay ng payo. Very emotionally challenging!

Hanggang sa susunod ulet mga kapatid!

Ingat!

photo credit: here

Nagpanting ang tenga nang Chuva Chienes nung nalaman nya ang gagawin ko. As usual, litanyang bulyaw ang inabot nang lola.

Chuva: Baliw ka ba talaga?! Ba’t mo gagawin ang gagawin mo?
Ako: At ano ang mali sa gagawin ko eh I like change? Drastic change?
Chuva: ~kablag!~

Kaya pag-uwi ko nang Bicol, matutuwa ang koya. Nagbago na ako. Eto ako sa Eastwood Mall.

Nambaba-bae na ako. Hindi lang isa. Dalwa sila.

Yong isa, tiga-ayos nang buhok ko. Yong isa, tiga-linis nang aking nails.

I also had a brief lunch sa magandang binibining to. Taken kani-kanina lang at Friday’s sa Galleria. Sorry, kulang ang tip namen. Tanggalin ba muka ko nung waitress! Ang lecheng yon!

Sheet! Puro kami babae! Pano ba to?! This is so against my religion! Ano ba?!

Oo mga kabarrio, andito ako. Me hinahabol ako. Maraming nag-welcome saken airport, daming flash bulbs to take pictures. Paglingon ko, ki Efren pala at hindi saken. Hmpt! Mga walang modo sa reyna! Grr!

Oo, nakasabay ko si Efren Penaflorida the other night. Buti pa sya, Lakandula na. Ako?! Waling-waling pa rin. Mag-bestfriend na kami. Pramis. We had a very short how do you do I’m fine thank you. Pero sinabi ko talagang Barrio Siete for all of you and I mentioned Mahalia to him hahaha! Ganito usapan namen:

Ako: Hey Efren! Congratulations sa CNN…
Efren: GUARRDDD!!!!

Anyway… kaya di ako makapag-blog. Pero, paala-la lang… pag nasa jeep kayo, paki-usog lang ho! Baka ako ang katabi nyo.

Ok. So…. Wer wer we?!

Hate blogs started to sprout against Barrio Siete and Reyna Elena. These are brought to you by no other than BongV, our pseudo-intellectual resident of Barrio Siete, the most talkative of all the charlatans, the most intelligent of all human kind, teaching us the theory of the morons, decided to partner with Benign0, our most revered agent heckler provocateur who saw it best to open hate blogs, directed at Barrio Siete and Reyna Elena. You see, in Barrio Siete, we get to know each other very well. How interesting that they’d flaunt their pseudo-intellectualism only to be hate bloggers lang pala!

So, as Queen of all Social Climbers, let’s go back to Blogging 101 and see if we could teach people on how to blog properly. Hopefully, they can replicate Barrio Siete’s meteoric performance in the Philippine Blogosphere, after all they have the most wisdom, shall we?

People are social

Oo. Ibaba mo kilay mo. Truth is, lahat tayo social climbers. We all long for social acceptance, sa blogging world pa. So, if you’re starting out a blog which is a hate blog, you will probably get a spike one split second from curious hikers, but other than that, it will fizzle out because there is not any single social value in hate blogs.

In the name of blog

Yeap. You don’t have to be a graduate of a sparkling university to understand the essence and the value of the right name for your blog. A blog name that captures it all, good recall and evokes curiousity will attract followers. But there’s the catch: value. Then again, value is in the eye of the beholder. Let me give you some ejemplos mis amigos.

• Anti pinoy dot com is Benign0′s hate blog. The name alone evokes a lot of negativities. It pretty much tells you the kind of personality the owner of the blog has. Distressed childhood? Ano ba? Would you socialize with Anti-Pinoys?! Ah-uh.
• Utak Tilapia dot com is BongV’s hate blog. Not much to explain on the blog name. Was it the size of his brain? Could be. Distressed childhood? I guess. Birds of the same feathers are chickens. I guess this explains why Benign0 and BongV flies together. I said, flies.

Where to find blog traffic

Once you have a blog, then you hope it would connect to the people that you target and hope they come. If they don’t? The rule in Philippine Blogging is that: “Kung gusto mo nang trapik, awayin mo si Reyna Elena“. I did not say that. Several bloggers told me that. Hahaha! So, I assume the memo got into the hands of BongV and Beningn0.

Benign0-Reyna Elena-BongV-Love Triangle

BongV is probably nearing senility or just fighting to be out of the nursing home. You prove it by blogging fiery anti-Noynoy articles and spewing hate angst against Reyna Elena, I’m not even running YET to be the first woman president of the flippines. Nag-seselos ata ang sang to sa pagmamahal ko ki Benign0. But BongV is feeding my attention deficit syndrome. I-blog ka ba naman nang araw araw nang lecheng to! Kaya mahal ko na rin ang isang to. Halata ba? hahaha!

Benigno is actually a caring person. Dinamitan nya ako nang Emperor’s Clothes. Between the two? Benigno sometimes makes sense. I have no idea lang kung nasikwat na sya sa kaVilang Varrio because I did not see Benign0 entries no more. But Benign0 has a mission – to get Real. Hahahaha and apparently it’s not working. For now, I have no farting intent to block our Pinoy Hater. Im fak, if he is willing to contribute and send in his article, I’d gladly post it. Mahal ko yan si Benign0. Halata ba? hehehe

Keep Social Climbing Alive!

Get real Philippines. The basics in life is Social Climbing. Apparently some people are not getting it. It works in blogs too.

So anyway, balik tayo dun sa “A day after the Halloween…” story.

Which was funny dahil hindi siguro to nabasa nung waitress: 50 Things Restaurant Staffers Should Never Do

“8. Do not interrupt a conversation. For any reason. Especially not to recite specials. Wait for the right moment.”

So, ayun, we were making chika to each other. Ako, si Chuva at si Joey.

Eto na ang waitress. Alam mo naman sila, a few seconds after na mag-landing ang mga plato at itirik ang mga tunidor, sulpot sila bigla and ask:

“How’s the food? Everything’s alright?”

It’s good. Sagot nang Joey. “Thank you!” Magalang na sagot nang Joelina. Pero pag todong gutom yan, hindi ganyan ang language nyan. Pag makita mo yan, para kang nanood nang paranormal.

“Oh! So you’re talking politics? I like politics.”

Tinginan kami ni Chuva. At ano naman kaya ang alam nya sa pulitika nang mga trapo sa Pilipinas?

Tuloy ang kwento. Me mga pahagakhak pa kami nang konti. Limitado. Me katabi kami. Baka pulis. And the topic swerves from politics to sex. Alam mo yon. Sex nang mga politicians I mean.

“How’s the food? Everything’s alright?”

Bumalik pala ang waitress! It’s good. Sagot uli nang Joey na kumaliwa ang kilay. So tuloy ang drama. Napag-kwentuhan nga namen yong Halloween party nang mga judings sa Philly. It was fun naman pala, although, kulang ang saya nila. Wala ang Cinderella… nang biglang…

“How’s the food? Everything’s alright?”

Ampohtah!~!@#$%^ (nag-init ako!)

Vacla wag mong saksakin!!!

Sigaw saken nang Joey.

Mga bruhang fans ni Eklat, may sulat na naman po siya para sa atin kaya hindi ko na kayo bibitinin. Sabay-sabay nating basahin. Gooooo!

Hello my dear minions!

I know that you’re glad to see my name pop up in Barrio Siete again.

Well forgive moi to keep you waiting because I’ve been so much busy doing charity work these days. I told you what I did during the Ondoy tragedy last month and after that grueling experience, I had to detoxify myself for two weeks in sunny Bahamas.

When I got back, my mother brought me to her out of town reach programs where it was worse than I could’ve imagined. I slept in a two-bedroom house with only one air conditioner and I have to share my room with my yaya Indira. It was reaalllly bad I tell you.

The bathroom was using generic toilet paper. It was probably mass-produced!!! Oh my gosh, I wish I had died. Anyway, the experience was beyond horrendous I had to bathe in isopropyl alcohol with lavender scents for two whole days. Yaya Indira on the other hand thought it was a nice vacation. Damn her. She’s so ordinary. I wish I could be like her sometimes.

Anyway, let’s not talk about myself and my nightmares. I’ll do that sometime this month.

As you all know by now, the elections next year is getting exciting already. I just had registered myself to vote. Yay! Thanks to my yaya Indira because she was the one who stood in line for me for only 21 hours! That was indeed very fast compared to the others who were queueing for more than 24 hours. I think yaya promised a lap dance to that cutie security guard who’s a dead ringer for Coco Martin. Come to think of it, I think it was Coco Martin in his day job.

Anyway, as a first time voter here in the Philippines, I want to talk about them presidentiables and some of the people around them because it’s the people around them that’s making them more interesting and, well, nakakaloka.

Let’s start with the Aquino-Roxas tandem. With the proclamation of Mr. Noynoy Aquino to run for president and Mar Roxas downgrading himself to run for Noy’s number 2, many thought this would be the tandem to beat. Well, the surveys show a very confident vote for both Noy and Mar. Do I sense a nginig from their opponents? Well, they should because this two does not only have a bright political career and a record to beat but also they come from old rich families like myself. But you know what’s made this more interesting is the women around them.

Who am I talking to? Of course the popular broadcaster Korina Sanchez who I heard bought too many shoes to fill Malacanang’s first lady’s closet.

Imelda is that you? If Imelda is into Ferragamo, Korina daw is into Louboutins. OMG, I want to be her friend na so we can make chika about shoes all day! I also heard this gossip from my mother’s couturier that she had planned in advance daw on what she would wear to her then fiance and now husband’s inauguration as president . In fact, the pattern of the dress was already cut and the French lace to be used in the dress was already flown from Paris.

Unfortunately, it did not materialse and the tela was used na lang as placemats because you know, Mar decided not to run for president to give way to Noy’s candidacy so that means hindi naman pala siya magiging first lady! Hahaha!

Shalani Soledad on the other hand is a very pretty lady from Valenzuela who I think is a very classy girl like me.

Classy in the sense that she prefers to be at the back when Noy announced his bid for presidency. During Tita Cory’s wake and burial, she was not near the immediate family as well. Of course as a public official, she is also seen in events where there are media coverages and when she is asked about Noy, she always politely decline to answer the reporters.

In short, she tried so hard not to be noticed by the press but you know, mainstream media will always notice her presence. My advice to her is this. Your boyfriend might be the next president and people close to him will also be making pansin by the media. Most especially you because your relationship with the man of the moment is an intimate one. If you don’t want media attention I suggest you just make mukmok na lang in your office or in your home. Hahaha!
And last but not the least, my all-time favourite Miss Kris Aquino who is the most controversial of the three.

Remember what she said on her mother’s burial that she doesn’t want her brother to get married? Well, everybody should be sanay na already with Kris. Maybe Kris doesn’t like Shalani and that’s her way of getting back at her. She says what’s in her heart even if it’s vomit. Hahaha! But she made bawi that statement already by putting on record that she’ll even pay for the clothes of some of the entourage.

Anyway, I just wish she’ll run for senator in the near future because the senate could use a fashionable diva with credentials someday you know. For many years I have not seen a diva in the senate ever since I was born with a silver spoon in this third world. Miriam Defensor? Oh she’s a diva but she’s not fashionable. She wears ukay stuff. Don’t get me wrong ha. I wear second hand clothes but I buy them at vintage store in New York and not in the bangketa. Hahaha!

Pia Cayetano? Oh no, she’s too nice to be a diva. I like her, she’s a great mother and she has good looking brothers too. Have I told you I once dated his brother Lino before he dated that biatch Bianca Gonzales?

And what about Jamby? Well technically, she’s not in the same league as the other senators. My lola said her late Tita Chito just told her to buy suka in the kanto, on her way home she slipped and hit her head in the gutter. She lost consciousness and when she woke up she decided to run for the senate. Yes. That’s the story behind Jamby’s insanity. Good thing she got actress Judy Ann Santos’ fans’ votes that’s why she won.

And Loren? Well, she’s stylish but people doesn’t like her that much. She’s quite balimbing too and that is so not a diva attitude.

Oh well, my time is up now. I have a spa appointment in a few hours and I have to get ready. Til my next review my super duper gorgeous readers. I love you all.

XOXO,
Eklat

Photo Credits:

1. Shalani’s photo from her Facebook
2. Korina and mar’s photo from weddingsatwork
3. Kris’ and James photo from Bench via Filipina Soul
4. Leighton Meester’s photo from CW via luajewelry

Una, pano ako magkaka-grudge eh parehas silang gwapo?! Haha!

Anyway, my FB friend, Christina posted an article. 4 Steps to let go of grudge. An sabi…

Learning how to let go of a grudge will be demanding, but it can help restore a relationship if that’s your goal. However, reconciliation is not a requirement. Some people don’t deserve it; some grudges come out of conflicts repulsive enough to make you realize that you don’t want to deal with that person any longer.

With that in mind, we’ll now look at four steps that’ll help you let go of a grudge:

1. Find the source of the grudge.
2. Rationalize its impact on your life.
3. Change the course of your relationship.
4. Leave the grudge behind.

Sagot nang lola?

Photo Credits: Tales from the Cenobites

to my friends kengkay and pusang maganda…

Mahiyain si Luis. Kaya mega-teach ko sya nang social climbing skills sa mga bar. How to pick up gurls, how to talk to them and how to be human. Pag di naka-inom, introvert kasi ang loko. Na-convince ko to go to a bar. Lakas nang loob, dalwang shot nang tequila, ok na sya. Me nakitang gurl. Nag-iisa sa bar. Nilapitan nya. Makinig tayo sa usapan.

“Hi! I hope you won’t mind if I sit here and chat with you.”

Nagulantang ang gurl. Nag-titili!

“Hell, I am not sleeping with you tonight! You hear me?!”

Natigil ang music sa bar. Lahat nakatingin ki Luis who was so shocked muntik nang maihi. Embarassed, bumalik sya sa gilid, hiyang hiya. Naupo sya sa tabi. Ready na syang humikbi nang lumapit ang gurl. Nakangiti pa sya. Tipong nang-i-insulto pa.

“I really apologize that I embarrassed you. But I am here on a research on a thesis that I a writing as to how people react to embarrassing moments.”

Nilagok muna ni Luis ang rhum n coke. Tumayo at biglang sinigawan ang gurl.

“What?! $300?!”

Nilayasan ni Luis ang bar.

Mga kapatid, eto at may natanggap na naman tayong sulat dito sa Barrio Siete from our dear friend Eklat. Naging busy pala ang lola niyo sa kawanggawa kaya natagalan bago siya nakasulat sa atin. Sa mga hindi pa familiar kay Eklat, you can read her first two letters here and here.

Here is Eklat’s third letter to us.

Read on.

photo credit: The CW

Hello my dear minions.

First of all, I’d like to apologise for not making paramdam these past few months.

I’ve been busy with my life. You know naman, sushal people like us has a very busy lifetime and we are on-call 24/7. Parang I feel like a convenience store na tuloy. (insert annoying Kris Aquino laugh here)
The past week here in the country was very rough noh? Like, OMFG, I’ve never experienced so much baha in my young and beautiful life. The rain was so hard I feel like I was in a Marilyn Manson concert. Within a few hours the water level rose to extraordinary heights. Baha much? Marikina was flooded. Rizal was flooded. Water was here, there and everywhere!

The water here in Porks Park was very high I thought I was gonna drown. Gosh, it was ankle-deep for chrissakes! Nakakalokah! Buti na lang I was quick to change my flat shoes into my 6-inch Rodarte platforms and climbed up to the 14th floor of my parent’s mansion.

I was overlooking our neighbours from the terrace and saw how devastating it was talaga. I immediately called the attention of my mother, the congresswoman, and she was able to send our 8 yachts to rescue our poor kapitbahays. Meanwhile, I also told my Yaya Indira to change into her surfing outfit so she can make langoy and dive and rescue our drenched neighbours kasi our yachts was still on its way pa.

I’m so glad I taught Yaya Indira to surf when we were in Hawaii last year. It totally paid off.

Anyway, I also heard that the brother of my social climbing actress friend Rufina rescued daw his leading lady from his soon to be released movie because she was in her bubong already. Well, according to the news, Ricardo used a speedboat daw to save her. Well, that’s total baloney. Yaya Indira was there at the scene noh. It wasn’t a speedboat as we heard. It was just a salbabida with a Kubota machine used by most mangingisda in Manila Bay. Tapos you make hila a lubid so you can andar the makina. Speedboat my Vicki Belo-enhanced ass. (insert annoying Kris Aquino laugh here)

You know, my mother, the congresswoman, immediately launched a rescue and relief operations for the victims of the flood. Yaya Indira and I were at the forefront of the relief operations. We made balot some goodie bags composed of bread, canned goods, noodles, biscuits and bottled water. I also placed juices and milk in tetra packs for little children.

As a bonus, I also donated much of my baby clothes from Dior and Chanel. It’s nice to see little kids in couture you know. Like Suri Cruise and Shiloh Jolie-Pitt, these kids should start wearing couture when they’re still young.

My brother (yes, I have a brother and he is not a pig) also went to supermarkets to but stuff to be given away to the poor victims if the baha. Kuya Boknoy (real name: Bienvenido Oliver Karlo Nonito Ysmael) dropped by Save Me and More Supermarket to buy additional canned goods and bottled water. Lo and behold who he bumped into at the wine section of the store carrying 18 bottles of brandy, rhum ,whiskey and lambanog. None other than the very controversial congressman Mikey Mouse Arrojo. You’re probably wondering how he hand-carried the 18 bottles, well, I myself could not believe it but that’s how lassengo. I mean, maabilidad he is. He was able to make his P50,000 into a whopping P90 million in just one year nga eh. (insert annoying Kris Aquino laugh here)

According to Kuya Boknoy, he asked Mikey Mouse about the alcoholic beverages and he told Kuya that he was on his way din pala at the relief operations in his hometown. He just dropped by to buy ‘a little’ pampainit for himself kasi nga it was a very cold weather. Now I understand.

One time we went to the Ultra-Mega-Giga Sportsdome where it was converted into an evacuation center to give donations. I noticed this very strong stench from all over. Yun pala there were no bathrooms! My gosh! The situation is so bad. People are getting sick because they have no decent place to make wish-wish and poo-poo. Whatever happened to the cash donations of the people? Are they hoarding it? What future use and rehabilitation are you talking about? Maybe they should buy portalets na lang with that money or construct temporary comfort rooms, powder rooms, changing rooms in the area. Proper waste disposal is very important. Haven’t they heard of e-coli, typhoid and dengue? Most importantly, they should construct tea rooms in the area. Tea rooms are very essential especially among young women like me.

My gosh, these people. We entrust them with our money so that it can help the victims as soon as possible and they let the money sleep in the bank! Pisting yawa! (Editor’s note: Nagiging bisaya pala si Eklat kapag nagmumura? Not very sushal. Hahaha!)

Anyway, after three days of relief operations and with just 10 hours of sleep per day, I was so dead tired. I had no manicure and pedicure. I had no facial. I had no diamond peel. I looked kadiri na talaga. Sobra. Meanwhile, Yaya Indira was worst than me. She looked very haggard after three days of making buhat 50 kilos of rice and other relief goods to bring at the evacuation centers. I mean, it wasn’t that much physical for her you know. She carries my luggage naman everytime we travel and I’m sure, my luggage and other maleta is more than 50 kilos. Each.

Well, I think I’ve done my part already in helping our kababayans. I have to be selfish again and have my Me-time back.

I need to detoxify myself somewhere where Ondoy and Pepeng can’t go.

I will bring Yaya Indira with me.

Until next time.

XOXO,

Eklat

ayokong matawag nang Philippine Senate na mag-explain nang kayamanan ko, gaya nang nakikita nyo sa betamaks dyan sa sidebar noh? kaya ngayon pa lang, sofia bulgaria na ang aking hidden wealth. me mga nabasa kasi akong tungkol sa SALN chorva. takot ko lang if i won’t be able to respond to Winnie Monsod’s questions. masyadong matinik ang babaeng yon. kaya eto bulgaria na.

eto ang story. truly to mga kabarrio.

so, back during my time sa aquinas u, there were a lot of foreign students then, mostly iranians, thais and vietnamese. i have a thai classmate then, very friendly, gave me one of their Thai Baht as remembrance. muntik ko na syang papalitan sa tambunting pambili nang ulam, but i decided to keep the money, kaso over the years, i would lose it. sayang.

after graduation, i move to manila, work in makati for an auditing firm. that auditing firm was connected with one of the so-called america’s big 5. so, we would typically be visited by foreign auditors who’d conduct peer reviews, training and all that. there were times where i get the chance to hang out and socialize with them. cute ang lola nyo. anong magagawa ko.

one time, we have auditors visiting from jakarta. they were staying for a month’s training. i remember the name – victor. instant friendly connection (walang hada to ha?). frienship. eh alam nyo naman ang lola nyo, baliw. kaya, na-ma-magnet mga guapo sa mundo. im fak, dun na pati ako pinapatulog sa apartment nya in makati. aayawan ko ba yun eh me aircon ang apartment nya at libre ako sa continental almusal?! see what social climbing can do? hahaha! and then, binigyan nya ako nang pera. remembrance daw. eto:

dun ko napansin… an sama ata nang dating ko sa mga tao! either mukha akong pera ako o talagang talamak sa mukha ko na ako’y isang dukha! hmpt! this time around, talagang binaul ko na ang perang to. one time, uwi ako sa barrio siete at nai-kwento ko sa bespren. childhood friend. bigay daw nang lolo nya to his father. at si father naman binigay sa kanya. sabi ko, sure ka? oo daw, tutal friendship nga kami nito. eto yong binigay nya. mickey mouse money daw to.

kakatuwa why people would give me paper currencies. wala naman akong pautang na kinokolekta. duda talaga ako na baka tipong salvation army ang itsura ko.

we live in murphy, quezon city then. tapat lang nang logistics. kapitbahay nameng titser decided to go abroad. sa hongkong. hindi pa domestic helper ang tawag nun. at mas lalong hindi pa ofw. OCW pa lang sya. nung umuwi, eto binigay saken.

kahit sa eroplano, ganun den mga nakakausap ko. one time, i was flying back to the united states at katabi ko was indonesian. he gave me this as a remembrance daw.

one time, i was flying home again to manila. me katabi ako. gwapong pinoy hehehe! kwentuhan lang kami and everything. he was based in manila, but he travels around the world. he was going home kasi pasko ata yun nung uwi ko. i don’t remember now what currency he gave me, pero he gave me two dahil kagagaling land daw nya dun! hahaha! i’ll just post his business card na lang. eto sya:

imfak, pati mga boylets ko, for once, ako ang binibigyan nang pera. maluha-luha ako. feel na feel kong mahal nila ako. eto binigay ni obet, pera nang irak! kapalit nang pagkakapal-kapal na US dollar. ang hudas na yun! naisahan na naman ako!

when i was in business school sa united states, at temple university, we have our ethics class jointly with temple university tokyo – yes, technology does wonders! – and that’s where i met a japanese friend. we met in person sa Prague in one of our international trips, he gave me Yen. i would eventually fly to tokyo to visit him and he flew to philadelphia one september to return the favor. here’s the money.

and when i went to bogota, colombia to visit a “friend” hehehe eto ang naharbat ko…

i have another classmate at temple university who was from Torino, Italy. ayun, gora lang nang philly para mag-mba. dahil mahilig lumaklak, naging mag-kebigan kami and he gave me this lira. irita lang ako, ako parati ang nalalasing. gusto ko pa namang bastusin. hmpt! andun na sya sa Shanghai as country manager nang isang kemikal company.

si yves naman tiga brussels, matalik kaming magkebigan. parati lang nga kaming nag-aaway. in french hahaha! pero oras na kinantahan ko na yan nang french, mamatay sa tawa dahil pino-prostitute ko raw ang french language. hmpt! nung nagbago ang pera nang europa nung january 2000 ata yun, eto ang binigay nya saken:

at dahil rumampa nga ako nang belgium, noong meron pa silang pera, naka-harbat den ako. saan pa, eh di sa gay bar! hehehe! eto yong dati nilang pera.

tandaan ko naman nun si matthew, nag-bibinatilyo pa lang, pangkin namen from sydney, sama buong family, visited us here in philadelphia noon. when they saw my international monetary fund collection, aba! di rin daw sila pahuhuli and of all the international paper currencies I have? i adore australia’s money talaga.

When I visited my brother naman in San Diego many years ago, gora kami nang Tijuana. Para pala syang Floodway sa Pasig. Sabi ko, dun tayo sa maganda. Napadpad kami sa Ensenada. Para syang Cainta hahaha! At dun ko naharbat ang perang to:

at nung nag-guest naman ako sa Star King Show sa South Korea… charing hehehe hindi! gusto nyo bang ibato nila ako sa North Korea? anyway, bigay to saken ni Kham dating BF ni Yves. Vietnamese actually sya. Siguro eto yong mga nakamkam nya nun sa Seoul.

meanwhile, sa Princeton, isa sa mga co-worker ko tiga Portugal at tinanong nya ako kung me pera ako nang Portugal. dahil guapo, sabi ko, akin na lang sya. di nya ako naintindihan. he gave me this money. siguro para tumahimik ako’t layuan sya.

nung nag-aral ako sa Temple University enjoy ako sa international travel chorva nang school. napunta kami nang Czech Republic and Hungary. bumisita kami sa Central European University sa Budapest. isa sa mga guwapo dun nabighani nang aking kagandahan at naging friendship ko was Vlad. tiga-Moldova actually sya but goes to school at CEU in Budapest then. eto remembrance nya saken:

in philadelphia, lalo na sa northeast, sandamakmak ang mga russians. i go to bally’s sa may franklin mills at dun mo sila makikita. kakatuwa minsan ang greetings nila dahil kiss sa labi hehehe, gustong gusto ko rin maging russian hahaha! dahil parati akong naka-smile, dala siguro nang gutom, me naging kebigan ako. si boris. ang guapo nya hangga’t naging kainuman ko na. oo, this time around, binastos ko talaga sya hahaha and he gave me this one, 5 russian ruble.

i can’t believe tumambak na pala ang naipon ko over the years. nakita ko lang sila today as I was organizing my stuff at napa-stop, look ang listen ako dahil there are stories sa bawat paper currency na to. these were either gifted to me or tira-tira nang mga overseas travels ko. kaya eto, nire-report ko na senyo baka pagdudahan ninyo akong mga unexplained wealth to. hindi ko to kinurakot hokey? inipon ko to mula pa nong college ang lola nyo.

meron akong baht, tanzania, spain, india and china. i don’t remember now kung kanino galing ang mga yan except India. bigay yan nung gwapo sa opisina from New Delhi.

marami pa akong hidden wealth na isasambulat ko na. yong Irish Punt bigay nang neighbor ko. yong Singaporean Dollar bigay ni Brod Froilan. yong kronor bigay nung syota nung brother ko sa philly. yong new zealand bigay nang pinsan ko. yong scot money dinekwat ko sa isang hada sa amsterdam hahaha! charing lang. ano ba.

andyan yung japanese yen na tira nung i went to tokyo, yong deutsche mark when i went to frankfurt, yong swiss francs na di ko na alam kung saan ko ninakaw, ang i believe yong 100 is slovenian na bigay nang pangkin kong si Jun.

pero sa lahat nang kayamanan ko, this was the one that i will never forget. gora kami nun to Baguio City nina Malen. kasama ko si Charlie at pinahiram ko sya nang pera nun. ngayon, nabaryahan ata, binigyan nya ako nang pera. eto:

sabi ko: “ano to?!”

sabi nya: “tago mo. bayad na ako sa utang ko.”

kita nyo katangahan ko? itinago ko naman talaga sya

pagbalik ko sa Amerika,

nag-iba na sya nang numero.

Currencies:

Australia, Amsterdam, Belgium, Colombia, China, Czech Republic, Denmark, Euro, France, Greece, Germany, Hongkong, Hungary, Indonesia, India, Iraq, Italy, Ireland, Korea, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Philippines, Portugal, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Slovenia, Switzerland, Singapore, Sweden, Scotland (WWII Japanese Fiat) Thailand, Tanzania.

i never really knew what brought me here
all i knew was that i needed a change and a challenge
read: job.
shit!~!@#$%^&*()_!!

but few people gets to experience a real one
and boy was i lucky to have worked on
by far
the most challenging project i’ve ever ran across in my career
until…

yes… it was a gurls night out! hahaha!

i will surely miss that camarederie i built…
for despite the so many fires
thanks to my team

for now, i’m busy…

Trulala ba to? Barrio Siete is experiencing denial of service? We don’t know. But we’ll find out. Baka na-virus na ang Barrio, ka-aga aga.

To all our Barrio Siete readers, lurkers and fans. We believe that our collective blog Barrio Siete Dot Com is under attack and is experiencing denial of service. We have been experiencing time outs since yesterday and it continues up to today. We’re currently monitoring the situation. We will let you know what’s going on. In the meantime, andito lang si reyna, o baka eto na naman ang banatan.

malayo ang byaheng New Orleans to Philadelphia. this time around, 1 hour to Memphis achaka 2.5 hours to Philadelphia galing Memphis. para na rin akong lumipad nang Manila-Tokyo.

cheapangga lang ang tiket ko. pero hindi yun hadlang sa aking dreams na sumakay nang pers class. knowing nyu na yun di ba? pag me dreams, kelangan me action. aba! sayang ang korona ko kung di ko to magawa! at ba’t pa ba ako naging reyna kung wala akong maituturong kabutihan para senyo?

kaya makinig sa lola. ayokong ma-disappoint kayo. tutal, matagal tagal na rin wala tayong social climbing lessons. eto: social climbing lesson kung pano sumakay nang pers class sa eroplano. para lang to sa mga nagtitipid at mga social climbers na kagaya ko.

step 1 – lahat nang box na me abre-lata, i-check in. wag kang magbitbit nang maleta.

step 2 – pag nasa ere na ang eroplano, mag-cr dun sa may pers class.

step 3 – pansinin ang kapaligiran. tingnan mo to, walang tao.

step 4 – upo! daliiii! daliii!!! dali sabi ehhh!!!

step 5 – order ka nang kape.

wagi di ba?

kaya lang… ba’t ganun ang baso?!