there is something wrong posted by imani , Monday, December 12, 2011 at 11:45 PM, in Labels: freefall

with my blood. and my immune system. i seem to attract blood suckers more than i attract luck. bummer.

just last sunday, as i was enjoying a glass of coke and listening to music, my left leg began to itch. i did not mind it at first - or i tried not to mind it - until the itch felt like a seething ember under my skin and when i checked it, voila! there's a map on my leg:


i knew i was bitten by the ill-famed blood sucker - i don't exactly know which one it was, as i haven't thought of granting them their proper individual names, because i don't suppose i have met all of them. i have killed some of them and another close encounter is the last thing i am wishing for right now.

for the next few days, i experienced a subtle, burning feeling. i would scratch my skin every now and then, and especially when it was hot. that's odd. the hotter it was, the itchier the allergy became.

anyway, when i got home earlier and i changed to my house clothes, i noticed a group of small, red patches on the same leg that was bitten. and i counted the patches - there were 8 in total. and i am predicting that there were either 8 different tiny insects that bit me, or one big, selfish blood sucking culprit tried his luck to drink all the blood he could eight different times. having taken this photograph, i suddenly felt like a minute solar system has erupted from my leg:

unveiling alexios posted by imani , at 11:09 PM, in Labels: freefall

as in the case of most things that i want in life, it took me months to get this one - finally - an external hard drive to keep eros free of the virtual and digital clutter i cannot just seem to let go of.

i got myself a samsung s2 portable hard drive, complete with a 3-year warranty from the date of purchase. it has 750 gb space and i did not realize just how immense such a storage is until i have moved all my files (sounds, movies, e-books) from my netbook and was prompted that i have consumed less than 10% of the total space. imagine that.

my journey began when i realized eros was getting crankier and crankier by the day, and so i scoured store after store, mall after mall, hoping to find a good enough deal - as it first seemed 'impractical' for me spend on a single thing that can neither take a picture nor play a song.

but one night i was strolling and i saw this cute little box sitting on the glass shelf - so i went inside and asked how much it was. apparently, for a little close to php 4,000.00, i can get a sleek and handy ehd.

true to what the box said and what the manual promised me, it is indeed very easy to use. with a quick install guide, the drive manager does the 'talking' to your laptop. it also features secretzone, which basically is a privacy software that allows you to create virtual drives to further encrypt personal files and data. the last time i checked the web for this brand, i was only able to see 4 capacities, the highest being 640 gb.

after much thought about what to name it, after considering at least five monickers - i have decided to call it 'alexios.' i figured, a greek name would be apt, since i call my netbook eros. alexios translates to 'defender' or 'protector.'


the device itself weighs less than half a pound and mine is called 'piano black.' what's cool about this is that it is compatible in both the mac and windows (7 or vista) operating system and should you need a different formatting, you can get a free software on the samsung website. it is usb powered and comes with its own cable. you also get a leather carrying case to sweeten the whole deal. when inside the pouch, it looks a lot like an oversized blackberry phone. hahaha!

needless to say, i am pimping my favorite toy, and for now i am certain that alexios rocks as expected.

what i have been up to posted by imani , Friday, December 9, 2011 at 7:54 PM, in Labels: freefall

i have really been preoccupied the last few days, and though i want to write more, sleeplessness gets in the way. plus, i have a lunch/dinner date with my lifetime via skype daily - so that should keep my hands full for a few more months.

speaking of being busy - even the insects in our house are busy. i think it was a couple of weeks ago when i again fell victim to the bite of a bloodsucker. i actually am beginning to think i have served an entire clan a feast since i started getting bitten when we first moved in here. i immediately reached for my i.d. and took myself to manila sanitarium where they gave me my happy shot which rendered me lifeless and useless within minutes. when i woke up, i took a picture of my arm with the proof:

last month, i started to really like the walking dead and made an effort to stream at least one episode everyday until i finished the 2nd season - where they came back with 7 episodes before taking a 3-month mid-season hiatus. they will be back come february 12, 2012 with the rest of the 13 episodes meant for this season. when i started to watch the show, it scared the living sh*t out of me but as days went on, i got used to the gargled sound or unintelligible zombie talk. thanks to the adjustable volume. i usually turn the sounds down whenever i see walkers. lol!

i also have been taking more time to write something for my wife everyday - i promised her i will send her something each day that she and i are not in one place. and the more i write, the closer she will be coming home. it used to depress me big time but i am glad i am able to see things in a different light now. here's a shout out to you, mahal!

this week, i also got myself another esprit watch and this one rocks! i think i first saw it about half a year ago, and yes, it took me 6 freakin' months to actually get it. not that i had to make any life-altering decisions - the watch really looks awesome and extraordinary - i just wanted to have enough time to save up for it since it isn't urgent and important. so here's what could possibly be my christmas gift for myself looks like:

to date, i have three watches - all of which are from esprit. the reason i like their timepieces is because they do not look ordinary. they didn't have to have all those blings or be all dazzled up to catch attention, that's for sure. i got my first watch as a birthday gift for myself back in 2006 and then another one, as a holiday present for moi a couple of years ago. here's a picture of all my watches:


my next project is another esprit timepiece i saw in avenida - with a silver, bangle-like bracelet and a black, solid face and white dial. so i suppose i'm just gonna have to save up a little more and maybe i can get that for myself by early next year.

mommy dearest posted by imani , at 7:32 PM, in Labels: freefall

since i started working, i make sure i get my mom something really special every december. it has actually become this unwritten tradition. each year i see to it that i get her queso de bola. and her reaction never fails. each time i hand her this huge blob of cheese she looks like an adorable little girl opening her a present on christmas morning.

my mom would always say that when she was pregnant with me, she would crave for this kind of cheese. and what she'd do when my dad buys one for her is to wrap it carefully in cloth or plastic and hide it in a kitchen cabinet. she'd sneak at night or early morning and relish eating it all by herself.

so last week when i came home after doing the groceries, i asked my mom to close her eyes. and to my surprise she just told me - "i know what that is, i asked for it telepathically." this retort made me laugh my head off. here's a picture of my mom with her cheese:

tomorrow, december 11th, marks my mom's 63rd birthday. so here's to you, mommy - thank you for all those years of unconditional love and countless sacrifices so you can raise your daughters to be who they are now. thank you that you chose to stay with us so we can all be together and learn to depend on and look after each other. i know that we have had our fair share of differences and misunderstandings, but i thank you for putting me in my place when it is necessary and for hearing my thoughts and allowing me to also try to 'enlighten' you. thank you that you are our mother, that you are my mother. i am who i am largely because of you, and your tough love. thank you for never ceasing to love me even when some of my decisions didn't make sense to you at first.

finally, thank you for embracing who i am now - there may be some things that are just a little too challenging to accept, but, i am grateful for each time you attempt to respect the choices i have made. i will always do my best to make sure i go through life without stepping on anyone's toes - just like what you taught us.

happy birthday, mommy. no amount of love, of compassion, of understanding can ever surmount that which you have given us. i love you.