Bad Memory

NOTHING can be worse than losing memory of people, places, experiences, objects. I’m not just talking about amnesia, even forgetting trivial stuff like the title of a good book, song or movie is really annoying. It’s so hard to focus on important things that you have to accomplish within the day if you’re bothered by something you cannot remember no matter how you try.

When I was pregnant two years ago, I bought a CD of classical music because according to my obstetrician, it will help develop the mind of my child. As I listened to it day and night, I realized I’ve fallen in love with one of the tracks. Back then, I knew the title of that Mozart piece by heart. In fact when I gave birth, I would always mention the title of that classical piece to my baby before humming it to her.

Now, all I could remember about my favorite number on that classical CD is that it comes before the final track. How pathetic.

This morning around 2, I woke up to my baby’s tiny voice. She was hungry so I fed her a bottle of milk then hummed the Mozart piece again so she could go back to wonderland.

I racked my brains out trying to bring the title of this tune I’m humming back to mind. It took me an hour to follow Sonnet to wonderland because of this activity. I didn’t want to close my eyes until I have remembered the title of that beautiful Mozart piece.

After breakfast today, I looked all over the TV cabinet in the living room but the CD was nowhere in sight. Here at work, I instructed myself to finish all my articles for the lifestyle page of our paper for I could use some time researching on Mozart and his works.

Still no success so I resorted to this. I’ll just have to visit a record bar.

Zavanna’s international flare

THREE Saturdays ago, I figured 103.5 Max FM’s Tunog Kalye underwent a sudden reformat because I thought I heard a foreign band play an attention-getting song over the airwaves. Tunog Kalye is exclusively intended for Original Pinoy Music (OPM) so to hear a foreign band came as a surprise. I later discovered that the band responsible for the catchy song, “Beautiful Day” is Zavanna, a Filipino band with an international flare.

ZAVANNA on Tunog Kalye

Honestly, I’ve been visiting Zavanna’s website (http://www.zavannaband.co.cc) for five days now just to hear “Beautiful Day” over and over again since their album is not yet out. According to the band, “My Life” (the title of their album) is still on its polishing stage.

Of course, the main attraction in the band is the excellent vocal range of Zavanna’s vocalist Carl (think Jon Bon Jovi) but aside from the vocal aspect, I also like the amazing guitar skills of Edward.

During Zavanna’s guest stint on Tunog Kalye, I experienced firsthand their music which I describe as new and distinctly different. It may be reminiscent of the past decade’s haunting glam rock hits but it’s still totally different from what other bands these days have to offer. Initially, British producer, Neal Shepherd, wanted to release “My Life” internationally but Zavanna dudes suggested it be released in the country first since they want to share their music with their fellowmen.

CARL

In a conversation with the band, they mentioned Def Leppard, Poison, Guns N’ Roses, and Bon Jovi are their major influences.

“It’s just really Glam Rock. That’s what came out on our album. We wanted it a little bit heavier but it’s just Glam Rock. Somehow listening to all those bands took effect. In our subconscious level it was sleeping but when the opportunity arrived, it leaped out,” Zavanna shared.

B-GO

EDWARD

Although the band has what it takes to make the cut in the international scene, they definitely still categorize their music as OPM because all the songs in their album were written by Carl.

GILBERT

JAN-B

“We’re just average musicians but we strive to get that sound. If people think we sound foreign, I think it’s not only our success but the success of everybody. It means we Filipinos are capable of producing a sound that is of international quality,” they quipped.

Pampers Discomfort

I AM a nonbeliever of TV commercials. I actually don’t appreciate products which are sold via well-thought-of tag lines and flawless models. It doesn’t mean though that I don’t respect people who work in advertising firms. Truth of the matter is I respect their work, which stems from a series of brainstorms practically held nightly, grueling hours of working on a campaign to perfection and a convincing power that has been proven effective in order to get the client’s nod.

I really have high respects for advertising folks since my father used to work as a creative director for various advertising agencies in the country. As early as grade school, he has shared with me all the deceiving tactics of advertising but despite that, I still managed to see the reason to respect people who move in this industry.

But now, I abhor TV commercials! I refuse to admit that I fell victim to a TV ad but it happened last weekend. While shopping for baby stuff, my husband and I stumbled on this well-known diaper brand, Pampers Comfort. It’s famous right? I could hardly count the moms out there who use this brand of diaper on their babies. Though I’ve never tried it on my baby yet, my Switee and I agreed to buy it since we wanted to try another brand that is cheaper in price but still made of good quality. Besides, the product’s TV ad said it has an extra layer which prevents leaking. More than that, I have to admit the line “Save P16″ visible on the product’s label is what really caught me. It is, indeed, a lot cheaper than my little girl’s usual diaper brand.

We were happy after having purchased a pack of 12 only to realize later in the evening that this Pampers Comfort was a fake. See, we had to constantly change Sonnet’s nappy after an hour and a half! Ok, two hours then but that’s still too much. My Sonnet woke up crying, pointing to her nappy and when I touched her behind she was soaking in her own urine. This has never happened before when she was still using the former brand (which is Drypers, by the way. I have the freedom and pride to mention it because it didn’t cause us any trouble).

Sonnet consumed a total of five pieces of Pampers overnight. Is that reasonable or nuts? At noon the following day, my husband passed by my office and told me to buy a set of diapers before going home because there’s only one piece of Pampers left in Sonnet’s drawer.

What fool am I. We may have bought this Pamper’s Comfort for P78 and saved on P16 but since it was consumed in just one day, then that means we spent more. I realized, we were fooled by the product and its TV ad. I know advertising is just like any business but I do hope those in this field could be more considerate of the welfare of consumers out there.

I have actually recorded in my notebook the number of times I’ve changed Sonnet’s nappies that fateful Sunday evening. I can’t believe the wise and thrifty me was fooled by a product of poor quality. Now, I trust the words of my father that people who say they are satisfied with a product of poor quality are just trying to console themselves because they know in their hearts that they’ve spent on trash.

Note from a procrastinator

TODAY I feel like a princess. I woke up this morning thinking of my tasks waiting to be accomplished within the day just like Ofelia in “Pan’s Labyrinth,” a Spanish film which I watched yesterday afternoon with my Switee while our little Sonnet was taking her afternoon nap.

Truth is, I don’t know where Johnson got the movie because he normally inserts a disc in our player to convey it’s movie time but yesterday, he turned on his computer and scenes from the movie just popped on our TV screen.

“Pan’s Labyrinth” is a fantasy film set amidst the backdrop of Spain’s post civil war. Young Ofelia (Ivana Baquero) is the main character who delves into the fantasy world and takes refuge in her fairy tale books. Her fantasies, however, turn into reality when she and her mother move to the countryside where the headquarters of her heartless stepfather, Captain Vidal (Sergi Lopez), is situated.

One evening, a tiny fairy wakes Ofelia and leads her to a labyrinth. Here, Ofelia meets a faun that informs her she was once a princess and the possibility to be one again is huge if she obeys his instructions.

Ofelia receives the Book of Crossroads from the faun which contains different tasks she must accomplish to regain her stature as a princess. In the end, Ofelia dies from a gunshot wound courtesy of Captain Vidal but this signifies the beginning of her immortal life as a princess.

Perhaps, to be a princess one must be serious in carrying out her tasks and have none of a procrastinator’s traits which I occasionally find in myself. That’s why today, I can feel like a princess but I’m not one so I guess, my chores can wait ’til tomorrow.

Lines that guide through

READING is always a pleasant activity. It takes me to different places and introduces me to interesting characters. I especially like books with catchy quotes or phrases that linger in my head for a period of time. Some of my books I’ve read three times, others twice while there are those that I don’t remember having.

I rummaged through my books last night in search of “The Wuthering Heights” by Emily Bronte because I was in the mood to read it again. In the process, I was surprised to see a Leo Buscaglia paperback in my stuff. I recalled that it was given to me by my late grandfather.

I started browsing the pages of the book when a piece of torn paper fell off from it. I realized familiar quotes were written on the paper. I remember lifting these lines from the different books I’ve read but I forgot about storing them in Leo.

Those lines used to be my guiding star. Some people refuse to live by the book. According to them, a brilliant strategic move is the key to a good and content life. That may be true but it also helps to have something in hand (and in the heart) that will keep you grounded. Success and money are not everything in life anyway. Being human, you’re not expected to be perfect. Sometimes you are an angel but there are also instances when the demon in you just bursts out.

With these quotes, I know I can be a better daughter, sister, wife, mother, friend, worker, and person.

- “When the heart speaks, the mind finds it indecent to object” (The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera)

- “To understand just one life, you have to swallow the world” (Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie)

- “Who, after all, ever truly knows another human being completely? There will always be something fresh about him to love; so our marriage just can’t go stale.” (Midnight’s Children by Salman Rushdie)

- “But when the strong were too weak to hurt the weak, the weak had to be strong enough to leave.” (The Unbearable Lightness of Being by Milan Kundera)

- “If you hold back on the emotion – if you don’t allow yourself to go all the way through them – you can never get to being detached” (Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom)

- “Fairness does not govern life and death. If it did, no good person would ever die young.” (The Five People You Meet In Heaven by Mitch Albom)

- “I get scared when my eye blinks. Scared that during that second when my gaze is switched off, a snake or a rat or another man could slip into your place.” (Identity by Milan Kundera)

- “Pain does not listen to reason, it has its own reason which is not reasonable.” (Identity by Milan Kundera)

- “Don’t ever tell anybody anything. If you do you you start missing everybody. (The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger)

- “No one is ever satisfied where he is.” (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery)

- “It is much more difficult to judge oneself than to judge others.” (The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint Exupery)

- “And when two such people encounter each other and their eyes meet, the past and the future become unimportant.” (The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

- “When a person really desires something, all the universe conspires to help that person to realize his dream.” (The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho)

Magic VCO!

I AM not lifting my chair but I say VCO is perfect for health and beauty maintenance. I’m not a business woman by profession, in fact I have very poor skills in sales and I don’t have the charm to sweet talk a person into buying a product. That said, I’m not surprised PR firms won’t hire me. However, my mother was able to persuade me to sell VCO (Virgin Coconut Oil) which is manufactured by a Chinese biochemist and a good friend of our family.

As the country continues to face the dreadful oil price hike and rice shortage, our biochemist friend has every reason to raise the price of his VCO goods. But he did not. That’s why I’m still offering my 250 ml VCO at P130 and each VCO bar at P100. On the other hand, multinational companies that order from him in bulk have increased by P10 to P15.

You might think that this is all about business. Not so. I just hope I can encourage men and women alike to use VCO because of its wonderful benefits. Aside from being a yummy beverage and dessert, coconut contributes to our total well being.

Using coconut oil regularly creates gradual improvement on your skin’s tone and texture. By applying it religiously on your face, neck, arms and legs, you strengthen the skin and underlying tissues on these areas. Coconut oil also promotes speedy healing of wounds, cuts and insect bites. As a matter of fact, it’s what I use on my daughter every time she has insect bites. You don’t have to wait long for the red mark to disappear. What’s more, coconut oil proves to be helpful in fending off invading germs that cause infections and illness.

Aside from its topical application, VCO can also be taken into the body. Daily consumption of VCO will reduce the risk of heart disease. People who experience discomfort due to their digestive system’s irregularity are advised to take a spoonful of VCO before every meal. You have the assurance that it will normalize that tummy of yours.

Three and a half tablespoons of VCO is the general recommendation for average-sized adults but if you want to have more, help yourself. There’s not a recorded case of VCO overdose so you can take as much as you like. It’s just like having your favorite fruit. Others mix their VCO with their vegetable or salad.

If you want to experience the wonders and magic of VCO, head to the nearest drugstore or health section of a mall. But before you pick up that bottle, check out its label for the line that says it has passed the Halal Certifying Board of the Muslims. By being Halal certified, the product is rest assured permissible since harmful ingredients are nonexistent. See, the Muslims are very cautious. They only take in what is proven pure and that is what makes them admirable. A VCO in the market that is not Halal certified isn’t made from 100% coconut oil. It has incorporated additives which do not guarantee the benefits only a genuine VCO bottle can offer.

Questions

LAST FRIDAY I discovered something which resulted in mixed feelings. One minute I feel anger but the next I find my head spinning with questions just like a curious child. I want to know the truth but I don’t know where and how to start.

I am a very transparent person, people close to me know that. I cannot conceal anger, pain, sadness especially happiness. It just shows. But over the weekend, I had to feign sadness. I didn’t want to affect the people around me. More than that, I didn’t want to do something which I would later regret.

Truth is, I woke up this morning with the matter still in my head. I couldn’t recover from it because it’s really mind-boggling.

What I’m experiencing right now could be what those with terminal cancer are going through. Or maybe a student who’s had straight A’s in school but failed to pass the bar or the board exam. Perhaps, a government official who only had the best of intentions for his country but lost in the elections would also feel demoralized. Even women who found out about the escapades of their cheating boyfriends or husbands with their mistresses wound definitely understand my predicament.

Questions, questions, questions, I’ve never been this stressed and bothered with questions.