(SOLD TO OUR NEIGHBOR’S KASAMBAHAY For P3,500. Everyone’s happy with the deal.)

Brand New 21″ Fukuda Semi-Flat TV for sale!
Originally advertised this at P5,000
NOW selling for only P4,000
after we checked prices in the malls.

I won it in a raffle last week. Got too many television sets at home, and is unnecessary to keep this one. My husband opened the opened the box and tested the set. Guaranteed new and works, though we did not bother to configure for cable TV.

The box describes the TV set as:

21″ Semi-flat TV
FT21ASNF9-VX
English OSD
Blue background
Tuner Hyper Band
Full Function Remote
181 present channels
Channels pre-engaging
ON/OFF Timer function
Multi-system PAL/NTSC
Calendar & Sleep functiom
Multi-selection Picture Mode
Auto / Manual Search & Memory

Gross weight: 22kg.

It looks like it would fit a corner snugly.

Price in the malls is P4,800 to P5,500.
Price: P4,000
For pick-up only please, in BLP Condominium, at back of SM North EDSA.

With Gustav, our SUV, sleeping in an auto shop in Baguio, we set aside all out-of-town plans, and prepared for the two to three days of virtual seclusion at home. All the malls, markets, restaurants, and shops would be closed for Holy Thursday and Good Friday, so we had to purchase our supplies today. We also went into the hardware store to purchase an auto light, a replacement for dresser light box, and a few meters of rope LED lights for the kitchen.

I had the rope lights set up under the cabinets above the kitchen counter before dinner, running the stretch of lights through small hooks that I connected to the underside of the cabinets, and plugged the end into an empty outlet. I loved the effect that made my old kitchen look more modern and a little more brilliant. Lights are always a nice trick to perk up a room.

After dinner, I decided to cover my laptop with an almost transparent layer of window laminate, with a nice daisy design which gave the effect of embossed metal. Very chic and classy. Then I attended to the replacement of the light box over my dresser.

Because I had bought a different less expensive brand than the one that broke down in less than a year, I had to change the connector that was attached to the power cord. With my ever-reliable Exacto sliding knife, I cut the cord an inch above the connector.

I cut the cord halfway through, and a few seconds later, saw a small spark and heard a loud pop, as the cord jumped from my hand.

Uh oh. The power is still on. I instinctively looked at the outlet, and realized I had not unplugged the power cord.  So careless of me.

I castigated myself for not taking the precautions I normally take. I could smell burnt rubber. I unplugged the cord, looked at the burned end, and took a pair of scissors to cut another two inches off. Then I checked the inside of my hand. I was just starting to realize the emergency I could have gotten myself into. No burns, thank goodness. I looked at the Exacto blade and realized I had been saved by the thick plastic that covered the handled, and prevented me from touching the blade.  I know enough about electricity to understand that when the metal blade touched the two sets of tiny copper filaments in the cord, the electrical connection caused the spark and the pop. No one else in the house heard the pop, and no one know how close I had been to an accident.

I went about my night on Facebook, “liking” my friends’ posts, and sharing a few items, until Kim invited me to watch 500 Days of Summer.

Last night, I seemed to be in a trance, even as I sat in front of the TV with Kim, the laptop left open on Facebook.  For hours, I couldn’t understand why I kept receiving reactions to a note from Minnie when I couldn’t find my name as a recipient… until I realized I was indeed in the Facebook Notes list as “You”. I had forgotten Facebook’s style.

I posted on my wall:

“is watching 100 Days of Summer with Kim, and still wondering what the story is all about. Am confident I’ll eventually find out. Am so dense these days”

as my Facebook status. Friends reacted. “Funny”, and “it’s 500 Days of Summer”, not 100. hahaha

I reacted to myself and added another status post about how I was feeling

“floating just a few inches above earth simply floating in the wind, reminiscing with fondness, observing life like watching a movie, smiling at the pettiness of this life, lurking & liking FB friends’ posts . . .”

“I prefer this than having my feet on the ground, and my mind intact. hahahaha”.

I awoke in the morning, still feeling a bit whoozy and floating. As I washed the lunch dishes, I realized that I was actually floating above earth most of the night last night.

Perhaps, the “almost electrocution” accident propelled me into the inner worlds where life in more peaceful, where I can look at my situation from a distance, where I can actually be unfazed by situations.

Whatever and wherever I was last night, I now realize that I had felt nary a tinge of fear of death (yes, in a worse scenario, I could have been near death last night), instead I savored the relaxed peaceful feeling of nearness with my Creator, a feeling that I would welcome anytime.

(Wrote this article and published on Multiply.com site in May 2008. Am reproducing it here, because this special breed of dogs continues to amaze me.

. . . . we saw one in the mall yesterday. Hubby referred to the brown critter with tuffs of hair on her head, nape, and paws as “tikbalang”. So we rushed to check her out. She was sooooo lovable, in spite of her scrawny almost hairy frame, with light spots on her chest. And her eyes twinkled sweetly. The photo I took from my phone wasn’t bright enough, but the cutey looked somewhat like this one from the Puppy Dog Web site.

This morning, we researched the breed on the internet and shocked ourselves with photos of less attractive specimen of the breed. But before we go to that, let’s check out some facts:

(culled from The Pampered Pup site) “There are two varieties of the Chinese Crested dog. The first is hairless except for its feet, head and tail. The other is called the “Powder Puff” and has a coat of long fluffy hair. These dogs are very rare. Height is around 12 inches and weight is no more than 10 pounds. The first variety does have alot of exposed skin that needs special care. It should be protected with sunscreen whenever the dog is outside. They are exceptionally loving and like to hug and smile a lot. They are also very affectionate with children. They have an especially notable ability to perform tricks and are generally good with other pets. They are not barkers but they like to climb a lot and to dig holes. They tend to become very attached to their owners and have difficulty adjusting to a new one. They crave constant companionship. These dogs are good for apartment life. They are fairly active indoors and will do okay without a yard.”

These Chinese Crested — Preston (hairless) and Baxter (powderpuff)– are littermates, yes, siblings. Fantastic. Photo borrowed from Dog Breed Info)

(from Dog Breed Info site): “The most popular of the hairless breed, the Chinese Crested are still very rare. These dogs are sweet, lively, playful and cuddly. They are exceptionally loving and likes to hug and smile. Affectionate with children. Children should be taught not to be rough with this breed as it is friendly, but it does not have the protective hair that other breeds have and can get injured easily. They are an entertaining companion. Intelligent and very alert. Puppies should be well-socialized and exposed to loud noises when young to avoid potential timidity. If its owners do not baby them, these dogs can grow up to be a very well-adjusted dog. They have an ability to perform tricks and are generally good with other pets. They are not barkers. Chinese Crested Dogs like to climb and dig holes. They tend to become very attached to their owners and have difficulty adjusting to a new one. Chinese Crested Dogs crave constant companionship.”

Photo stolen from The Pampered Pup

Now, for our shocking discovery…… introducing Elwood, a mix of Chinese Crested and Chihuahua, was adjudged 2007 Ugliest Dog in the World at a contest held June 22, 2007 in Petaluna, California. Elwood was 2 years old then, weighed in at 6 lbs, and is said to have been rescued as the result of a New Jersey SPCA investigation.

The hairless Chinese Crested are highly prone to illnesses resulting in poor dentition (tooth formation, spacing, decay), as well as retinal atrophy that can cause blindness.

But really now, are contests like these necessary? What possible reasons merit a yearly contest such as this?

My hands are dusty and almost grimy from dismantling the Christmas and storing all the Christmas decor in the highest cabinets.  So I wash up fast, and run to the computer, before my thoughts get ahead of my fingers.

Raian, our community handyman has just detached the half-burned motor from our heavy-duty washing machine, and will take it to a shop for rewinding. Gave him P500 as down payment for the rewinding work, which we estimate to cost P1500 or so. At least that’s gonna be just 33% the amount quoted by the company technician. Now have some extra cash to have our two ceiling fans repaired and cleaned up.

We’re so glad we have a Raian to rely on for those tedious household work and repairs that we’d rather not do ourselves. I had almost forgotten that he just lived a few streets away when we found ourselves with a second broken bathroom knob and a screw that just won’t budge.

After failing to locate a reliable (interpret that as honest and not one to overcharge) plumber,  we decided to fill up as many pails of water, and shut the water main, until we needed more water.  We took our baths, washed the dishes, and every other task that need water de balde and de tabo style for long tedious patience-challenging days.

Neither of the two mechanical engineer neighbors that we asked recommendations from came up with a solution, except to come back with a bigger screw driver and a mallet when they had time. They never did.

Then we consulted the plumber that was helping renovate a neighbor’s bathroom, who suggested we change the bathroom set and sketched a diagram of our common pipe system. The suggestion meant that we would also had to breakdown and re-tile some about 8 square feet of shower wall.

I estimated the cost, canvassed materials, looked for a decent bathroom set, and came up with an horrendous budget for 3-day’s work. This was gonna be incredibly unconvenient for us.

The same afternoon, my best neighbor Sally was visited by the community handyman inquiring if she needed a job done. She promptly sent him over to my condo unit. Long sigh of relief.

Raian is a somewhat quiet and lean guy I’d see around fixing an electric fan or a microwave oven for a reasonable fee. He is considered a jack of all trades, completed a two-year course in computer repair, and learned from his part time odd jobs at construction sites. His mentors had not wasted time on this young man, who obviously was an avid learner, not only of skills but of respectful and trustful dealings with clients. No wonder so many of us trust him with our homes.

Raian completed the originally quoted job–clearing up 8 square feet of tiles, installation of the new bath set, connection of the hot water system, replacement of some wall pipes, and retiling of the affected wall, all in one day. Wow, and it cost us only a third of the quote.

Today he’s fixing my washing machine. Tomorrow he’s sked to clean and fix my stand fan, and move a ceiling fan to another location. Perhaps he can also check and repair two wall outlets.

With nice people like Raian around, how can life not become brighter and more comfortable.