A letter from the CAT and Mouse Dear Cat and Mouse, The increased militarization brought about by the Marcos Martial Law and the taste of military power in controlling the people and its capacity to influence the flow of government in guise of national security would be still the civilian government's concern to refocus the military's role in government. Coups only show military factions and power struggles depending on who is their political choice to be their Godfather. Somehow, I am most convinced that the Congress should focus on reforms within the military and install more efficient checks and balances otherwise, ours tantamounts to the equivalent of a "Military Junta." This is as far as I see it. W Dear W, The military is highly politicized. The men in uniform simply skip the check and balance using the conspiratorial style of management. It is easy, especially for those who graduated from the elite military school. Camaraderie and fraternal order that were shaped and formed in the school become unwritten recruitment, selection and promotion strategies in the military units where these leaders occupy the high echelons of the organization. They are found everywhere; in the legislative bodies, in the justice department and the executive department of the government. They can assume roles; one is the renegade, the other is a mediator and the other is the object of grievance. It is disgusting to hear Honasan picture these young officers to be the soldiers of the people. These young officers labeled to be the new heroes that will save the people from the abusive government failed to mention the sins of their "brothers". The priest who brought to the media's attention about the highly enterprising generals making a lucrative business of sharing with ransom money and devising a escape for the hunted rebels was not considered by people to be a hero. A priest who dared being harassed by the military, risked his life for accusing a general did not get the same adulation of the people. Instead, a bunch of young officers who did not risk anything since all were taken cared of by the hand of the power behind the failed coup got the admiration from some naive groups who think that recitation of the grafts and corruptions of the government is some kind of heroic act. If this is some kind of heroic act, then I am giving medals to my favorite political commentators who write every scams and corruptions that the government is accused of. People that can discern the what- should be- and what -really -happened feel insulted by the flimsy excuses and the mediocre strategizing of the supposed cream-of-the-crop graduates of the country's subsidized military school. I want my coffee with aspirin. Pinasasakit nila ang ulo ko. Sa inis. If producers will make movie out of the life of Trillanes, just shoot my mouse. oopsie. sorry mouse. but just think of it as a heroic act. The CAT Dear W, The CAT is in a bad mood these days. She finds the young officers are as pretty as the telenovela heroines. Yes, pretty as in pretty girls. The Mouse

Party Dear Mouse, It was a perfect afternoon if not for the coup alert news that kept on popping up in the 50 inch channel TV showing a Filipino noon-time show that I find disgusting. It was a party of four...ooops nine including the two babies that are in the carry-anywhere portable beds. The host is the bachelor friend who owned a condo in the suburbia. The guests were two lady friends with their spouses and first born babies, a relegated-to-babysitter- mother and moi. The objective of the meeting was not really to party but more of a reunion to celebrate friendship that developed due to care and support for each other. Lady friend number one was a former guest roommate for six months. Her boyfriend of six years since high school abandoned her when he met a nurse here in the States. The lady friend pulled all strings including her pursestrings to help him join her in the States. She got a place of her own but going home there every night was just like putting salt to an open wound. She found refuge in my place. My pillows were soaked in her tears every night. Time heals wounds. I attended her wedding not as a guest but as a principal sponsor being her friend and her spouse-lawyer's. One sponsor cannot help but asked what I was doing in the presidential table. Am I not supposed to be in the secondary sponsors' table ? How am I related to the bride ? Oh well, this curiosity does not kill a cat. Now they have their first born; a three bedroom house and a flourishing law firm. The face of a grieving lovestruck young woman is a distant past. The picture is that of a happy family. Lady friend number two was an office mate in my first job. She, too was single. She too had a boyfriend who also thought that being married to a nurse would give him more financial security. She too was responsible for making the dream of the boyfriend a reality- to come to the States. Oh well, anything for love. Now she is married and just gave birth to a beautiful girl a month ago. She too has a house and a secured job in a law firm. Gone were the days when she would come to my place to cry for the loss of a first boyfriend. I too was a sponsor in the wedding. I felt old. Bachelor friend is looking for a girl friend. He got a condo and a job that he hates. He wants to go into business. The mother who cooked for us wants him to get married. The boys took a break taking care of the babies and went out to play golf while we ladies stayed home. The two new mothers compared notes about "kabag". I watched the disgusting noon-time show, amused by the two ladies dancing in the background while emcees were trying to look cute. If not for the old woman with us, I could have change the TFC channel. But I enjoyed dancing with the one year old kid. Everytime she heard the music, she swayed and hummed. It could have been a children's party should my former roommate found time to join us. But then I was dying to go home to have more news about the coup. The CAT

The coup that never was.... Dear Mouse, There has to be a reason why the coup errrrm mutiny happened. If I were to make a guess, a good one would be, that certain persons are getting desperate or simply have realized that they are not winnable in 2004. The CAT Dear CAT, If these soldier-boys' reason for coup...eh mutiny(how come they are demanding for the resignation of the President?) is corruption, why come out only now. For sure they have been in the military when the rumored sale of weapons by the military to the rebels are known facts outside the intelligence units long before GMA's administration. But wait a minute mousey, I saw in a newspapers the pic of a soldier that can no longer be considered young officer. The Mouse Dear Mouse, This must be a dress rehearsal. This is an exercise of testing the water whether the people would mass around military personnel like they did in EDSA1. who demand to clorox the military of graft issues . Suddenly after being quiet during the uprising of the people against a corrupt government, they found their conscience to speak out. I read this crap before and the people took him as hero. Mousey, I did not see a hero then. I just saw a man who came forward, holed up several times in luxurious hotels professing that he was a change advocate when in fact, he was just protecting his patron who fell out of of his friends/relatives's graces. The CAT Dear CAT, What I see, are a bunch of soldier-loser-boys planning to launch a big coup but their plan was uncovered and they ended up running for their lives, holing themselves up in luxurios hotel/apartment in Makati, giving flimsy excuses about "corruption"and other grievances, trying so hard to impress an image of the enlightened ones to make themselves look like heroes. Shall I give them the spoiled cheese? The Mouse Dear Mouse, No need. They do not even deserve your spoiled cheese, It is all spoilitics. The CAT Dear CAT, Can the humans hear us? The coffee shop seems very quiet. Not even a squeak of a mouse can be heard. The Mouse Dear Mouse, But you are a mouse, Mouse. The CAT Dear CAT, I thought I am the Politi-CAT's analyst. OH well. Squeak, squeak , squeak Translation: Coffee, humans ? The Mouse

The CAT IS BACK (later)

Dear Mouse,

The CAT is a quotation freak.

Her favorite,however, is a gift from a friend. It is a quotation done in cross stitch with a beautiful butterfly in the background.

It says:

If you love someone

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t, she’s never was.

Now, I have to ask the friend to cross stitich for me the new versions that another friend e-mailed me some two years ago, that I find very helpful these days in finding the right decisions with other people's concerns in mind.

Pessimist:

If you love someone

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t, as expected, she never was.

Optimist:

If you love someone

Set her free…

Do not worry, she will come back.

Suspicious

If you love someone

Set her free…

If she comes back, ask her why.

If you love someone

Set her free…

But get someone to follow her.

If you love someone

Do you really love that someone.

Go-getter

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t, go get her.

Hunter

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t, go hunt her down.

Impatient

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t come back within some time, forget her.

Patient

Set her free…

If she comes back, she's yours,

If she doesn’t, continue to wait until she comes back.

Possessive

Set her free…NEVER

Animal rights activist

Set her free,

In fact all living creatures deserve to be free.

Paranoid

When you let her go, she will be out to get you.

Swarzenegger’s fans

Set her free,

SHE WILL BE BACK

Pathetic

Set her free…

If she comes back,okay,

If she doesn’t how could she.

Sore Loser

Set her free…

If she comes back; dump her,

If she doesn’t, make up bad stories about her.

Mousey, this CAT is a fan of that actor whose name is difficult to spell.

GOT MILK?

The CAT

Time Warp Dear Mouse, My former roommate came with her two children, the boy from hell and and his little angel sister. She wanted to know, why I don’t pick up the phone. Yep. I missed the surprise birthday party for a friend. She brought me a left over ube cake. The boy behaved. My breakable stuffs on the coffee table were spared. A friend dropped by too. He said he has gotten already the coffee table and an étagère that our friends were giving away before they sell their parents’ house. The old couple returned to the Philippines for good. How could I missed the date when we are going to visit the first born baby of that friend of ours. He looked for my cell phone. It was still in my jacket’s pocket. Dead. He said he tried to reach me and left messages in my answering machine. Oh yeah, it is still blinking with 24 messages. I must have slept a century. Other friends, he said, came to get some loot such as the bed, the couch, a side table and a beautiful frame. Nothing interests me. They said , I am MIA. Missing in Action. They are planning to have a pot luck party for a friend whose birthday is July 28. It is my sister’s birthday too. I am in a time warp. My brother sent me cartoons. It is Garfield . It says, I better work, I am in a bad mood today. A cat on a toilet seat with eyes closed. I feel like going to the bathroom myself. And a little boy’s prayer. GOD pls take care of my daddy, my mommy, my sister, my brother, my DOGGY (what no cat?) and me And please take care of YOURSELF or else we will be in a big mess. A dog with glasses and pencil on its mouth. It says, sorry, I did the math, we cannot afford to have a CAT. I like them. Okay, I did not open the mails. I got the message. The CAT

The CAT as a friend Dear Mouse, Psychologists say that having a pet enhances our well being. Dogs adore their masters while cats adopt the humans who take them under their wings. What is wonderful with these two animals is that they love unconditionally. The humans' sins and shortcomings do not bother them at all. The dogs take the care of their masters with a loyalty that ends to their graves. It takes a while before a Cats' trust is gained. It is earned by stroking and making them feel the sincerity of the care. This CAT adopted an old friend long time ago. She has seen this friend metamorphosed from a silent suffering but strong woman during her husband's long illness; an independent jet-setting lady who usually spent her summer cruising to Carribean or visiting idyllic villages of India and Nepal; driving in rush hour traffic to buy her favorite chocolates and German cookies in one quaint store in busy downtown; and wrapping beautiful hand made crafts as gifts for her numerous friends during holidays and birthdays-to a plain tired woman who needed someone to take care of her. The nurses and caregivers that take care of her daily personal activities are round the clock. The children give the needed emotional support in order to make her adjustment in this mother takes care -of children-now children takes care of mother- role reversal life stages. The Cat has also reversed the role to a young friend-caring for the the-older friend from the previous old friend caring for the young. This week , the CAT excused from her work to see her. What was bugging her for the last few days were temporary forgotten the moment she saw the lady's attempt to get out of bed just to hug her. They never kiss or beso-beso; they just blow kisses and laughed. The whole hour that the CAT was there, the old lady's cheerfulness was so infectious that her roommate was also joining the laughter. She said that she was lucky to have the CAT as a friend. The CAT felt the same way. Having friends that betrayed her in the past for sheer jealousy, she will choose this woman who did not have any yarstick for choosing her friends anytime. Indeed, it is nice to have a CAT as a friend, a friend who will simply walk away in order to pave the way for a complete reconciliation of friends whose relationship suffered a crack, as to what caused it is entirely beyond the Cat's comprehension. The CAT

The BOOK Dear Mouse, Some considers television as the most important invention of humanity. I say, it is the book. It has many uses. It imparts knowledge first and foremost. When I was young and too lazy to study, I put the book under my pillow. I had that silly idea that the letters from the book would slowly crawl out of the papers and enter my head, then settle in my brain waiting for me to retrieve them. Now that I am adult, I find other uses of books. It is more effective than sleeping pills especially if one has aversion to reading. It can be used as seat cushion for tiny humans who can hardly reach the table in sitting position. It can be used for self defense...especially the heavy clothbound type. It is a good substitute for a kick to the groin by throwing it to the right target or using it like a brick to pound one's head. For me, it is a companion. It makes me laugh, cry (oopsie), and wonder and wander in another realm.(Did I read this somewhere ?). The CAT Dear CAT, You missed one...it is used as a concealer...to hide one's blemish by covering the face. Now can you please move the book sitting next to me? The Mouse

This blog is not abandoned. Dear Mouse, I did not realize the burnout not until the smoke got into my eyes. I simply wiped the eyes and took a piece of paper to make another plan. I am a workaholic Mouse, and a perfectionist too. A project that I undertook as a part and parcel of my Grand Plan for my life suffered a bump. After voluminous papers, phone calls and consultations, my expectation did not come to realization because there are some individuals who do not care to go beyond their check and file tasks. I cannot use a stronger word than STUPID and I do not want to use more derogatory word other than SH… I can blame my family’s stickler for moral uprightness for my inability to use an F word…There, I let it go. Haaaaaah I hate being a combination perfectionist and cliffhanger at the same time. Naah Mousey, I am unlike that detective who would straightened out crookedly hanged portraits, re-arranged furniture and wiped spilled liquids on floors, but I am already bordering to the thin line of obsessive-compulsive personality. I found out that 1. I can only leave the house color-coordinated, blue pants, blue jacket and blue shoes with matching blue socks. Blue disposition sometimes. I wished I had blue blood and blue eyes. 2.I can only leave the bathroom after checking if the sink is smudge-free, the bath tub without hair a-swimming in a tiny pool of water and the cat-night light, on. 3.I can only leave my bedroom when the bed linens are straightened up, computer turned off and you mouse are safely lying on your stomach in my comfy-cat-pic pad.. So you may ask me WHAT”S THE PROBLEM, CAT ? The problem is, I am also a cliffhanger personality, Mousey. What is a cliffhanger, you may ask? A cliffhanger is a personality who thrives on last minute frenzy-adrenaline-pushed energy to meet a commitment. I need the pressure to perform. I realized that I have never outgrown the cramming practices of reviewing before exams when I was a student. Using the mnemonic device to spare me from agonizing tasks of memorizing long terminologies and historic events, I passed the exam easily. It is not the same in real life, Mousey. So there is the conflict. A perfectionist-cum-cliff-hanger working with allergic-to-detail type of personality spells unharmonious work environment causing burnout. A person who cares deeply for people close to them most likely suffers a burnout when there are issues that need to be addressed but are left uncommunicated. The burnout may be in the form of a simple cough, a headache or a sudden falling in love with the bed sheets anytime of the day. It is a burnout when you swear that you never want to see someone again or you burst into tears watching a comedy Miss Congeniality or you easily freaked out even at the sound of the ringing telephone. It is a feeling that nobody can help you because you do not know how to tell him or her what the problem is. It is only the person who is suffering the burnout who can smother the flame. Before attending the Christening, I decided to take a walk while waiting for a store to open. I saw a lady wearing a short short pants showing her cellulite in her back thighs and a tattoo of roses with thorns. She must be feeling beautiful with this skimpy attire that she did not care of the less than 50-degree temperature. She must be feeling a burnt-out too. She dealt with it in her own style. A homeless approached a tourist with his scripted pathetic begging style; showing a few pieces of coins and singles and mentally computing the loose changes that he needs to be able to get a fare ticket going home. He is not a burnout -case He was totally engulfed by the fire and left him charred to the bones. Ahhh… A baby nibbling her mother’s hair while joyfully enjoying a bumpy ride due to her mother’s bouncing walks, is a beautiful sight especially when she smiles even to a stranger like me. The innocence of a baby gives warmth to a cold heart. The CAT

A LOVING ACT (CAT?) Dear Mouse, There is no act of lovingkindness that is too small or inconsequential. A flower picked from the roadside and is given to a depressed friend. A thank you note for a gift that was received in any occasion. A call to ask how is one doing when the person feels so alone. A box of cookies for evening shift nurses or cops or firemen . A 100 bill from a brother while in-between jobs. A touch to an ailing person and soothing sssssh for those in pain. Yes, dear mouse, all these acts have only one message. I love you LORD. The CAT Dear CAT, A flower picked from the roadside and is given to a depressed friend.- Be sure that the friend has no allergy for pollens. Slap a friend when she says you are cheap. A thank you note for a gift that was received in any occasion. And recycle the gift by giving them to others ? hehehe A call to ask how is one doing when the person feels so alone. Call again and tell her she won a prize. Do not blame me if she bangs the phone. She does not like telemarketer. A box of cookies for evening shift nurses or cops or firemen Got milk ?. A 100 bill from a brother while in-between jobs. Tell me the address. A touch to an ailing person and soothing sssssh for those in pain. Be sure you do not scratch them. The Mouse And now for the news Lightning Strikes Preacher Who Asked For Sign Bolt Hits Steeple, Travels Through Guest Evangelist's Microphone -- Damage to a church in Forest, Ohio, is estimated at $20,000 after a preacher asked God for a sign. A member of the First Baptist Church said a guest evangelist was preaching repentance and seeking a sign from God when lightning struckthe steeple. Ronnie Cheney called the incident "awesome, just awesome!" The Associated Press. All rights reserved. Did I hear somebody say..Si GOD naman hindi mabiro.

Dear Mouse, Is there life after youth ? I read a blog of a guy who just turned 21 years old and has just recently joined his mother in the States after being separated for a number of years. He feels depressed and I can understand why. Why I know why ? You know why. This message is for him. As we undego life's passages, we are thrown off balance. People feel low when the crucial shifts occur. As we experience the changes, we should give up some magic that we thought we have; we should shed the hard protective shells provided by the parents. It is time to grow and to face the world with the new shell that replaces the old. No one is exempted from these sheddings. It will pass. So is the sad feeling. Yes, there is life after youth. Many of us create dramas in our mind that become self-fullfiling prophecy. That is youth. Become an adult and face the transformative process with a greater belief on oneself. The CAT Dear CAT, You should have addressed it to to whom it may concern. This happens not only to the young ones but to the adult as well. Changes of whatever kind affect these humans-, graduation, marriage, childbirth, change in career, change in residence , divorce etc. I know one CAT that almost jumped to the freeway due to depression. It was only the thought of being featured in the newspapers in gory pic that prevented her from doing such stupid thought of ending her life. (vanity saved her, hehehe) "Pulling up roots" has two meanings. It may refer to the individual making a big move by leaving his childhood friends and families to settle in an entirely new environment, new culture and new groups of people. It may also refer to the transition from adolescence to adulthood. In two cases, there is the fear of that haunts these humans -the security and the future. There is grief of separation from friends who give the emotional support in the past passages of life. There is the feeling of dissilusionment for some members of the family whose desire is to make them independent and have their own identity. There is storm to surmount during these years but it will facilitate the progression to the next development stage. The questions, where do I start, Where will I go, How will I do it, who can help me and how did they do it are just but common questions to humans who are about to start a new world of his/her own. The decision depends on the individual. How many of the humans can sever the financial and emotional ties to the family? How many of those driven humans whose previous world was "applauded" one adjust to a lackluster life. How many of those who peaked early start all over again. The Mouse Dear Mouse, I cannot believe that you can be serious if you want to. I am uncomfortable Mouse. It is just like watching Tom and Jerry becoming friends, Sylvester becoming the protector of Tweety and Coyote and Road runner running side by side. Stop eating that spoiled cheese. I get goosebumps. Get a life. The CAT

Random thoughts, sights and notes Dear Mouse, Sorry, I left you unstroked for a couple of hours, twelve hours, the most. I had some important task to do. I left without taking my breakfast. The Coffee shop was closed. The humans were away. One patron was off to Singapore and the rest are with some friends and members of the family celebrating . As you know I have no family within the 45 mile radius. I communicate with them thru you. I decided to take the train. Except for a handful of people, the train was practically empty. There was one father trying to stop her baby from grabbing the orangutan-shaped backpack of a young lady. The baby was making sounds of protest. I think the orang-utan understood her. It leaned on her side. A lady across my seat was doing her beauty ceremonies. It is unethical to oggle but I cannot help but admire her adeptness in drawing her almost perfect eyebrow, curl-lashed her eyelashes and turned her otherwise thick lips into sensuous shining lips. I wished I can put a sign. Slippery, newly waxed. A family of four were having their grand time too. The youngest member was biting the ear of the brother who was busy role- playing the Terminator using her sister’s Barbie doll as the ultimate laser weapon. The father was busy reading the papers and the mother looked amused at the antics of her brood. A man in the Twilight Zone got by and offered his earphone to the Chinese guy seated by the door. He said that it’s free. He can hear God talking. The Chinese guy shook his head vigorously. He must be an Atheist. Unfazed by the rejection, the man approached the man seated next to me. Again, he offered the earphone. Thought balloon…thank you, I got my direct line to GOD. Hehehe I thought I should eat breakfast. I went to the nearest coffee shop. No lines. I sat in a table facing the door. The woman next to me was sipping her coffee while she doodled loops and triangles in her note pad. If she were an artist, she must be an abstractionist. An old man was sipping his hot coffee. Schwop scwhop. I like to fasten myself in the table. I might get sucked. A lady with the boobs bought from the store eyed the man who just came in. Rendezvous. Ahh love. I bought me a croissant sandwich. I could almost hear my officemate blurting her usual nagging when we bring a sandwich and coffee from a fastfood chain.” I could not figure out you guys paying so much for a piece of thing that you can prepare at home. The cost of the breakdast includes the wages of those nose-ringed and long clawed food attendants . Blah blah blah. “ I looked at the cute lady who was attending to some customers. She smiled at me.She must have read my thoughts. She was trying to make a living. While waiting for the bus, the beautiful Kashmir beaded carpets displayed in the window caught my eyes. Beautiful. The stones that were handsewn can be mistaken as a precious stones. Ahmmmm.. A buyer of that carpet can recycle the stones into jewelries and the carpet would still be beautiful with those embossed colorful embroideries. Beyond the carpets, I can see young hungry children trying to come up with a beautiful carpet to be admired by some filty rich people who will buy and make that a part of their prized possessions. A carpet woven with tears and sweats from poor children trying to survive. Came the bus and off to something more intriguing slice of life. The CAT

Short questions The questions are meant to the CAT and the Human Pet. For the CAT 1.  What do you most want to be remembered for? A cat that can talk-nasty that is 2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life? KISS -keep it simple stup... 3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year? Having a mouse under my command.(hope it does not freeze again). 4. What about the past ten years? Keeping dogs off my door. 5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say? There is always a cat and a dog in your life. Choose the best option. (Grin ear to ear..pick me pick me). Human Pet 1. What do you most want to be remembered for? I tried my best all the time. 2. What quotation best fits your outlook on life? My job is to take care of the possible and trust God with the impossible. 3. What single achievement are you most proud of in the past year? Humbling myself (well almost) I realize the proverb of James 4:10, humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord and he shall lift you up. 4. What about the past ten years? That I have done something that benefit others. 5. If you were asked to give a child a single piece of advice to guide them through life, what would you say? Like a postage stamp, stick to one until you get to your intended destination. Dear Mouse, What about you? The CAT ==== More short questions: A. Name some items that are in your desk that  should not be there.   1. sunflower seeds 2. a hammer 3. a CAT B. Name some items that are in your bed that should not be there. 1. sunflower seeds 2. an empty evian bottle 3. a CAT C. Name some items that are in your dining table that should not be there 1. sunflower seeds 2. a nail clipper 3. a CAT D. Name some items that are in your bathroom that should not be there 1. sunflower seeds 2. 200 pairs of shoes (hehehehe) 3. a CAT E. Name some times that are in your coffee table that should not be there. 1 sunflower seed 2. a pacifier ( Whaaat, a memento of a visit from a friend with two young kids) 3. a CAT Dear Mouse, What about you ? The CAT

Good-ah ? Now that is strange, I thought that my blog yesterday was not published. Dear Diary, I feel I have to comment on the list of stuff that makes one feel good. 1.Falling in love. Some humans become more depressed when they see the word love. Some fall in love so easily, that they do not know the meaning of love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. Not for the aesthetically assisted beauties who do not want their faces stretched. Have you seen cats smile? 3. A hot shower. No way for cats. Try bringing the cat to the shower. 4. No lines at the supermarket No sale ? 5. A special glance. Hmm, try wiping your face. 6. Getting mail If they are spam or junk, no thanks 7. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. With aspirins and cough syrup by the bedside. arghhh 8. A long distance phone call. Collect ? no thanks. 9. A bubble bath. Then the phone suddenly rings. 10. Laughing at yourself. Something is wrong. 11. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. Some people are not considerate. 12. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. Code Alert. Sanity check please. 13. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. You must be kidding. 14. Playing with a new puppy. This is it. This is an outrage. MEOW The CAT

Feelings Yesterday, in the midst of finishing a lot of spreadhseets and summarizing e.o.m reports coming from other departments, the server crushed. When the system was fixed, I found this from my mail from a sweet person in our organization. The letter has an instruction to send it to 7 people. This is a short cut. Are there seven people reading me ? I found some true to me but I cannot forgive the author of this chain letter whoever he/she is for statement 30. meow The CAT 1. Falling in love. 2. Laughing so hard your face hurts. 3. A hot shower. 4. No lines at the supermarket 5. A special glance. 6. Getting mail 7. Taking a drive on a pretty road. 8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio. 9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside. 10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer. 11. Finding the sweater you want is on sale for half price. 12. Chocolate milkshake. (or vanilla!) (or strawberry) 13. A long distance phone call. 14. A bubble bath. 15. Giggling. 16. A good conversation. 17 The beach 18. Finding a 20 note in your coat from last winter. 19. Laughing at yourself. 20. Midnight phone calls that last for hours. 21. Running through sprinklers. 22. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all. 23. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful. 24. Laughing at an inside joke. 25. Friends. 26. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about u. 27. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep. 28. Your first kiss (either the very first or with a new partner). 29. Making new friends or spending time with old ones. 30. Playing with a new puppy. 31. Having someone play with your hair. 32. Sweet dreams. 33. Hot chocolate. 34. Road trips with friends. 35. Swinging on swings. 36. Wrapping presents under the Christmas tree while eating okies and drinking your favorite drink. 37. Song lyrics printed inside your new CD so you can sing along without feeling stupid. 38. Going to a really good concert. 39. Making eye contact with a cute stranger 40. Winning a really competitive game. 41. Making chocolate chip cookies. 42. Having your friends send you homemade cookies. 43. Spending time with close friends. 44. Seeing smiles and hearing laughter from your friends. 45. Holding hands with someone you care about. 46. Running into an old friend and realizing that some things (good or bad) never change. 47. Riding the best roller coasters over and over. 48. Watching the expression on someone's face as they open a much desired present from you. 49. Watching the sunrise. 50. Getting out of bed every morning and being grateful for another beautiful day.

Emotional bug-gage Dear Diary, I have been watching a lot of detective stories that I am becoming paranoid. I have been checking my lampshade if there are any bugs that were planted by my imaginary enewahs. Yes, indeed, I found one bug. But this is a live bug. I needed to spray some insecticides. Because of the heat, my windows are opened and the bugs can freely climb without the use of the climbing gears used by James Bond. The relatives of Spider Man are very prolific in making traps for these bugs that I allow them to settle in inconspicuous corners. This morning, after spraying, I dropped my ring. I stooped to pick it up when my necklace broke and landed under the my desk. As I was about to stand up, my arm hit the keyboard support. There goes my bracelet. Time to go without the ring, the necklace and the bracelet. I feel NAKEDDDDDDDDDDDDDDdd. Damn those bugs.... The CAT.