Tuesday, January 31, 2006
On a recent weekend in Atlantic City, a woman won a bucketful of quarters at a slot machine. She took a break from the slots for dinner with her husband in the hotel dining room. But first she wanted to stash the quarters in her room. "I'll be right back and we'll go to eat," she told her husband and carried the coin-laden bucket to the elevator.
As she was about to walk into the elevator she noticed two men already aboard. Both were black. One of them was tall....very tall...an intimidating figure. The woman froze.
Her first thought was: These two are going to rob me. Her next thought was: Don't be a bigot, they look like perfectly nice gentlemen. But racial stereotypes are powerful, and fear immobilized her. She stood and stared at the two men.
She felt anxious, flustered and ashamed. She hoped they didn't read her mind but Gosh, they had to know what she was thinking!!!
Her hesitation about joining them in the elevator was all too obvious now. Her face was flushed. She couldn't just stand there, so with a mighty effort of will she picked up one foot and stepped forward and followed with the other foot and was on the elevator.
Avoiding eye contact, she turned around stiffly and faced the elevator doors as they closed. A second passed, and the another second, and then another. Her fear increased!
The elevator didn't move. Panic consumed her. My God, she thought, I'm trapped and about to be robbed! Her heart plummeted. Perspiration poured from every pore. Then one of the men said, "Hit the floor." Instinct told her to do what they told her.
The bucket of quarters flew upwards as she threw out her arms and collapsed on the elevator floor. A shower of coins rained down on her. Take my money and spare me, she prayed.
More seconds passed. She heard one of the men say politely, "Ma'am, if you'll just tell us what floor you're going to, we'll push the button." The one who said it had a little trouble getting the words out. He was trying mightily to hold in a belly laugh. The woman lifted her head and looked up at the two men. They reached down to help her up. Confused, she struggled to her feet.
"When I told my friend here to hit the floor," said the average sized one, "I meant that he should hit the elevator button for our floor I didn't mean for you to hit the floor, ma'am." He spoke genially. He bit his lip. It was obvious he was having a hard time not laughing.
The woman thought :" My God, what a spectacle I've made of myself." She was too humiliated to speak.. She wanted to blurt out an apology, but words failed her. How do you apologize to two perfectly respectable gentlemen for behaving as though they were going to rob you? She didn't know what to say. The three of them gathered up the strewn quarters and refilled her bucket.
When the elevator arrived at her floor they then insisted on walking her to her room. She seemed a little unsteady on her feet, and they were afraid she might not make it down the corridor. At her door they bid her a good evening.
As she slipped into her room she could hear them roaring with laughter as they walked back to the elevator. The woman brushed herself off. She pulled herself together and went downstairs for dinner with her husband.
The next morning flowers were delivered to her room - a dozen roses. Attached to EACH rose was a crisp one hundred dollar bill. The card said: "Thanks for the best laugh we've had in years."
It was signed; Eddie Murphy and Michael Jordan.
Friday, January 20, 2006
i am 26 today.
i am thankful for another year of pure love from my husband, looking forward to seeing my angel in three more months, grateful for all the blessings that god sends my way.
and of course, i feel utterly indebted to all my friends who have been with me through life's ups and downs. i love you all! you make this world a better place for me to live in.
and now, something from friendster. many many thanks to omnesiac for such a lovely testimonial (june 2004):
"Layla is an old soul, wise for her years, that's why I guess we got along very well. She loves her family and friends to death. She weathers life's challenges in a strange but effective fashion of optimism balanced with a healthy dose of pragmatism. Layla is sort of a cross between Jessica Zafra and Love Añover. It's that always wonderful struggle between dawn and dusk, joy and sadness... Layla knows as I do that only when you've gone through your way through the night could you appreciate morning sunshine, and with each day passing, the appreciation and joy grows even more so. Lay takes life by the horns, rides risks, is never afraid to love, lose, and love again... and for those things she is always amply rewarded by destiny."
Thursday, January 12, 2006
i was searching, looking for you and then i find you smiling. i come up to you and ask where you've been and that i've missed you. i ask you if you missed me too and you say yes you did.
i look at your face, hold your cheeks with both my hands and say how cute you look. and then i ask you to walk with me, i forget where to, but you do.
we hold hands and i can feel you shaking, as if you love me the way i love and are happy and giddy with the simple intimacy. i think of asking you why you are trembling but stop myself just in time.
all the time we were walking i could sensehis shadow behind us, following our every step, watching our every move. but he does not interfere. we reach your dorm, and then i wake up, sad that the dream had ended far too soon.
i know i got over you a long time ago but i realize maybe i haven't really stopped loving you, not entirely, no.
i love him with all my heart and am thankful for every second since i met him. but i loved you first and that counts for something, i think.
i remember there's another part of that dream, where you were telling me, no asking me why we did not get together sooner. i told you it was all up to you and in that dream you knew exactly how i felt for you for four years. deep down i know, after all these years, i'm still hoping you felt the same way for me too.
maybe i need to let go. but that's just it, i don't want to. fantasy is so much sweeter than reality.
tuesday night we attended this post-christmas party of the kbp and there was a raffle where everybody could take home at least one prize. well, joks and i took home a desk fan. so we have two identical new fans. great, right? it's just that during our company christmas party, joks and i won two stand fans. wonderful. i had been eyeing the motorola cellphone that had been up for grabs during the party last tuesday but no, i had to get the electric fan when i had two at home, one in the office, and another one at my mom's place. the 21" sony wega tv wouldn't have been too bad either, nor the microwave oven or the dvd player. clearly, i was out of luck. oh well, at least we took home something. anybody need a desk fan? the brand's union and the box is still unopened. i'm willing to take php500 for it. takers, anyone?
***
last week we had a scare that i would be delivering the baby too early. i was having painful contractions for days and i had to go to the hospital for a non-stress test to see how the baby is doing. there was even a point where the possibility of a cyst in my ovary was considered. it was ruled out after an extensive ultrasound exam, whew! thankfully, after five days of taking medication and bed rest, the baby and i are fine now. whew.
***
finally, after hours of searching, joks bought me an mp3 player as an early birthday present. i'll let you take a peek as soon as i take its picture. i'm naming it *melody* and i'm taking her everywhere i go. lalala. next project: digital camera.
