Caveat Lector

Ugh, Sunday.

2011-09-26T03:46:00.000+08:00

Sa totoo lang, ayoko mag Sunday. Although walang pasok sa araw na 'to, pinapaalala nito ang araw kinabukasan, the dreaded first day of the work week: Monday. As much as possible, ayokong nasasayang ang Linggo ko. So nung madaling-araw ng Linggo (bago ako matulog), niyaya ko si Pops na pumunta sa isang religious shrine, kesyo Catholic church pa yun or Taoist temple OK lang, basta tahimik. Pero bago yun, niyaya ko muna syang kunin ang free pizza ko sa Angel's Pizza sa Citygolf (Valle Verde area) para may pang merienda kami. Usapan namin 5 PM sa Starbucks Home Depot, pero as usual, Japan Time ang timezone ng kaibigan ko: 6 PM na sya dumating. Oh well! Napa-order pa tuloy ako ng frap ng wala sa oras. Pagdating pa nya, paghalungkat ko sa bag ko nung vouchers, aba, WALA! Nakalimutan ko yata sa bahay, jusko po. So and ending, wala kaming pizza. Pumunta na lang kami ng Megamall para mag-dinner.

Sa Food Court kami tumambay para sabi ko kamo, may free Wi-Fi, para maturuan ko na syang butingtingin ang bagong phone nya. Kumain muna kami (um-order sya ng pasta plate sa World Chicken at ako naman ng La Paz batchoy at chicken barbecue meal sa Inasal Joe) just to find out na, makaka-connect nga kami sa network pero hindi naman maka-browse. Geez. Nagyaya tuloy magkape si Pops at nag-suggest akong mag-Bo's na lang dahil mabilis ang Internet connection dun.

Nilibre ako ni Pops ng isang malaking White Chocolate Frocino, um-order sya ng Chocolate Chip Frocino na pareho namang OK. Um-order din sya ng slice ng Sansrival na I doubt ay authentic. Hindi ko natikman, na-enjoy masyado ni Pops yung dessert nya hehehe. AT! This time, nakaka-connect nga kami at nakaka-browse, pero intermittent naman! Susme, ang malas ni Pops. Kaya pinasakit lang namin ang tiyan namin dahil minadali namin ang pag-inom dahil pupunta na lang kami sa Cyberzone area para i-try ang connection dun. Wala ring kwenta! Pumasok pa kami mismo sa loob ng Samsung store para i-try din ang connection dun (LOL) pero wala rin. Hahaha! Ang ending, hindi na namin hinintay na magsara ang mall at dumiretso na lang sa katedral ng Pasig para mag-offer ng prayer sa aming favorite spot, sa gilid ng adoration chapel, sa tirikan ng mga kandila. Nag-register na lang kami sa Powersurf at tumambay sa little park sa labas ng simbahan para maturuan ko na sya at last, at para narin makapagkwentuhan.

Catching Up, At Last

2011-09-25T02:39:00.002+08:00

Recently, I just realized na mahina na ang "studently" powers ko. Hindi na ako masyadong matalas sa memorization unlike before. Kahapon kasi, nagkaroon kami ng weekend exam, it was a pain in the ass memorizing a big number of newly-introduced terms in a span of 5 days. Walang pumapasok sa isip ko masyado habang nagka-cram; siguro dahil na rin merong mga distractions lately, pero hindi ko muna babanggitin dito dahil masyadong personal.

After shift, it is our (Leo, Pops and me) usual routine na magkita-kita sa pantry para manuod ng Mythbusters habang hinihintay na mag-die down ang crowd na nakapila sa elevator pababa. Nung isang araw, nagyaya si Megs na mag-breakfast pagka-out namin, tutal daw eh may scheduled syang salon activity by 8 AM sa Victor Ortega sa Mandaluyong. So nagkape muna kami sa pantry at konting kwentuhan habang hinihintay si Megs.

Onga pala, finally nag-decide na si Pops na bumili ng bagong cell phone. Ang guess what? Samsung Galaxy Ace din ang binili nya LOL. So ang ending, pare-pareho kaming tatlo ng cellphone. Mukhang na-engganyo na si Pops sa mga oohs and aahs namin over our Android babies. Nagpapaturo ng basics si Pops at natutuwa sya sa features and functions. Buti naman at nagustuhan nya na rin ang Samsung, dahil nung una suklam na suklam sya sa brand na yun.

Gusto nga sana namin kumain sa Soms or at least sa Chic-Boy sa Boni man lang, kaso dahil alas-siete pa lang ng umaga nun, napunta kami sa R&J's Bulaluhan (na long-time favorite ko na rin naman). Catching up over lotsa food!

Punong-puno ang R&J's pagdating namin, buti na lang meron kaming napwestuhan. We ordered Shanghai rolls, shortribs in black (tausi) sauce, halabos na hipon, tortang talong and garlic fried chicken. Syempre, the usual very sinful na sabaw ng bulalo. Burp!

After the hefty breakfast, pumunta kami sa Bean Perk sa tapat ng RTU para magkape/dessert. It was my first time visiting the coffee shop and I thought it was so-so. OK naman sya, hindi kasing ganda aesthetically like the usual coffee shop but it has its own unique charm.

Ang weird-good din ng mga pangalan ng kape (Choc-nut Frappe, Kahlua Java, White Night in Venice, etc.) and they tasted fine. Pero hindi sya mura ah. 150 pesos for a Grande drink? The Wi-Fi is free pero nung panahon na yun, hindi gumagana ang Internet connection, excited pa naman kaming install-an ng maraming apps ang new toy ni Pops.

Na-mention nga namin na nami-miss na naming mag out-of-town. Sa ngayon wala pa kaming plano dahil sobrang busy pa namin. Hope we can schedule kahit a quick getaway real soon!

Random Rambling on a Tuesday Morning

2011-09-20T18:06:00.001+08:00

I love the view of the Pasig River at the break of dawn. Iba yung feeling-- nare-relax ako. The rising sun on the horizon gives me the feeling of hope, the feeling of a new life. It kind of tells me that everything will be OK soon.

Kanina after work, niyaya ako ni Pops na dumaan sa simbahan ng Pasig. Syempre, the kaladkarin that I am, sumama ako and even told her to drop by our high school muna para kunin ko yung year book na 6 years in the making. Napaka-nostalgic ng feeling pagpasok namin sa loob.

Nakaka-disappoint lang na eto lang ang picture na nakuha namin sa quadrangle ng LICS (La Immaculada Concepcion School) nung nakatambay kami sa cashier area. Si manong guard naman kasi, umaaligid sa amin na para bang mangingidnap kami ng bata. Marami na ring nagbago sa pagkakaayos, pero it's the same four corners of our former school, wala naman masyadong reconstruction na naganap. We even saw some of our teachers pero mukhang hindi nila kami namumukhaan, so nginingitian na lang namin sila.

Eto ang street sa labas ng school namin na punung-puno ng masasayang memories. I was transported back in time habang nagre-reminisce na naman (ginawa na namin ni Pops 'to before). Wala na ang LICS Food Center, ang tambayan naming café after class; wala na rin ang LICS Hair Center (the official school salon LOL), at mga vendors sa paligid.

We ended the day saying a little prayer sa tirikan ng mga kandila sa gilid ng Pasig Cathedral.

Rainy Saturday Afternoon Coffee

2011-09-17T16:32:00.001+08:00

This is comforting.

The Shingles Chronicle

2011-08-26T09:56:00.003+08:00

Sometimes, I just can't take how perverse the universe can become. At one point the stars would conspire to make all your plans sing in perfect unison, and on the other they contrive to bring about the holiest mess of your life. Our fate is always at the mercy of an invisible cosmic hand that constantly casts the dice of our destiny. And enough of this cheesy introduction.

Three weeks ago, I watched Captain America with Pops and Cedric. After the movie, we decided to eat at Krung Thai, my favorite hole-in-the-wall Thai resto in Marikina. We ordered a few items in the menu, but later did we discover that the servings are typical of a pig fest, quite a lot for the the three of us. After gorging ourselves full and silly, I felt like my tummy's gonna burst into smithereens. The feast, however, did not stop there --we decided to drink afterwards.

To make the long story short, we had one hell of a great time. But little did I know that it was the start of a hideous disease that plagues me until now.

I lasted the whole week feeling bloated and uncomfortable. I may not be in the tip-top shape, but I always took pride of my superb immune system, thus I would know right away if something's wrong with my body. I realized that the puffed up feeling and the occasional itch here and there have been a little bit concerning, but I ignored the subtle signs.

One Thursday afternoon, I woke up with a very itchy patch of berry-like rashes on my lower right torso. It was accompanied by a general sense of malaise--you know that uneasy feeling indicative of a upcoming illness? A few hours later, I was feverish and my skin was very sensitive to touch. I decided to have my condition checked, and voila, the doctor told me that it's herpes.

"HERPES what now?!" my mind was trying to absorb what the doctor just told me. Herpes?! Isn't that an STD? Oh my God, where did I fucking get it? All I could remember was I haven't been sexually promiscuous recently, or active at the very least.

The doctor seemed to comprehend my gestures. "I could understand how painful that could be, hijo. I once had a patient, a nun, who would even scream in pain during neuropathic attacks. And by the way, this condition is common in the elderly. Pangalawa ka pa lang na pasyente kong bata pa na meron nyan..."

I was not sure if the doctor was telling me that I should have gotten this too soon, or the nun had not been very keen with her vows of chastity. She also told me about how "neuropathically painful" it could be, when all I was feeling is a slight tingle in the flesh when I brush my fingers on the rashes. Anyway, she prescribed a number of medicines and handed me over a medical certificate indicating that I should take a sick leave of two to three weeks. "You need to rest at home and isolate yourself inside your room. You are highly contagious," she continued.

I immediately consulted the Internet when I got back home. I was relieved to learn that the "herpes zoster " I got is different from the more dreaded "herpes simplex," which is the STD. Suddenly, they all made sense: the nun, the elderly, the pain. The disease is more popularly called "shingles," a reoccurence of the chickenpox virus. Of course shingles sounded a lot better than herpes, so every time people asked about my disease, l confidently said that "I've got the shingles."

the lesions on one of the lesser disgusting stages

Nice. Two to three weeks could mean no salary next month, but hey, I could rest like a millionaire and even set off on a vacation. I eagerly texted my boss, telling her that I couldn't make it to work in the next three weeks, as I was "highly contagious." But vacation was the last thing on my mind when the real deal started to kick in.

The rash spread on my right torso in no time. A few days later, I could relate to the nun the doctor told me about-- the pain was very excruciating and awfully invalidating that I found it hard to even sit on the bed. I felt like someone was stabbing me with a knife on different parts of my torso, and the pain was not just "flesh pain," but more of "nerve pain." I would cry on every debilitating pang, thankfully an anti-neuropathic drug held the pain at bay every night when I was about to sleep. The rashes grew in number and size every day. I felt like dying.

A week later, my condition started to improve. The lesions started to weep disgusting serum, and a few days later they began to bleed and dry up. Currently, they are all itchy thanks to the scabs, but I'm happy that they're healing faster than I expected. The only problem is, the bloated feeling is back, and this time it's causing me a lot of pain. I wonder if it's just part of the repair process, but I have a strong feeling that the pain is associated with either my spleen, liver or pancreas. I'll try to have it checked by the doctor later.

Ok, I lied. That was the most disgusting stage of the lesions.

Random Thoughts, a Few Hours Before August

2011-07-30T16:49:00.007+08:00

I started my cheat weekend (LOL, cheat weekend, whatever) by eating a humongous slice of Goblin Pie that I bought from Banapple the other day for my sister's birthday. I was quite surprised to see my first love on the menu as I thought it is exclusively available during the Halloween season. Without any second thoughts, I took a whole pie home. I felt obliged to tell my folks back home that the thing is a dessert pie and not a cake, but I finally decided to skip the lecture. Who cares about the subtle difference when both are round, sweet and fudgy anyway? :D

Again, Happy Birthday Rosette! Isa na namang taon ang nadagdag sa edad mo. Next time ako naman ang ilibre mo ah, hmp! ;p

*****

A week ago, we (Mackie, Jeric, Pops and me) were on an untimely vacation.

July 20, 2011, Wednesday. 2:45 AM. At the office.

me: "Boss, let me just remind you na bukas na yung flight ko papuntang Palawan ah."

my boss: "WTH?!"

Apparently, he kept on forgetting what I kept on reminding him about. Anyway, wala naman syang nagawa and hinayaan nya na lang akong mag-Unpaid Leave kinabukasan at sa mga sumunod na araw hehehehe. At tuloy ang ligaya!

Dang, Coron is one hell of a place-- a paradise!

I'll just let the pictures speak for themselves ;)

VIEW MY FLICKR PHOTOS

Travel Gear Shopping Spartan-style

2011-07-18T05:57:00.009+08:00

For the longest time, I've been contemplating if I'm gonna buy this hiking sack to complete my gala gears and ultimately solve my travel luggage conundrum. A few months back, I kept coming back to the luggage section of Sta. Lucia Mall's department store and ogled cynically at the price tag, saying that they had slashed 50% off the bag's original price (the bag is originally priced at Php2,999). The sales man, of course exhibiting his usual commercial tact, actually advised that I should buy it right away as the sale was a limited-time offer. When I realized that I got to dedicate my hard-earned moolah to some more important stuff, with a teary eye I walked away from the bargain like a jilted lover.

Yesterday, I thought I'd be an unrelenting suitor and checked if Penelope was still faithfully sitting on her corner of the store. My eyes were fixed on a single direction and went straight to that same section where the bag was. Luckily, the sack was still there. I reached out for the price tag, filled with hopes that it would still profess her steadfast love for me.

(The bag was still on sale! Goddamn these marketing shenanigans.)

I was ecstatic nonetheless, but didn't show any signs of joy to the attending sales man. Instead, I acted like a meticulous, poker-faced shopper, examining the details of the bag inch by inch. I let him demonstrate all the features of the sack including the rain cover, zippers, pockets, straps, metal frame back support and the quality of the materials used.

"OK. Bilhin ko na yan." I told the sales man after a rigorous inspection. He gladly escorted me to the cashier, and I thanked him for being very helpful. Hah, Penelope is my slave now. LOL

But my shopping episode did not end there. I raided Japan Home Center and looked around gleefully like a little child in a toy store. I ended up buying a seven-piece pack of disposable underwear (LOL), an industrial version of a Swiss army knife and a waterproof pouch. I made a quick trip to National Bookstore and bought a pack of Ice Breaker before going home.

Well now at least a new set of gears were added to my travel collection. Hell, I'm off to Coron in a few days! :D

Random Thoughts: July

2011-07-17T06:10:00.005+08:00

What a shame. I was too busy with my mundane life that I forgot to post a single blog entry for June.

And it's not a good sign.

You see, when I am too busy to post a single nonsensical musing in this corner of the cyberworld, it means that I have no free time to horse around, ergo I am a philosophically lifeless automaton designed to execute schematic/stupid/boring programs (read: just like everyone else in the world). Whatever happened to my quasi-hedonistic attitude towards life.

Well, what the hell. "My life always begin," and it will sure end in a very timely manner. Aside from making it my proverbial mantra to keep a positive outlook in life, it serves as a seemingly intelligent excuse to slack off and procrastinate, and my blog has always been a willing victim. This might be a tad overused (and oftentimes a "broken promise" material), but starting today I will try to update my blog more often than ever. No, I'm not crossing my fingers.

Anyway, I just had an unproductive Saturday. Working the graveyard shift is a bane as it is a boon to me. I have grown almost oblivious to Friday nights and the joy they bring, but at least I still have my Saturdays. I can proudly swagger it to the face of my weekend-basking friends and tell them, "hey, I have my social life too, you know." And at least I don't need to box people out at 7:30 AM just to board the bus or train.

I woke up late in the evening yesterday, and there you go, my Saturday was all down the drain. I was left with a few remaining hours to call my Saturday a real Saturday. Father Time ages quickly, and fortunately I know how to use my time cunningly and it's like smudging Olay Age-Defying Cream on his wrinkled face.

So to rescue my Saturday from utter boredom, I opted to go to Banchetto Megatent along Meralco Avenue. I was anti-culture shocked to see the unusually small crowd flocking the stalls. I guess it has garnered less patrons ever since it was expelled from its former Ortigas location. Although I kind of missed Emerald's organized chaos and the shoulder-to-shoulder traffic, I liked the new setting better. No long wait times and I can frolic around freely like a wolf in a sheepfold.

I giddily gobbled up my isaw baboy, Batac empanada (a delicious orange empanada with savory filling, which I personally prefer over the Vigan version), Luther Burger (this is definitely the killer. A thick slab of patty and strips of bacon sandwiched between Krispy Kreme donut "buns.") and Chocolate-Peanut Butter cake. Then I bought these pastry bar trio as a takeaway: Gooey Almond, Food for the Gods and Chocolate Revel Bars! Damn it, my low-calorie diet proved futile at last.

My Saturday was not bad at all, was it?

Random Thoughts: May

2011-05-18T21:31:00.002+08:00

People are used to seeing the bad things more than the good. Could it be a concrete proof of man's innate propensity to set things right? Or is it man's inclination to strive for perfection, Pride as an original sin, which caused the fall of Lucifer and his hosts of angels?

A perfect and hackneyed example of this epistemological concept is a white paper stained with a minuscule blot of black ink. We have this tendency to fix our eyes on things that, we think, are not part of a perfect picture: with a raised eyebrow you look at this blot of imperfection and ask, "what the hell is this tiny, almost-invisible-if-only-I-am-not-a-nitpicking-asshole blot doing here?"

Now you can ask yourself, "what is the purpose of this paper in the first place? Will the patches of stain here and there affect the way I am going to use it? Is there a need for me to dab white paint over an insignificant blotch? Should I throw it away just because it is not 'perfect?'"

Well, I should have known from the start. When a person walks into my life and pull on my heartstrings, he or she will be serving some sort of a purpose. Never mind the spots, as I myself am not perfect anyway.

March Wows and Woes

2011-04-19T02:11:00.005+08:00

March passed by like a thief in the night, and I was not able to keep up with my vow to at least post one blog entry every month. I therefore conclude that March has been a busy month for me. Really now.

Interestingly enough, the day after I published the last melodramatic entry about my practicum woes (that was a Valentine's Day), I received a text message from a hotel's HR department, inviting me over for an interview-- I never knew blog entries are now the fastest way to God's mailbox. So I headed to the hotel the following day (a not-so-famous hotel in Cubao), went through the typical exam-and-interview recruitment process and a few hours later, I was proven useful again. Luckily, I was assigned in the Human Resources department and saved me the hassle of carrying heavy oval trays in the Food & Beverage department or bundles of linen in the Housekeeping department. The HR officer might have been intrigued, as I was the only applicant (or the only person in the hotel, for that matter) who got a perfect score on the exam.

Everything's kind of a cakewalk for the whole duration of my training in the HR department. Though the job of an intern in the office could be menial and boring, I am proud to say that I have learned a lot of things, professional or otherwise. Cutting to the chase, most of them are Human Resources-related, essential tidbits to help me land a job more easily. 6 weeks after, I'm back to being a bum.

But we're not on the worst part yet.

Processing the application for graduation is such a major pain in the fucking ass. Tiniis ko ang pagkahaba-habang mga pila na kelangan ipila at ang hirap ng pagpo-proseso in general, just to learn that I'M STILL NOT GRADUATING. Why? Marami pa daw akong deficiencies. Subjects from 1st and 2nd year na wala sa curriculum na ginamit ko dati, knowing na tapos ko na ang 1st and 2nd year subjects ko. Plain fucking BULLSHITTING, right? Who the fucking hell cares anyway?

OK, I'm having iced tea.

Random Thoughts: February

2011-02-14T02:44:00.010+08:00

I've been such a dork for the past few months. Hay, what a fucked up season ('scuse my French). So here I am, 3:00 AM na, hindi ako makatulog. Dinadaya ang sarili na papatulugin ako ng isang mug ng Milo na tinimpla ko, na sa totoo lang eh alak naman talaga ang hinahanap ng lalamunan ko. Yes, goddamnit. Napapansin ko lang na medyo nagiging dependent na ako sa alak. I've been drinking every night for more or less a week now. Hindi ako makatulog ng normal recently, and I find solace with a nightly dose of alcohol. But hell yeah, not a good excuse. So, yaman nalang din naman na hindi ako makatulog, kayo nalang ang papatulugin ko sa pamamagitan ng sobrang tedious na istorya ng buhay ko noong mga nakaraang buwan LOL.

Last day ng October naging effective ang resignation ko sa aking huling trabaho. Wala na akong pasok, swak na swak sa All Saints' Day. Sa unang araw palang ng buwan ng Nobyembre ay meron na akong drive para maghanap ng hotel na pwede pag-practicum-an, cross my heart and hope to die. Well, confident ako na ipapasok ako ni Papa sa Manila Pen since naging ulirang empleyado naman sya dun, kumbaga meron na akong backer. So nagbigay ako ng résumé ke Papa, naghintay ng ilang araw... ilang linggo... umabot pa ng ilang buwan-- pero walang nangyari. Nakita ko naman at naramdaman ang effort ni Papa na i-follow up ang dokumento pero parang mahina na yata sya sa mga tao sa loob ng hotel. In any case, very good naman si Papa, medyo nakakatampo lang sa dati nyang mga katrabaho since parang ilang years palang naman syang nagre-retire eh parang hindi na sya pinagbibigyan. Pero ang bottom line neto, hindi dapat ako umaasa sa mga ganitong bagay. Hindi por que me backer eh dun nalang ako aasa. So sinubukan kong magpasa sa ibang hotel.

Sa totoo lang, ako naman talaga ang may kasalanan sa mga nangyayari sa akin ngayon. Napaka-choosy ko kasi, sasabihin ko sa'yo. Ang yabang at ambisyoso ko kasi. Ayokong maglalagay ng cheap-ass na hotel sa résumé ko. Gusto ko, kung magpa-practicum nalang din ako eh yung dun na sa bigatin. So nag-try akong magpasa sa ibang hotels na big time tulad ng Shangri-La at Marriott, pero wala ring tumawag sa'kin. Mala-tambiolo ang odds na makapasok ako sa mga hotel na 'yon. At recently lang eh nawalan na talaga ako ng pag-asa dahil nga kahit dun sa isang modest na hotel na in-apply-an ko sa Cubao eh hindi parin ako tinatawagan. Sabi ngclassmate ko (na doon nag-practicum), ready na daw ako for hiring kaso wala pang slots para sa mga lalake. Nakakawala ng gana at dangal. Hay, buhay nga naman.

So eto ako. Wala akong kinaiba sa mga tambay sa kanto na naghihilamos ng gin tuwing umaga.But don't get me wrong, hindi ako nagse-self-pity, Dios mio. This is the painful truth, ladies and gentlemen.

Sa lahat ng kamalasang naranasan ko noong mga nakaraang buwan, masasabi ko naman sa sarili kong wala akong pinagsisihan. Na kesyo merong mga araw na isang buong araw lang ako nakasubsob sa screen ng laptop ko, na tipong hindi ako nasisinagan ng araw, OK lang; na merong mga araw na wala akong ginawa sa buhay ko kundi magpunta kung saan-saan at kumuha ng litrato ng kung anu-ano, OK lang; na minsang sobrang gulo ng isip ko at nag-decide akong mag-impromptu trip sa Baguio mag-isa para lang mag-relax at magpaka-emo, OK lang; na minsang walang mintis gabi-gabi ang pagbarek ko ng alak mag-isa man o isang batalyon ang kasama, OK lang-- pinili kong gawin ang mga bagay na 'yon, at alam ko kung saan ako magiging masaya. I am oblivious to regrets.

Ngayon, nararamdaman ko nang paunti-unti na hindi na ako nagiging masaya sa pagiging hedonista ko, kaya't kikilos na ako at hindi ko pabubulukin ang sarili ko, naghihintay sa isang milagro na hindi naman talaga mangyayari. Most importantly, wala na akong pera. What could be a better motivator to fucking haul ass. I fucking want to get out of this parasitical dreamworld. I fucking need a distraction.

Makapag-yosi na nga lang muna. And oh, Happy Valentines' Day sucka.

50 Random Things About Me

2011-01-13T20:01:00.004+08:00

This has been sitting in my Drafts for quite some time now. Thanking Leo for the idea (this list originally goes on up to 100, but I find it too tedious already), and Pops for her recent Facebook Note 'cause I finally got this thing over and done with LOL. Anyway, some people might not know me so well, so here's a few tidbits about me. I hope they're not so TMI-ish though!

1. I can stay in front of the computer (with an Internet connection of course) for hours. Or even for a whole day!

2. I have a sweet tooth, and someday I'd love to be a chocolatier and have my own patisserie.

3. I collect dried herbs, spices and condiments and cook with them every once in a while. The most curious I've got so far is a jar of pink Himalayan salt.

4. My inuman buddies would say that I am a pulutan monster. Guilty! So get ready for a banquet when drinking with me LOL

5. There are days that I don't see the sun. I'm a hermit.

6. I tend to misplace my belongings. In fact, there's a time when I lost 4 cell phones in a year (beat that).

7. I am suffering from hyperhidrosis (I sweat a lot). OK fine, ako talaga si Aquaman.

8. I wouldn't like to be born again if given the chance. Yes, I have my daily misfortunes, insecurities and stuff, but I think I'm living my life just right.

9. The beach is my ultimate repose.

10. I'm a little bit of a paranoid. Hindi naman sa nagpi-feeling gwapo ako but I always feel that people are looking at me and looking for something to criticize. That explains why I hate big crowds.

11. I am kind of asexual, amoral and apathetic. I'm basically a stone with human features...

12. ...maybe because I am somewhat choosy. But once I dote on something (or someone), I easily give in and wallow in the soup of affection.

13. I am a frustrated artist. I can still draw but I guess I have become rusty already. I used to draw comics before I went to college.

14. I also tried painting (oil on canvas) but I always find my works shabby. I need a formal education.

15. I love animals. So I love my friends.

16. My ultimate snack food (or drink) is Milo. Masarap pumapak ng Milo after kumain, and I always have a glass of Milo at home when smoking.

17. Recently I realized that I have a thing for photography (in lieu of my inferior painting skills) and I love taking landscape scenes and conceptual photos of myself (READ: 'selfies').

18. I grew up sleeping on folding beds. The ones made of tiny plastic strings.

19. And sleeping on folding beds, I used to apply oil between my toes. I just love the 'slippery feeling.' Weirdo.

20. I always dream of having a workshop. I love working on wood, paper and cloth. I already made myself a nifty pair of Japanese wooden clogs (geta) :D

21. Anime and video games usually go together, but I guess I have outgrown my anime fad. I'm still a video game fanatic though.

22. I love weird hats and headgears! I'm starting a collection of fedoras, and I love to get the bomber hats next!

23. I never leave the house without a handkerchief. Or a pack of tissue at least.

24. I am a very insecure person. I'm trying so hard to dispel the personality but it keeps on coming back.

25. I tend to be sweet and caring. People often misinterpret it, but heck I don't care.

26. I try my best to please people (or at least not hurt them), even to the point that it's not being convenient for me anymore.

27. If I learn something really scandalous about a person, I keep it to myself. If I can't handle it anymore, I confide it with a close friend who I can really trust.

28. I'm not very showy about it but I love my family so much. I promised myself to give them a better life.

29. I used to be very vindictive and even thought that, if only murder is not a crime I might have done it quite a couple of times already. Fortunately age has taught me a lesson about the values of life.

30. I like finding rad things in strange places, it's like a treasure hunt. Thrift shop and garage sales, anyone?

31. When I'm sad, I love traveling alone. When I'm happy, I love setting off with my friends.

32. I love to write. How I wish I can finish a novel. Or a short story at least.

33. I'm a tinker. I'm really not tech-savvy but I learned a few know-hows from my previous jobs. I can produce a signal booster from a Pringles can, a mirror or a strainer!

34. I can do any household chore. Problem is, I'm a slacker.

35. I'm not fond of books, but I love to read. Selected genres only.

36. My musical taste is universal. I sing April Boy Regino in frenzied karaoke sessions and listen to Chopin in my quiet time alone.

37. I'm not a frequent movie-goer. I mainly enjoy the cinemas because of my friends.

38. I believe in the Supreme Being. For me, everything underneath the umbrella of this topic is a complex mesh of unintelligible brouhaha.

40. I have a very low degree of tolerance for noise, pain and heat.

41. Iniiwasan ko na ang beer. But a sub-zero bottle is a completely different story.

42. Beach camping is the most memorable out-of-town experience for me. Grilled fish, green mango salad, bagoong and campfire s'mores-- these things are still haunting me. I want to sleep in a bigger tent though LOL

43. I'm drawn to the colors black, white and brown. Excellent gift idea, right? LOL

44. Such a shame but I'm afraid to buy fish and meat in the market because I might end up buying the bad stuff. BTW, I'm an HRM student LOL

45. Only my real close friends know (and see) my "wild" side. I am usually perceived as a mysterious and quiet folk (that's what they say).

46. I'm not enjoying college, sorry... if not for my desire to get a diploma for my parents, I wouldn't have been back to school.

47. I can sing, but really, I don't have an awesome voice. Interestingly enough, I auditioned for Glee Club in high school and got in as a tenor, but decided not to pursue it.

48. I am a very gentle and peaceful person. I got involved in a very few fist fights in my childhood, but I don't remember myself picking one.

49. If I am given the chance to learn to play a musical instrument overnight, it would be the piano or the violin. Sad, slow music soothes me.

50. I am a very adaptable person. I love the company of people who knows how to blend in to their surroundings too (koboy)!

Random Thoughts: January

2011-01-12T03:43:00.003+08:00

In times like these when it's the dead of night, the silence is deafening and my mind is astray, I am compelled by the little voices in my head to write. Well, I guess I will have to use the word "write" instead of "type" though I'm actually typing right now, but I wish you get the gist of what I'm trying to say. But I digressed. Anyway, to make things less complicated, I guess I am left with no choice but to sew random words together, trying to make sense out of them as if I myself am making sense right now. You see, I'm just basically beating around the bush here. Up to now I've typed more or less a hundred words already but I still don't find all these words sensible.

God, I just want to be numb for now. Else I'll be an emotional a-hole for the rest of my life.

The Triviality of Kindness

2010-12-14T14:14:00.003+08:00

When you bawl someone out, you don't expect the person to be happy with it for whatever reason-- be it just for the sake of bitching out, or out of love that needs a compelling force. Take the laundry for example. A heavily stained shirt needs a good cleaning, and the regular routine of scrubbing, washing and wringing won't shoo the stubborn stain off; however, a good dose of bleach will do the trick. So you put on some bleach, the stain washes off in a jiffy, problem solved, you're happy. Out of good intention to clean it, you can not deny the fact that you 'hurt' the shirt-- bleach, if not entirely, is mostly made up of chlorine, a chemical known to adulterate or eat through fabrics (chemists please correct me if I'm wrong). You may have a good intention to "bleach" the person to perfect clean, but being sensitive enough to mince matters a little bit makes a lot of difference.

Learning the lesson and just forgetting the harshness of the words in a rebuke isn't as easy as removing the bone from a steak. It may seem so cliché and basic, but with all its triviality I learned that even the most intelligent people I know seem to forget it-- or rather, don't know it at all. Or maybe I'm just being too soapy and sensitive, I don't know. There are different strokes for different folks anyway.

Yet, I'd rather have a stupid and considering heart than an extra-large brain with an iron hand.

A Month of Bumship

2010-11-28T22:28:00.003+08:00

Sa loob ng isang buwan na pagiging "palam" or bum, ni-hindi ko man lang naramdaman masyado ang petiks. Sa sobrang busy sa mga ginagawang pag-aasikaso sa mga dokumento sa school, parang hindi na rin naman ako masyadong nakakapagpahinga.

So, isang buwan na ang nakalipas pero wala parin akong nakikitang hotel kung san pwede mag-practicum. Well, kasalanan ko rin naman since hindi pa naman ako naghahanap LOL. Next week, pag-iigihan ko na talaga. At next week, kasal na ng isa sa mga pinakamatalik kong kaibigan.

'Nuff said.

Random Thoughts: October

2010-10-12T05:41:00.005+08:00

This ain't one of them rant posts I've done in the past. I've had enough fretting and fuming last night when I lost my cellphone (oh yeah! I did, AGAIN) inside an Internet café, thanks to the nimble hand of a gangster-type kid. I just wish I had implanted a mini-bomb inside it so I could just blast the thief's hand away. Seriously, I'm the vindictive type, so pardon me for being so macabre with the punishment. But OK, enough with the gory wishful thinking.

So today's October 12, 2010. Nineteen days to go and I'm back to the life of a vagabond. Perfect timing, right? I can hardly imagine myself cellphone-less at a time like this. I expect myself to be penniless in the next few days because the company will be holding off my next salary, since I am just rendering thirty days of work for the transition (oh no I'm ranting again).

I just thought of setting off for a journey, to somewhere far and paradisaical, all by myself. Human life is like a phoenix's-- I guess there's always a point in a person's life when he build himself a funeral pyre, consume himself with the stressful flames, ultimately being reduced into ashes, and the ending could either be him dead meat forever or born again from the same ashes. And I'm exactly in the phase wherein I'm preparing myself for my own ritual cremation. Maybe I can board a random bus and be taken off to an equally-random unheard-of place, or ride a ferry sailing to the remote islands of the South China Sea. Or if the budget will allow, I can take a plane and fly to Batanes with just a map, and enough courage.

All these, of course after I get myself a new phone. Ugh.

In Between

2010-09-12T11:56:00.011+08:00

I just realized that I had so much fun times in my academic in-between. I define academic in-between as the time when I was out of school, dedicating almost entirely my then pure and innocent life to the call center world. Rough times, most especially in financial terms, pushed me to peg my sanity away to earn the money, donning headsets and frying my eyes thanks to my everyday encounters with the computer monitor. I thought I'd left the world of fake accents and everyday fastfood lunch as soon as I went back to school-- but I'm still here, and I'm more than thankful to have this job as it helps me fend for my school expenses.

I can still recall my first successful application stint. I got a job as a Sales Rep in Telus (it was called Ambergris in the good old days) and I was excited like hell. The pay was not bad for a guy who just landed his first job, knowing that a boy typical of my age back then resorts to applying in fastfood chains and coffee shops. I met a wonderful team of call center neophytes whom I all quickly become good friends with. On our first payday, we decided to go to Cubao to celebrate this important chapter of our lives. I can still remember how happy I was when I bought my learning-Latin book from National Bookstore with my first hard-earned salary.

I have to admit that I applied on several centers before I got hired in Ambergris, but when you already have even a bit of experience working in one, it won't be hard for you to land another. After 4 months, I decided to move to TeleTech Cainta, which is closer to our house.

The batch I was with is full of first-timers too, but I didn't tell them that I know a few know-hows in the industry. So I treated myself as one of them novices too, anyway it was a brand new role as a Technical Support Rep in an equally brand new workplace. Within my year-and-a-half stay in this company, I met some of the awesomest people on Earth. I developed some sort of attachment to the company that tears welled up in my eyes the moment I was bidding my teammates farewell. That's when it hit me: in this kind of business people come and go, and it happens so damn fast.

The next call center I worked in attracted probably the best apples from different BPO orchards. 24/7 Customer offered a very generous compensation package, that's why I decided to transfer. I was humbled when I learned about the work experience the people in my batch have-- in here, everyone's an expert and highly technically-knowledgeable. Despite the attractive pay, I resigned after 6 months and decided not to work in a call center anymore-- the nature of the job was so stressful that I had bad cases of tonsillopharyngitis every once in a while.

Luckily, I was hired as a Financial Voice Writer/Editor at McGraw-Hill. I was informed that the job would start no sooner than 2 months, so for the mean time I worked in another BPO company as an E-mail support agent at LWS Media. The pay was surprisingly high compared to other centers, but I didn't take the job seriously despite the stress-free environment. After more than a month, I went off to train as a voice writer.

I came to a point where I decided to settle down with the job as it paid pretty well and I was a part of wonderful team. But Fate is a playful element, and I eventually learned that that year was my last chance to enroll in school. Otherwise, PUP won't accept me back in EVER. So I had to give up the wonderful opportunity to go back to school.

And here I am, albeit I almost cursed this type of job. I'm working alongside a team of cool and wonderful people and they make a year of monotony bearable. But in more or less a month from now, I will finally have to lay my headset to rest. And the good old refillable plastic binder that I use in school for 2 years. Did I have any regrets? Not a bit. Noticed that I used the word "wonderful" a couple of times?

Sa loob ng mahigit-kumulang tatlong taon na tumigil ako sa pag-aaral, dito ko nakilala ang mga taong tatatak sa puso't isip ko. Wala akong pinagsisihan, ni-gapatak. Naging masaya ako at mas naging mature at responsableng tao dahil sa mga taong nakilala ko sa aking in-between. Kaya sa inyong lahat na nakilala ko sa aking in-between, maraming salamat sa lahat ng suporta at encouragement na nanggaling sa inyo para ipagpatuloy ko ang aking pag-aaral.

I'll save my thank-you graduation speech for next year ;)

Random Thoughts: August

2010-08-11T16:43:00.003+08:00

Kelan lang, nagkaroon ako ng lagnat na nag-last for 5 days. Akala ko nga dengue na, dahil bukod pa sa on-and-off na lagnat ay nagdugo pa ang ilong ko nung nakasakay ako sa LRT papuntang school, nakakahiya tuloy. Buti nalang na ngayon, OK na ako. Pangalawang araw ko nang walang lagnat, at dahil dun hindi na ako nagpa-check up sa doctor. Sana nga eh simpleng trangkaso lang yun dahil sa pabago-bagong panahon.

At sa wakas ay natapos na ang mga kalbaryo ko sa school. Pasencia na ma'am Tina, pero hindi na po ako aako ng isang mabigat na responsibilidad next time hehehe. Mahirap talagang pagsabayin ang trabaho at pag-aaral, kaya sa mga estudyanteng balak umalis sa pag-aaral at gusto na lang magtrabaho, THINK AGAIN! I learned it all the hard way.

Medyo nae-excite na ako sa Hotel Practicum namin sa darating na 2nd sem. At the same time, nalulungkot din ako dahil iiwan ko ang isang trabahong naging second home ko for a year. Yes, I will have to say goodbye again. Ilang beses na nga ba akong nagpaalam sa mga taong natutunan ko nang pahalagahan? Ganun yata talaga ang buhay, wala talagang nagtatagal. Pero syempre, hindi matatapos ang pagkakaibigan namin sa resignation ko hehehe. We'll see to it na may mga gala kami every once in a while.

Masyado pa yatang maaga para mag-emo....

Random Thoughts: July

2010-07-11T01:57:00.002+08:00

So ayun nga. Wala akong blog post for June. Sa sobrang busy ko sa school at work hindi ko na maasikaso ang aking cyber life (LOL ang jologs). Well... ano pa nga ba ang ipo-post ko dito eh recently medyo monotonous ang mga araw ko. Aral sa umaga, work sa gabi. Nahahapo na nga ako. Isa pang bagay na medyo kinaiinisan ko this month eh yung fact na hindi ko nabisita ang dagat. Meron pa naman akong tendency na ma-demotivate kapag hindi ako nakakapag-out-of-town. So I really need to plan an impromptu trip ASAP. LOL. Ang oxymoronic no? Buti nalang meron akong mga kaibigang laging game, hehehe. Matapos lang 'tong paghihirap ko, I'll just hop on a random bus and get lost.

Recently I've been trying to reevaluate my life. Day by day, I'm starting to feel how superficial my world has become. I'm starting to realize how my daily routine has thrown me into a vacuum of conformity. I'm slowly becoming mainstream. I'm not saying that being in the mainstream is bad-- it's just that, the mainstream is putting me into a mold, a confined space, a pattern which does not fit the contours of my twisted mind.

I took a shower. It somehow washed away the unintelligible voices in my head. Then I studied myself in front of the mirror. I saw my soul. It's gray-- a sign that I've been living a predictable life. Again, the little voices are back. I banged a block of ice heavily into the wall, the thud echoed through the night. I put these shards of crystal into a glass of elixir, lit a cigarette and smoked all my worries away... the voices began to peter out. I closed my eyes and wished that I'll have a beautiful dream.

Random Thoughts: May

2010-05-19T03:48:00.012+08:00

Nakakalungkot na isiping nagsisimula niyo pa lang buuin ang pagkakaibigan nyo'y kukunin na ni Lord yung tao. Pero wala naman tayong magagawa-- hiram lang natin ang mga buhay natin. Yung bago kong ka-team na si Rocky, maagang kinuha ng Maykapal sa edad na 22. Nasagasaan ng isang iresponsableng driver ng SUV sa pagtawid lang ng building na pinagtatrabahuhan namin. Sana, kahit na maaga kang namaalam sa pisikal na mundo ay na-enjoy mo ang iyong buhay. Kung nasaan ka man ngayon aming kaibigan, sana masaya ka. :) At sa mga taong nabubuhay pa, live your life to the fullest ;)

Anyway, I was able to visit 2 beaches na this month alone, 2 beaches din last month. Masusundan pa yata bago matapos ang buwan, pero hindi pa sure. Matabungkay Batangas nung May 8, at ang latest addition? Puting Buhangin beach sa Pagbilao, Quezon! :D

Dumiretso kami doon pagkatapos makisaya sa Pahiyas sa Lucban. Sobrang saya netong trip na 'to dahil sobrang daming nangyari sa loob lang ng 2 araw na paglalagi sa Quezon!

Beach Bumming

2010-05-01T09:56:00.003+08:00

I love beaches. Kapag nakaupo ako sa buhangin sa tabi ng dagat, nawawala lahat ng pagod, puyat at problema ko. Nakaka-kalma ang tunog ng alon na pumapalo sa buhanginan, ang preskong simoy ng hangin at ang bughaw na langit na nakikipagtagpo sa bughaw ding tubig ng karagatan.

Enough of the Balagtasan style of writing.

Sobrang saya ko na I was able to hit two beaches in just one month, namely Aurora and Zambales. At gusto ko pa uling pumunta sa beach! Mukhang mapapadalas ang dalaw ko sa dagat dahil sobrang nag-enjoy ako kasama ang mga kaibigan ko, pero minsan ita-try ko ring magpunta sa dagat ng mag-isa. Ano kayang feeling nun? :)

So eto ang listahan ng mga dagat na nasa Luzon lang na gusto ko puntahan. 'Wag muna sa Visayas at Mindanao dahil malaki-laking ipunan yun hehehe.

1. CALAGUAS ISLAND, Camarines Norte.
(photo from rycerocks.multiply.com)

2. CAGBALETE ISLAND, Quezon Province.(photo from gurlastig.files.wordpress.com)

3. JOMALIG ISLAND, Quezon Province.
(photo from expat-blog.com)

4. MAGALAWA ISLAND, Zambales.
(photo from flickr.com/vinson010986)

5. BALAKI ISLAND, Pangasinan
(photo from lantaw.blogspot.com)

So hindi nyo naman napansin na gusto ko sa mga pulo no? Hehe. So what are you waiting for? If you wanna go to these places, just hit me up and let's plan our trip LOL

A Love-Hate Relationship

2010-04-06T12:28:00.004+08:00

A typically boring and hot Sunday afternoon: there I was, sitting beside the window with a lit menthol cigarette in one hand and a tumbler of iced coffee in the other, staring blankly at a wall awkwardly positioned beside our house, insipidly glaring back as if telling me to get a life and do something more worthwhile than beholding his holy humdrumness. How I wish I could Mr. Wall, for a flat-broke idler like me has got nothing better to do.

That's when I felt her presence.

I then remembered that it is inevitable to meet her during this time of the year. I would imagine her in her usual airy floral dress, sporting a straw hat and a pair of lightweight sandals. Her complexion ever flawless, so radiant that it renders her practically shadowless. She smells like the warm ocean breeze-- the gentle scent of the sea wafted to a garden filled with jasmines in full bloom, then to my nose... oh, how nostalgic.

My eyes, still fixed at the equally bored wall, finally gave out and motioned to the dying stick of poison twiddled by my fingers. A dream sequence played inside my head, and suddenly I was cast to the theater of my childhood memories again. I've been trying so hard to decipher what my id wants my ego to realize, but a single recurring scene haunts me in all of my afternoon reveries: me as a little boy, squatting, back leaning on a faded concrete wall that keeps me away from the sun, snacking on a slice of shabbily-made pizza. Weirdly enough, I always wondered what's with the wall and the sun that they always evoke a sinking feeling when I see them together.

Summer has always been my childhood sweetheart.

Shiyet

2010-03-25T13:00:00.003+08:00

So eto na naman po kami ng PUP sa aming mala-wild goose chase na enrollment processes. Susko. Kararating ko lang ng bahay galing sa school at hindi rin ako nakapag-enroll. Andaming proseso na hindi naman inaasikaso ng mga tanggapan na dapat nag-aasikaso. Shiyet lang talaga. Next week ay Semana Santa na at good luck kung meron pang mag-asikaso sa office nun kapag hindi ko natapos to bukas. Pansin ko lang din ha, nung mga nakaraang araw eh puro rants lang ang posts ko dito. Grrrrrrr. Wala na akong oras para makapag-contemplate man lang sa buhay ko.

Early Morning Rant

2010-03-07T02:22:00.003+08:00

Haaay. Coffee shop operations na naman come Monday. Isang week na naman akong pagod na pagod. Sa totoo lang eto na ata ang pinaka-ayaw kong parte ng pag-aaral ko ng HRM. 1 week na naman akong bangag, dahil kung hindi ka naman ba ulanin ng malas, nataon na ngang midterms week namin nung unang term namin eh pati ba naman sa pangalawang pagkakataon ay nataon ang finals. Iniisip ko palang kung paano ko ipapasa ang mga final exams ko eh nababaliw na ako. Andami pang requirements na hindi ko naman pwedeng pagsabayin. Bwisit na buhay 'to o. Pagdadasal ko nalang talaga na wala akong ibagsak na subject sa taon na 'to dahil kung nagkataon, chugi na ako sa PUP.

Simba-simbahan

2010-02-22T05:00:00.004+08:00

Sa wakas, sa tinagal-tagal ng nilalagi ko sa Manila ay na-Kodakan ko na ang napaka-kontrobersyal na San Sebastian Church sa San Miguel. Actually sinamahan ko lang magsimba si Megs dito dahil gusto nya rin makita ang loob. Ang masasabi ko lang-- wow. Walang katulad sa buong Pilipinas ang all-steel Neo-Gothic architectural style ng simbahang 'to. Nagkaroon naman ako ng pagkakataong retratuhan ang loob ng simbahan kaso boloks naman kaya hindi ko nalang ipo-post LOL. At nag-attempt din akong kunan ang simbahan ng San Agustin dahil sa dinami-dami ng beses ko nang napuntahan 'yun, wala parin akong matinong picture. Resulta? Wala paren hahaha. Hindi talaga photogenic ang lola ng lahat ng simbahan sa Pinas-- pero masasabi kong ito so far ang pinakamaganda sa lahat (lalo na ang Baroque style neto sa loob) ng simbahang nakita ko.

It's such a shame na nagawa ko ngang HDR ang picture ko ng San Sebastian sa taas pero yung "pseudo" effect naman. Hindi ko parin matantsa ang conversion gamit ang multi-bracketed photos. Aaaarrrggh somebody help me!

Sana may furnace yun tutuluyan namin sa Baguio this coming weekend. Parang trip ko yung fireside kwentuhan at inuman with matching lutuan ng DIY smores. Yumm!

Random Thoughts: February

2010-02-21T05:19:00.004+08:00

My God. I haven't been updating my other blogs for quite some time now. Yung ECCLESIOPHILIA blog ko tungkol sa different churches around the metro and GROCERY GOURMET about food experiments. Isang indikasyon lang na medyo busy ako sa ibang bagay ngayon. In short, I'm kinda not enjoying my life as of the moment. Or am I not? Medyo. I need a breather. Buti nalang nalalapit na ang trip namin to Baguio for the Panagbenga. Yay! I'm so excited!

Yup, May Something

2010-02-18T06:54:00.003+08:00

Today officially magsisimula ang College Week namin. Ang loser diba? College week pero halfway thru the week magsisimula LOL. Well I think that's better than no College Week at all right? So eto ako ngayon, nasa bahay, nagpapakasarap at ninanamnam ang buhay ng estudyanteng walang pasok bwahahahahaha!

Anyway, bukas pala ay magke-cater kami for the Alumni Homecoming. Kung sisipagin ako eh pupunta ako para tumulong, anyway ike-credit naman yun sa number of hours kong pagtatrabaho (FYI: yung coffee shop operations namin dinaig pa ang practicum sa number of hours. San ka). Hindi rin kasi ako nae-excite, nahihiya pa kamo dahil baka makita ako ng mga original batchmates ko (2003).

So just to be sure na walang pasok, nag-text ako sa friend ko na prof.

"Dah (Daryll), may pasok ba ang mga major subjects ngayon?"

"Wala. Pati next week wala."

"Bakit daw? You mean the whole week next week?"

"Yup, may something."

LOLLLLL. What an answer!

Quarter Life Crisis

2010-02-03T05:51:00.004+08:00

There's something about February, the early morning crowd, the dawn moon, the pedestrian crossing and EDSA that made me feel so lonely today.

It was still dark, and I am amongst the sea of people waiting for the traffic lights to turn red so we can cross the other side of the street. Although it is already a common sight, the swarm sort of astounded me-- what on earth are these people doing in the streets at this ungodly hour? It was already 5 AM; I really don't know what has gotten into my head that made me ask myself this obviously stupid question.

The stoplight already signaled the crowd to pass through. While I was walking amidst these faceless strangers, a surge of black bile rushed into my heart-- suddenly, I felt alone.

Everything was in slow-mo while the moon, veiled with thick haze, smiled at me sarcastically. A torrent of memories in black and white flashed on my mind like a sixpence cinema. I remembered my childhood, my carefree and simple life as a little boy. I remembered all the friends I've gained and lost along the way. I remembered how I spent my summer afternoons at home, with the whole family, all together watching an infamous noontime show.

Everything has changed.

Please Don't Make Me Hate January

2010-01-30T17:47:00.003+08:00

Nagising ako kaninang humahagulgol. Nanaginip kasi ako na meron nang taning ang buhay ko-- nakasuot daw ako ng lab gown, medyo nalalagas na ang buhok dahil sa chemotherapy at nakaluhod sa harap ng duktor, umiiyak, at nagmamakaawang huwag na ako gamutin, para hindi na maging pabigat sa pamilya ko.

Palagi kong iniisip na mamamatay na ako sa sakit na ayokong malaman kung ano, pero dahil sa panaginip na 'yon, parang sabi ko kay Lord, 'wag muna po siguro. Marami pa akong pangarap para sa mga tao sa paligid ko.

First morning I felt so low-spirited pa. Kanina, after ng shift, I just learned na two of my closest friends sa team ang hindi na papasok come Monday. Hindi na sila mare-regular dahil sa mababang scorecard. Nalulungkot kami ng sobra.

RANT

2010-01-18T18:09:00.005+08:00

Hay. Grabe. Pagkatapos nang napakasayang weekend tour sa Ilocandia, pagdating ko sa Maynila ay talagang hindi na ako tinantanan ng problema. Una, parang nagalit na ang mga ka-grupo ko sa coffee shop operations dahil hindi nila ako madalas makita. Eh anong magagawa ko, irregular student ako at isa pa, may trabaho ako kinagabihan. Hindi ko maintindihan kung bakit hindi maintindihan ng ibang tao ang mga pinagdadaanan kong hirap. Or siguro wala talaga silang pakialam. Oo nga naman, sino ba naman kasi ako sa kanila para magkaroon na paki. Nakiki-grupo lang naman ako. At isa pa, nabu-bwisit talaga ako sa mga professor na walang konsiderasyon. Mga tipong parang hindi nagdaan sa pagiging estudyante.

Nung Sabado, nakipag-meet ako sa mga ka-grupo ko para nga mag-meeting tungkol sa operations namin para sa week na 'to. Tumulong gumawa ng decorations and nag-usap tungkol sa mga specifics. Pero pagdating nga ng Lunes (ngayon), biglang wala, FAIL.

Alam ko rin namang mali ko. Hindi ako nagising ng maaga para makapunta sa school ng 5:30AM dahil napasarap ang tulog ko at hindi nag-ring ang alarm. Nakita kong naka-stock ang orasan sa 4:00AM; pakiramdam ko eh pinipilit niyang gisingin ako pero hindi na talaga kaya ng enerhiya ng bateryang nagpapatakbo sa kanya. So ang ending, 7:30 na ako nagising. Dumating ako sa school ng 9AM. Nakita ng professor na may pusong bato, at sinabing hindi na niya raw ako tatanggapin sa pagdu-duty-- bukas nalang daw. At ang parusa ay 3 days ng additional duty sa coffee shop. Haaaaaaaaaaaaay.

More stories. Sobrang nako-conflict ang coffee shop operation ko sa work. Imagine: ang shift ko sa coffee shop ko is 5:30AM-9:00PM, at ang shift ko sa work is 10:45PM-3:45AM. Parang nagsasabing, eto ang cuchillo Resty, dalian mo't saksakin mo nalang sarili mo. Eh baka nga hindi pa ako makaligo man lang sa intervals na 'yun. Nag-try akong mag-file ng leave thru my boss pero wala din s'yang nagawa-- at ang sabi pa, wala daw s'yang magagawa-- kung hindi daw ako papasok sa work, kelangan niyang tuparin ang duty niya bilang supervisor at bigyan ako ng karampatang parusa. HOW ENCOURAGING. Kaya nga tinatanong kung baka gawan niya ng paraan diba.

So naging thankful ako na may sakit ako. Nagpatingin ako sa doctor kahapon at na-diagnose na meron akong Upper Respiratory Tract infection at tonsilitis. Humingi ako ng Med Cert at in-advise-an na magpahinga ng 3-5 days. Syempre masaya ako dahil pwede ko na ma-excuse sarili ko sa work na LEGAL. Pinagusapan naman namin ni boss na kung makakapag-present ako ng Med Cert sa paga-absent ko eh OK lang sa kanya. So ayun, gumawa na ata ng paraan ang sistema ko para makalusot sa problema. Kaso nga, solved na sana, pero na-extend naman ng 3 more days ang paninilbihan ko sa hinayupak na operations. Pahirap talaga. Tapos nalaman ko pang meron pang one more week ng operations sometime in March. Idagdag mo pang Midterms Week namin ngayon. Someone please give me poison.

Ayoko na nga munang i-italicize ang mga English words dito. Wala ako sa mood. :(

At Dahil Hindi Ako Pumasok sa First School Day of the Year...

2010-01-04T10:11:00.003+08:00

...ay mag-i-Internet nalang ako maghapon wahehehehe. Gustong-gusto ko talagang pumasok kaso nga lang merong mga bagay na nangyayaring hindi maiiwasan. Kung ano man yun eh nasa evil mind ko nalang for the mean time. Hehehehe. Medyo strikto kasi sa attendance ang professor namin sa Monday/Thursday class from 12PM-1:30PM. Sana lang talaga hindi sya pumasok ngayon dahil aabsenan ko na naman sya next week for the Ilocos tour. Oh no!

Para lang hindi masayang ang araw na 'to, sana may mapuntahan akong magandang lugar na may excellent cityscape view para makapag-practice na ako ng long-exposure shots/night photography dahil nakabili na ako ng tripod at IR remote control para sa camera ko wahahahaha. Try ko nga mamaya.

PLANS FOR BAGONG TAON

Oo nga pala, positive ang vibes ko sa taong 'to sa kadahilanang hindi ko alam. Dahil ba Year of the Tiger, which is my "Year?" Parang andami kong travel plans for this year. Andami kong gusto puntahan at kuhanan ng larawan. Yes, this is me slowly being a photography hobbyist. It all started nung nabili ko ang aking camera last year bwahahahaha. Meron na naman akong bagong listahan (in addition sa Bucket List ko na hanggang ngayon eh isa pa lang ang natutupad) na kelangan ko ma-realize, at eto nga sila:

1. GUMAMIT NG ORGANIZER/PLANNER. Opo, hindi ko na kinolekta ang planner ng Starbucks for this year dahil magastos at isa pa, bumili na ako ng mumurahing planner from National Bookstore for 80 pesos ('yun yung planner sa picture sa baba na may mapa ng Vigan). Pare-pareho lang namang nililistahan ang mga 'yan. Nakakatulong ng malaki ang planner (kung ginagamit) para wala kang ma-miss na mga bagay na dapat gawin, lalo na sa taong tulad ko na andaming pinagkakaabalahan. Siguro yung pagiging spontaneous ko eh nandun paren, pero yung mga importanteng mga bagay dapat pina-planner. :)

2. MAG-QUIT SA YOSI. So far, so good. Hindi pa ako humihithit ng yosi sa taong 'to. Nakatulong ata ang pagkakaroon ko ng pharyngitis bago matapos ang 2009 bwahahahaha. Still, I wish myself good luck. Kelangan ko nalang siguro ng distraction.

3. GUMALA NG GUMALA. In a good way. Gusto ko puntahan ang mga fiesta na malapit lang naman dito sa Manila, para maging worthwhile ang mga restdays ko.

4. CHOCOLATE BUSINESS. Kapag nasakatuparan ko 'to, matse-check-an ko narin yung isang bagay sa kabilang checklist ko wahehehehe.

...and more to come.

Ennui

2010-01-03T19:40:00.003+08:00

Haaaay. Meron na namang pasok sa school bukas. Tinatamad pa ako. 'Yaan mo na, konting tiis nalang. Kapag grumadweyt na ako hindi ko na kelangan mamroblema sa mga bagay na pinagsasabay hehehe.

At isa pa, isang linggo nalang, ILOCOS NA!!!

Sa sobrang excitement, bumili pa talaga ako ng mapa. LOL. Loser!!!

Goodbye 2009

2010-01-02T02:48:00.004+08:00

...and welcome 2010 -- heck it's another decade! Isa pa, Year of the Tiger na naman... 12 years old na ako bwahahahahahaha!

Masaya akong naayos na 'tong hinayupak na PC na 'to. Sa totoo lang, isang dahilan kung bakit hindi na ako madalas makapag-blog ay dahil sa pagkasira nitong computer ko. Buti naman at sinipag akong pumunta ng Gilmore para magpagawa. Thank God hindi na ako mabo-bore ule dito sa bahay [at thank you papa, sinamahan mo ako sa Gilmore :)]

Anyway, sa sobrang daming nangyari sa buhay ko noong mga nakaraang buwan ay hindi ko na yata alam kung san magsisimula. Simulan nalang natin ng Pasko, tutal eh iyon naman ang isa sa mga pinaka-recent kaya medyo fresh pa sa aking isip. Well, hindi ko naman first time mag-Pasko sa office, kaya OK lang na nandoon ako't may sakbit na headset sa ulo ko-- wala namang calls, isa pa, double pay naman. Pangalawa, hindi naman talaga namin masyadong sine-celebrate ang Pasko sa bahay. Ang masakit lang talaga ay nag-celebrate ako ng Bagong Taon sa office.

Pag-alis palang ng bahay, andami nang paputok na nagkalat sa kalsada at kulang nalang eh mapraning ako kung saan titingin at iiwas. Habang makakasalubong mo ang mga kapitbahay mo sa labas na nagkakantahan at nagbabatian na may dalang pagkain para ipan-trade sa kabilang bahay, ayun ka, nakikipagpatentero sa mga batang me ihahagis na piccolo sa daan. Sa kanto palang wala na akong masakyang tricycle palabas, so bumalik ako sa bahay at nagpahatid kay papa gamit ang motor papunta sa kanto ng Lifehomes. Maswerte nalang din siguro akong naka-tyempo ng FX na pa-Ayala at nakasakay kagad ako. Nag e-emo pa yung manong driver ng FX na parang nagso-soliloquy na kesyo kung aabot ba daw sya sa bahay nang alas-dose, ina-appreciate ang magagarbong fireworks na makikita sa langit habang binabagtas ang halos walang sasakyan na C5 Road.

Hindi naman nagbago ang ending. Walang magical moment na tipong merong early log out na naganap at happy ever after ang ending na nagme-Media Noche kaming mga kawawang ahente sa bahay kasama ang aming mga pamilya. First time ko mag New Year nang wala sa bahay in 23 years. Siguro nga eh parte na ng buhay call center agent 'to; siguro nga talaga ay ma-swerte lang ako sa mga past few years ko sa trabaho na nagkakataong restdays ko kapag may mga ganitong holidays especially New Year. So ayun nga, hindi naman namin sinira ang gabi naman at meron naman kaming pinagsaluhan-- potluck ang setting. Isa-isa kaming nagdala (hati pala kami ng seatmate kong si Megs sa cake) ng mga pagkain na pinagsaluhan namin sa Media Noche. Meron pa kaming paputok (party poppers lang naman) na supot naman ang sabog kaya medyo corny. Ang pinaka-bwisit na part lang talaga eh yung saktong alas-dose dito sa Manila eh saktong buhos din ng calls mula doon sa kabilang hemisphere na tinatawag nating Amerika. Pero OK na rin siguro; bagong karanasan, bagong lesson. Hindi ko naman kelangan sirain ang gabi ko dahil lang doon. There are so many ways to make yourself happy, at tama nga silang choice mo 'yon. And we chose to be happy, although may mga girls sa team namin na umiyak nung sumapit ang batian ng "Happy New Year!" sa floor.

Nagkaroon nga ng balitang merong Blue Moon daw nung gabi ng New Year. So pagka-out ko namin ng office, napansin ko ang reflection ng buwan sa salamin ng building sa tapat-- malaki. Hinanap namin ang buwan dahil natatakpan 'yon ng nagtataasang mga buildings sa Makati, at nung makita namin eh medyo na-disappoint kami dahil mukha lang naman 'yong normal. Ho-hum. So eto namang si Paula, nag-trip at sinabi sa aking gusto n'ya magpa-Kodak sa pedestrian lane tutal dala ko naman ang aking "girlfriend." Nako, ako pa ang niyaya niya rito eh game na game naman ako sa mga ganitong kabaliwan. So nung nag-red ang stoplight sa Ayala-Buendia intersection, takbo si Paula sa daan at humiga sa pedestrian lane.

Oo nga pala. Pupunta kaming magka-kaibigan sa Ilocos next week. Sobrang nae-excite na ako dahil gusto ko na uli dagdagan ang koleskyon ko ng pictures ng colonial churches!

'Nuff said.

Yes, No Blog Post for November

2009-12-05T18:11:00.003+08:00

No blog post for the whole of November? Gawd. Naging busy ako sa school in the past few days, and ongoing parin naman.

....

Wala lang siguro talaga akong mood mag-kwento. Napaka-seasonal talaga ng furor ko. Arrgh!

Soya Milk is not My Cup of Tea

2009-10-21T07:40:00.006+08:00

I just don't find soy milk tasty. This strawberry-flavored soy milk particularly. Argh. There's something in it that tastes really weird. I think it's not even close to milk, save for the texture. No, I think the texture is grainy. I just forgot what the taste is, but certainly not milk.

Let the GM Diet Begin

2009-10-16T08:21:00.006+08:00

Napapansin ko lang din na medyo matumal ang posts ko these past few days, kaya dadagdagan ko. Hehe. Matagal ko nang alam ang GM (General Motors) Diet na 'to, pero hindi ko matuloy-tuloy dahil parang sa all-fruit diet palang, parang fail na ako. Pero dahil tumataba na ako, susubukan ko ang tunay na disiplina ko at sundan ang crash diet na 'to... pero hindi ko sisimulan as in ngayon; saka na kapag nakapag-grocery na ako ng maayos. Iba-blog ko rin as much as possible ang mga kaganapan sa araw-araw na pagsunod ko sa kalokohang 'to: ang mga ayaw ko, mga gusto ko, ang timbang ko, at kung susuko na ako. Hehe. Good luck talaga sa'kin.

Para sa mga hindi pamilyar sa ka-demonyohang 'to, eto po ang complete guide, kung gusto n'yo ring i-try.

General Motors: Weight Loss Diet Program

The following diet and health program was developed for employees and dependents of General Motors, Inc. and is intended for their exclusive use. This program was developed in conjunction with a grant from U.S. Department of Agriculture and the Food and Drug Administration. It was field tested at the Johns Hopkins Research Centre and was approved for distribution by the Board of Directors, General Motors Corp. at a general meeting on August 15, 1985. General Motors Corp. wholly endorses this program and is making it available to all employees and families. This program will be available at all General Motors Food Service Facilities. It is management's intention to facilitate a wellness and fitness program for everyone.

This program is designed for a target weight loss of 10-17 lbs per week. It will also improve your attitudes and emotions because of its cleansing systematic effects.

The effectiveness of this seven day plan is that the food eaten burn more calories than they give to the body in caloric value.

This plan can be used as often as you like without any fear of complications. It is designed to flush your system of impurities and give you a feeling of well being. After seven days you will begin to feel lighter because you will be lighter by at least 10 lbs. You will have an abundance of energy and an improved disposition.

During the first seven days you must abstain from all alcohol
You must drink 10 glasses of water each day
Day One All fruits except bananas. Your first day will consist of all the fruits you want. It is strongly suggested that you consume lots of melons the first day. Especially watermelon and a loupe. If you limit your fruit consumption to melons, your chances of losing three lbs. on first day are very good.

Day Two All vegetables. You are encouraged to eat until you are stuffed with all the raw or cooked vegetables of your choice. There is no limit on the amount or type. For your complex carbohydrate, you will start day two with a large baked potato for breakfast. You may top the potato with one pat of butter.

Day Three A mixture of fruits and vegetables of your choice. Any amount, any quantity. No bananas yet. No potatoes today.

Day Four Bananas and milk. Today you will eat as many as eight bananas and drink three glasses of milk. This will be combined with the special soup which may be eaten in limited quantities.

Day Five Today is feast day. You will eat beef and tomatoes. Eat two 10 oz. portions of lean beef. Hamburger is OK. Combine this with six whole tomatoes. On day five you must increase your water intake by one quart. This is to cleanse your system of the uric acid you will be producing.

Day Six Beef and vegetables. Today you may eat an unlimited amount of beef and vegetables. Eat to your hearts content.

Day Seven Today your food intake will consist of brown rice, fruit juices and all the vegetables you care to consume.

Tomorrow morning you will be 10-17 lbs. lighter than one week ago. If you desire further weight loss, repeat the program again. You may repeat this program as often as you like, however, it is suggested that you are allowed two glasses of white wine in addition to the instructions on the program. You may substitute champagne for white wine. Under no circumstances are you to drink any other alcoholic beverages with the exception of beer which is allowed. Any liquor (bourbon,vodka, rum) is forbidden. Cream drinks are especially forbidden. You may have an occasional cordial such as creme de menthe or schnapps, but you must always limit yourself to two drinks. If you wine, drink only wine that day. If you have beer, drink only beer that day, etc. Alcohol adds empty calories to your diet. However, after the first week it will help your digestion and settle your stomach.

G.M.'S Wonder Soup

The following soup is intended as a supplement to your diet. It can be eaten any time of the day in virtually unlimited quantities. You are encouraged to consume large quantities of this soup.

28 oz, Water, 6 Large Onions, 2 Green Peppers, Whole Tomatoes (fresh or canned), 1 Head Cabbage, 1 Bunch Celery, 4 Envelopes Lipton Onion Soup Mix, Herbs and Flavouring as desired.

Additional Comments

Vegetables as may be taken in the form of a salad if desired. No dressing except malt, white or wine vinegar, squeezed lemon, garlic, herbs. No more than one tea spoon of oil.

You have been given a recipe for the WONDER SOUP which can be eaten in unlimited quantities. This soup is a supplement while you are on the program and it should be a pleasure to eat. Not everyone likes cabbage, green peppers, calory etc. This recipe is not inflexible. You may substitute vegetables according to your taste. You may add any vegetables you like: asparagus, peas, corn, turnips, green beans, cauliflower, etc. Try to stay away from beans (lima, pinto, kidney, etc.), however, because they tend to be high in calories even though they are very good for you.

Beverages you may consume while on the program :

Water (flavoured with lemon/lime if desired).

Club Soda is OK.

Black Coffee. No cream or cream substitute. No sugar or sweetness.

Black Tea = Herb or Leaf.

Absolutely nothing else except the fruit juices which are part of day seven. No fruit juices before day seven.

How and Why It Works

Day One you are preparing your system for the upcoming programme. Your only source of nutrition is fresh or canned fruits. Fruits are nature's perfect food. They provide everything you could possibly want to sustain life except total balance and variety.

Day Two starts with a fix of complex carbo-hydrates coupled with an oil dose. This is taken in the morning for energy and balance. The rest of day two consists of vegetables which are virtually calorie free and provide essential nutrients and fibre.

Day Three eliminates the potato because you get your carbohydrates from the fruits. You system is now prepared to start burning excess pounds. You will still have cravings which should start to diminish by day four.

Day Four, bananas, milk and soup sound the strangest and least desirable. You're in for a surprise. You probably will not eat all the bananas allowed. But they are there for the potassium you have lost and the sodium you may have missed the past three days. You will notice a definite loss of desire for sweets. You will be surprised how easy this day will go.

Day Five, Beef and tomatoes. The beef is for iron and proteins, the tomatoes are for digestion and fibre. Lots and lots of water purifies your system. You should notice colourless urine today. Your allowance calls for the equivalent of five "quarter ponders". Do not feel you have to eat all this beef. You must eat the six tomatoes.

Day Six is similar to day five, Iron and proteins from beef, Vitamins and fibre from vegetables. By now your system is in a total weight loss inclination. There should be a noticeable difference in the way you look today, compared to day one.

Day Seven finished off the program like a good cigar used to finish off Victorian meals, except much healthier. You have your system under control and it should thank you for the flushing and cleaning you just gave it.

Random Thoughts: October

2009-10-07T09:06:00.005+08:00

Sobrang daming nangyari nung mga nakaraang araw-- merong masaya, meron ding malungkot, meron ding mga pangyayaring hindi ko alam kung paano bigyan ng reaksyon.

Hindi ko makakalimutan ang bagyong Ondoy dahil ngayon ko lang naranasan sa buong buhay ko ang katakot-takot na baha sa kanto ng Lifehomes-- well, lagpas tao lang naman. Pero sa street mismo namin, wala namang baha. Kaso walang kuryente, walang signal ang mga mobile networks at wala ring dial tone ang telepono. Siguro masasabi ko naring maswerte na rin kami kumpara sa mga taong nagpalipas ng gabi sa mga bubungan ng bahay nila-- nilalamig, basa at gutom-- para lang hindi anurin ng delubyong gawa ng bente-kwatro oras na ulan.

Lumipas rin ang birthday ko na parang wala namang nangyari. Hindi ko naramdaman, actually. Maraming taong bumati, siguro nga sapat narin yun-- pero hindi ako nag-celebrate. Or-- hindi pa, pwede namang i-postpone muna, tutal eh may krisis pa naman. Hindi na ata ako sanay na hindi nagse-celebrate, dahil tradisyon ko na ang magkaroon ng maliit na get-together tuwing birthday ko.

Kelan lang din, our high school directress passed away. Maraming nalungkot dahil mahal namin ang aming directress na si Mrs. Brown kahit na uma-umaga kaming sine-sermunan noong high school pa kami. Pumunta kaming magkaka-klase sa wake niya kagabi sa Christ the King para makita sana siya kahit sa huling mga sandali, pero nakasara ang casket niya. Nalungkot talaga ako, dahil hindi na na namin alam kung ano na ang itsura ng Immaculada ngayong wala na si Mrs. Brown-- it will never be the same again.

Marami-rami narin pala akong na-invest para sa camera ko, although mumurahin lang naman... nakabili na ako ng flower lens hood at filter. Isusunod ko nalang yung mga lente, tripod, ilaw at flash. Tapos binigyan ako ng camera bag ni Jas (officemate ko na 16 years nang nagshu-shoot), sobrang thankful ako-- tutal hindi naman daw niya nagagamit, birthday gift n'ya nalang raw sa'kin. Thank you Jas! At sa lahat ng taong bumati sa akin nung birthday ko, salamat po ng marami!

Walking Down the Memory Lane

2009-09-17T04:59:00.003+08:00

Kahapon, biglang nagtext sa akin si Pops, ang aking bestfriend, na samahan ko daw sya mag-ice cream sa Pasig. Medyo nag-hesitate ako dahil, una, umuulan ng malakas; pangalawa, dahil kulang pa ako sa tulog; pagatlo, bakit sa Pasig ba kailangan kumain nun, at ang huli at pinaka-valid na reason, tinatamad ako. Hehehe. Anyway, nangibabaw parin ang pagiging kaladkarin ko at sinundo niya ako sa dahil wala akong payong.

Dumaan muna kami sa Jollibee at kumain with matching kwentuhan tungkol sa recent visit niya sa Palawan. Diretso kami ng Ice Cream Store para kumain ng ice cream na nilibre niya. At syempre, kwentuhang walang humpay, na kung sa'n-sang topic na kami napunta; from the Old Philippines page sa Facebook hanggang sa mga chismis sa mga high school classmates. At dahil napag-usapan namin ang high school, niyaya ko s'yang dumaan sa aming dating escuelahan (La Immaculada Concepcion School) bago umuwi, dahil bigla naming naalala ang makasaysayang high school life habang nagkwentuhan kami sa tapat ng anino ng Pasig Cathedral.

Habang naglalakad kami sa covered sidewalk, nagpapa-unahan kaming tinuturo ang mga lugar na dating nandoon, na ngayon ay kung hindi sira-sirang bakod ay pinalitan na ng bagong establisyamento. Nagulat din ako sa sarili kong, automatic nang lumalabas sa bibig ko ang pangalan ng mga lugar na higit anim na taon ko nang nilisan, samantalang si Pops ay nag-iisip pa. Dito kami unang nagkakilala ni Pops, at sampung taon naming pinanday ang pagkakaibigan namin sa paaralang 'to.

Tinuro namin ang mga lugar kung san kami kumakain, kung sang gate kami lumalabas, ang mga secret pathways, ang binibilhang mga tindahan after class-- mga lugar na parang kahapon lang ay nandoon pa. Sabay naming pinagtatawanan ang mga masasaya at malulungkot na alaalang nakaukit narin sa mga konkretong pader na naghihiwalay sa amin at sa aming mga classrooms habang kami ay nasa labas.

Saka namin na-realize na andami naming na-miss.

The Number 9

2009-08-29T04:44:00.005+08:00

Ugh, ano kayang meron sa numerong "9" at tatlong movies ang ipapalabas this year na may pangalang merong "9?" Dahil ba year 2009 ngayon? Crazy, crazy, crazy.

Nine (Musical) - sorry, bawal daw i-embed.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y_5_lzags3I

9 (Animation) - bawal din daw i-embed. Anyway, 9/9/09 daw ipapalabas 'to. Ugh.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OnoJecu9e7c

at

District 9 - at least ito pwedeng i-embed ang official movie trailer.

Uhmm, excited? More ugh.

EDITED: September 4, 2009/6:44 AM
'Yun lang. Tinanggal din ang trailer ng District 9. Come on and rain on my parade.

Colzenerring Agen

2009-08-19T03:11:00.005+08:00

Hay salamat, sa wakas at may trabaho na ako. Kararating ko lang from work, at sobrang natakot ako sa pagdaan sa underpass ng Gil Puyat-Ayala kaninang alas-dos ng madaling-araw. Wala man lang sumabay sa akin kahit pusa. Kung anu-ano tuloy nai-imagine kong makasalubong sa paglalakad, kumaripas tuloy ako ng takbo.

Anyway, sa isang call center ako nagte-train ngayon (pero ayon sa kanila, contact center daw sila, hindi lang call center.) Opo. Call center uli. Matapos kong kamuhian ang trabahong ito a couple of months ago (see older blog posts LOL). Wala naman akong choice, palagay ko pa nga ay mapalad ako kasi nakakita ako ng call center na at least 4 hours ka lang makikipag-gaguhan sa mga kano. Isa pa, hindi nga raw "average Joe" na mga kano ang makakausap namin kundi mga bigwigs ng iba't-ibang kumpanya sa US, so at least hindi na madalas eng-eng ang makakausap ko. Hindi ko muna sasabihin ang detalye sa ngayon.

Nag-enjoy ako sa mga di-ni-scuss sa amin nung orientation: may smoking area sa bawat floor (lumundag sa galak ang baga ko sa tuwa), may libreng gym, may shower room, malaki ang offer sa'kin kahit na per hour ang rate, pwedeng mag-shorts pagpasok sa work at higit sa lahat, 4 hours lang ang minimum na oras na pwede mong gugulin sa pagtatrabaho, so kaya ko pa talagang pagsabayin ang pag-aaral at pagtatrabaho. On the darker side (para maiba naman), malayo ang Makati from my home/school, wala kaming health benefits (ang mga kawawang part-timers), may bayad na piso ang kape (haha, demanding ba ako masyado?), CRT monitors ang katapat namin, ampanget ng shift ko ngayon (10PM-2AM) at pang-horror ang underpass na kelangan ko daanan sa gabi-gabing ginawa ng Diyos. Siguro halatang-halata na kung anong contact center 'tong tinutukoy ko, kung galing ka man rito.

Pero sobrang thankful ako kay Lord na may trabaho na ako. Ang sweldo ko sa apat na oras sa trabahong 'to ay malamang katumbas ng 8 hours na sweldo kung nag-fast food ako. For now, I'll devour this ounce of semi-sweet chocolate bar I bought from Baker's Depot.

My Bucket List

2009-08-12T12:03:00.005+08:00

Ok, so ngayon ko officially ili-list down ang mga bagay na gusto ko gawin para maging mas meaningful ang buhay ko. Isa-isa ko silang iko-cross out kapag nagawa ko na, at syempre ikukwento ko narin kung ano nangyari. May mga bagay na mukhang malayong magawa, pero hopefully magawa ko parin in the future. Meron akong aalisin, merong idadagdag, depende sa takbo ng utak ko.

1. Magpalipad ng saranggola sa malaking field
2. Magpicnic sa isang scenic hill
Mag-enrol sa following classes:
3. Capoeira
4. Painting
5. Sculpting
6. Pottery-making
7. Culinary
8. Photography
9. Makagawa ng malaking box/trunk na may lock
10. Makagawa ng print sa T-shirt na MATINO
11. Mapag-aralan at ma-perfect gumawa ng jam/marmalade
12. Magkaroon ng food business
13. Magkaroon ng part-time job habang nag-aaral*
14. Maka-graduate ng matiwasay
15. Mag-masters sa World/Art History
16. Makatuklas ng original art technique
17. Makagawa ng isang kumpletong comic book
18. Makagawa ng isang kumpletong novel
19. Ma-make over ang kwarto ko
20. Makapag-aral ng Marine Biology
21. Matutong lumangoy
22. Mangibang-bansa
23. Makapag-scuba dive
24. Makagawa ng conceptual na photoshoot
25. Makabili ng laptop

...at marami pang iba. Hehehe. Let the kabaliwan begin!

UPDATE:
Aug 23, 2009
13. Magkaroon ng part-time job habang nag-aaral - CHECK!!!! Yay!

Tita Cory: More Than a Political Icon

2009-08-07T06:09:00.004+08:00

We were required to make an essay for the former president Cory Aquino who just recently passed away, as tribute to her heroism. Kahapon namin pinasa, at sa gulat ko, nagustuhan ng professor namin kahit na mali ang format na nagawa ko: dapat nakasulat sa yellow paper at written in Filipino, samantalang ang ginawa ko ay pina-print ko sa bond paper at English ang lenggwahe. Bigla nalang ako tinawag at pinabasa ang gawa ko sa harap ng klase na halos ikamatay ko sa hiya.

Sa totoo lang, hindi ko talaga kilala si Tita Cory hanggang sa marinig ko ang mga speech na ginawa ng mga tao at nabasa ko ang mga articles tungkol sa kanya. Saka ko nalang na-realize na isang malaking kawalan si Tita Cory, hindi lang as an icon of democracy but also as a mother. Anyway, here's a copy of the essay I made for Tita Cory, may she rest in peace with Ninoy.

More than a Political Icon

I woke up on a cold and rainy Saturday morning; I thought it was just a couple of minutes past five, and the dawn is still breaking. While the obscurity was still lording over this part of the Earth outside my window, the monitor gleam like the sun the moment I turned the computer on, hurting my still dreamy eyes— and hurting it more when I learned about a bad news, which is sadly forethought save for a miracle. Still unknown to most as they were still snug in their blankets, I figured that while it was the first day in the month of August, it was the last in the life of a person venerated by many Filipinos.

The whole nation mourns for the loss of Corazon Aquino, a strong woman who succumbed to a relentless disease which also plagued her mother. After more than a year of battle with the vile colon cancer, she now rests in peace, and hopefully is somewhere out there with Ninoy who I am sure she missed so much.

Cory Aquino was nominated for a Nobel Peace Prize but lost to Elie Wiesel, a Romanian Holocaust survivor; nevertheless, she was hailed “Woman of the Year” by Time Magazine in 1986 when she, admittedly a non-political person, led the Filipino nation to a bloodless revolution and overthrew the autocratic Marcos regime.

To me, with all honesty, Cory was just another figure in my history book. I blame that to the fact that I was still being conceived when she showcased her diplomatic feat. As I was taught on how marvelous the deeds of this wonder woman were, I eventually learned that she is the icon of Philippine democracy. Unfortunately, it stopped there. I felt no emotional attachment to a hero I grew up with. I am saddened, yes; but I was not grieving.

Then there came the time I realized that Cory is more than a political icon.

I’ve had the chance to watch her requiem mass on TV, where her remains laid inside the Manila Cathedral. To be laid inside this majestic shrine of our culture and religion is especially reserved to the deceased archbishops. The fact that such a privilege was given to a lay woman like Cory shows how amazingly loved this woman is. I learned how devout to the Almighty she was. When I heard the eulogies declared for her, I realized that as a counsel, she was prudent; and as a leader, she was meek. I was moved on how her children, her friends and relatives lament over her loss as they hardly stop crying. What made her a treasure to me is not only because she became a tool to reshape the country’s fate, but also because she was a great mother to her children, and an epitome of kindness among the people.

She was more than just another President in the pages of our history book. She was more than just another political figure. To many, if not most of us, she was a trusted friend, a reliable ally, a beloved leader, and a caring mother, not just to his children, but to the rest of the Filipino people as well. The yellow ribbons scattered all around the Metro is a manifestation of how lucky we were to have her even for just a while, and that the Philippines will never have another Tita Cory.

To Tita Cory, who is watching us from up above, I’ll raise my Laban sign up in the air, and say “Ipagpapatuloy ko.” And we, the youth of the nation, will continue to fight and defend the democracy you have bestowed upon the Filipino people.

requiescat in pace,
Maria Corazon "Cory" Sumulong Cojuangco Aquino
(January 25, 1933 – August 1, 2009)

I Wish I Lived in Old Manila

2009-07-29T16:10:00.003+08:00

Trip na trip ko ngayong tignan ang mga pictures at panuoirin ang videos ng Old Philippines sa Facebook at YouTube. Na-realize kong napaka-ganda ng Pilipinas dati, bago ang gyera; nung mga panahong sakop pa tayo ng mga Amerikano. Isa 'to sa mga videos na nakita ko na nagpapakita ng tour sa Manila-- ngayon, nagtataka ako kung nasaan na ang mga magagandang buildings at artworks na dating nakakalat sa buong Manila:

Nasayangan ako sa mga structures na ito na hindi man lang na-preserve ng maayos. Sana man lang nagkaroon ng batas dito sa Pilipinas na pinagbabawal ang pag-demolish sa mga lumang infrastructures para mapanatili natin ang culture natin. Hay.

When Can I Smell Victory?

2009-07-22T23:07:00.003+08:00

I just bought this really interesting item sa isang surplus shop kanina: it's an Eastern-inspired oil burner that I scored for 99 pesos. Actually, maraming magagandang oil burners na nakahilera sa shelf pero ito ang pinakagusto ko-- simple, pero chic. Meron din silang scented oil na binebenta sa napakamurang halaga-- 3 phials for 99 pesos, assorted scents na; I bought the pack which includes citrus, 4 fruits and mint. Unfortunately, hindi kabanguhan ang mga scented oil, ano pa nga ba ie-expect ko sa presyo. Overall, not bad for 99 pesos.

Hanggang ngayon, wala parin akong nakikitang part-time na trabaho. Sisiguraduhin kong bukas na bukas, tatanungin ko ang isa kong classmate na manager-in-training sa Figaro kung pwede akong mag-apply dun. Ewan ko ba, gustong-gusto ko magtrabaho sa coffee shop. Hindi ako magsasawang langhapin ang amoy ng roasted coffee beans. Sana lang talaga magkaroon na ako ng work. Nag-aalala narin sila mama at papa. Ayoko namang umasa sa kanila kapag nawalan na talaga ako ng pera.

Random Thoughts: July

2009-07-16T19:56:00.006+08:00

Nako. Nadukutan pala ako ng cellphone 2 weeks ago. Nakaka-badtrip; pano ba naman, eh kapapalit ko lang ng housing nun, tapos lagi ko nang nilalagay sa leather casing para hindi na magasgasan tapos biglan ninenok. Gago eh 'no. Ang masama pa nun, sa Pureza pa ako nabiktima, daan papuntang school, mga 7:30 AM, naaalala ko tirik na tirik pa ang haring Pebo. Parang sa ilang taong dumadaan ako rito, ngayon lang nangyari sa'kin 'to. Pero sa totoo lang, hindi ako nagdamdam masyado sa pagkakawala; medyo luma narin kasi ang modelo, nagbabadya yatang kailangan ko na ng bagong cellphone. Buti nalang meron pa akong ipon, dahil sa araw na nawalan ako ng cellphone, diretso ako ng Greenhills pagkatapos ng klase para bumili ng kapalit. Hindi po 'yun kayamanan, utang na loob. Napaka-kritikal lang talaga ng cellphone sa buhay ng estudyante ngayon, lalo na't irregular student ako. Isa pa, low end lang naman ang binili ko.
Anyway. Nag-try pala akong mag-apply sa Starbucks as barista, unfortunately hindi ako pumasa. Ewan ko kung bakit, baka hindi ako pang-barista talaga. Sayang, gusto ko pa naman maging barista. Pero OK lang, baka may mas magandang opportunity para sa akin. Sana nga. Nauubos na ang pera ko; kailangan ko nang pagkakakitaan. Hay.

Onga pala, yang shot na 'yan sa taas, galing sa SLR ko. I think it's my best achievement this year (well, I guess, so far)-- ang makabili ng SLR! Yesss!!! Katas ng backpay! Thank you Lord!!

On Saying Goodbye Over and Over Again

2009-07-01T14:41:00.003+08:00

I'm officially a bum again.

Kare-resign ko lang sa Capital IQ kahapon. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang dapat ko maramdaman -- naiinis ako na parang natutuwa. Naiinis, dahil sayang ang opportunity na nakapasok ako sa prestihiyosong kumpanya na ito -- sobrang hirap makapasok dito, at isa ako sa mga lucky ones na iyon. Natutuwa, dahil makakabalik na ako sa pag-aaral. Sana matapos ko na ang course ko ng walang problema.

Binabasa ko kanina ang mga previous blog entries ko. Binalikan ko ang mga posts na nagpapa-alala sa akin kung gaano ako ka-excited na malaman ang resulta ng pag-a-apply ko sa kumpanyang 'to. Nakakalungkot isipin na hindi man lang ako nagtagal sa kumpanya na iyon. Ayoko nang bumalik sa call center...

Mami-miss ko, higit sa lahat, ang mga taong nakasama ko sa dalawang buwan na pamamalagi ko rito.

Lord, kayo na po bahala sa akin.

The Devil and the Deep Blue Sea

2009-06-23T06:15:00.004+08:00

Badtrip talaga. Kung kelan pakiramdam mong OK na ang lahat, saka pa darating ang mas malaking problema.

Natapos ko na pala sa wakas ang registration at pagbabayad ng tuition sa school. Opisyal na estudyante na ako uli. Ang problema ko nalang ay ang pagmu-move ng isang subject ko sa Sabado. Pero hindi lang pala iyon ang problema, may mas malaki pa pala.

Kagabi, merong meeting ang buong batch namin with the OM. Napag-usapan ang kung anu-anong bagay na nangyayari sa office. At isa na doon ang bagong schedule.

"OK, starting Monday, you guys will start coming to work at 8 AM."

Wow. Wow. Wow.

Hay. Kala ko pa naman, isang subject lang ang ipapa-move ko sa Sabado. Pati pa pala yung klaseng 7:30-9:00 AM, ipapalipat ko narin sa Sabado. Ang tanong: papayag kaya ang mga professors? At pano sa future, puro nalang ba Sabado ang kukunin kong class? Hindi naman siguro pwede iyon.

Lord, bahala na kayo.

Agnostic

2009-06-18T05:34:00.004+08:00

Maaga akong nagising ngayon dahil kelangan ko uli pumunta uli sa school uli para mailipat sa Saturday yung isang subject ko dahil male-late talaga ako sa trabaho. Peste, nanggaling na ako dun kahapon pero walang nangyari; alas-ocho palang, nakapila na ako.

Makalipas ang dalawang oras, guess what? Nakapila parin ako. Shiyet. Para kaming timang dun, na naghihintay sa wala. Nalaman na lang namin na sira daw yung makina na ginagamit pang-validate. WTF??? Pagkatapos ko pumila ng pagkatagal-tagal, ayun, umalis din ako dahil may pasok pa ako sa trabaho ng alas-onse.

Sinubukan kong mag-tren. Sumakay ako sa Pureza ng LRT II, bumaba ng Cubao; takte, mahaba pala ang pila sa bilihan ng magnetic card. Bumaba sa Ortigas station at saka ko na-realize na ang haba pala ng lalakarin ko. Knowing na male-late na talaga ako, dumaan muna ako sa Megamall para bumili ng pagkain, gutom na gutom ako dahil sa letseng school na yan. Buena mano yata ako sa Go Nuts Donuts. Badtrip. Wala na ngang nangyari sa lakad ko, late pa ako.

Moving on.

Minsan, meron na naman akong mga bagay na pinag-iisipan na, ika nga nila, nakakaloko daw. Heto na naman ako, naghihintay na maluto ang ipambabaon ko for lunch, nag-iisip kung ano ba ang silbi ng lahat ng nangyayari sa atin ngayon. Bakit kailangan ko magtrabaho? Bakit kailangan ko suportahan ang pamilya ko? Bakit kailangan ko grumadweyt? Bakit kailangan ko maging mabuting anak? Bakit kailangan kong magkapera? Bakit kelangan ko kumain? Bakit kelangan ko mabuhay? At doon, sa huli, madalas tumitigil ang tanong. Hindi uubra sa akin ang sagot na: "dahil ikaw ang sasagip kay..." o kaya "dahil meron kang gaganaping papel sa buhay ni.." dahil itatanong ko rin kung bakit kailangan ko sagipin ang buhay n'ya o bakit kailangan kong pumapel sa buhay nitong taong 'to, kung alam ko namang sa huli eh lahat tayo mamatay; mawawalan ng saysay ang lahat ng binaon nating dunong sa utak o kaya kinain nating pagkarami-rami, dahil hindi na gagana ang lahat ng bahagi ng katawan natin kapag dedo na tayo.

Hindi ko alam kung anong mga kasagutan dito. Baka nga mali lang ang tanong ko. Pero hindi eh; if God imparted me the concept of this question, there must be an answer. Unfortunately, hindi yata kayang gamayin nang tao ang wisdom na kagaya nito, kung meron mang sagot. Pero siguro, ginawa tayong tao para maiwasan ang complexities ng buhay. Tao ako, dapat ako mag-isip tao.

Maging masaya. Siguro. For the mean time, yun nalang muna ang gagawin ko.

Damnant quod non intelligunt

2009-06-12T07:50:00.010+08:00

Kagabi, pumunta kami ni Maan sa Metrowalk to buy DVDs. Pinanuod ko kaagad pagkauwi sa bahay ang mga binili ko, Coraline at Horsemen, respectively, at na-realize kong merong similarity ang dalawa: tungkol sa mga batang hindi pinapansin ng mga magulang, and how they find ways to cope with it.

Coraline is originally a book by Neil Gaiman na ginawang animated film. The Horsemen is based on the Four Horseman of the Apocalypse (kaya nga binili ko, mahilig ako sa mga gantong klaseng tema). I don't want to spoil it so I suggest na panuorin n'yo nalang, lalo na yung Coraline. Isa pa tinatamad akong mag-type, kagigising ko lang. Alas-kwatro na ng madaling araw ako nakatulog, tapos alas-ocho ng umaga ako nagising. OK lang. Friday naman eh. Yay!!!!

Ang masasabi ko lang:

We should not expect that everyone could understand us.

Happy Independence Day pala!

Madamot

2009-06-08T02:54:00.005+08:00

Gourmet?

Sardinas lang yan. Ligo. Talagang bestfriend ko na ang sardinas, for better or for worse. Hehe. Hay. Lumalabas na naman pagiging frustrated food stylist ko. LOL.

Sana makabili na ako ng SLR ko this year. Malapit ko narin makuha ang backpay ko, sana malaki makuha ko para naman madali nalang ako makapag-ipon.

Minsan, pakiramdam ko napaka-selfish ko. Lagi nalang sarili ko iniitindi ko. Sarili kong kaligayahan. Samantalang yung mga kapatid ko sa bahay, hindi na magkaugaga kung san kukuha ng perang ipambabayad sa uniporme para sa school.

Sorry Lord. Babawi ako. Promise.

P.S. Para sa akin mas masarap ang lemon sa sardinas kesa kalamansi.

Random Thoughts: June

2009-06-01T23:32:00.005+08:00

Hay.

First day ng June, malapit na talaga magpasukan uli. Umuulan-ulan ng umuwi ako, and as usual, sobrang gusto kong naglalakad sa ambon. Iba ang feeling, nakaka-relax. Napaka-lungkot ng feeling, pero I'm enjoying it. Ewan ko, weird ba? Lahat naman yata tayo may mga peculiarities.

Sobrang nahapo kaming lahat sa ginawa namin sa opis, knowing na first day palang ng work week. Na-stress kami masyado sa mga exams na kung hindi ko binagsak eh sobrang baba ng grado ko. Nakakahiya, lumabas na naman tuloy ang faux-inferiority complex ko.

Anyway, dahil sobrang sawa na ako sa lahat ng pwedeng inuming kape (mapa-black, with cream, cappuccino, mocha, latte, brewed) at tea (yellow peckoe, peppermint, cranberry/raspberry/strawberry, green) sa pantry, naisipan kong mag-imbento ng inumin para naman maiba. Naglagay ako ng isang teabag ng Peppermint sa isang tasa ng mainit na mocha. Parang Starbucks ang labas! Mocha na may mint, sarap! Try n'yo :D

Kelangan ko pa gumising ng maaga bukas para magbayad ng matrikula. Good night.

Define "Kadiri"

2009-05-31T23:12:00.003+08:00

Eeeyyyewwwwww.... *kolehiyala-style*

Isang mapait na karanasan, pero pwede pang pumait kung nagkataon.

****************************************************************************************************************

Maulang Sabado iyon, inaasikaso ang enrolment ko sa school para sa nalalapit na pasukan. Galing na ako sa department namin, at sabi ng chairperson namin tignan ko raw sa ibang department kung meron silang ino-offer na gan'tong subjects since inalis na nga nila ang subject na iyon sa curriculum na bago. In short, I will have to cross-enrol sa ibang course. Cool.

Eh 'di lakad ako sa department na nag o-offer nun. Hindi ako nag e-expect na may tao sa office nila since Sabado nga naman. Nakakatakot nga ang school, kulang nalang eh multo para masabi mong haunted talaga yung lugar. So tambay ako sa bulletin board sa harap ng opis ng Mystery Department na 'to, tinignan ang mga schedule na naka-paskil kung meron ba akong pwedeng i-singit sa aking hectic na schedule.

Maya-maya, merong lumapit na matandang lalake, mukhang meron syang susi sa naka-padlock na pinto ng opisina. Tumingin s'ya sa'kin.

"Bag mo ba 'yan?" tinuro n'ya ang bag ko na nakalapag sa sahig, at binuksan ang pinto ng opisina ng Mystery Department.

"Yes sir." sagot ko habang pinapa-pawisan, nagpa-paypay ng cardboard na may advertisement ng cellphone.

"Bakit? Meron ka bang kelangan dito?"

"Tinitignan ko lang ho kung merong gantong subjects na ino-offer dito.." sabay pinakita ko sa kanya ang papel.

"O sige, tara sa loob."

So pasok kami sa opisina.

"Kluck--- click!," tunog ng doorknob at latch na ni-lock na pinto ni sir.

Napa-lunok ako, in-associate ko tuloy 'yun sa pagkulot-kulot ng boses n'ya habang kausap n'ya ako kanina. Pero syempre, think positive muna ako. Malay mo malambing lang talaga magsalita yung tao.

"Tignan mo dun sa mga papel dun, kung meron pang bakanteng sections na pwede kang mag-enrol."

Merong isang kwarto roon na may mga papel na nakalatag sa table. Tinignan ko. Mga subjects. Nakita ko ang subject na hinahanap ko. Unfortunately, nag-iisa na lang ang available at hindi swak sa schedule ko sa work.

Paalis na sana ako, nang lumapit si sir na may dalang papel.

"Eto yung curriculum."

Lumayo talaga ako sa kanya dahil sumasanggi na ang braso nya sa akin.

"Thank you po, pwedeng akin na lang ho 'to?"

"Sige." ibang klase na talaga ang tingin at ngiti ni manong.

Magpapaalam na sana ako, actually nasa pinto na ako at readyng-ready na i-unlock ang pinto, pero andami nyang tinatanong sa'king kung anu-anong mga bagay. "Bakit ka nag-stop? S'an ka nag-work? Anong work mo?" Blah blah blah. Hindi ako bastos sa matanda kaya sinasagot ko naman ng maayos ang sangkatutak na tanong nya, parang labas sa 'kin eh delaying tactics. Bulok na ho yan.

May biglang kumatok sa pinto.

Nag-iba ang mood ng manyakis.

"Iho paki-buksan nga." parang gusto ko sabihin, "I'll be more than happy to!"

Merong mga estudyanteng babaeng pumasok, may tinatanong tungkol sa uniform. Mukhang freshmen.

"Ah wala, hindi dumating yung nagsusukat." nagsusungit na sabi ng matanda.

Nagpaalam narin ako sa wakas. "Sir mauna na ako. Salamat po."

Parang gusto kong habulin si ate at i-treat sya sa Chowking sa sobrang saya ko sa Divine Intervention na iyon. Sobrang pinagpawisan ako. Palabas na 'ko ng impyernong iyon, biglang sabi nya:

"Pahinga ka muna dito o..." sabay turo sa upuan na nakatapat sa electric fan.

"Salamat nalang ho, nagmamadali narin ho kasi ako."

Nanay ko po, halos tumakbo na 'ko sa pag-alis.

Putres de Mayo

2009-05-27T01:06:00.004+08:00

Wow.

Nae-excite na ako mag back-to-school. Bakit kaya? Eh halos wala na nga akong kakilala sa darating na school year. In fact, prof na doon ang isa kong classmate dati. So malaki ang chance na maging prof ko sya sa isa sa mga subjects ko hahaha.

Anyway, natapos na pala ang paghihirap ko sa pagiging returnee. Masaklap pa sa buhay ni Sisa ang dinanas ko sa pag-aasikaso ng bwakanangenang re-admission. Umaga palang, nasa school na ako (school's name is not mentioned to protect its employees, LOL), sabay hapon pa dumating yung mag i-interview. Sabay nung ako na yung kinakausap ng nagi-interview eh sobrang dami pa nyang pinagawa sa'kin, umabot tuloy ng alas-otso ng GABI. Well at least natapos ko. Thank you Lord!

Tapos sabay balitaan ba ako ng mga ka-opisina ko na may FINAL WARNING na daw ako sa work. Aba, ayos ha, dahil um-absent ako at may sakit kinabukasan! Huwow. Sobrang nainis ako at gusto ko nang maghanap ng ibang trabahong malilipatan. Iniisip kong mangapit-kumpanya (Thomson Reuters, LOL). Pano ba naman kasi, training palang, meron kagad ganun???

Pagkatapos kong mag-senti ng nag-uumapaw, sabi sakin ni Maan,

JOKE LANG.

Wahahahaha. 'Di ko alam kung maiinis ba ako o matutuwa. Pero syempre natuwa ako. Ayus!!!

The Heaven that is the Cordilleras

2009-05-05T10:50:00.014+08:00

Egad. Kagagaling ko lang ng Sagada at Banaue and I should say, napakaganda ng lugar na 'yun. Sooooooooooper, as in undescribable. Kaming dalawa lang ni Jeric ang natuloy sa backpacking trip na 'to, but we really had a great time sa bulubundukin ng Cordillera. Yung girls, di sumama dahil may "bagyo" daw, yeah right. Tignan n'yo nalang ang sinag ng araw sa mga pictures dito kung umulan. Anyway. Dumating kami sa Victory Liner sa Cubao ng 1 AM, at sobrang nagulat ako sa dami nang taong aakyat ng Baguio (well, dapat prinesume na namin 'to dahil long weekend nga naman). Sabi sa'min, 5:00 AM pa raw yung pwede namin masakyan; so lipat kami sa kabilang station, may nakita kaming bus na walang ticket booth, tipong sa bus ka na magbabayad (I forgot the name of the bus line). We waited sa pila for a couple of hours, then 3:30 AM ay nakasakay na kami at last. Nakatulog sa bus, at pagkagising ay nasa Baguio na kami (wow, di namin napansin ang stop-overs hahahaha). Pagdating ng Baguio, taxi kami to Dangwa station and boarded a non-airconditioned bus (kung meron mang aircon bus, I recommend na sa ordinary nalang dahil mag-eenjoy ka ng sobra sa open-air na view ng mountains at super lamig ng hangin). Konting stop-overs sa mga major towns, kain, yosi of course to keep us warm and tuloy tuloy na to Sagada. Doon ko na-realize na sisiw pala ang long and winding road ng Baguio compared sa daan papuntang Sagada; halos wala nang mga harang ang bangin, hehehehe. Pagkadating namin ng Sagada, napa-wow talaga ako sa surroundings... lahat ng tignan mong view ay scenic.

Eto ang view sa likod ng tinuluyan naming bahay, around 6AM

Dumating kami ng Sagada around 4:30 PM, nag-stay sa Kanip-aw Pine Lodge (thanks kuya Wencel and Dorothy aka Domyang!) binisita namin ang Lemon Pie House na sobrang lapit lang (no sarcasm there, as in tatawid ka lang ng kalsada at onting lakad lang) para makatikim ng lemon pie at super sarap na lemon tea.

relax muna bago magpahinga

Kinabukasan, maaga kaming nagising para kumain ng breakfast sa Lemon Pie House (sarap ng sausage ha) at sumugod sa office ng SAGGAS (tour guides) para mag-inquire about the tours. Na-meet namin si Manong Jacob ('di ko alam ang native name n'ya) at nag-hire ng jeep para dalhin kami sa mga dapat namin puntahan. Dalawa lang ang pinuntahan naming major spots sa Sagada pero sobrang nakakapagod at saya. First destination: trekking to Bomod-Ok Falls.

welcome to Sagada

lovely landscape. meron silang mini rice terraces dito

konti nalang Jeric... kita na ang falls!

we're here at last. iced water ata meron dyan sa falls na yan, sobrang lamig

Sobrang haba ng nilakad namin. Puro pababa, pero nakakapagod paren knowing na sobrang layo ng nilakbay namin. You'll literally have to climb up and down the mountain. Inabutan kami ng lunch, kumain muna sa Salt and Pepper's ng sobrang laking manok (ayus pala serving ng food dito, pang mountaineers talaga). Then off to Sumaguing "Porn" caves to do spelunking. Isa pa 'tong sobrang sayang trip! Maliban nalang sa paghawak mo sa guano (bat shit) every now and then dahil kelangan mo talaga minsan gumapang sa bato.

pababa ng kweba

one of the most interesting finds, shell fossils (I'm assuming they are of marine origine) na naka-embed sa walls ng cave

basang basa at lamig na lamig, kaya may jacket paren hehe

paakyat!!

Sobrang nakakahingal ang caving. Buti nalang napaka-helpful at infomative ng guide namin. Galing mo sir Jacob! Dumidilim na kaya dumiretso na kami sa lodge para magpahinga at mag-dinner. Hindi na kami nakadaan ng Echo Valley para sa Hanging Coffins, oh well. Kinabukasan kasi aalis na kami ng maaga so baka next time nalang 'yun (sana nga may next time hehehe).

So 6 AM, punta kami sa terminal ng jeep sa kanto para sumakay ng byaheng Bontoc. 1 hour daw ang byahe. Pagdating sa Bontoc, we boarded the bus bound for Banaue. International ang old-school na bus na yun, kasama namin ay iba't ibang foreign backpackers. At kung walang binatbat ang long and winding road ng Baguio sa Sagada, panis silang lahat sa byaheng Banaue dahil one-way lang ang daan sa gilid ng bundok; sobrang nipis ng daanan with matching thick fog pa.

example ng daanan na binagtas namin from Bontoc to Banaue

stopover muna... parang eto ang bayan ng Silent Hill (wow hindi naman ako masyadong na-hook sa Silent Hill franchise no?)

Tumingin-tingin ako sa mga tao sa loob ng bus, parang, wala lang, habang yung bus na sinasakyan namin eh gumegewang-gewang sa daan dahil sa winding mountainside road. Buti nalang, hindi maulan, foggy lang; pero medyo madulas parin ang ibang daan dahil sa moisture. After prolly 8 hours, we're finally in Banaue. Whew!

UNESCO World Heritage Site Ifugao Rice Terraces

Ang ganda pala talaga ng Rice Terraces ng Ifugao. I was dumbfounded when I saw this scene. I fell in love with the Cordilleras. Babalik ako dito, promise. Marami pa akong na-miss sa Sagada!!!

Random Thoughts: April

2009-04-11T13:05:00.004+08:00

At eto nga ang itsura ng hallway ng building na pinagtatrabahuhan ko ngayon. Parang anytime eh mabubulok nalang ang walls, ceiling at floor neto at kakainin nalang ako ng buhay (Silent Hill style). Lalo na't Black Saturday ngayon; parang anytime eh may lalabas na maligno sa mga salamin. Ang masaklap pa, walang katao-tao sa buong building; parang ang floor lang namin ang may tao. Eerie, kasi walang background music, kaya lahat ng footsteps eh maririnig mo. Anyway, 4 days nalang at sweldo na! Yay!!!Anyway, my discovery of this pineapple is the highlight of my day. Kanina, nagyo-yosi at umiinom ako ng juice sa rooftop namin, naglalakad-lakad sa "little garden" ni mama at nakita ko ang pinya na 'to, seated on its glorious throne surrounded with spikey leaves. Maliit palang, mga 7 inches siguro. It's just surprising to see this lovely fruit in an urban neighborhood.

Like, I Suddenly Hate You

2009-04-07T15:51:00.003+08:00

Your face
Like water seeping into the ground
Imbibed by my heart

Moments with you
Like cherry blossoms in autumn
Faded away so soon

Tears like rain
Gathered on sundews
Memories of you lingered

Like a pine
Tried to live happy during the winter
Cones are budding

You're back;
Like an ironwood tree so high
I suddenly hate you

- Haiku in Melancholia Humor, pallida Mors

March 30: The Feast Day of the Goddess Salus

2009-03-30T11:02:00.005+08:00

8:57 AM.

Pupungas-pungas akong bumangon mula sa pagkakahiga kanina, inaantok pa ako.

Pa'no ba naman, eh alas tres ng madaling araw na ako nakatulog kanina, balak ko talagang magpuyat kanina para makatulog ako sa umaga, dahil may shift na naman ako mamayang gabi.

Pagka-on na pagka-on ko ng computer, nag-ring ang cellphone ko...

"Brother A to Z... Yo, what time is it... doo-doo-doo...."

Tumunog na ang ringtone ko na kanta ni Jason Mraz, "Geek in the Pink."

Landline number ang tumatawag sa'kin, ayaw ko sagutin.

Tapos biglang napa-mura ako: bulong ko sa sarili ko, tangina!!!!

Sabay pulot ng cellphone na nagba-vibrate sa mesa. Bzzzzzt. Pick me up, idiot
"Hello... may I talk to Resty? This is Diane from Capital IQ..."

PAKINAMSHET!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pumasa ako!!!

At kinausap nga ako ni Miss Diane. Sinabihan tungkol sa job offer schedule at tinatanong kung magkano daw previous salary ko. Dang. Magkano kaya io-offer sa'kin? Excited na ako!

Pagkatapos ng tawag na 'yun, para akong kunehong umii-skip skip sa kwarto. Para akong tanga, kulang nalang magta-tumbling ako.

Ang saya saya ko.... thank you po Lord!!!!

Worry ko pa nga rin lang 'yung sa school. Sana makapag-enrol parin ako at makapag-aral despite the demands of the job.... 'Di bale. We'll burn the bridge when we get there. Hahahaha!

It's Backpay Time

2009-03-26T09:14:00.002+08:00

Ang backpay. Bow.

Napakalupit ng tadhana... (yun o.. emo ka'gad? Dahil lang sa backpay?)

Pagkagaling na pagkagaling ko sa opisina galing shift, na as usual eh wala naman kaming ginawa kung hindi mag-surf sa Internet (hindi pa kasi ready ang mga credentials namin) buong shift, dumiretso nga ako sa dating kumpanya ko sa Makati para ayusin ang tumataginting na backpay. Pitong department ang dapat magpipirma sa aking clearance, at so far dalawa palang ang may pirma. Ilang araw na din ang lumipas, bakit nga ba hindi ko inasikaso yun noon pa, nung mga panahong wala pa akong trabaho? Siguro alam mo na ang sagot d'yan. Tinatamad ako. Hehe.

Masisisi mo ba ako? Kung ang opisina mo e napakalayo. 1 hour FX ride???? Tapos kung mamalasin ka pa eh mata-traffic ka pa sa mga traffic points: Lifehomes, Rosario, Bagong Ilog, C5-Kalayaan Intersection, Buendia, Ayala. Naalala ko tuloy yung one time na pauwi ako galing work: 8AM ang out ko, 11 PM na ako nakauwi! Iritang irita ako sa trapik na yan. Eh pawisin pa naman ako, so kahit aircon ang FX, walang sinabi sa sinag ni Haring Araw lalo na pag pa-tanghali na.

Going back to the story... dumating ako sa office ng 7 AM. Saktong paalis na rin ang mga ex-officemates ko. Konting kwento-kwento at yosi muna sa labas bago ako umakyat at asikasuhin ang clearance. At pagpanhik ko nga, matapos ang diskusyunan with my former supervisor, sabi n'ya unfortunately walang pipirma sa oras na yun. Pffft!!!!! Kasi daw iba-iba ang shift nila. Wooooooooooooooooooow. Bwisit! Resigned na nga ako bibigyan pa nila ako ng problema sa backpay na yan. Bakit naman sa ibang company wala nang ganyan eche-bureche. Isosoli mo lang mga gamit nila, hintay ng ilang buwan bago i-release ang pera. Eh dito, isang buwan mo nga lang hihintayin eh magpapa-balik-balik ka naman para hanapin 'yung mga taong dapat pipirma. Maiintindihan ko kung nag-aasikaso ako ng papeles para bumalik sa pag-aaral eh (mas madali pa nga 'yung sa PUP). Eh ito, sakit ng ulo!!!! Pwede ba!!!

Nakakainis.

Wala na akong pera eh..... huhuhuhuhu

Welcome to Silent Hill. Enjoy your stay.

2009-03-25T07:33:00.004+08:00

At ayun nga.

Nag-start na ako sa Crappy Company, 2nd day ko kanina to date. So far, so so-so (wow that's accidental wordplay). Sa totoo lang, since medyo marami-rami naring centers ang napuntahan ko, so far this is the worst aesthetically; pantry is like a stock room, the production floor is cluttered, the computer's productivity suite (e.g. word processor, spreadsheet, etc) is, err, cheap (actually download-able sa Internet for free), the CR reminds me of Silent Hill, yung elevator parang babagsak anytime, the list goes on. Pero on the brighter side... sobrang petiks ng trabaho dito. 'Di namin nararamdamang nagte-training kami, pa'no iniiwan lang kami ng mentor namin sa stations para magbasa ng online resources. So ano pa nga bang pwedeng gawin 'pag bored na? Internet! Ang Internet dito ay open, walang naka-block. Legal ang Yahoo Messenger dahil 'yun ang communication platform among the employees... so nakakausap ko pa ang mga tao sa labas. Pero may mga activities rin namang pinapagawa sa amin para meron naman kaming idea kung ano talaga ang ginagawa ng mga binabayaran dito. Hehe.

Nae-excite na ako sa results ng exam ko sa Capital IQ. Sana pumasa ako, hehe.

At heto na naman ako sa dilemma ng career ko. Feeling ko, makakapag-enrol nga ako sa school, pero dahil sa stress, mapapasukan ko pa kaya ang mga subjects ko? This April ko na makukuha ang transcript ko.

Sana naman wala akong pagpilian. God, give me a sign please.

Of Interviews and Isaws

2009-03-19T03:11:00.005+08:00

Oh Lord patawarin n'yo ako.

Kasa-sign ko lang ng contract sa isang kumpanyang wala naman talaga akong balak karirin. Itago nalang natin siya sa pangalang... uhmm... Crappy Company. Kelangan ko ba mag-explain? Pero kahit the name suggests its office's look, OK naman ang offer sa'kin. Aba, di hamak na mas malaki ang sweldo kumpara sa dating kumpanya ko bago ako napunta sa pinakahuling company na pinasukan ko. Ang gulo no? OK lang, wala naman talaga akong balak i-explain eh. Knowing na hindi ka na makikipag-usap sa mga Kano this time, pero maganda ang pasahod.

'Yun na nga. Crappy Company is located in... one of the business hubs in Manila. The building that houses it looks crappy unsurprisingly, hence the companies inside it. Medyo infamous na nga ang building na 'to sa mga call center people, kesyo nandito daw ang mga bogus na outbound campaigns na mahilig mang-scam. Pero ewan ko. Natakot ako sa elevator, medyo luma na ata, o siguro paranoid lang ako kasi madalas mag-isa lang ako sa loob, kaya naririnig kong "nagrereklamo" na ang mga makinarya. Tapos pagdating sa office mismo, hindi naman sa pangmamaliit, pero sobrang liit din kasi ng opisina. Nandun na ang lahat, sa isang unit; take note, isang unit: production floor, HR, reception. Habang naghihintay sa interview, nakikita mo trabaho ng mga agents.

Pero ang masaya dito ay napaka-laid back ng culture. Lantarang pagi-install ng Yahoo Messenger, kainan sa floor, walang headset, at mababait ang tao.

Pero sa tingin ko hindi rin ako magtatagal dito... pero who knows? Sa Sabado kasi exam ko sa transcriptionist job na gusto ko (pero sa May pa ang start ng training). Kapag pumasa ako sa exam at na-schedule na ako for the training, buh-bye Crappy Company.

Ang sarap ng feeling ng pumapasa sa trabaho. Nakakalaki ng ego. Hahaha yak, ego-trip. Kaya pag-uwi ko, I treated myself sa kanto ng Lifehomes.... Wheels!! Sarap!!

Tapos bumili ako ng Lucky Me! Pansit Canton Sweet and Spicy, itlog, Cheesecake ng Lemon Square at C2 Apple. Pagkadating na pagkadating ko sa bahay (around 3 AM na siguro), nilagay ko na sa saucepan na may tubig ang itlog at binuksan ang pakete ng pansit Canton only to find out na walang gas. Arrrrgggghhh!!!

Si Lord talaga. Punishing Teng one karma at a time.

Ang aga naman! :(

Natty, Nick, Ako

2009-03-10T10:05:00.004+08:00

Hay.

Dalawang araw na akong may tinik sa lalamunan. Hep, hindi po 'yun figure of speech, literal ang ibig kong sabihin. Pagkatapos ko lapain yung isdang kulay blue ang tinik. Sabi ko pa, wow, ang weird neto ha, tapos lunok lang ata ako ng lunok. Parang siraulo.

Yung isda lang at gulay na sahog ang kinain ko nung araw na 'yun; pano, feeling ko tumataba na ako kaya low-carb diet muna. Hiwa-hiwa na yung isda sa "pansigang cuts" kaya 'di ko nakita kung ano talaga itsura ng isdang may kasalanan kung bakit ako natinik (wow, sinisi ang isda). Nagtataka nga rin ako, bakit yung ulo ng isda wala dun? Nai-imagine ko tuloy, baka angler fish na 'tong kinakain ko.Shete. Ini-imagine ko nalang na nasa plato ko yang halimaw na 'yan, parang gusto ko nalang maging vegetarian.

Anyway, dahil masyado akong curious, tinanong ko si Mama.

"Ma, anong isda 'to? Sarap ha..."

"Ah, ano 'yan, yung... ano..."

"???? Hindi ba 'to 'yung isda na nakakalason yung buntot?," I asked na pa-biro.

"Hindi ah..."

Wala rin akong nakuhang sagot. Lumalim tuloy ang suspicion ko na panget ang itsura ng isdang 'to. Pero ano nga bang sabi ng mga desperado, "OK lang na panget, basta masarap." Hahahaha...

Nakarami rin ako ng isda. Masarap kasi talaga ang laman, soft and creamy. Entertaining pa, kasi nga blue-boned. Hanggang sa uminom ako ng tubig, na parang may little surges of pain sa lalamunan ko. Wow. Natinik ako.

Walang saging. Mansanas nalang. Onting nguya lang, nilulunok ko na, para sana sumama 'yung hinayupak na tinik. Naubos ko na ang apple nandyan parin ang tinik. Nag-try akong sungkitin ang lalamunan ko pero nakakasuka. Ayoko naman i-suka yung pagkain ko, sayang. Ano ako, bulimic? Aba, nice idea ha... joke.

Ilang beses ko na tina-try i-wash sa pag-inom ng maraming liquid, wala talaga. Lumunok ako ng marshmallows na buo, ayaw parin. Sana matunaw nalang ng enzymes ng laway ko ang tinik na 'yan.

Try ko kaya kumain ng siopao? May pusa naman 'yun diba? Hehehehe.... Corny.

Akalain mo nga namang sampung araw na akong bum. Of course, I'm not proud. Pero masaya pala ah? Hehehe. Walang iniisip para bukas or mamaya. Wala. Wala ring pera. Sana makuha ko na yung backpay ko. Good luck, 'di ko pa inaasikaso ang clearance ko.

May nakita na akong bagong work, transcriptionist nga. Walang kwenta 'yung in-applyan ko last time, fly-by-night ata. Walang sumasagot sa tawag ko, buti nalang 'di ko tinuloy. Anyway, this new job is located in Ortigas, dun sa building na pinagtrabahuhan ko back when I was still with Telus (which is then known as Ambergris Solutions). Capital IQ ang name ng company, transcriptionist ang nature ng work pero gamit mo parin ang boses mo sa pagta-type. Meaning, magsasalita ka tapos mare-recognize ng software ang boses mo at magta-type sa screen. Wow, high-tech. Voice parin, pero at least wala ng irate at stupid callers. Sa May 11 pa ang training... hahaha... hindi ako pwede maghintay ng ganun katagal. Kelangan ko na magkaroon ng temporary work na pwede pagkakitaan bago ko pasukan 'yun. Teka, ang feeling ko naman, eh sa March 21 pa ang exam ko dun. Hehe. Pero at least tapos na ako sa dalawang katakot-takot na interview, luckily, pumasa naman ako. Thank you Lord!

Lord, pakialis naman 'tong tinik o, please?

Canned Nostalgia

2009-02-20T12:32:00.004+08:00

Lunch.

Nguya, nguya.

Ako lang nanananghalian. Hindi pala kumakain sila mama at papa sa tanghalian ng madalas. Kaya hindi nagluto ng ulam for lunch. Eto tuloy nginangata ko ngayon, kanin, ulam ay isang plato ng longanisa. Nakakasuya. Walang sabaw.

Nguya, nguya.

Enough.

'Di ko na kayang eto lang ang ulam. Sawang sawang na'ko sa longanisang to. Kahit anong imagination ang gawin ko dito kesyo bratwurst, Italian o chorizo kunwari ang kinakain ko, 'di na talaga kaya. Kelangan ng panabla.

Buti nalang may tindahan si mama. Hehe. San pa nga ba ako titingin (kung hindi sa mga softdrinks), eh di sa mga de lata.

Corned beef? Nai-imagine ko parin yung dagang kinarne ng aso namin dating si Brownie. Sobrang gigil ng aso sa daga, nagkalat ang innards (eeew) ng kawawang vermin sa garahe. Nagmukhang corned beef tuloy. Next.

Pork and beans? Pork lang kakainin ko dyan. Hindi ako mahilig sa beans, sayang.

Tuna!! Adobo... Menudo... Lechong Paksiw... Asado... Laing (hayuf na ang mga flavors ng tuna ngayon ha)... tae, walang Flakes in Oil. Ano pa ba...

Hindi ko pinapansin 'yung mga latang either green lang or red. Minsan may orange or yellow.

Calamares en su tinta kaya? Kaso 'di ko trip lasa nyan pag nakalata eh. Lasang kalawang yung pusit.

Di narin naman uso ang Mackerel ngayon.

Hay, di bale na nga.

Pero bago ako umalis, tumingin ako uli sa stack ng lata na kapansin-pansing pinakamarami sa lahat ng latang naka-display dun.

....................

Sa rooftop namin, may hanging gardens si mama. May mga flowering plants, fruits and veggies. Pumitas ako ng mga kalamansi.

Masarap talaga ang sardinas pag may squeeze of something citric. Natatanggal ang lansa. Nguya, nguya, nguya. Wow, sarap. Na-miss ko lasa ng sardinas ha. Saka ko na-realize na siguro talagang napaka-sarap ng sardinas, because it's just one of the few fish species na na-ilata.

What's for February? Random thoughts

2009-02-03T10:01:00.004+08:00

Wow ha. Ang tagal ko na palang hindi naka-post ng entry dito hehehe. 'Di naman ako busy, siguro nawala lang ako sa mood... Anyway.

Nakapagpasa na pala ako ng resignation letter kagabi. Sa totoo lang, hindi alam nila mama na may balak na ako mag-resign. May palagay-lagay pa ako dun na "...with the approval of my family," eh 'di naman talaga ako nagsabi hehehe. Pero parang may konting panghihinayang nga lang din, sayang yung perang kinikita ko. I admit that we're earning more moolah than the typical call centers in the metro (naks ang yabang). Pero I really had enough of this stress.

Bukas pala, may interview ako sa ibang company as transcriptionist. At least hindi na ako magko-calls if ever ma-tanggap, medyo malaki din naman ang sweldo. Goodluck pala sa akin, kasi 65 wpm ang requirement as typing speed. Eh huling test ko dyan 45 wpm lang ako. Hahahahaha...

Maganda pala gising ko kaninang umaga (kasi sa ibang bahay ako natulog hehehe). Pagka-uwi ko, meron akong nakitang tindahan ng cookies. Bumili ako ng isang malaking pack na chocolate chip cookies para sa bunso namin. Habang naglalakad ako pauwi. may nakita akong patay na pusa sa gilid ng kalsada. Tipong malaki na tiyan. Siguro alam mo na kung bakit?? Biglang nag-switch yung mood ko from jovial to saturnine.

'Di naman ako PETA or nagpapaka-PETA pero awang-awa talaga 'ko. Hay.

Gala muna kami sa mall ng bestfriend ko. Naka-vacation leave ako the whole week, yehey!!! Exhaust muna lahat ng pwede i-exhaust bago mag-resign.

Balut

2009-01-03T09:09:00.003+08:00

Maaga ako nagising para maghanap na naman ng ibang trabaho sa Internet. 'Di na naman kasi ako nakapasok sa trabaho dahil dito sa tonsillopharyngitis ko. Kahapon nga pumunta na naman ako sa Medical City para makakuha ng med-cert dahil siguradong may Show Cause Memo na naman ako 'pag wala ako 'nun. Posible pang ma-suspend.

Nasa tapat na naman ng computer, alas-singko ng umaga. Bestfriend ko na nga ang Google search engine. Keywords: non-voice call center, chat/email support, homebased, blah blah blah...

Timpla nga muna ako ng Milo. Bawal daw kape, sabi ng nurse. OK, mas masarap naman Milo. Kaso bawal din daw matamis, pwes 'onting asukal lang. Isang heaping tablespoon nalang compared to the usual 2 tablespoons. Haha, dugas.

Ang hirap parin talaga maghanap ng trabaho sa Internet, lalo na kung alam mo kung ano talaga gusto mo. Sobrang daming basurang websites na kung tutuusin eh hindi naman relevant sa search mo. Filter. May nakakawala parin.

Ang aga-aga, pagod na 'ko. Sabay nagising na sila mama. Alas-syete na pala.

"Kinain mo 'yung balut mo?" bumababa si Mama sa hagdan.

"Ha? Meron ba?" sagot ako. Parang naghanap tuloy ng balut ang katawan ko, umagang-umaga. Oo nga naman, sanay pala ang katawan kong ang normal na umaga ay tulugan time for us call center people. My biological clock has adapted well.

"Meron ha..."

Naalala ko nga, kagabi. Tulog na kasi ako nun, kala ko tuloy nananaginip lang ako. Ginigising pala ako ni Royce nun, naalimpungatan ako, sabi ko ilapag nya na lang sa lamesa ng kwatro ko.

Akyat nga ako sa kwarto, at nandun nga ang mahiwagang itlog. Binanlian ko nga ng mainit na tubig.

Tapos balik uli sa harap ng monitor para mag-Google.

I always, always have to sort out the poor duckling from the rest of the egg, I really hate the idea of biting the poor animal's head. Awwww. But the rest of the balut is incredibly yummy.

"Dapat lagi kang kumakain n'yan para masustansya." hirit ni Mama. "Para hindi ka lagi magkasakit"

"Sus. Sa trabaho ko talaga nakukuha 'tong sakit na 'to, sabi ni doc."

"'Yaan mo, this year nalang 'yan, aral ka na uli this coming school year."

.......

Did I hear it right???

Wow, sana totoo na nga 'to.

Imagine, balik skwela na 'ko? Wow. At least may plano na ako ngayong 2009. Viva 2009!!! Kala ko forever na ako sa impyernong 'to... kain nga muna ako ng breakfast.

Happy New Yea... Ay tangina, brownout!

2009-01-01T06:29:00.003+08:00

Please excuse my French.

I think the title pretty much explains what happened on my New Year' eve, but of course there's more fun in telling the whole story.

......

I was really excited na mag-New Year. Bagong taon. Higit pa sa pagpapalit ng kalendaryo, dahil umikot na naman ng buo ang mundo natin sa araw. Kaya bagong buhay, bagong plano, bagong simula.

Lahat ng tao sa bahay, bising-busy na naghahanda para sa Media Noche. Nagluluto ng mga pagkain si Mama, si Rosette (kapatid kong babae na mas bata pa sa akin) naghahanda ng dessert, nagpa-litson ng ulo ng baboy si Papa (ulo lang, mahal na pag buo), tapos inaaaya ko si kuya na bumili ng paputok.

Punta nga kami sa bilihan, one kyaw (isang libo) ang budget. Marami-rami rin naman kami nabili pero yung mga simpleng pa-ilaw lang.

Sobrang ingay ng buong street namin just a few hours until New Year's eve. Lahat yata ng bahay naka-full volume ang speakers. Party kung party.

Mga ilang minuto nalang bago mag-alas dose, marami na ang nagsisindi ng paputok. May supot, may sumasabog, may maliwanag, may nababasa (note: medyo corny nga ang New Year ngayon kasi umuulan, pero kahit na umuulan, nasa labas parin lahat ng tao). Nung sumapit ang hatinggabi, full-blast na ang putukan, sobrang liwanag na ng langit dahil sa mkukulay na pyrotechnics (napansin ko lang din, kala ko ba naghihirap na ang Pilipinas, bakit ang mamahal na ata ng mga nakikita kong pinapa-putok sa ere, 'yung mga tipong makikita mo sa Enchanted Kingdom), at sobrang usok na sa paligid, amoy sunog na pulbura. Hmmm... bango.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!

Tapos biglang namatay mga ilaw ng mga bahay.

Nawala ang mga bumabayong sounds.

Pati 'yung mga videoke machines, dead.

"Shet, brwan awt!!!"

Tsk. Sabi ko, siguro 'yung sensitive na poste 'dun sa kanto nahagip ng kwitis.

...pero kahit na ganun, tuloy parin ang celebration. Aba, maliwanag naman sa labas.

Wow. Napa-wow talaga ako. Bakit ngayon pa? Sabi pa ng iba, hindi magandang umpisahan ang bagong taon ng masamang pangyayari, kasi buong taon daw magiging ganun.

The hell with that. Magbiro ka na sa ibang bagay, 'wag lang sa walang kuryente sa isang taon.

Badtrip. Pero why should I dwell in remorse, if I can make my day happy?

So inuman kami ng bestfriend ko, si Shiela. Kapitbahay lang namin kaya madali lang maaya.

Magtitimpla kami ng Boracay ('yung alak na may halong Milo at condensed milk) at nagluto ng sisig. Yum.

Naging masaya naman ang Bagong Taon ko kahit papano. Kasi may alak. Hehehe. Mga 3 hours later, bumalik na rin ang ilaw sa wakas.

Pero 'di ko talaga makakalimutan 'yung ginawa ni Shiela nung may brown-out, habang nagpapainit kami ng tubig sa bahay nila.

Sinaksak n'ya yung airpot ('yung pampainit ng tubig) sa plug. After a few minutes, sumigaw ako, "Yesss!!! May ilaw na!!!"

Sabay lapit s'ya sakin.

"Buti nalang tanga, nagsaksak ako ng airpot wala palang kuryente kanina hahahaha."

Tawa kami ng tawa.

Masyado na talaga tayong dumedepende sa kuryente.

The Devil is Always On Your Side When You Need Him

2008-12-30T08:55:00.002+08:00

Masasabi ko nga na minsan talaga, matigas ulo ko.

Bago pa ako pumasok sa office, alam kong hindi na maganda nararamdaman ko. Sinisinat ako pagka-gising ko. Pano meron na naman akong ubo't sipon, ewan ko ba bakit napaka-hina ng resistensya ko. Makapag-vitamins nga.

Anyway, 'yun nga, pasok ako, masaya kasi mukhang tahimik ngayon, walang nagko-calls (tahimik ang floor kahit na marami nang ahente). Sabi ko, "wow, avail yata(avail, para sa mga 'di nakaka-intindi ng call center lingo, ibig sabihin e walang masyadong tumatawag)." Aba'y pucha pagka-log-in namin ng 10:30PM, biglang umingay!!! Wow, what a year-ender.

Maya-maya, mga 2 hours na nakakaraan, namamaos na 'ko. Taena naman. Pero konting tiis nalang, restday mo narin naman bukas. Hanggang nawala nga boses ko dahil sa sunod-sunod na tawag ng mga Kano. Nag-message nga ako sa supervisor namin.

"Boss, pwede ba ako magpahinga?"

"OK, aux 1 (aux is a phone status para pansamantala kang titigil sa pagko-calls)"

"Punta ako clinic?"

"Oo. Hindi ka naman basta-basta pwedeng magpahinga."

OK. Sige, akyat sa clinic. Si Miss Nurse may pasyente. Pinaupo muna ako, and after a few minutes, in-attend-an na n'ya ako. Sinabi ko nga sakit ko.

"OK sir, tongue out"

......
....
...

"Sir, namamaga 'yung tonsils mo..."

Patay. Taena naman talaga.

"Ha? Eh parang 2 weeks ago lang meron akong pharyngitis.."

"Ganun talaga sir, lalo na pag may history ka na n'yan. Pwede ma-trigger anytime. Buti 'di ka pa pinapa-tonsillectomy?"

Tonsillectomy, what an odious word.

"'Yun nga rin sabi sakin ng mga doctor. 5th incident in the same year daw dapat ipaalis na 'yung
tonsils. Pero..."

"Oo nga eh. Pero pa-second opinion ka rin. Meron din kasing isang agent na nagpa-opera pero ganun parin, bumabalik pa rin yung throat problem. Gargle ka muna na nito tapos i-candy mo 'to (sabay abot ng Bactidol at Deflam)."

Ayun. Voice rest daw muna ako. Oh god, for friggin' 15 minutes lang? Would that really help?
Bawal daw matatamis, maaasim, maaalat at ma-mantika. Ano nalang natira sa'kin para kainin 'di ba?

Tapos balik sa pagko-calls. Nung lunchbreak, 'di ako kumain, natulog lang ako sa station.

Tuluyan na nga akong nilagnat, pero 'di ko nalang in-apila sa boss. Kasi baka sabihin nag-iinarte lang ako.

Pagod na pagod na ako nung umuwi. Buti nalang, restday na. At in fairness, wala kaming pasok ng New Year. Happy New Year guys.

'Yun nga pag-uwi, gutom na ako, buti nalang may pagkain.

.....Wow. Tuyo, sunny-side up at longanisa. Maalat, mamantika at matamis. Tapos 'yung sawsawan pa ng tuyo na maasim. Wow. Wow na wow.

Eh gutom ako eh...

Bakit ba andaling sumira pero ang hirap gumawa?

Biohazard: My Hero

2008-12-29T11:26:00.004+08:00

When we were just little kids, we wanted to create our own superheroes. 'Yung tipong kakaiba, with a unique set of superhuman abilities. When I was browsing the net, I bumped into this website where you can fulfill your childhood dream of creating your own superhero... The Hero Machine! Here's my golem:
Originally, his name is Toxin, pero parang meron na yatang character sa Marvel Universe na ganun ang pangalan... so I changed it into Biohazard (see the text behind his name?)... pero eventually I learned na meron naring isa pang comic book character (Marvel din ata) na ganun ang panagalan.. Arrgghh!! I'll go with this name, anyway 'di ko naman ipa-publish eh.

PROFILE:
Real Name: Johnny Murcielago
Superhero Name: BIOHAZARD
Birthplace: Iloilo, Philippines
Age: 25
Height: 5'8"
Weight: 150 lbs
Abilities: manipulates biological hazard

Johnny Murcielago is an intelligent son of a wealthy couple living in a town called "Oton" in the Western Visayas. He studied Microbiology in a local but prestigious university in Manila, and eventually worked for Department of Environment and Natural Resources as a zoographer. Displaying exceptional expertise in his field, he was hired by a top-secret and elite physics lab in the Philippines to partake in a project called "Project Afra Mors," developing a bioweapon with the help of some Russian scientists.

Johnny was sent to a cave exploration in Africa to extract a sample of a unique strain of virus belonging to the Biohazard Level 4. After several days of working in a cave experimenting on tragloxenes, he was quarantined and was diagnosed to be infected by a strange illness despite exercising extreme protection, leaving him bed-ridden for weeks...

...Whew! It's so hard coming up with a made-up story! Bahala na kayong dumugtong sa susunod na nangyari... para kasing napaka-stereotypical naman eh.

Cheers!

Fiat Color: Let there be Color

2008-12-28T14:39:00.005+08:00

Nakaka-addict pala ang Adobe Photoshop. Isa sa mga pinagkaka-abalahan ko kapag nasa tapat ako ng computer, pero recent lang naman 'to. Dati, nagre-rely ako sa mga website na naka-template na ang effect, kaya parang hindi naman polished ang detalye (like the image on the banner of my Blogspot page). There's a lot of websites offering free tutorials to manipulate your photos and turn a boring portrait to a colorful/dramatic one. Here are my sample works:

This is actually an unfinished work (obvious ba?). Nahirapan ako i-define yung colors kasi 'di ko pa naman kina-career. Hehehe..

Experimented with Ryza's photo, with the Sparkle Trail.

My teammates way back when I was still with Teletech... used the black & white background to enhance the subjects.

This one's kind of shabby though... tried putting the photo on a studio background but it seems pretty obvious na embedded lang, dahil din kasi sa lighting ng subjects eh hindi nagma-match sa background, so I soften the photos a bit. Hi Chantal, sorry ginamit ko picture natin. :)

Eto pa isang nakakatuwang picture. Kung totoong nagsno-snow n'yan, si Pau lang siguro nabuhay sa'min (the guy with the hooded jacket) dahil lahat kami naka-T-shirt lang hehehe. Sa McDo pala 'yan sa Eastwood.

This one's what I love best... the Pop Art style photo. Naka-primary photo pa nga sa Friendster ko 'to eh.

If you want to try out your Photoshop prowess, try going to Photoshop Essentials.com, madali lang intindihin ang instructions na kahit gaano ka pa ka-noob sa gan'to eh makaka-sunod ka.

Goodluck!

What's In My Bag This Year

2008-12-27T06:00:00.008+08:00

Marami akong New Year's Resolution. Isa na dun ang pagtigil sa yosi at pagbabawas ng alcohol intake. Gusto ko naring maging organized ang buhay ko ngayong taon, dahil naging masyado akong naging heedless this year. Piniktyuran ko laman ng bag ko, eto 'yung mga tipong mahirap mawala sa loob...

Wow. Cool pala tignan pag nakakalat ang gamit sa labas. Hehehe. Mukhang susyal.

1. BAG. Messenger bag na bigay sa akin ng napaka-espesyal na kaibigan nung Christmas. Naawa yata sa'kin kasi wala daw akong matinong bag (I'm used to carrying around my humongous backpack). Hindi ko na tinanong yung presyo, pero tinignan ko sa botique, napamura ako sabay "Thank You." Hahaha.

2. PLANNER. Wow, saucy, Starbucks. Oo saucy talaga. Wala pang 2009 meron na sa bag (pero yung last year's talaga yung nasa bag ko, panget lang kasi pag 'yun nilagay ko hahaha). But it doesn't mean na madalas akong bumibili ng kape dun dahil bigay lang din sa'kin 'to as a Christmas gift, hahahaha. Etong ngayon, bigay sa akin ng kaibigan kong si Jeric (na laging nasa Starbucks dahil dun nag-aaral) kasi dalawa na daw ganun n'ya. Actually hinarbat ko lang 'to sa kanya, 'di na s'ya pumalag, buti nga hindi n'ya binenta sa 'kin, ang alam ko kasi pwede mo rin i-benta ng isang libo 'yun (OA ata ako). Last year naman kasi produkto ng pang-uuto sa mga kaibigan ko na gamitin 'yung card ko para malagyan ng stickers hahahaha. Hampas-lupa.

3. PSP CASE. Parang malaking lalagyan ng antipara, at nilagyan ko pa talaga ng chamois sa loob para may panlinis. Feeling ko wala ring kwenta 'to eh, puro gasgas na PSP ko, pero overused lang talaga siguro.

4. PSP. Magtaka ka kung may PSP case ako pero wala talaga akong PSP, hahaha. Eto isa sa mga kaibigan ko lalo na kung kailangan kong maghintay. Hindi mawawala ang Tekken d'yan. Hahahaha. Palpak nga lang Memory Stick, madalas nako-corrupt. From Dragon Lord lagi tuloy akong bumabalik sa 9th Kyu (oo na, alam ko hanggang Dragon Lord lang kaya kong rank). Humanda sa'kin 'yung nagbenta sa'kin sa Greenhills, sabi n'ya naman lifetime daw warranty nun.

5. WALLET. Eto ang isang bagay na hindi pwedeng mawala sa'kin. Mawala na lahat ng mga 'yan (pero 'wag naman sana) wag lang ang wallet kong 'to. Canvas lang yan na mumurahin, in-arbor ko pa kay Royce at ilang taon ko narin gamit. It houses my treasures: resibo, discount coupons, ID pictures, school and company IDs, cards tulad ng ATM, Timezone, WOF, Powerstation, Laking National, health card, library card, et cetera at syempre my filthy lucre.

6. CELLPHONE. Sino bang walang cellphone ngayon? Ewan ko ha, pero napaka-halaga ng cellphone para sa'kin, hindi ka kasi updated pag wala kang nito. Hindi na ata ako magugulat pag may pinanganak na may cellphone na naka-attach sa kamay n'ya, yung tipong may blood vessels at nerves papuntang utak mo 'yung wires (wow Sci-Fi). Pag may cellphone ka kasi +1 sa lahat ng stats mo. Meron pang isang time na baliw na baliw ako sa cellphone ko na nag-risk pa talaga akong mawala ang warranty mai-alter lang ang mga default icons, fonts and capabilities. Parang tanga.

7. THUMB DRIVE. Marami silang tawag dito eh: USB, flash disk, flash drive. Simpleng thumb drive na binili ko sa CD-R King, pero bakit ako may ganto? Haha. Laman lang nito eh mga back-up na installer, ISO (para sa PSP ko) at résumé para ready-to-print na pag may ibang trabahong gusto pag-apply-an bwahahahaha (evil laugh).

8. BALLPEN. May planner ka nga, wala ka namang ballpen. Anong pansusulat mo, laway? Hehe. Minsan din pag may mga moments na furor scribendi, yung tipong gusto mo lang magsulat tungkol sa kung ano-anong bagay (parang pen-and-paper version nitong blog).

Hindi pala ako mahilig sa black 'no... pansin n'yo ba?

Ah, Pasko. Ano 'yun?

2008-12-27T04:20:00.007+08:00

Wow, katatapos lang ng Christmas. Parang, "ay, nag-Christmas pala, parang 'di ko naman napansin?" Hehehe. Well, totoo naman eh. Habang tumatanda tayo, nawawalan na ng thrill ang Christmas, 'yun ang experience ko d'yan. Siguro dahil habang tumatagal eh naghihirap na ang buhay? O dahil habang tumatagal eh hindi na exciting kasi wala ka nang mare-receive na regalo, ikaw pa kamo magreregalo. Feeling ko, pambata lang talaga ang Christmas. Tignan mo ako, nag-celebrate ng Christmas sa office. Wow na wow talaga. First time ko nag-Pasko na wala sa bahay, tapos hindi pa gaano ka-petiks dahil walang pahinga sa kai-Internet mga Kano. Well, ganun talaga. Pero ayos naman eh, nakakain kami ng libre at nakapag-exchange gifts pa kami. Pero iba parin ang nasa bahay pag Pasko, kano man ka-boring.

Se-celebrate-celebrate tayo ng Christmas, eh parang wala naman tayong pakialam sa celebrant. Oo, birthday daw ni Jesus. Karamihan sa'tin, ang alam lang eh uminom at magpaka-bochog tuwing Pasko.

Alam n'yo ba na dati sa ancient Rome, meron silang festival tuwing December na tinatawag na Saturnalia at Sol Invictus?

Saturnalia is a feast to honor the Roman god Saturn, the god of agriculture. Sine-celebrate nila ito starting December 17 onwards. At dahil harvest-god si Saturn, foodtrip ang mga paganong Romano. Meron din silang gift-giving at special markets, na parang Pasko. May speculations nga na dito nalang sinet ng mga early Christians ang Christmas season para daw maka-adapt kagad ang mga pagano tutal 'di naman daw talaga alam ang eksaktong araw na pinanganak si Jesus. Parang hindi naman daw kasi December talaga, pano malamig daw sa Jerusalem tuwing ganung panahon, maulan at posibleng nagsn-snow pa, tapos swaddling clothes lang ang binalot kay baby Jesus? Sa bagay may powers naman si Jesus hehehe...

Pero most apt daw ang Pasko sa December 25, kung kelan ino-observe nila ang Sol Invictus or Unconquerable Sun. Eh madalas pa namang ina-allude kay Jesus ang araw.

O diba para tayong mga Romano pag nag-celebrate ng Christmas?

Actually marami pang paganic influence ang Pasko eh. Ang Christmas Tree, Santa Claus, Yule log, etc., may roots from several non-Christian traditions. Pero hindi na-importante 'yun. Ang mahalaga, dapat alam natin kung bakit natin sine-celebrate ang isang holiday.

Wow, nagsalita ang nagsimba nung Pasko! Hahahaha.

Smile!

...Yuck, bakit parang ang nerd ko.