home at last

so i managed to evacuate our building past 5pm yesterday. by the way, i work in makati stock exchange, and the peninsula manila is just across makati avenue. well, imagine the possiblity of stray bullets hitting people within our vicinity.

before i left, managers have been trying to reach our clients to inform about our situation. team mates reporting for US shift were asked not to report to work. i even managed to do another recording for our support hotline.

i left as soon as we were allowed to go home. our ground floor exit was blocked so we went to all the way to the lower basement, passed thru a bridge connecting MSE and Tower One and made it topaseo de roxas.

traffic was really heavy. at 6.30pm i was at buendia. i had to stand in line for 3.5 hours before i was able to get on a bus.

i received a text message from work informing us about the curfew that the president imposed. i though martial law will be declared soon. anyway, i was on my way home. my feet were killing me so i don't care about anything else.

- - -

i just wish more jobs are available near home.

makati ave - the new edsa

"Ito ang bagong EDSA, ito ang bagong People Power (This is the new EDSA, this is the new People Power)," Guingona said at a press conference at the Manila Peninsula Hotel in Makati City.
source: http://www.gmanews.tv/story/70636/This-is-the-new-EDSA---Guingona

ang ganda talaga ng location ng building ko. kung walang rally sa ayala cor paseo, dito naman sa may ayala cor makati ave nagkakagulo. gitnang gitna kami. ang saya no?

akala ko makakarating ako ng office ng 11, pero halos mag12 na nung dumating ako. traffic naman kasi malala dahil kina trillanes. ayan tuloy, imbes na sa may gilid ng bvilding ako bababa e lumiko yung sinasakyan ko kaya wala ako choice kundi maglakad ng malayo. hay, umaambom pa naman.

buti na lang holiday bukas, hindi na ako papasok ng work. pero malas naman ng iba kong teammates na magrereport pa mamayang gabi at bukas.

sabi sa news ang daming tao na sa labas. hindi ko alam kung anu susunod na mangyayari... sabi ni guingona, bagong people power na raw. ewan ko ba. sino naman ang ipapalit nila kay arroyo? si trillanes? hay!

sabi nga nung mga kasakay ko sa sasakyan kanina, imbis na tumutulong na lang sila sa mga nasalanta ng bagyo e heto sila lalo pang nanggugulo. ang masasabi ko lang, sosyal sila trillanes. nung una, oakwood... ngayon naman manila-pen! sosyal no?

ang sa akin lang, 'wag na sila mangdadamay ng mga taong naghahanap-buhay. suportado ko naman sila sa gusto nilang mangyari, pero hello? forever na lang ba tayo magpi-people power?

monday, november 26

wala lang. i just feel marking the date.

long ride from laguna to makati. unforgettable 'tong ride na 'to. don't ask why. uwian ako ngayon sa laguna kasi birthday leave ko bukas. sana long ride uli.

... so help me God!

I came home one Saturday night. Found my mom, lying on the couch – tired. I didn’t need to ask about her day as my brothers, on their grinning faces, told me ‘si mommy, sumali-sali.’

I was actually shocked about the news. My mom, who has always been anti-fraternity, has joined one of the world’s largest fraternal organizations. I can’t blame her. My lolo and lola have been initiated in that society and I won’t oppose my mom’s decision if she wants to follow their footsteps.

Then it hit me. My neophyte days flashed in an instant. Yes, I was a frat-man.

- - -

Reporting is a process when neos bond with their ‘masters’ /‘ladies’. A lot of times, neos do things for their masters. Neos get to run some of their masters’ errands. There were times when neos would be asked to provide entertainment and other people would see this as public humiliation for neos. But the bottom line of this practice to get masters and neos to know more about each other. After all, they’ll become brothers.

- - -

Just recently, the country was affected by another victim of hazing. It’s sad news. Imagine all hopes and dreams of the victim and his family is all gone.

In my dictionary, I don’t call the incident hazing. What happened was a cold-blooded murder. Whoever responsible for the death of that kid, should be dealt with according to the law.

- - -

The first post that I held in our brotherhood made me responsible for our neophytes’ initiation rites. It was a big responsibility since it was my call to test our applicants’ loyalty to the organization. It was though to gauge the limit of each neophyte and then tell my brothers and sisters to cool down and stop during our rituals.

During our so-called finals – the final stage in our initiation process, everyone is reminded of our guidelines. We do have rules that are set for the safety of our neos – our brothers/sisters-to-be. We do literally draw the foul zones on our neos’ bodies. Anyone caught beating on these foul zones would be punished.

Fact, our neos get hurt. My brothers and I were all neos and we also got our experience of being beaten. Everyone in our so-called society has got the taste of our dreaded paddle. I won’t expound on the issue why this practice is necessary. But as I said, it is all about loyalty. When a neo yells ‘tama na, hindi ko na kaya’, then it is time to stop.

- - -

Well, I’m just glad that I’m still here alive.

homecoming

friday ngayon, last day of my work week. dala ko na ang travel bag ko, laman ang maduduming damit, pauwi ng probinsya. hay, ano na naman kaya ang dadatnan ko dun? kagagaling lang ng favorite at kaisa-isa kong pamangkin dun nung isang linggo, malamang hindi wala yun ngayong weekend.

more than 3 years na ako nagtatrabaho. nitong mga nakaraang buwan lang ako nakakauwi ng madalas. nagsawa na kasi ako mag-mall kapag walang pasok. mas gusto ko pa yung nasa bahay, nakakapagpahinga at nakakakain ng mainit na ulam. 'pag andito kasi ako sa maynila panay fastfood lang akong kinakain ko. ayan tuloy, pagtaba at hypertension ang inabot ko.

dahil mag-isa lang ako nabubuhay dito sa manila, lagi akong huli pagdating sa balita sa pamilya. yung tipong delayed reaction pag may namamatay kaya nung iniwan kami ni lolo, para akong timang na nag-eemote sa bus pauwi at solong humahagulgol pagdating sa amin.

sa aming magkakapatid, akong lang ang sanay mawalay sa pamilya. p'ano ba naman kasi, isa lang ang kinuhanan ko ng entrance exam nung college. 'lam mo na, sa komunidad kasi namin sa los baños, UP and others lang. heheh! ayan tuloy, sa baguio ako napadpad para mag-aral ng kolehiyo. tuwing umuuwi ako nun, nagugulat din ako. umuunlad kasi sa amin. nagkaroon ng malls, lumuwak ang sakop ng telepono at inabot ang bahay namin, at bahay narerenovate.

ilang oras na lang, pauwi na ako. ano kaya naghihintay sa akin? sana naman may surprise. lapit na birthday ko e!

i got tagged

got tagged by joms
- - -
Seven Truths/Things About Me

1. I’m obsessed with this sport. There’s never a day that I missed going to this and this. I’m frustrated to be involved with it since it’s too late for me to start. Anyway, ask me anything about it and you’ll sure get an answer.

2. I’m prone to lockjaw.

3. If there’s one thing that I’m good at in school, that would be cramming.

4. I really hate going to the dentist so I just care of my teeth well. Noong bata pa ko, sa sobrang pagpupumalag ko sa dentist, binunutan ako ng ngipin ng walang anesthesia… hindi lang once.

5. I can read french… Mmmm … Let me rephrase that, I can speak french… hmmm… so wrong! Anyway, I say whatever is written in french in perfect nasal accent but I won’t be able to understand 95% of what I said. Je'suis etudiant de langue francais. Tama ba? Ok, I need to brush up on my french.

6. My mom’s side is ilocano. My brothers and I weren’t taught to speak the dialect. However, if you speak to me in ilocano, I’ll answer you in tagalog. ‘Di mo ko mabebenta! Wonder why there is no school teaching Philippine dialects. Chinese kids are lucky to have schools that teach mandarin, fookien, cantonese, etc.

7. I wash my own clothes. Wala akong tiwala sa laba ng iba.

- - -

The alphabet song:

A - Age: 25 as of now

B - Bands I'm Listening To Right Now: my newfoundband – Maroon5

C - Career: Software Engineer (that’s what my corporate title says but the nature of my job has nothing to do with software engineering)

D - Drink or Smoke: drink – yes, smoke – not really.

E - Easiest Friends To Talk To: Vannie

F - First Crush: Bata pa ko nun! Limot ko na!

G - Gadgets: Notebook

H - Hobbies: none lately

I - In love: Totally! Alam na nya kung sino sya!

J- Junk Food You Like: Nova

K - Kids: None yet. I wanna have twins.

L - Longest Ride Ever: Laguna-Manila-Baguio

M - My Perfect Nightout: Inom tapos senti-mode.

N - Names For Your Future Kids: Hmmm… isip pa ako.

O - One Wish You Have Now: Win the lottery so I could go to med school.

P - Phobias: those tiny creepy, crawly, slithery creatures!

Q - Favorite Quote: Hmmm… dami e… isip pa ako ng pinakafavorite ko.

R - Reasons To Smile: my nephew

S - Sleeping Time: lately, between midnight to 2am.

T - TV Channels: My fave used to be RPN 9 for shows like ed, ally mcbeal, the practice. Now, no more TV… dibidi na lang!

U - Unknown Fact About You: I applied for the Philippine High School for the Arts and flunked the talent audition for voice. Late na kasi nung nagstart ako magseryoso sa music.

V - Vegetable You Hate: Saluyot

W - Worst Habit: Tardiness

X - X-rays You’ve Had: Chest

Y - Yummy Foods: pasta, menudo, kare-kare, chicken liver adobo!

Z - Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius

- - -

I'm tagging everyone!

this is a recording

kung may isang bagay lang talaga na pwedeng hindi ko marining, pipiliin kong hindi marinig ang boses ko!

noong unang panahon, akala ko ang ganda ganda ng boses ko... 'lam nyo na, itong abang lingkod nyo ay laging pinapasali sa koro. may pagkakataon pa nga na nakapagsolo ako! lintek na mga kasama ko, nagpalate ako no choice kundi lumabas ako mag-isa... so ganun na nga. pero dumating ang pagkakataon na narinig ko sarili ko kung pano ako makipag-usap. salamat sa etelecare qa's at pinapag-aksayahan nila ng panahon magrecord ng usapan ng kanilang mga agents. pagkatapos nun, sinumpa kong hindi ko na papakinggan ang sarili ko... diretso coaching na lang, naaala ko naman mga calls ko nun!

akala ko ako lang ang ayaw marinig ang sarili. nung nag-qa ako sa sykes, juice me, napagtanto ko na hindi lang ako nag-iisa... sop na dapat iparinig muna namin sa agents namin yung calls nila bago icoach, so ganun, pinagdudusa ko silang marinig ang sarili nilang boses! ehehehe!!

pero bakit nga ba ganun? hmmm... ewan! basta, try mong magsalita tapos pakinggan mo... 'di ba? boses palaka? wehehehe!!!

tapos heto. paglipat ko ng work, kinailangan ng voice talent para magrecord sa hotline namin... tipong sasabihin yung 'all circuits are busy now, please try your call later' o kaya 'the subscriber can not be reached...'. so ako naman, since pinapangarap ko yun, super prisinta ako ng sarili ko! kinuha ng bossing ko e ako at yung isang girl... tapos recording... tapos pinarinig sa client... tawa kami ng tawa nung deliberation ng client kung sino ang pipiliin sa amin. parang american idol daw! magtetext na lang daw sila... ehehee! tapos tapos ako nanalo.. syempre tuwa naman ako...

at heto na, recording time na. kasama ko sa room e yung boss ko, isang kaopisina at yung taga-IT namin na magpipindot para marecord ang boses ko... dami nila... kabado ako... feeling recording artist! heto na... game! basa na ng script! patapos na nung nabulol ako! pakshet! ang haba-haba ng script uulitin ko pa! ang matindi, bago magrecord uli e papakinggan muna namin ang boses ko! o hinde!! nakapikit ako at nakatakip ang kamay ko sa tenga ko! ayaw kong marinig boses ko!! waah!! ilang scripts din ang nirecord ko at sa bawat script, hindi bababa sa limang beses ako nagpaulit ulit!

tapos heto... tuwing may problema ang telecoms namin e tinatawagan namin ang hotline naman para malaman kung may problema ba talaga... syempre, titiisin ko na naman pakinggan ang boses ko! at kanina, may pinarecord na naman sa aking bago dahil magbabaskyon ang mga 'kano...

hay, buti na lang at paalis na ako sa team ko... hanap na kami ngayon ng bagong 'talent' na papalit sa boses ko... sa wakas, matatapos na ang kahihiyan ko.. hehehe! pero hanggang hindi pa nakakapili, tiis muna ng konti...

now you know

i won't apologize
and i know that you are not sorry

now you know
that i just don't get even
'coz most of the time i get
worse

tukso, layuan mo ako!

i've seen this place a thousand times
i've felt this all before
and every time you call
i've waited there as though you might not
call at all

i know this face i'm wearing now
i've seen this in my eyes
and though it feels so great, i'm still afraid
that you'll be leaving anytime

we've done this once and then you closed the door
don't let me fall again for nothing more

don't say you love me unless forever
don't tell me you need me if you're not gonna stay
don't give me this feeling, i'll only believe it
make it real or take it all away

i've caught myself smiling alone
just thinking of your voice
and dreaming of your touch is all too much
you know i don't have any choice

don't say you love me unless forever
don't tell me you need me if you're not gonna stay
don't give me this feeling, i'll only believe it
make it real or take it all away

we've done this once and then you closed the door
don't let me fall again for nothing more

don't say you love me unless forever
don't tell me you need me if you're not gonna stay
don't give me this feeling, i'll only believe it
make it real or take it all away...

say you love me
don't tell me you need me if you're not gonna stay
don't give me this feeling, i'll only believe it
make it real or take it all away

take it all away
or take it all away

report card

This certainly made my day:


Finally, I passed! It's not great but it's good enough for me to move on with my program.

realization

question: when would you accept to yourself that you haven't slimmed down.


answer: if the button of your pants finally gave up and popped out.





how sad.

i'm too tired

... and i'm still at work. i mind is not clear as it was this morning but i'm gonna blog anyway.

i've been spending excessive hours at work lately. but it's not because i had so many things to do. as a matter of fact, i have already transitioned most of my responsibilities. well, my ad hoc tasks were usually given before i punch out and sometime i had to wait for late-night calls.

i was asked to help out our test team since one of their members is on sick leave. i wasn't excited when i told about it since following instructions from test scripts make me feel dumb - no offense to software testers. moreover, i learned that we're close to deadline so test people (including me) would need to render OT work on saturday (oh, it's saturday!). so instead of dragging myself to another day at the office, i just decided to be on extended hours today. i'm not yet done on my test execution but i would need to wait until monday since i had to stop because of some errors i have encountered. (possible bugs/defects? we'll see.)

now i'm supposed to go home. at last.

...

i'm back and i won't be gone.

natambakan lang ako ng trabaho dahil sa isang linggong pahinga.

'di ko lang matiis hindi magblog dahil pag hindi mababaliw lang ako!

hay!

blag!