muni-muni

human billboard

2010-01-14T10:42:00.004+08:00

i was on my way home when i saw these guys:

[click image to enlarge]

here's a closer look:

[click image to enlarge]

makes me think... are they:
1. the new mascots
2. proving that the pain med in their ad is really effective (imagine standing there for God knows how long)
3. in a reality tv show (the pot money must really be high... too much hazard, i.e. pollution, noise, back pain, etc!)
4. mga taong-grasa na dinamitan at dapat ipakita kung sinu ang sponsors...

blag!

2010-01-10T23:33:00.001+08:00

'm back...

LSS

2009-08-22T07:53:00.002+08:00

joining the ranks of macarena, and kapag tumibok of puso...

bye weight

2009-07-01T09:05:00.002+08:00

uniform. how embarassing it is to admit, but my wardrobe has become a set of uniform. it's not that i don't like to dress up nor i don't have the money to buy some clothing. it is simply because my current size is XL, and i've been ~~working~~ hoping to keep my size down. sayang naman ang damit kung luluwag din agad. yet its been ~~days~~ ~~weeks~~ ~~months~~ years that i've been keeping that in my mind and here i am, stuck at XL.

so yesterday, as i went and decided to move back home (i'll discuss about it later) i spent my "rent-money" shopping. this time, i swear and i do solemnly swear that this will be the last set of my ridiculously large jeans and shirts.

now, like the bigger loser, i say... bye weight!

time for evolution?

2009-04-19T13:52:00.003+08:00

the heat is really unbearable these days. i wake up at 4.30am, and i am already sweating. we didn't have airconditioning at home and when my mom noticed we are getting sick (well, because we tend to have our fans fixed at us) she decided to get one. oh well, there goes another grand or two for electricity. but at least we won't be irritated much by the heat.

i remember when i was just a child, my parents wouldn't let us out at night 'coz we might get colds. if we really needed to go out, we would be covered with at least 2 clothings from head to toe. fastforward to today, i could take my nephew out at night with just a sando and shorts on.

it is raining. but the rain does not help cool the air. the environment is really acting up.

the world really is changing. it might be too late to act on this. we could all help save the environment from global warming. but as we try, i think we should also brace ourselves to whatever worse might be coming. it'll be survival of the fittest. hopefully we won't evolve to have shells, it won't be light to carry along. plus think about the color it would have - might not even match a blue denim.

the burning question (ang matinding tanong)

2009-04-15T20:34:00.004+08:00

working in a 24x7 environment is a real pain. in tagalog, mahirap talagang kumita. aside from changes in bio rhythm which can cause sleep disorders and confused digestive system (you know what i mean), IQ could also be affected.

so now, help us decide what's the best answer for my colleague's question:

coming from the graveyard shift, which belo essential cream should i use -
the day cream or the night cream?

sipon, ubo, atbp.

2009-03-31T00:41:00.002+08:00

hay! heto na naman ako, sinisipon at inuubo... ewan ko ba kung ba't lagi akong nagkakasakit. twice na ko nagkaganito simula nung pumasok 'tong taon na ito. ang masama, ngayon bingi ang pareho kong tenga dahil sa sipon. ang hirap magtrabaho - asa support role pa man din ako. mukhang 'di na ko tinatablahan ng vit. c a! buhay!

still here

2009-02-26T07:34:00.005+08:00

can't believe that i haven't posted for more than a month... so now where do i start?

here i am, killing time. my shift for the week starts at 11.30am. i don't like this shift much as it doesn't give me enough time to go to the gym. (yes, i'm back in the gym!) so to compensate for the time for not being in the gym for this week, i'm doing laps in the pool. (yup, may pool po dito sa may tinitirhan ko ngayon, shala di ba?)

all these things to keep me fit (again) is really burning me out. i hate aching muscles - muscles that really haven't made their presence shown in me (dahil labas pa rin ang katabaan ko!). but i'm hoping i won't get tired of this. you know what they say - no pain no gain -, and - beauty is pain.

- - -

work - would you believe - is good (would you believe?). as in, hindi ako makapaniwala na naaaliw ako na nagwowork ako ng todo - i think nasabi ko na 'to nung last post ko. hindi ako naiinip matapos ang araw ko. well, let's see if i still could remain positive at work 'til i start working in 12-hour shifts. (well the plan was for us to work on 12-hour shifts with 4 days of work and 4 days of rest - panalo di ba? haba ng bakasyon - pero parang araw-araw overtime. hmmm... so may oras maghanap ng ibang work? no, no, no! dean - be good!)

- - -

my mom will be celebrating her 50th birthday on saturday (birthday is actually on friday). don't know if she already had finalized her plan for her big day. 2 weeks ago ko pa nabigay yung gift ko for her - and she's really happy with it. haha! anyway, i can't believe that she's that old. it feels like she's the same when we were young.

- - -

i can't think of anything right now... anu 'to - writer's block? haha! feeling writer! now, i'm off to the pool. 'til next time!

busy me

2009-01-22T20:10:00.004+08:00

lately, parang napaka-detached ng pakiramdam ko sa mundo. 'di ko na halos maramdaman ang takbo ng oras. kung dati nasa akin lahat ng oras para magawa ang gusto ko, ngayon e talagang kumakayod ako magtrabaho.

it's not that i'm complaining. sa mahigit na 2 years, ngayon lang talaga naging applicable sa akin ang salitang busy. kahit hindi pa gaano ako sumasabak sa bago kong trabaho, parang ang dami ko nang ginagawa. ang nakakapagtaka, hindi ako nagrereklamo. as in so not me talaga. ni hindi ko nga maisip na mag-snacks or kahit coffee break e. kakaiba.

so enjoy ba ako sa ginagawa ko? siguro... pero wish ko lang talaga magtuloy tuloy ito at hindi ako mapagod. sana lang this time magtagal na ako sa work.

new year

2009-01-09T23:43:00.003+08:00

january 9 na pala. 'di ko man lang napansin ang bilis dumaan ng mga araw. p'anu ba naman kasi, dami ko pinagkakaabalahan. una, new job. syempre since iba na workplace ko, iba na rin tinitirhan ko.

sa haba ng bakasyon parang ang dami kong nagawa, pwera magdiet. hehe! ultimo pasko, habang ang mga kapatid ko ay umalis papunta sa kani-kanilang lakad, at ang aking mom ay bumisita sa kapatid, pinili kong magstay sa bahay. naisip ko, aba malapit na new year at ang kalat kalat ng kwarto ko kaya ayun, naglinis na lang ako. naglinis = nagwalis ng sahig, floorwax, rearrange ng kama at mga lamesa at mag-ayos ng movie collection ko (movies ha, hindi porn dahil wala ako nun!).

nung dec. 27, lumuwas naman ako ng makati para maghanap ng lilipatan. bigo ako. sayang ang pagod at pamasahe. totoong mas mahirap maghanap ng bahay kaysa ng trabaho. hay! pagkatapos ng new year, lumuwas uli ako para hanap ng bahay. sumama mom ko para makita kung san ako titira at para makapagshopping na rin sya habang asa kamaynilaan. since ayaw ko na mapagod kumuha na lang ako ng bedspace sa isang condo. wala kasi solo room for now kaya dun muna ako hanggang may mabakanteng solo na room. jan4 nung lumipat ako. tiempo, natuloy ang lagnat ko. buti natulungan ako ng bunso kong kapatid na magbuhat ng mga gamit sa dati kong apartment (na sya na ang nakatira ngayon). gabi bago ang unang araw ko sa work, ang taas ng lagnat ko.

kinabukasan, medyo ok na pakiramdam ko kaya nakapasok ako. nakita ko mga makakasama ko sa work at lahat sila mababait. kabiruan na nga kami agad lahat e. syempre kami kami magkakaclose kasi kami mga unang tao sa team. yung company, kahit bangko ay hindi naman mukhang naghihirap global financial crisis. p'anu ba naman kasi, daming libreng food. bukod sa libreng kape at iced tea at milo na common sa mga opisina, may libreng canned softdrinks bottled juices pa (tipong C2, fit n right, delmonte pineapple juice, etc). sosyalin di ba? at di lang yun ang libre, daming cereals like koko krunch, kellog's, saka yung 2 pa na klase na hindi ko alam tatak kasi nakalagay na sa bote e (sorry ha, tapsilog lang kasi alam ko breakfast). syempre may kasamang milk. may oatmeal din. but wait, there's more! bukod sa cereals ay may tinapay pa. take note, gardenia... may white bread, wheat bread at yung may raisins pa. kumpleto spreads, mula sa cheesewiz, mayo lite, yeast spread (mga expats na bumbay lang ata kumakain nito), jams, peanut butter, cream cheese at marami pang iba. tapos may tuna, pickles, cheese slices pa. minsan may german franks pa or salami or ham. tapos may fruits pa! tapos may iba't ibang cup noodles pa. 'di kami magugutom sa office kaya goodluck na lang talaga sa diet. libre lahat yun. sa dami ng food kahit tinapay at cereals e solved na ko at 'di ko na kelangan maglunch out. at heto, tuwing friday e may libreng lunch pa kami, bukod sa usual food sa pantry. pagkain pa lang, neto na. the best part, every friday may free drinks. drinks = alcohol. so may beer sa ref every friday.

sad nga lang kasi medyo hindi na ako kunektado sa mundo pag asa work ako. ala instant messaging e at limited ang internet access (dahil ayaw kong mapasama sa honor roll ng mga heavy internet users lalo na kung non-business related). buti na lang may nasasagap akong wifi sa kwarto pag umuuwi ako. swerte nga naman.

so, 'musta naman ang new year ko? well, kahit nagkasakit ako (dahil sa lamig ng panahon na gusto ko naman) e masasabi kong maganda ang 2009 ko. anyway, syempre depende pa rin sa akin kung anu mangyayari sa buhay ko. hope lang ako for the best.

connected

2008-12-31T11:25:00.004+08:00

after almost a month since my siblings and mom applied for broadband, we're finally online. we have a globe wireless broadband - yeah, i wish we have other options. anyway, the connection is fine (so far). we had to put the external antenna of the modem uber high, even higher than our TV antenna, just to have a line-of-sight to the nearest cell site. as of this morning, we have this speed:

we're supposed to have up to 512Kbps bandwidth but when i used speedtest.net yesterday, i got 536Kbps.

now i feel we're not living in the dark ages anymore. now that we're connected, i won't be using this much as i don't have to work at home anymore. talk about timing! so to keep our modem busy, i'm downloading torrents! how i wish i have lots of free space in my hard drive.

last few days

2008-12-23T10:11:00.003+08:00

konting clarifications muna para sa mga huling posts ko. una, hindi mo kalakihan ang sweldo ko. nagkamali lang po ng tax computation kaya nagkaganun. wish ko lang talaga normal yung ganun kalaking tax para malaki rin talaga yung take home ko, pero hindi talaga. tapos, hindi po ako titigil sa pagba-blog. bahagi na 'to ng buhay ko. ang gusto ko lang sabihin ay nagresign na po ako sa huling trabaho ko. yun lang. next time talaga maglalagay na ako ng details para hindi ako misunderstood. hehe!

ilang araw na lang pasko na. susunod, matatapos na rin ang taon. pagkatapos, makakaalis na ako ng tuluyan sa kumpanya na pinagtiisan ko ng dalawang taon... at dapat talagang 'pagtiisan' ang sinabi ko! haha!

nandito lang ako sa bahay ngayon. although may trabaho pa e dito ko na lang sa bahay minabuti magwork (kahit sa totoong buhay wala na akong ginagawa dahil paalis na ako). online lang ako para sa mga ad hoc na trabaho. 'di na rin ako pumasok kasi wala na rin naman ako aabutan sa office dahil lahat ng tao naka-work-from-home mode na. hay, sa lilipatan ko wala na ang convenience na hindi umalis sa bahay tuwing lunes at makipagsabayan sa mga papasok sa opisina.

bukas, bisperas na ng pasko. noche buena na. medyo kakaiba ang noche buena namin ngayon kasi kami na lang muna ng immediate family ko ang magsasama-sama. dati, kumpleto kami sa side ng mom ko nagsecelebrate ng pasko. pero ganun talaga siguro, nagbabago ang tradisyon. marami akong nami-miss. miss ko nung mga bata pa kami ng mga pinsan ko, daming regalong natatanggap, after magsimba, tutulog muna para paggising may mga chocolates at candies sa mga medyas na sinampay sa may pinto. miss ko na ang maghapong nagluluto ng mga ihahanda. higit sa lahat, miss ko na ang lolo. sa totoo lang, si lolo dahilan para mabuo kami ng pamilya sa side ng mom ko. tuwing birthday nya, nag-uuwian mga uncle at auntie ko. at ngayong wala na sya, hindi na definite kung kelan kami nabubuo.

tama na muna ang emote. dapat masaya kasi pasko na. mamaya, susunduin na ang paborito kong pamangkin. mag-offline muna ako sa work ng maaga para ipagshopping naman sya. hay. speaking of christmas shopping, hindi pa ako tapos. mga pinsang babae ko pa lang ang may regalo sa akin. habol na lang ako siguro. tutal, may isang araw pa naman.

graceful exit

2008-12-10T12:01:00.001+08:00

the hardest part in leaving, is saying goodbye.

thanksgiving

2008-11-28T11:34:00.001+08:00

27 on the 27th.

thanks for all the blessings.

amen

define: opportunity cost

2008-11-20T10:33:00.002+08:00

too many reasons...
so many thoughts...
i hope everything would be settled once i ask myself,
what's keeping me here?

do the math

2008-11-13T20:29:00.003+08:00

for nov 1-15 pay period i have:
a meager salary
tax almost Php 19k
plus other deductions

equals... personal financial crisis!

when will this stop?!??

magbibirthday pa man din ako tapos magpapasko pa.... :((

bingo

2008-10-22T17:09:00.003+08:00

sa letra ng O, kalbo! bingo!

ayan, nabartolina na naman ako! kung ba't naman kasi hindi ko sinagot ang phone kagabi, nag-promise pa man din akong magpa-phone patch sa meeting. (phone patch? showbiz mode? pang da buzz??)

mga hinayupak naman kasi. alam na asa pinas karamihan nung a-attend ng call, pagpasyahan bang alas diyes ng gabi magmeeting!

tama na nga angal! hay dean! tumino ka nga! hindi ka pa nagpapasa ng mahiwagang papel kaya magtrabaho ka muna!

watch together, stay together

2008-10-17T08:47:00.003+08:00

remember that catchy tv ad that says 'a family that prays together, stays together'? hmmm... i really can't remember the last time we prayed as a family? did we? well, maybe in my toddler years. but hey! this post isn't about prayers nor God-related things.

yesterday as i was waiting for my day to end, i got a message from my bro. 'dean, sira na tv. wala na magamit. bili ka na bago' (translated as how my nephew would say: uncle dean... tv broken! no watch cartoons. buy tv!). yup, 'kuya' is not a word in my siblings vocab. anyhow, i replied, 'sige basta hati tayo pandown' (i need your contribution for our downpayment). well, i didn't (and still don't) have cash to pay for a brand new tv set so we're getting an installment. then my bro closed the deal by saying 'sige magdown ako pero kaw na bahala maghulog' (ok, i'll pay the downpayment but you take care of the installments).

you see, growing up i was never really close with my siblings. we had the same interests but had different inclinations: we like music, i prefer to play the piano while my brothers mastered the guitar; we play computer games, i concentrate on mind games, they battle online; we love food, i cook, they eat. 'nuff said. but there is one thing that we all like, yep, the television.

these days we haven't got a lot of time bonding (yeah right! as if we really bonded!). my family (i.e. me, my mom and my brothers - dad, is out there somewhere and rarely goes home) only gets to see each other on weekends - lazy weekends that are spent on laundry, eating real food and tv.

tomorrow, it'll be a weekend. there'll be no tv. sad. no more bring it on, ice castle, grey's anatomy, the practice, supernatural, sabrina, house, prisonbreak marathons. really sad. i hope the new tv will be delivered soon. i wonder how we will survive this weekend without one.

UPCAT

2008-10-17T08:04:00.001+08:00

Showing: Dec. 3-18, 2008
Only at Robinson's Galleria.

hay! namiss ko tuloy ang elbi...
potek, higit kalahati ng buhay ko andun ako

homecoming

2008-10-13T17:05:00.004+08:00

i was once invited by my colleagues to attend this 'gathering'. i was shocked when i found out that we had to sing and do some 'sharing'. lucky me, only one was assigned to share. and i swore to myself to never come back.

well, sharing is not my thing. i keep my relationship with God private. i wasn't raised a catholic - no confessions and though it is common in my congregation to share during some group 'meetings', i opt not (if i could).

growing up and until now, i am confident about my faith. in my younger years, i have never missed vbs. i was even one of the first youngsters to be in our children's choir. i even had a short stint being a church pianist.

i used to pray every night. but when i got my first job and worked in graveyard shifts i stopped. that doesn't make me less of a christian, right? i do feel bad that i haven't got much personal time with Him.

yesterday, i promised my mom that i'll go to church. since i'm not much of a people person, i didn't want to go alone so me and my mom and my brother went to vesper service. and boy, i got the shock of my life. first, there's a band. really! playing praise songs and all and people (well, maybe due to the band, most were young adults) were dancing. if i remember it right, we were in a 'conservative' protestant church were the congregation are born to sing in unison in SATB voices accompanied by a piano - no dancing except for junior worship (i.e. with kids!). then, there was no liturgist. well, that i could live with. and no more, 'family of God' hymn on the greeting part. apart from that, there was this new arrangement of the doxology... the list of new things just go on.

i really have been gone for so long. the changes - i must say isn't bad. honestly, i like it more as it feels 'happier'.

the only thing i didnt' like was the feeling i had when the new pastor (not really new since he's been on the church for years) had to reintroduce me to the congregation. i really felt bad. seriously. this was the church where my parents got married, where i was baptized, confirmed, and had my communions. i wanted to cry. i was estranged.

bastusan

2008-09-29T18:21:00.001+08:00

kung totoo ngang may ganto, hindi sila tao...

from Secret (2007)

tagged

2008-09-25T16:26:00.002+08:00

salamat sa aking HS friend na si karla, ngayon may gagawin na ko...

RULES:The rule says: Remove one (1) question from below, and add in your personal question, make it a total of 20 questions, then tag eight (8) people on your list. List them out at the end of this post.
1. What's the most important part of a relationship?
>> isa lang para sa akin ... trust

2. Would you rather be really ugly but be the only person in the world with super powers, or be the only really good looking person but alone in a world where everyone has powers?
>> of course, gusto ko pogi ako. pogi pa lang, powers na yun. saka, aanhin ko ang powers kung sarili ko hindi ko mabago?

3. Where would you like to go to the most?
>> Santorini!

4. 1 million dollars or true love?
>> hmmm... pwede none of the above? i just wanna be happy. but i guess, my best answer would be true love. hay! sarap ng in-love.

5. When you encounter a sad moment, what do you do?
>> i sleep... and eat. a lot.

6. If you win $1 million, what would you do?
>> dollars?? half nun sa charity. 1/4 sa relatives and friends pambalato. 1/4 akin. hehe!

7. What do you love the most about last year (2007)?
>> wala! 2007 was a sad year for me. pero my experience, i think, made me stronger.

8. List out 3 good points of the person who tagged you:
>>karla: super smart, super ganda, and she's living my dream... hay!

9. How do you cope with boredom?
>> ooops. PG13 'tong blog ko. jowk! i just eat... and eat.

10. What is one thing you'll never get tired of?
>> kain! i don't get it when someone says 'it's tiring to eat'! duh! kaya ka nga kakain para lumakas ka eh!

11. What is your ambition?
>> yumaman! nagpapakatotoo lang.

12. If you have one wish, what would you wish for?
>> mawala na ang global warming na yan!

13. How did you celebrate new year?
>> medya noche with family

14. What’s your worst attitude?
>> masama ako.

15. Do you believe that someone is meant for you?
>> sana.

16. What do you think you will be doing 12 years from now?
>> my age + 12?? hmmm... working... still.

17. What did you say that you'll never be doing, but end up doing it [or at least did it]?
>> secret!

18. Why do you hate sluts like someone you know and end up hating them for life?
>> N.A.

19. If you could go back in time, what would you do?
>> marami.

20. What is your name?
>> Dean

---
ok, so i deleted 2 questions kasi sabi total daw dapat 20 e! but i'm breaking the 2nd rule. anyone na walang magawa, feel free to tag yourself. :D

updayt lang

2008-09-23T12:52:00.004+08:00

medyo giniginaw ako. sabi naman ng kaopisina ko, medyo kulang nga raw yung lamig ng aircon. kahapon, habang bitin sa lamig ang lahat, ako giniginaw. 'di pa ata ako magaling. nung isang linggo kasi, ginaw na ginaw ako. yung jacket na nakatago sa drawer ko, nagamit ko tuloy. tapos lumabas ako ng opisina, naglakad papunta ng bus terminal, at kahit madilim na at alam kong mainit pa dahil sa mga pawis ng mga nakakasalubong ko, wala man lang bahid ng pawis na lumabas sa akin. kakaiba.

- - -

nakaliban ako ng 2 araw sa trabaho nung isang linggo. plano ko kasi tapusin yung term project at iba kong requirements sa grad school. tapos anniv pa ng mahal kong lolo. e dahil giniginaw ako sa byahe ko pauwi, natuluyan na ako ng lagnat. kinabukasan, pati lalamunan ko sumama. yung plano ko na tapusin hindi ko na nagawa. hindi ko rin nakausap yung mga kamag-anak ko na nag-uwian dahil 2 araw akong nakahilata sa kama, balot na balot ng jacket at kumot.

nung gumaling ako nung sabado, babad ako sa paggawa nung project ko. panu, deadline na kasi sa hatinggabi. habang nakasalang ang dvd ng the practice season 5, tinuturuan ko muli ang sarili ko mag-java at umiisip ng diskarte kung panu tatapusin ang proxy server application kong ginagawa. nakalimutan ko na ngang magtanghalian nun. siguro dahil na rin wala pa ako gana kumain dahil naninibago pa panlasa ko (which is so not me!). pinilit ko lang din kumain nung hapunan na para naman makapagbreak ako at relax ng konti.

30 minutes bago yung deadline, natapos ko yung project ko. buti nakapagpasa ako sa oras - opo, online kami nagsubmit sa aming moodle. nagulat na lang ako, yung dvd na sinalang ko, tapos na pala. ni-hindi ko nalaman kung anu nangyari. buti pa tatay ko, nawili sa kakapanood.

- - -

hindi muna ako pinayagan ng aking mader-dir na magtaebo nung lunes. sabi nya bili pa raw ako ng antibiotic ko at buuin ang isang linggo na pag-inom ng gamot. di nga ako nagtaebo. pero di rin ako tumuloy sa pag-inom ng gamot. yung diet ko (matapos kong maglose ng mahigit 10 pounds), natigil muna dahil wala pa ako lakas hanggang ngayon. ayan, lamon na naman tuloy. tapos heto, giniginaw na naman ako at pinapakiramdaman ko kung may tonsilitis na naman ako. balak ko pa man ding magexercise at diet na uli bukas pero mukhang mapopostpone na naman. feeling ko tuloy bumabalik na uli yung nawala kong timbang. hay buhay!

- - -

hay, dami ko iniisip lately. ayoko munang mag-emote. ewan ko ba, di ko nisusulat kung anu ang mga iniisip ko. siguro dahil pag nalampasan ko yung mga yun, ayokong mabasa na pinagdaanan ko ang mga ganung bagay. kahit naman kasi ngayon, in denial ako sa mga nangyayari. buhay nga naman.

magasin

2008-09-09T13:50:00.003+08:00

sa moment na ito, naririnig kong tumutugtog ang eheads sa kukote ko. p'anu ba naman kasi, habang nafefriendster ako sa kalagitnaan ng trabaho napadaan ako sa profile ng isa sa mga kaibigan ko nung HS. ibang iba na sya. gulat ako!

Iba na ang 'yong ngiti.
Iba na ang 'yong tingin.
Nagbago nang lahat sa
'yoooo oh ohhh.

natutuwa akong sobra sa kanya. ngayon ko lang napagtanto ang lahat lahat. bakit nga ba hindi pumasok sa isip ko na may potensyal sya? matangkad, slim, maganda ang facial bone structure.

sobrang proud ako sa kanya. go jyas!

new year

2008-08-29T19:31:00.002+08:00

monday marks the start of our new fiscal year. so ganun na nga, ngayon magkakaalaman kung sinu-sino ang mapropromote at kung magkano ang aming annual increase.

simula pa lang nung unang araw ko, determinado akong maghanap ng mas magandang opportunity pagkatapos na pagkatapos ng aking bond. at ngayong nalalapit na ang katapusan, heto ako at kaliwat-kanan ang applications.

so late ako ngayon - todong late, halos half-day na nga. pero dahil flexi naman ang oras ko sa trabaho (or so i thought), lakas-loob akong sumipot sa exam/interview kaninang umaga. pagdating ko sa opisina, hindi pa ako nakapag-online agad sa messenger kaya naman nag-email ang isa sa aking bossing para magpakita sa net. ayun, nag-conference kami sa chatroom ng 2 kong bossing. syempre, anu pa ba ang takbo ng diskusyon kundi ang aking tardiness at pagiging distracted nitong buong linggo. isama pa dyan ang isa kong pending na trabaho na deadline na ngayon (actually, napakiusapan na na i-extend yung deadline at ngayon na nga yung deadline na yun). napagsabihan pa 'kong wag muna mag-jobstreet at friendster. bingong bingo ako! pero opo, opo, alam kong pagkakamali ko ang mga ito.

hindi naman sa nagmamalaki ako, pero dahil sa mga pangaral sa akin kanina at dun sa pressure sa mga projects na hawak ko e muntik na ako magpaalam kanina at sabihin ang plano kong paglisan. buti na lang may natitira pa akong hiya. plus the fact na wala pa akong patutunguhan. at syempre, p'anu ko naman bubuhayin ang sarili ko kung wala ako trabaho?

bakit nga ba gusto ko umalis? hmmm... maraming issue. sa totoo lang, maayus naman ang mga naging katrabaho ko dito. dun sa una kong project, lahat kami magfriends. dito naman sa kinalalagyan ko ngayon, parang pamilya kami at super close kami ng mga bossing ko. sa totoo lang, nahihiya nga ako 'pag nahuhuli sila na naka-jobstreet ako. sorry naman. tapos ngayon, malungkot pa ang karamihan sa amin dahil sa liit ng increase namin ngayon.

anu nga ba ang hinahanap ko? magandang sahod? sa totoo lang, tuwing lumilipat ako ng trabaho, hindi ako umaasa na mas malaki ang offer. mas pinipili ko yung mas magbibigay sa akin ng magandang oportunidad sa future. willing ako magstart sa mababa at saka trabahuhin ang pagtaas. sadly sa ngayon, medyo hindi aligned ang future na gusto ko sa future na plano sa akin ng management. hay! pero sa hirap ng buhay ngayon, baka kainin ko muna tong pride na ito. wish ko lang makahanap ako nung makakapantay man lang dun sa kung anu ang meron ako ngayon. hmmm... 'di naman ako makapag-ibang bansa para subukan dun dahil unang una, wala akong pansustento sa sarili ko habang naghahanap ng work dun at pangalawa, sa tindi ng kumpetisyon ngayon e kelangan ko pa kumuha ng industry certifications para makasabay dun sa mga mas experienced.

sa susunod na mga araw nakaplanong kausapin ako mga bossing para mapag-usapan ang mga plano sa new year na ito. 'di ko pa naman balak magpaalam. kung anuman ang mangyari, sana maging maayos ang lahat.

pagbati

2008-08-22T13:03:00.002+08:00

doc joven fule
doc sugar blanco
doc april anne lambio
congratulations dear high school batchmates errr classmates...

at syempre, babatiin ko rin ang blockmate ko, si doc analee sabadao. congrats!!

hmmm... may susunod pa sa kanila. syempre sa tagal mag-aral ng med, yung ibang friendly friends ko nag-asawa at nagpahinga muna. sila naman ang susunod.

go NASTIA!

2008-08-15T12:59:00.006+08:00

finally, olympic champion.

(photo: nbcolympics.com)

can't believe she had the top score in floor despite her ankle injury (in 2006). 3 more event (beam, bars, floor) finals to go girl!

i watched the competition online. shawn johnson (US) and yang yilin (CHN) and ksenia semenova (RUS) were great as well. it's a 1-2 finish for USA as expected. here's the final result from nbcolympics.com.

newsflash: twister hit los banos, laguna

2008-08-14T21:23:00.005+08:00

last year, i've been ranting about how i hate the current world's climate. well, i haven't got any weather complaints lately as it has been raining every afternoon. but i got a text message from my mom. bad news - a twister hit my hometown, my dear los banos. no article from inquirer.net yet but a "kababayan" has posted a video in youtube.

the video says the twister formed at 4pm. according to my mom, it hit the areas of umali subd, trace college, anos, and bayan. God! hope no one's hurt.

in quest of greener pastures

2008-08-13T18:43:00.004+08:00

my current YM status is "2 months to go". yep, i'm doing another countdown. in less than 2 months, my employment bond will be gone. hurray!

now i'm looking for a new job. it's not that i don't like my current one, i'm just looking for better opportunities. a boss even caught me last week browsing jobstreet.com and jokingly said "you'll never get an offer better than what you have right now". he might be right. but then i haven't told him that i chose to work here eventhough the offer was half of what i used to get. but honestly, i'm hoping for a better salary.

so far, i've only got phone interviews. well, i wasn't able to come on some invitations since the companies were so far (cavite, taguig, singapore) from work (qc) and i can't be gone for too long during business hours.

speaking of interviews - think this stuff really make my brain work. in most cases, i give answers that i never imagined i could say. feel ko nga pag sumali ako sa mr. pogi e mananalo ako sa dahil sa question and answer portion.

well, i just wish myself luck.

- - -

by the way, congrats to china for winning the men and women's gymnastics team competitions.

goodluck to nastia on the all-around competition. i never expected that aside from the beam and bars finals she'll be on the floor finals as well. hmmm... should i say, break a leg?

sino ka?

2008-08-13T13:24:00.003+08:00

nakakaasar lang talaga 'pag may mga taong hinuhusgahan ka base sa mababaw na pagkakakilala sa iyo. ang masama pa, e yung tinitira ka ng patalikod at walang kalaban-labang sinisiraan ka sa iba. sino ba sila sa akala nila?

madalas 'feeling close' na ako sa isang tao na nakakagaanan ko ng loob. hindi ako mapagpanggap. at ayaw ko sa mga taong nagpupumanggap. pero hindi naman sa konting panahong nakakasama mo ang mga tao ay nakikilala ka na nila ng lubos.

ang sa akin lang, bago sila namintas e tignan muna nila ang sarili nila. akala mo kung sino, wala pa namang nararating sa mga buhay nila! akala mo totoo, e sila mismo hindi nila maamin kung sino sila.

hypocrites!

tayp tayp

2008-08-11T17:05:00.000+08:00

lunes. unang araw ng linggo. hay! sa kasamaang palad, miembro ako ng monday group (natatanging nilalang na kailangang magreport sa office 'pag lunes). maaga tuloy ako gumising kaya heto, masakit pa ulo ko dahil sa puyat. wish ko lang kasi marating naman kami ng sibilisasyon para hindi ko na kelangang makipagsabayan sa mga byahero pag lunes.

- - -

pansin ng mga boss ko na tuwing lunes ang taba-taba ko tapos pag byernes, lumiit na tyan ko. panu ba naman kasi, 'pag asa maynila ako todo diet ako tapos 'pag umuuwi ako nilalantakan ko ang kanin. panu ba naman kasi, nasasayang ang kanin 'pag dahil maraming magsaing pag weekend sa bahay.

buti na lang ngayon, super inspired na ko magdiet. sa mahal ba naman kasi ng bilihin at pamasahe ngayon, napapatipid na ako. hindi na ako nagkakanin talaga 'pag weekdays, fruits na lang. tapos 'pag weekend, hindi ko mang maiwasan manghinayang sa kanin, dinadaan ko na lang sa hiphop abs at konting pagbubuhat. ayan, may konting resulta na naman ngayon. medyo maluwag na damit ko, normal na BP ko, nakakapaghandstand na uli ako at hindi na ko masyadong pinagpapawisan. sana lang talaga magtuloy tuloy na para mabili ko na yung damit na gusto ko. ahehehe!

- - -

madalas TV lang ang pinagkakaabalahan ko 'pag weekend. nitong huli, hindi ako nakabili ng mga dibidi kaya tyaga na lang ako sa re-runs. natuwa naman ako nung napalipat ako sa channel 9, aba may olympics. kakaasar lang at panay boxing at football yung palabas. buti sana kung may pinoy na pinakita para makapagcheer man lang, kaso namuti na mata ko sa kakaabang wala pa rin. kung gymnastics prelims na lang nung aug9 at 10 na lang ang pinalabas e 'di sana mas masaya.

- - -

kagabi medyo late na nakatulog ang mom ko dahil sa pag-aalala sa mga kamag-anak namin sa mindanao. panu, yung panganay na kapatid ng lolo ko at yung pamilya nya e nasa maitum (sa mindanao) pa at balitang all-out war dun ngayon. balita pa na pinapatay dun ang mga christians. hay! hindi pa namin alam kung san sila tatakbo. sana lang talaga matapos na ang gulo dun.

- - -

speaking of mindanao - minsan narinig ko sa radyo yung commentary ng mga announcer. hmmm... ba't ba kasi 'di pa maayos ang consti ng pinas at maging federal na lang ang form of gov't. hayaan na may autonomy ang bawat 'regions'. ganun... pero kung magkakaganun, pangit. kasi naman, dadami ang mga ka-federasyon! ahahaha!!

hmmm... what if bitawan na ng pinas ang mindanao? since lagi magulo sa ibang parts dun, hayaan na sila ang maglabo-labo! kaya kaya nila magsurvice na sila lang? well, siguro sa dami ng international fundings dun ngayon. pero syempre, since may magic word na funding papayag ba naman ang gobyerno natin na wala silang kick-back sa ganun? saka, panu na ang del monte? ang dole? imported na ang lahat ng fruit cocktail natin kung ganun. mahal na maghanda pag fiesta at pasko. ganun? pero siguro naman, makakatikim na ako nung saging from mindanao na super kinis at malaki ('di gaya ng saging dito na maiitim at lamog) dahil mag-eexport na rin sila sa atin (kasi naman for export lang ang mga sosyal na saging e).aside from fruits, mababawasan na ng congressman from mindanao like zubiri. tapos kelangan na ng visa 'pag bibisita sa tourists spots sa mindanao? sad naman kasi 'di pa ako nakakaapak sa mindanao.

pero seriously, sana talaga matapos na ang dapat matapos dun. peace na lang sana dun.

- - -

balik tayo sa olympics... hay! kada 4 na taon lang nagkakaroon ng ganun. ba't ba walang matinong coverage? yung mga videos sa youtube, pinag-aalis. asar naman!

this is it!

2008-08-08T17:04:00.000+08:00

august 8, 2008... a day of celebration (well, yes it includes birthday celebration of my bro and a couple of other people i know).

today's the opening ceremonies of the olympics! after 4 long years of waiting, finally it's here! too bad i don't have cable, i don't have pay per view. i don't even have a TV set for crying out loud! good thing i have a vpn connection to our chicago and dallas offices so i'm able to watch some olympic videos from nbcolympics.com.

olympics. who never dreamed of becoming an olympian as a kid? sad to say, i live in a country where athletes (except for some boxers, read: pacquiao, and basketball players, as in PBA folks) can't make "sporting" a living.

olympic protests. the hell! olympics is not a venue for political interest. dreams are ruined. even athletes who made some gestures of protests has found themselves as outcasts. look at what happened to Věra Čáslavská, Tommie Smith, John Carlos and Peter Norman.

today's a big day for all the athletes. celebrate humanity. celebrate life! cheers to our olympians. hmmm.. should i say, "break a leg"?

let the games begin!

2008-08-07T16:58:00.003+08:00

one day to go before the olympics. can't wait! of course, among the spectator sports like synchronized swimming and rhythmic gymnastics, i'm dying to watch the women's artistic gymnastics competition (WAG). well, my fascination with WAG started because of this girl during the 1996 olympics.

(source: http://isportspix.com/2008/04/04/svetlana-khorkina-picture-gallery)

yes, it is the queen of bars, svetlana khorkina. no, she wasn't wearing that in competition! anyway, i've seen her performed her optional floor exercises and she simply took my breath away. that time aside from the optional competitions, gymnasts were still required to perform compulsary exercises (gymnasts performing the same routine).

- - -

well, so much has changed on my favorite sport. first, gone are the days of perfection. yup, no more perfect 10 like nadia. say hello to 14's (mediocre), 15's (safe) and 16's (possible medal).scoring has been changed in the code of points (read: the rule book). since 2006 world championships, there are 2 kinds score that a gymnast can receive. the A panel score (additive) which is all about the difficulty - meaning the harder the skill, the higher the score. aside from difficulty, connection of movements/bonus points are also in included in A panel. the B panel, however, is the execution score. basically, it rates how a gymnast perform a skill. this scores is deductive from a perfect score of 10. deductions are counted from unpointed toes during tumbling (0.1 deduction) to a fall on a skill (0.8). final score is the sum of the A panel and B panel scores.

the new scoring was due to the controversy in the men's all around competition in the 2004 olympics. korea's yang tae young was given a start value of 9.9 in the parallel bars instead of 10. a 0.1 difference cost him to just take the bronze medal instead of the gold. the international gymnastics federation (FIG) suspended the 3 judges who made the mistake, but paul hamm (the all around winner during the games) kept the gold. the FIG standardized the scoring for both the men and women. other than this controversy, the difference in the level of difficulty among the exercises the gymnasts are performing also led to the establishment of the new system.

for the equipment, bars has changed since nadia. during her time, there was just a narrow opening between the low and high bars. well, the bars hasn't changed since 2004 olympics but some of my readers may have fallen as sleep for about 30 years so i think it's worth mentioning.

in the 2000 olympics, many gymnasts got injured during the all-around competition because the vault was set 5 centimeters lower than the standard height. so no more side-horse vaults. we now have the vaulting table which is both used by men and women.

(source: www.fig-gymnastics.com)

since 70's the beam and floor has improved as well, with the inclusion of springs on the apparatus.

with today's level of competition, the artistry in artistic gymnastics is literally a thing of the past. wish i could see more of this, this and this instead of this and this. only a few gymnasts like my current fave, nastia liukin, can still combine difficulty and artistry.

- - -

i am no expert on the sport. luckily, i found a beginner's guide to today's gymnastics. according to the author, "Gymnastics is a dynamic, always-evolving sport. It's about power, beauty, grace, athleticism, virtuosity, and, perhaps most of all, innovation. A, uh, great PHILOSOPHER once noted that the best example of this is how, in gymnastics, when you're the first to "climb a particular mountain" (do a skill no one else has done) they name it after you in celebration. This is one of the many reasons that the style of gymnastics, the rules, the skills, and even the athletes all evolve quickly and constantly." good thing, the author was able to describe the new scoring better on different four apparatus - "Women's Artistic Gymnastics is performed on four apparatus. EACH ONE MORE DEADLY THAN THE LAST."

anyway, here's the dummy guide about the women's vault, bars, beam and floor.

home

2008-08-05T18:21:00.000+08:00

umuwi ako nung friday na nag-eexpect na nasa bahay ang mom at mga kapatid ko at may food pa na nakatabi para sa akin. almost every week, ganun kasi ang nangyayari. pero nung umuwi ako, walang tao sa bahay, walang pagkain. ang lungkot.

sobrang napagod ako sa byahe ko. 'di ko na rin natiis ang kalam ng sikmura ko, buti na lang lucky me dahil may instant pancit canton pa sa tindahan ni lola. carebear na kung mamatay ako sa pacute pancreatitis sa pagtulog ko matapos kumain ng pancit canton basta busog ako bago matulog.

buti na lang may mga dibidi akong nabili kaya pinalipas ko muna ang kabusugan ko bago natulog. napaisip tuloy ako habang nakatunganga sa harap ng tv. nawari ko, wala man ang pamilya ko, masaya ako at nakauwi ako sa aming tahanan. siguro nga, dapat masanay na rin ako sa ganito. 'di na magtatagal, tuluyan na ring bubukod ang mga kapatid ko. darating ang panahon na minsanan na rin kung magkita kami.

kumusta ka naman?

2008-07-24T18:07:00.005+08:00

international relations. bow!

sabihin man nating bawat undergrad degree program ay narerequire ng 9 units ng communication/english courses, hindi pa rin sapat yun para maging effective communicator lalo na sa panahon ngayon kung kelan sikat ang globalization. dagdag mo pa yung english subjects mula nursery/prep until 4th year high school, kulang pa rin sa dami ng 'version' ng language na ito.

sa dami ng lahi ng mga nakausap ko, so far napapatunayan ko naman na english nga ang universal language (should i say global dahil malay ba natin kung may martian na nakakaintindi ng english?). pero tama ba talaga ito? o baka naman akala ko english ang ginagamit kong salita pero sa totoong buhay american lang sinasabi ko at australian naman ang salita nung kausap kong indian. gets ba?

naalala ko na naman tuloy ang topic isang topic sa philosophy 1 nung kolehiyo: "all terms are equivocal". well, totoo nga. nakakalito ang mundo, parang kanta ng smokey mountain tuloy - kung sinung mahal mo syang ayaw sa iyo... ahehehe!! ayan, napa-segue na!

minsan ng take ako ng 2-hour training about cross-cultural communication dito sa company namin, bitin naman. wish ko lang talaga, naituturo sa school kung pano mabawasan, kung 'di man mawala, ang language barrier lalo na kung hindi mo nakikita ang kausap mo.

anyway, feel ko lang mag-rant ng ganto ngayon dahil matatapos na ang employment bond ko, ni hindi man lang ako napadala sa ibang bansa. hay buhay!

emote

2008-07-22T09:10:00.002+08:00

'di ako perpekto. maraming beses ko na ring binigo ang sarili ko. sa dami ng nangyari, 'di ko maisip na nagawa ko ang mga yun. 'di ako nagsisi. nabaon na ko sa kahihiyan. pero natutunan kong bumangon. 'di ko man matuwid ang lahat, ang mahalaga nakakatayo na ko.

bull's eye

2008-07-16T17:11:00.004+08:00

my mom has told me that as a baby, i can't help without hearing chiquitita. it wasn't a surprise to me. as a kid, enjoyed listening to all of abba's songs. i remember that i used to dance when take a chance or mamma mia is played.

good thing mamma mia is now on theaters. it's basically a movie celebrating abba's music. hurray for me!

- - -

i checked out youtube if some mamma mia clips are available. and i saw this:

I work all night, I work all day
To pay the bills I have to pay
Ain't it sad and still there never
Seems to be a single penny left for me

Amen.
Kakasweldo lang, parang hindi ko naramdaman na.

kinain ko ang sinabi ko

2008-07-15T20:14:00.003+08:00

binabawi ko na. ayaw ko na sa kanila. hindi na naubos ang meeting ko sa gabi nang dahil sa kanila!

kung fu fighting

2008-07-14T18:57:00.005+08:00

would you take your boss seriously if he happens to look like kung fu panda?

last week, my boss asked me to come over his desk to take a look at his spreadsheet. that time, i was online with a client discussion important instructions for their project. my boss jokingly slammed his desk and said "dean, how many times do i have to call your name?" well, he kinda knows that i'm busy but i replied "i'm not scared of you. should i be afraid of kung fu panda?"

that's how close we are in my team. don't get me wrong, my boss has this "boy next door look" but too sad he gained weight. and by the way, i'm so afraid of him - he's the one who forwards my time and expense report to HR and rates my performance.

feel at home

2008-07-10T20:21:00.004+08:00

i love spain. i love spaniards! i feel like i'm with my family when i talk to them. the accent, the tone, the emotions, everything - parang asa pinas lang din ang kausap ko.

go figure

2008-07-10T13:01:00.003+08:00

guess what i did

a. attempted front handspring

b. overkicked a handstand

c. photoshopped myself

the impossible dream

2008-07-07T22:33:00.003+08:00

PDA o Pinoy Idol? hmmm... sa PDA ako. 'di hamak na mas nakakasabik panoorin ang PDA. (pinoy idol: one word, lame. kelangan pa bang imemorize yun?)

pero bakit sa tuwing may oras akong makapanood ng PDA, may nagdo-drop out? nakakapanggalaiti. imagine, libo-libo ang gustong makapasok tapos heto ang mga pinalad na scholars nag-aalisan. ang mas nakakainis, ang bababaw ng mga rason nila. hay! TARUPA!

coron 2

2008-06-30T11:12:00.003+08:00

una sa lahat, 'wag nyo nang pansinin ang bilbil ko. tanggap ko na na hindi tumalab ang diet ko. ok?

- - -

hindi muna kami pinauwi ni nani after matapos yung program sa reception nila. party party muna sandali. sosyal sosyalan, may ganung factor. syempre, ngayon lang uli nabuo ang paksyon kaya tumambay muna kami ng konti. naka-2 baso ng beer pa yung mga uminom sa amin bago nagpaalam.

6.20am yung oras ng flight namin na nakalagay sa ticket. 11pm na kami nakauwi. lahat ng kasama hindi pa nakapagempake kaya naman wala nang oras matulog bago umalis sa byahe. goodluck na lang talaga sa antok na pinatindi pa ng beer. 4.30am asa airport na kami. pero nasayang ang 'di namin pagtulog dahil may bagong sked ang flight sa busuanga: 9am. kumusta naman 'di ba? wala kaming nagawa kundi maghintay ng mahigit 4 na oras.

- - -

sa centennial airport, maaliw ka sa makikita mo. ang daming personalities na dumadaan. una pa lang bago kami pumasok, dumating si senator zubiri. binati pa sya ni tala ng "hi pa!" at lumingon naman ito. narinig pa ata nya na sana napicturean namin sya kaya lumingon uli. 'di na kami humabol, layo na nya at mukhang nagmamadali.

tapos habang papunta kami sa st. cinnamon para kunin ang breakfast na pampalubag loob ng PAL dahil sa walang abisong paglipat ng flight sched, nakita naman namin si senator kiko. wala sya kasama. dirediretso ring pumasok sa airport. 'di sya masyadong nagsmile smile ba. maya-maya, lakas ng bulungan ng mga tao. akala ko kung anung tsismis ang dumating. yun pala si dating pangulong erap naman ang nakita nila. buti na lang lumingon ako. eto namang si erap, mega-kaway pa. at tulad ng mga naunang pulitiko, ang daming bodyguard ang nakapalibot sa kanya at may formation sila habang naglalakad ng mabilis. hmmmm.... mukhang hindi na sinusumpong ng sakit sa tuhod si erap. bilis maglakad e. bago kami sumakay ng plane namin, nasilayan pa namin si marian rivera na kakagaling sa flight nya. asa arrival area sya kaya hindi na namin nahabol ng tingin.

- - -

saktong 8.30am, oras na nakalagay sa boarding pass namin, pinasakay na kami sa plane. 50-seater lang ata yun at medyo maliit yung upuan. konti lang kaming pasahero kaya aalog-alog kami sa loob. wala pang isang oras, nakarating na kami ng busuanga airport.

- - -

simula na ng ambechur!

coron 1

2008-06-30T10:46:00.004+08:00

hindi ko alam kung pano magsisimula. masyadong maraming nangyari. lahat masasaya.

- - -

una sa lahat, yung kasalan ng kapaksyon kong sina nani (now known as marci) at karl. parang kailan lang nung nagsimula kaming magkatrabaho. ngayon, nakapag-isang dibdib na sila. nakakapressure tuloy mag-asawa na rin.

- - -

april nung nalaman ko yung lakad papuntang palawan. syempre excited ako kasi hindi pa ako nakapunta dun. parang yung unang out-of-town namin sa bohol na 3 days before nung lakad lang ako nasabihan, buti na lang kakakuha ko lang nung last pay ko sa huling trabaho ko nun kaya nakasama ako. basta ang alam ko maganda sa palawan, pero masyadong malaki yung lugar. hanggang sa napagkasunduan namin na sa coron, palawan ang ang destination.

magpapabook na kami ng flight dapat sa asian spirit nun. knowing yung reputation ng airline na yun (you fly as an asian, you land as a spirit), kabado kami sa desisyon kung sa busuanga airport kami bababa. buti na lang, nacheck ko yung PAL. saktong kabubukas lang ng route ng PAL express sa busuanga kaya dun na lang kami nagpabook. nakamura pa kami ng mahigit isang libong pamasahe. pero since maliit yung airport, maliit pa rin yung plane na sasakyan namin. still, kabado kaming sakyan yung Q300 dahil bukod sa size, labas pa ang elisi nito.

mayo na nung nalaman ko na ikakasal si karl at nani. sa date ng kasal nila, saka ko lang napagtanto na honeymoon pala nila yung lakad namin.

tara

2008-06-29T19:37:00.001+08:00

byahe tayo!

dalawang tulog na lang

2008-06-25T16:57:00.002+08:00

can't wait!

late night call

2008-06-24T20:47:00.004+08:00

another late night at work. got another conference call to attend. how i wish that there is only one timezone in the world.

- - -

i'm so amused when people attend conference calls. upon entering the call, participants do their intros - usually name/team name and location. sounds like a beauty pageant to me. and i wonder why people in the philippines do their intros like "hi, this is dean from manila". this is also true from other companies/projects i have worked for. people from other parts of the world say something like "kuntal from india" or "michelle from UK". well, personally i think that manila is easier to say than philippines. ;)

fatness 101

2008-06-24T10:25:00.003+08:00

how to ruin your diet

1. start with some maki

2. try the tempura

3. lasagna misplaced with some local dishes

4. take all the sweets you can

2008-06-24T10:08:00.002+08:00

i watched a movie by myself - something that i haven't done in 2 years. can't believe that it's been that long.

i laughed my heart out seeing kungfu panda. nothing more to say.

hmmm... i wonder when would i find time for another treat. next time, i want to cry an ocean.

is it in the genes?

2008-06-20T10:49:00.002+08:00

breeding... parang pang-hayop ang term 'di ba? napakascientific. pero 'pag in-apply sa tao, ba't sinasabing 'pag walang breeding e asal hayop? at bakit may mga taong bihisan mo man o pag-aralin, hindi mawawala ang pagkahayop? hmmm... sadya bang nasa dugo ito?

TAX me not

2008-06-17T15:00:00.003+08:00

matapos ang mahabang batuhan ng email ng aking pinakamamahal na HR Controller (read: nagpapasweldo) napagtanto ko na luging lugi ako sa kinikita ko. p'ano, ang mahal mahal ng bilihin ngayon, mahal pa pamasahe, ang utilities mahal rin. tapos ang sweldo ko, mahigit sa kalahati napupunta sa tax: 35% sa income tax (o, wag nyo nang alamin kung anung tax bracket ko!), tapos pag nag-grocery ka o bumili ng pagkain sa labas may VAT at eVAT. kung nisweswerte pa ko sa lugar, may local tax pa. hay!

kaya naman napapa-amen na lang ako 'pag may nagsasabing "kasalanan ni gloria yan"! sa laki ng inflation rate ngayon, walang ginagawa ang gobyerno para tulungan ang mamamayan. ang alam lang nila, mamigay ng pagkain dun sa lugmok sa hirap. e p'ano naman ang isang ordinaryong mamamayan at empleyadong tulad ko? hindi ba ako mamamayan? hindi ba ako pilipino?

sana man lang mabawasan ang tax natin. konting hinay lang sana ang gobyerno sa pangungurakot muna.

- - -

paunawa: hindi ko po pinatatamaan ang mga empleyado sa gobyerno. patukoy po ito sa mga nagpapatakbo ng nito.

lagot ka ngayon

2008-06-17T14:20:00.003+08:00

heto na naman ako... balik uli sa pagboblog. isa lang ibig sabihin nito: asar ako.

- - -

minsan sinubukan kong kumuha ng teaching load sa isang college. pagkatapos ng demo ko, tinanong ako kung gaano ako kaistrikto. sabi ko, super strict ako lalo na 'pag may maling ginagawa ang subordinates ko. kumunot lang ang mga noo ng college dean at ibang professors na nanood sa demo ko. di ko sila masisi, mukha akong cute este mabait. p'ano ba naman kasi, hindi mawala-wala ang ngiti ko nun dahil sa kaba.

hay! kasalanan ko bang smiley face ako? 'di pa nila ako kilala. ang masasabi ko lang, don't judge the book by it's cover, at looks can be deceiving. panalong clichés di ba?

- - -

minsan, sinabi ng boss ko na masungit daw ako mag-email. 'di nya ko masisi. alam naman nya kasi na sa buong karanasan ko sa pagtatrabaho, mga kano ang kausap ko. lagi akong direct to the point at limitado ang paggamit ko ng salitang "please".

- - -

simula nung nagtrabaho ako, hindi ko naranasan na bayaran ako kada-araw o kada-oras ko sa trabaho. naranasan ko lang, e yung pasahurin ako kada-segundo. salamat sa industriya ng "outsourcing", masyadong nasusulit ang mga pinoy. nuong nasa call center ako, bawat late ng ilang segundo, bawat maling pindot sa telepono para sa mga breaks at aux work ay kinakaltas sa sweldo. minsan hindi na makatarungan lalo na kung may mga tawag ng kalisakasan.

dun ko nakuha ang work-ethic na meron ako ngayon. natutunan ko na hindi mahalaga na may output lang sa trabaho: na dapat ay may quality, na dapat ay asa takdang oras, na dapat ay walang ibang nakaliligtaan.

- - -

sa buhay tech support agent ko rin naranasan kung kelan at p'ano gamitin ang mga salitang "please" at "sorry". hindi sa hindi ko alam gamitin ang mga yun, pero natutunan ko kung kelan ba sila appropriate gamitin.

- - -

malamang alam na ng nakakabasa nito ang kinaiinisan ko. oo, tungkol ito sa mga taong hindi marunong magtrabaho ng matino. sa totoo lang, wala akong pakialam kung anuman o paano ginagawa ng isang tao ang trabaho nya. ang sa akin lang, gawin nya ito ng tama. wala akong pakialam kung marami syang trabaho, o may ibang pinagawa sa kanya o kung anumang palusot na meron sya. hindi na sya bata. yung una at pangalawang beses na pagkakamali dapat natuto na sya. hindi ko na maaring palampasin ang nangyari. sana magtanda na sya.

nognog

2008-06-04T16:52:00.004+08:00

yep, ako po yung nognog. panu, katamaran maglagay ng sunblock tapos sasabak sa mahigit tatlong oras na island hopping. ito tuloy napala ko. hay! sayang ang gluta!

ngayon, tiis muna ako sa sakit ng sunburn ko. mahapdi na nga, nakakahiya pa at nagpapalit balat ako. waaah!

plug

2008-05-23T12:43:00.000+08:00

waaah! na-touch ako... gusto ko na watch!

podcast

2008-05-15T16:34:00.002+08:00

kagabi, wala lang... nakakatamad sa room ko. napagtripan ko tuloy i-record na lang ang sasabihin ko. pero nagbago ang isip ko. 'wag na lang! boses palaka e. basta 'pag namayat na ko ng todo, baka subukan kong mag-vlog. hmmm... malay natin!

stick it

2008-05-12T16:05:00.005+08:00

sa kainitan ng panahon (kahit bumabagyo bagyo na sa ibang parte ng 'pinas), hindi na ako nakalabas para bumili ng piratang dibidi. (ok, sana hindi ako mahuli nina edu.) wala kasi kaming kaybol (dahil sayang a weekend lang may tao sa bahay) kaya sinusulit na lang namin ang dibidi player namin.

imbis na mainip sa walang katapusang tv series, lumang pelikula na lang ang pinanood namin. syempre, anu pa ba ang papanoorin ko kundi yung may walang katapusang pagtambling-tambling. napanood na naming magkakapatid ang bring it on nung nakaraang linggo (take note: kumpleto kami sa 4 na titles at pinanood namin silang lahat), nakapag-step-up marathon na rin kami, pati you got served at stomp the yard tapos na; ultimo ice skating movies na cutting edge (1 and 2), ice princess, at ice castles ay napagsawaan na namin. so, no choice kundi ang ever payborit kong stick it ang pinanood namin.

syempre, dahil sa mahilig akong manood ng paulit ulit ng mga pelikula, lagi na lang akong tinatawanan sa bahay lalo na sa mga eksenang tinatawanan ko pa rin kahit ilang beses ko nang napapanood. e sa yun ang gusto ko e! anyway, eto yung isang part na aliw na aliw ako (panoorin nyo yung chinese-american girl):

katuwa di ba? super pasaway!

speaking of pasaway, heto yung mga clips na sumisira sa paborito kong isports. hay! subukan bang pagsamahin ang dalawang magkaibang klase ng sports! nakakapanggalaiti talaga!

kung hindi ba naman nagpapakamatay sa haba ng routine yung babae... saka, patawa yung camera tricks.. super halata!

at heto pa, syempre hindi magpapahuli ang mga pinoy sa pagpapasaway. ewan ko ba, pero ang bobo talaga nung gumawa nung commercial na ito:

anyway, olympic season na... hindi na ko makapag-intay panuorin ang mga paborito kong manlalaro...

ispokening dollar

2008-05-08T21:23:00.003+08:00

waah! may isang taon na akong hindi nag-uumingles sa work, maliban sa paminsan-minsang con-calls sa mga kano na yes at no lang ang sinasabi ko. nung asa meeting ako kanina kasama ang mga bossing sa iba't-ibang panig ng mundo, akala ko bumbay yung nagsasalita (pasintabi na po) - ako pala! pakshet! buti na lang wala yung mga ino-okray kong agents nung asa call center pa ako. kahihiyan!

hindi naman sa nangmamata na naman ako (take note: sarili ko ang ginigisa ko). mahirap naman kasi ang makipag-usap sa mga banyaga kung hindi ka nila naiintindihan. saka, pansin ko lang, halos lahat ng bossing dito magagaling sa comm skills... hmmm... s'an na kaya napunta yung akin?

anyway, sana maayos ko 'tong problemang to para hindi naman ako mapahiya sa projects ko... hehe! nakow, evaluation period pa na naman!

when it rains

2008-05-08T18:32:00.003+08:00

it rains!!!

well, work has been easy for the past month. okay, that was an understatement. the truth: i haven't got anything to do. projects were assigned to me but my involvements were so minimal - just conference calls and email correspondence about little inquiries. and this situation is true until 4 hours ago.

4 hours ago, i got 2 emails from different projects. obviously, i'm officially engaged. the best thing is, i've got to handle both at the same time. in addition, projects are coming in to my team. i've got another assignment and i'm pretty sure that another one will be added to my workload. hmmm... dapat ba magpakasaya ako dahil busy na ako at hindi ko na kelangang mapagod sa maghapon para sa pagpupumanggap na busy ako???

OT days, here i am again.

world gone wrong

2008-05-07T17:00:00.004+08:00

Synopsis : At 2:00 a.m., an Active Low Pressure Area (ALPA) was estimated based on satellite and surface data at 850 kms east of Mindanao (7.5ºN 134.5ºE) embedded along the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) affecting Visayas and Mindanao.

that was the latest weather update from pagasa, issued today. a friend has informed me about this news and i had to check it for myself. pagasa, inquirer.net and abs-cbnnews.com all have the same texts. i can't believe it. imagine, a storm at this time of the year! well, that's a first (in my lifetime, in case this has happened before in this country... in this part of the world)...

it's not that i'm complaining... i mean, i can't bear the heat and i'm totally loving the short rainfalls at night. but the world has really changed. i don't know what will happen next but i know that everyone's got to prepare. has anyone heard about the next ice age coming up?

mynmar has just had just been hit by a major disaster. it's a close neighbor. as much as possible, i don't wanna know any environmental tragedies other countries are experiencing. knock-on-wood, knowing the possibilities of having calamities here, i couldn't care less... plus, thanks to al gore i'm so concerned these days about our mother earth.

i guess, we're doomed!!! i hope, we're not.

i just wish that everything is just a cycle... sort of nature balancing itself... to equilibrium... after all the bad things man (more specifically) has done to its environment... but if it's gonna bring death and sufferings, i pray that it wouldn't last long.

looking on the other side, i can't exactly remember who said something like "destruction brings progress" or anything to that effect. (well, i haven't really used my brain so it's not trained to remember things like these.) hope it'll be the case - just as when most people in my town lost their homes due to a big storm in 1997 and rebuilt their lives with better dwellings. but anyhow, i don't like destructions and catastrophes to the fact that they cause bad things.

whatever nature is bringing us now, i hope it ends. i know that the problem is too big for anyone to solve but i think that everyone should do their share, even in their own little ways, not to worsen the situation.

the heat is on

2008-05-05T12:26:00.003+08:00

I just came from my long weekend. Well, Friday was sandwiched between Labor Day and weekend so I decided to take a time-off from work for my sort-of summer vacation. Gee, I realized that I haven’t filed for a leave since I had my vacation. Does it mean that I love my job? Woah! Scary!!!

So what did I do for my 4-days off? Nothing. The heat took my mood off in doing stuff. 4 days of unending sweat coming out of my skin (yeah gross!) but I can’t do anything about it. Seriously, global warming should be addressed ASAP… as in now! And I’m, predicting because of this problem, we’ll lose clean water a lot faster than we thought (no, not by evaporation nor pollution) but due to that fact that none wants to be dehydrated. (I don’t wanna think about how much water I drank to keep myself from dying).

I hope everyone plants a tree. Basic science tells us that plants converts carbon dioxide to oxygen. Maybe it could help solve our problem. Another green revolution, anyone? I haven’t heard about reforestation since my college days.

By the way, shame on those people who built a condominium in the middle of a rainforest. I don’t care if it is a housing project for their employees!

OK, enough about my sentiments on the environment. But these heat rashes I’ve got around my neck really trigger my temper. Anyhow, my weekend was good. I got to exercise and now I feel that I am no longer a stroke waiting to happen. Plus, I had to ~~play with~~ watch my nephew. So now, I’m back to work.

in grandfather's shoes

2008-04-28T16:29:00.002+08:00

i haven't got anything to post lately...

anyway, here is licad's performance of her grandfather's (buencamino) piece "larawan" (portrait).

just sharing...

2008-04-22T12:39:00.002+08:00

emote emote muna...

can't wait

2008-04-19T22:23:00.006+08:00

i went to school today for registration. i'm returning from LOA. i enlisted myself for 2 major courses. hope i can ace both so i can take my comprehensive exam and get my graduate degree. i miss school and i can't believe that i'm saying this. i wish this will be a great semester for me.

- - -

my trip to coron with my friends is really on. we have our plane tickets!!! though we still don't know where to stay, we're anticipating having a great time there. reviews about the place from other friends who have been there are really good! as for now, i'm trying to get in shape for this escapade (we'll be taking a lot of pictures so i better look good!)...

- - -

it's summertime. well, i'm not enthusiastic about it as i hate the heat and the sun. if you ask me why i'm looking forward about my trip, it's because i'm thinking about the fun that i'll have with my friends and i just want to see the places people are talking about.

of all the outings planned this season by my former colleagues, friends, current team, etc., i just don't know if i'll be able to come to one. and if ever i go to some of these get-aways, you'll sure expect me to lock myself in a resort room and just come out at night to have all the booze that i can get my hands on. haha!!

expenses galore

2008-04-16T14:56:00.004+08:00

board review for my bro
grad school tuition
apartment
trip to coron

i just got my pay but thinking about my expenses for the next few days makes me feel so broke. now i understand why people are asking for mid-year bonuses.

on my own again

2008-04-14T12:14:00.003+08:00

suko na ako.

* * *

nung una, gusto ko lang mag-uwi para mapagod ng konti at mabawasan ng timbang ko. syempre, namiss ko rin tumira sa bahay namin at matulog sa sarili kong kwarto. pero hindi maganda ang kinalabasan. dati naman kasi, nung unang beses ko magkatrabaho at uwian pa ako nun e ayos lang sa akin. sabagay, mas bata pa ako nun... ok pa health ko.

sa call center ako unang nagwork... undergrad pa kasi ako nun. sakripisyo lang sa pag-adjust ng katawan sa pang gabing trabaho. nawalan na ako ng time para sa ibang bagay dahil itinutulog ko na lang yung natitira kong oras. 'di na ako nakapagtaebo o badminton man lang. tapos, madalas sa fastfood na lang ako kumakain. ayan, yung nawalang baby fats ko nung college e napaltan na; yun nga lang, mas dumami pa ata. 'di lang yun, parang hindi na rin maganda ang pakiramdam ko at madalas mataas ang presyon ko. hay buhay!

* * *

halos 2 buwan din ako nagtiis sa pag-uwian. pagod man ako sa byahe, binawi ko naman sa pagkain kaya wala rin nangyari. kung may nahanap lang ako agad na malilipatan nun e 'di sana hindi na ako nagpakahirap. hindi naman sa mapili ako, syempre gusto ko lang yung malinis at wala akong nakitang ganun sa cubao (kung meron man, hindi praktikal sa pang-isahang tao).

* * *

kahapon, nakakuha rin ako ng apartment. sinama ko na ang mom ko sa palipat ko para alam nya kung saan ako titira (in case anything happens). nagustuhan naman nya yung lugar at nakilala pa nya landlady ko. tapos, sinamahan nya ko bumili ng higaan ko at ibang gamit at grocery. hindi na ako nagpasama sa pagbalik ko sa apartment ko para hindi na sya mas gabihin sa pag byahe pauwi. hindi ko na rin sya naihatid sa terminal ng bus dahil malaki yung dala-dala ko.

pagbalik ko sa apartment, nanibago na naman ako sa katahimikan. p'ano, mag-isa na naman ako.

laudate dominum

2008-04-09T18:51:00.002+08:00

amen!

onli in da pilipins

2008-04-08T11:10:00.002+08:00

san ka ba naman nakakakita ng expressway na nata-traffic?? halos 2 oras akong late tuloy... hay! sakit sa ulo!!!!!

stressed out

2008-04-01T19:16:00.005+08:00

hindi ko na kinakaya ang anim na oras na byahe araw araw. nung una akala ko ayos lang, dahil mas madaling umupo na lang sa bus kaysa maglakad ng malayo at magpalipat-lipat ng sasakyan. nagkamali ako. minsan, kailangan ko pang tumagal sa trabaho para sagutin ang tawag ng mga katrabahong nasa ibang panig ng mundo. lumalala pa ang ubo ko. araw-araw nang masakit ang ulo ko sa kakapuyat. tumataas na rin ang presyon ng dugo ko. kahit na pinipilit kong kumain ng tama gaya ng prutas at gulay ay hindi sapat yun para sa katawan ko. sinubukan ko rin uminom ng mga bitamina pero kulang pa rin ang lakas ko. hindi ko rin kaya nang mag-ehersisyo dahil sa panghihina ko. hay! anu ba 'tong pinasok ko? sana makahanap na ako ng tirahan para matapos na ang lahat ng ito. mahirap magkasakit.

play on tags

2008-03-26T11:34:00.003+08:00

tired of creating playlists and organizing files on your mp3 player? well, i am. so i got this:
MP3Tag

Mp3tag is a powerful and yet easy-to-use tool to edit ID3-tags and OGG Comments of MP3- and Ogg Vorbis files. It can rename files based on the tag information, replace characters or words from tags and filenames, import/export tag information, create playlists and more. The program supports online freedb database lookups for selected files, allowing you to automatically gather proper tag information for select files or CDs (if available). Other formats supported include AAC, MPEG 4, FLAC, MOnkeys Audio and more.

it's free!

mathematical analysis

2008-03-26T11:22:00.003+08:00

here

far better than solving fourier series or laplace problems.

thanks arjay for posting... ;)

smartbroken

2008-03-17T14:54:00.003+08:00

despite of all the bad reviews about smartbro's service, i tried my luck as it may be the only hope in getting a broadband connection. with my fingers crossed, i filed an application last saturday. i waited all day on sunday. when i was about to give it a rest, the contractor came at 7.30 in the evening only to inform that our area is beyond coverage. no testing was even done. so, i went to a smart center this morning to have my refund, waited for more than an hour only to be told that it would take at least 8 days to have it done. i called their hotline hoping that somebody could expedite the process. but i failed... plus their customer service sucks! well, the reviews were all right! i hope they get bankrupt!

4-eyed monster

2008-03-17T11:55:00.004+08:00

nung isang linggo, habang naghahanap ako ng bahay sa may cubao hirap na hirap akong basahin yung mga signs sa mga poste. hindi ko na rin mabasa yung mga marker ng streets. dun ko nasabi sa sarili kong ayoko na ng ganun!

buti na lang may nakuha na ako sa medical reimbursements ko. nung sabado, nagpasama ako sa mom ko para magpakunsulta ng mga mata. pero bago pa ako magpatingin, todo sukat na ako ng mga frames. grabe, ang hirap palang pumili ng salamin! may isang oras din ata akong nagsukat. ang nakakatuwa dun, hindi pa sure kung kelangan ko talagang magsalamin. pero nung matapos ako sa pagpili, binigyan naman ako ng prescription para sa lenses na gagamitin.

syempre yung mom ko nahawa sa pagsusukat ko. ayun, pati sya humirit! buti na lang may dala akong extra! hehe! pagkatapos ng isa't kalahating oras, gawa na yung salamin namin.

medyo nakakapanibago nga lang kasi mas malinaw at mas makulay na ang buhay ngayon. pero hindi pa rin ako sanay magsalamin kaya hindi ko pa rin sinusuot ng madalas. paunawa na lang talaga pag minsan 'di ako makakilala pag nakikita nyo akong pakalat kalat.

march in march

2008-03-17T11:32:00.004+08:00

saktong 4 years yung nakaraan, nasa bahay ako ng kaklase ko tinatapos ang aming design project (thesis) para makagraduate. ilang buwan din kami ng mga ka-grupo ko na laging puyat. pero, sa kabila ng pagod namin, hindi kami nakapagtapos. nagextend pa kami ng isang sem para maayos alng lahat.

ngayon, turn naman ng bunso kong kapatid na makapagdefense ng kanilang design. ang problema, laging nasisira yung circuit nila. mga ilang beses na rin na nareschedule ang defense at bukas na ang huli. ang kalamangan lang nila, at least napapagana nila yung design nila compared dun sa ginawa namin dati. ang huling solution nila dun sa "inconsistency" ng project nila ay paltan ang mga pyesa. buti sana kung ang gagawin nila ay simple baklas-kabit lang, syempre kelangan pa nilang i-reprogram ang mga IC's nila.

wala nang funds ang mga magulang namin pantustos para sa bunso namin. hindi rin sure yung mga kagrupo nya kung makakakuha sila ng pondo pambili ng mga papaltan nilang pyesa. buti na lang may nakatabi kami kahit papano ng isa ko pang kapatid. ilang minuto lang nakakaraan, nagtext si bunso. ayun, hindi na raw nila kelangang paltan yung mga pyesang nabili nila. buti na lang may technician dun shop at may warranty yung mga nabili nila at nagawan ng paraan yung circuit.

sana lang wala nang aberya sa defense nila bukas.

promdi

2008-03-14T17:48:00.004+08:00

madalas 'pag may nakikilala ako na tao sa napakalayong probinsya, tinatanong ko sya kung may telepono o kuryente ba sa kanila. hindi naman sa nangmamata ako...

ngayon, narealize ko na nakapa-backward ng buhay sa amin. hindi man lang ako maabot ng maayos na broadband connection! waaah! kainis! hindi pa ako makakapagtrabaho ng kahit isang beses sa isang linggo sa bahay.

buhay nga naman! ke-malas malas!

how bobo can you get?

2008-03-14T09:03:00.004+08:00

metrobank has undergone a "system maintenance" a day before pay day. today is pay day and their freakin' system maintenance is not yet done. i've got to pay for my bills, my food, my transportation... and for a lot of things to pay! now, the only mode i could get my hard-earned money from the bank is by over-the-counter teller transaction! and worse, i've got to go to my branch! isipin nyo na lang, 17000 employees kami sa company at iisa lang ang branch namin. p'ano pa yung sa ibang companies? hindi maganda! hindi nakakatuwa!

system maintenance! f*ck! too much for that positive scripting! sinong niloko nyo?!

magkamatayan na! ibigay nyo sweldo ko!

ken lee

2008-03-10T12:46:00.006+08:00

you'll know if it's going to be a fun week when the first email you receive from your boss links to something like this:

at syempre pa, hindi magpapatalo sa confidence level ang sarili nating beauty queens:

paunawa

2008-03-04T15:27:00.002+08:00

hindi po ako suplado... malabo na po ang mga mata ko - tanda ng pagtanda. 'di ko pa trip magpatingin ng mata. 'pag nakita nyo ako at 'di ko kayo napansin, paumanhin po. pakibatukan na lang ako. ;)

salamat po!

waaah! ang saya!

2008-03-03T21:10:00.002+08:00

5 months na ko dito sa apartment. ngayon ko lang nalaman, may wifi ang kapitbahay ko. kung ba't ngayon ko lang kasi dinala dito laptop ko... ang saya makigamit ng libreng connection! sayang, lilipat na ako ng tirahan sa weekend... waaah!!!

buti na lang ala ako sa singapore, kundi nakulong na ako!

happenings

2008-02-24T22:17:00.004+08:00

first, my arm and butt are still aching. thanks to badminton. yes, i'm back in the sport after more than a year. gee! good thing my former colleagues planned to have a fun tournament next week. yesterday was a practice game in prep for the tourney. sad that i won't be able to play with my original partner, grace. hope she'll recover soon after her operation (no, she did not have a sex change). but, i'm glad to play with jennibeth. by the way, grace is a ka-paksyon, while jennibeth was a former teammate from my previous project.

i just wish that i would continue to play the sport. i missed the eyeballs that vannie, grace and i went to. people from pinoybadminton and timogtitans were really nice. i think the groups that we used to play with do not exist anymore. sad.

- - -

on wednesday will be my mom's birthday. i am not keeping track of her age so don't ask me. anyway, i'm happy that she is another year older. i won't be here at home on her day but we've had a small party today. i bought a cake (black forest) and ice cream, and cooked pasta. my mom and i have always wanted that cake since new year of 1989 as part of our new year feast but it never did happen. i'm glad she's happy we had one now.

- - -

my favorite nephew (well, he's my only nephew) is here today. he'll be turning 3 in may. can't believe that time went by so fast. i just wish that he'll be able to have a long conversation with us. well, he doesn't have anyone to talk to when he's home at his mom's place. he's just left there with his lola (who mans their store) so he spends a lot of time by himself in front of the tv. good thing they have cable. and it is quite interesting to know that cartoons and cable tv have helped him speak in english (but not enough for a long conversation). take note, he even has the twang.

- - -

tomorrow's a holiday! nice! i haven't touched my laundry yet so i won't have anything to wear. i just didn't have the energy to wash my clothes as i am still nursing my sore muscles (or should i say fats!). i just hope that the sun would shine early tomorrow to dry my clothes in time before i leave for manila.

- - -

i wish that my laptop for work will be issued asap. so many things have been lined up for me to do. i need to keep up.

speaking of keeping up, i still got a lot of things to be reoriented to for me to function fully at work. i should have taken the certification that i have always wanted to take, especially now that i'm on the field that i want to be in.

to add to the pressure i'm having, since i still don't have any projects to handle i have been asked to 1) prepare a business case to purchase additional licenses for the main application that my team is using and 2) master the other applications that we have and take ownership of any projects should they require the use of those. i'm just laughing myself out whenever i think of the responsibilities that i have. imagine, defending the purchase of hundred of thousands worth of software license (oh yes, hundred thousands worth... in US DOLLARS!!!) which i don't have any idea of its full use so far and mastering software that i haven't even seen (since the i don't have the installer for it and it requires a group of computers for it to work).

anyhow, i'm enjoying the job. why? i get to be a licensed hacker! oh yes! packet sniffing is one of my main tasks. haha! how cool is that!?!??!

- - -

i've got a little more than 15 days before i get evicted from my apartment. any help in finding me a place to stay near cubao area will be highly appreciated.

byahe - 2

2008-02-21T11:20:00.004+08:00

medyo high pa ko pagkatapos nung trip kaya hindi pa agad ako nakapagkwento. actually, hindi ko pa rin alam kung p'ano ako magsisimula.

naalala ko lang, tinanong ako kung b'at ako sumama kahit hindi naman ako mahilig sa beach. sabi ko lang, gusto ko lang marating yung place. malay ko kung magising ako isang araw tapos grade 3 uli ako, mabuti na yung may ipagmamayabang ako sa mga kaklase ko na nakarating na ako sa mga tourist spots na dinidiscuss ka klase. saka syempre, masaya magbyahe kasama mga friends.

buti na lang, na-hire sa marge. kung 'di pa sya dumating sa dati kong team e hindi kami makakarating sa hometown nya sa pangasinan. tiempong nag-iisip kami ng pupuntahan para sa team building. buti na lang pumayag sya magstay kami sa kanila tapos silayan ang hundred islands.

as usual, delayed na naman kami sa lakad namin. lagi naman kasing may late. tapos yung balak namin na dumiretso sa hundred islands, nabago. instead, nagpunta na lang kami sa isang napaka-along beach malapit kina marge. basta alam ko lang parteng lingayen yun. lakas lakas ng alon! buti, may nakita kaming resort para pagbanlawan namin at pagbihisan kasi hindi namin matiis yung waves. after namin magsawa kakatalon at kakasalubong sa mga alon, nagkayayaan kami magpatintero. sa dami namin, kinailangan na 2 yung patotoy ng bawat teams. saya! daming nanonood sa amin. para kasi kaming mga bata. pero, hindi na kami maliliksi kaya naman walang ni-isa ang naka-score.

gabi na nung nakaalis kami sa beach. medyo malayo yung bahay nina marge. liblib pa yung lugar kaya naman wala kaming ginawa sa van kundi magtakutan. buti na lang, ang babait ng parents ni marge kasi pinamalengke na nila kami tapos pag-uwi pa namin sa kanila e luto na yung food. habang nagpapahinga kami bago kumain, sinaksak na yung dalang magic sing ni cloudy. at syempre, buena mano si marge sa mic kasi naman, nadiscover namin na recording star pala sya sa lugar nila (known as mystical marge - sapphire). nagulat kami dun, at 'di naman sya napahiya kasi naman may boses talaga sya. hay... talagang makikilala mo ang isang tao pag napuntahan mo kung san sya nakatira.

pagkahapunan, inuman na! medyo humiwalay lang yung mga ka-team ko kasi may activity sila ni arnel (TL ko dati). kasama ko na naiwan yung mga ka-project din namin. kami-kami lang muna inuman (dahil may sariling session sina arnel). 'di naman nawala yung mahiwagang bote ng puro truth! parang high school ang usapan. labasan kung sino ang may crush/pagnanasa kung sino. nung nagsama-sama na yung lahat, madami na lasing tapos yung game namin, back to zero kasi naulit na lang mga tanong for the benefit of the new joiners... hehe!

kinabuksan, yung planong 5am na pag-alis papunta sa hundred islands e naging 8am na. ang babagal kasing kumilos. tapos naligaw pa kami papunta dun. pagdating sa sakayan ng boat paikot sa islands, sabi ko, heto na yun? haha!! wish ko lang parang maldives islands yun (na panay atoll at coral beaches)... pero hindi! asa pa ako! pero anyway, enjoy naman pag nasa company ka ng friends mo.

pagdating dun, gutom na gutom na kami. pagkatapos maglunch, snorkeling ang yayaan! at dun ko lang naranasan na kami mismo yung lumangoy papunta sa gitna ng dagat para makapagsnorkeling. tapos, mga hindi pa marurunong magswim yung karamihan sa amin. ginawa namin, sabay sabay na lang kami nagpalutang lutang pagitna ng dagat. at syempre, pagdating namin sa gitna, pagod na kami sa pagfloat. yung iba, hindi na nakapagsnorkle. ako, nitry ko naman kahit papano. nashock naman ako, man-made yung coral beds. tapos ang isda, 3 klase lang nakita ko at mabibilang ko pa sila sa kamay ('di tulad sa galera at bora na ang daming fish). bago umuwi, pahinga muna tapos laro ng cards. saya mag-bluff at 1-2-3 pass.

paguwi, lobat na kami. pagod. sakit ang katawan. pero enjoy. isa pa sana.

byahe

2008-02-18T11:35:00.003+08:00

kulang pa tulog ko
masakit buong katawan ko
hinihingal pa rin ako
kahit pagod na pagod ako
masaya ako, nakasama ako

ang saya
sana maulit uli.

dramang mrt

2008-02-14T09:19:00.003+08:00

hay! ang aga ko na naman sa work ngayon. 10 minutes before 9am nakapila na ako sa elevator. wala pa masyadong tao dito. well, siguro busy dahil valentimes na... ahahaha!!!

medyo pagod pa ako sa byahe. sa makati pa rin ako umuuwi kasi hindi pa ako nakakahanap ng bagong malilipatan dito sa qc. mabilis naman ang byahe, courtesy of MRT. pero goodluck naman sa effort. imagine, ang taas ng stairs sa MRT-guadalupe station (at kung bakit sa lahat naman ng stations, heto pa ang walang escalator) tapos kelangan ko pa umakyat pa para makatawid sa kabiling side ng station para sa byahe papuntang north. ang aga-aga pinagpapawisan ako... so gross! pero, i'll look at the brighter side na lang: yun lang ang exercise ko. but still, as i have said it already, effort sya!

sa MRT ko lang naranasan ang maharas (not in a sexual way, though maraming taong nakakaranas ng ganto kaya nga hiniwalay yung girls e... hmmmm... e ba't may girls pa na nakikisama sa unisex part? hmmm... siguro... ahihihi!!). dito kasi nagiging barbaric ang mga tao para lang hindi ma-late sa work. kadalasan pag tiempo talaga sa rush hour, malala pa sa sardinas ang eksena sa loob. ang nakakatawa pa e parang may magnetic field papasok pag bumubukas yung pinto ng tren. sa lakas ng tulakan sa likod mo, 'di mo na mamamalayan na nakapasok ka na sa tren.

buti na lang kahit mahirap sa MRT, hindi naman uso ang awayan. meron naman minsan minsan pero buti pasensyoso ang mga tao. minsan, habang galing ako sa work pauwi, may nakatabi ako na ale na nakasandals. e ang MRT lulubog, lilitaw at aangat sa kalsada. ayun, napaatras yung paa ko nung paakyat at 'di ko naman sinasadya na maapakan ang mga kuko nung ale. isang matinding uuuuuuuuuushhhhhh! na lang yung narinig ko sa kanya. sorry naman ako ng sorry. tapos pagtigil ng tren, buti na lang stop ko na. nung isang araw naman, yung mama nakasandals din lang. e natapilok ako sa tulakan sa loob. ayun natapakan ko uli kuko nya. goodluck na lang. buti hindi ako binugbog. nagsorry naman ako e. hay naku, kung ba't naman kasi nila naiisipan magsuot ng labas ang paa. hehe!!

konting tiis na lang ako sa MRT. hay, sana lang talaga makalipat na ako.

pressure

2008-02-13T17:31:00.002+08:00

i met an old friend yesterday. bingle yung name nya. classmate ko on my senior year at high school. magkaiba yung circle of friends namin dati, pero overall, ayus naman yung bonding ng buong batch (or should i say, class) namin.

nung college, magkaiba kami ng campus. pero after a year, lumipat ako kaya naman nagkasama kami. actually, hindi kami magiging close nun kundi dun sa "childhood sweetheart" ko na lagi nyang kasama. well, hindi ko alam kung p'ano rin sila naging close basta pagbalik ko na lang sa campus kami na magkakasama. at yung favorite naming tambayan, yung apartment nila.

syempre, napag-usapan namin ang iba naming kaklase. buti na lang at may friendster at multiply at kahit papaano may balita kami sa kanila: kung sinu-sino ang mga kinasal na, ang may mga baby na, mga naghiwalay na, mga sikat na at kung anu-ano pa. sa pag-uusap namin, parang pareho naman kaming napressure sa buhay. kaka-26 ko lang late last year, tapos sya mag-27 na this week. so magiging 27 na ako. pareho kami, single, walang investment, ordinaryong empleyado... well, 'di naman sa pangmamata pero feeling ko tuloy isang kahig-isang tuka ako. karamihan naman kasi sa mga batchmates namin, nagpapakasal, may mga kids, may pinagkikitaan. stable.

hindi naman sa nagse-self-pity kaming dalawa. syempre may blessings din naman kami. pero magpakakuba man kami sa work, hindi pa rin kami makakapag-invest ng kanya kanya naming mga bahay. (though may options naman, pero 15-30 years to pay... basta ibang usapan na yun) ang point ko lang, iba talaga pag may katuwang sa buhay. parang napag-iiwanan na kami ng panahon.

hay, heto ba ang quarter-life crisis?

noon at ngayon

2008-02-07T16:44:00.000+08:00

last day ko sa previous project ko last thursday. nagsimula ako maghakot ng gamit ko last wednesday pa lang kaya nung huling araw ko, konti na lang dala ko pag-uwi.

nakakatuwa kasi nung palabas na ako ng pinto, kinausap ako ng manager namin. talagang literal na exit interview yung nangyari. usap kami, at masaya ako na ok kami.

pagkatapos nun, nagdinner kami ng lead ko (arnel) at isa pang super close na kateam (amabel). supposedly, libre yung dinner dahil sa icha-charge yun dun sa budget ng kateam ko para sa kanyang performance review meeting pero since natakam kami sa mga pagkain sa cafe breton, umorder kami ng umorder. yung rustan's GC ko na pinapalit ko kay arnel ko e dun na namin nagastos. pero ok lang, nabusog kami!

- - -

so, kumusta naman ang paglipat ko ng work? isa lang ang masasabi ko, masaya!

kapagod lang ang byahe from makati - jeep, mrt. pero pagpasok ko sa office, ayos naman. mabait yung guard (compared dun sa mga nakadestino sa makati) at talagang tinuro pa nya kung saan mismo ako pupunta. buti na lang gumana yung badge ko sa pinto kaya nakapasok naman ako sa area namin. tiempo, yung mga bagong kateam ko yung napagtanungan ko kung nasan yung bossing na pagrereportan ko. at talaga namang ina-anticipate na nila ako, at sila pa mismo nagpakilala sa akin. super feel ko talaga yung pagwelcome nila. kakatuwa. ang babait nila. pag dating ko, nawala ang pagod ko sa byahe.

hindi lang team ko yung nakilala ko at bumati sa akin. pati yung iba pa naming katrabaho (well, one big team kasi kami)... walang awkward moments... biruan agad. tiempo naman, yung isang boss ko at yung isang kateam ko nagcelebrate ng birthday nila... buti na lang nakalusot ako sa tinatawag na "first blood" pero malamang sa susunod na sweldo, tuloy na yun...

ala pa yung laptop ko kaya nakikigamit lang ako sa test pc ng isang team. ang saya kasi dito, yung connection namin ay sa labas ng firewall ng local IT namin (hehe! diretso sa global connection kasi kami nakakabit) kaya walang restrictions! pwede kahit anung messenger at kahit anung websites! pero syempre, pabibo muna. hindi uso dito umabuso ng company resources kaya dapat behave. behave lahat. at lalong behave din ako... yup! promise, cross my heart!

medyo dinudugo lang ang ilong ko sa nature of work dito. medyo matagal na rin yung huling experience ko na related sa work namin dito kaya refresh refresh lang muna. sana lang makayanan ko yung work at maabot ko man lang yung expectations nila sa akin.

basta, masaya ako ngayon. kuntento sa trabaho. career ito.

movement

2008-01-30T21:48:00.000+08:00

at last, i have received an email from our dear HR about my new assignment.

i started packing my things: utensils, notepads, pens, certificates, jacket, bags, etc. i can't believe how much stuff i have accumulated during my entire stay. and i came to realize, i wasted too much paper. well, i can't recycle my papers because of confidentiality so it took me almost an eternity to finish the shredding. i won't be able to take everything home now, so i still got something left for tomorrow to pack.

then on friday, the first day of february, will be another chapter of my corporate life. and i'll be on-shore... yeah! i wish! well, my next assignment will be in cubao - very far from makati. i got to find another apartment. i'm starting over.

amen!

2008-01-25T13:29:00.000+08:00

yes, it's me saying my amen. my year is just starting and all i could do is thank God.

- - -

yesterday, as i was "cleaning" my outlook inbox, i received an email from one of my professors. i was surprised to read:

Your final grade for IS 201 (2006) is 1.5. I'm glad that you finished the course. The new grade has already been received by the Registrar so I expect your records to be updated soon.

well, i could have done better if i knew how to manage my time better. i thought i would have to repeat the course and spend another semester, and not to mention waste additional expenses. my professor was really kind enough to give me a grade of EXT (INComplete for residential programs) at first. but anyhow, i really promise myself to be more diligent.

and today, i just got an email from HR. finally, an offer has been made for my transfer. i was astonished. i was expecting a cut from the benefits since the workforce that i will be in is not really income-generating as it a technology support group. the benefits are just the same! most of all, the rank is higher than my current position and i'll be receiving a SLIGHTLY higher pay. wow! instant promotion! what more can i say!

really, what a ~~good excellent great wonderful fantastic terrific~~ cool way to start my year!

thank you Lord!

benched

2008-01-16T10:57:00.000+08:00

i just accomplished my roll-off checklist and my clearance form. i must say, this is it. finally, i am done here in my project.

the 2-year employment bond is the only thing that kept me in this company. i only stayed for a year and 4 months in my team - so that would mean that i still have 8 months left before i could try my luck on other companies.

looking back, it seems that it was just yesterday when i first got a glimpse of everyone. i remember, the hr recruiter was pushing me to start immediately but much to my dismay, the project is still unprepared for my roll-in: i had no workstation, no logins, no employee number, no access badge, and a lot of things i didn't have. well, i think that was too much especially when they are anticipating a new joiner. the team that i joined was also new, i.e. no process at all. there has been issues - politics, et al., and a lot, has happened. everything has settled eventually, and i'm leaving with pride.

i joined the company since i wanted to build a career. then i learned that management has a different plan for me - a path that is no different from that in the previous industry that i've been. clearly, expectations were not properly set. i felt that i'm in the military - i have no say and i'm expected to obey orders. though the path was to go up, the options are not too much as my experience and training is totally different from what the skill sets of the majority of projects have. hence, i expressed my desire to leave my team.

i am happy thought that finally, my request was granted. but now, i've got nowhere to go yet. i have 2 options though. first, i have applied for a workforce transfer so i could be in a field that i have always been hoping for since i was in college. second, if the offer on my first option is not as good as i have expected then i could stay on my current workforce and start from scratch, i.e. experience what a normal new joiner would undergo - trainings, bootcamps, bench.

now, all i could do is wait for my deployment details. i'm technically benched. floating. i'm looking at a bright side though - i'm finally building my own career.

finding nemo

2008-01-10T15:17:00.000+08:00

i'm amazed to find live recordings of cecille licad's performance in isabella stewart gardner museum.

• Chopin: 12 Études, Op. 10
• Chopin: Scherzo for piano No. 1 in B minor, Op. 20
• Chopin: Nocturne for piano No. 13 in C minor, Op. 48, No. 1
• Liszt: Mephisto Waltz No. 1 for piano, S. 514 (arr. Busoni)

here's the link:
http://www.gardnermuseum.org/music/artist/licad.asp

UP Survey

2008-01-09T17:53:00.000+08:00

Pakisagutan ang mga sumusunod kung ikaw ay bahagi ng sangka-UP-han.
Maligayang ika-100 taon, mga Iskolar ng Bayan!

1. Student number?
- Should I say numbers? 98-41*** and 2006-81***

2. College?
- UPCB (CS, then Division of NatSci and Math)
- UPLB - CA
- now UPOU-FICS

3. Ano ang course mo?
- UPCB - BS Bio
- UPLB - BS Aggie
- UPOU - MIS

4. Nag-shift ka ba o na-kickout?
- Oo at isa pa uling matinding OO. Though, hindi ako proud dun sa nahuli, it was a personal choice.

5. Saan ka kumuha ng UPCAT?
- UPLB - Institute of Animal Science Lecture Hall

6. Favorite GE subject?
- SOSC1, PHLO1 (both summer 1999 ko kinuha sa UPLB, xreg)

7. Favorite PE?
- Wala!!

8. Saan ka nag-aabang ng hot babe sa UP?
- Wala rin!! Though, sa Humanities sa elbi ako may nakikita.

9. Favorite prof(s)
- Sir Don (Bot10, UPCB), Sir Villafania (Zoo10, UPCB)

10. Pinaka-ayaw na GE subject.
- SOSC2

11. Kumuha ka ba ng Wed or Sat classes?
- Does ROTC count?

12. Nakapag-field trip ka ba?
- HISTII, sa Ilocos! At isang damakdak na trips sa Botany at Animal Science courses.

13. Naging CS ka na ba or US sa UP?
- Hinde!

14. Ano ang Org/Frat/Soro mo?
- UPLB Genesoc sumali ako... pero naging missing-in-action.

15. Saan ka tumatambay palagi?
- UPBaguio - sa Woods!

16. Dorm, Boarding house, o Bahay?
- Boarding Haus sa UPBaguio, bahay na sa UPLB

17. Kung walang UPCAT test at malaya kang nakapili ng kurso mo sa UP, ano yun? (Given ang mentality mo nung HS ka)
- Sabi sa admission notice ko - ANY AVAILABLE PROGRAM. I chose BS Bio. Sana pala nagBS Math na l ang ako... ahihihi!! Well, nangarap akong maging doctor e!

18. Sino ang pinaka-una mong nakilala sa UP?
- Nag-iisa lang ako sa first campus ko e... Una kong nakilala e yung boardmates ko pero ang pinakauna kong nakilala sa kanila e si Julius Christian Uy.

19. First play na napanood mo sa UP?
- LIMOT KO NA!!

20. Name the 5 most conyo orgs in UP.
- Ewan!

21. Name 5 of the coolest orgs/frats/soro in UP.
- No comment.

22. May frat/soro bang nag-recruit sa yo?
- Meron!

23. Saan ka madalas mag-lunch?
- Lower Canteen - UPCB.

24. Masaya ba sa UP?
- Haller?!?!?

25. Nakasama ka na ba sa rally?
- Hinde.

26. Ilang beses ka bumoto sa Student Council?
- Isa.

27. Name at least 5 leftist groups in UP.
- Hmmm... marami sila.

28. Pinangarap mo rin bang mag-laude nung freshman ka?
- Oo naman. Libre mangarap.

29. Kanino ka pinaka-patay sa UP?
- Wala ako maisip.

30. Kung di ka UP, anong school ka?
- Hindi ako nagtake ng entrance exam sa ibang school.

kindly explain

2008-01-04T15:59:00.000+08:00

what this sign is for:

hindi ko talaga maintindihan ito... medicard sa wendy's? watduh!

promise sa wendy's po talaga ito. to be specific, sa may Glorietta 4 po ito, dun sa may theater. proof: aside from the suggestion box, pansinin nyo yung tray na may straw dispenser sa kaliwa. anyway, hindi ko talaga maisip kung bakit honored ang isang health card sa isang fast food. kung anu-ano na lang tuloy ang pumapasok sa isip ko.

scenario 1: naglalakad ka sa mall, tapos inatake ka sa puso. syempre, since honored ang health card mo, dun ka itatakbo sa wendy's. ipapakita ang medicard mo at sa isang iglap, may frosty ka na! pero p'ano mo kakainin yun? hmmm... mouth-to-mouth muna from the manager-in-charge? pwede! sleeping beauty ang drama!

scenario 2: gutom na gutom ka na. kaya lang wala ka na money pambili ng food dahil matagal pa ang akinse. at hindi mo napansin, nagcollapse ka na sa sobrang gutom. ano gagawin ng mga kasama mo? tatawag ng ambulansya? syempre hinde! tatawag sila ng wendy's at magpapadeliver ng biggie-sized bacon mushroom melt combo. panalo di ba?

scenario 3: super emergency situation. p'ano may accident na nangyari. super busy ang hotline sa ospital. ano solution? tawag ng wendy's! 555555! miss, pa-deliver po ng isang ambulansya!

hay, ang dami ko pang-naiisip. pero seriously, para saan kaya yun? hindi ko ma-gets e!

what's new

2008-01-03T22:49:00.000+08:00

my multiply.

my new addiction.

reflections

2008-01-03T21:36:00.000+08:00

thankfully, my dad came home 10 hours before the start of the new year. once again, we were able to celebrate our new year together. at, may pahabol pa syang papasko sa amin! syempre, binigay ko na rin yung pahabol kong gift sa kanya.

- - -

masaya ako natapos din ang 2007 ko. sabi ko nga dati, nagkakatotoo mga horoscopes sa akin.yung sabi sa hula, mararanasan ko raw mag-air travel. syempre, tuwa naman ako kasi akala ko makakapag-abroad na ako... hindi pala. pero nakapagbyahe ako for the first time sakay ng airplane. hindi lang once! so, ayun, nagkatotoo nga.

dami ko natutunan. sa dami ng problems ko sa work, finance, school, family, friends, nalampasan ko naman. i think i'm stronger and wiser now. higit sa lahat, mas nakilala ko ang sarili ko.

daring din ang 2007 ko. may mga experience na akala ko hindi ko magagawa sa mata ng buhay ko! ang bus ride, ang kumustahan with a long lost friend, at kung anu-ano pa!

ang dami ko rin dapat ipagpasalamat. syempre, number 1 na yung pagtatapos ng mom ko sa phd nya. dami kong blessings na natanggap. sana lang 'di magsawa si Lord sa akin. papakabait naman ako (well, as much as i could) lagi.

sa mga nangyari sa buhay ko, wala akong regrets. masaya ako at naranasan ko ang lahat.

salamat po.

in the spirit of Christmas

2007-12-30T23:29:00.000+08:00

Christmas is almost over but I’m just starting to feel it. Well, climate hasn’t been cooperating and this has been the warmest Christmas I have experienced so far. Aside from that, I didn’t do any shopping for everyone. Gifts I bought were only for my brothers, lola, and aunt. Moreover, families on both my parents’ side were incomplete during our reunions.

This is the season to be jolly. It finally hit me when I shopped for my shoes. How selfish of me, but the euphoria of buying a present (the shoes, for myself) made me feel like a child again.

Yesterday, my mom and I went to Lumban, Laguna. She bought an office barong for me as a Christmas present. Another barong was also ordered which will be claimed next week. Yeah, it was still selfish of me, receiving the gifts. But as we were on our way, we stopped in Sta. Cruz to buy new sofas. It made me feel glad realizing that somehow, I have invested something for the family. (Well, I don’t usually give some of my wages to my mom but I try to make it a point to buy some things that the family needs. How materialistic of me, but at least I see where some of my earnings go.)

New Year is just hours away from now. Earlier today, my mom accompanied me to the grocery to buy food for medya noche and do some last minute shopping for my inaanaks and dad. It was really out of my budget for the month but, hey, I still believe in traditions. I just hope that my dad will be home. If not, this will be the first New Year that my family will be lacking someone. I was kinda hoping that he be home when we came back from the grocery but he has not shown himself. And, it just sank in me. Christmas is about family.

This year has really been rough for me. But is not an excuse for me not to celebrate and reconcile with my family. Lalo pa ngayon, alam ko na kung gaano kasakit mawalan ng isang mahal sa buhay.

parties unlimited

2007-12-22T21:52:00.000+08:00

christmas is just around the corner! great! i've got another excuse from getting fit. christmas parties are endless...

i've got 3 parties lined up at work. the first party was organized within our capability (sort of a department) but i didn't get to attend this one 'coz it was on a saturday plus i had no plans of wearing a custome. second party was for our project. i had too much to each. i still haven't received any from our exchange gift. the third, was a company-wide christmas party. it was the worst christmas party i have ever attended in my entire life. how could the organizers let that happen? imagine, there are more than 17 thousand employees. assuming 50% won't be able to attend from cebu, from those reporting on the night shift, from those whose got too much to do, and from those assigned on-shore client locations. the lack of tables and seats and the "scarcity" of food is so unforgiveable. anyway, it's christmas so i take it back. we had fun though. for the second time in a row, i won a consolation price.

i came home here in laguna yesterday. my mom told me that there will be another party in my lola's house (which is just beside ours). again, food. but i tried to control myself. today, my friends in sykes and my friends from high school have organized a little get-together. i can't decide where to be at so i ended up not going.

tomorrow, another family reunion on my dad's side. well, goodluck on my ~~abs~~ ~~tummy~~ belly.

... so not me

2007-12-21T07:29:00.000+08:00

early to bed, early to rise... yeah right!

i got home past midnight. had my bedtime rituals first before i dozed off at 1am. surprisingly, i woke up at 5.30am without any headaches. knowing that no matter how much i try, i won't be able to regain my sleep, i fixed myself and got me this early to work.

i am quite surprised that was even earlier than my teammates who are supposed to report for australian (apac) shift. the people that i am seeing here are the same people that i have left last night.

ok, so why did i end up this way? well, i dreamed about work. i have delegated a task to a colleague and i didn't check before i leave if it has already been done. this is bad. i swear that i won't ever think about work stuff if i'm not at work. gee! does this mean that i'm gonna miss my job? scary!

thought of the day

2007-12-18T10:39:00.000+08:00

the end is just the beginning.

i'm here

2007-12-17T19:48:00.000+08:00

just waiting.

i'm addicted

2007-12-15T11:01:00.000+08:00

to this:

all about the sash

2007-12-13T13:32:00.000+08:00

i noticed that during the gala dinner hosted by spain, our president wore a gold (or was it yellow) sash, while the senators wore blue. were they decorated by spain or did they just feel like wearing sashes?

(reuters) (abc)

hmmm... what if our presidents follow the latin american leaders'/european monarch's tradition of wearing sashes to symbolize power? kung ganon, itodo na ang labanan sa pagkapangulo. 'di naman nawawala dayaan tuwing eleksyon, idaan na lang sa beauty contest para kung yung manalo ang magsusuot ng sash; dagdagan na rin ng korona at cane. ang judging: palakasan ng palakpakan!

**can't find any photo with the senators!!

i need

2007-12-11T20:05:00.000+08:00

receipts for medicines...
(from local drug stores only)

vitamins and even glutathione receipts are also welcome.

prescriptions are not necessary.

please help.

tatanawin ko po itong isang malaking utang ng loob.