sky of blue, sea of green...Ü

Brought to you by Secret Garden

2011-03-26T20:35:00.005+08:00

Wow, it's been over a 2 years since I last blogged!!

I'm currently obssessed with Koreanovelas right now so I decided to read reviews in hopes of looking for the next great series to watch. I came across 2 blogs about Coffee Prince (my current series)and Secret Garden (the series that started this K-raziness) so I thought I'd write again. It's also a great way to kill time while Coffee Prince is loading at DramaCrazy :P

Now, let me start this off with Secret Garden. Man, that series is great :) It's the first Koreanovela I ever watched, thanks to Kwini. My first impression was... the lead star looked like Vic Sotto. Hahaha :P Here's a pic from the drama:

It's a story about Gil Ra Im- a stunt woman with a strong personality, and Kim Joo Won- a haughty department store owner. It has that now all-familiar plot: rich guy falls in love with poor girl. The twist? They catch a spell in the "secret garden", causing them to switch bodies. As much as I like magic on my books, I try to steer away from them when it's on love stories. I almost stopped watching this series pero thankfully it's just for a few eps. It just gave the drama the right amount of comedy and twist :)

Ha Ji Won, who played Ra Im, is one of the better Korean actresses out there. She also played the stuntwoman role very well. I really like the party scene when she appeared all dolled up and beautiful :)

Now, Hyun Bin's portrayal of Joo Won.. Man, how do I say this? He's just the type of actor that grows on you, and you like him more the more you watch. *sigh* I just need to share more pics:
The guy can definitely act! The scenes where he played Ra Im were hilarious! His labas-dimple smiles convey kilig, shyness and all the yummy stuff. From the super-yabang department store-manager demeanor to Ra Im's crush on Oska, to the frightening elevator scene to the party kiss... *sigh* He's definitely my "first love" in Korea. He's officially taken over my gadgets- my laptop, cellphone and Zen has his face on the wallpapers X__X Maybe it's a good thing he went off to KR military, even Google has no news left about him.

I'd give SG 4.8/5 :) This is definitely one of the series I would watch again.

Hopefully I get to watch other Koreanovelas as good as SG (or even better). I'm loving Coffee Prince right now, I think I'd write about it next time. Before I sign out, here's another Hyun Bin pic :)

Petix by Kamikazee

2009-03-19T16:55:00.000+08:00

From Kriska :)

Sa mga workaholic dyan, masarap i-play to during OT :P

---------------------------

Teka sandali lng
Matanong nga muna kita
Kailan ba huling ngumiti ang iyong mga mata
Magbakasyon ka muna
Sa iyong mga ginagawa
Mag time-out ka kaya kung hindi,
Mabilis kang tatanda

Nakita mo na nga ba sa salamin ang iyong mukha
Kung beinte singko anyos ka bakit ...
Mukha ka ng kwarenta
Baka di mo mamalayan
Ang oras ay nagdaraan
Parang sweldo yan ni itay
Mabilis lang sa kamay

Chorus:
Relax ka lang, relax ka lang, relax ka lang
Paminsan-minsan ay kailangan yan
Relax ka lang, relax ka lang, relax ka lang
Easy lang pumetix ka naman

Hoy mga katoto makinig kayo lahat
Sana'y maniwala kayong lahat
Kun panay ang trabaho at wala kang pahinga
Bakit di subukang tayo'y magpakawala
Isangtabi lahat ng iyong ginagawa
Sumama na sa amin at kami ang bahala
Magdala ng ano, foodtrip at emperador
Isama ang lahat pati si kamatayan
Relax ka lng, relax k lng, relax k lng , relax k lng

Chorus:
Relax ka lng (relax ka lng) relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Paminsan-minsan ay kailangan yan
Relax ka lng (relax ka lng) relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Easy lng pumetix k nmn

Relax ka lng (relax ka lng) relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Relax ka lng (relax ka lng) relax ka lng (relax ka lng)
Relax ka lng, relax ka lng

2008 and its slew of blessings

2008-12-13T20:24:00.000+08:00

I should have posted this 2 weeks ago, in lieu of Thanksgiving. Pastor Rico said that instead of having the usual wishlist for Christmas, why not simply give thanks for the blessings you already have? 2008 is definitely one of the best years for me, and here are the main reasons why:

5. My Job
I had been praying for a new job when the previous one I had wasn't fruitful for me anymore. So far, I am enjoying the resources and fulfillment without the hairfall from stress. Yes, there are definitely tough times - I am still adjusting and I still have a lot to learn. But I really enjoy what I am doing right now, and this is where I intend to stay.

4. Good Health
Me and my family have been relatively healthy this year. Minus my mom's vertigo episodes, there were not much visits to the hospital. I am also working my way to a healthier lifestyle - better food intake in controlled quantities, walkathons, surfing, etc. :)

3. My Friends
Though it takes quite some time for me to warm up to new people, I have made great new friends this year. With the new job and Victory, I have met people who I am now good friends with.
And for my dear friends who I have had the past few years, I can definitely say that we have grown closer and have become better friends.
You know who you guys are. Know that you are appreciated, and that I am *really* thankful that I have you as friends. ^__^

2. My Family
I'm just so happy that they are supportive of me, despite my shortcomings. Things have definitely gotten better at home (compared to how we were last year), and I'm just very thankful everything is in its right place.
Oh, and Mike is also counted as family, so :P Happiness!!!

1. My Salvation, His love and faithfulness
Having a personal relationship with Him has always been important more than anything else. I am His creation, I am His child, I am His disciple. I am still a work in progress, and I will strive to be a better Christian and testament to His goodness. :)

Here's to more fruitful, blessed and hopeful years like 2008! :D

Celebrity Collage by MyHeritage

2008-11-08T02:15:00.001+08:00

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Family reunion - Free family tree

Bob Ong's Philosophy on Love

2008-11-02T18:12:00.000+08:00

Nakita ko lang from a bulletin post on Friendster. Bato bato sa langit... ;)

--------------------

1. "Kung hindi mo mahal ang isang tao, wag ka nang magpakita ng motibo para mahalin ka nya.."

2. "Huwag mong bitawan ang bagay na hindi mo kayang makitang hawak ng iba."

3. "Huwag mong hawakan kung alam mong bibitawan mo lang."

4. "Huwag na huwag ka hahawak kapag alam mong may hawak ka na."

5. "Parang elevator lang yan eh, bakit mo pagsisiksikan ung sarili mo kung walang pwesto para sayo. Eh meron naman hagdan, ayaw mo lang pansinin."

6. "Kung maghihintay ka nang lalandi sayo, walang mangyayari sa buhay mo.. Dapat lumandi ka din."

7. "Pag may mahal ka at ayaw sayo, hayaan mo. Malay mo sa mga susunod na araw ayaw mo na din sa kanya, naunahan ka lang."

8. "Hiwalayan na kung di ka na masaya. Walang gamot sa tanga kundi pagkukusa."

9. "Pag hindi ka mahal ng mahal mo wag ka magreklamo. Kasi may mga tao rin na di mo mahal pero mahal ka.. Kaya quits lang."

10. "Kung dalawa ang mahal mo, piliin mo yung pangalawa. Kasi hindi ka naman magmamahal ng iba kung mahal mo talaga yung una."

11. "Hindi porke't madalas mong ka-chat, kausap sa telepono, kasama sa mga lakad o ka-text ng wantusawa eh may gusto sayo at magkakatuluyan kayo. Meron lang talagang mga taong sadyang friendly, sweet, flirt, malandi, pa-fall o paasa."

12. "Huwag magmadali sa babae o lalaki. Tatlo, lima, sampung taon, mag-iiba ang pamantayan mo at maiisip mong hindi pala tamang pumili ng kapareha dahil lang maganda o nakakalibog ito. Totong mas mahalaga ang kalooban ng tao higit sa anuman. Sa paglipas ng panahon, maging ang mga crush ng bayan nagmumukha ding pandesal, maniwala ka."

13. "Minsan kahit ikaw ang nakaschedule, kailangan mo pa rin maghintay, kasi hindi ikaw ang priority."

14. "Mahirap pumapel sa buhay ng tao. Lalo na kung hindi ikaw yung bida sa script na pinili nya."

15. "Alam mo ba kung gaano kalayo ang pagitan ng dalawang tao pag nagtalikuran na sila? Kailangan mong libutin ang buong mundo para lang makaharap ulit ang taong tinalikuran mo."

16. “Mas mabuting mabigo sa paggawa ng isang bagay kesa magtagumpay sa paggawa ng wala”

17. “Hindi lahat ng kaya mong intindihin ay katotohan, at hindi lahat ng hindi mo kayang intindihin ay kasinungalingan”

18. "Kung nagmahal ka ng taong di dapat at nasaktan ka, wag mong sisihin ang puso mo. Tumitibok lng yan para mag-supply ng dugo sa katawan mo. Ngayon, kung magaling ka sa anatomy at ang sisisihin mo naman ay ang hypothalamus mo na kumokontrol ng emotions mo, mali ka pa rin! Bakit? Utang na loob! Wag mong isisi sa body organs mo ang mga sama ng loob mo sa buhay! Tandaan mo: magiging masaya ka lang kung matututo kang tanggapin na hindi ang puso, utak, atay o bituka mo ang may kasalanan sa lahat ng nangyari sayo, kundi IKAW mismo!"

19. "Ang pag-ibig parang imburnal...nakakatakot mahulog...at kapag nahulog ka, it's either by accident or talagang tanga ka.."

Programming, anyone? :)

2008-09-23T20:42:00.000+08:00

For those who want to try a teeny tiny bit of programming, check this out: http://www.gameroo.nl/games/light-bot

The last two stages are fun to do! Here are my solutions (may not be optimized though):

Note the congratulatory screen:

"What you just went through is the kind of logic programmers go through on a daily basis. If you enjoyed thinking this way and using logic to solve problems, consider trying to learn a real programming language."

Does Excel count? Geez, I'm such a loser. :(

I MISS PROGRAMMING!! I want my tech skills back!! *whine* :'(

I'm Yours by Jason Mraz

2008-09-14T18:45:00.001+08:00

My official LSS of the moment... it has been in my head since Saturday when I heard at the youth service. Love, love, love the song ^__^

Toto Sorioso, kung mabasa mo man to, I hope you'd sing it in your gigs :P

I'm Yours

Well, you done done me and you bet I felt it
I tried to be chill but your so hot that I melted
I fell right through the cracks, now I'm tryin to get back
before the cool done run out I'll be givin it my best test
and nothin's gonna stop me but divine intervention
I reckon it's again my turn to win some or learn some

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you'll find love love love love
listen to the music of the moment people dance and sing
We're just one big family
And it's our godforsaken right to be loved loved loved loved loved

So, i won't hesitate no more,
no more, it cannot wait i'm sure
there's no need to complicate our time is short
this is our fate
I'm yours

*scat*

I've been spendin' way too long checkin' my tongue in the mirror
and bendin' over backwards just to try to see it clearer
But my breath fogged up the glass
and so I drew a new face and I laughed
I guess what I'd be sayin' is there ain't no better reason
to rid yourself of vanities and just go with the seasons
it's what we aim to do
our name is our virtue

But I won't hesitate no more,
no more it cannot wait
I'm yours

Well open up your mind and see like me
open up your plans and damn you're free
look into your heart and you will find that the sky is yours

so please don't, please don't, please don't,
there's no need to complicate,
Cause our time is short
This, this, this is our fate,
I'm yours

*scat*

You and Me by Lifehouse

2008-07-13T10:00:00.000+08:00

I'm so excited for the Lifehouse concert!! I heard Chico and Delamar interview James Wade on RX last week, and it really got me looking forward to the concert. We don't even have tickets yet! :( Though I want to try getting tix from scalpers, this is just one thing I don't want to miss.

This song, You and Me, is reason enough to go to the concert! Tara tara tara!! :D

You and Me

what day is it
and in what month
this clock never seemed so alive
I can't keep up
and I can't back down
I've been losing so much time

cause it's you and me and all of the people
with nothing to do
nothing to lose
and it's you and me and all of the people
and I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you

all of the things that I want to say
just aren't coming out right
I'm tripping inwards
you got my head spinning
I don't know where to go from here

cause it's you and me and all of the people
with nothing to do
nothing to prove
and it's you and me and all of the people
and I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you

there's something about you now
I can't quite figure out
everything she does is beautiful
everything she does is right

you and me and all of the people
with nothing to do
nothing to lose
and it's you and me and all of the people
and I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you

you and me and all of the people
with nothing to do
nothing to prove
and it's you and me and all of the people
and I don't know why
I can't keep my eyes off of you

what day is it
and in what month
this clock never seemed so alive

ID Quest Pt.2

2008-07-10T13:40:00.000+08:00

I *really* have to get my passport before July ends. Thing is, I need all sorts of IDs, which I don't have.

- PRC ID: I will never have
- Driver's license: ngek, di pa ko marunong magdrive
- Voter's ID: Anong petsa na COMELEC? It's just a piece of printed paper! Mahirap ba magprint??
- NBI Card: Why do you only have select branches which issues this? Why can't all renewal centers/kiosks offer the same service?
- SSS ID: I nearly screamed my head off when I saw the "Paunawa" sign in the Diliman branch saying that those who applied for the SSS ID from Sept 2007 onwards are still not available. When I asked the lady in the Information counter about it, she was scowling as she told me, "Ano? ID? Wala pa, wala pa! Sira machine namin." Pasensya naman, I asked. Hanu ba?! Anong petsa na? Sorry, di ko maunawaan.

On a general note: I simply don't get it why they put masusungit na manangs sa counters. People who seem irritated at the mere sight of people approaching them should be locked in office spaces far from the public. Seriously. -_-

Hay... Naman! Buti na lang the Postal and TIN IDs are fairly easy to get. The DFA is asking for more docs though, since I'm lacking 1 primary ID: College ID, TOR or yearbook daw. SURE! Gusto nila pati Diploma, BIR forms, SSS E1 form, green NBI clearance, baptismal cert... I just need a passport, please please please :'(

Photo Class with Jun Aves

2008-06-29T18:48:00.000+08:00

I had my first "formal" photography class last Saturday, June 28. Jun Aves, one of the country's top cinematographers, led the Photography 101 class at the Victory Center. Finally, I understood apperture, shutter speed, white balance, and all that jazz. Now, how to put it into practice... I think I need more classes for that. Haha. I'm still stuck with the presets (Auto, Apperture Priority, Speed Priority and Macro) and I'm still not sure how to tweak the settings of the SLR. I need more lessons!! ^___^ For now, I guess I'm sticking with the point-and-shoot. At least with my Cybershot, I take better gig pics :P

To share with you the pics from our class, here are some shots taken with and without flash. See the differences in WB as well ;)

Group mid shot in warm light (and red nila no? hehe)

Group mid shot WITH flash

Still shot with shallow DOF, tunsgten WB

Take 2 on the still shot, with flash

I hope they'll hold the next class soon. Excited na ko! ^__^

First time ko...

2008-06-23T17:31:00.000+08:00

... magpa-lumbar X-ray kanina. I was a bit freaked out because I went there alone. My lower back has been aching for the past 3 weeks but I was too scared to find out why. Recently though, the pain was getting worse so I finally decided to have it checked. There's this tiny protruding thing on my spine kasi... I refuse to think it's a slipped disk. Or whatever. I don't even know what is yet. waaah! Kung kelan naman gusto ko surfing! Ayoko magka braces sa likod!! (okay, I'm freaking out. I'm really freaking out...)

Breathe in... breathe out...

Shucks, kakaloka. I read this from this site:

With treatment, most people recover. It can take a long time. Treatments include rest, pain and anti-inflammatory medicines, physical therapy and sometimes surgery. Losing weight can help, too.

Losing weight? Hanu ba, natira na naman pagka-chubbilita ko. Kaasar! hahaha. Paano ako makakalose ng weight e pinagbawalan na ko ng doctor mag-gym? Bleh... as if naman naggi-gym, hahaha!

Anyways, please help me pray. Sana maging okay yung makuha kong results tomorrow :)

How to maximize your weekend :D

2008-06-02T14:38:00.000+08:00

Friday:
Leave the office early, head out to Hard Rock Cafe. Meet up with friends (kahit indianero yung iba, calling Yvonne and Chris!) and enjoy the Side A music!

Drool over the guitarist as he sings "Always Be My Baby" while you're at it :P

Saturday:
Go home at ~1am, pack your stuff and sleep at 2am. Get up at 3am, then meet up with Aileen and Mela at McDo Banawe at 430am. We're going to Zambales!! :D Breakfast at NLEX, arrive at Crystal Beach by ~9am.

Surfing at 1-2pm! Make sure you apply several layers of sunblock, kahit parang wala ring effect (we no like skin cancer :P). Super duper fun!!! I was able to stand several times at my first session, I'm so proud of myself :D hahaha... Thanks to Kuya Rex for patiently teaching me.

Snooze time: 4pm to 7pm at the JohnEva Resort. Dinner at Green Cab Pizza, then do a little road trip (actually, we got lost on the way to Canoe, hehe. Peace Carlos :P). Magpatalo ng Php40 sa In-Between card game with Anna, Aileen, Mela and Andrew. Magpatalo uli sa Pusoy Dos at uminom ng cocktails prepared by the MDO peeps :P I want copies of Mela's pics!! hehe.. Sleep uli at ~2am, then wake up at 630am.

Sunday:
Head off to Crytal Beach Resort for another round of surfing!!! Swim-swim muna till ~10:30 while waiting for our turn. Brunch at the resort's uber bagal kitchen, then surfing uli at 12:30!! Love it!! I think we surfed for ~2hrs, e dapat 1hr/session lang. Anyways, okay lang. Super okay lang!

Late lunch at Dude's Pizza, then go to Canoe's again - this time, for island hopping! We were supposed to go to 2 islands, but we stayed in Capones Island instead. I guess we really enjoyed the beach and "cemetery-making" kaya we didn’t notice the time J

Leave Capones at 5:30, shower at Canoe's, then drive back home. Dinner at Kenny's sa NLEX (yummy yung kiwi smoothie), then then be home by ~11pm.

LESSONS LEARNED
1. Get a tight-fitting rash guard, and wear “heavy duty” swimsuit underneath. I swear, super hassle ng clothes that do not stay put.. lalo na kung laging wipe out, haha.
2. Learn how to prioritize. Punta ng gig ng Friday or next week na lang? 430am ang alis or 9am na lang for Zambales? Surfing or island hopping? So many things to enjoy, so little time. :P
3. Bring a beach bag. It’s hard to keep all the necessities wrapped in a sarong.
4. From Kuya Vergel, the surfing instructor: Mag-gym na kasi!! Hahaha, ang kulit mo Manong!! I’ll make sure you’ll eat your words when we return. Magpupush up na ko!!
5. Ask friends to take pics while you surf. Para naman may cool kang pic pag-uwi :P
6. Magbaon ng Alaxan when you go to work the following day. Magpa-home service na rin ng massage :P

The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector (Luke 18)

2008-05-28T18:31:00.000+08:00

9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everybody else, Jesus told this parable: 10 "Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood up and prayed abouthimself: 'God, I thank you that I am not like other men—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.'

13 "But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, 'God, have mercy on me, a sinner.'

14 "I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, and he who humbles himself will be exalted."

Hillsong Concert!

2008-05-27T16:32:00.001+08:00

Yesterday, I went to Araneta Coliseum to watch the Hillsong concert with Just (and her mom), Mariel, Luz and Marissa. It was so much fun!! Though I'm not that familiar with their songs, i thoroughly enjoyed myself. From their lineup, I only know 3-4 songs (hehe)... thank goodness there are projected lyrics :P Check out this video of their song, One Way. It's like being in a rock concert:

I really love what Joel Houston said towards the end of the concert: the excitement and eagerness to praise Him should not be contained in one place. We should spread the word! This is aptly expressed in one of their songs:

Tell the world that Jesus lives
Tell the world that, tell the world that
Tell the world that he died for them
Tell the world that he lives again

^_______^

Word of the Day

2008-05-15T16:18:00.000+08:00

AYUS! I learn something new everyday.. wehehe :P

LSS: Girl I Wanna Lay You Down

2008-05-04T11:34:00.001+08:00

This song has been playing over and over again in my head these past few days. I have had several Mkna-Makati shuttle rides na ito lang pinapakinggan ko (yes, naka-loop -_-). All the while I was imagining my favorite band (ano kaya yun? :P) performing it in one of their gigs. It's funky, it would be great for his voice, plus it's not like anything I've seen them perform before. Anyways, the song is great in itself. I love *love* Animal Liberation Orchestra's version ^__^

Girl I Wanna Lay You Down

I come over early in the morning
I'm like a heat wave, without warning
And when I touch you I can feel your heart flutter
I'm smooth and creamy like peanut butter

Girl I wanna lay you down
(I said) girl I wanna lay you down

Take it away Zach

I'm gonna flood you, like a love river
Awe baby the post man, is about to deliver
Cook you up some dinner, a little pasta
Listen to some music, a little rasta

I said girl I wanna lay you down, oooohhh
I said girl I wanna lay you down, everybody sing it

Aweee, I said girl I wanna lay you down
(I said) girl I wanna lay you down
Girl I wanna lay you down
Girl I wanna lay you down
Girl I wanna lay you down
Girl I wanna lay you down
Girl I wanna lay you down

Frustrating Fourth

2008-04-25T08:51:00.000+08:00

Mike and I are having our fourth anniversary this Sunday. It's the first time we're celebrating an anniv apart: he's in Cebu, I'm here in Manila. The more I think about the distance, the more it gets me down. I'm not really sure how it would go, but I'm thinking of ways to make 27th a blur:

- Be out of the house on Sunday. Maybe I can do back-to-back services then go to ATC

- Get stinking drunk on Saturday, and sleep Sunday away

- DVD marathon on Sunday? nah....

- any suggestions? hehe

Nga pala, I also came across this song on my player. I didn't even know I have this song loaded. Kanina ko lang narinig. *siiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiggggggggggghhhhhhhh* :(

Gusto Na Kitang Makita Session Road Parang ang bagal ng takbo ng panahon pag wala ka
Alam kong walang dapat sisihin na ako'y
Nandito at nandiyan ka

Refrain:
Pero dahil malayo ka
Ako'y nalulungkot na

Chorus:
Gusto na kitang makita
(Kita kita sa mata)
Gusto na kitang makasama
(Magsama tayong dalawa)

Pininta mong larawan ko
Ang mga una kong nakikita sa umaga
Pagbangon sa kama siguradong
Ang araw ay may bagong pag-asa

Refrain:
Pero dahil malayo ka
Ako'y nalulungkot na

Chorus:
Gusto na kitang makita
(Kita kita sa mata)
Gusto na kitang makasama
(Magsama tayong dalawa)

Refrain:
Pero dahil malayo ka
Ako'y nalulungkot na

Chorus:
Gusto na kitang makita
(Kita kita sa mata)
Gusto na kitang makasama
(Magsama tayong dalawa)
Gusto na kitang makita
(Kita kita sa mata)
Gusto na kitang makasama
(Magsama tayong dalawa)
Gusto na kitang makita
(Kita kita sa mata)
Gusto na kitang makasama
(Magsama tayong dalawa)

Seriously?!

2008-04-24T18:43:00.000+08:00

What the heck?!! You have to be kidding me!! -_________-

God is good

2008-03-28T14:05:00.000+08:00

Yes, He really is! :D

I have been very blessed - and it is quite sad that I only realize this when I overcome problems. This past week has been really tough for me, and constantly I would ask Him to help me to just get through the day.

Work-wise, I was bombarded with things I was forced to attend to: an early Monday morning meeting (after the very tiring Pagudpud trip), conference calls I could barely understand, problems composing emails to be sent to higher-ups, back-to-back meetings, countless emails, etc. The pressure was too much, I must admit.

On a personal note, my dog Toffee bit my niece Ainah. She's doing OK, though, of course, she has to get at least 4 shots. *sigh*

The big blow was when Mike told me he has to go back to Cebu. The last time he went there, he said he'll only be there for 3 days (which turned out to be 2 months). This time, he said he'll be away for 4 days. Who knows how that would turn out... :( The thing is, we haven't had much time to talk when he was here in Manila.

Anyways... It's a Friday, and in a few minutes I'll be meeting my friends for dinner. All my tasks for the week are done, Ainah had her first shot, and Mike and I are doing great despite the distance. Point is, why does this week had to pass before I thanked the Lord? I was always praying how I wish things will turn out, but after I get all the help I needed I forget to thank Him. *sorry :(*

I'm really happy I can go to church again tomorrow. More than the gig, more than the shopping, more than anything else - the service tomorrow is something I'm really looking forward to.

Thank You for all the help You've given me this week. Know that I appreciate the strength, guidance and blessings You gave me. From now on I'll always remember Your goodness - even if things do not go my way. I'll keep in mind that Your plans for me will always better than I what I dream for myself. Again, thank You!! ^__^

Awww...

2008-03-04T13:26:00.005+08:00

"You are so cute!! And you shall now be called Toffee!"

*happy sigh*

That was my first reaction when I saw my new dog, Toffee. He's a Japanese Spitz, about a month old. He's so adorable!

If you guys know how to take care of dogs (vaccines, food, training), please let me know. I need help!
^_________^

Looking back

2008-02-07T17:43:00.000+08:00

Joee told me to never look back when I transfer companies. It's a lot easier said than done, especially when you start missing former officemates who are very close to you. I'll just flush this out of my system before it starts eating me up. Here are the things I really miss:

1. Seatmates. In the new office, you could easily fit 2 more people in between me and the person nearest me. What's up with that? Masyadong maluwag. Before, ikot mo lang chair mo, hello seatmate na. Parang feeling ko wala akong makausap dito.

2. IMs. Speaking of kausap, naka-Meebo lang ako, patago pa. haha. I miss my AIM and the retarded YM.

3. Lunches. Working lunches, lunch sa pantry, lunch sa 12th floor, lunch from Andrei, lunch outs - doesn't matter kung saan, I really miss the people I had these lunches with.

4. Merienda breaks. Feeling sad? Overwhelmed with work? Have been debugging for hours? Mag-12th floor muna. A short trip downstairs, lalo na pag may tiangge, relaxes me a lot.

5. AM Meetings. San ka naman nakakita ng meetings na may games? Pano mo ba namang di mamimiss yun?

6. Knowing everyone. I know I am in such an awkward stage right now: getting to know the people, the processes, the works. I know that this will soon pass. I just miss walking in a room full of people I know.

7. Internet browsing. Salbahe lang ba talaga ako or super bait lang nila? I don't see anyone browsing non-work sites.

8. My long sleeves. This seems weird, pero I miss my formal office wear. Feeling ko kasi super porma ako if I wear those here.

9. Chismis and joke time! 2 lang ang naririnig ko ditong ingay: keyboard and mga on-call. Ano ba? Puro work? Namimiss ko yung bigla na lang may manggugulat sa kin, or a group na yung tawanan dinig ng buong project, or jokes meant for everyone to hear...

10. The people. Syempre. Kung pwede ko lang ilipat ang AM C/S dito, I would. Sama mo na RnR. Hay...

I would like to say I miss the Bank Hours, but no. I love using them up, but earning these hours means hair loss, stress and eyebags.

Anyway.. I'm not complaining. I just started, and I'd like to think things will only get better (and they will). I'm just someone who misses her friends. This new job is an opportunity for me to make new ones, and I'll be damned if I don't make the most out of it.

The weekend that was

2008-01-27T20:24:00.002+08:00

There's only one word that would describe this weekend: CRAZY!! It started with Saturday afternoon, when I met with Chris at Robinsons Galleria. When I opened the door of the FX on my way out, it bumped into another taxi, leaving two large black gashes on the other vehicle. I vehemently apologized and rushed inside the mall. Baka habulin pa ko ni manong driver, takot ako :(

When we got to Bagaberde Pasig, things got crazier. Akala ko nung una mga timid yung barkada ni Ai. Konting Smirnoff lang ang ingay na! Haha. Buti na lang Aileen's cool with the tuksuhan. Needless to say, naging pansinin yung table namin. Next thing I know, Joey G. was dancing on top of one of our chairs during the gig, Ai had glazed eyes, and they were shouting the guitarist's name every now and then. After the picture taking with Side A, Joey approached us and chatted a bit. Akalain mo yun? hehe. We asked him kung ano sched nila for Feb, and he wasn't sure yet so he asked for our contact details. I gave him my name, email add and cell#. Katawa, naging highlight ng evening ko yung part na yun instead of yung pic with the guitarists.

Anyways... 3am na ko nakauwi from Baga. I have to wake up at 430am for the Corregidor trip with the P&G peeps and UP students. 6am ang dapat na departure, 630 naman umalis. Tokwa... hahaha. I was pleasantly surprised with the people from the company though, kala ko kasi they were snobs, pero friendly pala sila, hehe. From ~9am to 2pm we were walking under the hot sun. The ruins, museums, cannons and displays are amazing! Creepy, yeah, but great nonetheless.
My favorite part was the lighthouse. Iba talaga ang thrill ng heights :D We also went inside the Malinta tunnel for the lights and sounds show. I would have enjoyed it if I wasn't dead tired. May moments kasi na I thought I would fall asleep during the voice overs - and this was a feat considering how creepy that tunnel was :P
We got back to UP at around 4pm. It was really nice to be back. Liza and I went to SC for the yummy FIC. Nung college ako, P15 per scoop lang yun, ngayon P20 na. Grabe, tanda ko na. Hahaha. I walked from SC to Vinzon's Hall na may reminisce factor pa. Hay...

In summary, here are the things I learned for the past 2 days:
- it's great to meet new people: never be afraid to extend your network. Medyo nahiya ako sa friends ni Ai and sa new people from PnG, pero okay rin to get out of your shell minsan ;)
- a smile goes a long LONG way. The FX driver didn't shout at me, a manong guard at the port told me I was cute kasi lagi akong nakasmile, salesladies were a bit nicer, the P&G peeps were starting conversations, Joey G. chatted with us...
- it's okay to dance like noone's watching - as long as the music's really good ;)
- it pays to be on time
- it's okay to ask for a picture, just make sure to tell them which camera they should look at (right Ai?:P)

The ID Quest

2008-01-25T18:32:00.000+08:00

OK, here's the deal: I need IDs para makaopen ng payroll account sa new job ko. Thing is, I don't have IDs. Proper IDs. Ones that are government-issued, like:
- SSS ID
- TIN ID
- Passport
- PRC ID
- Driver's license

I don't have any of those, kainis. I'm never having the PRC one kasi CS grad ako, and I have no plans of going back to school. Driver's license, well... maybe in a few years :) So, yung first 3 ang options ko. Nung January 4, I lined up for ~4 hours sa SSS, and I have to wait at least 30 days before I can even start inquiring kung tapos na yung ID. Yung sa TIN, I have to go back Wednesday next week to see if they have the ID ready. For the Passport, I have to have at least 2 valid IDs before I can even apply. Ano ba, sana sinabi yung ng Teleserv before I went to the DFA, di ba?

Sa Feb 1 na start date ko, and I still don't have the frigging IDs. The only one I have is from the Postal office. Hay, pwede na kaya yun?

In Closing

2007-12-29T19:35:00.000+08:00

2007 has been a rollercoaster for me. I have so much to be thankful about, a few of which are:

- The super stressful and hairfall-inducing OTs, tight deadlines, countless deliverables. Sure, it was really tough at times, but the challenges brought our team closer. I will be forever proud to say that I work(ed) for Accenture, even if I frequently get asked if I am a call center agent (haha). I worked with the best people and I've made great friends - and that's a far cry from the previous company I worked for. *cough*

- Finding a new job. It gives me hope that things will even be better when I transfer. *sana nga* :) Now, all I have to do is look for openings for my AM teammates *mwahahaha*

- From being in the reds to finally saving up. Hay, salamat Lord :)

- Good health ko and ng family ko, lalo na ni Mama. :)

- Great events/ lakwatsa: Beyonce Experience, Avenue Q, Side A performance (Accenture Party), movie nights, EK, Global Fun, Forest Club, Jewelry classes, etc.

- Free time! Chocolates! Shopping sprees! Accessories! Losing a few pounds!

- Having *great* friends around: NEC_losers, highschool friends, teammates, ex-officemates, cousins and titos/titas, Ma. Cor peeps :D

- Being with Mike for almost 4 years. I really wish you'd be back on Monday. I don't know how to spend New Year without you.

Happy New Year, guys. Enjoy the festivities! Ingat sa fireworks... at sa calories ;)

Parang highschool?

2007-12-21T18:33:00.000+08:00

Before hindi ko maintindihan why girls go gaga over bands. I mean, I enjoy the music, yeah, pero to actually wave and scream like a schoolgirl during a concert? It's just not me. Until... I saw this guy at the Accenture party:

Lee Von is the new lead guitarist for Side A. SUPER grabe mag-guitar, ang galing kumanta, ang charming pa. Friendly din sya nung nagpa-picture kami with the band. *hay...* Nakaka-addict! I bought the Side A Gig yesterday, and I'm looking for the gig sched. Ano ba to, stalker? Kadiri. Hahaha...

Sorry, I just have to flush this out of my system -_-; Sana magsawa na ko by the time nabasa ni Mike tong post ko, hehe :P Peace By!! ^___^

Objectives

2007-11-05T23:26:00.000+08:00

In myCompany, we are taught that goals that are not put into writing are no good at all. As much as I hate objectives-setting at work, I think it's time I do it for my personal life. So far, I have 3 things I want straightened in my life:

1. MY FAITH
I haven't been to mass for around 2 years(I think). I know I don't want to stay Catholic, but I'm not doing anything to be a Christian either. I have to go to church. I really have to go to church. I can't believe I've been putting God out of my life. I don't even pray at night... tsk, tsk, tsk. Feeling ko ilang beses na kumakatok si Lord sa kin pero I dismiss Him just so I'd have a few more hours of laziness. Bad, Tinnerts, bad :(

2. MY HEALTH
I know I'm not obese, but I could be in much better shape. I don't want to spend my prime years with my body right now. On top of that, I have colds that last for weeks. Ayayay...
I have to lay off the chicharon, junk food and chocolates. *sigh* I don't want to endure "ang taba mo" comments anymore. Pagkatapos nitong milestone sa work, I'm hitting the gym.

3. MY FINANCES
I remember saving money for months just to buy a single book. Before I started working, I'm quite content with what I have. Dati, I would treat myself to a new shirt or bag, whichever I can afford, and I would feel so happy.
Now, even if I buy 5 shirts and 2 bags in one afternoon, I still don't feel gratified. When I look at my year-to-date income I'd just ask myself - san na napunta yung pinaghirapan ko? I really have to save money. I want to save at least 70% of what I'm earning, starting next payday. Sabi nga sa isang magazine, "Just because you can spend P5,000 without hurting your wallet doesn't mean you have to." Oo nga naman.

Hay, pagpray nyo naman na sana matupad yung goals ko. ^___^

Oh dear

2007-10-09T20:11:00.000+08:00

I used to think being 25 is old.

I still do. :(

When remember thinking how old the college students were when I was in highschool. They were much taller, they have fuller bodies (if you know what I mean), and they seem to carry themselves very well. Plus, nakaka-gimik na sila madalas sa mall.
Come college, I used to think the students who already graduated are old. My 20s seemed far away, as I was surrounded by teengers like me, getting invites to debut parties, and hearing yuppies say, "Sorry I can't go, I have to work."
When I did graduate, I was "stuck" at 21. I was already 23 then, when I even have to think how old I was, because I was used to telling anyone who asked na "21 na ako". Ngayong 25 na ko, I do feel old. Konti na lang wala na ko sa kalendaryo. Eww :( Yeah, alam kong OA, pero that's how I feel. For some reason, I feel like I have to do something significant soon or else, I'm wasting my youth. Hay. Anyways...

My friends from the office sent me several greetings, with matching pictures pa. From my COBOLmates:

("Everyone else" refers to my 5 male batchmates. And yes, malakas sila kumain ^^)

From my AM Family: (the comment that made my day: "Ang pogi ng lalake mo jan ah.. stateside.. hehehe.. kamukha ni JUSTIN TIMBERLAKE.. wahahhahaha")

From the project: (feeling manginginom :P)

Super salamat sa lahat ng bumati. Na-appreciate ko ang pag-alala nyo sa aking kaarawan. Ang sarap talaga ng maraming kaibigan ^______^

Books!!!!!!!!

2007-10-02T20:23:00.000+08:00

I finally organized my books last weekend. I classified them into 2: the "happy books" and "others". "Others" are mostly the romance novels and mystery stuff that I could do without. My "happy books", on the other hand, are the books I would definitely take with me should I move elsewhere. Here's the bulk of my happy books:

I still have the Pure Dead, Oz, and HP series to complete. (Yes, I still don't have HP7 :P) I'm also looking for Burnett's other books. Well, at least I have a boxed set of Narnia books ^__^

Here are my *favorite* books:

I still have a looooooot of Roald Dahl books to buy. Just looking at this page gives me bookgasm: DAHL
Damn... those signed copies are so expensive. Hay :(

Anger Management

2007-09-26T21:31:00.000+08:00

I'm moody, I get it.

I'm always told that I cannot control my feelings. I simply cannot smile when someone is being an ass in my presence.

Blatantly and intentionally showing off your stuff, as if it makes you a better person?
Oh, someone is bitching about how big their taxes are due to the salary increase in front of people who did not have any increase at all?
What, you still cannot do something I've explained five times, when each time you affirmed you have it under control?
How about that hideous ass who keep on talking about women as if we're always ready to open our legs for him?

I don't care if it's directed to me, or to my friends, or to my colleagues. I will show you how I feel about you.

What? What was that again? I have to be civil? Like how? Laugh with the insensitive people who seem to find humor in your stupid jokes? Don't take it against me if I don't find you amusing.

What I simply do not get is why they always target those who react, instead of those who made initiated the reaction. So, it's okay to shout out insensitive comments. But hey, if you react, I'm sorry but you simply cannot adapt to your environment. WTF? I don't have to deal with you people.

They say life is too short to be so angry all the time. I agree. I will also tell you that life is too precious to have do deal with morons all the time.

Life is short

2007-09-10T15:11:00.000+08:00

Mike stayed at his uncle's house when he worked in Laguna. There was always food on the table, his things were kept clean, and he was never forced to do any chores. His aunt was like his second mom during his stay there. It was early in the morning when her husband came from work, and she collapsed right after she opened the gate for him. She died August 30.

The lady across the street used to iron our clothes. She was very efficient with her work and gets along with the neighbors. My mom told me she was rushed to the hospital around noon last week, but was only given medication late in the afternoon because they didn't have money. She died September 6.

A friend's sister-in-law had goiter for as long as I can remember. Everytime my mom sees her, she'd always asked if she had herself checked up. She was only 26 years old. After being in the shower for more than an hour, her husband forced the door open only to find her lifeless on the floor. She died yesterday, September 9.

"Ang bilis lang ng buhay," my mom said. I'd always sigh when I hear that from her. Death is surreal when it happens to someone you know, more so when you see it 3 times in a span of 2 weeks.

As if defying these deaths, Mike's cousin had their second baby yesterday.

As if defying life, I'm reduced to solving error tickets as if my existence depends on my fixes.

Taxi Adventures

2007-08-09T23:03:00.000+08:00

It was Tuesday, 1:15 am, in an MGE taxi. I was then with my officemate, Chris, who is with the taxi with me up to the Sta. Lucia Mall, which is ~5mins from our house. Before we reached the mall, Chris told the driver, "Manong, sa Sta. Lucia lang po."
"Ano yun?"
"Sa Sta. Lucia lang po."
"Bakit?"
"Baba lang po ako."
"Ay, di pwede."
(Chorus kami ni Chris)"Bakit po?"
"Ang niradyo sa kin kanina sa Masinag daw kayo. Sa Masinag pa ko hihinto."
Nagkatinginan kami, with panic and fear in our eyes, sabay hirit si manong... "Hinde... joke lang", sabay cross ng 3 lanes papunta sa gilid ng mall.Pagbaba ni Chris, I told him loud enough for manong driver to hear, "Uy Chris, yung plate number TVF 144 ha!" When I closed the door, the driver really LOLed, then said, "Natakot yung kasama mo ah."
Leche, magtrip ba?

-----------------
Yesterday, around 12:30am, and this time, in a Dollar taxi. Chris was doing OT so I had to go home alone. We were near the Santolan LRT station when Manong driver asked me, "Ineng, wala ka ba talaga kasamang umuuwi? Delikado ang panahon, di ka dapat umuuwi mag-isa ng ganitong oras." He was a bit old, maybe in his late 50s,and he reminded me of my Tito Rolan.
"Yung madalas ko pong kasama pauwi nag-OT pa ho, pero hinatid naman nya ko kanina para merong may alam ng plate number." I then remembered the MGE incident - parang 180 ng personality ng manong driver from the day before.
Baha sa main street going to our place, so I had to ask the driver to take me to the tricycle terminal. He was kind enough to call the tricycle driver for me para di na ko susugod sa ulan. I gave him an extra 50 pesos as a thank you.

-----------------
Ngayon, pasado alas-onse na. I'm *so* tired and I'm not up for any taxi adventures. Baka mamaya yung masakyan ko ngayon baliw naman. I just hope I'll have this migration finished before 12mn para magshuttle na lang ako. -_-

Aning-aning

2007-07-25T18:43:00.000+08:00

I know I should have done this a long time ago: take pictures of the accessories I made before I give them to whoever ordered them.

Here are a few things I made lately....

A chocolate brown necklace made of glass beads and "candy" stones (I don't know what they're really called). Made in a jewelry-making class I attended 2 weeks ago.

Black necklace made of pearls, murano beads, Swarovski crystals, etc. The beads are from an officemate's old bracelets (plus a few from my stash), which she requested be made into necklaces.

Experimental bracelet made of Swarovski crystals and glass beads. Made out of boredom...

Another product of my jewelry class, made of silver and freshwater pearls.

Earrings made with Swarovski and murano beads.

The upper 3 I made with left-over beads from the officemate's bracelets. The lower 2 were prizes I got from the class (the teacher gave prizes when he likes the stuff you made).

I would post some more pics when I'm done with the batch I'm working on right now. Hopefully I'd remember to take their pics before I have them dispersed O_o

Ugh

2007-07-12T19:31:00.000+08:00

Disclaimer: This is just me nit-picking for details.

Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix is one big disappointment for me -- the translation from the book to the movie had a lot of variance. There were many things added, and there was much more taken out. While I understand that it's quite impossible to incorporate all 870 pages worth of details into a 2-hr movie, it would have been better if some points in the book were retained. Here are a few:
- The screaming painting of Sirius's mother and the elf heads on the wall. Where were they?
- Ron and Hermione are prefects - this would have been interesting on screen. I'd like to see how Radcliffe would pull off the I'm-happy-for-you-but-I'm-jealous look.
- Cho Chang's friend being the traitor instead of Cho herself. I don't like Katie Leung (she's not as beautiful as I thought Cho was from the book), but I felt sorry for her character on-screen.

- Grawp as a violent giant, not as a stupid troll. "WHERE HAGGER?"
- a bit more detail about the Order of the Phoenix. Afterall, the book/movie is not "Harry Potter and Dumbledore's Army"
- Dobby telling Potter about the Room of Requirements. I've noticed that they chucked out Dobby since the fourth movie... what's up with that?
- Avada Kedavra was not the spell used on Sirius. The scene was open-ended, yeah, but still...
- Trewlaney giving the prophecy
- The long talk with Dumbledore in the end. I don't think a simple "I care too much about you" gave justice to the usually enlightening end of the movie. The professor would have explained what the hell the prophecy was for.
- Finally, where was "WEASLEY IS OUR KING"? Come on!!!! I was waiting for that!!!

At the end of the movie, all I could say was, "That's it?" If I didn't read the book, I would have wondered what on earth the prophecy was for, and what's the big deal about it. Cho would be a scumbag, Kreacher is just an old loyal elf, Luna might have a crush on Harry and... what was the Order of the Phoenix again?

*sigh*

To give credit to the film, the cast did pretty well. The performance of Daniel Radcliffe(Harry), Emma Watson(Hermione) and Rupert Grint(Ron) have improved since the fourth movie. Alan Rickman (Snape) and Maggie Smith(McGonagall) are great as usual. Imelda Staunton (Umbridge) really impressed me - she was both freaky and annoying. Ralph Fiennes (Voldemort) was over the top as usual, though the way he held his wand was a bit off O_o

So... yeah. Here's to hoping the sixth movie will be better.

2007-07-09T15:41:00.000+08:00

This rating was determined based on the presence of the following words:

hell (2x)

kill (1x)

Weird.... it counted "hell" but not "fuck"? O_o

naalala ko lang

2007-06-26T19:22:00.000+08:00

Nasa 2nd row ako ng van pauwi kagabi, nang may sumakay na magsyota sa harapan ko. Apatan sa isang row, at nandon pa sila malapit sa pintuan kaya kitang-kita ng buong sasakyan. Kasasakay pa lang nila, naglambutsingan na. Kung maghalikan akala mo sila lang ang tao sa mundo. Yung babae, grabe humarot... gusto atang sakyan yung lalaki dahil mula bewang pataas, nakadikit sa likod nung lalaki (may pinaparamdam kaya sya?)
Nairita ang lola mo, at di ko mapigilang magsabi ng, "Ano ba yan!" Ang mali ko lang, naka-earphones ako at di ko namalayan na napalakas ang sabi ko... napatingin sa kin yung babae ng medyo busy sa paghalik sa leeg ng syota nya. Natauhan siguro at naisip na wala sila sa motel... tumigil sila at umupo ng maayos hanggang makarating sila sa kanilang babaan.

Hindi ako manang, at sigurado akong may times na sweet kami ng boyfriend ko sa harap ng maraming tao. Pero kung tila foreplay na ang ginagawa nyo at ako ay direktang nasa harap nyo sa isang masikip na van... utang na loob. Wala akong hilig sa porn.

PS: Naisip kong mga magagandang bagay na lang ang isusulat ko rito, pero sadyang malas ata ako nitong mga nakaraang araw at wala akong masulat na maganda, maliban sa isang mahabaging Aleman na dinefer ang isang trabaho ko. Sana bukas, gumanda naman ang araw ko, tutal kaarawan naman ni Mike.
Yun lang.

Field trip ka dyan...

2007-05-28T18:13:00.001+08:00

Last week, I had this brilliant idea to go to Quiapo - alone. I never went there alone before - lagi ko kasama either si mama or friends ko. So, it was quite an adventure.

I am making accessories (lots and lots of them) for my officemate's sister. She sent me the pics of the stuff she wanted 2 weeks ago, so I thought I better work on it before she changes her mind. Since I cannot work with incomplete materials, I decided I have to buy stuff na.

From Makati, nag-bus ako papuntang Quiapo. Para akong nag-field trip!! The bus travelled painfully slow, but I enjoyed it. Syempre, ang taga-bundok, tuwang-tuwa sa Manila City Hall, PGH, Metropolitan Museum, at sa mga gumamelang pa-wet effect pa painted on the LRT posts. Laking gulat ko na lang pagdating ko sa Quiapo - SOBRANG DAMI NG TAO! Dati kasi, kahit papano, makakalakad ka pa ng maayos. Nung pumunta ako, parang walang mahulugan ng karayom -_-

So... I went to the usual place na binibilan ko ng mga aning-aning ko. Bad trip talaga ko nung nakita kong yung 1 strand of pearls that I bought in St. Francis Square for 75 pesos (after 5 minutes of tawad pa yun ha, tuwang tuwa na ko sa lagay) ay... janjananan... 20 pesos lang doon. Alanjo.... Anyways, naka-1K mahigit ako sa mga pinagbibili ko. Nakakatuwa talaga bumili ng something na priced at 150, pero pag bumili ka ng at least 6 pcs ay 80 pesos na lang, tapos magsmile ka pa ng onti sa tindera at yung isang item pa na 100 pesos naging 50 pesos na lang :D Ang saya!

Nung pauwi na ko, I retraced yung way kapag kasama ko ang aking dakilang officemates na si Chris at Judith. We usually go to the underpass, akyat to Hidalgo, bili ng DVDs, then hatid si Jud. And then... and then... then... hindi ko na alam!!! Ilang beses ko inulit-ulit sa utak ko kung paano ako nakakauwi, then I realized kasama ko si Chris pag naglalakad papuntang LRT... and ngayon di ko na alam. I kept thinking - wag magmukhang tanga at baka manakawan ka na naman. Shit. I went to the nearest Greenwich and called up Mike. I asked him how to get home, and the first thing he told me was, "Bakit nagse-cellphone ka dyan sa Quiapo?!" Nakampante na lang sya nun sinabi kong nasa loob ako ng Greenwich. "Bakit ka kasi pumupunta dyan ng ikaw lang mag-isa? Ni hindi ka pa marunong umuwi..." Oo nga naman :'( He told me the directions (Sakay ng G-Liner to Legarda Stn, the LRT) and bumawi naman sya with "Ingat ka By pauwi ha." Teehee. :)

Sobrang relief at comfort ang nadama ko when I got on the LRT. I didn't care that I was standing up the whole time, carrying what could have been 5 kilos of beads. I really felt stupid going there alone - and a lot dumber that I even thought of bringing along my little cousin with me, had she not went home to Bataan the other day. Hay.. super thanks talaga kay Lord at nakauwi ako ng maayos.

Will post the pics of the accessories I made over the weekend soon. Hopefully they are beautiful enough and worth all the effort that is Quiapo.

A Picture Post

2007-05-08T12:10:00.000+08:00

Since I don't have the time to post a decent blog entry, I'll just attach as many pictures as I can from the team building last weekend in Bolinao, Pangasinan. Pero bago ang lahat...

...side trip muna: This is from a recent trip to Albay. The volcano really is majestic up close. If I had a giant fan I will blow all the clouds away for that perfect shot.

Okay, back to Bolinao...

Second tallest lighthouse in the Philippines

My dear AM Client Team :)

The rock formation site where several MTVs were said to be shot

ang tatlong kikay ^_^

If there was one good thing about this resort, it was the abundance of flowers. This shot reminds me of Burnett's Secret Garden

Go Red Team!!!

Beautiful sunset :)

Masabi lang na nag-kayak... The water was less than 2 feet deep, and it stayed that way even if you walk 500m from the shoreline (yeah, no kidding -_-). This is our frail attempt to enjoy the sea.

prettiful :)

------- Now, it's time for flowers!!!! I love gumamelas, and Puerto del Sol has them all over the place. Presenting their many colors:

pretty in pink!

Cory Aquino

reaching for the sky

exotic :D

(Time for migration... will post more some other time. Ja ne!)

saklap

2007-04-23T19:33:00.000+08:00

How sad. How true. Fuck.

The Island

2007-04-20T23:17:00.000+08:00

Sybase Powerbuilder User group Meeting, Monday & Tuesday, May 21 & 22, Hotel Alexander Plazza, Frankfurt, Germany
Join us for this meeting to learn more about Powerbuilder 11 and the developement of Web Applications with Powerbuilder.

This piece of news from the Sybase newsletter is so annoying in 3 levels - I want my training, I want to go to the island, and I want the new version.

I can't wait to see the fall of the empire the self-righteous KKK built for themselves...

300

2007-03-20T19:57:00.000+08:00

A German client and a witty officemate (who says the oddest comments) had a conversation:

German Client: Hey, you know, I saw 300. It was good!
Witty Officemate: Really? 300?
GC: Yes!
WO: 300? 300 pesos?
GC: No, 300 the movie...
us: O_o

I was never familiar with the Greek history. The only thing I knew about Sparta was they made lousy uncomfortable beds for Sims and Leonidas is a store which sells their expensive chocolate per gram. Anyways, I did some reading after I watched this fabulous movie. Turns out that they intentionally altered history such that the Spartans will look like yummy man-candy (which they are, especially Gerard Butler...) and Xerxes is an eye-liner loving self-proclaimed god. It wouldn't be half as fab if the Spartans wore 60lb-armors and Xerxes sported a beard, right?

The movie is very indulgent - with many slow-mo scenes that will make you go either 'eww' or O_o or 'wow'. It was definitely the 'eww' for the love scenes and the unnecessary jiggle of Queen Gorgo's breasts, every scene with Xerxes in it made me go O_o, but the fight scenes earned the 'wow'! I am always squirmish, but I watched every fight scene with full attention. It was so different from other war movies and fight scenes. It was odd in a way Kill Bill is odd, but so much better. (Maybe the Spartans made it better? haha)

It was a movie worth watching again - and I *rarely* watch movies more than once. I hope it's still showing when Mike comes back, because I would love to drool over those fabulous abs and laugh again when I hear Xerxes's altered voice.

Obviously, I don't care much about the alteration of history. I just appreciate the production and all the visuals that went into this film. It was a feast for the senses! Watch it and know why everyone is talking about it ;)

Gawa kang blog!!

2007-03-13T20:27:00.001+08:00

That's what my friend Diorie always say when we have rant sessions about work. Here you go Dio, this post is for you :)

I adulterated Alan's latest post to reflect my sentiments about work. Ice Cube will be so proud of me!!! Quoting Alan:

They remarked that the Philippines is becoming a country of junior software engineers. Most senior software engineers are abroad(Singapore and US being the favorite) creating a vacuum in the Philippine job market. The good news is it is raising the salaries of senior software engineers.

Here is my version:

They remarked that DB Cargo is becoming a country of junior software engineers. Most senior software engineers are abroad(Germany being the favorite) or in some other project, creating a vacuum in the project. The good news is that the first 5 are still here.

Oh yeah, how could I forget. Di na pala "junior software engineer". Associate na raw. Sus....

fire drill + stilettos = hell

2007-02-28T21:32:00.000+08:00

Anyone who has tried going down 38 floors in 3 inch stilettos will tell you they wish they had been out of the office the whole day. Ang sakit na binti/paaa ko!! Lecheng fire drill yan, grrr!!!!!

You are from Accenture if...

2007-02-23T21:12:00.000+08:00

This has been all over my inbox today. Some things are so to the point, they remind of that 80's kid list....

----------------------------------------------------------------
You are from Accenture if:
- Rex Lallata Jr.
1. You love your company and makes no apologies for it (- Bill Green)
2. You mistake the mall as an extension of your office.
3. Your cubicle is at least within 100 meters radius to the nearest ice tea cooler.
4. Your office is somewhere along the MRT line.
5. You know that roll in roll off is not something you do with the deodorant.
6. You do geek speak like BS7799, SEAKK, ATIS-GDN, x5999.
7. You say ".. it's Confidential" when you don't know the answer.
8. Your body's liquid component is 33% blood, 33% ice tea, and 33% eight o' clock juice. <- kulang ng coffee
9. You also have traces of 'lumot' juice in your body. The City Service says it's green tea. You wonder why the City Service still prepares you that lumot juice when nobody in the world really likes it. You utter distaste by also referring to it as 'sitaw or kangkong punch'. <-haha
10. You take a nap after lunch. You have mastered the talent of snoring without the sound and sleeping with your eyes half open. How ingenious. <- err... di ako natutulog pag lunch
11. You go home late night and grab yourself a burger and coke as dinner at the nearest Mini-Stop or Burger Machine, unaware of those drunk bullies staring at you on the side ( - courtesy of Winston Cruz in one of those People's Hour sessions) <- oh so true...
12. You sit happily in your chair clueless of global warming because the air conditioning is frigging cold. <- truelaloo
13. You don't know Sugar Mercado or Boy Uling. (Sugar, who?)
14. Your fashion perception is limited to wearing black from your waistline down (black toenails included). <- di naman, may blown and gray slacks naman ako...
15. You play basketball in the middle of the night.
16. You watch Prison Break, Grey's Anatomy, 24, CSI or anything that requires a bit of a brain activity.
17. Okay, okay, you also watch American Idol.
18. You go to the gym when everyone's going home. <- haha
19. You are into sports which either be as physical as basketball or hilarious as finger-wrestling with your office mates.
20. You are drowned with abbreviations like SEAAK, WBS, ATIS, PWS etc.
21. You have a compilation of abbreviations either stuck in your memory, stick notes, or saved in a notepad file.
22. Until now, you still have no freaking idea what on earth SEAAK means. <-haha!
23. You know that there is Sunrise even at night, 24 hours a day, six days a week.
24. You do yoga.
25. You don't do yoga, but you still find your best position to sleep on a chair. 26. Your imaginary friend consists of Sy Betty (CBT), Snuffalafagus and Ice Cube.
27. You get Ice Cube from e-mail and not from the fridge.
28. You don't feel that you have a boss.
29. You dial O when you want to order Take Out lunch.
30. You get annoyed when people make noise inside the elevator.
31. You get annoyed when other Accenture employees talk loud inside the elevator.
32. You are relieved when you realized that those talking loud inside the elevators aren't really from Accenture.
33. You sometimes forget that you are from Accenture and you talk loud inside the elevator.
34. You love life.
35. You live love.
36. Your life is love.
37. You think you are smart.You know you are smart.
38. You celebrate Christmas parties 4 times (one with your team, one with the project, one with the Bench people, and one with the whole Accenture) <-ang saya, di ba? :)
39. You know that Bench is not something to warm your butt with, but another endless sessions with CBTs.
40. You forget that Bench is also a shirt and underwear.
41. You know SCRIBO. You define yourself in two words : Best People.
42. You pose for a picture gesturing the Accenture 'V' sign either Korean-style or putting the V behind your friend's head.
43. You discuss something with someone over a conference call and punctuate the conversation with "Get's mo?".
44. You do your work not because you are afraid of your boss but because you don't want to fail your teammates who believe you can do it.
45. You get scared people won't notice when you die because you are stuck at work.
46. You feel you are surrounded with best people.
47. You think everyone is nice, happy and useful. <-useful? ano ba yun...
48. You consider your teammates as the extension of your family.
49. You have at least one Accenture jacket.
50. You have an Accenture bag, Accenture pen, Accenture electric fan, pouch, shirt, or notebook. 51. You wish you have an Accenture fridge, Accenture house, Accenture car and Accenture water dispenser (Ha ha ha).
52. Your secret in cooking comes from the Maya kitchen.
53. You mistake People's Hour as the Yoshinoya hour because of the meals they serve. ( Well sometimes, they also serve Pinoy meals, Thai meals, Value meals, etc.). <-pede ring Max's hour
54. You slouch at your chair like you own the world.
55. You work on Saturdays not because somebody tells you to.
56. You only put off your computer on Fridays. <- minsan pa nga hindi....
57. For security reasons, you wish your head covers the whole of your 17'' monitor. (Maybe, you want to try afro, or inject your head with fluids, or wear headgear the size of planet Earth).
58. You know that someone is from Accenture by simply looking at him. (Yes, it takes one to know one)
59. You enjoy your moments with your family because it's something you can't always afford with the nature of your work.
60. You are trying to go home early to catch you baby awake, but you always end up like that.. trying.
61. You know where to go in cases of fire and emergencies. (To the left, to the left...)
62. You don't know where is your head office (...it's really because you don't have one).
63. You get pissed off when someone pronounces your company as 'acksencha'. You argue that it is pronounced 'ahhhk-sent-yurrrr'. Payn, whatever.
64. You answer yes and no when friends ask you if you work in a call center company.
65. You have to pay P50 just to be able to wear maong on the holidays.
66. You had rewritten science by reformulating E=mc 2: Energy = McDo 2x a day.
67. You go to work and the first thing you do is check your email and try to empty your inbox. 68. Your unkindest remark to your teammate includes "Kelan ka maro-roll off?", which is not even understood by 99.9% of the human race.
69. Most of your jokes is incomprehensible to the average human being and you wonder why. Up to now. <- oi di naman...
70. You are invited to attend your friend's wedding and you ask "When is the Go Live date?" <- ha! so true
71. Your idea of a rockstar is your teammate who knows C and C# coding too well but doesn't even know how to do C minor on the guitar strings.
72. You have the solution on how to save the world. For real. You join community initiatives which sounds somewhere like Piso para sa Pilay, Maong para Makatulong, Tong para Tumulong, Diyes para Sa Buntis. Bente para sa Hinete. This list goes on and on. <-lol!!
73. You live in the fast lane. You live up to the great Latin philosophy 'labore dura et ludus durus' - work hard and play hard. (Well that sounds good in Latin, only that I just made that up. Ha ha)
74. You play 'the-first-one-to-blink-loses' against your computer monitor. It's ok if you get ruptured retinas, you win anyway.
75. You call your boss on a first name basis.
76. Your boss is also referred to in three letters like EMA, BTL, ATI, OMG and the like. (No, GMA is not in the list.)
77. You are working in a project under a shady codename like Project Timbuktu or Team Tickle-UrAnus. This makes your friends upset and suspect you work in an underground network alliance which makes the Yakuzas and Mafias look like smalltime, bluffing sissies.
78. You haven't seen Bill Green in real life and you wonder if he really exists. This puts him in the league with the world's most mysterious characters like the Big Foot, the banker in Deal or No Deal, and Big Brother.
79. You know nobody's blaming you when you get into conversations like 'Sinisi kita kanina sa email ha'. <-hihi
80. You are plotting for world domination.
81. You enjoy a basket of fruits from the 'HR Angels' after your wife do the laboring.
82. Your super heroes include ASLA for money matters and ATIS for everything that requires fixing. Mending of broken hearts not included.
83. You know that ATIS is not always a fruit.
84. Your team lead is your good friend ('Outside the kulambo ka na naman?' ), enemy ('Ha ha ha'), enemy ulit ('Asan na deliverables mo?'), and psychiatrist ('Sige, pagpasensiyahan mo na lang') rolled into one.
85. You know that i-Talk is not a monthly TV program to rival i-Witness. It's a date with your psychologist.
86. You change password every 75 days. You twitch and turn trying to remembers all those passwords that you have. At the end, you call ATIS to reset your password. <- ay sobra... kakainis
87. You are a Bermudian subject (Your company was founded in the Bermuda Triangle, that's why).
88. You play the 'first-one-to-reveal-his-salary-loses' with your team mates. You know that salary information is confidential but you still entice your team mate to divulge his. Those who lose are called 'victims' and they can no longer participate in the game. Currently, you are ranked No. 27in the list and you are up against the No. 1 seed. Like you are playing tennis. <-may naloko na ko nito
89. You are bugged by those annoying credit card companies every hour in your office phone. They suspect you are filthy rich. Maybe filthy, but not rich. <- sobra... mga istorbo
90. You are injected with a tracking pill in your body so that your whereabouts are traced by the company. Until now you don't know about that, do you?
91. But seriously, you are a player in this society. You have high hopes. You have dreams. You have a brilliant mind in working out solutions. You have hopes that this country is worth living after all. You want to develop young minds and contribute in your own little way. This country is failing your expectations but you are still here to give it a shot. You wish people would just work and help themselves out. You are God's little blessing to this country and you know you will help in every way you can to give this country another chance. <- remains true until di ko pa tapos bond ko :P

Burned out

2007-02-19T20:21:00.000+08:00

I don't know what I was thinking when I wrote a post on September 28, 2005. If I could just spend one day like that in the office...

I've always remembered the first time I have to oversee a KS Session in the project: I had fever, a runny nose and a stupid headache that I couldn't even stare at the monitor for more that 10 minutes straight. I still went to work even though I was sick since the previous night.

However, for the past few weeks, I get up feeling well, but with the least bit of determination to go to work. I've been wondering where all the eagerness and engagement went. Siguro I just need another trip to Palawan? haha, I wish. Or maybe another dinner at Circles? Hay...

Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen

2007-02-01T21:37:00.000+08:00

I've never been a fan of the Back to the 80's thing on RX 93.1. I guess the only reason I still listen to the Morning Rush on Wednesdays is that Delamar gets to choose the stuff for the Top 10 (hehe :P) When they played this particular song yesterday, I just had to stop in front of the radio and listen to the whole thing. There wasn't much of the actual singing in the song itself, it's more like a monologue forced in between beats. The lyrics had so much sense in it that many listeners asked for its title right after it played...

Everybody's Free To Wear Sunscreen

Ladies and Gentlemen of the class of '97,

Wear sunscreen. If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis or reliable then my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice....now.
Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, nevermind, you won't understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded, but trust me in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine.
Don't worry about the future, or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubblegum.
The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind: the kind that blindsides you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.
Do one thing every day that scares you.
Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts; don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.
Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long, and in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive; forget the insults. (if you succeed in doing this, tell me how).
Keep your old love letters; throw away your old bank statements.
Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives; some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't.

Get plenty of Calcium. Be kind to your knees -- you'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40; maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th wedding anniversary.

Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much or berate yourself, either. Your choices are half chance, so are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body: use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or what other people think of it; it's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance...even if you have no where to do it but in your own living room.

Read the directions (even if you don't follow them).

Do not read beauty magazines; they will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents; you never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings: they're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but what a precious few should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps and geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people you knew when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave before it makes you hard.
Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: prices will rise, politicians will philander, you too will get old; and when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund, maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse, but you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess too much with your hair or by the time you are 40, it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, but be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia; dispensing it is a way of wishing the past from the disposal--wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts, and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

University of the Philippines Department of Computer Science Homecoming

2007-01-10T17:06:00.000+08:00

Been tagged by Aimee regarding the homecoming :)
Spread the word!!

Department of Computer Science
College of Engineering
University of the Philippines Diliman
January 05, 2006
Dear CS Alumnus:
The Department of Computer Science, your home for four years or so, is celebrating its 26th Anniversary. As a member of this family, we invite you to come home to see and experience the CS life as we have it today.The Department has gone through a
number of changes — from ES to ECS to CS, from a few lecture rooms to a new building, from ‘the youngest department’ to ’one of the best departments’ in Engineering, from paper to online submission of academic requirements, from a
few Radio Shack TRS 80’s running TRSDOS and Basic to fully-equipped laboratories
running the latest software. Indeed we have gone through exciting transformations, but still we are the same CS Department that you know.

With 5 Outstanding Engineering Faculty awardees among our faculty members, with 7 Engineering Class Valedictorians, 2 Summa, 40 Magna and 121 Cum Laudes among our 1047 graduates (so far), with several BPI Science, P&G Excellence, and Undergraduate Research Competition winners among our students, and a curriculum that is constantly reviewed and revised to adapt to the dynamic discipline we are in, we keep alive the tradition of excellence that has always been the hallmark of our Department. With 22 CS Week celebrations, annual freshmen orientation and department-sponsored events and competitions, with the newly instituted Mentoring Program and GeeCS for academic-related activities, we continually strive to keep our students well-rounded as well. No matter what period of the CS Department history you were a part of, no matter what contribution you have made, your Department is waiting for you to be back home. Be a witness to the way it has grown; better yet, be a part of it.

We hope to see you in February 24, 2007.
Very truly yours,
(signed)Evangel P. Quiwa

Christmas Wishlist

2006-11-29T17:12:00.000+08:00

I just read Trish's blog and decided to make my own list :D

A new phone - which I hope I will get thru the Smart blitz thing here in the office: Sony Ericsson K610i for plan 800. (which, as of writing, is free for plan 1800 in Smart shops). I only wish that Mike will be able to get a 3G phone as well :) (I think dumating na yung panahon na di na ko kuntento sa phone na kaya lang magtext and magcall, haha).
Edit: I already got this, though I have the silver one...
Black boots - something that would look good with jeans, but formal enough for the office.
Edit: This was Mike's Christmas gift for me! We can't find the black version of the style I wanted, so he got me the dark brown instead :)
More memory - either for my MP3 player(SD) or my camera(MS) or my phone(M2) - kung pwede lahat, why not, Chocnut?
Freesia-scented na cologne/perfume - wah.. me want 8( the one in Marks & Spencer yung yummy yung scent.
Edit: Thanks to the Rustans GCs from the office, I have this now ^_^
Silver foxtail necklace with locket - syempre, pics namin ni By sa loob *teehee*
Edit: I bought a gumamela silver pendant instead @_@

Black leather bag - Kahit na nagrereklamo na yung closet ko sa dami ng bags... X_X
Edit: This is what I got in the project party ^_^

7. White earphones - for my white MP3 player ;)
Edit: I received earphones from the kris kringle here in the project.. it was for the cellphone though :)

8. Black coat/jacket - yung formal enough for the office. Sawa na ko sa cardigan...
Edit: I got myself a white cardigan instead... indecisive talaga @_@
9. Swarovski beads - dahil parang therapy na sa kin ang paggawa ng accessories. I just hope matuto akong magbenta para mapakinabangan ko naman yung mga ginagawa ko :P

10. Movie passes sa Robinsons movie world - para libreng date :D
Edit: I won movie tickets from the project raffle... Lucky!!!

Sa sobrang tagal kong i-publish tong list ko nagkatotoo na si wish#1. Sana yung iba din ^___^

Edit: I guess I should have written something like... "Win the major prize in the company-wide raffle." Andaming natupad na wishes ko :)

back from hell

2006-11-20T20:24:00.000+08:00

Things I could never understand:

There are just things that make me ask - why? WHY?!?!?!
1. Why do some girls wear very skimpy clothing which they will adjust every 3 seconds as they walk by? Sabay irap sa mga nagpipista sa katawan nila...

2. Why do some drivers think their vehicles are a hybrid between bump cars, go-karts and 4x4s? Why? WHY?! So they can show the world they don't give a sh*t about their passengers, the pedestrians and the other vehicles around them?

3. People who keep on comparing their previous work with the company. I cannot understand why they can't just get over it. If they don't like how we do things here, go to the HR and complain all you want (better yet, just resign!). Im just so sick of the whining -_-; You know, a little comparison/complaining is ok, but if you start your litany over every little thing that don't seem to go your way, I have two words for you: suck it!

4. Why do some people add tacky gifs and backgrounds to their profiles/webpages? Since when does ugly equate to cute? Oh, and red text on black background? Please...

5. In lieu of webpages, what's with people uploading trashy pictures in their friendster accounts? Sabayan pa ng comments like "On his bed after classes..." Wtf? Are you trying to be cute? Is that cool? Is urge to broadcast your sexual activities so overwhelming you just have to post pictures? I guess I could just envision the mental images everytime I eat lunch to lose weight.

6. Overbearing know-it-alls who talk like they have megaphones glued to their mouths. I don't even want to start on this -_-

7. Why the workstations in this place are so goddamn slooooooooooow. I don't have the patience to wait for 30 seconds as my Powerbuilder opens up. I don't want to stare at the screen for 10 seconds as I switch windows. I don't feeli like waiting for my desktop shortcuts for 20 seconds when I press the windows key + D. I dunno why it acts like this considering it has a 3 Ghz processor on it with 512 MB of RAM and all the other fancy schmancy stuff. It wastes time, it annoys the hell out of me, and it drains what little patience I have. Arg! -_-

8. People who talk of things and you don't know and don't even care about. Worse, they can't quite catch that you don't want to listen to them. Look, if I have my earphones on, it means I want to listen to Justin Timberlake - not you.

-----------

Hay... It actually took me a week to write that down. Sobrang busy the past few weeks (or months) di ako makatapos ng post. Anyways, enough of the negativity.

Last Friday I used my bank hours ^___^ I spent most of the day at the mall! Saya talaga ng retail therapy!!! I got myself a few tops and a pair of jeans. After weeks of looking for the perfect jeans, nakabili na rin ko. I love the cut, the texture of the denim, and the price (sale kasi!
:)) I also bought a Roald Dahl book :) Happy talaga ^_^

The following day, I met up with the NEC people para sa long due birthday celebration. Dinner at Avenetto, coffee/tiangge at Eastwood, then movie - Casino Royale (Daniel Craig is hot! ;))

Sunday was one big party for the Filipinos - Hooray for Pacquiao! Nakakaawa si Morales though - he looked like he went camping in Somalia before the fight, mukha tuloy bully si Manny.
Today is great!! No error tickets for my application! Hay, super thank you talaga. Sana hanggang Go Live ganito ^__^

---------

Side note: it seems may bagong chuva itong blogspot. Ngayon ko lang nakita na I have comments to moderate. Pasensya na sa nag-comment at di ko na-publish!! :( kala ko wala nang bumabasa ng blog ko, LOL.

down time

2006-11-08T19:30:00.000+08:00

Sobrang tagal ko nang di nagpopost! Wah, napaghahalatang toxic sa work. Dami na ring nangyari that seem interesting enough to blog about, pero ngayon lang talaga ako nagkatime. bakit? kasi down ang environment.. haha!
Pic muna:

(ok, up na raw yung MTS... work muna uli...)

Dakota Fanning

2006-09-07T18:22:00.000+08:00

I saw this on aimee's blog.
I was not really comfortable with the registration thing, but I was so curious about the results. It was so weird that I got Oprah ^_^X (di ko na lang sya sinama sa collage :P) Natuwa naman ako kay Dakota Fanning. Teehee ^__^

Martyr Nyebera

2006-08-22T20:30:00.000+08:00

Yesterday, Mike and I made the most out of the holiday by spending some quality time together. He was playing around my MP3s when he came across this song. By the end of the song, I asked him, "Nagpaparinig ka ba?" He just smiled at me and even pointed out that at verse 3, "Sasagot pa yung babae e... uy, wala akong babae ha! At hoy, may trabaho ako..." (haha!). Sobrang tama 'tong song na to sa min, lalo na't lagi kaming may away (:P)

Martyr Nyebera

Verse 1

Kinokompleto mo ang araw ko
sa tuwing inaaway mo
paggising sa umaga
mukha mo ang nakita
wala pang nagawa nakasimangot na
at pagsapit ng gabi tampo lalong lumalaki
ang gusto ko lambingan
ngunit may unan na namamagitan

chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa

Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to...

Verse 2

Nahuli lang ng ilang minuto
Di na kinibo
Natrapik lang sa kanto
Di naman gwapo
naisip mo agad nan chiks ako
simple lang naman ang pinagmulan
pinahaba ang usapan
di naman kailangan
mahabang away na naman

chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa

Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to...

Verse 3 (Girl)
Kahit na sabihin na naliligo ka sa sampal
Di mo masasabi na hindi kita minamahal
Ang dami mong babae
Wala ka pang trabaho
Ngunit kahit ganun ay nandito lang ako
Nandito lang ako

chorus:
Ang almusal ay sigawan
Ang Hapunan natin ay tampuhan
Ang Mirienda pagdududa

Pero mahal kita
wala ng hahanapin pang iba
handa kong magtiis
kahit na
away,away,away na to... (3x)

When You Fall In Love

2006-08-04T21:44:00.000+08:00

Liza posted this in the losers' groups. Very good read ;)

--------------------------------------------

When You FALL IN LOVE
(Debunking the Myths That Are Driving You Crazy)
By: Bo Sanchez

This article isn't for teenagers only.

Falling in love happens to the young and the not-so-young. (Did you see 42-year-old Tom Cruise jump up and down Oprah's couch because of Katie?)
It happens to everyone. Fat, thin, tall, short, intelligent, uneducated, holy, not so holy, dark, white, yellow, green... it doesn't really matter.
All of us fall in love.
And we get stuck in myths that drive us absolutely crazy.
My goal is to debunk these myths and convince you not to believe in them.
Let's begin..........

MYTH 1: LOVE WILL CONQUER ALL

Let me qualify.
This is such a tricky myth. Because love ----- as defined by the Bible ------ will conquer all. But love ------ as defined by glazed-eyed lovers ----- will not.

If you believe in this myth, you might do the following:

You overlook major obstacles in your relationship.

Everyone you know is wondering why you chose that creature from outer space as your boyfriend. Your bestfriends are telling you to get rid of him. Your family is telling you to throw him out of a running vehicle. Aling Rosa of the sari-sari store across the street is telling you to lace his drink with poison.
But you won't --------- because you're in love. That's why there are songs entitled, "you and me against the world"
Your bestbuds comment, 'but he's been jobless for the past three years!"
And you say, "He's free-spirited. He feels boxed in when he's in the office. '(in other words, he's undisciplined, lazy bum.)
Your officemates say, 'He flirts with other women constantly!' and you say, 'No, he's just friendly.' (in other words, he's a pervert)
Your cousins say, 'He's taking drugs, He's got needle marks all over his arm. And you say, 'No, he's into cross stitching.'

You overstay in toxic relationships, believing that your love will change him.

The wedding doesn't transform anyone.
Even if three Popes officiate the wedding.
The person you'll march with into the church will be the same person you'll march with out of the church. He doesn't change one bit.
In fact, the marriage makes the hidden more obvious.
If he was selfish before he got married, he will be even more selfish after the wedding. If he was hypercritical before he got married, he'll even be more vile and prolific with his criticisms after wedding.
Here's the truth : You need more than feelings of love to make a relationship work. You need mature character, total commitment and a minimum level of compatibility.
Especially compatibility in the area of values and mission in life. I hear people say, 'We're compatible. Our names begin with the same letter J. My name is Julie and his name is Julio. We're both born in July."
Wow. That's so deep, I want to cry.

MYTH 2 : WHEN IT"S TRUE LOVE YOU WILL KNOW THE MOMENT YOU MEET THE OTHER PERSON

I'm sure you've had this experience before.
You are in a crowded room. You're surrounded by boring, noisy chatter when, suddenly, this gorgeous guy enters the door.
Your eyes meet.
Instantly, time stands still. The universe grinds to a halt. Except for this attractive man in front of you, everything in your vision becomes a giant blur. The hubbub of the crowd becomes a soft muffle and, from out of nowhere, you here gentle violin music from the background.
One week later, he's your boyfriend.
A few weeks later, you discover that your boyfriend's a pathological liar, buried in credit card debt, borrows money from all his girlfriends (you're his eight in six months).
Your mind says, 'Dump him'
Your heart says, 'But it was love at first sight!'
Here are the consequences ...

You become so focused on the magical first moment, you become blind to the dark side of the relationship.
Six out of seven days, you're fighting with your boyfriend.
But you can't give him up because you met each other in such a magical moment. Your car keys fell and he picked it up, and then your eyes met, you smelled his deodorant, and you dropped your keys again ......How can you not be meant for each other?

You become a love-at-first-sight junkie that you could miss out on the 'real thing'.
One intelligent woman told me, 'Bo, there's this guy who's courting me. He's okay. He's kind, he's responsible, he has a good job.......'
"I could hear a 'but' coming ," I said.
'but there are no sparks!" she bit her lip.
"No violin music playing in the background huh"
"none. When I see him, the background music I hear is lululalu-lalulalulalei..."
"listen. You don't need a magical first moment to meet our potential husband. The important things are mature character, financial responsibility, ability for commitment, compatible mission and values..."
I actually met this girl again on her wedding, and before she marched down the aisle, she whispered to me, "Do you hear the violin music, Bo? It's loud and clear."
It doesn't have to be love at first sight.
In fact, marriages with the least adjustments are those between friends who've known each other for years before they realize that they're good marriage material.
What is love at first sight?
Many times, it's lust at first sight. Or infatuation at first sight.
Don't give it too much weight.
Here's the truth: it takes a moment to experience infatuation but true love takes a lifetime.

MYTH 3 : IF IT IS TRUE LOVE YOU WILL FEEL THIS WAY FOR EACH OTHER FOREVER

No, you won't. Here are the consequences for believing this myth :

You panic when the feelings wane, and wonder whether the marriage is over and whether you really loved one another in the first place.
Imagine the night of your honeymoon.
Your new bride is sleeping. The cotton curtains are gently swaying in the cool breeze. You gaze at her lovely face. You study her soft cheeks. Her long eyelashes. Her beautiful nose, her parted red lips.
And all of a sudden, she snores.
"Ngggggggooork"
How do you react? Because it's your honeymoon, you say, 'How cute.'
Six months down the road, the same scene transpires. Your wife is sleeping. And the same cotton curtains are gently swaying in the cool breeze.
And you hear her snore.
"Ngggggoork."
What do you say?
"Ssssssheeeesh, Honey! You sound like a boat!'
What has happened? The feelings have gone. Let me say this: 'That's normal. It happens to everyone. But it doesn't mean your love is gone so don't panic!
You can make a decision to love the snoring boat.

You start blaming your partner for the loss of love
This is nutty.
But many people do it: when we don't feel in love, we think it's the fault of the other person. And so we fight him.
Again, we fall out of love because we're human beings.
It's nobody's fault.
The moment you fall out of love, the real work begins .
Let me explain.
This is the most important point I'm going to make. (I got this from Scott Peck in his bestseller book, The Road Less traveled)

Falling in love isn't love
Here's why. When you fall in love.....
a. No decision is required. Falling in love just happens.
b. No effort is required. Falling in love is like.... Well, falling.
c. No hard work is required. Falling in love is being bitten by the love bug.

On the other hand, true love requires all three : Decision, effort and lots of hard work. In the Bible, love is a command. You make it happen.
Sure true love can only happen after you've fallen out of love.
When you begin choosing to love, even if you don't feel like doing it ---- that's true love. And that's the foundation of a lasting marriage.

MYTH 4: YOUR PARTNER WILL FULFILL YOU COMPLETELY

Again because falling in love satisfied you completely ----- you want the same satisfaction to last. No it won't.
Consequence? You might fail to recognize a good relationship because your partner isn't fulfilling the needs you should be fulfilling yourself.
Here's the truth: the right partner will fulfill many of your needs but not all of them . There are just some things your husband can't give you: you're self-worth. Your spirituality. Your inner happiness. These are things you have to work on your own.
I've met lots of people who think they're dissatisfied with their marriage. In reality, they're dissatisfied with themselves.
I've met lots of people who think they're bored with their marriages. And they complain to the high heavens how boring their husband or wife is ---- when in truth, they're really bored with life.
Meet your own needs. Find your happiness in God. Find your niche, your calling, your destiny. And then share your joy with your spouse.

MYTH 5: IF IT'S TRUE LOVE YOU WON'T BE ATTRACTED TO ANYONE ELSE

If you believe in this myth, you panic when you get attracted to someone else, questioning the authenticity of your love for your spouse.
One man told me, 'Bo, I love my wife. Or I thought I did. But then I met this woman at work. She has nice make-up. She smells nice. She wears a pencil-cut skirt. When I go home, my wife is wearing a drab rag. Her hair is undone. She smells of vinegar. Gosh I am attracted to this girl at work."
Being attracted to someone is normal ----- even if you have a happy marriage. But being attracted doesn't mean falling into adultery.
Every time you think of the other woman, discipline your heart and say, 'Home, boy, Home!' and escort your heart back to your wife. Because if you feed your attraction with fantasies and constantly think about the other woman, it grows. But if you starve your attraction, it dies a natural death.

back!

2006-07-31T18:38:00.000+08:00

Wow... it's been a while since I last posted anything. Been meaning to blog for the past few weeks but I seem to have lots of tiny incoherent ideas which I can't glue together in one post @_@ So eto, puro segments and pics na lang:

---------------

Our project went to Palawan to enjoy the prize we won in Europe. It was a very memorable trip for me, as it was my first time to ride a plane (haha, tao na ko). It really was a great experience - there was no talk of work, the beaches were fabulous, the food was good (though medyo late magserve yung Oberoi) and I was with great company. Here are some of the pictures:

- syempre excited, I took pics from the plane ;) -

- the snake island has fine white sand. The view was fabulous! Colorful marine life + clean turquoise sea + beautiful mountains all around = great experience :D -

- funky starfish!! :D-

- baby starfish ;) grabe, ang dami nila sa sand! -

- my traditional bungisngis look :P pauwi na kami from snake island-

- the great white cross we passed by on our way to the underground river -

- daming monkeys papunta sa underground river. They have this eco-trail that reminds me of that botanical garden in UPLB -

- Lots of great rock formations inside the underground river. It was *very* creepy though. I heard that some of my officemates saw this big eel gliding next to their boat. Yikes!! -

- We had dinner at the Kalui restaurant. They were barefooting! Cool talaga. Sarap ng seafood nila ;) -

Sana makabalik ako dun in the near future. Next time though, dapat kasama na ang Mike ko ^__^

---------------

GMA's SONA was like some trapo's (which she is) campaign speech. It was littered with applauses from trapos like herself. It was like a parade of cronies dying for a few more years in the office. Leche. -_-

---------------

I'm SOOOO happy now that my seatmate is not the weirdo who plays with his saliva, who doesn't seem to understand that bathing is a form of courtesy to other people, and who talks gibberish to himself. I'm not one to hide emotions, so my disgust really shows when he does his weird habits. Just thinking about it makes me go--- EWWWWW! -_-

---------------

I am currently looking for new shoes. Me want something that looks like this (in black though):

Weird ba?

Oist, By!!!

2006-06-27T18:05:00.000+08:00

Happy birthday! :)
i love you! *kisu*
(can't wait to see you tonight ;))

Baboy

2006-06-09T21:43:00.000+08:00

Ha! Nagtaka pa ko kung bakit ako tumataba. HAY!!!

I always diet when I want to lose weight. By 'diet' I meant eating less of everything I eat. I don't follow South Beach/Atkins/etc. Seriously, I will not survive on tofu, eggwhites, poached chicken, lettuce, or any of those blah food. Papayat ka nga, madedepress ka naman dahil sa kinakain mo. Dati naman nagwowork ang dieting for me (well, except for the time I overdid it and got anorexic :P). Ngayon though, I have absolutely no discipline sa food intake ko :( Pano ba naman kung may mga ganito:

Chicharritos - Also known as "Cholesterol in a Pouch". I don't know how to say no to yummy chicharon >_<

Kinder Bueno, Sarotti, Ritter Sport - Ah.. the chocolates from our expats / coordinators are SOOO YUMMY!! I noticed that most of the chocolates from Germany have fillings inside. Most of them have this creamy white chocolate thinly covered by brown chocolate. I really loved Sarotti Nostalgie Edition - it easily melts in your mouth and it's not overpowering. (Gah.. I'm not good at describing things >< )

Circles - We had this team dinner at Shangri-la's buffet restaurant. I was such a glutton!!! There was so much food that I want to eat! For the main course, I took a lil bit of everything which appealed to me. With the desserts though, everything was just mouth-watering!!! The chocolate fountain, creme brulee, cheesecakes, souffles.. X_X Sobrang baboy ko talaga. I was burping all the way from Makati to Antipolo sa sobrang katakawan...

Tostillas -I just have to buy a bag of these chips when I see them in the grocery :9

Javanilla - The only thing I order at Seattle's Best! Yummy goodness :9

Coffee crumble - I scream ICE CREAM!!!!

Inihaw na isaw, tenga ng baboy, balat ng baboy, etc - nyeta... kaya ako nagiging baboy e.

Kwek-kwek - I heard somewhere that one quail egg has twice the calorie content as that of a regular chicken egg. Great... X_X

Kung nawawala na talaga ang disiplina ko sa pagkain, mas lalong wala akong disciplne mag-exercise. Good luck sa Palawan/Bohol/Bora outting namin -_-

06.06.06

2006-06-06T17:19:00.000+08:00

Ang scary ng date :( I tried to research about this number and I got this
result from Bible Gateway:

Also it causes all, both small and great, both rich and poor, both free and slave, to be marked on the right hand or the forehead, so that no one can buy or sell unless he has the mark, that is, the name of the beast or the number of its name. This calls for wisdom: let the one who has understanding calculate the number of the beast, for it is the number of a man, and his number is 666.

Revelation 13:16-18

O_o Okay.... Ang masasabi ko lang dyan ay: Kung bad ang day na ito, mas bad ba yung moment kaninang 6 seconds and 6 minutes after 6AM? How about nung June 6 nung 6 A.D? Ah basta... Basta alam ko love tayo ni Lord, kahit anong oras. God bless everyone! Pagpalain nawa tayong lahat!

Top 10 Commandments of Egoless Programming

2006-06-01T13:32:00.000+08:00

To all the bull-headed, self-righteous, egoistic, know-it-all programmers out there, here's something for you:

Top 10 Commandments of Egoless Programming

Understand and accept that you will make mistakes.
The point is to find them early, before they make it into production. Fortunately, except for the few of us developing rocket guidance software at JPL, mistakes are rarely fatal in our industry, so we can, and should, learn, laugh, and move on.

You are not your code. Remember that the entire point of a review is to find problems, and problems will be found. Don't take it personally when one is uncovered.

No matter how much "karate" you know, someone else will always know more. Such an individual can teach you some new moves if you ask. Seek and accept input from others, especially when you think it's not needed.

Don't rewrite code without consultation. There's a fine line between "fixing code" and "rewriting code." Know the difference, and pursue stylistic changes within the framework of a code review, not as a lone enforcer.

Treat people who know less than you with respect, deference, and patience. Non-technical people who deal with developers on a regular basis almost universally hold the opinion that we are prima donnas at best and crybabies at worst. Don't reinforce this stereotype with anger and impatience.

The only constant in the world is change. Be open to it and accept it with a smile. Look at each change to your requirements, platform, or tool as a new challenge, not as some serious inconvenience to be fought.

The only true authority stems from knowledge, not from position. Knowledge engenders authority, and authority engenders respect—so if you want respect in an egoless environment, cultivate knowledge.

Fight for what you believe, but gracefully accept defeat. Understand that sometimes your ideas will be overruled. Even if you do turn out to be right, don't take revenge or say, "I told you so" more than a few times at most, and don't make your dearly departed idea a martyr or rallying cry.

Don't be "the guy in the room." Don't be the guy coding in the dark office emerging only to buy cola. The guy in the room is out of touch, out of sight, and out of control and has no place in an open, collaborative environment.

Critique code instead of people—be kind to the coder, not to the code. As much as possible, make all of your comments positive and oriented to improving the code. Relate comments to local standards, program specs, increased performance, etc.

This, btw, was taken from here:
Top 10 commandments of Egoless Programming

those were the days

2006-05-26T18:36:00.000+08:00

In preparation for my cute inaanak's birthday party tomorrow, a few of my relatives from Bataan went to our place to help cook the food. While I was trying to convince myself not to take a sick leave early this morning, the scent of my tita's menudo filled the house. Hay... nakakamiss!! I suddenly remembered the summers I would spend in province na kain-tulog lang ang ginagawa ko. Nung nasa shuttle na ko, I thought of the other things/people I miss, like....

hurrying home from school to watch Princess Sarah/Cedie

making my college scrapbook

Staying late at MIST in the Girl Scout HQ / Weekend backyard campings

watching Mike play basketball tuwing may liga *teehee*

wearing denim jeans / rubber shoes

having my own room

asking my girlfriends for a day of shopping without having to explain why it's an all-girl thing

anime marathons with the NEC people

getting sketches from Jeff (or simply looking at his notebooks during class :P)

eating taho on my way to UP classes in the morning

overnights at Roneliz's place

Carla!! kelan ka kaya babalik?

spending the entire day with Mike, watching pirated VCDs and munching on junk food :P

yung time na I can go to the mall with only 300 pesos (w/o credit cards ha) and not feel kawawa

my short hair... i'm only keeping my hair kasi nanghihinayang ako...

my friends from CL. Miss ko na kayo Tina/Anne/Emex!

writing letters for the green pipe girls - Rechelle, Happy and Cherry

my Zagu sessions with Mario

flag ceremony nung highschool! Buzzer beater ako lagi....

Telebabad with Mike. Yung till the wee hours na talaga

chatting with some of the people from AnimeHorizons

AristoCart/streetfood ng UP

being with my Mike whenever and wherever I want.. ngayon puro work na lang kami :(

*sigh* Sana kahit isa sa mga things sa list mangyari ulit....

hi little fairy! Will you grant me my wish? :)

I enjoy the sun...

2006-04-25T20:09:00.000+08:00

...only when i'm on the beach ;)

Last weekend we had a little company outting to Laiya, Batangas. The beach was a bit disappointing; with its jellyfish and rough sand, and the problematic trip to and from the resort, it was not really that great. The break was a blessing for all of us though... we all needed to get away from our computers and enjoy each other's company in a different environment (kung walang tutong sa taong gutom, wala ring masyadong pangit na resort para sa taong laging kaharap ang monitor... haha).
We had so much fun playing games, sharing stories and eating together. Nung nag-e-enjoy na kaming lahat sa activities, naging sulit ang lahat ng hassle sa pagpunta don. And I really enjoyed taking pictures!!! There were lots of flowers and other beautiful sights in Balai sa Laiya , so I thought I'd pratice taking cutesy pics :D Syempre di ako marunong magfocus/maglaro ng settings and stuff, I just used the preset modes :P (daya :P)

~ pretty white orchids ~

~ cute little red flowers ~

~ beautiful orchids in the dining hall ~

~ nicholas' shoes (he doesn't like sand getting in them) ~

~ bonfire + hotdogs + good friends + starry night = great evening ;) ~

~ the colors of summer :D ~

bangag

2006-04-20T22:24:00.000+08:00

Sobrang daming nangyari since my last post kaya lang wala ng time magblog. Ang dami kong bagong kuhang litrato pero di ko pa ma-resize at ma-post. Napakarami pang mangyayari, lalo na ngayong susunod na mga weekend, pero palagay ko wala na rin akong masyadong oras para ilista lahat ng mangyayari.

Ang daming trabaho! Sana lang magamit ko na sa bakasyon yung lahat ng bank hours ko... mahigit 1 linggo siguro ako pwedeng wala sa opisina :D

(Obvious bang filler post lang to? :P)

2006-03-29T13:16:00.000+08:00

Last weekend, my training batchmates, Mike and I went to this resort in Antipolo proper. We came in a bit late (~9pm, 2 hours past the scheduled time) and there were already a lot of people in Loreland.

There was a bit of trouble picking a place to stay in -- we had 3 kinds of info regarding rates and capacity of the rooms. The package rates on the brochure is different from what their personnel told us over the phone, which altogether varied from the rates presented to us when we were about to check-in.

Anyways, we took a room to house all 7 of us. It was pretty okay, though it was a bit far from the pools. The rowdy groups monopolized the 2 pools anyways, so we spent most of the night drinking (yung guys, alcohol; kami ni Pattie-- coke!), playing cards (where Mike and I consistenly lost.. haha) and pigging out (many thanks to Pat's mom).

After an hour's sleep, I roused everyone when the personnel finished cleaning the pools so we can go back to swimming. Lo and behold!!!!
With the morning sunshine and most of the people gone, it was like a different place. We discovered lots of other cottages , five more pools and jacuzzis.

Ang saya! Thanks to everyone for accommodating Mike (and Mart's Chai). Iba talaga ang feeling when your friends give a warm welcome to your special someone. Sana sa susunod sa Puerto naman tayo! :P

Photography 101

2006-02-28T14:32:00.000+08:00

I was browsing my friends' blogs yesterday when I came across Aldwin's new post. I was really amazed at the beautiful photos of gumamelas! The clearly focused suject with the blurred background is the effect I wanna capture in my Cybie (my Sony camera), but no matter how many times people explain the aperture/light/blabla thingy to me, it just won't sink in :(
I then had a mental note to ask Alds again about setting up Cybie. It had a weird effect on me though... I guess this camera thing went to my subconscious. I had this weird dream last night: the NEC people went on an underwater cave boat trip. Along the way, Alds was giving me "artsy-fartsy" photography pointers on the lighting and angles. As he was discussing the aperture, he was telling me focus on Hunnypot and adjust the other thingamajigs on Cybie so the cave walls will be blurred. Suddenly, he started asking me if I can focus on the things behind Che O_o I remember him saying, "Kita mo yung haze sa likod ng Hunny? You can't see that normally, but having these settings on your cam, you now can." All of a sudden he was teaching me how to take picture of ghosts!!!! The weird part is, everything he says appears on Cybie's LCD! ("See that girl floating near that rock formation? Her face shows up clearly from this angle.") I was begging him to stop teaching me but I still find myself capturing the ghosts' sullen faces... X_X

When my mom roused me from my sleep at around 8 am this morning I was more than happy to take a shower to shake off the mental images. I don't think I'll be using Cybie at night any time soon :(

Angel...

2006-02-21T16:33:00.000+08:00

I recently loaded new songs into my trusty MP3 player (I usually have the same songs for weeks until I get tired of them). This time, instead upbeat dance songs, I have contemporary band music and mellow love songs. On my way to work, I got to listen to Robbie Williams' "Angel". The chorus really stuck in my mind... it made me realize how much I'm missing Mike, and how I long to be with him at that very moment.

Here's my version of the song's chorus (Of course, I changed the pronouns :P) :

And through it all
He offers me protection
A lot of love and affection
Whether I'm right or wrong
And down the waterfall
Wherever it may take me
I know that life won't break me
When I come to call
He won't forsake me
I'm loving angels instead

I've said this before and I'll say it again: I'm very thankful that you came into my life, By. Others may think poorly of you, because their shallow minds can only come up with shallow reasons. Maybe because you smoke? Maybe because it took you a while to get to where you are now? I don't know. I also don't care. But, just like the song says, the unconditional love is always in both of us.

Unlike before where we can spend the entire day for the whole week together, we're now limited to just half a day per week. It makes me feel weak digesting this realization, but I don't have anything else to do but live with it. For now, I can only look at the positive side of things: we can focus on our careers, we can look forward to each nightly phonecall, we will be smiling wider whenever we get a text from each other, and we will appreciate each moment we spend together, knowing that the next time we'll be able to hold hands again is next week.

You are not perfect; well, so am I. One thing's for sure though: we are perfect for each other.

I miss you so much, Mike. Can't wait to see you this Saturday :)

On Valentine's and freeloaders

2006-02-14T18:10:00.000+08:00

I've heard somewhere that the funeraria business booms when most people are supposed to be celebrating -- on Christmas, on New Year, on Mothers'/Fathers' Day, and yes, especially on Valentine's day. Just because the world is celebrating does not mean everyone is happy. I'll tell you why.

Just this morning, I had this urge to lash out at our neighbor who used our phone. He was sort of elderly, and I swear, their family really has no shame going to our house almost everyday so they can use the phone. They're not very discreet either. At first, they would shout "Aling LITA!!!" till my mom opens the gate for them. When they actually use the phone, they absolutely make no effort whatsoever to lower their voices. What the hell? Stores with payphones are just a few houses away, but here you are using the phone for free, yet you don't have the decency not to wake up everybody in the house? Grrrr....
To make things worse, when I was about to head out of the house, the stupid freeloader exclaimed, "Uy, ang taba ni Tintin o!!" GAGO!!! I pay the bills here, you stupid bastard!!! It's one thing to be concerned (like you know, you want the person to know she should start dieting), but man, have you seen yourself in the mirror lately?! Some people think they deserve respect just because they're old. Geez.

Last night my brother and his friends were drowning themselves in gin. This would have been fine by me, except for two reasons:
1) they were noisy, so it was hard to sleep (I have work the next day) and
2) my brother was forced to take leave. Without pay.
COME ON!! Geez!!!! He doesn't have enough money as it is, yet he has the nerve to spend whatever he has on something as meaningless and useless as gin. Give me a break. He doesn't even contribute in paying the bills at home, and he has two mouths to feed. What exactly does he expect? Everything to be given to him on a silver platter? GRRRRRRRR! I am so angry for words -_-;

So.. back to the Valentine's thing. This certainly is not a Happy Hearts day for me. It's actually annoying me seeing other women with flowers. Not because I greet you "happy valentine's day" does not mean I am actually happy.

This day is SOOO not going well.

birthday blogthing thingy

2006-02-02T18:58:00.000+08:00

Your Birthdate: October 8

Watch out Donald Trump! You've got a head for business and money.
You'll make it rich some day, even if you haven't figured out how yet.
A supreme individualist, you shouldn't get stuck in a corporate job.
Instead, make your own way - so that you can be the boss.

Your strength: Your undying determination

Your weakness: You require an opulent lifestyle

Your power color: Plum

Your power symbol: Dollar sign

Your power month: August

What Does Your Birth Date Mean?

Naku ha.. wish ko lang :D

leave me alone

2006-02-01T11:12:00.000+08:00

If I could just go to an empty island and stay there, alone and undisturbed, even for only two days, I think I can have my sanity back.

I am so sick of my redundant, endless and pathetic problems. ALL I WANT IS PEACE. Silence. Solitude.

*sigh*

I am so angry I can't even shout.
So sad I can't even cry.
So desperate I can't even reach out for help.

Now I know why some people choose to end their lives.

Friday the 13th

2006-01-13T13:34:00.000+08:00

I had been looking forward to this day. This Friday I will turn over the all documents I prepared, I get my salary, and I can afford to be uber lazy all afternoon as it is my last day here in the Gateway office. I was planning on buying some clothes after work too, and we all know how fun shopping is. There's no work tomorrow, so I can be with Mike later tonight and not worry about what time I go to bed.This was supposed to be a good day...

Well, everything was going well until my Mom texted me that my tita was at the hospital. My sister-in-law told me "di daw makapagsalita si tita". I then learned that her sugar level got way too low. I decided I could cancel the shopping so I can go to St. Vincent to visit her. Sigh... I don't really like it when people close to me need to be confined. There's just something about hospitals that freak me out. It's like a lonely, depressing place that people only go to when bad things happen (well... unless you're there to give birth or to have your annual checkup). Anyways.. as if things weren't bad enough for the family, my nephew was confined too just this morning. He's been having a bad tummy since last night :( *sigh*
Dear God, please keep them safe. Tita Mart, David... please get well soon....

sabi ko nga e....

2006-01-06T09:33:00.000+08:00

obsessive compulsive

Which Personality Disorder Do You Have?
brought to you by Quizilla

OC? ako? talaga?
oo nga... sabi ko nga :P

2006....

2006-01-02T17:36:00.000+08:00

I wanted to list down all the note-worthy things that had happened to me last year before I fully welcome 2006.
Dear Lord, I want to thank You for all the good (and the bad) things You have given me. I hope I become a better person as I list down my most memorable moments of 2005:

Lo and behold, I finally graduated. Haha... Never in my life had I expected I would take that long to finish college. Finally my mom can display my graduation picture in our living room >_>

Mike and I celebrated our first anniversary. At his place. With half a gallon of coffee crumble ice cream. Which we shared with his whole family. :D Not as romantic as most would think, but it was great for both of us. I can't wait to see how our second anniversary would turn out this year (haha)

My brother got married. Oh yeah, It was a big event in my life. Their wedding day was also the day I gave (though not whole-heartedly) my room to them.

Little sweet Ainah was born. Yup, 4 days after my brother got married his wife gave birth (yeah, no kidding) to a healthy, beautiful baby. Ainah-bird, as I fondly call her, now gives joy to everyone in our family with her cute smile and warm hugs Ü

My good friend Carla gave birth to Sophia. A few months after they both moved to Canada with Jay-ar. I hope they're coping well in their new home. I miss you Car!!!

I worked at TrendMicro. I do miss some people I used to work with, but boy, am I glad I resigned from that company.

I now work at Accenture. I've been here for 3 months now, and so far, everything went well. I have new friends, I have discovered that I actually like programming (really, 'coz I really hated coding all my years in college) and I save more money Ü

My dear friend Liza got engaged a day after Christmas. Wow!! Go Regnard!! (haha) I wish both of you happiness and.... a dozen babies! jk ^_^ May the Lord bless your relationship. I'm very happy for you guys :)

To cap the year off, I spent New Year's eve with my Michael. *happy happy sigh* There's nothing better than sharing sweet kiss and a tight hug while colorful fireworks paint the sky ^_______^

I hope 2006 will be a good year for all of us.

A Prayer

2005-12-14T17:11:00.000+08:00

Dear Lord, I pray for :

Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him;
And Patience for his moods;
because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I'll beat him to death.

I got this from one of the forums I frequent. I find it cute :D
Quote not applicaple to me though...(yuck! defensive! LOL)

oh yeah, I remember her

2005-12-01T13:43:00.000+08:00

While on our way to KFC I saw one of my highschool classmates. She's one of the popular girls at school-- pretty face, lots of admirers and teacher's pet. We were seatmates for almost 3 years(her surname starts with 'O'), which made us close friends. Gosh, I even remember her asking me to play a part in her talent portion for the beauty pageant she joined in school. Honestly though, it was one of the things I wish I never took part of- it was quite embarassing. Anyways, college happened. We lost touch after a few years of not seeing each other. I don't know what happened to her after our HS graduation though I heard from a friend that she got married... at 18, if I remember correctly.
Seeing her today at the mall looking all pretty and glam made me realize many things. First that came to my mind was- a woman can still look very dalaga-like after having babies (haha).
I also thought about how different we've become. Here I was trying to finish loads of tables, outputs and programs while she was at the mall having a good time.
During our highschool days I had moments when I wish I could be her-- you know, pretty and perfect and all that. But now, I really am happy just the way I am. I would never want to trade places with anyone.

Not wishing to be someone else amidst all the problems has got to be one of the greatest feelings one could have. It makes you count your blessings, lets you think how great your family and friends are, lets you realize how wonderful your significant other is, and gives you this huge smile on your face... :)

amazing...

2005-09-28T10:56:00.000+08:00

It is my third day at "work". If had a pack of Sky Flakes, 2 mugs of hot choco and 3 hours of wasted time. Yes, it's already 11am and I still haven't done anything productive (well, other than filling out my time record...)
Will we just sit here all day and do NOTHING? Geez... talk about disappointments. I know the day will come when I wish I could spend the day like this, but man.... this is just way too boring. Not to mention disappointing...

perhaps love...

2005-09-13T01:06:00.000+08:00

Today I listened to, in my opinion, the loneliest version of this song. Perfectly matches how I feel right now, in a bittersweet way...
*sigh*

PERHAPS LOVE

Perhaps love is like a resting place
A shelter from the storm
It exists to give you comfort
It is there to keep you warm
And in those times of trouble
When you are most alone
The memory of love will bring you home

Perhaps love is like a window
Perhaps an open door
It invites you to come closer
It wants to show you more
And even if you lose yourself
And don`t know what to do
The memory of love will see you through

Oh, love to some is like a cloud
To some as strong as steel
For some a way of living
For some a way to feel
And some say love is holding on
And some say letting go
And some say love is everything
And some say they don`t know

Perhaps love is like the ocean
Full of conflict, full of pain
Like a fire when it`s cold outside
Or thunder when it rains
If I should live forever
And all my dreams come true
My memories of love will be of you

thank you for the music

2005-09-09T08:53:00.000+08:00

Nelly, No Doubt, Justin Timberlake, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Green Day, Smash Mouth...
God bless you for making the music that keeps me awake while I sort hundreds of mails during my shift.

Thanks to Nescafe for keeping my eyes open with their bland-tasting coffee.

Thank you Nissin's for making the most edible ready-to-eat sotanghon ever.

I wish I could say I will miss the nights I spent in this gray, monotonous, cluttered cubicle filled with stuff that aren't even mine.

I will miss though, the barbecued tofu sold near 7-11. I will miss my 2 shiftmates, especially the one to my right, for she has been very friendly to me. :)

i miss you....

2005-08-22T07:57:00.000+08:00

been with you yesterday, but i already miss you. i wanna thank you for always being there for me. thank you for putting up with my shortcomings. thank you for being patient. thank you for not staying mad at me.... because i know if i were in your shoes it would take forever for me to accept your apologies. how can you stand my perpetual state of PMS? LOL....
right now i'm just thankful. i will really try to be a better person for you. don't let go of me, ha?
i love you 'by Ü

twenty questions....

2005-08-18T21:40:00.000+08:00

when do you say enough is enough?
how do you know it's time to call it quits?
how do you know you've reached your limits, and that the other person simply loves you so he lets things pass?
how can you tell him, "this is not how i want to be loved"?
how do you say that you wish he would just stop doing the things that irritate you?
does he also wish i were a bit different?
how can i tell him that his smoking bugs the shit out of me?
how can i say that i feel i'm giving a lot, and i hope he would also do the same?
how do i let him know i'm sick and tired of financial problems?
is he hiding something from me?
just how important are his accounts to him?
are they more important than i am?
why are the simplest things very hard to give?
why is it that i give everything.... yet i dont feel i even get half in return?
am i not worth it?
is it bad to ask for more?
why do i feel it's unfair for me?
why do i feel i'm the one who always wants sincere affection?
how do i teach myself not to get hurt?
how i do convince myself to just go with the flow?
......

rant :'(

2005-08-18T20:10:00.000+08:00

i've been up for 22 hours now, and i still have to work (and attend something i don't even want to be part of)... so basically, i have to stay awake for at least 5 hours more.

you know what? it just makes me think.... what do i get out of this? the obvious reasons are: i will get paid, i can get my clearance, and it's a way to stay out of the house. but why am i not happy? i feel like i'm just doing everything i do... just because. wala lang.

i'm feeling a lot of pressure at home so i wanna go out as often and as long as i want. i got a part time job (and i'm happy with what i'm doing there) but in the process, i got overworked. working from 10am-9am is REALLY tiring. do note that i am not yet counting travel time... so yeah....

supposedly i earn more money (i havent received a paycheck from tfi yet) , i spend less time at home and i get more work experience. kaya lang, pagod na ko. it's like an endless cycle. buti na lang sa sabado i get to stay at home to sleep. i do hope nobody wakes me up when i get home. oh wait... may medical pala ako sa sabado. so much for my rest day....

ako rin!

2005-08-12T01:37:00.000+08:00

*sigh*

they say people who have these blogs are, in a way, exhibitionists. they want others to know what's going on in their lives in a way that is more.... impersonal. hehe. in a way that you just want to text someone instead of calling him/her, or worse, talking to the person face-to-face. yet, they jot down everything... ironic no?

others say bloggers don't have close friends whom they can confide to. they just type down everything so their hearts can feel a lil lighter after dumping a few words on this online diary.

as for me.... i'm bored. haha. i've been working for like..... 15 hours now. i have 7 more hours to go. shit. for all the weeks that i've been working here, this is the first time i actually sat down and played around. right now i am more concerned with not falling asleep than finishing my work. lately i've had booboos here at work, pati na rin yung iba, but somehow i get affected. parang wala nang nangyaring tama dito sa office na to. hayyyyyyy.

oh, did i mention that some people also set up web logs to whine? that's what i'm doing right now!!!!!!!!!!! :P

sana 9 am na.. miss ko na si mikemike ko!~~~~~~~