Looking back

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

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

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 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?

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

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

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!!!!!!!!

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

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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...

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

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

How sad. How true. Fuck.

The Island

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

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 ;)