three weddings and a christmas party

29 December 2008>Fran and Jbong>Sacred Heart Shrine
28 December 2008>Tin and Wils>St Jude

27 December 2008>SAs and Sydney SMEs>Imay'

26 December 2008>Jay and Jenn>UNO-R Chapel

Christmas day...

...is sea bass day. for lunch we had the two pieces steamed (by sis)

and another two fried (by bro) for dinner.

the shrimps were gone before they were ready to say "cheese".

my fave combo

what made this combo even more special today is the fact is that smuggling of such has completely went past undetected by the keen eyes of the "largepool" police who patrol the floor for unwary hungry call girls and boys. in relative peace, i was able to quiet the hunger pangs of my protesting stomach. and at one time, when there was relative silence on the floor, i grew pensive, thinking about the times back at the auto firm when snack delivery were uncommon especially on pay out days. in three months that i've been here, this is a first and it is a welcome addition to the wealth of experience that i am counting on my hands (and feet) each day.

i googled a guy last night...

...his name is hugh dancy. he starred opposite jesssica alba in 2003's sleeping dictionary, a movie that i have no inkling about until i spied it on the shelf of astrovision when sis and myself did our christmas shopping last sunday. it was about a love story between a young colonial official and a mullato sleeping dictionary (a monicker for a local woman assigned to teach the foreigner the language - among othr wifely duties) in sarawak (credits said the movie was partly filmed in malaysia.
hugh fit perfectly in the role of an idealistic officer who expected to do something great, i.e., transform or civilize the "savage" land that his predecessors has discovered.
he was also endearing in his portrayal of a man untrained in the art of lovemaking (he was 28 at the time - dob: June 1975).
as the story goes, falling in love with the sleeping dictionary was taboo. but he couldn't help himself.

his courage in showing defiance against the discriminating protocol of his kind tugged at the heart of the romantics...eliciting a sigh here and there. it sent a clear message of hope..which is my eternal mantra...hihihihi

the first became last...

...and almost missed the trip...

...to think that it was i who...
- first to notice the ad and has actually mistaken bella for hermione
- first subscribed to the film's OST "paramore" ringback (well, i had it for a 3-day free trial)
- first to rant about watching the premiere but didn't get to due to an unscheduled and unauthorized OT for training

i'm talking about twilight. i was able to watch it tonight, finally .
i checked it out first at the mall nearest to the work place with thoughts of catching enough time for a review. my heart skipped a beat when the print ad only displayed keanu and richard gere. so i ran to the nearest mall and checked that it is still showing (only in one cinema and sans the SRO sign that stood out at the box office in the last 11 days).

i was around 15 minutes late so i skipped meal altogether and waited for the break before the last full show to run and grab my favorite large fries, chicken sandwich combo at the north wing, devouring it with gusto during the opening credits.

well, i say that i enjoyed the refreshing story about meyer's breed of vampires:
- who turns more beautiful when hit by sunlight...as opposed to stoker's or rice's
- who lives as a family in a fine house that fits a page in better homes...and not in a coffin in some gloomy cave
- who engages in sport...vampires playing baseball...hmmmm...i thought they're only into hunting
- who has more constraint than the average human who lusts for what not

i must say that i was entertained by it.
and although i can't recall the guitar numbers on the soundtrack, i actually like it when i first heard it.

And the places that edward brought bella to, they all took my breath away (besides the fact that i was grossly distracted by robert's hairy arms which reminds me of...bjork...what were you thinking???). The forest tops with its proud tall evergreens and the waterfalls that drops from an immense height...boy when am i going to see these marvels again (even sans the piggyback ride up the evergreen top)?

black and white...

...in white and black.

this is justine not crying...after she dropped by the office to say goodbye

it has been a long two months

ignorance is bliss...sometimes

...because had i known that today is a holiday, i should have gone to the movies last friday. but i had grand plands of watching it at least ttwo times so i set my mind on seeing it today. to my great dismay, two theaters were opened to accommodate the holidaying crowd. still, at 3 pm, both has SRO sign on the box office. so i opted for an equally inviting alternative (though a costlier one), getting fed at bigby's. we had a platter of potato fries, quessadillas, fried chicken fillet, and honey glazed chicken. sis had lemonade while i sampled their yellow mango smoothie. my mouth still waters while looking at the pictures..
Posted by aajetskie at

how much cash do you have in your pocket?

i only had Php 100 on my person whe i left the house today. having brought pb and cc sandwiches and scampi for lunch, i was sure i brought more than enough money for the day.
like last night, i planned to take wahetever south bound bus that will pass the area. the thing is i have forgotten that today's a friday and students are expected to take the trip for the weekend. but i stood my ground and waited until a chatty neighbor caught up with me. in my haste to avoid the person, i took the ceres bus that came shortly only to learn that it was a non-stop trip and i have to pay Php 65 to alight at "bangga patyo". but i only had Php 50 and some small change left i my purse so i alit debating the wisdom of my not going to terminal to get a ride in the first place. good thing, the bus stopped at a shell station fronting toyota showroom near gardenville subdivision so the area is well lighted. after more than 20 minutes of waiting for a miracle, one finally happened. and when i got on the bus, a middle aged man gave up his seat for me. and i thought i had too much excitement for the night. but i was mistaken. usually at this time, the street is already deserted but not tonight. at the alley next to the eatery adjacent the house, an unlikely group of 10 or 12 has gathered. sensing something amiss, i stopped and chatted a bit and found out that there was an ongoing domestic squabble just in front of dad's window. it was some five minutes or so before i decided to appease my growling stomach and must therefore cross the area where a nasty argument and physical abuse has transpired. that was after i checked with our kagawad neighbor has already phoned the police to settle the matter. soon aftewr i went in, the patrol arrived and silence has settled. mom was alarmed when somebody suggested that i go with the patrol car as witness. what the... i just got there! common sense dictated that i have no business there so i stayed. sigh! what a night~

twilight

have you been in a situation wherein you really wanted something and the world seems to conspire about your not getting it ? well, i am having that odd experience right now.
all weekend i have been gabbing my friends' ears off about twilight and even set my mind to watching the premiere last tuesday. but then, i was called for a coaching 30 minutes before i was due to log off from work and the meeting went on for more than one hour after my shift finished. besides being pressed for time, my head ached about the internet jargon that it has just been subjected to, so i just grabbed a cuppa at kuppa and waited across the street for a ride home.
the next day (wednesday, that's yesterday), i went to sm to buy the dog some raw ride and checked out the cinema schedule for the day. i was already 30 min late for the current screening and i couldn't possibly wait for the LFS. so, i doggedly went home. besides, the box office sign said "SRO".
i know the weekend would be as congested so i will just have to wait for monday...sigh...

one of those days

i dont know what happened today until i spied the small blue book on my table. all day, i felt that something was off. without warning, i received normal calls. the first one was okay. a 'beginners luck'. the call was finished, no sweat at all. it wasnt until i got a relatively new issue that i panicked and my mind went completely blank. like i was on it for almost 20 minutes already and i actually dont know what i was doing. i can imagine how i looked as i helplessly asked for a quick fix to my issue. boy, that was embarrassing, and i swear i'm not taking that path again.
it's all about starting the day right.
looking back, i remember my "daily reading on the bus" routine was disrupted that morning. i sat with a friend and chatted ceaselessly for the duration of the trip.

about last night

when i got disconnected from the net last night, there's something in the air that say it's time to quit. and so i did.
and as it was late already (almost midnight) i had to walk from the house to ampong to hail a tricycle to go to sis' place. there was one cruising by when i got there but the driver acted as though i was invisible and took the guy instead who stood right in front of swan. i was short of bursting into my occasional temper until i spied the unmistakable profile. mind. it's not just the case of seeing somebody you love in other persons. in this case, it was really Him. the sports bag he lugged with him just confirmed my sleepy observation.
i was able to take a ride shortly after that episode and i was smiling like crazy during the short trip. wishes do come true if you dare wish hard enough :)
hehehehe...some night it was...i have forgotten the trauma that i went through earlier standing on the sdl bus for an hour (we took a detour taking the route passing through alijis and going out to the hi-way somewhere in sum-ag)...a rather harsh self flagellation...and an unnecessary one had i not held onto my Php 8.00 that would get me to libertad and hence a choice of seat on the bus...ah, life...and the decisions that we make.

black party

durden invades mo2 aquarium

let these pictures speak

this is after plateful of tacos and pork cracklings

which were gone even before the plate is laid on the table

with SME Seandurden senior associates
with SMEs Kristian, Kham, Greg, Eddie, Tin & Justine

the early birds

social responsibility

minimize the use of non-biodegradable plastic (i started today. im still working on completely eliminating its use, im thinking as to how to pack the coffee grounds that i buy, for one). buy a serviceable bamboo basket like this one (php 30).

baker or shepherdess?

i finished reading the alchemist today...i just picked it up randomly from the wall of books i have in my room after finishing arthur conan doyle's "lost world".

it was a nice transition from a sci-fi adventure, jargon packed read to a more slow paced and reader friendly piece.

inspirational books, i find boring and uninteresting but i thought i'd give it a go, with one thing in mind: exceed the number of books that i get to read last year.

so, how did i find it?

while most readers found the book to be most insightful or inspiring about having a dream and making that dream a reality, i am particularly interested on the words spoken by the King which goes, " bakers have homes, while shepherds sleep out in the open. parents would rather see their children marry bakers than shepherds." Go figure.

mama maria's pizza

i have never seen pizza this big before and it tasted way better than chez andre or MB's. their xxl size is even bigger than a "lazy susan". it can easily appease 10-12 hungry "call girls and boys". but on top of my portion, i had their equally good tasting carbonara (minimally seasoned the way i like it before adding pepper) and a bottle of light beer. there's a lot of variations of pizza to be sampled but that will have to wait for another time.

mama maria's is located along lacson st., right across the alisbo memorial chapel. it is an open resto with ample parking space where an enormous canvas is strategically hanged giving the customer a good view of whatever video they have on.

leah, thanks for the treat.

keeping the ties alive...lecia's and pat's birthday

what do i write about now? my head stills reels from lack of sleep, alcohol intoxication and jet lag. i been to cebu and back here at home in the past 37 hours. with lugging all the stuff i left behind last july in mind, i took the opportunity of my days off on a weekend to do it and attend pat's birthday as well (bringing 2 bags of home cooked food-by her mom-on my way there).going there was a nightmare. i spoke too soon when i said that i was fortunate to be seated next to a woman. boy, but she's chatty and doesn't know when to stop. it didn't help that a score of them brought children that were beginning to get whiny just when i was already set to sleeping. my phone battery nearly went dead as instead of getting irate and sound inconsiderate, i just drowned the maddening noise with david cook's tracks.
it was already afternoon when i got the chance to sleep at rina's place. that was when the "kbl" dish was already simmering under very low fire. it was already 8am when i alit at "pocherohan" pointless anymore to get some sleep when there's marketing to do at 11am and i needed some time to erase the travel marks on my person. it was an invigorating two hour nap. by six thirty, everything was ready except the other celebrant (lecia and pats shared birthdates which knowledge only hit me as i was saying the grace before meals).

it was an eventful night with almost everyone renderred wasted, i disturbed nobody but pats (with whom i bunked with for the last three hours of my visit at llc) when i was ready to leave.

be

taking calls...

...nothing can help you prepare for it. anything can happen. but this time i was no lomger wrought with anxiety on what lay ahead. i kept my cool despite:
- spending more than 10 min (beat that!) taking the customer's username and phone number on the first call,
- QA listening in to one of the calls and getting a 0 (as in zero-even lower than my 1st phychem exam back in college) on it for a non first call resolution,
- groping for the right tool when a customer says something else than what's on the cheat sheet,
- missing lunch by two hours (a most terrible circumstance to be in),
- clicking on the wrong aux code for paid breaks (and not knowing when to use the personal aux),
- failing to catch the attention of SME's and SA's for quick fixes , and
- requiring escalation for the last call and missing logging out on the scheduled time.

pet wash day

it was difficult to ignore the bright sunshine and it's suggestion to be the day to bathe shi fu and bjork. so on top of the daily chore (since two weeks ago-when we elected not to hire any more household help and start on adjusting ourselves to having strangers again in the house-which includes marketing, cooking breakfast and mopping the floor) it was imperative that the furry friends should get cleaned today or endure their stink another day more, the pug especially.




both shared the sentiments of being subjected to a seemingly torturous action and gave me the most difficult 20 minutes of my life. bjork, i had to bathe inside the bathroom, with warm water (a lesson learned from previous sessions in the past four years that he's been with the family). Surprisingly, he spared me the contemptuous look and even showed up for lunch after painstakingly drying his rather healthy fur out in the sun. shifu, on the other hand sufficed with taking his downstairs as long as his leash is secured.

am i ready?

four weeks went past quickly; graduation from product training last friday, the project launch yesterday and on thursday, i will be handling my first call. i don't know what to expect of it. but if it's something like the first mock call that i did, then i am doomed. hurdling that first call is crucial. once i get past it, i know everything will gradually fall into place (like some chemical reactions that ultimately reach the equilibrium at one point in time) getting the look and feel of life on the operations floor gets me into thinking all the possible mistakes that i will commit during that first call, and ultimately surviving the first day ruffled (it's impossible not to be) but unscathed and hardened a lil bit into taking the same task the following day. it's exciting at one point having in mind the novel experience that the job description has in store, at least until (we) get the hang of things.

l-r: diane, christine, pepsi, teenee and mike

the small group that i have forged a connection with during the 20 days of training has been distributed to different leaders. that translated to different work schedules too. it's one of the banes in this work environment. what of the trade-off? that would be something that i will have to discover in my journey here...which i hope will be as enjoyable as my last.

on tour guide assignment

admittedly, i made a lousy job of it.
the day did not follow through the sun that rose at dawn. not only was i late for the volleyball game, but the team lost to competition due having not reached the required number of players on the court.
lunch at l kaisie was a lonely affair. i had california maki (which wedge cut i didn't like) and coke. around that time cece and the broker were also eating; at imay's (wherever that is).
my phone battery has been threatening to die on me the whole morning that i used my mobile phone sparingly; mentioning right at the beginning that i will just kill time browsing around NBS. three hour, a dover thrift classic and a sticker paper later, i went of to take a seat at the lobby and read my smses. i learned that cece won't be available until after 5pm. i texted back that i could wait and wait i did stating that i have to leave for home after the appointed time. right after that, my mobile was no longer of use and was short of asking the woman beside me if i could use her phone to make a call (which i never did and opted to just scout for somebody i know to pass by my post). prompted by my growling stomach, i headed for mcdo at around
520pm before finally hailing a puj going to the terminal. at the terminal however, i had a change of luck. not only jarlene was there, she also volunteered that i use her phone, which i did. so i called up cece and we agreed to meet at chicken deli at lacson street but something told me to go to pepe's at sorrento instead. i suggested the house specialty, the salpicao. for dessert, we had a black sambo (the only gelatin based dessert that i have come to love).
our next stop was the mayfair tiangge to look up some stuff but the traders were already putting away their wares, so to showroom we next went where we picked up some local creations.
i have been promoting that mcdo at lacson has the most extensive collection of mcdo toys. surprise! surprise! the toys on display were no longer there; nor were the display windows where they have been strategically placed.
after a brief stay there, we moved on and went inside the capitol lagoon and watch for a bit the feeding of tilapia and the kids on skateboard strutting their stuff on the ramp.
our last stop was at the city plaza. getting off was unplanned but the road was fenced off from traffic to accommodate the night flea market. it was inconvenient but it allowed us to have a peek of the closed cathedral and meet some fellow trainees.
looking back now, i wished i get to get her around shopping area...maybe some other time.

red moon

on the spot where bo's cafe used to be in sorrent0 (along lacson st.) now sits a chinese restaurant called red moon.

after a fun and exhilirating game of volleyball and winning over the business support group on the third set, diane transported us (pepsi, christine and myself) to the place for lunch.

we had a fried garlic tofu, sweet and sour pork, beef with mushroom and a platter of steamed rice.

food is good and fairly priced. the ambiance appeals to small gatherings as evidenced by chinese group diners scattered all over the cozy eatery.

a next visit will surely follow and proper documentation will be observed.

reizvoller alumna plays for durden hunters

hahaha...who would have thought that the shortlived imds volleyball tourney last year would bring me this far. not that we were selected because we're the best of the lot. all six of us volunteered for the fun that the activity is sure to give. and the experience has given me something i can use to make starting over less painful. it's not about making a big splash. my thoughts are directed more towards making a good start.
the wonderful thing about the sportsfest is that the BIG people were there. kit (our site director) was there, ken (our ops mgr coached the bb team which lost by one shot to a veteran and better organized team) too. even our aussie trainors attended to lend support.

week two

with so much things to learn and remember, days seemed to run together and before we knew it, we were tested and found to be competent enough to go through the next training phase. and to mark this day, our section went to MO2, a famous destination for drinking and dancing (not much about eating and conversation though) and celebrate (?)
i only had a bottle of lager there but had countless shots of vodka mixed with lime at ken's place (a senior agent who's being cross trained on our account) while learning the art of poker from bong (a batch mate). i'm not sure about my wins being beginner's luck but the hands i've had saved me from getting drunk (our bets being shots of the alcoholic bev).

a day in the hell hole

note: this is lifted from my journal dated Nov 3, 2005

My mind is a jumble of words. I guess tatay sleep was troubled too with all the ruckus that I created earlier how bad my day in the city turned out today.
My eyes still burn from the tears that flowed freely after I wrote the following text after spying a number of the kids leave the line: "Bless the impatient souls. This afternoon's ordeal was a lot better to what I have been through this morning. Plus the fact that I was well equipped with a large serving of Bob's café iced mocha plus half of Lira's regular one. I think I am ready for anything…except that I feel like I need to expel some of the water that I have imbibed. What
a bummer!
I'm exhausted to the bone and I felt like trashing this morning especially when after painstakingly taking my place in the loooong queue, almost 20 dark souls cut me off for clearance signing at the Registrar's window. Realization dawned on me when a woman, supposedly
revered for her groups holiness (having set apart from the other believers so they can serve the lord in poverty and chastity) came from nowhere and cut me off too. As in! No wonder their students displayed the same degree of barbarism!
At least now I got to sit while waiting for my turn at the 'load validation' window. I wanted to do the right thing …and I did.I patiently waited in line. I wanted to correct what is wrong. I did and
failed miserably. What the hell is wrong with this world? Wala gid ya disiplina (discipline is amiss). The folly of democracy. I think what we need is anotherdictator. But let that happen when I'm out of the Philippines."
I wrote this in between reading Jessica Zafras's Twisted Flicks. Little did I know that a bigger surprise has lain in store for me three agonizing hours later. I left LCC at about 12:30 noon for lunch. I took my chance at finding Beth at the apartment but I have no such luck. I found the door doubly secured but the lights on at the porch. Bad business. So I left, dejectedly, and decided that I'd like to have Chinky's spareribs for lunch, which sis and myself enjoy so much but I found that I even lost my appetite for that. Just Imagine me losing my appetite because I cant. But I managed to finish it. Then I went to meet Lira and Jao at Robinson's where we had our coffee. While waiting for them, I bought Mae's MYMP and blank cds for my smallville season3.
I was back at lcc and got on the line readily. My gladness with the anticipation seeing that I was only like 10 steps away from the office window was aborted prematurely. Somebody came out
of the room and announced that 'were done for the day. Please come back on Monday.' I was stunned for a spell. I sat still where I was seated processing what sta ana (that was her name) just said. It couldn't be real. I mean, it was so wrong and so unfair, I couldn't have heard right. But when the throng finally started to disperse I realize that I heard her right. I slowly made my way towards her and I might have said something interesting that she gave me her full attention. I remembering saying that if that was the case, then all of those that were left on the queue should be given a priority number for next weeks use so that the long wait (gosh three hours was like an eternity, back home nanay could have had an afternoon siesta because I
would have been there to take her chore). Apparently, we think differently. Miles apart different…I lost my cause…miserably.
I left the place so dejected and disappointed and disillusioned, I wanted to be alone yet I wanted desperately to talk to somebody. I was murmuring "stupid" over and over again as a traversed the dark hallway of the high school department on my way to the main gate. I was holding on to the vestiges of my bravado but a call from sis was my undoing. Her timing couldn't be more perfect. I was at the end of the hall adjacent to the staircase. At my first word, I broke down. Thank God the sisters were on austerity, that area was again darkened and quite removed from the public I can howl all I want without arousing curiosity from the bystanders. Before I could make a coherent explanation about my outburst. I know how I sounded. As in I really
cried that soul-wrenching cry. I cried like I never did before (not even after I learned that you-know-who tied the knot-bwahahaha). When all my tears were spent, I laughed about what I just did. But I still hold that resentment…even after I have gone out of the building. My humor
however was restored when I spied the one of the labels in the textile section. It said "span" rayon. Bwahahaha!
You see those things are actually petty. What they lack is system on how to go about with the process. More than that, the issue can be traced back from the management itself. They are blind to the fault of their organization and that is sad. The sadder thing is if somebody attempts to make them see things, they chose to look at the other way. And I'm afraid that there is no hope for them.
I have expected the student council to have a hand in easing the ordeal of the student body. I remember my registration day during freshman year, an upper class from tau gamma helped me out in filling out my form. He even led me to the windows for my transactions. His name was manny. How could I forget him? And to think na frat boy yun ha. Well, the SSG should have thought something like that to aid newbies like me or mothers who haven't gone to schools themselves and wanted to make sure that their children enroll. And if that isn't possible, they should have posted what to do where. They should have labeled windows properly. But I guess that was too much to ask for from their caliber. I give up!
Well, I thank God that despite my missing a crucial episode in Amazing Twins (no thanks to their stupidity…I just can't get over it…give me a week or two), I get to drink my favorite coffee, completed my smallville collection. God is good! After all life would too boring without such distractions. I'm ready to retire now. Tomorrow is another day.

resisting a cuppa

proximity must have a great deal to do about how we much we go after certain things. it attunes to our sense of pride. knowing that we have something that others don't makes us self satisfied in a way.
i remember going out of my way to pass by at bo's from grad school to get my fix of iced mocha (i avoided starbucks since that one sad visit i've made eons ago. it's not about their coffee per se but the culture of their clientele that upsets me. correct me if im wrong but i bet my teletech dollars, most of the people go there to be seen). Cafe Ethiopia, Figaro, and Bo's don't look at all shabby next to it but the clientele are not as snobbish. More so, they seem to genuinely love coffee and go to these places to satisfy their craving of the enervationg brew and not merely to be seen.
going back, i spied 'kuppa' at the lobby while checking out from work. i gave it a look of longing but i heard this voice on the top of my head 'just wait an hour more and have KiLobytes brew instead'. that i did and spared myself from shelling out more than i can afford. when i get my first pay next week, maybe i can splurge a bit on it.

quandary managed

i had a miserable two days. with very little sleep in between shifts, i struggled to keep my eyes open, especially during reporting. the thing is, i've had the misfortune of being assigned the bottom bunk of a double decker and i could hear very shuffling feet on the floor.
besides deciding on taking the matter to the attention of authorities (i'm still drafting my problem statement, proposed solution and how the suggestion would benefit the company), i thought of an immediate remedy to my dilemma. it's nothing grand. i don't know what principle encompassed this idea but the object is "to shut out" unwanted sounds. to be able to do that i brought my ipod along and slept the sleep of the dead with david cook crooning his AI hits at the back of my head. it was a huge success. by the time i get to wake up, my wrist watch said it was already ten past the hour of six in the morning.

first impressions

First day of training wasn't so bad. I made a lot of impressions.

On "kids" these days.
They never stop to stun (yes, stun's the word) me.
Right on our introductory activity, while I revealed my deepest darkest secret as being afraid of addressing a big crowd, theirs ranged from being in love with their best friend, falling for their best friend's gf/bf, did it with their best friend's gf/bf and being a single mom/dad. Is this an issue of generation gap? Maybe, just maybe, because I play soccer and most of them just stay at home and watch tv.

On "senior" colleagues.
Most of the seniors (re: with the company for more that a year) still have that endearing sing song lilt to their speech but they well made up for it by talking a lot while I struggled to keep the conversation going. I guess this happens as I am too mindful of my grammar and choice of words, not to mention the daily battle I have with my dentures in getting the right sound for some vowels and consonants.

On "training"
While the rest of the trainees get to be fined for every vernacular uttered within the training floor, our group will be getting a "log" instead. An accumulation of these logs will sadly be used as a ground for expulsion. As if I didn't have enough torment listening to "intelligible" recordings that almost tore my ears off on top of things to know about (and keep in mind) a country that I have very little chance of setting my foot on. If all goes well though, and we adhere to what is required of us, there's no doubt about our finishing as best in our batch.

On a typical after-work-activity for a discerning out-of-towner.
I went to the nearest quiet room right after class (around 00:05H) but the next vacancy was at 12:59. So I tried the room downstairs and I was in bed by 00:30H. Sleep was elusive though. Apart from being new to the place, it didnt help that heeled shoes clicked against concrete (which, to me is inexcusible having tiptoed my way from the door to my assigned bunk) and phone alarms blared amidst the deathly silence which is only ocassionally disrupted by a snore here and there. I think carpeting should be installed and users would just log their wake up time (and have the minder wake them up at the appointed time) so that the place would live up to it's name as a 'quiet room'. One thing is sure though. It beats sleeping alone in a haunted clinic.

shi fu...the pug

our family is growing. besides lani and tess who were responsible for my not having do laundry ever again, last tuesday we picked up a four month old puglet from its temporary home. Home being the second floor of masters printing press along hilado extension. he greeted us from inside his metal carrier with his sad face as if saying 'you have to get me out of here'. he was pretty good at it. he had us at a pant (never heard him bark).after a night of acclimatizing, he seemed to have adjusted well to his new surroudings now. he slept early for a change. other changes that he notably brought home include: rendering bjork insecure (which led the latter to be more affectionate. on the first night, after seeing that everyone's attention was on the newcomer, he rubbed his face on my arm for aminute or so), increasing our laundry by 100% (his favorite latrine is the long couch at sis' house), forcing the most complacent bone to exercise among others. the days has gotten busy, with his excessive demand for attention. i think i lost two pounds in the last two days avoiding him...lol

gapo'

I finished reading it last night. It was an easy read; hard to put down.
Some of the subjects were outdated now but most of it still apply. Remember the email being circulated? About Chinese apples being waxed to keep the fruits fresh? Well they just used the same technology our American friends used with their apples in the 70s and early 80s so it can't be an "issue" now.
Just peel the apples before eating them (watch a lot of koreanovelas and learn from their housewives how to prepare and serve fruits).
The characters were like the average Jose and Maria; like you and me. Most of them kept mum about being subjects of injustice. The only one who had the balls to stand and talk back...died a nasty death...gash...
And when that somebody died, the rest who shut their mouths up shamelessly rake in the benefits the criminals dole out to assuage their guilt and to divert attention from the crime itself.

(ad)Venture

http://imdssolutions.net84.net/

Did you ever wonder what this link is all about?

How do I begin?

Well, imdssolutions came about as i was mulling over what to do with my "free time". If you were in my shoes, your imagination would have ran wild too and wander in territories least explored. I thought, why not put up an outsourcing outfit? I searched for something that I am competent and confident enough to deliver quality service with and saw this as a lucrative option (besides content creation which I also accept using the same business name...advertising via digital point forum).

IMDS stands for International Material Data System. Yes, it's the same database that I faced everyday during my four-year tenure at an automotive service provider. It is a database where all automotive suppliers and manufacturers enter, process and maintain their material data sheets to facilitate compliance to various laws on end of life vehicles (reuse, recycling, environmental management). I saw the need for outsourcing from having personally dealt with problematic suppliers that require assistance with their compliance.

The funny thing is my ex-colleagues (well some of them) were troubled (judging from the various reactions from mails and chat exchanges) about my venturing into this business. Hahaha. As if I could compete with a global conglomerate. What they didn't know is that I will be doing them a favor in terms of shortening their lead time by taking care of their problematic suppliers. I'm looking at a possible clientèle based from China, Korea (who are now keen in implementing RoHS) and Mexico (difficult to deal with by experience-language barrier-i hope my street spanish lessons can help). I'm offering to enter data (of say rivet, resin, leather etc), validate (check datasheets submitted), and submit assembly data (e.g. data for a seat system, electronic system, dashboard, i.e. composite parts of a vehicle).

So if you happen to be into the automotive biz and is facing demands from your customer to comply with IMDS, better outsource now and save from training. Visit the site today.

bumming...

...isn't as glamorous as it used to be. while the circumstance is quite different now, somehow it feels the same. the atmosphere is thick with expectations. the ugly kyuubi takes charge at times and chaos ensues. it is a place anybody won't want to be.

upsides:
- provides an opportunity to mull over the things past and take notes
- stirs the mind and moves it in the direction of creativity
- lends time to plan carefully and build an enterprise from novel and "uncharted" ideas

shrimp, prawns or scampi?

whatever they're called, i bought 600g of those for dinner for Php 180 (that cheap-eat your hearts out) with my hard earned dough from teaching general chemistry. hard-earned as i needed to unearth the remains of stored knowlegde on the subject matter neath the more recent information which mostly consist of david cook songs and wenthworth miller's lines in prison break.

lewis structure was like lightyears away already and it took me twice the time to review than my actual tutorial session. it has been five years since i last taught and it is something to get used to. hopefully next weekend wouldn't ba as painful.

i would have liked it sweet and spicy but then only three of us would have enjoyed it.

a tad too many send offs...

...which made me think..do these people wanted me out that much???...hahaha...

thanks, you guys! PQ luncheon at tong's in marina mall (l-r: arnold, charisse, moi, charity)
dinner at golden cowrie in lahug with peers from cebu electronics...loved the scallops
nightcap at julia's, still in lahug

a late brunch...(or was it lunch already?) at lear cafeteria.

thanks roomie for the invite...i couldn't ask for anything better than thisat 3 pm, the cafeteria was flooded with delivered pizzas (payday). ours was customised. imagine the queue at the microwave stationthe final surprise..an apt ending to this crazy adventure

my going away present: a collection of david cook's videos on american idol

...which everyone enjoyed

i'll miss everybody...can't help getting mushy

points to ponder (when applying for a call agent post)

1) put your star scout motto into action. "laging handa" (always ready). i had my berlitz interview 22 hours ago. yes, i was scheduled to take one at midnight. creepy eh. the company called me tonight (but i missed it) so i might have done good in it.
2) bring (more than) enough money - i was 5 hours early for my interview. but i had to leave lest i miss the last trip to bacolod. to kill time i watched the last full showing of "Mummy 3" at SM. though the movie's a lot cheaper here than in cebu, the snacks cost as much. I just had raisins and water.
3) buy a car first or suffer - since i didn't have one and have no idea about trip schedules having flown in just last tuesday, i waited more than an hour on the road adjacent the old airport with the wind and rain chilling my legs to the bones until the first ceres trip to kanlaon picked me up.
4) don't forget your house key - i did not ask for a copy from mom so i stayed in the rain knocking in vain on the door. at 5 a.m. everyone was dead to world...lulled by the rythmic patter of the rain on the roof

home...for good

this is what my 699 airfare has to offer. baggage restriction is so stringent, i paid more for my 8 kg excess than my own passage. i'm glad i'm not taking same flight anytime soon. this sight of cebu mainland made me wistful thousands of feet in the air...thinking of the places that i have yet to see, explore and enjoy ...like the picture below. is this a caldera? a natural pool? a man made lake...i can only wonder ...but when i beheld the verdant beauty that greeted me during the plane's final descent, my hope was restored.
i am home.