my blah blah blog

salamat... super!

2007-07-30T06:51:00.000+08:00

oh my god! now, i can, indeed, say that there are still good people left in this world. around two hours ago, i got home a bit tipsy and realized that i lost my wallet. obviously, i unwittingly left it in the cab since i was able to pay for my fare. i was extremely panicking since i have my company-issued amex card inside my wallet – among other cards. i even had to wake up two of my friends to help me look for my wallet (since i wasn’t sure if i really lost my wallet or just misplaced it out of tipsiness), and to browse for a few banks’ customer service hotline numbers for the blocking of my accounts. a few minutes after i realized i lost my number, the guard on post at the entrance of our condominium complex gave our unit a ring, and one of my friends got to talk to him. apparently, the cab driver was at the gate, and has returned to give my wallet back. i then rushed to the gate and true enough, the cab driver was there. he handed me over my wallet and told me that it was a good thing that nobody hailed the cab after i alighted. i was so elated and thankful to the cab driver that i gave him almost half of the money in my wallet. i didn’t care anymore if it was a relatively big amount coz i had my amex card in my mind all the while. i could have been liable for P45,000.00 to my company since one could’ve withdrawn a maximum of $1,000 if he or she successfully hacks the account before i could have it blocked. i even forgot to ask the cab driver’s name since i had this at the back of my mind all the while. he asked for my contact numbers though so as to “makapagtulungan kami.” hence, i obligingly gave him a business card. nonetheless, even if i don’t know his name, i am deeply and sincerely grateful for his praiseworthy act. so manong cab driver, if you ever get to read this, maraming, maraming, maraming salamat po at nawa’y pagpalain kayo ng diyos. sobrang salamat din sa guard na nakuasap ko at sa dalawang kaibigan kong tumulong sakin. again, salamat talaga – as in super! =)

darnit! v. lovet!

2007-07-25T01:40:00.000+08:00

been so stressed out for the past month and a half. i have begun studying again, and been juggling it with my work. ssstttrrreeesss!!! darnit!
my entrance scholarship was reassessed and got approved. lovet!
this means, i have to maintain an average of 3.5 or B+. darnit!
i'm really learning a lot nonetheless, and i'm getting the hang of dissing people who are presenting their case study reports. hahaha! sorry sila, the case studies are really mind stimulating eh, and i usually have a lot to say about them. lovet!
my sex life has suffered though. darnit!
mai's setting up a date for me anyways. lovet!
but i ain’t in the good condition to go on a date. i am so emaciated now! turn off! darnit!
finished reading the final installment of the harry potter series. it started good, waned and was boring for about 300 pages, picked up in the middle of the book, and was really exhilarating towards the end. worth the wait! lovet!

* editor’s note: yes, the last item is not related to the other items at all. eh bakit ba? sa gusto kong isama eh! angal?!?!

the bitch in me

2007-06-11T22:45:00.000+08:00

i was chatting with a person from my not so distant past when he reminded me of a message that i posted in one forum. i thought of posting the message here coz i think it's such a masterpiece. hehehe!

para sa baklang nagpaparinig sa akin sa cgs:

i don't know what your true intentions are, or what you are trying to achieve. are you trying to out me in public? if so, your efforts are pointless and they'd only be rendered fruitless because i am out, and neither am i trying to be discreet at all. you've already done it to me twice; so for crying out loud, put a lid on it. besides, so what if you see me here online everyday? apparently, you are too. i've done nothing to you so i don't understand why you can't keep your big, loud mouth shut. if you're trying to wage a war with me, sorry, i won't stoop to your level. your style is too crass and uncouth for me. if you are bored and have nothing better to do with your mediocre and miserable life, i suggest you try knitting; or anything that will keep you from minding other people's businesses will do. lastly, in my world, you've never existed and you will continue not to exist in it. you were nothing but a sad and pitiful figment of my imagination.

pics!!!

2007-06-04T23:18:00.000+08:00

i've finally uploaded pics from our 9-day 2007 ultimate summer getaway (bacolod-iloilo-guimaras-boracay). to my friends, just access my friendster account. i've also included a few pics from our caliraya trip last april. enjoy! =) to those who aren't my friends, sorry na lang. hehehe! =P

chismis sa admin ng la salle

2007-05-24T02:35:00.000+08:00

chismis ang jay

hindi 94.3% ang average ko sa objective exam, essay and interview. hindi ko alam kung saang lupalop niya nakuha ang average na yun.

according to miss mina, another admin personnel, walang quantitative ratings ang mga essays and the interview

i checked the website and apparently, to qualify for the entrance scholarship, dapat at least 95% sa objective exam and both "high" ang marks for the essay and the interview

also, hindi sha 50% scholarship, something like subsidy lang pala ito na ire-refund sa mga scholars

nonetheless, i feel like i really deserve that

at dahil dito....

May 24, 2007

Philip E. Juico
Dean
Graduate School of Business
De La Salle Professional Schools, Inc.

Dear Sir:

I am Mark Anthony G. Fontanilla and I have just been accepted to your reputable school’s MBA Program for SY 2007-08. Student ID# 10784748 has been issued to me last night during the course advisement procedure.

Truthfully, I was actually hoping and praying that I could perhaps qualify for your entrance scholarship program. However, it appears that I unfortunately did not make the cut. In line with this, I am requesting your humble office to please reassess my application for the following reasons:
a. I scored 97% in the verbal and quantitative tests;
b. I am exempted in both Business Communication and Business Writing; so I assume that I indeed got a high mark on my essays; and,
c. I got a rating of 1 on work experience in my interview because I’ve only been working for 3 ½ years. This, I feel, is unfair: and of which, I think, I should not have been penalized and placed at a disadvantage.

I am now hoping that you could perhaps reconsider my case. I understand that the entrance scholarship program only refunds a modest yet generous percentage of the entire tuition and fees. Still, this will greatly help me financially since I will be paying my way through the MBA program independently.

Thank you very much, and I am looking forward to your very kind consideration and meritorious response.

Sincerely yours,

Mark Anthony G. Fontanilla
Account Manager
GXS Philippines, Inc.

mba entrance exam

2007-05-22T02:59:00.000+08:00

april 21, 2007
i took the entrance exam for the mba program of la salle. i found the exam relatively easy because i used the princeton gmat reviewer to prepare for this. the verbal sub-test was kinda exhausting though since i went to the exam straight from work; so i was really tired and had no sleep. and since i read really slow (i have this oc tendency to read every word in a sentence and properly pronounce them in my mind – including articles and prepositions!), it was such an eye and brain workout. imagine having to edit three lines of syntactically incorrect phrases per item or having to read around six one-page texts for comprehension and analysis when you’re actually pressed for time! on the other hand, i surprisingly breezed through the quantitative sub-test even if i’m not so confident with my rusty math skills. the essay part, now that i was really confident about. after the exam, i had a good feeling on how my scores will turn out but i wasn’t really sure if i’ll be cut out for the 50% scholarship. an examinee needs to get an average of 95% on the objective exam, essay and interview in order to qualify.

may 2, 2007
the test results are supposedly released ten days after the examination day so i called la salle to inquire. unfortunately, there were no results yet.

may 3, 2007
still, no results. ten days after daw ha!

may 4, 2007
no results. hmmm… maybe it’s ten business days.

may 7, 2007
went to la salle to check. no result pa rin! akala ko bang ten days?!?!? e ten business days na kaya, wala pa rin!

attendant: sir, tatawagan na lang kayo ni jay natividad.
cho: okay….

may 12, 2007
after three weeks, finally jay called me and said that i passed the essay and objective exams, and i’m scheduled for the interview.

may 16, 2007
scheduled interview – i was an hour late. hahaha! it was a so-so interview and i could’ve certainly done a lot better if my thoughts weren’t sabog. plus, my english sucked. hahaha! i swear my uhm’s and ahh’s were irritating, and i didn’t have organization and flow.

after the interview, the professor handed me a copy of their plan of study form. he was explaining the form to me when i saw my grade on the objective exam – 97 percentile. panalo! hence, obviously, there is a big chance that i qualify for the scholarship. in a few days, i will know the final results. and honestly, i was kinda hopeful.

may 21, 2007
cho: hello! may i speak with jay navidad please?
jay: sino po sila?
cho: this is mark fontanilla.
jay: yes, sir. ano po yun?
cho: i just wanted to confirm if i got accepted.
jay: yes, sir. accepted na po kayo sa mba program.
cho: ah, okay. pwede ba makuha yung average ko sa exam?
jay: ay, sorry sir. hindi namin dini-disclose yun eh.
cho: okay. sige, ask ko na lang kung nag-qualify ako for the scholarship.
jay: ay, hindi po sir.
cho: oh, sayang naman. hay! sige, so punta ako jan on the 23rd for the course advisement?
jay: opo, sir. tapos enrollment sa 26.
cho: sige. nga pala, may mga payment schemes ba kayo, tipong installment or monthly?
jay: ay, sir! yung average niyo raw sa exam, 94.3!
cho: huh?!?! ano bay un?!?! 94.3??? hindi ba pwedeng i-consider na yun for the scholarship???
jay: hindi po sir, eh.
cho: 0.7 na lang naman, eh….
jay: sir kasi meron pong 94.6 saka 94.7, hindi rin sila pinayagan.
cho: hay! sayang naman! sige, punta na lang ako jan sa 23.

my god!!! isn’t that frustrating??? he shouldn’t’ve told me my average score anymore. in the first place, they supposedly don’t really release the average scores of the examinees. a simple yes or no would’ve sufficed. i even changed the topic, so why’d he have to bring it all up again? it’s not as if i was pleading or was forcing him to tell me my score. now i can’t get over the fact that i’m only 0.7% shy from the cut-off mark. sayang eh! argh!!! i wish i just got 91 or 88. it would’ve been easier to get over with. sigh!

anyways, it's back to school again!

another british music hit (lovet!)

2007-04-09T22:45:00.000+08:00

addie just got back from germany this morning and we spent a very short time catching up earlier tonight. while we were talking, he played his new cd acquisition and i was immediately drawn to the rhythm of the song that he played. british music! oh, how i love british music!!! and so i was introduced to the music of mika (mica penniman) – a lebanese-american singer with a vocal range of five octaves, who is now very popular in the uk and some other countries in europe. his album was recently released in the us and according to chrissy, apparently perez hilton loves him. hehehe!

the following is a video of his live performance at taranta 2007 where he sang grace kelly, the song that made him big in the uk. gosh, he’s so gay! for that, i love him na talaga! hahaha!

and here's the lyrics. love it talaga! =)

do i attract you?
do i repulse you with my queasy smile?
am i too dirty?
am i too flirty?
do i like what you like?

i could be wholesome
i could be loathsome
guess i'm a little bit shy
why don't you like me?
why don't you like me without making me try?

refrain:
i tried to be like grace kelly
but all her looks were too sad
so i tried a little freddie
i've gone identity mad!

chorus:
i could be brown
i could be blue
i could be violet sky
i could be hurtful
i could be purple
i could be anything you like
gotta be green
gotta be mean
gotta be everything more
why don't you like me?
why don't you like me?
why don't you walk out the door!

[getting angry doesn't solve anything.]

how can i help ya
how can i help it
how can i help what you think?
hello my baby
hello my baby
putting my life on a brink

why don't you like me
why don't you like me
why don't you like yourself?
should i bend over?
should i look older just to be put on your shelf?

(refrain)

(chorus)

say what you want to satisfy yourself
hey!
but you only want what everybody else says you should want
you want

(chorus 2x)

oooh, oooh!

kaching

salamat

2007-03-13T04:38:00.000+08:00

to all the people who greeted me on my birthday, even if i had to fish the greetings from some of you (hahaha!):

thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! thank you! =)

spot the difference

2007-02-21T20:03:00.000+08:00

and so, several weeks have passed and i still haven't uploaded pics from my recent trip to the states and galera. been busy at work, been sick and been dumped again (well, apparently i did the dumping daw). now, i've decided not to upload pics anymore. it's too tedious and i'm too lazy to do so. to my friends, just check out my friendster account. there are some pics there that i've uploaded. however, i've decided to upload the following pics though because they're aliw.

2005

2006

2007

first day of snow in the md/dc/va area

2007-01-20T22:05:00.000+08:00

it started snowing a few hours ago and we're expecting more, heavier snow in the next couple of days. damn, it's really cold! freaking below freezing temp!!!

* i'll post pics when i get back to manila....

new shoes

2007-01-18T22:04:00.000+08:00

my shoes were finally delivered last night. love it! love it! love it! worth all the effort. hehehe! =)

from manila to gaithersburg

2007-01-15T17:44:00.000+08:00

3 hours in naia (freshness, i didn’t have to fall in a long queue. thanks to www.nwa.com’s online check-in service)
4 ½ hours from manila to nagoya (still quite fresh)
1 ½ hours in nagoya airport (surprisingly, their ground attendants and immigrations people speak better english now)
11 hours from nagoya to detroit (literally, a pain in the ass)
3 hours in detroit-wayne airport including 1 ½ hours in the homeland security office (yes! my god! we were almost prohibited to enter the country!!! kaloka! good thing everything was settled or else, we would have been sent back to the philippines, and i wouldn’t be able to pick up my shoes! hahaha!)
1 ½ hours from detroit to washington dc (my seatmate put the talk in talkative!)
30 minutes in washington-reagan (uber harassed look)
1 hour from washington dc to gaithersburg, md (finally!)

26 hours!!! super tiring! as in, haggard talaga!!! and grimy! like i could smell my dead skin cells!!! hahaha! good thing the weather here is lovely – not as cold as jan 2005 or jan 2006. tipong, i’m only using a sweater. it’s like baguio weather lang. i like!

* i’m gonna pick up my shoes na later. yehey!

miscommunication

2007-01-11T03:52:00.000+08:00

well apparently, i could stay at ross’ place in new york after all. it’s just that he won’t be there to accompany me. i thought i couldn’t stay there anymore since he won’t be there. argh! for that, next time i will not presume. written messages really could mean differently for every person. so in cases like this, it’s always better to hear the message – firsthand, at that.

anyways, i’m still gonna have to take a pass on the vacation. it’s too late to have my flight itinerary rebooked again (pardon the redundancy but remember, i’ve already rebooked it.) also, my mind is set for shopping instead. hahaha! i just spoke with norman from cole haan and he said that he was able to order the shoes for me, and i could pick them up on the 15th. yippee-doodle! i'm glad that there wasn't any miscommunication on this one. =)

shoe fetish

2007-01-09T19:19:00.000+08:00

since i won’t be having a vacation in new york anymore, i’ve decided that i’ll just spend my money on shopping instead. hahaha! goodluck to overspending! I guess it’s okay though because we’ll have our unused sick leaves converted into cash on the 28th so i could pay for the amount that i’ll overspend. hahaha! but still, goodluck pa rin talaga! i’ve actually started to budget my money last night on the items that i want to buy there. so far, i haven’t gone overboard on the expenses – well, yet. hahaha! i still hope though that my impulsiveness in shopping will not kick in so i won’t overspend this time. goodluck to my e.q. as well coz i’m going to leesburg corner premium outlets. wwaaaahhh!

i actually have quite a lot of items on my to-buy list but only one item would really make me happy since i can do without the rest anyways. what is it? it’s a cole haan nike air granada sport ox! hehehe!

boy! i really need to have a pair of that. serious! last night, when chrissy and i were browsing through the cole haan website, it’s the only item that struck me and stuck in my mind. promise! it was love at first sight!!! hahaha! i got kinda obsessed so i really had to do something about it.

and so i called the cole haan outlet in leesburg. hahaha! i had to check if they have it there or not; so i could call the shops within the washington dc/virginia area if they don’t. the salesperson whom i got to talk to told me that outlets do not actually carry that item. only shops do because it’s something like a prime or a first class item. so the salesperson just referred me to the shops in pentagon city and tysons galleria.

i called the shop in pentagon city because i’ve already been there so i’m quite familiar with the area. i got to speak with a salesperson named norman and inquired about the shoes. when i gave him the item code, he unhesitatingly said, “sir, just by hearing the item code, i’m telling you now that we don’t have that here.” my god! panic!!! so i asked him if any of the shops in the vicinity carries that item. he asked me for my shoe size and then checked his database. he said that there are only 7 pairs left with my shoes size in the whole united states and they’re in boston, houston, atlanta, chicago, dallas, and two more cities I forgot. there’s none in the dc/va area!!! wwaaaahhh!

tense!!! i was really pleading by then. i was telling him stuff like: “but i really like that item,” “i really need to have a pair of that,” “god, what am i gonna do?” hahaha! i told him that i’m actually in manila but i’m flying in this weekend. i said that i’m gonna arrive on the afternoon of the 14th so i could purchase the item on the 15th. norman said that he’s willing to order the item for me but i have to provide him with some information. okay, okay! that’s easy.

he first asked me for my email address so i willingly gave it to him. i even gave him my business email address. then he asked me for a u.s. billing address. what the…??? i don’t have one!!! i told him that i actually have a visa credit card but it’s issued here in the philippines. he said that he needs a u.s. issued credit card with a u.s. billing address for security and verification purposes. dammit! stress!!!

well, i could give him my amex card number (that should be more than enough assurance) but it’s also issued here. and besides, i can use that for business transactions only. so given the situation, i told him that i’m just gonna pay for it in cash on the 15th instead since they wouldn’t accept my card. he said that he could indeed order the item but it’s difficult to put an item on hold in their shop for seven days because somebody might just walk in and would also want to buy it. so i told him that he just has to put it on hold for the meantime and i would definitely be there on the 15th, first thing in the morning, to pick it up: that i don’t care if i’d have to take the metro or a cab all the way from gaithersburg, maryland. hahaha! i also gave him my maryland and u.s. toll-free numbers, which i’m using here in manila, to show that I’m really serious about acquiring the shoes. my gosh! effort!

in the end, with my pleading and whining, norman gave in and said that he’s going to order the shoes for me and put it on hold until the 15th. yippee! pero that was such an endeavor talaga ha! hahaha! kaloka! i’m uber excited na talaga to get a hold of it. as in! tunay! i just wish norman did place the order for me. hmmm…. for that, i’m gonna call him again later to check if (and make sure that) he actually did. hehehe! =)

new york, no more! =(

2007-01-06T20:53:00.000+08:00

apparently, ross will be going home here in manila on the dates that i am supposed to be in new york. romy still hasn't called me if it's okay to crash at his and ben's place. i can't go to detroit either because eileen's going to texas for training. i'm now left without a place to stay on my vacation dates. well, i could go to los angeles and stay at my relatives place but i'd rather not. they're too conservative and i bet i'd be encarcirated in the house or i'll be chaperoned wherever i go to. hence, no more vacation for me. hwwaaaahhh!

because of this, i had to call our company's global travel agency in maryland to rebook my flight itinerary. i almost had to pay $150 for the penalty but luckily, the executive assistant (never call her a secretary or she'd certainly be pissed off) of our senior vp decided that the company will just take care of the added expenses. whew!

so i had to come up with another plan. good thing, jem and chrissy’s team will be going to puerto galera on the 27th. since i’m kinda an honorary member of their team, i’ve decided to join them on the trip instead. i'll be flying back to manila on the 25th. i’ll arrive at 10:30pm on the 26th, or the latest is 12:30am on the 27th – that is, if there are no flight delays. so goodluck daba! haggard ito! well, i’ll just have to take the toll to have fun, right? hahaha!

banyo voice

2007-01-02T23:25:00.000+08:00

2 days ago, i was singing while taking a bath when i noticed that my voice had a good echo in the bathroom. so i decided to record my voice. in fairness, i love the result. hehehe! the song was only cut short because my phone could record an audio file only up to a minute. next time, i'll just use the video recorder and grab the audio from the file. hehehe! =)

visa

2006-12-29T22:37:00.000+08:00

earlier, i have received my passport with my new visa from the u.s. embassy and just as i thought, i got a non-annotated five-year b1/b2 visa with multiple entries. lovely! i wouldn't have to endure very long queues in the u.s. embassy again for the next 5 years. yippee! =)

how normal am i?

2006-12-23T07:01:00.000+08:00

You Are 40% Normal

While some of your behavior is quite normal...
Other things you do are downright strange
You've got a little of your freak going on
But you mostly keep your weirdness to yourself

How Normal Are You?

u s of a, here i come again!!!

2006-12-22T01:11:00.000+08:00

yesterday morning, i had my visa interview again for our annual trip to the states. i was already in the embassy with my teammates at 6:30 am since our scheduled interview was at 7:15 am. the interview with the officer went smoothly and after only 2 hours, my application was again approved - a new record for me. moreover, this time around, i think that i will get a visa with multiple entries. i wasn't really worried about the application because our company is under the priority list of the embassy, and i had been issued visas in the two previous years. i just wanted it to be done with because the first batch of my teammates got their visa applications approved two days ago. so u s of a, here i come again!!!

itinerary:
january 14 to january 20 - gaithersburg, maryland (training)
january 20 to january 25 - washington dc (convention)
january 25 to february 3 - new york city (vacation)

the prayer

2006-12-12T03:00:00.000+08:00

last friday night, we had our company christmas party. as always, it was held at the new world renaissance hotel in greenbelt. what makes this christmas party a very different experience to me is that i actually performed in front of my colleagues this time around. i sang anthony callea’s (australian idol ’05 runner-up) solo version of the song “the prayer” during the program. at first, i was really nervous but i got a grip of myself somewhere in the middle of the song. i’d say, generally, my performance went really well. a lot of people were surprised that i could sing that way because my speaking voice is totally different from my singing voice. the following is an audio recording (i don’t wanna post the video! =P) of my performance that night; so if you have some time to waste, you may listen to it at your own risk. just disregard jem and chrissy’s comments. hahaha!

new phone

2006-11-28T23:06:00.000+08:00

yipee! i finally have a new phone... to lose again?!?! hahaha! i hope not. i sure wish that my unlucky streak with phones has ended the last time i lost one.

rockista princess

2006-11-23T02:04:00.000+08:00

finally, my dear friend princess got through to the final round of colt 45 rockista on mtv: judgement day. the announcement of the winner will be next tuesday, november 28, 2006, 8:00 pm at the music museum. so, please vote for her and help her achieve her ultimate dream.

to vote, just type MTV COLT45ROCKISTA PRINCESS then send to 2219 for globe, touch mobile and sun, or 638 for smart and talk ‘n text.

me, chinito?!?!

2006-11-20T23:59:00.000+08:00

and so, there i was in bed (the club) last sunday sitting on a couch – smoking, drinking and being a wallflower, as usual – when this guy sitting beside me asked me, “you’re from hong kong, right?” i was like, “huh???” so he repeated, “you, you’re from hong kong, right?” and i said, “no….” he then asked, “so where are you from then?” i replied, “uhm, mandaluyong.” at first, he sounded really certain about his remark but when he heard my reply, he was so surprised that he even asked for his friend’s opinion. and so he went, “hey anna, doesn’t he look like he’s from hong kong?” with all glowing smiles she answered, “oh yes, he does.”

how the heck does a person from hong kong look like?!?! well, apparently i look like one, but i don’t understand how one can distinguish that! i can perhaps identify who’s chinese, who’s japanese or who’s korean; although sometimes i still even mix them up. but someone from hong kong… c’mon, they’re basically chinese, for chrissakes! how can you tell just by looking at a chinese guy if he’s from beijing, hong kong, singapore or someone who grew up in ongpin?!?! it’s like distinguishing an ilocano from a crowd of capampangans and bicolanos!!!

which reminds me, last january, joa and i were walking along the streets of dc, looking for a place to eat breakfast, when a homeless guy asked me for a buck. since i’m kinda scared of homeless people, i paced up my walk and just shook my head to say no. then the homeless guy blurted, “damn you, bruce lee!” and kept on muttering. hahaha!

boy, i’ve always thought that i’m mestizo. i guess i got recessive genes from my mom then. or is it because of the constant squinting of my myopic eyes? i have big eyes kaya! hmmm....

musing

2006-11-16T23:05:00.000+08:00

i'm a cold-hearted, selfish, egoistical, narcissistic bitch.

2007 u.s. trip

2006-11-13T21:53:00.000+08:00

last week, our manager confirmed that we are flying to the states earlier than expected. our annual convention is only four days long but since we need to be trained for the new software that we are going to use next year as well as our new job responsibilities, we will be staying at the maryland-washington dc area for two weeks instead. our tentative departure date is january 13, 2007, so it’s just two months away. i’m planning to file a vacation leave after the convention and i just wish it’ll be approved. i still haven’t decided though if i’m gonna spend time in new york or san francisco. either way, i’m still excited! =)

p.s. i’ve finally recovered from my financial slump; and come november 28, i’ll be once again stable. yippee! =)

william devaughn

2006-10-26T12:14:00.000+08:00

my new crush! he's the guy from one of mcdonald's mcrice burger tv commercials. boy, i wish he was mine! yummy!!! lol

cess on rockista

2006-10-25T00:10:00.000+08:00

please support my very good friend princess canlas as she competes with 10 other finalists for the colt 45 rockista on mtv: judgment day. the show is aired every monday at 8:00 pm with replays on wednesdays, 12:00 pm and fridays, 11:00 pm. you can also watch their live performances at the teatrino greenhills every tuesday at 7:00 pm.

“i want to be a catalyst for self-expression.”
- princess, on why she wants to be a rockista

i am now officially a couch potato

2006-10-24T01:35:00.000+08:00

thanks to dvd9, i am now officially a couch potato. in a month’s time, i’ve managed to watch 6 seasons of “sex and the city,” 5 seasons of “scrubs,” 4 seasons of “family guy,” 2 seasons of “entourage” and 2 seasons of “coupling” (movies not included). it’s fascinating how one could really relate to most characters in the movies and tv series.

i finished watching bbc’s “coupling” early yesterday and i found it tummy cramping hilarious. it’s like a cross between “sex and the city” and “friends.” the characters are very funny but i was able to relate more on gina bellman’s self-obsessive character, jane christie. here’s one of her monologues where she initially talks about her new boyfriend (whom she hasn’t actually met yet and has only seen through a window across her flat) but being the self-absorbed attention-grabbing narcissist that she is, she eventually ends it with a subconscious self-realization, which she then projects to her so-called boyfriend.

“sometimes i look at him sitting there waiting, and sometimes i can almost hear the terrible voices of his inner torment – echoing out from the great black emptiness of his heart. i’m alone; nobody wants me. i’m a sad, boring little person who has to be the center of attention every second of the day just to drown the screaming choirs of my own insanity. and i’ll never find a man of my own. oh, my god! do you think he’s gay?”

ingenious guy

2006-10-20T05:15:00.000+08:00

fun video! i like the guy - he's so cute. i like his smile - very charming. i like his stare - very sensual. i like his swagger - very confident. if i were the girl, i would've pulled the guy towards me, french kissed him then groped his crotch and ass in front of all the ogling people. hahaha!

ramblings, 17 "arghs!" and my longest entry thus by far

2006-10-17T00:30:00.000+08:00

a couple nights ago, i got the chance to chat with a really good friend of mine, nancy, whom i haven’t seen for over half a year now. we were exchanging updates on what has been happening in our lives lately when she asked me, “so, have you found yourself a boyfriend yet?” a nonchalant “no” was the only response that she got from me, and so she then interposed, “ugh, pathetic!” i know that it was only an innocuous remark and really meant no harm; hence, i just brushed it aside. my friends and i are quite immune to such animadversion albeit we could sound somewhat offensive and harsh at times. nonetheless, it was still enough to make me ponder. not that it hit a sore spot, it just plainly made me do some thinking. argh!

i’ve been meaning to write an entry about my intimacy issues and commitment-phobia, and it has really been long overdue. however, as much as i want to expound more on this topic, i have so many things in my mind now that i really have to blow off of my system. so i might not be coherent on this entry but i will still try my best to put flow on it. i just wish i could organize my thoughts though. argh!

moving on, last saturday afternoon, a few days after contemplating on nancy’s comment, leo’s friend jean asked him for my number to fix me up with one of her good friends. i only met her once so i am flattered that she considers me as a worthy catch for her friend. as someone who applies malcom gladwell’s book “blink” on almost a daily basis (basically someone who’s judgmental), i immediately and sincerely liked her when we first met anyways and it was really thoughtful of her; so i gave leo the go signal to give jean my number. might as well give it a shot for this could potentially be what i’ve been waiting for in my directionless life. or maybe not. argh!

early that evening, i found myself eagerly exchanging sms with jean’s friend. i found his blunt, straightforward, no-nonsense approach really interesting and appealing. so even if i was with my friends at that time in mall of asia, i was busy and was taking pleasure in an entire texting world of my own where i couldn’t be perturbed or pestered. i decided to put it on a rest though after the whole group had dinner since we were off to the mtv-colt 45 rockista launch at the mall of asia’s south seaside parking area. boy, was it a long walk away from the mall itself! argh!

yes, yes, yes! now you’re obviously thinking why the hell were we going to such an event?!?! to a place where i normally wouldn’t dare be caught dead??? a rock concert, for heaven’s sake! teeming with jologs people!!! ugh! why, oh why!?!? argh!

well, we were going there because of friendship; to show some support for a friend, cess, who got qualified as a finalist for the reality tv talent search show. so, since i pride myself as a really good friend (like the way i pride myself as an egotistical, narcissistic megalomaniac. hahaha!), i decided to muster some strength to brave the tacky, crass, odiferous, sweaty and sticky jologs crowd. argh!

at first, we stayed at the rearmost area of the crowd and i was already kinda comfortable there. but then, to show full support for cess, we supposedly had to meet her at the right side of the stage to talk to her and wish her luck. translation: we had to get through a mosh pit to get to the more pacified area (as how adi creatively and in a way reassuringly described it) where we were supposed to meet adi and cess. argh!

the crowd was tremendously intense and rowdy - imagine people jumping and head banging at edsa 3. (yes, edsa 3 kasi jolgos talaga ang mga tao!!! ibang level talaga!) when the performing band finished a song, the sea of people was waning and calming down so my friends and i took the chance to go through the mosh pit because it was becoming more spacious there than the sides and it was easier to move. unfortunately, the band started performing a rather popular rock song again so the people inevitably swarmed to the mosh pit. so there we were, 3 girls and 2 gaymen, stuck somewhere in the crazy mosh pit being elbowed, shoved, kneed and our shoes stepped on! argh!

after what might have been the longest and most strenuous minute in my life, we managed to squeeze ourselves out of the mosh pit and finally got to our destination. true to adi’s words it was a more pacified area – well, relative to the mosh pit, yes it was. after taking a few gasps of air to relax, i remembered i have to check my phone’s message inbox because it vibrated in my pocket while we were in the middle of ruckus. so i reached for the phone in my pocket when…. argh!

alas! no phone!!! argh!

putang ina! putang ina talaga!!! argh!

i was actually conscious about the fact that my phone, wallet or watch could get snatched in such a place - given the type of crowd, of course. this is precisely the reason why i’ve never been to places like divisoria, baclaran, tutuban, et al!!! so when we were moving through the crowd, my right hand was actually protecting my right pocket where my phone was. however, when the people started pushing us in the mosh pit, astrid started protecting her bosoms behind me. and then the protective instinct in me kicked in and made me hug her with my left arm and moved her towards my left side. moreover, i hugged yvonne with my right arm and took her to my right side. (i believe that a guy, albeit gay, should always be protective towards girls. hahaha!) hence, where does that leave my pockets? answer: unguarded!!! thus yet, in the brief moment that we were in the mosh pit, my phone was snatched from my relatively tight right front pocket. argh!

damn! it’s really difficult to live in a country where the majority of the population is comprised of ill-bred, maleducated, opportunistic, worthless, useless, pathetic excuses for scumbags!!! to hell with the jologs people! they should be burned at the stakes – stoked up until their kind is nothing but smoke and ashes! imagine the pollution! argh!

to temporarily veer my mind off the misfortune that just happened to me. i left the concert immediately after i briefly talked to cess, went straight to malate even if it was just 11 pm and then drowned myself with alcohol until the wee hours of the morning. what a way to cope??? i managed to get a hold of nicky that night (good thing leo has nicky's number) to ask for richard's number when i learned that nicky was confined in a hospital. i was tipsy then and was still overwhelmed with what happened to me so i think i was just rambling and ranting and forgot to ask how nicky was doing. sowee nicky! some friend! so much for priding myself as a really good friend then. argh!

2 bottles of san mig strong ice, 4 glasses of vodka (kurant and vanilla) with tonic, 1 glass of butterscotch nordic ice with tonic and 1 glass of michael after, i realized that i am definitely on a financial slump now. way to go! my finances are really messed up now and i hope i could recover from this as soon as possible. darn, i think i’m gonna really have to take the metro when i go to and from work now. gosh, as much as it pains me, i really have to tighten my belt now and do some budgeting. argh!

this reminds me, i have yet to buy some groceries and toiletries. earlier, it didn’t occur to me that i have run out of mouth wash. and so, when i saw adi’s astring-o-sol, i took the liberty to get some. i was already gargling the mouth wash when i read the word below astring-o-sol: concentrated! dammit, that’s why it was stinging my mouth. and boy, does it really sting! it’s so potent that my gums and tongue are still quite numb until now, 5 hours after! how the hell am i supposed to know that i should dilute one part of the mouth wash with four parts of water??? listerine is not this complicated!!! argh!

so for the next couple of weeks, i’m gonna be incommunicado, dateless (obviously since i'm incommunicado) and broke! fuck! i’ll be freaking useless!!! i guess the murphy’s law is true after all: “anything that can go wrong, will.” argh!

yet another entry about moi

2006-10-03T02:21:00.000+08:00

fastidious: this is how my good friend leo describes me, which i actually acknowledge and agree to. i’ve been told a lot of times by different people that i am really difficult to please. nothing and nobody seem to totally please me. if something or somebody appeals me, i usually give him/her/it a shot. for a fleeting moment, i would feel content. the interest then wanes. i kinda have the propensity to find flaws on anything and anybody; and no matter how minor a flaw is, i always make a big deal out of it. then i lose interest.

i sometimes think that i should just accept things as they are: that nothing or nobody is perfect. alas, i’m uncompromising! i know, i know, they say “life is full of compromise;” but i just can’t seem to compel myself to do so. earlier, i was surfing through the net when i came across the following comment from david horowitz (whoever he is), which apparently motivates him.

"life is full of compromise, but to compromise principle is to give up your self-respect. i don't want anyone to take me for a sucker, and i don't like to see anyone else taken, either. a lot of things are unfair in life. it's tough: that's the way it is. but by heaven, if you can do something about it, do it!”

well, this comment is about compromising a principle so it doesn’t really relate to what i’m blabbing about; but i’ve drawn an analogy out of it. david said that compromising principle is giving up one’s self-respect. for me, giving up self-respect is basically giving up the entire self, and this is precisely what compromising is. and i don’t want to give up anything that i’m comfortable and accustomed with for something or someone. i get to keep the whole me i’ve grown to be. i’m selfish, and i don’t feel like compromising to compromise.

they also say that, “life is full of risks,” and i think that compromising is a risk. some would approach risks head on, others would take some precautions. and when it comes to compromising, i on the other hand, would take the risk on not risking. i’m a coward.

over a month ago, i wrote something about my drive for changing some aspects in my life. now, should i take a u-turn from being fastidious? is it time to compromise? in david’s comment, he said, “if you can do something about it, do it!” yeah, i think i am capable of doing that, and i guess it's about time to do so. but then again, i’m a thinker, i’m no doer!

boy, do i negate myself! i’m my worst enemy.

oh, did i say i’m also fickle?!?!

nokia ad

2006-09-27T17:46:00.000+08:00

boy, am i such a sucker for videos like this?!?! at first i didn't quite get it but then afterwards.... aaawww!!! gaaawd!!! love it!!!

about love

2006-09-14T21:23:00.000+08:00

well, maybe it's time to be clear about who i am. i am someone who is looking for love - real love, ridiculous, inconvenient, consuming, can't live without each other love.

... i got to thinking about relationships. there are those that open you up to something new and exotic; those that are old and familiar; those that bring up lots of questions; those that bring you somewhere unexpected; those that bring you back. but the most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. and if you find someone to love the you you love, well, that's just fabulous.

-- carrie bradshaw

i will get by

2006-09-06T01:22:00.000+08:00

my walls have again crumbled,
leaving my fragile core unguarded -
drowned, blown away, trampled on, scorched.

like a diving dolphin,
i will eventually resurface
and gasp for air.

as the wind puffs me to oblivion,
like a cotton afloat
in time, i will land on steady grounds.

like a ferocious lion,
i will soon be back on the prowl
and devour anything that crosses my path.

from the ashes of my charred soul,
like a phoenix ablaze
i tell you, i will be reborn.

in due course, i will be back on my element
and will start rebuilding my crushed walls -
higher, thicker, sturdier, impenetrable.

victoria beckham - unplugged

2006-09-02T04:36:00.000+08:00

was surfing through omgblog.com (thanks to jem) when i saw this video. i instantly loved the songs while listening to them. she sounds better than I thought she does. well, maybe it's the arrangement of the songs and the acoustic chill sound. i have yet to listen to the original versions though. nonetheless, she really sounds good in this live performance. i like the rhythm of "a mind of its own" (the first song) and i wish i could eventually sing "i owe you" to someone very dear. =)

live long enough to find the right one

2006-08-24T04:41:00.000+08:00

so love this video! relate! lol

the terrible week that ended wonderfully

2006-08-19T04:54:00.000+08:00

for the past few days, i’ve been meaning to write several entries about what’s been bugging my mind lately but i just couldn’t get myself to organize my thoughts. what a terrible week did i have??? i got so paranoid, got sick (which i think was psychosomatic) and got disheartened. how down can you get?!?! talk about the pits! fortunately, to top my week, i got my heart back with a whole new pizzazz to look forward to.

thank you for coming back and making me understand. i really missed you. =)

moving out, moving in, moving on - changes

2006-08-08T11:10:00.000+08:00

two weeks from now, we (adi, leo and i) will be moving in to our new pad in california garden square. due to unforeseen circumstances (cess’ decision to work in butuan city for the meantime and melai’s career move, which entails relocation to clark, pampanga) we have to give up our pad now because dividing all our house dues by three would be such a burden to us. moreover, rainwater seeps through the cracks of our room’s ceiling and dribbles to our beds! i’m getting tired of putting epoxy on the cracks so it makes it more enticing to move out of the pad; even if our two-month rent deposit will have to be forfeited since we will not be fulfilling the one-year lease as stipulated on the contract that we renewed last february. i just hope it’s not raining when we move in to our new pad.

i don’t like it when it rains. i don’t like it when everything seems to be wet or moist. i feel like i’m being restricted to the confines of our pad whenever it does. it also makes me lazier. furthermore, seeing the gloomy sky, in a way, weeping always makes me feel like i’m doused with melancholia.

i don’t like it when it rains - well, most of the time. and i’m not saying that i hate it. it has its perks. i like how comfy and lethargic you could get on your bed. i like how it makes it very conducive to snuggle with a special someone. and the sex! how steamy could it really get?!?! hahaha! but then, how can you enjoy all of these when you don’t have a special someone to do it with??? sigh! hence, i don’t like it when it rains.

on the other hand, corny and “cliché-ish” as it may sound, they say that there’s always a rainbow after the storm - something to look forward to. rainbows are deemed to be as symbolism for new beginnings, which i think, i want to go through now. not that i don’t like how my life is going. i’m actually contented with the way things are. but then, some things could be better if i can be or not be they way i am now.

a couple of days ago, i was reading through a very dear friend’s (georgie) blog entry about starting over when i realized that i would also like to initiate changes in my life. i, too, would like a tabula rasa to begin with. however, i know that starting with a blank slate is not possible because of the foundations of my being that i’ve already set for myself; plus the fact that a lot of people have preconceived notions on who i am. thus, i’m just gonna start with whatever i have now and hope for the best results. and i guess, it’ll be a good time to start modifying the way i live my life when we move in to our new pad.

moving in to the new pad will make us neighbors with the guy i’m seeing now. actually, i think he’s the one who triggered this plan for change in me. it’s just that i’ve grown to really like this person that i want to work things out with him, and i’m willing to undergo some changes in my life for him. not that i’m gonna shave my head (as what his somekinda-best-friend/roommate insinuated to one of the guys he previously dated) or work out in a gym for a buffed body – nothing physical please! i’m happy with the way i look. hahaha! what i’m driving at is that i’m willing to change how i perceive and deal with some things in life.

i know, i know, you guys will probably hit my head for this for a thousand times and force me to wake up back to reality. i shouldn’t dwell on a guy for any major decision in my life. but i’ve also been told by close friends that perhaps i just need someone to dominate my personality to straighten my life. i think i’ve found that in him. what’s interesting is that he intimidates me. he makes me shut up. he makes me go shy in front of him. he makes my walls crumble. he makes my frozen heart thaw. and most important of all, he makes me horny. hahaha! kidding! it all boils down to the fact that he basically makes me feel. if only let me in to his heart and life…. sigh!

as a clarification, i am not dwelling on him for the changes that i want to start in my life; although, again, he’s the trigger. if things will work out right between the two of us then, lovely! he’ll be a part of the changes in my life. if not, i will move on and i still intend to continue with the changes - changes that i hope, will make me a better person.

i know that this is so not like me! so i’m gonna end this entry now before i’m gonna go super duper mushy. now tell me, how’s this for a change?

bridges

2006-08-03T22:05:00.000+08:00

here's my song of the month. thanks to sitti’s album, which has been playing over and over on my phone. i tried searching for the portuguese lyrics but i couldn't find one. darn!

bridges
dianne reeves

i have crossed a thousand bridges
in my search for something real
there were great suspension bridges
made like spider webs of steel

there were tiny wooden trestles
and there were bridges made of stone
i have always been a stranger
and i've always been alone

there's a bridge to tomorrow
there's a bridge to the past
there's a bridge made of sorrow
that i pray will not last

there's a bridge made of colors
in the sky high above
and i pray that there must be
bridges made out of love

i can see him in the distance
on the river's other shore
and his arms reach out in longing
as my own have done before

and i call across to tell him
where i believe the bridge must lie
and i'll find it, yes i'll find it
if i search until i die

when the bridges is between us
we'll have nothing to say
we will run through the sunlight
and he'll meet me halfway

there's a bridge made of color
in the sky high above
and i know that there must be
bridges made out of love

career and "karir"

2006-08-02T21:44:00.000+08:00

it’s my 2nd anniversary at work. again, who would’ve thought that i could endure this long in a company?!?! everything’s going alright and as always, i have a huge deficit on my quota that i have yet to catch up. i’ve been thinking of applying for a different position in the company – a more technical job, which i deem to have a more promising career path. however, i need to carefully rethink everything first because i’m gonna have to give up a lot of things if i choose to pursue this. i cannot afford to cave in to my impulsiveness and i don’t want to make any rash decision since we’re talking about a career shift here.

on a different note, i think my lucky stars and planets are aligning. i recently met a guy that i’m really interested in. although, as usual, i’m not sure if he’s interested in me as well but it seems that he does. or am i just assuming again? i don’t even know if we’re dating or not but we’re seeing each other. (there’s a difference between dating and seeing, right?) so after several months, i again have a new “karir.” i’m not exaggeratedly raving about him unlike with the guys i met in the past, though. i think i like him but not too much. i’m not overly into him but i’m into him, nonetheless. i don’t think a lot about him but he still crosses my mind. now, i think that everything’s falling on the right place. i feel that everything’s just enough. i think and feel that everything’s just right. is this it???

and so, i’ll just go with the flow and i’ll keep my fingers crossed. if everything’s gonna work out fine, then great. if not, i’ll shed a bucketful of tears and then move on. i’ll accept anything - good or bad. it’s part of the experience. and as my favorite line goes, “c’est la vie!” =)

dalmatian, anyone?

2006-07-18T20:41:00.000+08:00

vinci and totti

last sunday, addie and i bought dalmatian pups. why?
- they’re so cute
- they’re relatively cheap because they’re unregistered
- i’m impulsive
- i’m inggitera

addie named his pup vinci, and i named mine totti. yesterday, i posted ads for totti. why? because i want to resell him! why?
- drool everywhere!
- hair everywhere!
- weewee everywhere!
- poopoo everywhere!
- yips, whines and groans everywhere!
- dogs everywhere!
- responsibility!!!

today, i’m an inch away from desperation. i really want to sell totti! i really like dogs but it’s just that i don’t like taking care of them. ugh! any takers?

gesto de amor

2006-07-08T12:01:00.000+08:00

you must really have rock for a heart if you're not even a bit touched by this social advisory....

because i'm a girl by kiss

2006-07-07T03:43:00.000+08:00

you guys have to watch this music video. i swear, winner! just don't mind the song, i don't understand it either. hehehe! gosh! i'm such a sucker for stories like this. sigh! anyways, the following is the lyrics' english translation. research ito!!! hahaha! the lyrics is okay but the video is far better.

because i'm a girl
kiss

i just can't understand the ways
of all the men and their mistakes
you give them all your heart
and then they rip it all away

you told me how much you loved me
and how our love was meant to be
and i believed in you
i thought that you would set me free

refrain:
you should've just told me the truth
that i wasn't the girl for you
still, i didn't have a clue
so my heart depended on you, whoa

chorus:
although i'll say i hate you now
though i'll shout and curse you out
i'll always have love for you
because i am a girl

been told a man will leave you cold
get sick of you and bored
i know that it's no lie
i gave my all, still i just cry

never again will i be fooled
to give my all when nothing's true
i won't be played again
but i will fall in love again

i loved you so
now you leave me in the cold
how could this be
i thought that you'd only love me

into the night
i will pray that you're alright
you hurt me so
i just can't let you go

you took advantage of my willingness
to do anything for love
now i'm the only one in pain
will you please take it all away

never thought being born a girl
how i can love you and be burned
and now i will build a wall
to never get torn again

summer’s not yet over part 2

2006-07-06T00:20:00.000+08:00

more pics!!!

me and pawee pawikan - brokeback ba ito???

at extreme adventure - slide for life; scary!!!

descending from the second platform to the hanging bridge

preparing for the second slide; 90 feet ito! harsh!!!

a not-so-glamorous pic; my very first wall-climbing exprience and yet i reached the top. ha! well, thanks to my motivation - the topmost phallic grip. lol

swimming!!!

tapos na swimming....

summer’s not yet over part 1

2006-07-05T23:27:00.000+08:00

last weekend, my colleagues and i went to subic as our last hurrah for the summer. it was so much fun although really tiring.

tired, sleepless and hungry - lamon at gerry's grill

pictorials by the beach; love my glasses' transitioning lens!

legenda suites; what a hip-dislocating position?!?!

at the boardwalk; 1, 2, 3... project!

partying at pier one

one of the boys - barf!

waiting for a shuttle; my mataray look

at ocean adventure, obviously; don't love and i look sooo cute???

i've been had!!!

2006-06-29T07:39:00.000+08:00

two weekends ago, jem bought a motorolla razr v3x. again, being the super inggitera that i am and since almost every character from the tv series “one tree hill” (which i’m uber-addicted to lately, by the way) has one, i wanted to have my own razr too. so last saturday morning, i went to greenhills and impulsively traded my nokia 6630 and sony ericsson t630 then added a couple of moolah for a razr v3x. i was so excited with the new phone that i was proudly sporting it out that evening.

then came yesterday…. i woke up before noontime and i was going to check if i had messages on the phone when alas, the display screen wouldn’t turn on! at first, i thought maybe it ran out of battery; but then, the keypad lights were turned on. even so, i still plugged in the charger, giving it the benefit of the doubt. then, i tried turning it on but to no avail. well, i think it was already turned on but i just couldn’t see anything on the screen!

i panicked so i immediately called the sales person who sold me the phone. she asked me to go to back to their stall in greenhills and show them the phone. i got there exactly at noon and presented my phone to the sales person which in turn, gave it to her boss. i overheard them arguing about the phone’s serial number. apparently, the serial number on the phone is different from the serial number on its box! what the?!?! their argument went on for over an hour because they couldn’t find any record of the serial number on the phone. since i have a receipt, the boss eventually decided to have the phone checked even if they couldn’t find any record of the serial number.

after almost an hour, the boss came back and told me the problem of my phone. apparently, either the lcd or the flex (that thing that connects the a flip-phone’s display screen to it’s other half) is causing the trouble. he told me that they will have it repaired but there are no available parts as of the moment and it would take quite some time to order them. i was arguing that perhaps it’s a factory defect and asked him to issue me a new unit instead. he said that it’s not possible because they gave it to me in good condition and that what’s wrong with my phone is a known issue for flip-phones. i was arguing with him nicely because i was afraid that he might put the blame on me. i couldn’t go bitchy on him for he might not offer any help to fix my phone. i tried and tried to ask for a new phone but the boss just wouldn’t budge. he said that he would only replace it with a new unit if it still wouldn’t work after a new flex or lcd has been installed. moreover, he can’t issue me a new one because they ran out of stock. i was walking around the other neighboring stalls while waiting for the boss, and it seemed like no vendor has an available v3x unit either because it has been selling like pancakes recently.

so i was thinking, if the phone has only been with me for four days and it already has a problem, then it’s bound to have more problems in the future if i decide to keep it. hence, i asked the boss if i could just get a different phone instead of the v3x. furthermore, i told him that i was willing to add more money if the unit that i’m gonna get is more expensive than the v3x. the boss agreed. i asked for the nokia 6680 because i cannot downgrade from my previous phone. i asked how much it is and apparently, it’s only 500 pesos more expensive than the v3x. however, because i’m returning a damaged phone, i had to pay for its repair and parts. since i had been there for 3 hours and my arguments were futile, i decided to give in. so, i asked for the 6680 and paid them extra money.

i felt so duped, so conned. i felt robbed. i felt sad. now, it pisses me off because i was kinda gullible in the situation. and i’m even more pissed with the idea that if i shelled out the entire money i paid them for the v3x and 6680 in lump sum last saturday, i could’ve gotten a nokia n70 instead! darn! boy i had such high hopes for the v3x. i guess it’s just not meant for me. sigh!

lesson learned: do not envy, it’s a deadly sin!

segue: when the heck will i meet my sandra bullock. hell, who am i kidding??? when will i meet my keanu reeves?!?! hahaha! watched their latest movie, “lake house,” last monday. love it!

dum-dum me: dummy!!!

2006-06-16T00:23:00.000+08:00

fuck! i’m such a dum-dum! i finally finished downloading sitti navarro’s album, café bossa, through bitlord after 3 hours when i accidentally deleted the task and all files associated with it from the said application. and guess what?!?! the files are not in the recycle bin! fuck talaga! now, i have to download it again and wait for another 3 hours. jeesh!

the smell of sex

2006-06-14T04:37:00.000+08:00

i love my new perfume. if sex (or perhaps heightened libido) exudes a scent, i guess this would be it - bvlgari extreme. promise! it smells so sexual and sensual. or do i just feel this because the moon is still round and the goddess luna is still beckoning me to procreate? hahaha!

a bingo fluke

2006-06-09T22:56:00.000+08:00

earlier, mai and i planned to meet at the megamall after her work and before mine supposedly to have dinner. since i woke up early again and i couldn’t sleep anymore, i decided to go to the mall earlier than our rendezvous time. i remembered that i have to get myself a linen shirt from giordano so i went straight to the shop. unfortunately, they had no available small linen shirts. not to despair, i found a fine pair of moss green pin-striped khakis that will match with one of my jackets (the one i’m wearing on my profile pic; which apparently, ryan agoncillo has one too. and yes mai, you are not the first person who told me that i kinda resemble like him - taller though. hehehe!) that i had to buy again. tsk tsk tsk!

around an hour after, mai finally arrived and asked me if i wanted to play bingo. since mai wasn’t hungry yet and we’ve got nothing else to do, i agreed to go with her to bingo bonanza and try our luck. so with mai’s goldilock’s polvoron and my cob of sweet corn, we began to play bingo. at first, i was thinking that it’s just a pathetic way to kill time for the lack of better things to do. but then, in the midst of the bingo games i realized that it’s quite fun and exciting too. it’s a bit competitive, risky and definitely addicting.

two hours passed and we decided to play our last game. i was kinda hopeless then because i had such a loser card. mai’s card had hope though. and then, mother of all lucks, mai unexpectedly won the game! yep, she won P3,500.00, which was supposed to be P7,000.00 if she didn’t have to share it with another winner. sweet! easy money, eh? but then again, it’s all about luck.

we only had to spend less than P150.00 each for all the games that we played. mai obviously was able to gain back her money after all – with interest. in my case, mai treated me with pretzels and javakula so in a way, i got my money’s worth. hehehe!

darn! i wish i won the money instead. i could’ve bought a pair of pants or two shirts from celio or salt with that. hahaha! =)

"christmas" shopping

2006-06-08T21:46:00.000+08:00

i just had a facial checkup earlier, which means i had to lie down for 30 minutes while comedones (blackheads) and milia (whiteheads) were pricked out from the open pores of my visage. now, my nose (especially the ala) is as red as rudolph’s shiny beacon.

which reminds me, christmas is only half a year away. last sunday, mai and i had dinner in eastwood’s cybermall, where she bought some christmas presents from fino. i don’t know if she had just started doing her christmas shopping then or if she’s been doing it for quite some time now. either way, boy, isn’t it too early for that???

i’m the type of person who’s more efficient whenever it’s crunch time - crammer to the utmost level. so when it comes to christmas shopping, i always do it during the christmas rush. i think that this errand should be done only a few weeks before the occasion or else the essence of christmas shopping will dissipate. for me, falling in long, slow-moving queues, haggling with tiangge attendants for their “it’s-christmas-and-yes-it’s-time-to-over-price” items, squeezing through the crowd and all the hubbub is essential to the annual christmas shopping spree.

when i asked mai why she’s buying christmas presents this early, she replied “it’s sale, eh.” hmmm… come to think of it, everybody has to be practical nowadays, right? why overspend and buy presents when everything’s rocketing up the price charts whereas we could always shop leisurely anytime of the year and pick items that we could eventually give as presents in christmas? isn’t it better to distribute our christmas shopping costs all throughout the year? wouldn’t this be less of a burden to our wallets? i think this is indeed more sensible….

so mai, again you have certainly influenced me. i think i’m gonna start my christmas shopping this weekend. first stop, a giordano shop. i’m gonna buy myself a linen shirt. i saw greg’s in one of his and chrissy’s photos and i’d love to have one. hmmm… i think i also need another pair of linen pants. mai, you and your linen stuff!!! hehehe!

uhm… i think that sounds more like “christmas shopping” with the first word omitted. hahaha! nah! i’m gonna try to shop for other people too. mai, you’ve dubbed me as a shop whore. i think i’m becoming one. argh! bad! bad! bad! when will i ever start saving??? darn it!

the early bird catches the worm

2006-06-06T16:11:00.000+08:00

got here in the office five hours before shift. i woke up at around 1:30pm earlier and i couldn't fall asleep anymore. my sleeping cycle has become so fucked up! so i thought of just going to the office and research on my canadian accounts. i've already had 7 hours of sleep anyways. damn canadian database! so friggin' slow! it takes me 20 minutes to research on just one account! grrr! gosh, i still have $275k deficit on my year-to-date quota. it's crunch time again! sigh!

a couple of bucks poorer

2006-06-05T18:04:00.000+08:00

i was supposed to have my legs, thighs and bikini line waxed earlier but alas, the third floor of rustan's makati is having a facelift, and brazilian bare is temporarily closed. darn it! so with nowhere else to go, i had to go around glorietta and greenbelt 3 again. bad news to my wallet, i saw this maroon and orange paisley shirt from must have and a nice pair of dark brown pin-striped cotton pants from celio, which i had to buy or else i’m gonna have a fit for the rest of the night, or week. eep! again, i had to flee immediately otherwise my wallet and i will have to go on a diet for the next few days until the next payday. and i thought i was gonna start saving. hihihi! bad boy! tsk tsk tsk! so i’m now here at work, two hours before shift, a couple of bucks poorer with nothing else better to do. jeesh! =(

Five Factor Personality Profile

2006-06-03T01:42:00.000+08:00

Extroversion:

You have medium extroversion.
You're not the life of the party, but you do show up for the party.
Sometimes you are full of energy and open to new social experiences.
But you also need to hibernate and enjoy your "down time."

Conscientiousness:

You have medium conscientiousness.
You're generally good at balancing work and play.
When you need to buckle down, you can usually get tasks done.
But you've been known to goof off when you know you can get away with it.

Agreeableness:

You have low agreeableness.
Your self interest comes first, and others come later, if at all.
In general, you feel that people are not to be trusted.
And you're skeptical that anyone else really feels differently.

Neuroticism:

You have high neuroticism.
It's easy for you to feel shaken, worried, or depressed.
You often worry, and your worries prevent you from living life fully.
You tend to be emotionally reactive and moody. Your either flying very high or feeling very low.

Openness to experience:

Your openness to new experiences is medium.
You are generally broad minded when it come to new things.
But if something crosses a moral line, there's no way you'll approve of it.
You are suspicious of anything too wacky, though you do still consider creativity a virtue.

The Five Factor Personality Test

funny....

2006-06-02T21:29:00.000+08:00

In a Past Life...

You Were: A Gentle Belly Dancer.

Where You Lived: Siberia.

How You Died: In Childbirth.

Who Were You In a Past Life?

tax deduction is so taxing

2006-06-01T22:32:00.000+08:00

we received our much awaited mid-year bonus today. my god! the tax! it's even more than my monthly house dues! i checked my year-to-date tax deduction and it's up at 101k! harsh!!! sorry guys, no treat from me. i’ve already spent two-thirds of it. hahaha!

i went to sm makati earlier to pay for my card dues. i forgot that it was pay-day for most people yesterday. hence, i had to fall in a very long queue. i think i was the fortieth person on the queue when i arrived. next time, when i pay card dues, i’ll make sure that it’s after our pay-day, which is earlier than most companies, to spare me with all the hustle and bustle.

afterwards, i was roaming around glorietta when i saw this cute shirt from guess kids. so i went inside the shop and checked it out. the attendant was kinda surprised when i told her, “can i try this on?” hahaha! perhaps she was thinking that i was checking it out for a younger brother or nephew. the shirt that i liked was large and when i tried it on, it was kinda loose. i asked for a medium but unfortunately they’ve ran out of stock. so i asked for any medium-sized shirt to check the fit, which apparently fitted so well. imagine: medium, kids! the shirt that i tried on is also cute so i bought it. sorry mai, i wasn’t supposed to shop. i just saw it, liked it, fitted it, really liked it and had to buy it. you know me naman. hehehe! i still owe you a shopping session though.

i immediately had to leave the mall or else i'd be tempted to buy other stuff. and since i was too early for work, i went to piandré for an extra virgin coconut oil hair treatment. (thanks to mai’s blog entry.) it’s an hour treatment with a thirty-minute back and arm massage and two ten-minute head massages. it was really worth it. it made me forget my tax deduction for an hour. hehehe! i’m kinda getting fond of massages. i think i’ll also make this one of my monthly rituals along with the spa.

then, back to reality. ang harsh talaga ng tax! argh!!!

dental day

2006-05-30T20:41:00.000+08:00

i went to my dentist earlier. i had prophylaxis, restoration and extraction. translation: my mouth was widely open for two hours! it was one hell of a jaw workout! it's like i ... ten guys. hahaha! figure it out. =P

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

2006-05-28T19:39:00.000+08:00

You Are Most Like Carrie!

You're quirky, flirty, and every guy's perfect first date.But can the guy in question live up to your romantic ideal?It's tough for you to find the right match - you're more than a little picky.Never fear... You've got a great group of friends and a great closet of clothes, no matter what!
Romantic prediction: You'll fall for someone this year...
Totally different from any guy you've dated.

Which Sex and the City Vixen Are You?

darn it! i've tried this quiz twice and changed 1 or 2 answers but i still got the same result!!! ugh! i swear, i'm not carrie. i'm freaking miranda!!!

bad day

2006-05-27T01:07:00.000+08:00

songs can indeed affect one’s mood. i’ve been working for three straight hours with “bad day” by daniel powter playing repeatedly on the background. and now, i’m as glum as a stormy sky. i’ve grown to really love this song though.

where is the moment when we need it the most
you kick up the leaves and the magic is lost
they tell me your blue sky's faded to grey
they tell me your passion's gone away
and i don't need no carrying on

you stand in the line just to hit a new low
you're faking a smile with the coffee to go
you tell me your life's been way off line
you're falling to pieces every time
and i don't need no carrying on

cause you had a bad day
you're taking one down
you sing a sad song just to turn it around
you say you don't know
you tell me don't lie
you work at a smile and you go for a ride
you had a bad day the camera don't lie
you're coming back down and you really don't mind
you had a bad day
you had a bad day

well you need a blue sky holiday
the point is they laugh at what you say
and i don't need no carrying on

you had a bad day
you're taking one down
you sing a sad song just to turn it around
you say you don't know
you tell me don't lie
you work at a smile and you go for a ride
you had a bad day the camera don't lie
you're coming back down and you really don't mind
you had a bad day
you had a bad day

sometimes the system goes on the blink
and the whole thing it turns out wrong
you might not make it back
and you know that you could be well oh that strong
well i'm not wrong

so where is the passion when you need it the most
oh you and i
you kick up the leaves and the magic is lost

cause you had a bad day
you're taking one down
you sing a sad song just to turn it around
you say you don't know
you tell me don't lie
you work at a smile and you go for a ride
you had a bad day
you see what you like
and how does it feel, one more time
you had a bad day
you had a bad day
you had a bad day

a wallis experience

2006-05-18T04:10:00.000+08:00

last sunday, on my way home from one of my trysts, i was hailing a cab in front of makati palace hotel when a wallis cab stopped in front of me. i was so tired so i didn’t care if i was gonna ride on a wallis cab even if i’ve heard of several bad stories about the cab company/drivers. so i just got in the cab and told the driver our destination. the driver was smoking so i thought might as well smoke too. so i told the driver “manong, magyoyosi na rin ako.” what did i get for a reply? “bigyan mo na lang akong ng 100 dun.” ugh!!! what the…! then i said, “e manong 50 lang binibigay ko dun.” his rebuttal, “magkanalo lang naman ang pamasahe….” and he kept on mumbling!!! okay, okay. what the heck is 100 pesos these days, right? and so i conceded. but of course, knowing me, i wasn’t just gonna let him get away with that. so in between puffing smoke from my cigarette, a bright idea was brewing in my mind. hala! sige! hithit-buga. hithit, buga. hithit…. buga…. third to the last puff. penultimate puff. final puff. then… time to butt my cigarette… on the door upholstery!!! yes! sweet vengeance! ha! i’ll never ride on a wallis cab again.

anyone?

2006-05-10T22:11:00.000+08:00

i'm bored with my life.... i think i'll take up cooking lessons. who wants to join me?

follow-up on the ipis trilogy

2006-05-09T02:00:00.000+08:00

i found three more dead roaches yesterday. hmmm.... so those roaches survived another week with the insecticide in their system. ang taray ng immune system ha!!!

four hours of pampering

2006-05-08T18:49:00.000+08:00

i went to this newly open spa near our pad yesterday. i took advantage of their spa package which includes foot spa, hair spa, body scrub, body massage and facial massage. so i was being attended to for four hours! lovely!!! how much? P1,400.00 only! winner!!! i'm gonna make it a monthly ritual then. =)

closest to an immersion i never had in college part 3

2006-05-05T05:03:00.000+08:00

may 1, 2006

i. yet another two-and-a-half-hour mini-bus ride

from buenavista, sablayan to mamburao, occidental mindoro

the mini-bus was even more crowded than the previous mini-bus. i had to stand for about an hour during the first leg of the trip (from buenavista to pag-asa). fortunately, some people alighted the bus in pag-asa so i got a seat.

i was sitting on a window seat so if it weren’t for the cloudy weather, the left side of my body would’ve been darker than the other half. and thank god my seat was above the wheel so i was safe from the dust trail. all i had to be vigilant was when the mini-bus stops to pick up passengers so that i could again cover my face with tork. hahaha!

ii. sro in the roro

three-hour trip from abra de ilog pier to batangas pier

the ferry was so overloaded that some people had to endure the entire trip standing. and since we were kinda nagmamaganda that day, we were one of the last people who boarded the ferry. translation: we were one of those who had to stand for three hours aboard the ship. huhuhu!

whew! nakakaloka talaga ang ultimate summer getaway namin! imemersion ito! overall, it was extremely tiring; but certainly fun, nonetheless. for a more detailed record on what transpired in our adventure, check mark d’s (the trip’s official documenter, thanks to his little orange journal) blog entry regarding this. =)

closest to an immersion i never had in college part 2

2006-05-04T23:28:00.000+08:00

april 30, 2006

i. two-hour ride on a small pump boat

from pandan island to apo island

i had to put layers and layers of sun screen coz i was sitting in front of the boat with jem, and the sun was blazing directly in front of us. okay lang to get toasted if i sun bathe, swim or snorkel – getting dark is part of those. but getting dark just by sitting on a boat! ugh!

around an hour after we left pandan island, chrissy and mark d were kind enough to share their comfortable spot at the back of the boat. of course, that was after i gave them a glaring leer. hahaha! they finally noticed that i was continuously applying sun screen on my body, so they decided to put me out of my misery. hehehe!

ii. low tide snorkeling (pics to follow.... the underwater cam's films are still being processed)

it was low tide in the apo island. the corals were around half a foot away from my body!!! I even accidentally scraped my knee on one of the corals. ouch!
the fishes, they were swimming very close to me that i could just grab them if my hands are fast enough. colorful!!!
the sea slugs, ugh, boy are they many! grotesque creatures!!! chrissy and i even saw this huge orange and white sea slug. and yes, we both gave a stifled scream when we saw it because it was so near.
chrissy and i decided to stop snorkeling because we didn’t want to get trapped among the corals as the tide gets lower. mark d, aka anak ng dagat, was so pasaway that he was like a kilometer away from the shore. on his way back, he got trapped among the corals. ha! although, he saw fishes that i wish i would’ve seen too. sigh!

iii. climbing up the apo island lighthouse

at first, i was so eager to climb up the lighthouse. however, at the foot of the second flight of stairs, acrophobia kicked in so i backed out. but then i could hear the guys “wow’s” and “ganda’s” so i decided to muster some strength and face my fear. so i put a tight grip on the railing, took one step at a time, did not look at the surrounding and concentrated on the steps alone. hehehe!

when i finally reached the platform of the lighthouse, i couldn’t move towards the railing and i was just stuck near the wall. Hence, I only have one picture taken on the platform. the view from there was breath-taking though.

going down the lighthouse was another feat. i had to climb down the stairs backwards and again, concentrate on the steps. hahaha! scary kasi!

iv. extremely dangerous pump boat ride

around 2 and a half hours from apo island to pandan island

imagine: small pump boat, high tide, big waves, nighttime, no lights, no life vests, out in the open sea and the area is supposedly shark infested. super duper uber good luck talaga!

we saw jumping dolphins at dusk. it wasn’t enough to divert my attention from the scary ride though. i still had my hands tightly gripped on the boat. hahaha!

to be continued....

editor's note: this entry will still be further edited after we get the copies of the pictures from the underwater cams

closest to an immersion i never had in college part 1

2006-05-03T22:19:00.000+08:00

where: pandan island, sablayan, occidental mindoro

the following are the things i never would've dared to do on normal days but for the sake of our ultimate summer getaway and of course, peechurs-peechurs-peechurs, i endured the following unforgettable experiences. in fairness, i didn't whine that much.... daba chrissy, jem and mark d?!?! hehehe!

april 29, 2006

i. two-and-a-half-hour (non-airconditioned) mini-bus ride

from abra de ilog pier to buenavista, sablayan, occidental mindoro

the mini-bus was so cramped. fortunately, i was surrounded by varieties of orchids instead, which were over-protected by the masungit na manang who sat beside jem. apparently, the orchids were shipped all the way from quezon and the manang, along with her mother, will be selling them somewhere in sablyan.

manong driver must've been delusional that day. he was driving like crazy at what must’ve been 150 km/h on cement, asphalt, mud, gravel, dirt road, potholes and river bed (yes!!! we passed through a shallow river. it was supposedly a shortcut from pag-asa to buenavista, sablayan, which was half an hour off our travel time.) manong, your mini-bus is not an atv noh!!! good luck sa suspensions and chassis ng mini-bus mo!

jem and i were sitting at the rearmost seats of the mini-bus so we could really feel the bumps and potholes. boy, was it definitely a butt-aching bumpy ride!

can you imagine how dusty the trip was??? god! skin hazard ito! especially when the mini-bus stops to pick-up passengers; ay, sand storm na ito! thanks to tork (official paper towel of our ultimate summer getway), i had something to cover my face with. so my face had about half an inch of dust for foundation lang naman siguro when we arrived buenavista, sablayan. hahaha!

jem and i saw a mangyan. not the primitive type that wears loin cloth though, he was actually wearing shirt and jeans naman. but my gosh! how red his teeth are ha?!?!

ii. salt water for bath

around an hour after we arrived in pandan island, we started snorkeling. when we got tired, we decided to take a bath and rest before we explore the island. after mark d finished his bath, he informed us that the water coming out of the faucet is salt water!!! apparently, fresh water is delivered from the mainland everyday and the resort ran out of supply that day!

after we had our bath, our skin still felt sticky, sandy and salty. harsh! fortunately, there was a delivery of fresh water the next day.

iii. jungle trekking / rock climbing

we had to do this to get to the spanish nose and the wild lagoon

as in, it felt like we were in the tv series “lost.” i was even leading the trail half of the time. so i was like jack (walang kokontra!), mark d was like locke (kasi naman ang daming alam sa flora and fauna!), chrissy was like sun (kasi gusto raw niya sa garden lang para less effort. hahaha!), and jem was like one of those people in the background. hehehe! no, he was like hurley (kasi siya pinakamataba satin). ay, he can be michael or eko din pala (kasi siya pinakamaitim). hahaha! joke lang jem! luvyah! you can be sayid (pasok sa color tas ikaw naman ata may pinakamataas na cumulative qpi ata sating apat. hehehe!)

we first went to the spanish nose. at first, we were thinking, “what the heck is the spanish nose???” for some weird reasons, we even thought that the spanish nose is a very old, gigantic tree. it turned out though that the spanish nose is a rock formation resembling a spanish man with an aquiline nose. there, mark d and i climbed up on rock formations with jagged edges, which are supposedly fossilized corals.

then we went to the wild lagoon. we don’t know why they call it wild when it seems to be serene instead. again, we climbed up on rock formations – this time though, it was all four of us.

to be continued....

i am now a serial killer!

2006-05-02T21:14:00.000+08:00

thanks to mai's suggestion, i am now officially a serial killer!

yesterday, when i arrived in our pad, i was going to take a shower to relieve myself from a very long, butt-aching trip from pandan island (story to follow) when i saw, yet again, another ipis! wait, correction, a pair of ipis!!! waahhh! gross talaga! so, i decided to finally end it all with the icky creepy crawlers, and bought a bottle of insecticide. i had to go to a convenience store even if i was too haggard from the trip.

with the insecticide on my hand, the psycho in me emerged! i generously (yes, para may somekinda act of kindess. hahaha!) sprayed what must've been a quarter to a third of the bottle directly to the two roaches. and yes, i watched them wriggle to death - wickedly and satisfyingly!

obviously, the insecticide would spread throughout the bathroom; thus, i closed the door first so that the smell won't enter the bedroom. after a few minutes, i was already eager to take a bath and wash off the grime on my entire body. so, i entered the bathroom and voila! three more roaches were squirming to death!!! ha! so i took a sheet of paper towel, picked the five roaches by the antenna (i don't want to feel the exoskeleton noh!), threw them into the toilet bowl and flushed them down. success!

aftwerwards, i finally had a leisurely bath then i slept the night away. when i woke up this morning, i had to go to the bathroom to take a leek. three guesses on what i saw as i entered the bathroom.... yes, ipis! three roaches!!! but this time, they're dead. ha! s-u-c-c-e-s-s, success!!! again, i threw them into the toilet bowl and watched as they swirled down the pipes.

whoever invented insecticide, kudos to you! hahaha! in less than twelve hours, i killed eight cockroaches! and my previous supposition has become true - i am now a seasoned ipis exterminator!!!

*editor's note: this is my third entry about ipis; thus, i call these entries "the ipis trilogy." hehehe!

my next not-so-pathetic exploit

2006-04-26T12:14:00.000+08:00

argh! when i got home yesterday morning, i went to the bathroom to freshen up. and what was the first thing that i saw??? alas, an ipis! hwaahhh! i was too tired to engage in another battle with this roach so i just let him be. so this'll be my next exploit.... this time though, it's not gonna be as pathetic as the previous. i'm gonna take mai's advise and buy an insecticide instead. i'm gonna spray perhaps a quarter of the bottle on the roach and inside it's lair (hole at the bottom of the door jamb), and watch it wriggle its body to death. *evil grin and gleaming killer eyes* i swear, by the end of this week, i'll become a seasoned ipis exterminator! ha!

homicide in the bathroom

2006-04-25T01:28:00.000+08:00

i've been trying to kill a nemesis for quite sometime now, but to no avail. then came yesterday, and i was finally succesful in my attempt. yes, i admit; i am now officially a murderer. the nemesis and the victim: a cockroach!!! bwahahaha!

for weeks, i've been seeing this roach running around our bathroom. i've been so adamant to kill it but i couldn't just squish it with a rubber slipper. that's so gross! imagine its innards spilled around its body with blood all over. eeewww!!! and then, you would have to pick it up (with tissue or paper of course) and feel it’s crispy exoskeleton. double eeewww!!!

and so, what i first tried to do was spray it with water using a hand-held shower, trying to drown it. but no! it couldn’t be drowned! it just runs around the bathroom. imagine me holding the hand-held shower and following it around the bathroom while spraying it with water. how stupid must have i looked?!?! bad plan….

on to plan b…. i tried using the hand-held shower again. however this time, i would lead the roach to the drain – hoping that it would slip through the drain’s slits and gush down the pipes with the heavy flow of water. but no! it would just anchor its cilia-covered legs to the slits and maintain its balance. argh!!! it has become so frustrating to me….

our final match: yesterday, when i entered the bathroom, i again saw the infuriating cockroach. this time, it was lazily resting on the toilet bowl seat, staring at me - as if mocking me. then, bright idea!!! why not flush it down the toilet??? and so, i picked up what has become my favorite weapon, the hand-held shower, and led the roach inside the bowl. but then, it became nowhere in sight!!! i thought, it might’ve hid inside the space with holes where the water flows when you flush the toilet. thus, i reckoned that i finally have an opening to outwit the creepy crawler. so… flush!!! whew!

it didn’t end there though! the damn roach is one hell of an opponent! when i flushed the toilet, the roach wasn’t caught by the flowing water and it’s still out of sight! where could it be? oh, where could it be??? then ever so stealthily, it revealed itself from its hiding place, with that pair of antenna mocking me again. in some mysterious way, it came out from the back of the tank. all the while, i thought i was able to lead it inside the bowl! so i again grabbed the hand-held shower, sprayed water on the roach, and led it towards the bowl. this time, it went directly to the water. yes! i can now smell victory! bwahahaha!

as i waited for the tank to fill up with water, i continued spraying water on the cockroach. alas! my theory still held true. it couldn’t be drowned!!! i was spraying water directly on its head so it’s actually submerged. i was doing this for like three minutes but it kept on moving! is it possible that cockroaches can breathe in water??? (a friend told me later that cockroaches can actually live with its head decapitated for about a week!!! interesting….)

when the tank finally filled up, i pushed the plunger and satisfyingly watched the cockroach get caught in the water’s coreolis effect. and then there was no cockroach. whew! finally!!! what an endeavor?!?! no wonder cockroaches have survived thousands of years in this world….

i wonder what my next pathetic exploit will be…. hehehe! =)

ultimate summer getaway

2006-04-20T04:58:00.000+08:00

destination:
pandan island, occidental mindoro (closest island to the apo reef that has a resort)

when:
april 29 to may 1, 2006

how to get there:
- departure time - 3:30 am
- 2-hour bus-ride from manila to batangas pier (okay, i think i'd still be fresh during this leg although sleep-deprived)
- 3-hour boat-ride from batangas pier to wawa pier, abra de ilog, occidental mindoro (i wish i won't be sea-sick.... start of my litany of whines and rants)
- 5-hour bus-ride (mini-bus! non-airconditioned!!!) from abra de ilog to sablayan (from a website that we checked: "be prepared for some of the roughest and dustiest roads!" translation: 2 inches of dust on my face! harsh!!!)
- 30-minute boat-ride from sablayan to pandan island (by this time, my whole body'll be as limp as my wrist! ha!)
- arrival time - 2:00 am

gosh! nearly 11 hours! what an endeavor! i just wish that the journey would be all worth it since there's no backing out now.... well, judging from the pics that we've researched, it seems promising.... come to think of it, i'm actually quite excited. i bet it's gonna be one hell of an experience.

Tag! You're It!

2006-03-30T01:22:00.000+08:00

This has been long over-due….

OK, I’ve been tagged! Now you have too! How well do you know me? For instance, did you know that...

Four jobs I have had in my life:
1. Professional Bum
2. Technical Support Representative
3. Inbound Sales Representative
4. Account Manager

Four movies I would watch over and over:
1. Serendipity
2. The Broken Hearts Club
3. The Way We Were
4. Pretty Woman

Four places I have lived in:
1. Ligtasan, Tarlac City
2. Tibag, Tarlac City
3. Katipunan, Quezon City
4. Boni, Mandaluyong

CityFour TV shows I love to watch:
1. Lost
2. Naruto
3. Desperate Housewives
4. Smallville

Four places I have been on vacation:
1. New York
2. Boracay
3. Puerto Galera
4. Hong Kong

Four websites I visit daily:
1. guys4men.com
2. yahoo! mail
3. business intelligence portal
4. my blog

Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Pasta
3. Dimsum
4. Ginisang Upo

Four places I would rather be right now:
1. Central Park, New York
2. Union Square, New York
3. Chelsea, New York
4. Dupont Circle, Washington DC

Now that that's done, I am going to tag...
1. Adi
2. Leo
3. Tid
4. Nicky

So you guys better shape up and do it. I'm gonna check on you too, so if I don't see your 4s next week, you're gonna be sorry!!!

thank you! thank you!

2006-03-08T22:13:00.000+08:00

thank you very much to those who went to our party!!! i had a blast, and i hope you had too. i'll be posting the party pics probably next week, when i've collected all.... again, thanks! =)

* me at the party with arj. sorry kiel, i had to crop you out of the photo. hehehe! =P hmmm.... i don't like my smile here....

a different me

2006-02-24T06:04:00.001+08:00

i love this one! this was sent to me a few minutes ago by one of our hr administrators in gaithersburg. it was taken by the official photographer of the global sales awards dinner. beside me is our ceo, gary greenfield, who presented me the president's club cerificate. boy, i look different in this picture. i, myself, find it unusual that i look so formal here. a colleague even commented that i look "pristine" here.... hahaha! what a description!!! chrissy and jem, papable ba ulit ako dito? (inside joke) bwahahaha! =P

my '05 achievement

2006-02-23T02:16:00.000+08:00

* president's club plaque - reads "in pursuit of excellence"

then my name; signed by our ceo, gary greenfield

* president's club certificate - reads my name then
"for outstanding professional performance
and distinguished contribution;"
signed by our senior vice-president for global sales, ross curtis

* president's club booklet - again, reads my name
and my position then "in 2005, mark exceeded
his contract renewal quota of $1.2 million,
completing the year with $1.22 million
or 102 percent of his quota. his biggest achievement
was reaching the highest monthly revenue renewal figure
of the manila team at $308, 769.
mark has been with gxs for one year;"
distributed globally among the president's club qualifiers

my god! it's been 8 years since i've last been recognized for an achievement. i can still feel the air of pride inside me. the certificate was awarded in our global sales awards dinner held at willard intercontinental washington last january 23. here are some pics taken that night....

* presentation of president's club qualifiers;
cerficates were presented by ross curtis (left)
and gary greenfield (right)

* aperetif before the global sales awards dinner

the plaque and the booklet, on the other hand, were presented at the ball held at the ritz-carlton in the grand cayman islands. however, since i took the cash offer instead of the trip, these were just sent to me via fedex, which arrived two days ago. now, i don't know how to hang the plaque and the certificate on my cubicle. dilemma, dilemma....

i wonder if i'd be lucky enough to qualify for next year's president's club, which will be held at cabo, mexico, by the way. hmmm.... if i were to qualify, it think i'll choose the cash offer over the trip again. i'll just spend a few days in new york instead; where i'm sure i'm gonna have a great time. boy, i miss the union square and walking lazily around the big apple....

blue team

2006-02-22T03:56:00.000+08:00

earlier, chrissy, jem and i realized that we do not have a picture together yet; of course, we also realized that we are all wearing blue tonight. and since we were slacking off at work again, we took the chance to strike a couple of poses, and decided to assign the photos that we will post in our respective blogs. dammit, we're so cute talaga!!! hehehe! =P

my longest entry so far

2006-02-21T04:04:00.000+08:00

i'm officially a room buddy!

last week, i bought a notebook - the low-end type. as much as i want to buy a dell or a mac, i could only afford a twinhead. it's a taiwanese brand, and it's fairly decent. here's its specs:

Intel Celeron M 1.5 GHz
40 GB Fujitsu Hard Drive
256 MB DDR Memory
Built-in Video, Audio and Modem
DVD-ROM and CD-RW Combo
WI-FI Network Adapter

it's okay naman na diba (trying to convince myself some more), considering that i'm just gonna just use it for surfing, chatting and downloading. it's not as if i'm gonna play dota like mark daniel! hehehe! so, i now have a new baby and i we've been inseparable since the first day. however, i'm still on the process of installing important software that i'll need (anyone who has an installer of office 2003?) and personalizing it. of course, being the narcissist that i am, the wallpaper and screensaver has to include my pictures on 'em! hahaha!

last friday at work, i copied a total of 24 GBs of files into my notebook, which took 7 hours! what files? downloaded movies, anime and tv series episodes from my colleagues at work. hence, all i did over the weekend was watch! i was even awake for 30 straight hours because of this! i was actually stuck in my room and i would only go out just to eat and buy yosi. whew! so, what have i watched over the weekend?

aeon flux - great movie, i find it better than lara croft: tomb raider; super highly recommended; ang taray ni charlize theron!!! love the scene at the garden with sithandra (sophie okendo).

transamerica - nice movie; kudos to felicity huffman, she is so good in the movie; i never realized though that she has a big pecker.... hahaha! kevin zegers (toby - felicity's son) is so hot!!!

final destination 3 - one of those no-brainer movies i like watching; pampalipas-oras; but then, it's really gory ha!

first 14 episodes of smallville season 5 - not as exciting as the previous seasons. although, of course, there are still some interesting episodes; favorite episode - episode 12, where clark tells lana about his secret identity. lana says yes but her visit to lex's mansion leads her to die in a car crash. clark seeks help from jor 'el and is able to turn back time. unfortuantely, the sequence of events does not turn out to be exactly the same as what happened the first time, and jonathan ends up dying from a heart attack (to those who haven't seen the episode, yes this is a spoiler! bwahahaha!); harsh storyline....

first 11 episodes of desperate housewives season 2 - as most people say, they were not able to sustain the glory that was the first season. of course, it's still interesting but not like the previous season. i used to dislike lynette (felicity huffman) but she has grown in me and i really like how her character developed. but then, gabrielle (eva longoria) is still my favorite. why? because i'm so like her (taller version though)! enough said. hahaha!

the latest 7 episodes of naruto - yeah, yeah! i watch naruto and i'm a geek. hahaha! i missed these when i went to the us and i can't wait for this week's episode!!! watashiwa kirei desu! (figure it out. wehehehe!)

first episode of the beauty and the geek season 2 - i love the concept! the dumb pretty girls are so hilarious! i like tyson mao, the rubik's cube record holder, but as i researched, he and thais (his partner) got eliminated in the third episode. they got eliminated perhaps because the others sensed the strength of their bond. poor tyson.... =(

and so i was really a total "bed" potato over the last weekend. however, there came to a point where i had no more stuff to watch. and so i was tinkering on my notebook when i saw the sound recorder, which gave me an idea.... all my friends know that i love singing (of course, to my flatmates' demise, who happens to be some of my closest friends as well). and so i recorded some sound clips and here is one of them....

yes, yes! i'm a frustrated singer!!! 's'why i'm so hooked up with american idol. this season, among the girls, i like paris bennett and kellie pickler. on the other hand, chris daughtry and ace young are my husband and boyfrined, respectively. hahaha! jose "sway" penala, the filipino, is also good. but then, if a guy is going to win this season, it has to be someone who has a face to go with the voice noh! hahaha!

anyhow, this entry has gone so long, which is so unusual for me. i bid you adieu for now! =)

d-day

2006-02-14T18:58:00.000+08:00

darn! it's the dreaded doom's day again! argh!!! as couples do mushy things with each other, again i'll be alone watching - throwing piercing dagger looks, that is. as couples praise that annoying cherub, again i'll be eris - scattering apples of discord.

nah, i won't go that low!

in the movie "a good woman" helen hunt said, "crying is the refuge of plain women; pretty women go shopping." hmmm, i heard that today is the first day of sale in rustan's. (light bulb glowing beside my head)

now that's what i'm gonna do today! i'm pretty eh!!! hahaha! =P

last song syndrome

2006-02-09T22:31:00.000+08:00

depression and angst have once again consumed my being for the past few days. and being the uber-masochist that i am, what better way to cope with these than to watch mushy chick flicks??? hahaha! and so, two days ago i got to watch "little black book" again. its opening score has been continuously playing in my mind since. here's the lyrics of "you're so vain" by carly simon....

You walked into the party
Like you were walking onto a yacht
Your hat strategically dipped below one eye
Your scarf it was apricot
You had one eye in the mirror
As you watched yourself gavotte
And all the girls dreamed that they'd be your partner
They'd be your partner, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

You had me several years ago
When I was still quite naive
Well, you said that we made such a pretty pair
And that you would never leave
But you gave away the things you loved
And one of them was me
I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

I had some dreams they were clouds in my coffee
Clouds in my coffee, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

Well, I hear you went up to Saratoga
And your horse naturally won
Then you flew your Lear jet up to Nova Scotia
To see the total eclipse of the sun
Well, you're where you should be all the time
And when you're not, you're with
Some underworld spy or the wife of a close friend
Wife of a close friend, and

You're so vain
You probably think this song is about you
You're so vain
I'll bet you think this song is about you
Don't you? Don't you?

i feel so pissed off that i just wanna laugh it off!!!

2006-02-07T18:17:00.000+08:00

and so again, i've become a victim to my own gullibility and stupidity. what does it have to take for me to learn the lesson, "men are pigs???" hahaha! well, not all.... it's just that i think most, if not all, of the guys that i meet are such.

i feel betrayed, but not really. it's not as if we have a commitment or some special arrangement, right? but why, of all people, does it have to be with a friend's friend??? as to the other party, my god, i even treated him as my own friend!!! but then, we're not really friends so why should i feel betrayed? then again, i still feel betrayed, but not really. uhm, do i make sense???

i feel vengeful. i wanna play their game and get back at them... but i can't.... and so, the evil in me wants to take it all out on some random guy. but then, the better part of me is asking, what for? what good will it do me? hence, i'll just let it be. besides, i shouldn't stoop to their level.

do i feel bitter??? yes, i do. as bitter as bile could get.

i know that it's not fair to them that i feel this way. but then again, i can't help it. my bestfriend suggested that i should just be happy for them. my reply: I CAN'T AND I WON'T. they don't deserve that from me.

for the umpteenth time, c'est la vie! and i just wish that this is finally a wake up call for me. next chapter please.... =)

Weekend in New [York]

2006-02-03T01:13:00.000+08:00

Last night, I waved goodbye
Now--it seems a year
I’m back in the city
Where nothing is clear
But thoughts of me holding you
Bringing us near

And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when will I hold you again

Time in new [york]
Took me away
To long rocky beaches
and you, by the bay
We started a story
Whose end must now wait

And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when will I hold you again

I feel the change comin’
i feel the wind blow
I feel brave and daring
I feel my blood flow
With you
I can bring out
All the love, that I have
With you there’s a heaven
So earth ain’t so bad

And tell me
When will our eyes meet
When can I touch you
When will this strong yearning end
And when will I hold you again

i love ny

2006-01-29T09:01:00.000+08:00

time indeed flies so fast. third day in new york, and a lot of intereting things have already happened. so what they say is true... everyone falls in love with new york. or, is it everyone falls in love IN new york? hehehe! i'm not gonna say details here coz i think it's better if i personally tell you the stories. so, wait for me guys! here's something to tickle your mind though.... =P

basking under the sun.... god! how i love the feeling of heat and cold at the same time!

sentimyento

2006-01-27T06:15:00.000+08:00

para maiba, magtatagalog ako. tutal, nandito naman ako sa ny ngayon at sawang-sawa na ako sa kaka-ingles!

naiinis ako! sobra!!!

noong lunes, ika-23 ng enero, may nakilala akong lalaki sa convention namin sa dc. sobrang nagustuhan ko siya. bakit? nagtatatrabaho siya sa ilalim mismo ng pangulo ng aming kumpaniya bilang isang project manager. 23 taong gulang. nagtapos siya ng bs math. marunong siyang mag-aleman at polish, na kanya namang itinuturo sa isang kolehiyo sa virginia. tumutugtog siya ng piyano at trumpeta. at higit sa lahat mabait at GWAPO!!!

nakakaaliw isipin na nakilala ko siya sa ganoong pagkakataon. hindi naman ako naghahanap ng lalaki sa convention tapos bigla nalang may makikilala ako na lubos ko palang magugustuhan. pero nakakainis ding isipin na kalahating-araw lang kami nagkasama. gusto sana naming magsama noong gabing yun, kaya lang meron na siyang mga naunang plano para sa gabing iyon na hindi na pwedeng kanselahin. ako naman ay gagawaran ng rekognisyon para sa president's club namin. sabi ko sa kanya na sa susunod na gabi na lang kami magsama kasi gahol sa oras noong gabing yun. puyatan ang mangyayari kapag tinuloy namin ang plano. ngunit! pero! subalit! datapat! aalis na siya patungong alemaniya kinabukasan para magbakasyon!!! at babalik na siya sa linggo. habang aalis na ako sa lunes at nandito na ako sa ny!!!

ano ba?!?! nakakainis kayo fate at desitny!!! madalang na nga lang akong magkagusto sa ibang tao. bakit ipinakilala pa sakin ang isang taong lubos kong magugustuhan na nakatira naman sa kabilang dulo ng mundo!!! siguro pinatikim lang niya sakin ang pagkahulog ng loob sa isang tao. may pakiramdam pa rin pala ako. pero nakakainis talaga!!! bitin!!! sobra!!!

sa ngayon hanggang email lang kami. sa susunod na taon ko na siya makikitang muli.... hay! sawi na nga ako sa sa pinas, sawi pa rin ako dito.... bwahahahaha!!! kung dito lang ako nakatira, may chance sana.... may pag-asa.... uhm, siguro.... kasi okay siya talaga at sa tingin ko, okay rin ako para sa kanya. kaya lang, ang labo talaga ng sitwasyon. kaasar!

* ang pangit kong magsulat sa tagalog!!! masakit sa tenga!!! hahaha!!!

prideless pining

2006-01-17T05:29:00.000+08:00

i've been carefully thinking and i thought - to hell with pride, i'm gonna swallow it now! it hurts that you tell me about him. it hurts that you tell me about your plans for him. it hurts to know that you really love him. why??? precisely because i really, really love you! and it hurts more to know that i'm not the one you love. yes, i'm still hung up on you. yes, i am not over you. and yes, this is prideless pining. but then, i really can't help it as much as i want to pacify it. i've learned to accept. i've learned to compromise. i've learned to understand. all because of you, just for you, only for you. i cherish every moment that i spend with you - every smile, every conversation, every fuzion drink, every cigarette butt. i long to bearhug you. i long to snuggle with you. i long to kiss you. i long to take care of your. but then again, all i can do is just long for you.... i love you so much!!! it's just sad that you feel otherwise.... ='(

update

2005-12-19T23:51:00.000+08:00

here's an update on what has been happening in my life for the past couple of weeks....

i've finally exceeded my annual quota (finally talaga!!!)
i've decided on getting the money instead of going to the grand cayman islands (albeit it wasn't the amount that we were expecting; baratin ba kami! argh!)
i've renewed my us visa (the us embassy was closed on my orginal interview date because of a bomb threat so it had to be rescheduled; imagine, if there was indeed a bomb and if the terrorists did not warn anyone about it and then it exploded, i would've been one of the victims! harsh!!!)
i have a new hairdo (sa franck provost na talaga ako ever magpapagupit; super hiyang ko talaga yung hairdresser.)
i miss @*# so much and i've realized that i already love him even though i'm only just a friend to him.... sigh! (enter friends rolling eyes and barfing; yes, i'm not over him yet!)
i've been having a voracious appetite (my tummy-tummy is always ahead of me na while walking.... huhuhu!!!)
i've grown fond of tempura japanese grill (it's really worth the money. promise!)
i bought a new pair of lacoste stratos ("woohoo!" sa new shoes and "boohoo!" sa gastos)
i found out that size 14 oshkosk bigosh and small guess kids shirts fit very well to me (nakakaloka! well, at least i discovered new shops where i could buy stuff from. hehehe!)
chrissy is now working with us (happy!)
joa will start working for our company on january (double happy!)
i've finished watching the first season of "one tree hill" (i'm so like brooke! hahaha! i so hate peyton! grrr!!!)
i've finished reading the fourth book of "the chronicles of narnia" (i'm about to finish the fifth na rin.)
i bought a copy of "ultraelectromagneticjam" (i like how the various artists rearranged the eraserheads' songs. galing!)
i sawed a 37" x 74" plywood for my bed using a only a hacksaw blade (harsh! haggard! thanks to ira, we finished it within an hour and a half; iba talaga ang feeling pag hindi lubog ang matress ta's hindi mo nafi-feel yung grills.... hahaha!

and so, here i am, too lazy to work again 's'why i had the chance to write this entry. vacation mode na kasi! merry christmas guys!!! =)

resuscitating this blog

2005-11-28T18:52:00.001+08:00

woah! november's near its end and i still don't have an entry here. hence, i thought of resuscitating this gasping blog before jem and mai order a coffin for it.

november 2005 has been the most stressful and brain-draining month in my entire life. why? because of work. yes, i actually worked again! i have been so focused with my work that i didn't have the time to chat or write an entry here. i had such a huge amount of backlog in my annual quota that i really had to work my ass off since the year is about to end. fortunately, my efforts paid off and now i'm on target. i'm 277% productive this month (actually, it's 308% but i'll just have the 31% variance be credited for next month), which brings me to 95% of or $60k away from my annual target. whew!

hmmm.... i think i can smell the president's club closing into me.... the smell of the briny sea breeze blowing from the caribbean while walking along the white sand beaches of the grand cayman islands.... the smell of fresh pineapple juice or perhaps mango daiquiri while richard and i are lazing on the hammocks in front of the ritz-carlton.... hehehe!

on the other hand, i hope that my manager's proposal will get approved. she proposed that we should be given the option to choose between grand cayman islands or the equivalent monetary value of the trip. if it gets approved, i'm definitely going to choose the latter. it's not as if i really desire to go to the cayman islands. besides, there's always next year. and with the money, i could also go to any of the nearer asian countries, which i haven't visited yet. since i promised richard the trip, i guess i'll just treat him to hong kong and check out the new disney land.

other reasons why i want the cash:
- i'll finally have savings (achievement ito!!!)
- to shop in new york (hehehe!)
- to shop here in manila (bwahaha!)
- tuition fee for graduate school (i miss studying....)
- give some to my mom and bro (i think it's about time to stop being selfish)

daba! daba! tama decision ko, if evah. and it's firm na talaga. i really hope that the proposal will be approved. although, of course, either way is a win-win situation.

situational analysis

2005-10-25T04:17:00.000+08:00

characters:
- you
- 1, who is someone you really like
- 2, who is 1's boyfriend
- 3, who is your friend, who happens to be 1's friend as well
- 4, who is 2's ex-boyfriend

scenarios:
- 2 denies that he has a boyfriend; therefore, 2 denies 1
- 2 flirts with 4
- 2 asks someone to compare who's cuter, 1 or 4; 2 says, if 1 is cuter, then he'll stick with 1; otherwise, he'll go back to 4
- you witness the previous scenarios
- 3 also witnesses the previous scenarios; 2 even asks 3 not to tell 1 about what he is doing

what will you do after?
a. tell 1 about what you and 3 witnessed; you have proof (yes you do, a transcript)
b. tell 1 to be wary of the people around him, that things are not always exactly what they seem to be
c. keep your mouth shut; it's their fucking problem
d. uhm, the sun is the center of the solar system, and moving around it are the planets; apparently, you couldn't care less

what i did?
b. tell 1 to be wary of the people around him, that things are not always exactly what they seem to be

result:
it backfired. sometimes, even if you have good intentions, you end up being the bad guy. sigh!

will you do the same thing? if not, what will you do in this situation? humor me....

i tried but i failed, yet again

2005-10-19T21:17:00.000+08:00

and so, the universe has conspired again.... and for the umpteenth time, it plotted against me. it's a good thing that there wasn't any emotional investment (or if ever there was, as adi claims, it's at minimal); so, i'm not that much affected. nonetheless, it's still harsh since it wasn't a firsthand information. jem even found out about it before i did. he read it on somebody's blog and told me about the bad news. yes, it's bad news for me; albeit, it's rather good news for the people directly involved. it's funny and so ironic that i'm not the mr. right for the person whom i deemed to be my mr. right. sorry mai, i told you there isn't a boy to boot. it's more like i was booted out. hehehe! next time i meet someone so eligible, i hope the titan destiny will be on my side for a change. and like what i always say, "c'est la vie!" hence, i'm back on the prowl. on to the next guy please....

medical exam

2005-10-14T22:53:00.000+08:00

earlier this evening, we had our annual medical exam for the company. here are the exams i had to undergo....

a. vital stats - apparently, i am only 180cm tall, which is only 5'11"; as opposed to what i've always known, which is 183cm or 6'. argh! now, i'm 1" shorter. could it be scoliosis?!?! or maybe osteoporosis?!?! wahahaha!

b. drug test - nothing much.... i just had to fill up 2 small containers with my pee, and they extracted blood from me.

c. dental exam - the dentist told me that one of my molars needs a root canal. ouch!!! dental prophylaxis is scheduled next month.

d. optical exam - i just had one a month ago with the resident optometrist of the optical shop in gateway mall. however, the optometrist from grepalife said that I was underexamined!!! my lens' grade now is 100/100 but apparently, it needs 50/50 more! grrr!!! i was duped!

e. physical exam - the exam that i dreaded most.... the interview about my medical history was okay as well as the usual breathe-in-beathe-out routine. however, i hate the genital and anal exams. when it was time for it, the doctor asked me to stand near a sink and told me, "you have to drop your pants and jocks for this." and so i giggled and said, "uhm, do i have to do this?" hahaha! then the doctor said, "well, you can defer it." and so i told him that i'd rather not do it. ayaw ko talaga noh! wehehehe!!!

dinner with the wizard

2005-10-13T21:17:00.000+08:00

i just had dinner with the wizard earlier. i did not enjoy the meal but i had fun with our conversation and the company so much. i lost my appetite but my eyes were feasting. i was a bit tired but i've been rejuvenated. wish i would have more chances to spend time with him....

reminiscing

2005-10-12T04:32:00.000+08:00

gosh! looking at this pic makes me recall the day when i portrayed the role of st. bernadette soubirous' father at a school play. boy, did i look so innocent! but don't be deceived, i was such a brat - and still am. hahaha!

gee! i miss being a kid. i miss getting whatever i wanted. i miss playing jack stones. i miss joining quiz bees. i miss my mom's cakes. i miss the sago-gulaman sold in front of don bosco. i miss playing the piano. i miss my archie and marvel comics collection. i miss having monthly allowance. i miss eating green mango and singkamas with bagoong sold by peddlers. i miss "the visionaries". i miss playing sipa. i miss outwitting teachers. i miss texas chewing gum. i miss the pizza sold at the holy spirit (yes, i studied there too.) canteen. i miss answering math problems. i miss playing agawan-base. i miss getting shukbak (hahaha!) from the resort. i miss seeing my name on the top 10 students list every academic quarter. i miss coloring books. i miss "ang tv". i miss wearing a uniform. i miss plastic balloon. i miss.... yada-yada-yada....

sheesh! if only we could turn back time....

good news # 2

2005-10-11T23:07:00.000+08:00

i am so elated!!! i just received another great news from my manager just a couple of minutes ago. what's it about? my salary increase!!! woohoo!!! finally, my salary is now at par with my two partners. of course, i cannot react so much here in the office, since my partners shouldn't know about it. thus, i'm just venting out my emotions here. so just imagine me raving with a shrilly voice and my eyes popping out of the sockets.

hmmm.... i think it's about time to work.... wehehehe!!!

rendezvous with the wizard

2005-10-10T02:26:00.000+08:00

it's been around two weeks since i've first chatted with the wizard, and only last night was i able to meet up with him vis-a-vis. no, it was not a date - nothing romantic! we just saw each other in a club where we both frequent. we didn't go there together, we were with our respective group of friends; although we knew beforehand that we were both going there since the club is closing temporarily for renovation.

actually, we've seen each other a week before in the same club. i was actually eyeing on this cute guy with a nice black striped polo. of course, being the maarte that i am, i did not approach him. (if he likes me too, then he do the approaching noh! hehehe!) i later found out that the guy i was eyeing on was in fact the wizard. apparently, he saw me as well but was too shy to approach me.

and so we've finally met. i must admit, the wizard is indeed cute and is really nice; but how does he think of me? i know i am really cute (wahaha!) but then again, to each his own. moreover, i think i was not bitchy so i was relatively nice to him. there's only this one thing that was a bit of a turn-off: his high-pitched voice, which sounded so pa-girl! (mas pa-gurl pa ata sa boses ko in front of my close friends!) however, over-all, i really like him. now the bottomline is: is he interested with me too?

with the things that happened last night (i'm supposed to enumerate them but then, huwag na lang.), i think he doesn't.... or if he does, he doesn't like me the way that i like him.... tipong he wants to be friends with me lang. sigh! i know that i am being very pessimistic but then, baka ganun lang talaga.... double sigh!

oh well, c'est la vie! =)

hay....

2005-10-07T05:22:00.000+08:00

malabo....

bahala na....

nakakalito....

ang gulo....

ewan....

neurotic

2005-10-07T00:59:00.000+08:00

sigh....

darn it....

i am so paranoid....

so pessimistic....

but then again....

what if the things i've been thinking are true...?

what if it's not meant to be...?

what if...?

sigh....

winter in md/dc/va area part 2

2005-10-07T00:29:00.000+08:00

i got a very good news yesterday morning from my manager who happens to be in gaithersburg, maryland now. she said that our vp finally confirmed our u.s. trip on january! apparently, the global convention last january was very successful that the big bosses had decided to do it again. yipee!!! we will then apply for our visa renewal as soons as she arrives here in manila. happy!!!

izdizit...?

2005-10-04T20:43:00.000+08:00

i think i have found my wizard.... and he has cast a very strong spell on me - stronger than the amorentia (HP6) potion. not even dumbledore or gandalf could deflect. love the kilig factor! *blush* dizizit na sana.... sigh! i guess i'll just have to cross my fingers, pray to the supreme being and hope everything works out fine. hail goddess luna!

editor's note: luna - goddess namin ni rich

today saute, tomorrow souffle

2005-09-28T03:11:00.000+08:00

i've been meaning to write this entry since last week, but only now have i had the chance to do so because of my hectic workload.... i've learned how to saute! hahaha!

two weeks ago the only things i knew when it comes to cooking are frying and boiling. the most complicated dish i knew how to cook was pasta with mushroom sauce, which only entails boiling. hahaha! but then just a week ago, sauteing came into my life....

the first dish i've experimented on was bagis, a tarlaqueno dish similar to sisig, which is so easy to cook. it's basically ground beef sauted in garlic and onions then simmered with fresh calamansi juice. chilis and other spices are added to taste. first try was a success, second try was even better.

i was gonna stop my culinary illusion with this dish because it's really basic, and i felt that i don't have a future when it comes to cooking. however, on my way home from work last thursday, the cab i was riding on passed by a market near our condo where i got mesmerized by a sweet gourd (upo - bottle gourd daw sabi sa www.tagalog-dictionary.com but i like sweet gourd better). boy, was i craving for veggies! but then again, the sweet gourd might have just struck my attention because it's so phallic! wahahaha! and so i got off the cab and eyed on the much desired sweet gourd. i asked the vendor how much it is and he said it's 25 pesos. wow! how cheap! and it's so huge! but little mister naive me didn't know that one could actually buy chunks of the gourd. and so it was too late when i learned about this since i've already bought the entire gourd! when i got home, i sauted pork and a third of the gourd with garlic, onions and tomatoes, and again added spices to taste. i got so fond with the success of this experimental dish that i ended up cooking another third of the gourd the next day, and ate sauted sweet gourd for two consecutive days! yummy!!! i still have the the remaining third of the gourd in the fridge, which i'm planning to cook again in the next couple of days. hehehe!

saturday morning, i was craving for pinakbet. thus, another experimental dish to look forward to. of course i only chose the veggies that i like - string beans, squash and eggplant (another phallic veggie-hehehe!). again, i sauted pork and the veggies with garlic, onions and tomatoes. i let it simmer with fish paste (bagoong isda-kasi kung shrimp paste ang bagoong alamang edi fish paste ang bagoong isda.... wahahaha!) and several cups of water. of course, spices to taste ulit. hehehe! end product: nyalap-nyalap!!!

woohoo!!! i can now say that i can cook! i'm now living up to the reputation that kampangans can cook really good food. next projects, sauted baguio beans and the more challenging shrimp with green peas and quail eggs.

sauteing has changed my stance towards cooking and eating.... that no matter how laborious and time-consuming it is, the feelings of accomplishment after cooking a dish and satiation after eating it is certainly incomparable. perhaps for some, sauteing is such a basic task but for me this is such an extraordinary feat. i guess i've developed a passion for cooking for the past week; so i think i'll be sauteing all the way from now on and probably try more complicated cooking styles. leo's challenge to me, make a souffle. hmmm.... let's see.... =)

editor's note: i tried using the "e" with the french accent on top for the words saute and souffle and the n with a tilde for tarlaqueno but it wouldn't reflect on the published entry.

which tennis hottie are you?

2005-09-02T00:00:00.000+08:00

i so agree with this.... mwahahaha!

whining

2005-08-31T03:32:00.000+08:00

boy, am i so stressed out!!! this work is overly consuming me.... darn it!

i'm tired of researching! i'm tired of filtering my client list! i'm tired of client issues - especially, issues that i'm not supposed to handle! i'm tired of checking my clients' edi (electronic data interchage) mailbox traffic! i'm tired of g-international (formerly ibm, which our company acquired) clients assigned to me! i'm tired of introducing myself to clients! i'm tired of leaving voicemail! i'm tired of generating contracts! i'm tired of making invoice comparison! i'm tired of sending proposals! i'm tired of client accounts! im tired of my quota! and most of all, i'm tired of my alt+tab, ctrl+f, ctrl+c, ctrl+x, ctrl+v, ctrl+z and mouse combo!

gosh, my cheek bones are showing again....*

* editor's note: the first sign when i'm losing weight

here goes my much awaited blog update....

2005-08-19T20:59:00.000+08:00

gosh! i've been so busy for the past couple of weeks, working for the challenges that our new manager has given us. she's going to treat us dinner at Outback if we reach 105% performance level at the end of this month. of course, i don't care about this since i could eat there anytime. and so i've been working my ass off to reach 130% performance level for a 5k rustan's gift check. shopping!!! happy!!! i'm already at 127% now so i'm just 3% away from my target. we're only half-way through the month so i'd obviously get the most coveted gift check. ganda! (ricky reyes twang)

unfortunately, meeting 130% performance level does not end it all. i have a $200k backlog from the second quarter of this year since i didn't work at all during that period. so i still have to work hard for this deficit. and if i make up for the deficit by the end of this quarter, i'd be getting a 13k rustan's gift check. panalo! but then again, i think it's impossible to make up for that amount of deficit with such a short span of time. isang makabagbag-damdaming "goodluck!" na lang for me.

and so, i have to end this entry now and go back to work and be productive.

oh by the way, i'm not eyeing for cayman islands anymore. with my performace this year, i don't think i'll qualify for the president's club anymore. sigh!

*disclaimer - we are going out later to drink a few bottles of beer with our manager. so much for my work mode.

woohoo!

2005-08-03T01:23:00.000+08:00

this is inspired by chrissy's august 2 blog entry. shempre, being the inggitera that i am, i had to try this. what an ego booster?!?! hehehe!
click this....

and if i were a girl.... okay na rin....

panalo!