Just The Type 2 Have 1

2010

2010-12-05T11:14:00.002+08:00

So much for blogging!

Imagine posting your first entry for the year at the last month of that year. Wow! Not that the year was hectically busy, I just lost the urge to blog. Simply put, it's not writer's block or what-have-you... just pure bohemian laziness.

Anyway, expect to see a flurry of posts from now until the onset of 2011, with zero leave credit left under my belt, there would be nothing much to do in the office save for this and some websurfing hehe.

Cheerios!

Kotex You-niversity

2009-08-17T20:13:00.003+08:00

Another busy day... outside the office.

This afternoon, I attended the press launch for Kotex You-niversity at the Bulwagan ng Karunungan, DepEd complex. One of our junior brand managers was in-charge, and the rest of the team tagged along to show support.

The host turned out to be Andy Manzano, who seemed familiar to me even if it was my first time to see her in person. She was nice and courteous, and was so unlike other showbiz stars that, er, well... bring along their own universes each time they step out of the house.

It was actually surprising to see her alone (she must have driven to the venue on her own) without yaya or any semblance of an entourage. She was low-key and generally amiable, which is my type of artista =)

Anyway, except for the technical glitches, the launch did alright and the entire rigmarole of MOA-signing and speeches and photo-ops went by as quickly as it started. There weren't much guests around; I heard there were media agents from Inquirer and Myx (so much for G's Star Lifestyle fantasy). There were also some invited teachers and student representatives.

In any case, I just sat through most of the event trying to get my girl origami in order. One of the things introduced in this launch was the writing of one truth about a girl's BodyLife IQ in a piece of colored paper and then turning this into an origami rendition of a girl. That piece of art symbolizes the individual's commitment to ensuring that the truth encapsulated within gets passed on to another person.

My team had classes on the origami stuff long before the launch, and because I rarely paid attention to these, it took me most of the afternoon to finish my girl-origami (with some help from the girls, of course).

There was food, by the way. Since it was merienda-hour, caterers served pancit, puto and barbeque topped off with taho (which came in an igloo container, which was a swanky idea: who would've thought puwede pala iyon?). Waiters served softdrinks to my consternation (I have sworn off Coke and related beverages as part of my starve-to-be-healthy diet program).

Since the event ended early, my group gathered for a moment to have an impromptu meeting, er, for me. That is, my team leader spent most of the time listening to my concerns and updates.

After we split up, everyone went straight home... tomorrow would be another day.

Whew!

Off the Shelves

2009-08-16T12:25:00.004+08:00

Today marks the first day that I help get a "marketing" product off the shelf.

Purity, the cotton brand I have been assigned to manage, will have its radio commercial break today at 6:30 am. It will run in the mornings and then again in the afternoons, typical rush hour periods when most commuters tune in to their favorite radio stations.

I hope everyone I know gets to hear the ad: it airs at 94.7 Mellow, 97.9 Home Radio and 89.1 Wave. These stations play soft, soothing melodies so I don't think it would hurt if you guys try these stations out (if you haven't already) while our ad is playing heh heh =).

Our ad would also be airing in Cebu and Davao, and in Cebuano, to help make the ad's message more relevant to the listeners.

Witty, naughty and decidedly funny, I'm positive this ad would stay with you for quite a while. Keep an ear out for it!

Career Move

2009-08-15T22:10:00.000+08:00

Not much of it, since I'll still be staying in the same company. The organization re-structured, and I have been transferred from Category Development (the equivalent of trade marketing in most companies) to Brand and Trade Activation (which is mainstream marketing).

So I'm a marketer now! My internal title will be as an "activator" but externally, I'll be a brand and trade manager. I have been given a Kimberly-Clark brand to manage (an important albeit a local responsibility) and a regional area assignment.

It's a huge step for the local group, an experiment that hopefully brings along some successes in the next few months or so. And while the career change is exhilarating, I have found difficulties adjusting as well. Maybe next time I could write about it, but for now I just wanted to share this wonderful feeling of moving up in the corporate world. =)

Back to Nature

2009-07-05T10:27:00.002+08:00

Woooooooo!!!

I'm back.

Been a while. Haven't been particularly busy... just plain lazy, is all. Hahaha.

Wow, almost a year, huh?

Been to a lot of places lately. Career moves and some pretty nice changes, too. Will be blogging about it in the next few days.

What else, what else? Hmm, better slow down and jut write about it over time.

Haay, glad to be back. ü

Bloody Inertia

2008-07-28T23:50:00.003+08:00

People are leaving the company.
Old friends and acquiantances,
Batchmates and disillusioned souls.

Just the other day, I got a call from StratSearch. Obviously it is a headhunting outfit, but I wasn't in the mood to talk about the present and play dice with my future. So I was as honest as I could be to the pretty voice on the other end: I am busy right now, could they just call at some other time? Oh, yes we could accomodate you. Would three tomorrow be fine? Yes. Good bye.

They never called back. Which is just as well. I wouldn't have known what to say if they did.

It's an open secret. But everybody who's anybody in the biz have received at least one such call. Most entertain them, in the oft chance that life would deal them a better hand, or consent to reshuffling the deck altogether. Funny, a few even make active attempts to reach out to these "search firms." They call it their weekly habit. Which is the 8th, by the way.

Tonight I got asked by my rose. Did I ever consider leaving? I remember asking, to no one in particular, why some people make such a big fuss about it. It's about the future. Charting your destiny, she said. I hang my head and say nothing.

Of course I think of the future too. Our future. You and me. But would it be impossible to not leave, and achieve your dreams in the same breath? People who desert simply because something or someone made them grossly unhappy would only find the same reasons waiting for them elsewhere.

Don't they get it? I feel so sad and so alone.

Not forgotten, All forgiven

2008-07-27T19:18:00.002+08:00

life is full of regrets...

it's sad when people you know,
become people you knew.
when you can walk right past someone
like they were never a big part of your life.
how you used to talk for hours
and now you can barely look at them anymore.

A rose by any other name...

2008-07-20T20:44:00.005+08:00

Ang masasabi ko lang, it's the little things you tend to notice. And oftentimes, they're the only things that count.

5. Getting IM'd out of the blue para sumama in a Friday-night gimik with her barkada

4. Drawing you back to the conversation kapag bigla kang tumatahimik

3. Pouring your san mig light into a glass when it overflowed from the bottle

2. Going through the length of the table to dance close to you

1. Asking you if you had fun

I've been walking on air the whole weekend. Kinda makes me wanna wish Monday would come sooner (tama ba 'yun??).

Running the Race

2008-06-29T02:59:00.003+08:00

I've aspired to so many things in my life, but none of these have driven a point more than what I have strived for and achieved so far at work. And the way I've set about getting things done for my benefit simply exhibits a long frustration about who I really am, and what I'm made of.

And it's frustrating not because I feel lost now... it's actually because I have felt like that for so long. Thoughts like these have bugged me since I discovered identity and personality concepts in grade school, and for almost two decades it seems I've really made a mess in finding the kind of answers I so badly need.

It becomes critical to your life when it starts getting involved with your work. How earth-shattering could it be if you lost your job over some mental lapse you momentarily suffer or worse, if you simply made a serious error in judgement. How bad could it be (and I always expect the worst), that's the question that is always at the back of my mind.

I've taken to second-guessing myself, and it shows. I'm paralyzed by too much analysis, and my output has significantly gone down these past few months. I live in constant fear: of letting my colleagues down... of letting myself down. To say I'm overstressed is an understatement, and I'm getting way too tired of it.

Pushed into a position you've never really wanted. You take it for want of better opportunities, only for life to deal the cards you preferred much later. It's too late to back out now, and while that step up the career ladder places me on higher ground right now, I see nothing's there but a lot of thin air.

And now I'm gasping for breath, wondering if the next one would be the last.

Chuck Norris

2008-03-08T07:29:00.003+08:00

Saw some fun facts about Chuck on one of my friend's sites, and I found it hilarious. So here's a list I compiled on my own:

Most Popular Chuck Norris Facts

5. If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.

4. There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.

3. Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.

2. Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.

1. Chuck Norris’ hand is the only hand that can beat a Royal Flush.

For the rest of the list, and some more chuck norris fodder, visit the site: http://www.chucknorrisfacts.com/

Now Playing

2008-02-25T19:23:00.001+08:00

#2

2008-02-12T21:07:00.000+08:00

fight keep on striving towards
the future lest we
forget past sacrifices

the countless times we stood up
and shouldered on through
thick and thin beyond failure

Corporate Buzz

2008-02-12T21:00:00.000+08:00

Lots of company-shaking changes today, and I can't believe some of the people here are so cool about it. Shocking, but sad, as well.

Yet Ken said that everything should be taken in context, never forgetting why we were still there in the first place. And so we should. Ah.

#1

2008-01-13T12:08:00.000+08:00

i see her tonight
dressed in velvet and black
angel in the dark

come to meet me there
at the dream-king's realm immense
with patient suspense

Change of pace

2008-01-13T11:57:00.000+08:00

I've been feeling poetic lately, so I reckon I'll give it a try.

Never been much for poems though; too mind-boggling, too open to many different interpretations. Too artsy-fartsy, too much mind-work to sort out. It's like spring cleaning everyday. I hated it.

But it goes without saying, your most difficult opponents always end up as the very ones you respect the most. It's why I've always viewed poems as higher literary forms than, say, novels and essays (which I read and churned out a lot).

I'll start posting a few poems henceforth, here and there. It's my way of beating out a new cultural and creative path this year.

Hmm... I guess I'll start with haikus muna. Then I'll move on to longer verses. I hope to graduate to odes before year's end, but that's quite a task already.

Here goes nothing. =)

color-coding, train rides and colds

2007-12-24T02:12:00.000+08:00

Okey, it's the holidays, and I know I really don't have a decent excuse not to come up with something, so here goes. Just a quickie though.

So it's Friday. I was supposed to start my xmas break that day pero I wasn't able to pick up my xmas gift cheques the day before, thus I needed to drop by the office again.

The problem is, the car's coding on Fridays. So I decide to try something new and commute, after all, what’s a few train rides anyway? So I park the car at Metro East and made my way to Santolan LRT. Daming tao, but so far so good. I thought I had the commute thing easy again, but I didn’t reckon with the EDSA MRT yet.

I got off at Gateway and proceeded to Farmers. It wasn’t a holiday, emm, just a regular work day, and it was approaching noon already. But I was mildly surprised to see a mob of people in line. By that time, I was starting to regret not getting up early.

After an eternity at the pila. I realized that there was a number of working automated ticket dispensers off to the side of the station - for people with change to spare, e.g. people like me, kasi I always bring lots and lots of coins when I commute to save me the time and the effort from arguing with idiot drivers regarding the fare matrix and why it’s not ethical to withhold change ranging from 1 peso and below.

So what the heck, I’m just a few yards away from my turn anyway, so I sit tight. Crap, I burned an hour at that station though.

Finally getting into the platform, I brace myself for some good ole-fashioned tugging and pulling. I position myself gingerly, strategizing on how I could get myself into the train without sacrificing a limb. The train that arrived a few moments later was packed to the brim, so I simply went along with the flow of people and luckily found myself in front of the queue after.

Unfortunately, the next train was packed to the brim too. Now things get interesting (well, somewhat). I knew there would be another round of mob rule when the train doors open. I psyched myself up, thinking of a number of hirits I could dish up at the first guy who tries to shove me from behind.

I guess I should’ve come up with a million of them, kasi when the doors opened, it felt like everybody was pushing and tugging and shoving… it was madness. In the end I just went with the flow once more, letting the guy in front of me shove the guy in front of him, and letting the guy behind me shove me into the free space ahead. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but it really goes without saying: typical pinoy behavior.

I survived that train ride… twice. I had to take the same route on the way back (I’d rather get shoved than be hold-upped by unscrupulous cab drivers). It took me almost three hours of commute between Cainta and Makati, but it seemed longer like.

When I got back to Metro East I knew shopping was a foregone issue. Umuwi na lang ako because the stress and the pagod (I didn’t know how much of it was psychological) just made me ill, literally. Now I got myself a nice cold, and it looks like I’ll be spending the rest of the break indoors.

And those gift cheques I went to all that trouble to get to (they were Sodexho, btw)? I just gave them away na lang. Too much painful memories. ‘Nuff said.

Distance

2007-11-03T12:45:00.000+08:00

Naruto Shippuuden Opening 02 Distance
Uploaded by The Nature Boy

Have been a recent (less than a year) convert to Naruto, which then kicked off a personal return to anime-bingeing that was seen last just before I left college and entered the dark, cold world of Yuppie-landia. Brrrr... so cold. Never looked back since.

Ah, animé.

Just thought of uploading this since the new episode and manga issue got delayed again this week. I hope they come up with double-takes next week. =)

Water under the bridge

2007-11-01T12:34:00.000+08:00

So much for crossing bridges. Copping out of a much-hyped 3rd year anniversary post, I got lost once again on the cool steps of Ze Blok... the writer's version, that is.

In any case, I'd like to put in a nw feature in my blogging. Considering the fact that so much time passes by in-between posts, and since I get to travel a lot locally, I thought I'd put in a "Where have you been" corner in every post I make from this point on. Am putting it there so that i won't forget as well.

Hmm, here goes.

Ugh, where have you been?
Baguio: Kennon Road, Camp John Hay, Session Road, Mine's View Park
Impressions? Nakakalito! And darn it, they've imported color coding here (boo).

Countdown! 55... 56... 57...

2007-09-28T23:58:00.000+08:00

I’m rushing this post and putting it out to dry as soon as I could. It’s almost midnight, and I’m hoping I would be able to squeeze in a post before it officially becomes my 3rd Blogging Anniversary.

I just got off from biyahe, driving home in this wet Friday night after a two-day meeting in Tagaytay. I could’ve headed home sooner, but during this last weekday when yuppies start filling up bars and children jet into weekend madness, circumstance decreed that my plate end with zero, thus confining me to the outskirts of Manila until way after dark. And to think that I’d have to crawl through the traffic hellhole called SLEX eskinita, things weren’t really shaping up too well for me.

The only nice thing about SLEX is its multitude of mega-gas stations and their wi-fi facilities. I was thinking of doing this post remotely, as a celebratory gesture towards stealing to third base, (and the first I could have ever posted by this method). But I guess the itch of going home asap was too bad not to scratch.

Did I mention I had a couple of SML before I started travel? It couldn’t be helped though. Good thing I’m still in one piece. Now I know what it meant when that guy in the SMB commercial had to get his wallet all the way from Dasma… Cavite. My biyahe took pretty much the same breadth.

Hmm, I wonder what I‘ll be posting tomorrow. Do you think a look back over the past three years be a good idea? How about if I project what I think my life would be three years from now? Or I could also do it quick and easy, an apparent stab at sarcastic humor, when an obviously dry post mutes the celebration while actually drawing all attention to it.

It’s tough to decide. I guess I’ll just cross the bridge again once I get there. For the meantime, hold that thought.

Halfway down Memory Lane

2007-09-23T16:50:00.000+08:00

Ok, picking up from where I last left off… the other half of my top ten nostalgia show list.

Care Bears. Cuddly little buggers. Hey, this taught me how to count backwards! Which is waaay cooler than counting the humdrum way through Sesame Street. Do the Care Bears Countdown, 5-4-3-2-1!

Uncle Bob’s Lucky Seven Club. Always looked forward to this show to catch a glimpse of what heaven looked like when I was a kid. Toys galore, from Zoids to the latest Joes.

Alf. Another sitcom that just didn’t made it to the finish line. I remember all my Saturdays had this.

The Comic Strip. Remember the catchy tune? C-o-m-i-c… S-t-r-i-p! C’mon take a trip on the Comic Strip! This was an animated series that featured Tiger Sharks, The Mini-Monsters, Street Frogs and Karate Kat, each with their own distinctive toon flavor and hit intros. This ran for only a year though, so I guess most of the time I had been watching reruns.

WWF Superstars of Wrestling. My mom never liked me watching “violent” stuff so I’d use to sneak to the TV in the middle of the night just to watch the circus pageantry of sports entertainment. I always got caught.

So there you have it. My top ten list for the year (what?). Ha ha, I guess now is a better time than any.

I'm sure you haven't noticed but have been extra diligent with my blogging these past coupl’a days (uh huh). See, I was trying to breathe some life back into my personal web space, like a garden chockfull of weeds need some cleaning once in a while (thanks but no thanks to the Google system, though, for trying to lock me out of my own site!).

Of course, the sudden burst of activity is my own small way of celebrating the approach of my 3^rd year Blogging anniversary. Wee! It’s been that long already.

Wow.

But I guess preordained or not, writing still takes that piece of extra effort to pull off, which makes it just as special as any other special thingy should be… because of that, uhm, yeah, that extra effort. Kudos, ha ha ha, kudos to me then. =)

Rainy mornings

2007-09-19T11:53:00.000+08:00

I woke up early today to a rain-drenched Wednesday morning. The sky was overcast and even by 7 am it looked as if the sun wouldn’t bother showing up at all. Is there a storm brewing?

The sky wasn’t this dark and it hasn’t rained this hard for a long, long time. I love this kind of mornings. It reminds me of my pre-school days, when classes get suspended and I end up whiling the day away with 80’s cartoons.

Thinking of Myst and how nostalgic the scenery gets, it got me thinking about those old TV shows I used to watch. I kinda miss them. I remember watching these shows with my cousins, at my tito’s old apartment in Antipolo. We’d buy a litre of Coke each from our vacation allowances and spend the whole afternoon in the sala where the TV was. During commercial breaks, we’d play a game of who-gets-to-name-the-tv-ad first. We’d shout and spout out product names and trademarks, paunahan, until our irritated lola comes out of her room to tell us off for being loud and noisy.

Here’s five of my top ten nostalgia shows from the 80’s (and early 90’s). They’re not ranked in any way, and it’s more of a list of shows that remind me the most of how I was before as a kid than anything.

You Can’t Do That On Television. Hilarious show and very irreverant. First gag show I ever watched. Precursor to the Bulilit and Ang TV kiddie shows of ABS. You might recall their iconic “green slime” messing up the cafeteria on each episode.
The A-Team. Who’d ever forget Mr. T and his “I pity the foo’!” bit in all his golden chains glory? I think every boy in my generation grew up wanting to be part of this elite ex-military swashbuckling group. And oh, the TV theme was just so catchy!
Brave Starr and the Star Sheriffs. The usual fare of hero and animal side-kick with a western theme. Strength of a bear, speed of a puma!
MacGyver. In the world of super heroes and crime fighters, Angus MacGyver has gotta be the luckiest bastard of them all. He gets out of tight situations so often it borders on cheesy. How in the world do you manage to get locked in a room full of useful tools/materials 100% of the time?
Ghostbusters. For an 80s cartoon, the material here is well-written and the animation is above the industry-standard. Spun off from its successful movie hit version, this cartoon series became to us what the concept of T.G.I.S. is for Generation X.

Still Mysty-eyed

2007-09-18T11:31:00.000+08:00

The scenes are beautifully majestic

Seeing through the myst

2007-09-17T16:26:00.000+08:00

Does it come with age? I’m entering into my late 20s. I’ve been working for close to three years. And I haven’t played a decent, updated PC game in all that period. Well, I tried when HOMM5 came out, but my PC can’t handle it. I don’t have a DOTA copy. Nor did I play Ragnarok beyond its nationwide trial period. I suck at new releases.

So tell me, does this mean your PC skills diminish with time?

Anyway, just in case you’re wondering, I have ventured into the world of MYST for the first time. I guess being late has its perks too. Developers have launched Myst in an improved platform, marketing it as RealMyst. I find this game a unique departure (and a welcome release) from current gaming fare. There’s no time pressure, no sex and violence, and no score-keeping to worry about. RealMyst is a story-driven puzzle environment that spans across four instalments (I’m not sure though, better check with wiki).

I suggest you try it without the walkthrough.

It’s novel! It’s boring! It's fun! (Well, on a geeky sort of way.)

gimme, gimme... my net fix!

2007-09-15T22:23:00.000+08:00

Through the years I’ve progressed from bbs hopping to web link downloading. Got introduced to kazaa, discovered limewire, then moved on to emule. And now I’m into torrents.

While the scope, speed and overall functionality of file-sharing (or worldwide file dissemination software) have incredibly advanced in the last half decade alone, there’s simply one thing that hasn’t. Nothing still beats that feeling you get when you’ve rediscovered a segment of your past through the files you are now able to grab from the internet. Our PCs are now time machines, and we’re time travellers who could step into the past with just a click of the mouse, a push of a button, or the loading of a page.

Un·der·state·ment (n.) I love the net.

...i just can't get enough

2007-09-14T20:21:00.001+08:00

Ever since we got the DSL hooked up at home, WAHOO is hounding my every waking moment. I just get the flimsiest ideas for going home early running round-and-round my head… at the office! Malls bore me. Traffic (pauwi) kills me. Super time. Can’t get enough net fix.

Spideys-a-ppointment 3

2007-05-14T12:07:00.000+08:00

So disappointing! I should've just listened to my cousins (not!), but they thought it ran smacked full of cgi, so that should've given me something to worry about. Not to mention that they never bothered to bombard me with spoilers. AAAcck!!

Buti na lang sa megamall lang ako nanuod. Bummer.

Sumimasen!

2007-05-13T00:28:00.000+08:00

Ok, ok... let's cut to the chase. Instead of hearing me say sorry for being a crappy blogger yada yada, let's just celebrate the fact that I finally found time again to do a post (yahoo!). Do I hear clapping in the background? No? Er, alright. That's... understandable. This is a google site after all.

So getting back to this post. While blogging has become a deprioritized pastime for me (note: from habit to hobby), it comes as no surprise to see how much this site has changed since the last time I was here. Not that I don't look at my site once in a while (I seem to get drawn to it every time I go online lately, it's just that I keep remembering I'm too lazy to leave a post), I do. And once I’m here, I take a look din naman sa blogs ng friends ko (and they are quite the active bloggers tra-la-la). It’s just that one doesn’t notice the fundamental changes underfoot until you’re at the brink of making a post. Like I did (oops, wasn't that too obvious?).

I’m sure I’ll be able to see some more of the changes in the coming weeks. I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to go through the list, but hey, I’ve got time (weekend time, that is). I'm hoping we get more of these looong weekends, can’t hurt to have more holidays in the future. Uhm, well one of the things I noticed is that google decided to take a page out of microsoft’s play book by requiring blogspot users to sign in through a google account. Hardly difficult, you might say, except for the fact that it perfectly stinks of an implied ploy to invite (or coerce, depending on your POV) non-google users (read: yahoo or msn) into their fold. So right, if it's not a conspiracy thingy, er, it's quite apparent to be nothing more than a run-of-the-mill marketing ploy, which it is, i think.

Savvy? No. Unscrupulous? Maybe. What seems accurately sure about this is this (yuck, hated that): blogging=googling. It won’t be long until Webster redefines googling by merging weblogging functions into it.

Oh well. Can’t complain can we? They host our journals for free in any case. It’s a small price to pay, I guess (I have a very bad feeling I’ll regret saying that in the future).

So while I take some time re-acquainting myself with blogspot’s newest features (if any), allow me to wish everyone a happy 3-day weekend (hopefully, more to come!). Here’s hoping there won’t be any rude awakenings in store for me as I blog along in the days ahead. If there's one thing I hate, it's getting surprised when I least expected it.

Just got back, whew!

2006-03-12T21:52:00.000+08:00

It’s been a while, lots of things have happened since my last post (not that anybody cares anyway).

Wasn’t able to post an end-of-year account. Been busy being lazy right around that time. Especially if your company grants your VL a day before Christmas.

So just a few [embarrassingly late] highlights from last year:

October – been waiting, and waiting, and waiting… for Narnia. I think it hit the cinemas late December, can’t be sure. 2005 seems so far away…

November – been to Bangkok and back. Very much like Manila, only more prosperous. They still have traffic, which is a good sign that means our country hasn’t been that left behind… yet. Barely shopped in what is considered Asia’s tiangge capital, just did a lot of looking around. You could buy a lot of original and branded goods in most Thai shopping complexes at a fraction of what it would cost you back home. But as basic commodities go and vis-à-vis unlabelled counterparts, mahal pa rin. Brought back a dining set for my Iloilo clients and some designer items for my family.

December – marking my first year as a yuppie! Celebration's muted, since I’ll be leaving the area for good. Farewell, Panay isle, I’ve had good memories here that I’ll treasure forever. Turnover galore for my last week, and a lot of catch-up paper work on the side. Next stop: Manila and a well-earned work break. Thank you Jah for all the blessings this year!

I guess that’s it. Last year was more of a homecoming, really. My next assignment will take me to hot and humid Cagayan Valley, where I’m going to help turn around a business that has experienced a lot of turbidity and turmoil for the last three years. Our Luzon business has been severely battered in the past by competition and the shifty nature of business. But after a strong showing by KCPI’s Visayas and Mindanao teams, the company has felt secured enough to field a “dream team” for the Luzon regions. A ton of expectations on our shoulders this year as all eyes are trained on us. Still, matakot na sila sa amin 'coz we're already here! Hahaha.

So to me… I wish you enough! =)

Can't stand Ilonggo, so what's next?

2005-11-01T15:13:00.000+08:00

You Should Learn Swedish

Fantastisk! You're laid back about learning a language - and about life in general.
Peaceful, beautiful Sweden is ideal for you... And you won't even have to speak perfect Swedish to get around!

What Language Should You Learn?

Wehe... tuod?

Christmas 2005

2005-10-30T21:30:00.000+08:00

Can hardly wait!

A Date with C.S. Lewis

2005-10-28T22:43:00.000+08:00

Funny how pundits once warned parents not to expose their kids to too much "T.V." as a way of preventing the erosion of morality and good reading habits.

If I may stretch it far enough, that covers movies as well. An industry that has been, admittedly, responsible for the erosion of morality in most instances. But reading habits?

Last time I was in a theatre, I saw the trailer for that upcoming fantasy flick Narnia based on the (and I quote) "beloved fantasy novel by C.S.Lewis". Hmm... The footage was exciting enough, definitely a grade A movie, and I found myself wishing it was now showing.

But back to the main thread, that is, movies≠books. Of course, the fact that the trend has been (for the past few scores of months or so) to project black&white text into the big screen proves that while film has made reading a very boring past time, it remains a prevalent past time nevertheless and in some cases, instilled a hunger for written works in both young and old alike.

After seeing the Narnia trailer, I hurriedly turned to my pirated stash of e-books and to my joy and surprise it's actually there, to be particular: C.S.Lewis' The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe.

Wicked! And surprisingly, the work above seems to have been a miniLOTR in itself, part of a collection of books entitled The Chronicles of Narnia (although I have yet to research whether LOTR predated The Chronicles or vice-versa). A word of caution though for fantasy lit enthusiasts, Narnia is more of a children's book than anything, and everyone looking for hidden meanings, conspiracy theories and much heavier stuff are better off snooping someplace else.

In closing, Narnia is a sufficiently imaginative world for most people to get lost in. It may not have the depth and scholastica of J.R.R.Tolkien or say, the humor of J.K.Rowling, but it does satisfy, on a funny, childish way, err, the childish quality of fantasy one does crave for once in a blue moon.

So if I were you, I'd read the book first before having that movie engagement with the author.

A Treatise on why the Figure Four™ beats a PerfectPlex™ anytime

2005-10-08T14:33:00.000+08:00

Just capped a six-day stay in Cebu, where I spent the whole week stressed more than a lastiko on a sixth-grader’s fingers.

Touched down on Cebu Sunday morning, then bunked in with my counterpart in Cebu and a colleague from Mindanao. Slept early, the only chance I’d get to, as I soon found out.

Monday. Opening ceremonies for our PSS training program. A total head-drain. Tons of theories and hours of lecture. Team decided to socialize with trainer after class. Probably drank eight bottles of SMBlight. I lost count. Really bad sign.

Tuesday. Started with a very competitive activity. It was UP vs Ateneo, with two TLs on my team. Very typical game, if you watch UAAP. Led most of the match, only to lose the margin in the end game. Score tied at the buzzer. No overtime though. Surprising twist: wager points for a tie-breaker question. Both teams decide to go all-or-nothing. Pressure, pressure! Fortunately, this was a head game, so UP wins. Jesuits yet to show proof they can teach.
Final Score: 32-0. Wooo!!!
Post game: Everybody goes out for isaw and BBQs to celebrate (how fitting). Team ends up over-the-budget, but it’s okay. Team then watched a very entertaining live act until 1am. Too bad their stand-up comedy was in Cebuano. Had to fake laughing too. Only had two SMBice, but bunked down in the wee hours to review for the Finals.

Wednesday. Last day of training. Mastery test at end of day: no theories and very situational. Philippine record for this test was -5, which meant incurring only five mistakes for the entire exam (Segue: the PSS was administered to the whole region, so RP scores are benchmarked versus Singapore and Australia).
Pressure, pressure (Part Two)!! Took the longest time to finish, but disappointingly had two mistakes. Must be a new record, but couldn’t care less. I felt so embarrassed, actually. Everyone thought I could notch it. Oh well…
Post-It. The blue eagle got a perfect score, but everyone knows she cheated.
Post game: Team in a partying mood, and did we par-tei! Free-flowing colt45s and infinite turns at the videoke machine made it a night to remember. Our last party in Cebu for the year. Wooo!!!

The rest of the week was uneventful but just as straining. Boss flew in and congratulated me for getting a high mark. Nothing was mentioned about “The Perfect Score,” and the blue eagle had the grace to keep it to herself. One of the guys noticed my pallor and was concerned about my health (Why, thank you. I’ll be just fine.). Lost a lot of appetite though. Must be those two mistakes. A big chunk also from the late nights and the booze. Anybody got a charger? Hit me.

I think I’ll watch a movie on Sunday. Wonder if Narnia’s on already.

Come to think of it, my feet are pretty itchy too...

2005-10-03T18:46:00.000+08:00

Right about the time when I and my friends were all considered literary, the group agreed on a name for the writer’s circle; Buckfutter. It’s supposed to be an obscene reference, but few (not even the girls) saw the linkage. That perhaps all thought the term was novel all too well lead to its wholehearted adoption (by “wholehearted,” I am referring to the complete lack of inflammatory emails regarding this topic). Anyhow, the name stuck and has even outlived the purpose that justified its creation.

Of course, my recollection of history can be fuzzy sometimes, so feel free to correct me. And then I’ll flame you. Hehe.

The stories then were ala-Justice League, sort of, ‘coz everybody were using alter egos on their works. Some were technocratic, while others were sporting mutant superpowers. I preferred wealth over health, and settled on a somebody that is both filthy rich and insanely wily, stopping quite short of naming him Bruce Wayne.

Unlike its role model though, our characters seldom worked together, much less meet at all. For some sort of connectivity however, many attempted cross-overs, but that often resulted in angry, flaming emails over alleged “misuse” of personal property, as members at times take artistic “liberties” during cross-overs. The hoopla over these failed attempts at realizing our common universe would stretch over days as arguments, logic, stupidity and insults (civility being conveniently forgotten after the first few replies) would fly back and forth. Buckfutter becomes polarized, members sidle next to one of two opposing camps, and the bush fire spreads. In the end, everyone is so busy thinking of a nasty rebuttal that no work gets done and our literary universe becomes frozen in time.

I think in the end everything got resolved by all parties (fence sitters included) agreeing that the offending story be stricken officially from the records. It was as though the story never existed, and the events therein pulled out of reality. And it was in this manner that the Olympians of Buckfutter played dice with the universe, with a flourish of the pen and the subtle click of the SEND button.

I’ll share my storylines and some thoughts on my colleagues’ works next post.

My hands are itching... again.

2005-09-18T18:26:00.000+08:00

I used to write. I also used to get bored a lot.

Now I’m having the irresistible urge to write again. Work withstanding.

Back in college, and just around the time when internet at home became vogue and Edsamail™ was teething, a group of my friends begun a choose-your-own-adventure series that utilized contributions from each member of the mailing list. The background stories were personalized, with each member fashioning a central character to which individual storylines would revolve. Inspire of diverging themes, everyone agreed on a few basic ground rules that shaped reality in the common, albeit fictional, universe where our creations walk and fornicate, as though gods and goddesses from Olympus all picked up an Olympia and became writers all.

Those were the good days.

We all lived in a digital Greenwich Village, exchanging notes and reviews and critiques, also barbs when discussions get heated (as so often does because we were young, brash and ridiculous. On summer vacations, each day would begin by booting up the CPU and hooking up with Edsamail to download the latest story developments. Replies would be crafted or, if I wasn’t particularly creative, read and flamed (our term for “appraised”). Another check mail in the evening would yield the latest replies and the “fictional” atmosphere that would set the environment for tomorrow’s readings. Everyone would usually write their contributions in the night (or at least I did, for I felt most inspired before going to bed).

More on this thread next post.

Just like burning money... if only for artistic reasons

2005-07-26T20:31:00.000+08:00

Had nothing to do and on my first weekend back in Ilo, so was in a sour need for entertainment. Thought I'd sample a little home-growm product after swearing off the stuff since Regal Shocker.

Smells like sawdust

Postmodern, and full of term paper-material elements. Made especially for UP Film Studies undergrads. But essentially a pinoy flick just the same, with the same-same ho-hum features (or shortcomings, if you're mean).

Conclusion: Not an entire waste of money. Hahaha.

Forget Paris.

2005-07-16T02:06:00.000+08:00

You would too, if you're stuck somewhere else... somewhere far, far away...

But no matter. It's just a fifty minute ride back home, aboard airships commonly held up and delayed. Which is good, really, 'coz it makes me feel hokeydokey even as I break a few, err, minor *cough* *cough* rules. Something like this for example, wehe:

What, me worry?

Naturally, I won't recommend anyone attempting this on a Cebu-Pacific (and most especially with, que horror, an Asian Spirit) flight. Studies show that rubber decomposes easily when exposed to the slightest of radio signals (which your cell is a good source of, unless one of its keys has ÷ painted on it). With planes held up by spit and peppermint gum, bringing your camfone along would be one temptation Fate wouldn't be able to pass up!

So play it smart. Roam the globe.

Forget Paris. I'll take Manila anytime.

Traveller's Club

2005-06-07T20:42:00.000+08:00

One key feature of my work is travel. Mobility is the name of the game. Armed with a fleet card, I do my land roving (nope, not in one though; I wish it were so) on one of these (actually, ito na yun; not even 4x2, but anything sturdy does the trick, eh?):

She's called Olga. Please don't ask?

And she is tough. City driving is a cinch, though I still grit my teeth whenever I need to make outbase engagements, one of which is Boracay. Provincial highways (aka National roads) off city limits are highly bumpy and way-too-old affairs. With pathways like this, you find yourself asking an ironic question:"Where is government meddling when you need it?"

I'll tell you where. It's in Manila. Ho-hum.

My Favorite RotS Scene

2005-05-29T13:22:00.000+08:00

Just can't get enough, and just had to post it too.

My favorite Revenge moment would have to be the one when lame-duck actor Hayden Christensen sees Ewan McGregor standing in the exit (or entrance, depends where you're looking at) of Padme's ship.

It could be the aura. Or the moment of inimitable self-discovery.

I think it's just Obi-wan's stance, it genuinely rocks. It projects,"Hey, bird-brain, I'm here to kick your sissy Sith ass!!"

Ha ha ha.

Can't get enough of the Force. Shame they turned it into a genetic thing.

Star Wars and Black-Outs

2005-05-22T18:36:00.000+08:00

Just watched the last Star Wars flick this morning. Not bad. There was a definite improvement over the last two films, and thank heavens for that. Now I'm not going to launch an authoritative review here, it's simply not me. I don't do spoilers. Watch it though. If for nothing else, it's a better watch than that medieval flop, Kingdom of Heaven.

Now while you're at it, you might wanna check this out:

“Darth knows what you did last summer...”

It's nothing but hilarious. Try it!

Man in the mirror

2005-04-24T10:03:00.000+08:00

If you’re someone who is…

pessimistic,

depressed about your circumstances,

fearfully insecure about the present and the near future,

yearns for affection and caring from someone no longer in your life,

and looks to the past for strength and love you can’t find in the present...

In that case you’re someone who is in a state of emotional debt.

Just like me.

The Terminal

2005-04-22T19:05:00.000+08:00

I’m currently typing this post up in the terminal. Thank goodness for power outlets, without them I’ll be lost. My plane got delayed (again) and there’s nothing I could do with it, short of playing some games in my laptop to pass the time away.

I knew it would get delayed when I spotted flight attendants handing out dinner. This is the norm, by the way, when Lucio’s eagles get snarled up in traffic. They bring out food. The free grub wasn’t bad although (and remember this always, boys and girls) airline meals are never good.

Pausing to stretch my back and rest my fingers, I steal a glance around me. Either the other passengers aren’t tech-savvy, or I’ve snagged up the only power outlet within miles from here so they can’t use their laptops. Heh. I do see one who’s busily tinkering with her Palm. She looks really nice, and is distinctly Ilongga. I wonder if she’s in the same business as me? And if she is, a far greater question arises; why does she have a Palm and I don’t? It’s not freaking fair! Hahaha…

Anyhow, my ride home’s here already. The delay took almost a good two-thirds of an hour. Gotta run, Manila awaits. =)

My Top 10 Reasons for joining K-C

2005-03-22T10:09:00.000+08:00

I joined Kimberly-Clark because it’s an MNC.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because it’s a good to great company.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because I wanted an MBA.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because its CEO was one of the top ten greatest ever.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because I wanted to eventually work in marketing.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because I use Kleenex® a lot.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because I had to prove to myself that I could get hired.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because they called me, and not the other way around.

I joined Kimberly-Clark because they have a friendly corporate culture.

And finally…

I joined Kimberly-Clark because Accenture pissed me off.

Island hopping in the middle of nowhere...

2005-02-04T18:08:00.000+08:00

The Kimberly-Clark way, I have learned, is a path full of bumps, tears and fears. It builds up on you without realizing it. I hate it. I really, really hate it. I'd like to just wish it away... but it keeps coming back, and back, and back.

I wanna go home.

Last week should have been fun. Because I got to go home for free the week before that.

I surprised my mom. Much as I wanted to, I kept my itinerary ultrasecret. So you could just imagine how happily surprised my mom was to see me right at our doorstep, biscocho and all.

Anyway, back to my story. To last week. Last week saw us take a half-and-a-half day journey from iloilo to cebu. And yes, that meant crossing two straits as well. Not to mention three mountain chains. And what do we do in Cebu? We get to fill in blank reports, for presentation, in less than 48 hours.

And then we presented. And got hammered.

Crap.

Buckling down to Work

2005-01-23T15:27:00.000+08:00

So far so good...

Been back here in Iloilo for two weeks now. I knew work wouldn't be fun (although ideally, it should), but I wasn't counting on it to be particularly boring. Three days after my predecessor formally turned his account over to me, I've been calling the shots for most of the time. It's been three days so far, yet it somehow felt like a week. Work really gets into you when you're not looking.

Anyway, to get my mind off things (or, rather, to get my mind working on something, and anything) I've decided to strictly follow the designated work plan for specialists like me. That meant spending 80% of my time out in the field. In the field, I could either visit retail outlets at random (in what we call a trade audit) or work with the distributor's sales agents (usually delivery vans in public markets). Work in the field is boring and monotonous, not to mention tiring. But at least you get to take in the sights, like wide municipal plazas and imposing church facades.

Just the other day, I went with the van covering Southern Iloilo. We went to the town of Miag-ao, which is a UNESCO cultural heritage site. Miag-ao, I believe, has the third oldest church in Asia. For art buffs, you'd recognize the church by the bas-relief on the front, highlighted by a coconut tree in the middle. For engineers, the focus would be the structural supports on each side of the church, buttressing the foundation against earthquakes and other forces of nature. Being non-Catholic, I have so far put off going into the church. But I will eventually, I heard it has really valuable relics and paintings worth viewing.

Miag-ao is also the site of UP in the Visayas' main campus (I think). I was fortunate enough to drop by as well and I was impressed by the sheer beauty of the place, articulated by a responsive landscaping. Haayy... reminds me so much of Los Baños campus. Oh, well. At least now I know of one place I could run off to for peace and relaxation. Maybe I'd even buy me a bike I could ride around in and out of the place.

In retrospect, there are really so much in far-flung places that are interesting if only one has the time to stop a while and look. That's not much of a problem. I've got lots of time. Especially on my part, boredom forces me to sightsee, but hey, it's not a raw deal... for a typical working day, that is.

Haha. Hopefully my boss won't be stumbling on my blog anytime soon.

Take me Home, Country Road...

2004-12-24T17:58:00.000+08:00

I'm back!!! Ü

Whew, whatta topsy-turvy year...

Hit the road, Jack

2004-12-21T16:48:00.000+08:00

Time check: 47 hours, 21 minutes

That's how much time there is left before I get back to Manila. It's remarkable how time has a habit of getting stuck on a clock tick here in Iloilo. I'd wager that it'd switch to quarta once I step off Centennial's tarmac Thursday though. And surely, much faster than I thought it would have been, I'm back south all over again.

Anyway, matagal pa 'yun (yehey!) so let's focus on the now. Now is the time when I just got off my first out-of-town business trip (as if Iloilo wasn't out-of-townish enough). Along with my predecessor (the KC specialist I'll be relieving next year), we left yesterday afternoon for Roxas City, Capiz. The original itinerary included a northwest-ward drive along coastal roads to nearby Aklan province. That part of the trip got cancelled, however, due to some (un)official business he needed to get back to in Iloilo. So we ended up staying in Roxas overnight only and then rushing back to home base this afternoon. Err, that's the reason I'm out in the malls early. I got the rest of the afternoon off today.

I didn't think the trip was worth it though. Bad roads, bland sights. I expected Roxas City to have some sort of Presidential grandeur that ought to make it a tourist destination. False impressions! Roxas is exactly like Lubao: neither presidential nor touristic. So much for my expectations. Even my companion remarked that Roxas didn't have the pretty faces that Kalibo has.

In any case, my predecessor was telling me that he'd like to "familiarize" me with the Boracay area before he left next year. But due to our (his and mine, dealt separately) hectic skeds in january, he was urging me during the trip kanina that I fly back here early. Now, that's when I reacted, like really reacted. I felt, like, crap. Here I am whining to myself, wanting to go home badly, and he's, what? He's advising me to fly back agad??? That's the most horrible idea I've heard in years! No way. No crappy way. Ever. I think he read my face pretty well. Kasi he was chuckling all the way back to Iloilo.

I wanna go home. Somebody FedEx™ me home, please.

Exiled!

2004-12-18T16:42:00.000+08:00

Took a yellow card and got sent off to provincial oblivion.

In less than 24 hrs, we were packed, hauled, and flown into that marvelous beach paradise of the south, Iloilo. And right after touchdown and a few short, cultural (read:shocking) experiences, our sales management careers have been officially launched.

It's actually a bitter-sweet experience for me. First time to fly. First time to go over Mother Luzon's homely boundaries. I took a window seat so I could take in the view. And since it was the first one off Manila, I made sure I got the window seat so I'd be able to see how the sun breaks from 22,000 feet. But alas, it was not to be. Despite the planning, I failed to procure the correct side of the plane, so I ended up looking at Dawn's smiling face from the other end of the aisle. Bummer.

At the moment it's been 89 hours, 18 minutes and a couple of clock ticks since we've arrived here. It's been a very busy week: familiarization with the local business culture, meeting key and non-key personnel, taking in the terrain and dealing with your homesickness-inspired depression. Now I could feel for those expats that go bonkers overseas.

Next week, I'm checking out of the hotel. By that time I'd still have four more days to go before Christmas thankfully (and temporarily) ends our deportation. To make good use of that time, my predecessor has planned to take me up north to Capiz and Aklan (sidestepping aswang-infested Antique) before backtracking down south. Admittedly, the short timeframe will not be enough for me to get a firm grasp of my (-ehem-) whole domain, so I would just have to do my own sight-seeing next year (Boracay is actually on top of the list Ü).

I'm still a little shocked I'm so far away from home. Thank goodness for short internet breaks like these. Now I know why it's those little, seemingly-insignificant things you enjoy at home that matter the most to you... it's because these are the only things you miss when you're not there.

Skinned by Kimberly, Filleted by Clark

2004-12-06T17:00:00.000+08:00

Two days from now, it’s either in or out.

A week of grueling, reality-in-your-face training has ended and now I’ll be informed if the whole trip was worth all the trouble. From the very first call to service. The unconventional exams. Hotel interviews. The foreigner consultants. Embarrassing moments. Glorious split seconds. Our training group started on a legal holiday and ended on a Yoyong-induced one. If there ever was a bang at the finish line we would surely have missed it, harassed and pooped as we were.

For one whole week, we fussed over diversified business and training objectives. Expectations were high, so we worked doubly hard to achieve them. We logged distances that would put Mabuhay Miles out of business, no one opting to stop, each wanting to push his or her body to the point of exhaustion so that, when we finally slept at the end of the day, there would be no regrets, no nasty dreams.

But the dreams came anyway.

During boot camp, I’d even wonder if our assigned trainor was actually Sgt. Slaughter-in-disguise. My partner would've disagreed: he looked more like Col. Mustafa. But he was okay.

Reading about sales though was very different from actualizing it. Selling really really is, a very, very stressful career. And I'd usually ask myself why I never took the "stress" part of the job description more seriously. Pero at times I’d force my wandering mind back from such self-defeating thoughts and into reality. It was bleak enough.

Boot camp's over, for now. I wonder what's next?

FrOm JOb FaiR to WorSt

2004-11-27T18:38:00.000+08:00

Seven months of job hunting and counting…

There is an unrelenting compulsion at this time to write:
"Dear Blog, the corporate World's done me wrong, my head aches from all their questions, they had me—ME—running around in circles, I'm stiff all over, and what in heavens was it all about anyway?" This is, I realized, a job hunter function known as "griping," which is as staple as HR specialists. The story goes that if a job hunter has the energy to gripe at the end of the day, he is all right.

I feel double all right.

La la lah... La la lah...

2004-11-22T22:47:00.000+08:00

Been playing gunbound lately (an online game I’ve only discovered) and have been inexplicably running into a lot of singaporean players.

Yeah, singaporeans and their “la la lahs”. What’s with it, anyway? Reminds me of someone who put up a similar observation. I don’t know what she made of it; I think it appeared more like an intellectual (if not grammatical) curiosity to her than anything. To me, it’s simpler: it’s a royal pain in the neck. This darned word is so annoying it distracts me from my game.

Why on earth would they think of appending “lah” in everything they say is beyond my feeble comprehension. They’d put it at the start, right at the middle, or somewhere near the end. They even use it on its own, like, “hey, that’s a nice shot, mate” and they’d go “lah.” Or “I’ve got lah practice.” What!? Loony.

Makes me want to apply in tourism so I could zap unsuspecting lee-kuen-yew la-la-lah’ers in Luneta. And then I could gleefully sweep Rizal’s refuse-littered perimeter with their sorry remains. HahaHa. Morbid.

And I can’t help reacting as if this is some sort of pop culture sacrilege. As if the only person good enough to say “lah” a gazillion times in bloody succession is that crackpot brother of Noel G. And even I get tired of Oasis sometimes.

Or perhaps that won’t ease my inis any better than not just looking at the chat board. I recall reading somewhere Corleone’s oft-repeated observation: “Blood is a great expense.”

So in deference to my character, which is quite stingy anyhow, I’ll try to take some bloodlust out of my mind for a while. In the meantime, I’ll be spending my exile offline catching up on my reading (a difficult task, realizing that the CNN page daily already leaves me wheezing). And putting a new post in my blogpage (something I’ve deplorably abandoned recently). Or getting off my writer’s block.

Ah, yes. MY writer’s block. Why does it comfort me so? Is it because I’m not really a writer? I feel that way a lot of times. I used to divide the world into black and white, pen and paper, writers and readers. And for a long, long time I used to think that I do write. But the more I slip into literary coma, the more I get pulled to the dark side.

Am I just an actor playing out a scene?

Crap… this is my worst post ever.

If I work at Intel™ and got sucked up its mainframe ...

2004-10-28T08:13:00.000+08:00

Which File Extension are You?

Which OS are You?

Hee hee. This is what I get for having too much time.

My so-called life

2004-10-26T16:21:00.000+08:00

Fresh out of school and still unemployed, I’d spend my mornings (or what remained of it after waking up late) and afternoons in front of the boob tube, surfing the internet, or wearing out my kid brother’s PS joystick. Once in a while, my mum would drag me out of the house to carry her grocery bags for her, or whenever she wants someone to lock arms with while touring Watson’s and Rustan’s. A particularly active day would involve a pre-employment exam (which often turns out to be an Otis-Lennon sat) or a screening interview. On weekend nights, I burn nets with local buddies in a nearby covered court. With a few variations here and there (a long shower, to name a few), my week is basically that. Lang.

Noon, I would rave about all those TV specials I frequently miss. I’d repeatedly squeeze in from one to two hours of review/study time so I could watch HBO and play online games. In the guise of Inhinyero/Logscript work, I’d stay up late at night to laugh at Leno’s jokes and catch up on metropolitan chismis. I could still do that now, and more. But somehow something ain’t right. I seem to feel like I can’t enjoy them properly anymore. There are some things missing that make procrastination such an enjoyable activity (or non-activity, depending on how you look at it).

I miss drinking caffeine for a reason (thesis paper due tomorrow), or using google productively (like “fitting” data on lab work I skipped). I miss the sugar high minutes before exams. I miss checking my email for uploaded homework and advance cheat sheets. Also the sense of accomplishment one gets with a thoroughly-researched submission. And of course, I miss looking forward to goofing off on Saturdays knowing fully well I’d have to resort to cramming everything else on Sunday night.

Clearly, unlimited net and cable TV are all too overrated. I found out that they’re fun insofar as you’ve got better things to do with your time. Otherwise, they can be boring as hell. Eventually your flow goes through a transition stage (ala kinse, my fellow engineers), and everything becomes topsy-turvy. Un-fun things like writing or reading or organizing your desktop become fun, while traditionally fun things like watching TV and lounging about the house become un-fun. Roles become reversed and as time passes by, you lie awake in bed wondering what is going wrong… and why.

Funny, I used to go to bed early as a means of evading the day’s troubles and responsibilities. Now, I go to sleep because on hindsight, it’s the only interesting thing left to do. That’s how super bland my typical day has become. It’s not a tough living but hey, you know of a better hole? I’ll crawl into it.

Now if I had a little less prudence, I’d wish I had a job now para I could start enjoying life again. However, herein lies a subtle irony… and an opportunity to see the upside (or rather, the sole benefit) of graduating behind schedule. You tend to have friends in the workforce already. And judging from what I see and hear at times we bump into one another, err… well, let’s just say it makes you think of that old adage: “Be careful what you wish for…”

So I guess my wishes would have to wait, I’ll try to enjoy my so-called life for a little while longer Ü

2004-10-12T01:18:00.000+08:00

Farewell, Eng'g...

To all things comes an end...

2004-10-11T23:30:00.000+08:00

To all things comes an end.

We are no more than a character in a story,
our lives easily extinguished by a 1.0 or a 5.0…

Turn the page and thousands die. And for what?
For the pride of distinction and a sense of noble destiny.

As we march through a maze of moments,
One day, a fortnight… through years.

We step, some fall, most falter.
With a dream to find new worlds beyond familiar fences.

A dazzling gleam!
Another turn of the page.

Graduation creates drama, inspiration and relives tragedy.
And rewards exploits of acumen too.

And just when it seems we have reached the end,
we flip the page once more.
And we take the turn… the turn that will begin… a new beginning.

Is this the end of our tale? No, we are the pawns of fate.
There are still many pages to turn.

And to all things comes a beginning.

-
-- Wrote this for the Inhinyero 2004 yearbook last year. It failed to make the cut, and another, more poignant piece (which i co-wrote) got the nod. Still, I felt this one was loads better (well... riiiight, I wrote the whole thing anyway). Especially now that I could finally live through every single word of it.

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-- Wooo!!! Graduate na ako mwahahahaha! Ü

The Twelve Songs

2004-10-10T09:07:00.000+08:00

Arrived at school in the company of El Guerrero with one hour to spare. Cram at his tambayan. Didn’t get anything in my head, wanna sleep...

Stop all the clocks, cut off the telephone

Evolution trumps into assigned room for “strategic positioning.” Darn, some girl I haven’t seen in class ever beats me to my favorite window seat. Made a mental note to throw her off the landing after the exam.

Prevent the dog from barking with a juicy bone,

Last-minute ditching and smokescreen operations prevent El Guerrero’s re-deployment. Viva la raza!

Silence the pianos and with muffled drum,

We brace ourselves for the exam to end ALL exams, in a last alliance between elves and men, err... Focus! Concentrate, doggarned it…

Bring out the coffin, let the mourners come.

With half an hour to go, we go over our voluminous answer sheets looking for anything that remotely resembled paramount stupidity.

The stars are not wanted now; put out every one;

Our lovable professor walks in and I quote, “20 minutes!”

Pack up the moon and dismantle the sun,

What was that formula again??? Aagh… whattatimeformetoforgetit… ndeakobabagsakndeakobabagsakndeakobabagsak…

ES12 was my North, my South, my East and West

My seatmate stood up to pass his papers.

My working week and my Sunday rest,

Stole a glance at my cel while recomputing my solutions for the twelvth time. I notice that the eighth digit on my calcu’s LCD is broken. Uh-oh…

My noon, my midnight, my talk, my song;

Panic!

I thought Do-se would last forever: I was wrong.

Fortunately, all values are correct (-whew!-). I submit my papers in six separate boxes:

Fate, Hope, Charity, Luck, Reason and Destiny.

My prof is sporting an absurd smile, but I digress.

Haaay… I get exam results tomorrow.

postcript --- thanks to all who worried with me this past week… *sniff*
I wouldn’t have been able to do it without you. =p

Wooo!!! Bakasyon na, hahaha.

Look out, world. Here we come Ü

What will Ü B in Pisay 20-oh-8?

2004-10-04T17:08:00.000+08:00

Pilfered from a friend presently based in Singapore,

At your ten year high school reunion...
Your school name
Your name
Your job will be	President of a small country
You will be worth	$476,114
Everyone will think you	are a snob

Quiz created with MemeGen!

Wahehe, at least they got the last bit right... Err, see you guys in 2008! Ü

What Me Worry?

2004-10-03T15:17:00.000+08:00

Oh great, I’ve managed to catch flu again. A runny nose, an aching head and a cannister of Kleenex™ are just what I'd be needing at this time of the year. Right smack when I’ve got hosts of exams literally knocking on my doorstep. At my age, I tell you! Exams, knocking on my doorstep. Argh…

Not that I’m alone. I may be the only one stupid enough to go down with flu, but others stuck in the hell hole called Eng’g are on a bad war footing as well. Cases of frustrated homicide and nervous breakdowns have been reported all over the college—well murderous tendencies and dementia aren’t known to be contagious, but people are panicking anyway. We’ve got a plague right here, the epicenter of which is the Department of Engineering Sciences. Nothing compares to it, not even Black Death (or Math building, for that matter). While the oriental rat flea killed millions of people, at least they all stayed dead. ES, on the other hand, turns you into the living dead, which is much worse. That explains the dearth of zombie-like carriers skulking around Melchor’s nooks and crannies three hours before any ES exam. And while plagues no longer pack the punch they used to, I think I’ll worry about them just the same.

Exams and ES. ES exams. It’s not as if I didn’t have enough stuff to worry about—graduating, poverty, getting through a job interview, poverty, earning a living, poverty. And don’t forget love life, now there’s a subject everyone seems to be occupied about.

Do you think I worry too much?

Well, lemme see now…

I wake up one morning and discover I’m already twenty-three (Wait, doggarned it! Didn’t I just turn twenty yesterday!?).

I wake up one morning and there’s no breakfast, only lunch.

I wake up one morning, only it’s already evening.

I wake up one morning only to turn over and wait for the next one.

In any case, I think worrying has it plus points. You see, whenever you worry about something, chances are it probably won’t happen. Like, worrying about my last horror exam prevents it from returning a failing grade. If I worry about being holdupped in a jeepney full of suspicious-looking construction workers, it won’t happen. If I worry about getting drenched because I forgot to bring my payong along, it won’t happen. But heck, even if it does, I get consuelo de bobo: the right to say: “’Sabi ko na nga ba eh!”

So start worrying about things you don’t want to happen. If enough people worry about it, maybe IT WON'T HAPPEN.

Now while you’re at it, could you help me worry about my finals this week?

That's it, folks! Roll the credits...

2004-10-01T13:43:00.000+08:00

Ever seen that Pringles™ commercial, “once you pop, you can’t stop”?

Well, that pretty much sums up my first encounter with blogging. Minutes after publishing my first entry, I found myself navigating back to my blog page again and again and again. Over the next half hour, my post would undergo a score of revisions, expurgation and embellishments.

It’s crazy!

Absolutely ridiculous.

And it’s only beginning. Ü

Just The Type 2 Have 1

2004-09-29T20:02:00.000+08:00

So how do you start your own blog?

That thought occurred to me today after an old colleague asked me if I had one. It felt weird saying no. I didn’t have a blog. Heck, why should I care? But then the bombshell dropped. I was told I seemed just the type to have one. Awww…

Growing up as a single child in Manila, I had nothing really interesting to tinker with save for a (then-new) Brother™ typewriter. So it wasn’t surprising when I evolved into a junior novelist and poet (with a GRAND total of one published work). Ink ribbons became a must-buy, along with candies and those popular Coca-Cola™ yoyos. In college, I wrote opinion pieces enroute to a plum editorial post. Writing has always been fun for me; it’s in my blood. Of course, that didn’t mean I’m the best of letterers, or the most imaginative of explorers. But I never backed down from a literary challenge, and to this day I enjoy hammering out silly short stories on my trusty PC despite the lack of appreciative audiences.

And now, the web journal.

As the sounds of tip-tap-tapping fill my room again, I realize how much I’ve missed by giving up the pen. And just as I summon my literary faculties from oblivion, I start to miss a host of other things: the late-night-bordering-into-super-early-IM-pings about nothing really, I don’t wait for them anymore but they still seem to occupy most of my thoughts while online. There’s a lot of stuff I’m missing that were, weirdly enough, never mine in the first place. Perhaps if I keep them within me long enough, they would cease to exist. I mean what's the point of missing it if it’s all in your head?

At times I try to close my eyes and remind myself of the numerous imponderabilities of this world… only to see the bubble burst over the rainbow. With it comes hopelessness, so I close my eyes again and get lost in my illusions, willing my subconscious to reconstruct the bubble I was living in and wishing all of my dreams come true and for the characters in it to be true.

Mornings are the worst. Mornings make me miserable. They snatch you from the cradle of your magnificent multiverses, exposing them as mere fantasies of a deluded optimist. Mornings make me wish the light away. And so I sleep and sleep and sleep until my dreams turn into nightmare… it leaves you breathless and crying and fighting just to simply wake up.

I miss a lot. And I’m going to blog about it.