Appaloosa.

Here's another late entry: I saw Appaloosa last October 17!

I was really astonished to see it was going to be shown here, considering it was on limited release in the US -- at least that's what I learned from a Viggo board I lurk in. Good thing I went to the mall prior to my day off, so I knew what I was going to do then :-D

My, that's a mighty big gun you have, sir.

Of course, I'm biased, so I'm going to say it's a good movie. Actually it is considering you rarely see enjoyable Westerns lately. And Ed Harris really looks like Viggo's older brother, so I'm a wee bit crushing on him, too. Their acting rapport was excellent in A History of Violence, so it is a pleasure to see them working together again. I learned that Ed Harris actually handed the script to Viggo for he had him in mind to play Everett! He says it was a gamble for an actor to hand a script to another actor, but it paid off.

Also, Diane Lane was supposed to have played Renee Zellweger's character, but backed off because of production delays. Too bad! We all know, or at least Viggo die-hards know, Viggo and Ms Lane have worked on A Walk on the Moon and that was memorable! It would've been nice to see them together again also.

And the best-est surprise: Jeremy Irons!!! OMFG, I didn't even know he was in there. So I'm like, a Viggo-Jeremy-Ed ménage à trois?!? Are you kidding me??? If I didn't think I'd be wasting money, I would've died right there.

That was was an absolutely pleasant afternoon I had. (Too bad there was no nekkid Viggo, otherwise I'd be quadruple dead.)

Night out.

Two Fridays ago, I met up with Melody and Joy to have a belated birthday dinner for Mel. This was two weeks ago and I'm only writing about it now? In a way, it's good our dinner date was moved because if it happened earlier, then that would have made me look even lazier! Then again, I am lazy! Mwahaha!

But I digress. We had dinner at Cyma in Greenbelt 2. Mel and I had dined there some time ago and all I remember is that they have seriously good food and I was stuffed. This time I was bursting! I guess that happens when you take a leisurely meal with delicious food and never-ending kwentos. All we had was Roka Salata, Chicken and Mixed Meat Gyros and Solomos Angel Hair. That's it. To think only the salad was to share, and the rest were solo orders. But we were all hungry yet there were some left to take home. Plus we had a dessert, too, which I forgot the name, but it was unbelievably sweet we weren't even to finish half of it.

Anyhow, the biggest news is that Melody will be taking an early retirement. All I can say is she's getting a really really REALLY great deal from it. Joy was all go for it, even I wouldn't be able to say no. So it's quite funny that Mel is having second thoughts about it. The bright side is she'll still be able to start a new career, do something which she really wants to do. I admit I'm envious, but I'm really happy for her! Her loyalty and hard work to the company paid off handsomely ;-)

After dinner, we walked around Greenbelt 5. OMG, it's huge! And all the malls are connected now. At least it's classy. We went to Promod and Charles & Keith and I promptly coveted shoes and accessories! I was seriously thinking of getting the booties but I just made my printer purchase. Then again, who am I to stop me? Hahaha. Aldo had lace-up booties but the ones in Charles & Keith cost only half of that. We'll see....

Missing kittehs.

On a sad note, the new kittens are gone. The last time I saw them was on Wednesday afternoon when I left for work. :~( They're just several months old! They may be curious but still not that inquisitive that they'll leave to go exploring already; they're not at that age yet! It really sucks because they're all beautiful kittehs, just like their mom, they're black & white, but mostly black. I was partial to giving them "dark names" like Jack Skellington or Lock, Shock and Barrel. (I ♥ The Nightmare Before Christmas.) Especially this one who I was able to hold, the other two were still shy. He's so pretty and his fur is so soft. Plus they were all big kittens, I'm sure they're going to grow up bigger than my older cats.

I'm just so sad, they're too young to fend for themselves. I pray goddess Bast will look after them. Or please let them make their way home.

CUTs, like a knife.

I am so poor right now! This is what I get for going on undertime...nothing!!! I think I may have just gotten my basic salary (or less even), without the bonuses, etc. Ayayay. I only have enough to pay my bills; I don't even think whatever little is left will float me for the next two weeks. OMG, this is hysterical. I was aware the downside of going on undertime is the salary deduction, but this is prolly my biggest CUT, literally & financially, almost 2k! Methinks so, I'll still have to get my payslip later. Oh well. It was either I go on undertime and save my sanity, or be "rich" and lose my mind.

But this past pay period, I only went on CUT for one (full) day. They're not offering undertimes as frequently as before; AUT isn't even offered anymore! Yeah, kinda looking forward to next payday because I'll prolly have my full bonus also -- the last time I got this was way back when I was still in the morning shift. I don't know what I'm doing, but my stats were pretty good this October.

As I've said, I may be financially rewarded this time around, but it was absolutely exhausting. I'm not used to working a full work week anymore! And it was nice to see Tanji again. He traded shifts with Jen so we were able to make kwento. See, if it wasn't hanging around with him for a bit, I wouldn't be able to relax a bit, because when they left already I was back to hostile operator mode. Haha.

And my getting the barest of my wages doesn't even stop me from shopping! Hey, I do need this after all. I've had this new PC for almost a year now but it was only the other day when I plugged in my flatbed scanner and find out it is not compatible with Windows XP!!! Que horror! It says right there on their website when I downloaded the driver. It's interesting because now AOC only specializes in monitors, at least that's all the product I saw there.

I've been scouting for a new printer anyway because mine is older than the scanner, and it's wonky because the ink gets stuck in the heads from non-use. Meaning, if I use it again I have to have it cleaned or repaired first, and the last time I had it done it cost as much as a new printer. So might as well get a new printer.

I almost had an HP printer, it was the promo with new subscriptions to Smart Bro. But that was a crappy deal because they prolly only had limited printers to give and a gazillion new subscribers.

Anyway, so I'm doing my own research and I know I wanted a printer with individual ink cartridges, so it would be cheaper to replace them and more efficient, too. And that's what the new Epson printers come equipped with. I was leaning towards the Epson Stylus T10, which is just a basic printer. In hindsight, I'm glad I was able to check my scanner before making any purchases, because now I needed a new scanner, too! And just a few clicks away I see the Epson Stylus TX100, which is an all-in-one printer, scanner and copier! More importantly, it doesn't cost an arm and a leg! (Only two weeks' salary! LOL!)

I just purchased it yesterday at Octagon Computer Superstore. Sometimes I'm glad I'm mildly OCD. I was planning to buy it at Asianic, but I looked at the other shops first to check if they had it in stock, and I see it costs P200 less in Octagon. Not too much of a bargain, but still. Plus the clerk was overly eager to help me, so that was nice. When I went to the other shop, they looked at me as if I couldn't afford it! Their loss, haha.

So now I want to go print all the stuff I want to print, but I'm on a tight budget right now so better keep a check on myself. But OMG the copier! Who needs their personal photocopying machine?!? I did a test and it was way better than the piso photocopies you get anywhere. That was where I was pretty impressed with my new gadget, hehe. Luv it!

Note this purchase was necessary. What I really want to get is a digital camera as a present to myself (again). I don't remember getting me a present on me birthday.... did I? Or did I conveniently forget? Anyway, I'm leaning towards a Casio Exifilm EX-77, because uh, that's the one I saw at the mall. It's almost within my budget, too (the ones I really like are in the 10k range). Plus it's in this dude's best camera list, and that's a good review, too. But I'll still have to check if the other cameras are available here and do more research and comparisons.

Buon compleanno Viggo!

Viggo Mortensen is 50 today, and he's gorgeous as ever... ♥ ♥ ♥ him forever!!!

Dem bones.

My dad's bones were exhumed last week and he was able to visit here for a few days. It sounds so macabre...even I did a double-take when my mom said my dad was on his chair. She was always saying she was going to move him from the Manila Memorial Park to the cemetery in Batangas, where now my Mamay, Nanay, and other relatives also have their final resting place. Now it finally did happen.

There was a part of me that wanted to open the bag just so I could take a look at his bones, but it seemed so disrespectful. This is odd, but I was thinking didn't the Bowler had her dad's skull in her bowling ball? Duh, but that's a movie! Anyhoo. I later learned through my cousin-in-law who was present at the exhumation that there were precautions taken to prevent the spread of microorganisms; the staff was using this (disinfectant?) spray with every step they did in the exhumation process.

(Note: The pix are crappy because they were taken by will-do-for-now camphone.)

Da was reinterred on October 12, 2008. His lapida was also brought along. I assumed they were going to use that, but the caretakers said it wasn't possible, they were going to make a new one. That's because all the markers in that cemetery have the same design for uniformity, which pretty much sucks, there's not much personalization there. My mom insisted they put his epitaph on the new marker, which honestly suits my dad perfectly -- I always thought it was so very him, v. rock and roll! Haha. I really hope they put his epitaph in. We'll see on undas.

A better view of the body bag. It's pretty big, about two feet wide. I thought the label on it was hysterical, it says: Manila Memorial Park "Leading the way". The way to what?!? You can see part of the uniform markers on the left side, all it has is the name, date of birth and death.

My dad's final final resting place.

Resignation FAIL.

Last Wednesday I attempted to submit my resignation for the 4th time, and for the 4th time I've failed yet again. Miserably.

Why do my supervisors always deter me from leaving?!? It's not as if I'm one of the top operators (at least not anymore). More likely because it's part of their job. But how come the other people who just left recently were able to? Did they discourage them as well? Or is it because I gave a "crappy" reason for leaving? I said, wala lang, I'm just tired. As far as I know the others left because they had other job offers.

Isn't my sanity important???

The bottom line is I feel absolutely BOBO already. As in. Do you know I had to use Thesaurus.com and Dictionary.com just now because I couldn't think of the word I wanted to use? Before I could work on my websites all day without looking at any of my references, but now I can't even remember simple scripts or tags.

Use it or lose it.

And it's definitely official: I've sold out. The major factor why I'm extending my employment until the end of the year is the money. If I leave now when there's still a couple of months left, I'll get a huge deduction in my tax next year. I know how big a chunk they get because I've experienced it already. That was the main point my sup was talking to me about. If I was able to extend my stay for a full year (yep, I initially attempted to leave a full year ago), then what's two more months? And as far as she knows, if I leave on December, I wouldn't have to wait for my back pay, 13th month pay, etc., since they'll release it immediately. Accounting would prefer to close all its books at the end of the year, right?

So there ya go. I'm a whore! Pero ayoko ayoko AYOKO na talaga. I'm having mini-tantrums just thinking I'll have to work for two more months! Ugh. I was already in that mindset of going on vacation by November -- in fact, I've even crossed out my calendar as a countdown... then it's for nothing.

Basta by December I'll be out of there. I don't think I'll even finish the month, as soon as the 13th month pay is released... buh-bye.

Eight more weeks. I better start another countdown.

My words are tasty.

I told myself I wouldn't go on CUT this week because I had so many CUTs last week, plus my AUT for Wednesday is approved. But there really wasn't a lot of calls last night -- in fact when I arrived at the floor, only 3-4 agents were logged in!! Even Kaye had gone on CUT.

As expected, the minute I logged in, 5 or 6 slots are offered. So tempting! I was only able to resist at first, but after lunch I gave in. I'm so undisciplined. And will be so poor!!! Ang laki na ng kaltas sa suweldo ko, hahahaha.

Besides, I'd finished the book I was reading, so I was pretty bored already. (Uh, weren't we supposed to take calls?) And the magazine I had didn't have a lot of interesting articles.

...

The book I finished was Anderson Cooper's Dispatches from the Edge. I had just bought it on my last Book Sale run... and it cost only P20! (The other book I got was only P10, Jonathan Franzen's The Discomfort Zone, which is also a memoir.)

I was aware his brother committed suicide, I may have seen that on Oprah, but I wasn't aware his mother is Gloria Vanderbilt. What really struck me was that he went to Somalia on his own he was 25 years old to make his own news footage, just so he could work as a correspondent. If that's not initiative and bravery, I don't know what is. (I left the book at the locker, so I can't check right now...and it's killing me. I want to quote properly.)

It was a pretty quick read, finished it in two days in between calls. (I could've read it in a couple of hours straight if I was a bum.) I read some of the reviews on Amazon and they said it wasn't "personal" or insightful enough. But it is -- it's through his work and coverage of the wars, the tsunami & the hurricanes that he realizes his feelings on the loss of his brother, and his father's efforts to show the importance of roots and family. My own complaint is it was short -- it ended 2005 with his reporting on Hurricane Katrina (incidentally, there's a good photo of the hurricane on the Wikipedia.) I'm kinda hoping he'll write another one; he's an engaging writer and it is interesting to know a journalist's viewpoint.

No rest for the wicked.

Since I started working the night shift, I've been averaging about 3-4 hours sleep. Mary Anne says that's alright, but I still feel tired. I want my full 8 hours. As a matter of fact, one time I went to bed at 10 in the morning... and slept my way through until 4 a.m. the following day. I want those days again when I can sleep all day. Yeah, I can finally admit now I like sleeping :-/

...

Does it make us illegally employed if we still haven't signed new contracts? Our contracts ended September 30, 2008. My goody-goody side wants to report this to the authorities. Hah. As if.

...

It seems I'm not the only one wanting to leave the company. I just learned a couple others are planning to leave, too, but I'm unsure if it's already definite and they've submitted their resignation letters already.

...

When I do leave, I want to take the photography workshop at FPPF. I've been wanting to take a class since Goddess knows when (nasa Pasay pa yata kami nakatira). Even Charmaine has taken the class way ahead of me, I think she's taken the advance workshop already.

But of course, I still have to take my SLR for repair and/or cleaning. Haaaayyyy.

There's just this need for me to be creative right now. Now I know I am truly dead if I have no avenues for expression or creativity.

To CUT or not to CUT.

That was the question I was asking myself last night. There wasn't a lot of calls, and they offered it pretty early for my shift: five slots until 0600. And it was only around 9:00 p.m.; I had only logged in for an hour!

The dilemma was with the leave accrual. We earn a leave credit if we're at work for four hours. I'm thinking since I have work on Wednesday nights, no problem, I'll get the credit. But then they said the credit was only for last night, and after 12 midnight, you weren't getting any credits anymore. Huh? But it was still September 30 last night, October 1 -- the holiday -- was still on midnight. (Duh.) But that was how it was. How strange....

Anyway, I've come to a point where I don't care anymore. I just want to go home. I don't want to work anymore. So I went on CUT 0911.

Yeah, it was impractical of me to do that. I could've waited several more hours and earned a leave credit. Most likely another CUT would've been offered (but then again, maybe not.) Plus my salary is going to be deducted with all the undertime I took this pay period.

I truly don't want to continue working there anymore. I'm so sick of it. The only thing keeping me there is the regular income.

Besides, I've come to a decision to leave at the end of this month. It's been a full year since I first attempted to resign, might as well try again. I'm just tired.

(Another thing, our contract ended September 30, 2008, and there hasn't been any renewal yet. So technically they could do anything to us. The 'joke' is we're like floating employees right now. Knowing how unfair our company can be, who knows what could happen... )

...

Another two months since my last post! It's because of this damn job. I'm really stressed out, and even though I want to write, I still get lazy about it. (Then again, if I did, I would write the same thing over & over again.)

See, I think I'm losing my ability to express myself because I'm depressed again. Poor me.

I need a break.

So little time.

Lately it seems I never have enough time to do everything I plan to do on the weekend -- chores like cleaning my room, organizing my books & files, mending clothing, doing errands, updating my blogs.... Then again, I let myself be "distracted" by PR. Haaayyy. And then when I do get the energy to do stuff, it's time to go to work again. Double haaayyyy. For instance, I should already be sleeping now but I don't want to leave my PC, let me at least put a small entry here. Ha! At least that's another line through my list. I keep thinking I'll do more next weekend, but then it comes and I'm too lazy and tired and just want to play games. I don't even get to read my books anymore, it's piling up like crazy.

I wanna be a sloth again.

O hai.

Srlsy?! Three months since my last post! OMG. WTF. ROTLFMAO.

It's all Packrat's fault. Am seriously addicted to this Facebook app. And the only reason I'm updating right now is because PR is acting all buggy, prolly due to FB's upgrade.

Excuses, excuses. And I'm so darn good at that. If it's not one thing, it's the another. Or I just completely, totally lazy at times. Haaayyy. Honestly, I'm more tired now that when I was just a bum... and that's because I'm working now, hello?!? It seems my resignation will have to be postponed a wee bit longer, what with all the bills I have to pay and the shopping I've been doing.

This post isn't making any sense. But I do have a list of all the things I want post in here, so hopefully I'll get around to it sooner rather than later.

See, I'm tired already.

Same old.

Exactly 14 days from my last post. V.bad.

Then again, what was I supposed to write about? I'm just doing the same things and thinking the same thoughts. My AUT got approved again for this week so yay another long weekend hopefully will get approved next week too. I should be cleaning my room yet again but then I'd rather play games on my PC or play with some apps on Facebook and then I get guilty. I should be finishing reading this book I borrowed last year. Blah blah blah. Same old things.

I asked Mary Anne if there were any plans of the barkada going for another trip. She was like, do we have any funds for that? :/ Melody said she wanted to go on a day trip, even just to Tagaytay, but she's turning just like Claire: always busybusybusy. Haaaayyy.

Then when I'm surfing the Net I find myself hitting the Share button frequently. I like it a lot. And I end up spamming myself. Ha.

And of course, since it's a Monday and I go back to work tonight... I don't want to. Again.

Then again, what else is new?

Time goes by.

Why does it seem there's never enough time to do anything? At least that's how it is with me. I'm always planning I'll do this or do that on my day off, then my weekend comes round and I end up doing "nothing"...then I have to go to work again and I hate it because I felt like I didn't do anything productive at all.

This heat doesn't help either as I just want to vegetate (ideally on a hammock under the shade on a quiet beach) and my mind just turns to mush.

I'm probably just sulking as I cannot seem to finish cleaning/organizing my room -- I need more space!!! -- and it's the start of my work week again and I really don't want to deal with those callers again. How I wish I can remove my brain and leave it in my locker and go on auto-pilot when I'm logged in. I may be obsessive-compulsive (to a degree) but this repetitive tediousness is killing me.

Sid Hildawa, 1963-2008

I only go the ClickTheCity to find out movie schedules and shop locations, so I was truly shocked when I saw on their front page that Sid Hildawa passed away last March 30. (Another article here.)

Sir Sid was one of our professors in college. He usually taught the visual arts courses. I remember he was our prof in Visual Arts (duh) and Photography. I don't remember if he was also our teacher in Architecture (probably was, considering he's also an architect). He was a really cool teacher because his classes were always interesting. Like our Visual Arts class was supposed to be all theories and discussions, but he made it into a workshop class. I really ♥ our Photography workshop. It was my first formal classes on photography, so even though I've read about the subject and have dabbled in it (I consider myself an experienced amateur), it's always refreshing to learn and get insight from an actual professional.

This really made me sad because Willa and I were just reminiscing of our college life last weekend! How we both enjoyed our workshops and all. In fact, Willa made a teaching demo on basic art techniques, like how to hold a pencil properly, mixing colors, etc. I'm pretty sure she'll be surprised and saddened by this news...if she hasn't heard about it yet.

Thanks, Mr Hildawa, for everything you taught us!

Wasted time.

I completely wasted time by going to the office today. Supposedly I was on AUT only up to 0830, but when on the agent check-in I was on AUT from my entire shift!!! Grrrr.... Buti na lang Bates was the supervisor on duty. He said he'll just work it our with traffic. Yay! To think I was there rather early. I left before 6am thinking there'd be traffic... but I was at the office by 7am. Nyeh. So I just smoked. First with Mai since it was her break. Then with Bates because he was getting something to eat.

I have to include this because it was too funny. While they were getting food, I happened to see this product on the toiletries shelf at Mini Stop. It was next to the condoms so it intrigued me. The label said "Fire", and the other one was "Ice." I don't know exactly what the product description is, maybe a sexual aid or something. Probably like a lubricant because according to the package you apply it to the condom so it will give this "minty sensation" and "for your oral pleasure." Oh-kay. Joby was looking at the "Ice" packet and reading it out loud, so that was hysterical. :-p Hey, I just realized I should've taken a pic!!! Oh well. I'm sure it'll still be there tomorrow... ;-)

So basically I went to the office today to be pa-cute. Eng?? But I was still able to do a few errands that I was supposed to have done yesterday.

Later I definitely have work, but only until 4am. Yay! And of course, the new AUT sked is available. This time I only filed for AUT on Friday and Saturday...baka wala na akong sweldohin!

More weekend for me.

Yay, I'm having a "long" weekend again! It feels so good not to be literally chained to a desk (by the cord of our headsets) and not to deal with questions from dumb callers. I'm thinking if I should really apply for the same AUT sked next week, because if I do this every week, it would be FIVE days AUT! That's equal to 45 hours!!! OMG, that would definitely be a huge deduction from my salary. And I haven't added the CUT (went on CUT yesterday, too). Dilemmas...

Which reminds me: my AUT tomorrow is only from 0000-0830, so I better call in and have get on the CUT list and be prioritized so I won't need to go to work anymore, hehe. But if it doesn't work out and I'm already at the office, I can just go see Mary Anne later on.

I was chatting with her yesterday morning, and she was surprised I was home early. So we were on Skype until around 11am. I decide to take a nap... but when I wake up, it's already 4am. Okay. That's like straight 16 hours of sleep. And I don't remember having dreams. And I wasn't even lying straight in my bed because I had my bag and other stuff dumped on it. Evidently, even if I worked for 1 3/4 days, I'm still exhausted.

I'm still waiting for Willa to update me re: the cool job her sister has. I'm starting to daydream already! But better not count my chickens until they've hatched. Just seems like a good opportunity.

Time to leave again.

First day of my work week, and what did I remember to do first? Check if the AUT schedule is already available for this week, and apply! Again, Traffic gave the odd skeds...but that won't faze me from applying my AUT! And again, I applied for AUTs on Thursday, Friday and Saturday.

My Fates are extra nice to me lately...because it got approved again!!! First, it was only for half-days on for all three days. Paul also said to rewrite the form because of the erasures Traffic made, but not to worry because it was also approved.

Later, Paul talks to me again and gives me better news: my AUTs were "upgraded"!!! Wo-hoo!!! Same as last week, two full days AUT and half-day on Satuday. OMG OMG OMG, I am just so happy I'm going to get more rest again. Is it obvious I don't want to continue working this job anymore?

I also got my payslip today, it already indicated my first wave of 'serious' CUTs and AUTs. I went on undertime for 20 hours the first half of last month! But my salary cut wasn't too serious. So, 20 hours undertime is still 'bearable'. I guess that would be my benchmark for my undertime: 20-24 hours max every pay period. More than that and obviously I'll get a bigger cut from my salary, too. I'll also have to learn to be a bit frugal (stop checking eBay!). Kaye had more undertime than I did, but her salary was just a few hundred pesos less than mine.

Anyway, I'm just glad tomorrow's my last full day for the week...again!!! (Unless I avail of CUT.) If they'd only create part-time positions for our jobs....

Next week, I'd definitely apply for the same AUT again ;-)

From rest to motion.

This was a pretty good week. First off, I only spent 2.5 days at the office. Yay! Even if it's already over, I am/was pretty excited about it. Normally, when I file for AUT it does not get approved for the whole day, so I'd play safe and just file for a half-day. Then lately Traffic issued odd schedules for the under time: it'd start and end on the half-hour, and that's especially awkward for the 12-9 ppl. Anyway, since I didn't want to use my leave credits and so badly wanted to take a break, I still filed for 0000-0830 AUT and would just wait and see if it would get approved or not. Either way, I tried.

So. Last week, while I was still logged in, Joby puts me on POS busy. At first, I thought, uh-oh, what did I do, did I do something bad? Then he says that Traffic was asking if it was alright to change my AUT to 0000-0900...the entire shift! Duh?!? Tinatanong pa ba 'yun?!? Who'd in their right mind would decline?? Of course, I accepted!!! Yay! And I applied for TWO days, too!

When I checked the approved form, I definitely had two full days off AUT... and a half. My Saturday AUT was only approved from 0000-0500. But that's still a good thing. Especially since upon getting off that sked it was my off already. Mini-vacay!

I did get a lot of rest this week. I was alternating between working (ie, playing games) on this here PC, and when I'd get tired, I'd get some hours sleep. Then the cycle begins again. Plus of course got to play with my cats, too.

I'm thinking I should just apply for AUT every week. Because I'm able to get more rest, I wasn't as stressed like before. (It also helps that we didn't have such high volume of calls, too.) But I should also "ration" my undertimes so I wouldn't get a big cut from my paycheck.

So this weekend, on my actual days off, I got around to cleaning/organizing my room yet again. Now I was able to arrange some of my stuff more neatly, so at least there's a semblance of order to my room. (I could still definitely use more storage space.) Then I was also able to organize some of my files on here PC -- I still haven't gotten around to completely integrating my files from my old PC.

I'm feeling really productive, like for once I finally accomplished something on my day off, and for someone with OCD, that really is an achievement. ;-)

...

I met up with my college best friend earlier today. Willa emailed me out of the blue and said why don't we meet up because it turns out she still lives in the same city...and in a neighboring village to boot.

Some things never change! I was a bit early so I was able to check the bookstores first, and Willa was late, haha. We had a very leisurely lunch at Italianni's -- and by leisurely, I mean I haven't taken a lunch that took as long as it did today: it was past two when we left!! Of course, we were talking and catching up the whole time, and you also have to factor in the huge servings they have. Memories of high school: I felt it was a "magic plate" because no matter how many bites I took, it seemed as I still hadn't made any progress on my pasta!

Afterwards, we went to Starbucks and more kwento. This is what I truly like when you see old friends again; it's as if there wasn't such a huge amount of time since we last saw each other and we just pick up where we left off. Awwwwwww.

We got around to talking how frustrating my job is (of course), how even if she's married all this time she still adjusts to her marriage (I didn't know that), how her kids are (my inaanak is 11 years old already!), how she's studying again to get a teaching license... She also wants to get a master's degree in Art Education, and I want to do that -- but before I can do that, I have to get my B.A. first! OMG, my being an undergrad is not 'cute' anymore. She also offered to help me out since she's just a stay-at-home mom. (And I might take her up on her offer since she was my classmate after all. And she's been through what I'm still experiencing -- also took her some quite before she finished her "T"...but not as long as I am! Haha, am I setting a record here?!?)

Anyway, we just spent the afternoon catching up and promised we should see each other more often. Yay!

(Willa also brought up a very interesting career opportunity. If it's okay for me to send in my resume, I'm really going for it. Here's hoping.)

Tag away.

I didn't put tags in my entries before because I couldn't figure out why you need to tag entries. And I thought I was obsessive-compulsive?!? But now I've realized the logic behind it, so before my entries get out of control I've tagged my past entries. Neat.

I'm a grandmama...again!

I woke up pretty early yesterday, around 6am, so I went downstairs to feed my cats (if my mom hadn't fed them yet). The two small ones - 'Mabait' and 'Mahiyain' - were waiting at the door. No sign of the big cats, 'Damulag' and 'Mommy' mimings.

But as soon as I opened the door -- and ya know how cats recognize sounds, especially if those sounds are associated with food -- I saw Mommy miming come from inside our garahe. First I thought it was strange, because I assumed she would be sleeping somewhere else. But now I'm also relieved to know she finally sleeps within our property again...

...especially now that she's brought her litter here!!! OMG!!! That was a pleasant surprise, and I had just woken up!

I wasn't sure if I was really seeing kittens; I wasn't wearing glasses so I had to go up to my room again just to be sure. I thought there were just three kittens, but as soon as I had my "eyes" on, I counted four! Four black and white kittens, and they look so much alike: blue eyes, black tails, and they're mostly white fur in the body with black patches all over. I'm going to have a difficult time naming them. But still, I'm a grandma...again!

(Then again, as if I'm not really a grandma. No kidding: my college-age inaanak already has kids. Two of them. I remember my tiyo/her lolo joking with me, when would it be my turn. And again, as if my other relatives hadn't wondered that same question.)

It already feels wonderful that Mommy miming has returned, and doubly so that she listened to me and brought her kittens here :-) My concern now is their health. Mommy and the kittens all look so skinny, so I want to feed them some more, or at least Mommy miming because I can't feed the kittens real food just yet.

I think the small ones recognize their mom, too. Because Mabait attempted to nurse from her mother! And I had to shoo him away because not only is he bigger than his mom already, but I'd rather see the kittens nurse from Mommy.

I'm still so happy we have new kittens again. Mabait and Mahiyain are just a year old, so to me they're still kittens, just bigger.

Do I sense the beginnings of a fantasy coming true? Me surrounded by cats and kittens while I sit in a rocking chair doing crafts? Nah, I don't have a rocking chair (yet).

Mommy Miming come stay home.

A cat went up to me when I left our house last Thursday night. And wouldn't you know it, it's Mommy Miming! She left home since late last year, and only saw her again a few times early this year. I was really surprised that she recognized me and would come to me and greet me on her own. So I picked her up and went back inside our house. It was good she wasn't afraid and let me pick her up, I thought she'd run away because she usually doesn't like being held. Even though I was running late, I didn't care. My mommy miming is home and I'm going to feed her first. Period. I even wanted not to go to work anymore, just so I could stay with the cats, but....

So I just prayed and thanked Goddess Bast for bringing my cat home and watching over her and making sure she's safe. I was really excited to come home and see her again, but she wasn't here anymore :-(

...Until this morning! I went downstairs around 6.30 to feed the cats, and I saw a black cat walking on the other side of the street. Like a mother knows her children, I knew it was MY cat and I called out to her. She immediately came over, even went inside the house with me again and straight to the kitchen, and fed her and the rest.

Poor thing, she's so skinny. She still has soft fur, but looks like she hasn't been grooming herself a lot lately. She may have a litter somewhere because her teats are engorged. And she has an awful open wound, but at least it's clean. As much as I'd like to put medication on it, I dare not because obviously she's going to lick it off anyway.

I'm pretty sure she'll be off again, but I asked her to come back to stay and bring the kittens where they'll be more safe. Please Goddess Bast watch over my pretty queen.

Links get it on!

The requisite Viggo links: Hey, that ad-lib wasn't in the script! which is proof of Viggo's creativity.

'My mother is very happy about it' on his Oscar nomination.

Does this mean I should have a new layout for my website since the Vatican lists "new sins," including pollution?

Pratchett funds Alzheimer's study.

High Wire Act: MIT professor and Web star Walter Lewin swings from pendulums and faces down wrecking balls to show students the zany beauty of science. I wish I was in his physics class. Or my physics classes should've been as fun, I would've paid more attention.

Drew Barrymore Discusses 100th Boyfriend With ‘Vogue’. I was kinda crushing on Justin Long, but since he's with Drew now, eh.

As a Leo and ailurophile, this one really got to me: Christian, the lion who lived in my London living room.

Love makes the world go 'round./Money is the root of all evil.

A week since my last post? Not good.

Anyway, I did meet up with my girls...and our newest baby girl! Wow, she looks more like Kristine than Juan, especially her eyes! Ang lakas talaga ng dugo ng Pinoy ah, kahit si Gordon, kamukhang-kamukha ni Jona :-D For a change, I was the tardy one -- I'm not used to commuting in the daytime anymore so I underestimated the travel time -- so by the time I got to Megamall they had already scouted the area for possible dinner locations (Sukothai was long gone). They really couldn't find any suitable restos since it was so noisy and most of the restos we saw had hard benches, and another of our requirements was a couch. Myra was with Kaye at Toy Kingdom so we went there to meet up, and then Kris and Juan decided to browse, too. So we ended up sitting by the benches near the skating rink and decided we'll just go to the Podium.

Another trademark of the group: we can't make a decision right away. Will we walk or take a cab? As usual, Charmaine was extra bitchy saying a cab will agree to take us but it will be a short ride. Is it far to walk? Medyo. Grrr. Then again, distance is relative. In the end, we just decide to walk. At least Kristine was able to see St. Francis Square. She's only been back a handful of times since she moved to Spain, but it amazes her that every time she's here there are more malls...and yet everyone is just the same old, plain, boring mall. I asked her had she gone to Mall of Asia? She said yes and of course there was nothing new about it, just another big mall. (Now I just realize I forgot to tell her the architectural brouhaha MOA had before opening. And also about Trinoma. Sheesh, this is an all mall country and no public libraries!!!)

After twisting and turning we finally get to the Podium. Mary Anne and Charmaine again looked ahead, and decided we'd go to the UCC Vienna Cafe. It was the first time for everyone to dine there; my second since I'd been to the UCC Park Cafe at Glorietta with Melody. Again, took some time ordering and the food to arrive and when it did, as usual, everyone was busy eating. It was around 8pm so everyone was hungry and tired.

Played catch up. Of course, it was surprising but at the same time no surprise (eng?) that I'm still not finished with my "T". Kris generously offered to help me -- oh yeah, now it hits me again, I was going to ask her about the conservation techniques at her museum...duh?!? Same old stories about not finding any suitable boys men to date. Myra will be going to the US later this year to take the boarding exams there, so we might meet up again before she leaves.

Claudia is such a doll! She really looks more like Kris! You don't even have to ask who's her mom because you can see the resemblance. Juan says he really likes how Claudia has Kristine's eyes...singkit rin kasi :-) Claudia is the mestiza version of Kris. It was really amusing when Claudia was crying and Mary Anne would talk to her...and Claudia would stop bawling and just look at Mary Anne; she was mesmerized. Then she'd start smiling. Awwww. (I better ask the girls for copies of the pix, I want to post it to our groups.)

Then it was time to leave. Kris said she'd be back in two years...hopefully. OR we can go visit her there. How I wish!!! (But wishes can come true, right?) Besos all around and that was it.

The rest of us stayed at Starbucks until My's and Mary Anne's sundo came. Since I was hitching with Mary Anne I had to stay, too. We got to talking about that unbelievably inarticulate contestant on Bb. Pilipinas. I only saw a clip on YouTube but it still irritated the hell out of me. To top it all off, she's a MassComm student?!? WTF?!? If I was one of her professors, I'd automatically fail her. And if she was one of my friends...langya, ikahihiya ko siya! Itatakwil kita ano. Nakakahiya talaga. Eh ano ngayon kung maganda ka nga, wala naman palang laman yang utak mo? Oo sige, pressure kung pressure kung sasagot ka man lang ng Q&A in a bikini in front of all those people. Pero iha, naintindihan mo ba yung tanong? Reminds me of that National Bookstore commercial extolling you to also enrich your mind. Hey, she could be the poster girl for that! Nyeh!

OMG, I told myself I wouldn't make my commentary on that incident because I don't want to waste space & energy...but look who's the hypocrite now. Haha. The point I'm getting at was Mary Anne and Charmaine got curious and tried watching it, but the connection was choppy and could only see the first half. Still, watching half of it and you'd still get an idea of what happened.

All in all, it was a satisfactory reunion. Too bad Kristina couldn't make it. Kris thought there were more Xmas dinner photos aside from the one I sent last time...then realized that was it, just me and Mary Anne and one photo. I wonder when we will all be together again -- this time with hubbies & babies & hopefully boyfriends for the rest.

...

We got our salary appraisals this week. Kinda not fair that it's based on the employee's performance when some of us know for a fact the company reports it automatically gives a 10% increase. Hmmm.

So now it's money that's keeping me from leaving? I've sold out! How sad. I'm not sure if it's pathetic or not, but lately I'm spending a lot on eBay (mostly CDs since I'm trying to convert my cassettes to CDs) and on kikay stuff like bags and shoes.

I wasn't too much of a bag person, but now I am, especially now there are good local hand bag makers, like Follow Your Heart in Glorietta and Trinoma. I have this green faux snakeskin bag, in a similar shape to a LV Speedy, which I really like -- except it's a handbag so I have to be "ladylike" when I use it. I'm really more used to just slinging my bag over my shoulder, but then I just got this new bag on eBay. I thought it was a big one, but it's just "regular" sized. I'm partial to oversized bags now. But I still like it since it has chains and silver hardware and all. I haven't used it yet because I couldn't fit my kikay kit in there. No, my kikay kit doesn't contain all makeup; it's my combination kikay-and-toiletries kit, my toothbrush is also in there and my ever present alcohol (isopropyl alcohol instead of hand sanitizer, not a mini bottle of alcohol...although that wouldn't be a bad idea, too).

Anyway, what I'm getting at is that the more money I have, the more I'm bound to spend it or shop. I do save a bit, though (haven't I just purchased my new beloved PC from my hard-earned savings?). Plus now I'm able to buy more books...at BookSale! Yay! Right now I'm seriously thinking of getting some Miami Ink shirts on eBay, which I wouldn't get here otherwise, and a made-to-order bag over a local online shop. And some booties, too. Haaayyyy.

I'm getting used to this income level, so if I do resign and start at another job and offered a lower basic salary, I'll have to readjust. Then again, I really shouldn't worry about that too much, right? By then, I'd have all the bags and shoes I'd want (methinks).

(If Mary Anne reads this post, she'd go: stop buying shoes! Buy something for your computer instead! I'm sure she won't say stop buying bags, because she's also into big bags.)

Waiting for dinner.

I'm meeting friends tonight. Kristine is here with hubby Juan and baby Claudia! We're finally going to see her. Mary Anne and Charmaine are definitely going. Myra will likely be there, too, since Megamall is nearer to her residence than where we usually meet in Makati. Not sure about Kristina, though, but still hope she makes it. Iilan na lang nga kaming naiwan dito, minsan na lang magkita, tapos kami-kami lang parati nina Mary Anne at Charmaine ang nagkikita. Haaayyyy.

I really miss my friends. My stars, we'd known each other since high school!!! With Claire, I was aware of her since grade school, but we all officially became barkada in HS. It's like 20 years now! WOW!!! As Mary Anne says, we're more than sisters now ♥ (I wholeheartedly agree: the Magnolias are the few ppl I feel "comfortable" having bad moods around but they know me well enough that I'm just in a bad mood.)

In the meantime, I'm getting addicted to Facebook, especially the fun applications. It's so much neat-er (literally & figuratively) than Friendster! Now I kinda wish I joined sooner, but don't think it really matters since I'm still able to find friends from high school and college and work....

I really should be getting some rest before tonight -- I've come off from work and I haven't slept yet! -- pero eh, bahala na.

Want. Need. NOW.

This is the current issue. Dammit, he's hot. I hope it's being sold at Book Sale already, better check this weekend.



Am I lucky when it comes to Viggo magazines or what? Usually I have no idea he's going to be on the cover of whatever magazine -- unless I happen to be extra industrious in checking Viggo sites and learn about it there. It has happened multiple times already: I'm browsing at Book Sale or whatever secondhand book shop, and lo, I find a magazine with him on the cover.

I wasn't so lucky a couple of years ago when I won a copy of Arena Homme+ on eBay. That magazine was what prompted me to create an eBay account ;-) Unfortunately, I never received my magazine, huhuhu, and further inquiries with the seller didn't result to anything; the seller didn't reply to my emails after the transaction was completed. Oh well.

It was also through eBay that I learned Viggo is on the cover of Men's Vogue right now. I typed "Viggo magazines" on the search field and there it was. Yipee.

I am so obsessed right now. I hope I find a copy soon if not right away.

The earliest CUT.

Last Saturday morning, I went on CUT at 1.55am. Tee-hee, that was a first. Normally, I avail of the CUT around 6am onwards -- if it's still available. I already asked a favor from Ferdy the previous day to prioritize me on the list... et voila! I was number 2 for our shift :-D It was quite fun, like I had my day-off earlier.

I was able to talk to Bates and he says he didn't push through with my leave anymore because of what was happening on our floor. *Ahem* Oh boy. I can sum it up like this: operators are human beings, too. But he says I can still go on leave if I want to... and of course I want to!!! (Obviously, it would be soooo much better if I just leave.)

Anyway, I got home around 4am. The commute wasn't that bad or "scary." First off, there are a lot of call centers in the Buendia area, so that stretch from Makati Ave. to Pasong Tamo was quite alive. In Baclaran, it wasn't like before when it was completely deserted. Now there's a night market so again, there was a lot of people. I just didn't nod off to sleep, for safety reasons, of course.

...

This was my Project Runway Finale weekend. I had seen the first half of the current season some weeks ago, and I just forgot to watch the new episodes every week... until I started reading on online magazines that Christian won. Oopsies, spoiler. This is prolly the best season so far because the designers were really talented. I found it hard to chose among the final three who would win (if I didn't know who won already). Even if Chris was able to show his collection, I think he'd have a chance. Didn't Alexander McQueen or some other avant-garde designer use hair in his clothing, too?

Anyway, I can't wait for PR Season 5! Plus I heard there's going to be a local version.... hmmmm....

...

I found this flash game on one of the game blogs I read: The Asylum: Psychiatric Clinic for Abused Cuddly Toys. All I can say is WOW, this is a great game. I've managed to cure all the patients in around eight hours (not straight ha, I took breaks naman). Even though you're the doctor, you can't help empathizing with the toys, especially when you've reached a breakthrough and figured out what their problems are. Awwww.

I wish resolving my life's problems were as easy, too!

Oopsies & ouchies.

I was supposed to be on sick leave this week, but I dunno what happened, either my sup forgot to update me or it wasn't approved. I'm thinking it's the latter because my name is there on the log-in sheet, so....

This is really depressing me. As usual, hindsight is 20/20, maybe I shouldn't have revoked my resignation. I don't think I can last until April (pattern here, takes me two months before I want to leave again). Haaayyyy. Plus the callers today were unbelievably idiotic. Grrrr. I know I shouldn't say that because they're our customers, but come on, some of the things they ask us to do are so simple, it's insulting. Like dialing toll-free numbers?!? *rolls eyes* Ouch. I could go on & on, but I'll save my ranting for another day ;-)

My head really hurts today. Oh, the idiocy of it all!

PS. On a lighter note, Blogger now comes in Filipino. Nakakaaliw lang. Minsan kasi ang lalim ng pagsalin nila: View = Pagtanaw. Logout = Lumabas. Tags = Etiketa. Help Resources = Mga Gamit-yaman ukol sa Tulong. Teka, mali ata itong Moderate Comments, Mga Katamtamang Puna daw. Eng?? Sablay ata.

Kahit papaano magaling pa rin, sino kaya nag-translate para sa kanila? Pero parang hindi naman talaga Filipino eh, mas Taglish pa nga eh, haha.

Falling Slowly.

I first heard the song when it was played by Glen Hansard and Marketa Irglova on the Oscars. I immediately thought, this should win Best Song! I have to agree the three nominated songs from Enchanted were overkill; Once had better songs in it!

It was also so considerate of Jon Stewart to allow Marketa her moment at the Oscars (have you ever seen it done by a host before??) and I'm also grateful for it because she had one of the nicest acceptance speeches. Ever.

And with the power of the Internet and Google and my OCD, I quote Ms. Irglova:

“Hi everyone. I just want to thank you so much. This is such a big deal, not only for us, but for all other independent musicians and artists that spend most of their time struggling, and this, the fact that we’re standing here tonight, the fact that we’re able to hold this, it’s just to prove no matter how far out your dreams are, it’s possible. And, you know, fair play to those who dare to dream and don’t give up. And this song was written from a perspective of hope, and hope at the end of the day connects us all, no matter how different we are. And so thank you so much, who helped us along way. Thank you.”

(from Oscar.com and watch a clip here.)

The following day I was talking to Tanji how it was such a great song... and it turns out not only does he have the mp3s on his phone already, but he's also seen the film! Grrr. I also learn there's a version done by Glen Hansard's band, The Frames.

I realized in my excitement over DL'ing an mp3, I typed "Once" as the song title, so no wonder I didn't get any hits. Then just now I could've searched if there was a movie site, which there is and you can DL the song there, too! See, whatever is happening to my faculties?!?

Tanji lent me a copy of the movie, and also of Control, a biopic of Joy Division's Ian Curtis. (I didn't know he was only 23!)

And the verdict is... I ♥ both films. Once is such a simple but beautiful modern musical. Control is also a great film about a talented musician; no wonder the style of the movie was familiar to me -- it was directed by Anton Corbijn!

Naturally, it follows that I should covet the soundtrack for Once (hope it's available here) and I'm searching like mad for Joy Division songs online.

PS. I also ♥ Wikipedia. OMG, all that useful information!!! I feel my synapses coming to life!!!

Links.

Tolkien estate sues 'Lord of the Rings' studio over revenue. Haha.

Eastern Promises movie reviews on Team Sugar and on The New Yorker. Cool movie poster, cool illustration in the New Yorker article.

Viggo Mortensen bring 'Hidalgo' home. I definitely ♥ a man who love animals.

This I have to quote from Sweet P of 'Project Runway' Blogged Live From The Red Carpet

7:20 p.m.: Viggo Mortensen. Hey, his outfit looks different than the other guys'. I like it: wide lapels, striped tie and a red rose. Is he with his daughter? Cute. He is so handsome. WOW!

More on men's clothing from Diana Gabaldon on the enduring appeal of men in kilts. *wink wink*

And a Final goodbye for early web icon. :~(

The bright side of my gaming addiction.

Last week I wasn't able to write more because I was playing some more games:
- Miss Management, which I quite like...it's so me!
- Home Sweet Home, I learned how to modify the settings and was able to get a better crack; this is like, too, since it's more of a creative game, it involves design skills
- Go Go Gourmet, combination arcade & hidden object game
- Vogue Tales, same old arcade game

Right now I'm playing Virtual Villagers. This is the first SIM game I've played and it is fun. At first, I didn't know how to work it and I just left my villagers to fend for themselves and they all died in one day, haha. At least now I've more capable villagers so I can leave them alone for quite a while and they'll know how to make babies and bury the dead and fish for food. :-) I've a favorite character, too, because she's wearing a really cool green dress, haha.

I was wondering before if it was "normal" for someone my age to be still playing computer games... but I've been to gaming blogs and websites and there are girl gamers there -- and they make a living out of it! For crying out loud, one game blog is even written by a mom. One of her gauges if a game is good is when her baby reacts to the game sounds and all.

Personally, the bright side of my addiction is I'm smoking less here at home. Sometimes, I don't even smoke at all because I'm so busy playing! Then when I do smoke, I'm like bleeech. (I still smoke during breaks at the office, but sometimes not during my 15-minute breaks. Then again, I've been sick and smoking aggravates my sore throat.)

At least I'm able to save up on cigarettes, haha.

Will you make up your mind?!? Your brain cells are dying already!!!

It was supposedly my last day of work last February 29. I had submitted my resignation for the third time... and yet, I am still working at a job that I have clearly no passion for.

It was kinda fun at the beginning because it was new, I had new friends, new crushies... But now the only motivation for me to get out of bed is the salary and the money (and that I don't want to disappoint my supervisor by having bad KPIs). It's pointless. Sure, everyone needs an income, but it's material and I'm sure I can get another job that I'll be more excited about. I'm also sure I'll get a drastic pay cut if I can change jobs, but I'm really tired working here.

I never imagined myself working at a call center anyway. Pero iba na rin talaga pag nangailangan. My goal was only to work for a year max, like I'll be making it my jumping point in getting back to the "real world." Now I've been here two years!! That's more than enough already.

Besides, I'm really worried about my sanity. There's no growth in this type of job, especially intellectually, and I'm the type who wants to be challenged intellectually and creatively. I've read somewhere that when you go on holiday and just lay around the beach all day, your brain cells actually die from being unused. That's exactly how I feel. (To be blunt about it: nabo-bobo na ako dito.)

Haaayyyy. But why on earth do I keep rescinding my resignation? The first time was to give Bates's suggestion a chance. He's been a really good supervisor since the beginning and I owe a lot to him. That's why I was transferred to the graveyard shift, which is quite okay since my friends are here and I get along better with the night ppl. The second time, there were more people who were aware I wanted to leave and sort of convinced me not to go.

Now I was actually more sure I could finally leave already. I was already in that mindset that come March I'll be on permanent vacation already...yay! But then I overheard my colleagues talking about how we'd be getting salary appraisals and allowance increases again... and I completely forgot to take that into consideration. Uh-oh, more money. It also didn't help that one of them suddenly blurted it out to everyone on the floor, so then everyone knew. I only told Kaye I'd submitted my letter already, and I was planning to tell the rest during my last week. So now I had the weekend to mull over my resignation yet again. That was why I didn't want to tell anyone in the first place! I don't want anyone or any more time to change my mind, but yet I did and it sickens me.

I'm good now because I'm at home in my room in front of my beloved PC, but later when the alarm goes off and I have to go to work... ugh, it absolutely nauseates me. I really go on auto-pilot nowadays when I have to work. I have to because I have to. :-( But isn't it obvious I've no anything for this job anymore. I don't hate it, because hate is an emotion, and if I say I hate it it means I still feel something, but I don't anymore. Like I had a lobotomy. (And please don't let me start on those stupid callers. Ugh. If common sense was actually common, then everyone should have it. But apparently not everyone even has plain sense. *rolls eyes*)

So. What's the battle plan? I'm pretty sure I'll hand in another letter within the next couple of months (that's the pattern), but if I absolutely cannot take it any longer I might hand it in earlier, salary increase or not.

I.DONT.WANT.TO.WORK.HERE.ANY.LONGER.

I ♥ Viggo.

No words. Gorgeous, gorgeous man! *thud*

I think I'm addicted.

Is it silly for a girl my age to be so addicted to computer games???

This weekend all I did was sleep for 12 hours straight, and then played Jojo's Fashion Show. (I also played a bit of Chuzzles and Miss Management, and tried to perfect some levels on Burger Shop.) Partly, I think this is pathetic, but on the other hand at least I'm a wee bit happy, haha. (BTW, Jojo's Fashion Show is really such a girly game. It's a virtual paper doll game which uses creativity in putting together outfits and time management skills. I'm not a 100% fashionista, but this game is so addicting! Thank God/dess for keygens!!! *evil*)

Then I guess what Tanji 'accussed' me of is also true. Sabi niya pinagpalit ko daw siya/sila sa computer games! Parang tutoo... o tutoo nga talaga!

If I'm going to spend all my time in front of the PC, then I better start thinking of ways of making it more productive. I really can't play games all the time (even if part of me wants to.)

Oops, I did it again.

This is so pathetic. Again, I was unable to see Tanji's band because I overslept. I recall setting up an alarm but I have no memory of turning it off. Maybe it's the same thing when I go to bed I automatically fall asleep; when my body hears the alarm go off I turn it off automatically as well and I'm unconscious of doing it. It was already 2 a.m. when I woke up... that was their scheduled time onstage.

I am so bad... and so guilty! I expected teasing from Tanji today, and sure enough he did. Oh man, there's no excuse for it! (But then I'm simply just exhausted and I can't help it.) To think I really hate not doing what I promised I'd do. I guess I'll just have to make it up to him, obviously watch their next gig. (Just hoping it's not too far away to commute.)

I also gave him the chocolate heart that HR gave away for Valentine's. First he asked where we got them. Then he was like, no way, I'm not carrying around that! Then he asked if it was some sort of peace offering, and was I giving my candy to him. Uh, yeah. Then finally he just took it from me, haha.

But seriously, I have to watch their next gig! (I just thought of the word apt to my current "medical" situation: I'm experiencing some form of narcolepsy; uncontrollable bouts of deep sleep, although not sudden and not brief.)

...

Another thing I hate is being late, and I was almost late for work today. Yep, because I overslept again. If I wasn't late last night, I wouldn't gotten this nasty bruise on my arm that still hurts.

I wanted to get a cab but a bus arrived first. If a bus comes by first and I'm able to get on it, and the bus travels fast, I won't be late for work. That was the plan.

Unfortunately, there are these "barkers" who do not want you to ride the buses who don't queue in their area. All because they get paid by the buses who do line up, and the buses who don't obviously don't pay anything.

It really sucks because if you do follow their "rules", you end up waiting in the bus for around 30 minutes because they literally fill up the bus with commuters. The thing is not everyone is going home and have the luxury of wasting time. There a lot of kids on the graveyard shift who are actually going to work. Even if you complain, it falls on deaf ears. You think the bus driver gives a shit? I've actually heard one say he doesn't really care if his passengers gets off to ride a different bus, either he'll depart right away to annoy the passenger/s who left, or there'll be other passengers getting on anyway. (But who cares about the other passengers who are waiting?!?)

The other barkers patrol the area from other buses and they prevent you from riding them. That's how I got my bruise. I wanted to ride the bus but this barker blocked the door with his body. I was pushing my way but he was pushing back and he must have punched me in the arm or something because when I got to the office my arm really hurt. It was just painful. It was after work when I took off my jacket that I saw the bruise.

All I can say is he is a really bad person for doing that. It's not as if it was an official bus terminal. They are only there during the night because during the day, the buses follow the official queues...with no bribery involved! He even attacked another bus with this 2x4 wood panel he had. Duh. Even more sad, he ran after that bus when it finally left. I really don't know why... trying to prove his masculinity? That was when I saw the second bus and tried to board it and suddenly he was there. Just a thought: could they be on drugs for acting so high-strung? OMG, it really felt like their life's mission not to allow people to board other buses.

Anyway, I finally saw a 'trustworthy' cab and just took it. (I'm paranoid about cabs. I only absolutely trust MGE. If there's not one to be found, I'd rather take one from a large cab company like R&E, etc.) I really should've tried getting a cab immediately, I wouldn't have experienced this hassle at all.

Kaye said it also happens in her area. The barkers there are lame or disabled because they get hit by the jeepneys. These jeepney drivers intentionally hit them all because they have these stupid rules. I'm really bad for laughing at their disability, but after what happened to me, they deserve it. Who do they think they are? Karma is always a bitch.

More zzzzs.

I was supposed to go to the Diliman fair last night with Tanji, but I fell asleep. Again. I can't help it. I'm so tired lately that even when I just intend to take a short nap it turns into a full eight hour rest. (It was ten hours this time.) Haaaayyy. And I really wanted to watch Sandwich perform.

See, my body is really needing more rest and more sleep. It's involuntary. This is obviously because I'm stressed out lately. If I'm stressed, I want to sleep more. Otherwise I'm going to get depressed. Again.

(Stressed, rest, depressed. Nice rhythm there.)

Hopefully I won't do it again later when Tanji's band perform later tonight.

I love the night life....zzzzz.

Last night, I was supposed to go to Tanji's gig over at Purple Haze in Timog. But a) I was exhausted when I got home and fell asleep (after playing games); b) it's too far a commute at night; c) I wasn't going with anyone since Kai didn't reply to my SMS. So oopsies again. He's going to tease me about it again when we see each other, but it's not as if I haven't been to any of their gigs! I mean, last year at the U.P. Fair in Diliman I went by myself. He just didn't see me because Gino didn't tell him I was there.

Anyway, I'd already traded my shift for Wednesday morning because we're going to Diliman on Tuesday night. Yup, for the fair again. It's the album launching of Sandwich. The following night, Green Peas will perform there again, and I might go again...that is if I'm not too tired, tee-hee. Excuses, excuses.

Oh, but this is a pretty valid excuse: I don't have any more money! It really sucks that the company changed payouts from every other Friday to the "normal" everyone's-lined-up-at-the-ATM-so-there's-no-more-cash 15/30 payout dates. It's harder to budget.

Anyhoo, that's my "busy" schedule for this week. (I'd rather be sleeping. Damn, I'm really just so tired.)

Not a bad day.

Today wasn't such a bad day. Kaye was on AUT so I hung out with the boys, and surprisingly I wasn't too much of a hostile operator, haha. I guess it helped that the boys were pretty laid-back and didn't let the stoopid calls affect them much, I dunno. But I know I didn't go home with a headache today. They were pretty funny making jokes and telling stories and stuff...so that was funny when we weren't taking calls. I kinda wish there were more days like this, I'd really reconsider my permanent leave (oh really now?!?).

Nah, I'd made up my mind.

Oversleeping is one of my symptoms for stress.

I got CUT for the past couple of days because, hey, I don't get CUT often, might as well take advantage of it. (Besides, I applied for AUT last Monday but as usual, it was denied. Might as well take the next best thing.)

It's always refreshing to leave work ahead of your official log-off time and come home early. I was planning on doing a few chores before working (playing?) on the computer but I was just exhausted I literally fell asleep as soon as my head hit the pillow. And that's quite unusual for me considering I have a hard time falling asleep. It was even more odd because yesterday I wasn't able to do anything at all -- I just slept! I slept from the moment I got into bed around 9 a.m. and I woke up 12 hours later. But I still felt tired and I really did not want to get up and go to work.

Honestly, work is stressing me out lately. Sure, it's an easy job (i.e., easy money) but it's not worth it anymore. I don't like dealing with people who treat you like a servant and blame you for what they did wrong. Hay naku talaga.

More next time, if you knew me I'll go on and on about this.

BTW, Heath Ledger's death is really tragic, and to learn it was from an accidental overdose of prescription drugs is even more shocking. My doctor won't even allow me a prescription...for even half a pill! (But she's my friend alright, she knows me well enough to foresee I might abuse it when I'm really stressed out.)

I'm doing it again!

I told myself I'd write more often, and look what I'm doing. Grrr.

Playing games is really my biggest distraction now, especially since I've figured out how to play the entire game! *wink wink* Right now I'm hooked on Fairy Godmother Tycoon. I'm not too fond of tycoon games, but this is really fun. I also like Burger Shop! Probably my favorite dash game so far. Have also finished the Dream Day series (Wedding, Honeymoon & First Home) and it's a real good memory game.

I should be resting right now since it's back to work tonight :~( but since I'm too "distracted" by FGT....

Also, I have a major update which should really have been my news this weekend.

A resolution I hope to keep. And why I ♥ my new PC.

To make up for all the time I've been "away," I'm thinking maybe I should write in my journal at least once every couple of days, if not every day. I've really been away too long, plus I miss writing...ranting and raving on whatever. I'll the be the first to admit I don't see myself as a good writer but it's cathartic. Free therapy. And I get to hone my creative skills, too.

...

I may have been whoring slaving over my "menial, meaningless" job for nearly two years now, but at least now I have something to show for it, which is my new PC. Yay! I really ♥ my new PC so much.

I still like my old PC, it did serve me well for how many years (uh, hello, its OS is still Windows98!) and has saved my sanity countless times (except for the two times it crashed and I nearly lost my "life"). But its time has come, and I had to upgrade.

I won't be boring by listing the specs, but I'm OC so I'm compelled to: 1.9GHz AMD Sempron, Gigabyte mobo, 512MB DDR2 memory, 256MB GeForce video card (should be higher because of my bro's video card), LAN, HP DVD writer...but what really is the best part for me is the HDD: 80GB!!! Yehey!!! I know that's 'standard' or may be small compared to others that can have up to 250GBs, but please take it in context: I was on my old PC for what felt like a million years on these specs: Pentium R, 32MB RAM, 8MB video, 56k modem and a 4GB HDD. No, I'm not kidding. When it was brand new, it was the fastest specs and largest HDD. Then factor in how quickly computer technology advances nowadays, and how cheaper everything becomes, too. I do wonder now I was able to exist with those specs, I guess it just shows how careful I am with the things that are dear to me :-)

Getting a PC upgrade was one of my priorities when I got employed. It took me this long because, hey, I have bills to pay, too. And it was tempting to just use the money I should set aside for my savings for shopping sprees. Actually, I just wanted to upgrade my old PC, get new hardware, etc. But since I needed a major (!) overhaul, might as well get a new one. It's just the CPU, not the entire package. I also had to get a new keyboard because these new CPUs have PS2 keyboard sockets, whereas my old keyboard had the big round socket.

I'm really grateful I was finally able to get a new CPU. It's given me new energy, at least when I'm here in the comforts of my room and my home. (Energy which should be put to use in writing and updating my websites, and not solely on arcade games. And I say "here" because if I talk about a different location, i.e., workplace, um, I have no energy there.)

"Protect my moon and shining sun."

I'm on wireless broadband, so there shouldn't be any problem...right?

Uh-oh, it's almost a week since my last post.

One of the reasons I couldn't frequently update my websites or diaries before was because I only had dial-up, and sometimes it took ages for me to connect to the Internet. Then my account was an off-peak subscription, meaning I could only login during 12mn to 1am. When I was working during the day shift, I was too tired to wait or wake up early so I could go online. Then obviously I couldn't use it anymore when I started working the graveyard shift.

Mary Anne had been persuading me to get broadband for the longest time. My excuse was I couldn't afford it, but it was only a few hundred pesos more than my dial-up subscription. So after seven loyal years with my ISP, I said goodbye and got Smart Bro installed last month.

OMG, so far I have no major problems here. I made the application on December 16, 2007 around 11am. It was our company's Christmas Party that night and I went home really late, or very early in the morning -- whichever way you look at it -- and good thing I went home right away, too, otherwise I would've arrived home at the same time the Smart technicians came to install my wireless broadband! I was probably just drifting off to a deeper sleep and my brother pounds on my door that the Smart technicians were here already...at 8am! Wow! Talk about Bilis Kabit.

There was no problem installing the outside antenna. Initially, my bro and I assumed they'd install it in our porch. But since the trees and the unfinished apartment buildings across the street were hindering our line-of-sight with the Smart antenna, they chose to install it right on our roof. So it looks kinda odd: we don't have a TV antenna but there's this other one right on top. I've looked it at it, and it does look odd if you didn't know if it was a wireless broadband antenna. It looks like an intercom on a pole, haha.

They did hit a snag installing it on my PC. The technician couldn't find the LAN installed even though I was told by the computer shop technicians it was included already. Well, to make things simpler, I just bought a wireless LAN card from the technicians at an additional price.

And I was connected to the Internet! It only took less than two hours, because they were out of here by 10am.

The major snag that day was when my bro hogged my PC. Since I was unable to clean my room, and fortunately my bro woke up early that day and had just finished cleaning his, I moved my PC to his room just for the installation. He has his own PC, too, but I'm really not quite sure why he can't use it right now.

So after the broadband installation, and after I had downloaded some of the programs I use -- instantaneously downloaded, mind you, because I was still in awe of how fast the connection was (gimme a break, I was on 56k dial-up for seven years ha! And it was usually just 33.6K connection), and after I had checked my email (i.e., deleted hundreds of spam) and browsed a bit, I let my bro use my PC. He had suggested on his own that he'd pay half of the monthly broadband bill as long he can get to play this online/LAN game he's addicted to. He also paid for an additional video card, because his game required a higher graphic resolution.

It took him the entire afternoon to download his game. And all that time I watched television because I was too excited to sleep some more. I'm not a big couch potato so I get bored if I don't see a good movie or program. Of course, I just wanted to use my PC...my PC!!!

The afternoon became evening and I couldn't wait anymore. I was in a bad mood already. So it was my turn to pound on my bro's door. It turns out he was sleeping (he works the night shift, too) so he was pissed I interrupted his sleep. Come on, if you were going to sleep, you could've at least returned my PC. I've told this to Mary Anne and she said I was quite mean. Well, in the first place, it's still my PC and I waited two long years to be able to upgrade my computer! And now I have both a good computer and a fast Internet connection, I'm yet again to have one of my selfish brothers have dibs at it?!? Please, give me a break!!!

(Yeah, in retrospect, it was a bit mean, but my reasons are valid, too.)

Anyway, I'm on wireless broadband for almost two months and I still haven't updated my websites or my diaries. At least I'm trying here!

The problem is I'm currently addicted to playing arcade games. Yep, again because I couldn't play games properly on my Jurassic but beloved old PC (slow, low specs) and I had a major blast playing them again here. Then I started trying all those arcade games on game websites... and coupled with my obsessive-compulsive nature, is it any wonder I don't do anything productive at all?

Here are the reasons why Mary Anne hasn't seen me on Skype (and because I'm OC I want to list all the games I've played so far): Diner Dash, SpongeBob SquarePants Diner Dash, Chocolatier, Wedding Dash, Cake Mania, Cake Mania 2, Little Shop Big City, Paradise Pet Salon, Sally's Salon, Turbo Subs, Build-a-lot, Dream Day Wedding, Fashion Fits, Fashion Craze, Granny in Paradise, Dress Shop Hop, Nanny Mania, Jane's Hotel, A Series of Unfortunate Events and Chicktionary. Whew!

I haven't finished ALL of them, only both Cake Mania's because I was nice enough to pay for them. But now I know better *wink wink*, I've also managed to finish Little Shop Big City (great memory game!), Turbo Subs, Sally's Salon, and Jane's Hotel. I didn't finish the others because it was either getting too difficult to play or too corny for me, haha.

Chicktionary and A Series of Unfortunate Events are not arcade games. Chicktionary is like Text Twist, only with chickens, and ASOUE is a puzzle game. Still both fun.

And right now, I'm downloading Turbo Pizzas, the precursor to Turbo Subs. Oh boy, here I go again.

PS. Finished DL'ing Season 1 of Miami Ink off BitTorrent at 6.34pm. Yay! Started this January 13, and again, I was "too lazy" to even open the program and too preoccupied with arcade games.

The second step is even harder.

No, I did not fall off the face off the planet. More like I let myself drift away again.

If the first step is always the hardest, I think for this instance the second step is even harder -- considering what had happened.

For the past several years, I've been hosting my online journal at Diary-x.com. As anyone who has an online diary will attest, it was very convenient. There was actually no problems whatsoever, the site was friendly and idiot-friendly. So there I go drifting away in contentment.

Until sometime two years ago, I was unable to access the site...at all. Initially, I thought they were having a major site upgrade...but it was just taking too long.

So as most things goes in my life: if something worse will happen, it will happen -- especially to me. Inevitable Doom.

Apparently the server had a major crash. As was explained, it skipped its tracks so most data was lost. And unless you backed-up your files or was on a special account with them, sorry, they don't have your diary anymore.

WTF. Almost three years of documenting my life, from the serious to mundane, online for everyone to read, wiped out just.like.that.

I had been thinking of my saving, or copy-pasting, my diary to diskettes ever since, but I never got around to it because, yeah, I'm kinda lazy. Plus if you had to deal with my jurassic (but beloved) PC before, it was just too much for me.

I know, that's a really lame excuse. I just should've backed-up since the first entry. But then when you're dealing with saving stuff online, I didn't really worry about that.

I did manage to salvage a few of my earlier entries from an archive website which I've now forgotten. I do remember my very last entry. It was entitled "Should I stay or should I go?" about my employment status.

Obviously, I haven't gotten around to creating a new online diary until now. Wouldn't you be bummed out after losing years off your "life"? To think I even prioritised writing in my online diary rather than in my actual diary. Haaaay.

Anyway, it's high time I made amends. I miss writing.

Let's just hope I don't let myself drift away again.