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.)

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.

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.

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.

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.