stressful september

september is my most action-packed month ever. my emotional roller coaster has not turned as many times as this month. and yesterday, it made dangerous loops that i'm happy i hurdled. but it's not over yet. the ride is just beginning, i suppose.

i'm just thankful i am blessed with wonderful "ridemates" who are having their own share of loop adventures along the way.

enough of the allegory of my emotional state. ang drama no?

for the second straight time, i decided not to go boxing last night. rach and i felt hungry on the way to the gym and decided to take a quick bite. we were just talking casually about movies when i retorted, "mag-movie na lang kaya tayo?" and it turned out it's one of her weaknesses so off we went.

we watched The Perfect Man and while the movie is nothing great, it's a good way to release your stress. rach had her share of stressful moments today too and we definitely need a clean break from all of it. while slouching on the theater seat, dreaming of my own Ben Feldman, singing Collide, ogling the loud-burp man, i wished that everything becomes better the next day. and oh, the asian trailer of Chicken Little rocks. super.

before going to sleep, it's always a wonderful feeling to know that you can turn to someone to just vent and sigh, despite that person's own share of bullshits for the day. and it must really be true, as what was the line of the night in the movie: Love is like friendship on fire.

and let me just repeat that Chicken Little dancing to that song i used to hate (lalalahee, lalalahoo, lalalahoohoo...) was the best stress reliever i got.

hello

i'm still alive, thank God. i don't know if my desire to overcome the dense side of my person is finally happening. it's giving me pimples in a queen amidala fashion, it's making me eat more, it's making me snap easily.

for whatever this is worth...uhm, i don't know what to say.

life is good. i'm in love. i'm blessed. i'm healthy. i'm finally living.

a real entry soon. i miss blogging.

and so it goes.

the most important lesson i got this weekend is the importance of listening. i try to but i never really comply. no matter who advises me to do or not do something, i always defy it in my own little way. it has not brought gigantic negative effects, as far as i know, but it could have been avoided because ultimately, it's just so downright cheap.

specifically this morning, i was advised---rather, asked (which places the last decision on moi), to...let's just say, be careful writing about events that would incriminate things, albeit innocently or deliberately. i was happy i was not asked to retract what i wrote. i offered it to clear things up, and i sincerely thank him that my freedom to write was given due respect. it's not necessary, as i was told. however, i can only take precautions, because as a universally-accepted truth, the message rests on the receiver's interpretation, regardless of the sender's intention. sometimes, even if you drop names, people think what they would like to think. i am also guilty of that.

that phone call made me realize that i am not made for trivial things. i used to think that i am because of the way i speak, the way i make first impressions...but when things like this happen, you realize how much value you place upon yourself, and you eventually realize what you're cut out to do. the call ended with happy notes that are political in nature. i know it will stay that way and the bond will be strengthened by it, thereby making developments in the personal side of things a bonus. just a bonus.

and so it goes.

while i respect opinions about what i post (and this is typed with the hangover on the sassy lawyer's blog about what's 'opinion' and 'assessment'!!!) , i would not accept comments. you know how to personally reach me for your thoughts and violent reactions. i welcome everything. i have been forewarned.

quotes.

"What you see is what you get. Basta whatever po yung nakikita nyo, yun na po, magegets nyo na po." - a newbie actor linked to Maui Taylor. Parang gustong magkandabuhol-buhol ng ugat ko sa utak.

"Please support my self-titled album called JASMINE." - Jasmine Trias. Malamang yun ang title nun ano. Well, it could be "Sarah", what do I know? Hay.

Person 1: What's your name, Madam? Person 2: Judie - an exchange between a KFC crew and myself. Later on, he's shouting for my order, looking for "Ma'am Jodi".

"Hindi mo iisipin na si Angelina Jones mahilig sa bata." - an officemate. It took me a while to realize that she's pertaining to Angelina Jolie. Akala ko yung starlet na si Angelica Jones (na girlfriend na pala ni Bobby Yan. Hay. So what was the fuss about Claudine again? Hmm?)

"Happy birthday, Tita D! Love yah. Enjoy your day kahit umuulan! mwah! - my text to Tita Ditos today.

"Happy birthday, Jacoben Pablo! Love yah. Enjoy your day kahit umuulan! mwah! - my text to Jacs today.

"Happy birthday, Ariane! Love yah. Enjoy your day kahit umuulan! mwah! - my text to Ariane today.

"Picture lang? Cheap. Bayong! Hahaha!" - my text to him. At least on top of the joke he remembers what we talked about. That's what's good about him.

"Ate...nabasa mo na 'to???" - Kryzzy. Akala ko naman kung anong libro eh, na-excite tuloy ako. Akala ko iinterviewhin mo na ako for Blue and Silver, hehe. Don't worry, it's nothing.

"Hindi lang yun, iikot pa ang bra mo!" - response to the reaction/question, "Gaano ba kaguwapo yang bago nyong DCM (deputy chief of mission)? Makalaglag-panty ba?"

"Nakalimutan kasi ni Ate Anna magpa-Pasaload ng load dun sa loading station!" - text from Becky Mesias (remember her name, she will soon be a legend, hahaha! Ang gaga ko.)

"Honeyfie II" - isang girly bar sa EDSA-Pasay. Now I'm itching to look where Honeyfie I could be.

"It's okay. I know you more...SMILE, it's not worth it." - a text from a friend after the pizza party. if this isn't enough assurance that i should believe him, then i don't know what is. enough said.

peyups quiz

ANO'NG STUDENT NUMBER MO? 98- *5*3*

NAKAPASA KA BA OR WAITLISTED? - pasado.

PAANO MO NALAMAN ANG ENTRANCE EXAM RESULT? - natanggap yung sulat, ang chaka pa nga ng envelop nun eh, yung obvious na murang papel. haha. pero before that, a highschool friend who's a year ahead na andun na relayed it to me

FIRST CHOICE MO BA ANG UP? - yes. at kung hindi ako pumasa, sa la salle ako dahil dun lang ang kinunan ko ng entrance exam.

ALAM MO BA ANG UPG SCORE MO? - yep.

ANO ANG FIRST CHOICE MO NA COURSE? - believe it or not, BA OrCom

SECOND CHOICE? - BS Comp Sci

ANO naging COURSE MO? - BA Organizational Communication

NAGPLANO KA BANG MAG-SHIFT? hindi.

NAKAPAG-DORM KA NA BA? - hindi rin. at ayoko noh.

NAKA UNO KA NA BA? - oo naman, hehe.

NAGKA-3? - ay wala. pinakamababa ang 2.75. worse, hindi sya sa Math 1, Math 11 o Nat Sci. PE. anak ng patola.

HIGHEST GRADE: 1.0

LOWEST: 2.75

WORST EXPERIENCE SA UP: yung nagka-problema kay what's-her-name instructor sa isang elective project. kung di yon nahabol, lagot, hindi ako gagraduate on time. to think hindi sya major subject. whew.

LAGI KA BANG PUMAPASOK SA KLASE? gusto mo yung totoo? wag na.

ANO'NG ORG MO? OrComSoc, JMA, dati nag-Kule ako...naku lutang kasi ako nung college eh. as in hindi umikot ang mundo ko sa bahaging yun ng buhay ko, di tulad ng ibang tao.

MAY SCHOLARSHIP KA BA? - STFAP

PINANGARAP MO BANG MAG-CUM LAUDE? kung kaya. kaso kapos. 0.0016 lang. pero hayaan mo na. okay na ako ngayon.

KELAN KA NAGTAPOS? 2002

FAVE PROF: Dr. Angela Sarile. Enough said. Atsaka si Prof. Bernard Karganilla. Si Prof. Teresita Vaquer din. At pwede na rin si Vivencio Nuestro...astig...ang friend ni Goma. Bwahahaha!!

WORST TEACHER: nakupo...si J.D., L.V., D.A.

FAVE SUBJECT: OrCom 101, OrCom 143, yung tinuro ni Kargs, ni Mangubs, kay Sir Bobby Tuazon (Consular and Diplomatic Practice!)...actually madami except nung mga GE subjects pa lang kinukuha ko. hehe.

WORST SUBJECT: Comm II? kawalng gana kasi nakahiwalay kami sa block.

FAVE LANDMARK: Rob Ermita. haha.

BUILDING: GAB. Hmmm.

PABORITONG KAINAN: foodcourt ng Rob sabay gawa ng project. canteen ng Supreme Court, na sa Berlin Gate ka dadaan.

Noong ESTUDYANTE KA PA MAGKANO BA ANG BINABAYAD MO SA JEEP? ewan. 3.50?

LAGI KA BA SA LIB? ay oo. minsan natutulog kami ni Bam pero madalas nagbabasa tlaga ako.

NAGPUNTA KA BA SA CLINIC NUNG MINSANG NAGKASAKIT KA? me clinic ba sa up manila? ay meron. isang malaking ospital na PGH ang pangalan. hahaha. pero sa UP Health Service, pumupunta lang ako pag medical exam bago matapos ang school year.

MAY CRUSH KA BA SA CAMPUS? oo si "goosebumps". actually his name escapers me now.

BF: hindi taga-UP. taga-kabila. (NBI? hahahaha!!!)

MAY BALAK KA BA MAG-MASTERS O MAG-PHD? oo, next March eenroll na ako.

ANU-ANO ANG MGA NAGING PE MO? fencing, swimming, general P.E. (ewan kung ano yun, basta takbo lang kami ng takbo sa buong SWC na minsan dinadaya namin, tas last badminton)

KAMUSTA NAMAN ANG BLOCK NYO? ok lang. masaya. makulit.

NAKAPANOOD KA NA BA NG GRADUATION SA UP? yung amin. na hindi ko tinapos. gutom na kami eh.

MEMORIZE MO BA ANG ALMA MATER SONG? uhm...hindi.

MEMBER KA BA NG UP VARSITY TEAM? ano ba namang tanong yan. walang kinukuha sa UP manila para dyan eh.

NAKA-PERFECT KA NA BA NG EXAM? meron naman.

ANO'NG AYAW MO SA FINALS WEEK? yung ngarag feeling pati regret na bakit may nakaukit na procrastinator sa noo ko.

DITO KA BA NATUTONG UMINOM NG BEER? hindi. wholesome barkada ko eh.

ANO'NG GUSTO MO SA UP? unconventional kasi dito. walang pakialam kung ano o sino ka, basta pumasok ka dala ang tunay na ikaw, pasok ka.

ANO'NG AYAW MO? mga CR.

MAGANDA BA ID PIC MO? oo. ahehe. kaso naiwan na sa PLDT office yun dahil yun ang first job interview ko 3 days after graduation. hindi ko tinaanggap ang trabaho kaya iniwan ko na lang ID ko para remembrance nila sa akin (actually naiwean ko, hehe).

MAY GINAWA KA NA BANG ILLEGAL SA LOOB NG CAMPUS? hmmm. sa library meron. sa GAB, meron. hahaha!!!

so, how was your week?

This is what you do when it's just after your lunch break but you don't wanna work anymore.

Work sucks. (Paydays don't.)

Monday, Sept. 19. Busy day. Talked to my friend about his bank problem. Medyo argumentative, ayaw patalo. Pero I liked it. On my way to work btw, I started Banana Yoshimoto's N.P. Okay naman. Easy read. After office, I went with E to G2 to get her notebook sa IBM. On the way there sarap ng tulog ko sa bus. Nakarating ata ako ng Zamboanga. I thought I'm gonna have coffee alone after E and Eric left me na but super haba ng pila pauwi sa Makati so I read na lang habang nakatayo sa pila. Hangkuul nga eh.

Tuesday, Sept 20. Didn't box today kasi I felt my knees hurting dahil sa katangahan ko last week (the hole, remember?). Buti na lang pala Manel went with Rach. I continued reading N.P. at Mocha Blends and I finished it in an hour. Medyo easy read nga but it's good naman. I ate potato wedges, they're fine kaso naubusan ako ng banana mocha freddoccino nila, yum pa naman yun. Hay. I forgot na what happened nung gabi.

Wednesday, Sept 21. Launching ng online appointment system. Selected clients muna pero napuno pa rin yung ballroom. I was tasked to document the event, eh kanino ba kasing brilliant planning yun na walang camera to fully document it. Hay. So after the first speaker started blabbing I sat right in front and listened for two hours. Di ako maka-nap, bad trip. Mabuti pa sila Eiselle na nasa likod, tulog lahat. Hahahaha! I busied myself drooling at the Compaq notebook beside me. Gusto kong ibulsa kaso medyo maliit yung bulsa ko. Hehe.Sumptuous ang merienda and camwhoring kaso I feel really guilty kasi nga I haven't boxed in a while. Rayan invited Rach and I for dinner dahil kinakabahan ang lolo mo. After a grueling ride sa bus dahil sa rally sa Paseo, nakarating kami a bit earlier pa than him. My first time to eat at Heaven and Eggs. Dami tao. Tagal pa ng wait pero bawi nung kumakain na kami. Di tlaga namin hinintay si Rayan, go lafs na. Sobrang guilt trip yun pagkatapos. Lamon, grabe. Buti na lang si Rayan nagbayad, haha! Konting diskusyon at sa sobrang nerbiyos ni honey e ninerbyos din ako. Haha, honey! Okay ha. Pero si Rach daw okay lang feeling nya.

Thursday, Sept 22. Ako eh matarantahing tao kaya buong umaga habang di pa okay interview ni honey eh panay din ang dasal ko. Ang mga fans niya sa office ayun pati kay St. Jude nagdasal. Di ko tiningnan yung record tlaga kasi pag denied ang nakita ko naku ewan. Kaya nung lunch time, deadma pa rin buti na lang Rach called me nasa Emerald na daw sila. Eh syempre usapan yun na magpapalibre pag nabigyan. Kapal tlaga no? At full validity pa ang mokong, swerte tlaga. Haha. Eh sabi ni Tita Beth kahit sya officer bibigyan nya kasi may dating. Hehe, syempre. Nagulat ata at isang batalyon kami, hay kaguilty sya nagbayad pero naisip ko okay lang yun, haha! Yun na lang pa-thank you nya no. Apir! After office, I boxed na ulit with Rach. Gosh, daming revelations and well, secrets. hehe. Amin lang muna yun, as in. Pwamis. So kahit halos mamatay na ata ako dahil grabe ako nahirapan sa training, okay lang kasi sulit ang chika. May things-to-do pa kami bukas. Wipee. Pag-uwi ko I slept agad, sobrang pagod. Pero nagtext nga pala ulit si Wency. Namiss ko langgam na yon. May offer sya pero bawal yun ha kaya tumanggi na lang ako.

Friday, Sept 23. I woke up feeling bad. Hay. Buti na lang si Eiselle tlaga maasahan sa mga payong kaibigang ganyan. She tells me pointblank kahit minsan mahuhurt ako. Mas naappreciate ko yung ganun kesa sugarcoated lahat, madiplomatiko, tapos ang dami dami dami dami dami palang tinatago sa yo, to think ang liwa-liwanang ng usapan nyo. Yun bang tigas ang tanggi tapos mahuhuli mo meron pala. Tanginang playing safe yan. Kaya hindi dapat nagtitiwala agad sa tao 'no. Anyhoo, eto ngayon tinatamad mag-work buti na lang natawa ako sa write-up kay Mar in response sa Embassy profiling nya. Swak na swak ang timing ni Rayan, hanep. Hehe. Ayaw pa aminin eh, hoy kahit di tiningnan sulat nya nakita naman nasa form eh, kaw tlaga. Pinapapahinga ko lang yan, hoy hoy hoy, maniningil na po ako. Hehe. Ipapadala ko ulit yung, "hanggat kaya ko" na text. Hahahaha!!! See the name of my blog! Scroll pataas! Mukhang malapit na nga! Hahahahaha!!! Later ulit mukhang kelangan ko ulit magtrabaho! :) At btw, mission accomplished si Rach, so happy for you, sister!

Till next chika :)

continuation...(composed after 5 hours?)

Friday, Sept 23. (4:30 p.m.) Stayed in the office for a while after the pizza party. I felt relieved kahit medyo napagalitan ako sa pagiging walang tiwala. Okay na, hindi na nga eh. Smile na lang daw, hozigena nga! I got frantic calls from someone who turned out to be RJ. Daise left her fone sa desk nya and ako na lang daw nacontact nya na andun pa. It turned out dami pa pala tao, naku, alam mo na, hmm, wag na nga. So I went to Rob pa to meet them, and luckily I got the Vanity Fair ish I missed. Hay, sobrang iwas sa Powerbooks kasi wala ng pera. Astig pa naman yung gimik nila..."Who's your literary icon?", galeng sana. I just noticed mejo sabog ang branch na ito to think kabago-bago pa lang. The Jelineks are surprisingly there na, the Murakamis are amiss, the Yoshimotos are missing, but amazingly, the Robbins are so in order. Hay, books. I'm so obsessed. I proceeded to Starbucks to wait for Daise. When she came, RJ came too from the carpark. Mahabang kuwento, blah blah, at tlagang pareho ng damit yung 2. Yellow Lacoste shirts na inamin naman na they planned it. Ano ba yun. Pero trip nila yun, wala akong pakialam di ba? They looked good naman eh. Went home na rin after they decided to roam the mall. Hay, it's Friday. Regardless of the expression, I thank God everyday, not just for Fridays.

and now some random thoughts:

huli man daw at magaling, huli pa rin. Worse, huli na nga, hindi pa magaling. I hate myself for missing so much about current affairs lately. I only get to know some headline stuff but the bits and pieces, nah. I am so disappointed with myself. What have I been doing? Grrr. Buti na lang, my beloved (ahem) Manolo, the missing-but-it-turned-out-I-was-only-ignorant Jove Francisco, a favorite blogger-reporter, and lately, Ricky Carandang, have been very informative to the benefit especially of the slow processor humanoid me. Check them out, people. I still do not grasp it but the Venable LLP contract? The whole spectacle with Gonzales (I remember Wednesday night over dinner, Rayan casually said that, "Kawawa si Gonzales, na-contempt" and I was so clueless)? The "preemptive calibrated response"? Pwede na siguro akong matanong and I can give a decent answer, albeit subject to a whole lotta corrections.

fuss on the buzz. Much as I would like to give my two-cents' worth, I'd rather be silent on the barrage of leakages with regard to the US Embassy report making the rounds of the dailies. Sure, you can throw a joking reply from time to time, but you'll never know. It's okay to opine but I think, as many things rationally done, every statement has to be in good timing. And now is not one. Ssssh. (I basically have nothing to say, is that it? Hehe.)
tell me why. I think I asked it before pa, but why is it that when you go on leave of absence, you tend to have more errands rather than really rest? Bad trip talaga. I think, it's time to stop the, "Saka ko na lang gagawin/pupuntahan yan pag naka-leave na ako" planning strategy.

when love blooms. My friend and I recently talked about real feelings for, let's say, "reachable" people (i.e., not celebrity group members, senators and congressmen). It turned out that the office isn't as "dry" and "lifeless" as it was perceived to be. Hay, it's so fun. I miss girly and sisterly talks talaga. And I so love it when love looms on the horizon for someone. I hope it prospers. Next week is the judgment week. If it doesn't, then move on. Nowadays, I learn to appreciate moments...life is really short eh.

enchantingly (semi) boring friday night

if anyone takes offense about my comment, it's your problem. i have to say that this year's pan-pacific appreciation party was boring. the theme did not enthusiastically match the attendees' spirits. eh bumabagyo ba naman. i appreciate the effort to dress up and all (special mention to robinhood, waheehee) but it's just off. last year was happier and livelier, to think that we're cramped for space then. well, they threw the party so i don't have the right to complain anymore. btw, let me tell you hindi ako nabusog. hahaha!!! i had a little strip of mahi-mahi, one piece of beef something, nuts, apple whatever and potato salad. after that, wala na. it's really so hard to be freaking sosyal. like you see "chorva chorva fondibelles" then you wonder what it is, yun pala, mixed nuts lang ang tinamaan ng magaling. hay.

highlights? camwhoring (which i didn't get to do much, damn), yung hula kay rachel (so happy for you!), rayan came (thank you!), at mga dance floor hoggers na laugh trip talaga. and oh, yung give-away na little boxes (i got orange) with discount stubs ata yun from crabtree & evelyn.
upon seeing the initial attendance of people, i thought the momentum's gonna pick up, especially after that gay performance and the belly dancing number. okay naman kaya lang di maappeal yung hostess-cum-singer-cum-raffle drawer. pati backup na taga-organ (haha), parang, "what the hell are you still doing there??!!"

ang bad 'no? but it's like that eh. people flocked the fortune tellers and massage booths kaya ayun, walang nagkainterest sa show proper. dagdagan pa ng nonstop ogling namin nina rayan at eiselle sa mga nasa dance floor (sasayaw ka ba ng 'i love the night life' ng may bitbit na bag?). poor them. eto pa si rayan ang salbahe dun sa sinabi ko lang yung place na ano...hahaha! you're kinda like those civil society people na ha. so mean talaga. hahahaha!!!

but with my share of laughter, okay na rin. at naka-skirt ako. ikaw ba naman masilat sa butas sa kalye, makakapag-jeans ka pa ba? hehe. regret ko lang, hindi ko na uli nakita si JM a.k.a robinhood. waheehee, alembong. ay hindi pala, may guest pala ako. uyyy, si rayan yon, yihee! hahaha! rach, peace ha. alam mo naman kung ano eh. remember, mag-mamasters pa ako sa economics para lang maging "deserving". hay, saan na ito papunta. effect ito ng screwdriver na pinang-BI ni watashi noime sa akin.

goodnight.


click the picture to view the whole album.

the hole.

i am so tired but even before i boxed, i was telling rach i can't wait to blog about this. it's the only way for me to get over this embarrassment. that's basically how i cope.

my right leg went straight to a hole on the sidewalk of buendia cor. leveriza this afternoon. in the midst of heavy rain, while rach and i were gushing over my dome-like umbrella...whack! next thing i knew, my right leg fell through a hole, dangling there for a good two to three seconds. i managed to pull it back easily. take note, we're talking of the whole right leg. not just a slip of the ankle, but the whole thing, as in up to my right thigh.

good thing that:

1. the hole was small enough for just my leg to cave in. it would be so horrible if my right leg got through, then my body followed.

2. the hole was big enough for my leg to be pulled back up. had it been smaller in diameter, or had my leg been fatter than it is, it would take manpower to actually pull me up.

3. there was no water and/or trash beneath the hole. it's dry, and it's deep. my foot didn't even touch the bottom. as i said, it kinda dangled there until i had the presence of mind to pull myself up.

4. it was raining hard so there were almost no people on the street

5. it happened so fast, people on cars and public vehicles barely had time to witness the "event".

6. i was with someone so cool, the embarrassment was easier to take.

in addition to number 6, i never felt conscious or flustered for long. it took rach and i a hearty good laugh over it. right after i pulled back and has been restored to my normal height, and i said ouch, i told rach, "what if the man of my dreams passed by while i was there?" that's quite a reaction 'no? right after that, i told her to watch out (it's payday, we're on a very busy street...you know) because i'm gonna take out my fone and take a picture of the hole. i did. i will show it here if my bluetooth connection got fixed. maybe it sensed what happened and it's kinda sympathizing.

it's over, it's like a wake-up call, i managed to go to the boxing gym for a tad good hour and a half, rach and i ate squid balls, i went home, i'm happy, now i'm blogging.

sobrang nakakaloka tlaga yung experience na yon. i'm thankful coz had i been born rich, mukhang hindi ko ito mararanasan. hahahaha!!!

snippets

I love this word. I got it from Tams. Hehe. When you get so lazy making kuwento about what you wanna say, "snippets" would do.

- Went boxing last night. Two of my favorite trainers were out because they're doing the demo in G4 for the premiere of Cinderella Man. Kewl no?

- Didn't sweat much. Plus, the gym was suprisingly full of people compared to a regular Tuesday.

- Rach and I had a pictorial inside the ladies' room. Hahaha! Fun.

- Craved for Tokyo Tokyo while walking to the terminal. Good thing walang branch nearby, kundi lagot na. Pero mas okay ang napuntahan: tindahan ng squid balls sa Makati Avenue. Why is it that the ones sold sa kalye eh napakasarap talaga? We didn't worry naman with our protruding backpacks kasi kumakain din ng mami yung Makati policemen. Deadma nga din sa nagtitinda ng pirated dvds (which reminds me, may copies na ng Kung Fu Mahjong for sale?).

- As usual, I appreciate conversations while walking, o kahit nasa fx or nasa jeep lang :) Varied topics, close to the heart. Syempre ang favorite topic namin ni Rach eh ang mga lalaking special sa amin. Hmmm, pareho pa palang three letters yung name nila. Iba tlaga pag nagkakaintindihan kayo ng trip eh. See, kami different men yun pero nasasakyan namin ang height ng kaya naming gawin at pinapangarap na gawin. It's really different. Yung dati ko pang pinapangarap na gawin, sabi ni Rach, susuportahan nya ako. Shucks, sana mangyari na! Mag-aaral na talaga ako para mas lalo akong maging "deserving". Hahahahaha!!!!

- Ang sarap talaga ng squid balls na binebenta ni Manong.

- Mandarin Oriental Hotel and the memories that go with it. Di ba?

- Kakatamad na mag-blog :) Watch na lang tayo ng Asian movies :)

p.s. tacky ba yung entry divider below?

fish packers

here's what happened behind those pictures.

yesterday, julius ignatius camara (i love your name!) brought rachel (who brought me and eiselle) to the international job fair ("the most awaited international job fair" kyeme). you might ask, bakit kaming mga nasa work na namin would still take our chances with those? sinagot sya ng isang poster sa fair site: greener pastures. enough said.

to make the story of our short visit short, naretain sa aming apat ang isang job opening sa brunei (dun ba?), para maging fish packers. kailangan kasi may 1 year experience pa! so ano, enough na bang magsimula sa mga palengke??? apart from that, yung medyo serious, a 5-star hotel will open in november sa Cook Islands. so the placement was for pioneers to start the operations going. appealing ano? pati yung sa Maldives. imagine, pag dun ka mag-work, all-year round ang tan mo! gee.

dala ang thought of being a fish packer, we proceeded to the food expo at the WTC. no entrance fee but you have to have a company of sorts coz it's not just food, but also an equipment expo. we've been planning to put up this party planning business thus the name PARTY DOCTORS. as co-owners, okay na kami ni eiselle. nagkaroon pa kami ng consultant, si rachel. in truth, kiber ba sa food at equipment expo? pumunta lang kami doon para sa free tasting. hahaha!!!

i saw my college friend mikko manning the booth of san miguel corporation. cutey pa rin si mikko boy! kaso napapagod ata pag brands ang hawak. after that expo, punta naman sila sa cebu and wherever pa. 6 months pa lang daw sya doon after he left summit media. di ko naman naitanong kung gusto ba nyang mag-fish packer for a change.

we made the rounds, taste taste, bought cheeses (di ko masakyan ang taste ni rach sa keso, hahahaha) and basically tried anything na pwedeng magpa-appeal sa taste buds. we stopped by several packing equipments, na hindi makakatulong sa party doctors, pero makakatulong para maging fish packers.

so far nabusog naman kami. hahaha!!! then before we leave, eiselle saw scooters or bikes (whatever) and got interested. for her babies daw, yung mga errands lang within the vicinity. kami ni rach deadma lang sa tbi, contemplating the scenario of using it pagpasok sa office. grabe, para kaming loka kakatawa na ewan if naooffend yung may-ari. eh kasi imagine mo what if naka-ganun ka pagpasok sa office...

rachel: iwas traffic pero lahat ng sasakyan nasa likod mo...

judith: naka-office attire ka pa nun ha...

rachel: tapos may helmet. kumakaway kaway...tapos may nakita kang kakilala mo...

both: (waving) hiiiii!!!!!!

judith: ano ba ang battery nito, double A?

rachel: o pwedeng yung battery ng sasakyan pero lagi kang naka-backpack...

both: tapos ganito...(waving) hi!!!!!!!!

through all of that, na kami ni rachel halos ilabas na namin yung nakain namin kakatawa, si eiselle kina-career ang pakikinegotiate sa presyo ng bikes. paglabas, may maliliit na stalls din selling clothes and accessories...

eiselle: ay gusto ko yan (ponchos)...

judith: papasok ka ng nakaganyan? ganyan LANG ha?

rachel: tapos nakasakay ka sa bike....

judith and rachel: (waving) hiiiii!!!!!!

so pag-uwi, ang layo ng nilakad namin ha. inisip ko kung mararanasan ko ba ito if i decide to be a fish packer. tapos nung nasa jeep na kami ni rachel papuntang prc, di ko napigil matawa dun sa fifty-ish na babae kasi yung bag nya studded ng fake silver thingie that spelled WILD. nagets naman ni rach kaya para di mahalata nung babae kunyari na lang natatawa pa ako dun sa bike. ang awkward nung WILD na bag para sa kanya. ano ba yon! buti na lang tmigil din ako, baka mamaya makarma ako. baka mamya sya pala magiging boss ko sa pagiging fish packer.

setting the joke aside, and stating the fact that it is no laughing matter to be a fish packer, we're really seeking for greener pastures abroad. we still take pride in the work that we do but obviously, we want something more. hindi naman masama ang mag-aim for something better for yourself, regardless if you're married with children o single pa lang. here's to more fish packing and job hunting abroad!

the pics:

medyo mahina ang power ng camwhoring ko kagabi kaya eto lang.

ang party doctors, rachel-judie-eiselle; party doctors pa din; my name tag na sana pala Judith Roxas pinalagay ko (oops dapat ata Judith A. na); ang machine na "nagbibilang habang tuloy-tuloy na nagpapack"; rach and i goofing around habang seryosong kinunan ni eiselle ang bike to show it to her husband.

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.....

super busy.

and tired, too.

leahmay, thanks for the dinner treat. happy birthday. kace, will send the pics as soon as i can.

doris, let's sit down and talk about what i discovered. imagine mo, kung hindi ko pa nakita pic mo doon e di... basta. thanks for the trust. daig pa nga ang pinoy big brother sa pagka-teleserye ng totoong buhay. ang multiply tlaga, oo.

rach, blank every pay day. at oo, kung kaya ni blank, bakit tayo eh hindi? tama, sosorpresahin na lang natin sila isang araw. um! goodluck sa atin mamaya. sabi ni zenaida seva kaninang umaga swerte raw ang capricorn today. sana nga.

friday na naman. lumipas ang week ng ganun ganon na lang.

i miss na my honey. sobra. in 20 months or less, it will be his time to shine.

tara, uwi na tayo.

gracie's night

i just can't think of a more apt title! :) last night was good, not that super fun though, coz apparently they all got tired during the day so there wasn't much energy left. it kinda picked up around midnight, if not for my mom who kept on ringing me to go home. i suggested that gracie stay with them coz E's so dead sleepy na rin. eh kaso they all decided to call it a night.

i was on leave but i got to the office a little after lunch para makigulo. hehe. nah, it's actually more of catching up on my supervisor's instrustions coz heck, i'll be in charge next week! brrr! anyhoo, i learnt that kats and sandy wouldn't go so sandy got rachel and gracie to come. i crossed over their department and made senseless chika...buti na lang yung supervisor nila rachel was also busy chatting. hahahaha!!! so yun, rachel wasn't sure coz her sister might call her daw that night. around 6 pm, i learned that joy and erwin were asked to join na rin pala.

we got to the hotel a little after 7. maybe kasi it's a friday night so people perhaps decided to go out and the 25th floor was practically left to ourselves. we had dinner while watching CNN. a few talks here and there about the devastation of hurricane katrina, after which alfonso put Crash on the player. it was a good movie. i got into a good discussion with alfonso about racism and parenthood. he's nice.

so eto na. hehe. this night is actually more for gracie eh. coz we go out with these guys for lunch before and we get to chat when we bump into each other within the building. ang goal is to set her up with mike. mamaya na yung height ng gabing ito, okay? hehehe. throughout the night by the way, i was busy texting rachel to fill her in with what's happening.

erwin and joy are supposed to bring me home after the dinner and the movie but out of moral support, we went ahead pa rin with gracie when she suggested to treat mike (and larry, i suppose) for coffee. ang bruha, of all places within the malate strip, sa blue wave pa gusto. i was actually hesitant na to go but heck, sige, suportahan si gracie, so off we went. siyempre it's a friday night, and i just don't see nga why people would flock a place na nasa kalagitnaan ng macapagal avenue (boulevard, whatever!). the place was so full so we thought of a less busy place, and ended up at the newly-opened resto strip beside CCP.

on the way there from blue wave, sandy asked me to join gracie, mike and larry in the car at doon naman sya kina erwin and joy makikiride. when we were at the car, well, i let gracie na lang have her moment. hehe. then i told rach what was happening na then she texted something that sure cracked me up, wala lang ako mapagkuwentuhan! basta it involved gushing blood, in its figurative sense. riot tlaga. the guys were asking the name of the structures we were passing by. gracie was really kinda tense. example:

mike: oh, so is that a hotel? (points to the hotel)

gracie: yeah. it's the westin philippine plaza.

*toink! syempre, ang laki-laki nung name ng westin no!*

mike: and what's beside the hotel (manila film center-- or amazing philippine theater na ata)?

gracie: uhm...senate. is it the philippine senate?

judie: NO! (syempre, i should know! bwahahahaha!!!) that's the manila film center.

gracie: oh yeah, the film center.

:)

over coffee and strawberry frosts, we got to talk, all 7 of us, about a lot of things, from larry's seafood allergy to having kids. i didn't see it but later that night, joy was making kuwento how gracie almost dropped her drink when mike said that he has a vietnamese girlfriend. what's funnier was when larry, who's beside her, asked, "are you okay?" gracie said yes and asked what made him think she's not. then larry imitated how her drink almost got off her grasp! huling huli, hahahaha!

for my part, it was a good night and mike suggested we should do it more often. when his girlfriend comes over, dapat daw we'd go out for dinner, tapos lahat kami tumingin kay gracie! hahahaha!!! sure, it's really nice having to go out after a while. i hope those who weren't able to come could do so next time. balita ko next friday nga ata yun eh. hehe.

so to rachel, i tried to be so subtle all night, kaya ito lang yung the best na nakuha ko (at i dunno if there were pics din with mike's phone coz both of us we're trying to figure out for so long paano iaactivate yung bluetooth ng fone nya iniinsist nya na meron eh mukhang wala naman)...



till next time. habang wala pang wedding band, gracie, it's not too late. hehe. atsaka he has a rather good love story to tell, i dunno if you heard it when he was making kuwento. si E tlaga minsan pede na pampalit kay oprah eh. i enjoyed it, it's the first time i actually went with you on a night-out kahit matagal na tayong officemates :) looking forward to more of it :) mwah!

eto na daw kami ngayon...

I was one of the resource speakers for the career options symposium of the Student Affairs of UP Manila this afternoon. I didn't prepare for the event, as in. Jacs and I brought only ourselves while the others brought vcd presentations! But I would like to think I did well, despite not having remembered now what I had blabbed in front of 30+ OrCom freshmen. I just know it basically contained how I got in the field I am in now, how the course helped me, the perks and downside of my work (the most awaited segment, I think---I used to watch out for the same when I was a freshman myself), and of course, the motivational spiels to discourage them from shifting two sems after this.

I got over the insecurity over my course, Organizational Communication. UP Manila and DLSU are the only universities offering this course. While DLSU's is more on the audio-visual side, we would like to think we are more than that. And yes, we are. See, the fields that we have gone into are quite diverse and it's basically because of the flexibility that the OrCOm curriculum itself offered to us. While many people stay until now that we will just be call center agents and glorified secretaries forever (and there is NOTHING wrong with being any of those, in the first place), the eight speakers are living testaments that you basically what you make of your career path. You chose whatever you wanna be, although there is never really total satisfaction with everything (just like mine now). Aminin nyo yan!

It was nice seing people whom you've interacted before...this time, there was no lower and upperclassmen thingy; we were all proud alumni in the workforce, putting our course in a good light, and at the same time reinforcing the freshmen's choice of getting into OrCom. I felt really proud being with these guys on the speaker's table.

First we had a batchmate, Motts Agulto, who's with ABS-CBN and ANC. She's come a long way talaga, and she had the Bantay Bata team and Korina Sanchez for mentors! Then Jacs--my Jacs, hehe-- who's now second in command as Assistant Editor of People Asia magazine. There was also Anne Ybanez, Marketing and Promotions Coordinator of Gandour Philippines, her batchmate Inah Samson (they were seniors when we were freshmen), the Training and Research Specialist of Smart Communications, Ingrid Cudia of GSIS-- the one who has been responsible for keeping GSIS and Winston Garcia's image afloat-- who has always been very impressive talaga. I remember her from internship seminars and debate trainings, she's so good. Apart from doing government work, she also started her small company called Sieg Web Solutions, and they are subcontractors for foreign companies that are small enough to have their own PR department, but big enough to subcontract that kind of service. Galing. I also had as co-panelist Jimuel dela Cruz, a program specialist for GMA-7, na I dunno if it is a good thing or not that Motts had to go early so she did not hear the stuff that he said. Lastly, there was also Atty. Jen Sagcal, who just passed the bar, and is now Junior Associate of Castillo Laman Tan Pantaleon and dela Cruz. And of course there's me.

I may rant over and over about my present job but moments like this speaking engagement makes me realize that I am in a good place right now. I just have NORMAL bouts of discontent and disillusioned career ideas, but hell, I have been to, or am in, something that I can be proud of naman di ba? Plus, I felt I am really an adult a while ago. While my only other exposure as a speaker or someone like behind a table for the others to listen and ask questions to was when training Embassy call center agents, this one's a welcome change. I found out I like talking and being interviewed by people pala. :) And with the totality of this experince, I now more greatly want to have a part-time research work (or let's call it raket) for the government (I am a professional civil service exam passer) and pursue higher studies on the side. I just hope that this will not wane. I hope this experience is the start of the spark that I've lost long ago.

eto kami ngayon. (l-r) Ingrid Cudia, Jimuel dela Cruz, Jen Sagcal, Inah Samson, Anne Ybanez, yours truly, and Jacs Sampayan

miscellany stuff...

Apart from the guys (you still are, technically!), Jacs and Jimuel, I was the only female panelist who showed up in a boho get-up. While all of them looked their best in their corporate attire with matching AV presentations, I showed up looking like I was off to a bohemian party while delivering a speech on what I have become. I truly hope I inspired them, despite the fact that I was the only one without a business card (a downside of being a consular employee! the higher the degree of anonymity, the better!).

I really wanna thank Rachel for being so nice despite our boxing night being postponed. I got off the event quite late and she suggested that we do it tomorrow. I'll really make it up to you, sis. Mwah! :)