musings on a steady thursday

this is going to be my 5-minute break from work ...

• i think i'm a little overly desperate now to slim down. started taking my "hydroxycut hardcore" a couple of days ago and i'd have to say i hate the feeling afterwards. its like there's a heavy load in my chest, can feel my heart pumping abnormally fast, my stomach feels like its always empty and i feel like dying everytime. ok, so now i am just being stupid. i should stop. look good or die? uhmmm such a hard choice hahaha i need a good, strong slap right across the face
• i just realized i haven't reimbursed my last semester of grad school but the problem being i seriously don't know where my receipt is already. i don't even remember how much i paid for last semester but it probably is around 15-20K. if i can't find the receipt, that's 15-20K non-reimbursible. bummer!
  

something more to be said this wednesday

a few more thoughts about wednesday ...

• being late going to the office and having no choice but to park so far away at least forced me to walk more than i normally do. that probably was more than 500 steps total so hopefully that burned some calories.
• going back to gym sure is a bitch. i barely got through cardio, as in barely. the plus i think is that my fat burners sorta gives me added energy in doing my reps.
• i'm happy that even after being away for quite some time from the gym, gym crushie's workout sched is still the same. and gym crushie looks better than ever.
• how working out forces me to drink more water than i've done during the day, curbs my appetite so much that downing a glass of protein shake equals dinner already.
• how much prices have gone up that everytime i go to the grocery, my bill will always be between 2-4K. And if i look at what's in my cart, there isn't really that much.
• that going home and finding out your cable isn't working is uber frustrating especially if you were looking at watching your favorite show. ok, its "my girl" and i'm so not caring if you call me "masa" ... its entertaining kaya!
  

rainy day tuesday

coming off from an extended 4-day weekend (on leave last friday and replacement holiday last monday), its hard to find the right energy to get back to work. surprisingly, i've finished quite a lot yesterday and in record time that i was happily looking forward to my photography class that night.

30 minutes. that was just how much time it took for me to prepare for class when the rain started pouring heavily. and in just that amount of time, the entrance to our subdivision was flooded knee-deep (and pretty soon waist deep) that even if i was driving a SUV, i wouldn't have made it through. I waited for a good hour before the rain let up and the flood waters to subside all the while fidgeting inside the car and getting anxious about the possibility of missing class tonight. that's me being OC - i get pretty anxious when i know i'm going to be late to anything scheduled. i live minute by minute and like everything in order and that's how i avoid chaos. surprisingly, i managed to make it in class just a couple minutes late.

class last night was very interesting and downright educational. even though i had an idea already of some of the topics being discussed, there were still a lot of ideas and new information that "wowed!" me! leo castillo is really a gifted teacher and despite the class extending until 11pm (ok, past my bedtime), i did not feel sleepy at all. i'm really looking forward to the next 4 more sessions.

i woke up late wednesday morning realizing i forgot to re-set the ringer of my phone to "ON". i had to rush driving to faraway cavite just to get news that the meeting i was rushing for is canceled. still managed to finish work i set out to do at the office despite my cubicle being so cold. this office is freakingly cold its a miracle people have not frozen to death (ok, i'm exaggerating but you get the drift).

4 more days and its the start of the "BER" months. Christmas is just around the corner. happy happy joy joy!

US Fall TV Show Guide (2008)

yes! after last season was cut short by the writer's strike, fall 2008 looks to be promising with some new shows and new episodes of staple favorites. everyday is going to be busy downloading the latest episodes. here's the premiere dates for fall 2008.

*i've only included here shows that i watch or those new shows i'm planning to watch!

Sep 1
Gossip Girl
Prison Break
One Tree Hill

Sep 2
90210 (New)

Sep 8
Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles

Sep 9
Fringe (New)

Sep 16
House

Sep 18
Supernatural
Smallville

Sep 22
How I Met Your Mother
Heroes

Sep 23
The Mentalist (New)

Sep 24
Knight Rider (New)
Lipstick Jungle

Sep 25
Ugly Betty
Grey's Anatomy

Sep 28
The Amazing Race : Season 13
Desperate Housewives
Dexter
Brothers & Sisters

Sep 29
Chuck

Oct 1
Pushing Daisies
Private Practice
Dirty Sexy Money

Oct 3
Ghost Whisperer

Oct 9
CSI

Oct 10
Life

the big switch

no, this isn't the "switch" brand of watch dino gamely uttered during a round of destiny the other night. this post is about one of my good friends annie who is making the big move to singapore early next month. she went to singapore a couple of months back and mixing r&r and interviewing, she finally signed up with a company who met her requirements.

i met annie at grad school and we quickly hit it off because she was smart (well, minsan ewan ko! hahaha) and funny and we always laughed out loud. we were in a couple of classes together but we forged a friendship with eric and jap when we decided to spend a long weekend at galera. i will never forget her "kampanyerang kuba" video during our marketing class - it was a riot because annie is as natural an actress as they come. her quotable quotes are just downright funny and its at time when we hear them that we wonder how she ever got into UP. the barkada will surely miss annie when she moves to sing but i'm really happy that greener pastures await her there. besides, sing is just a few hours by plane from manila and i'm going to see her in a couple of weeks time when she settles there.

will miss you dearly friend! there's still a couple more weeks left - gimik to the max na lang!

a first of hopefully many more ...

yesterday was a day we have been waiting both with eager anticipation and inexplicable dread. some great people from multiply who we share the same interests with extended an invitation to malou & her kaladkarin friends (uhmmm yeah, that's i, dino and supposedly richard) to meet up, hang-out and shoot some models. unfortunately, malou & i (the ultimate kaladkarin duo) were the only peeps available yesterday to join the shoot. we were pretty lucky indeed that the shoot/EB/hangout pushed through considering it has been raining on & off the whole weekend. i guess its fate to meet 'em, and you can't fight that.

its amazing to be in the company of very talented people. just looking at them in action is enough to inspire anyone to try and get good photographs so you won't feel embarrassed showing them the results of your day's work. i am grateful to meet such wonderful people who welcomed us (the newbies) with such open arms that it didn't take long for use to feel at home with all of them. they are a fun bunch, probably because of the mixture of ages, generations even ... from as young as 16 years to as old as >16 (hahaha you'd have to guess), the energy is infectious. the models, blessed to have photogenic looks and damn goodlooking physiques, you just want to hate 'em except that they're such nice, down-to-earth, shy individuals cursed of registering well on cam (cursed daw! LOL!). i've been to shoots and fashion shows before but it was the first time for me to try taking snaps of real live dolls. i have to say, it ain't an easy feat - warm (scorching even), humid weather, mud & wet grass, damp clothes, aching legs & feet ... it was easy to feel exhausted at the end of the day.

i realized i have SO MUCH to learn and a LONG way to go before i can take photos as beautifully as my newfound photo buds but i'm in no rush. i am hoping to learn from them and from some other generous people as i go along. i'm glad that this is turning out to be a fun, productive and enjoyable hobby.

despite a very tiring day, i'm happy to be taking home with me a list of new people hopefully i am going to be seeing more and learning more from. my list of contacts has already jumped by 15 more people. for the most part, that is the best take away from yesterday.

*pics from the shoot yesteday to follow. it definitely won't be as great as my NFF's photos but they're mine and i'm proud of 'em. =)

How to be super conyotic effect, you know!

Lifted from Ric's blog who lifted it from somebody else who i probably lifted it from somebody else ... and the list goes on we probably will never know who was the original author of this super funny pinoy slangs. If you want to become one of the conyo's and conyitas, then read on, weep and laugh.

... and to be fair, i probably should tell everybody i'm also guilty of most of what's written below. yeah, i got it bad!

1. Thou shall make gamit "make+pandiwa".
ex. "Let's make pasok na to our class!"
"Wait lang! I'm making kain pa!"
"Come on na, we can't make hintay anymore! It's in Andrew pa, you know?"

2. Thou shall make kalat "noh", "diba" and "eh" in your pangungusap.
ex. "I don't like to make lakad in the baha nga, no? Eh diba it's like, so eew, diba?"
"What ba: stop nga being maarte noh?"
"Eh as if you want naman also, diba?"

3. When making describe a whatever, always say "It's SO pang-uri!"
ex. "It's so malaki, you know, and so mainit!"
"I know right? So sarap nga, eh!"
"You're making me inggit naman.. I'll make bili nga my own burger."

4. When you are lalaki, make parang punctuation "dude", 'tsong" or "pare"
ex. "Dude, ENGANAL is so hirap, pare."
"I know, tsong, I got bagsak nga in quiz one, eh"

5. Thou shall know you know? I know right!
ex. "My bag is so bigat today, you know"
"I know, right! We have to make dala pa kasi the jumbo Physics book eh!"

6. Make gawa the plural of pangngalans like in English or Spanish.
ex. "I have so many tigyawats, oh!"

7. Like, when you can make kaya, always use like. Like, I know right?
ex. "Like, it's so init naman!"
"Yah! The aircon, it's, like sira!"

8. Make yourself feel so galing by translating the last word of your sentence, you know, your pangungusap?
ex. "Kakainis naman in the LRT! How plenty tao, you know, people?"
"It's so tight nga there, eh, you know, masikip?"

9. Make gamit of plenty abbreviations, you know, daglat?"
ex. "Like, OMG! It's like traffic sa LRT"
"I know right? It's so kaka!"
"Kaka?"
"Kakaasar!"

10. Make gamit the pinakamaarte voice and pronunciation you have para full effect!
ex. "I'm, like, making aral at the Arrhneo!"
"Me naman, I'm from Lazzahl!"

kwadro kantos

with nothing to write about this rainy sunday afternoon, i decided to answer malou's tag. now i'm not one to believe in all these chain letters foretelling of bad or good fortunes if you don't respond. I guess, like malou said, this is just for the pure fun of it.

Four places i go over and over...

• cavite - not so much today but i did go there monday to friday for eight years since that's where i had to work;
• mall - who doesn't go to the mall?
  
• S&R - best place to go grocery shopping
• gym - i do go kahit not regularly hehehe
  

Four people who email me regularly....

• multiply - i'm a multiply addict. can't help it, i gotta keep tabs on what's happening;
• photobuds (dino, richard, malou) - kulitan where ang next place to shooot;
• men's health - naka-subscribe kasi ako e hahaha
• co-workers - i should worry if nobody from the office is emailing me na di ba?
  

Four of my favorite places to eat...

• KFC - hahaha can't help it, i love it.
• California Pizza Kitchen - so many things i love in this resto. mushroom pepperoni pizza is the best.
• Superbowl of China - what can i say, i love chinese food!
• Yellowcab Pizza - don't you just love charlie chan's pasta?
  

Four places you'd rather be....

• europe - my dream destination. so many places to see, so many things to do.
• greece - if there's a single place to see, this is where i'd want to go. this place is just awesome.
• arizona - among the places i've visited in the US, arizona is the one i'd love to come back too. so many friends there and the people are hot, hot, hot like the desert.
• sydney - heard so many things about sydney and i have a lot of friends who i can hang out with down there.
  

Four people i think will respond...

• no one! hahaha masyado ma-effort i-answer ito e.
  

Four TV shows i can watch over and over...

• friends - for me, its probably the most fun comedy series i've seen. i can watch all 10 seasons again and again and still laugh at their antics.
• grey's anatomy - one of the best shows out there. i can't get enough of it.
• house md - you either love or hate house. but i gotta admit, despite his devious ways he's one brilliant doctor.
• battlestar galactica - best sci-fi show on tv. too bad its on its final season. the only thing to look forward now is its prequel "caprica"
  

Yum : 10,000? calories Loaded Steakhouse Burger

Burger King's Loaded Steakhouse Burger

Loaded with crispy onions, baked potato topping, bacon, A.I. thick & hearty steak sauce and a slice of american cheese on top of 100% angus beef patty.

yeah, no diet non-sense this week. tried this burger this afternoon on my way home while driving. what can i say about it? for one, it kinda tasted different in a good sort of way. i was wondering what the creamy taste was and now realize it was the baked potato topping. in a way i can't compare it with a champ, they just taste differently. i feel like i'm "jughead" from the archie digests - if not for it being such an unhealthy treat, i probably could live on burgers alone. oh well, have to break-up with my relationship with fast food soon. healthy is so not fun.

shameless plug : MY GIRL

MY GIRL
(Kim Chiu, Gerald Anderson, Enchong Dee)

i don't care what everyone will say. I LOVE THIS SHOW! hahaha
Watch it weekdays at ABS-CBN around 10pm'ish!

sluggish on a supposedly fast day

it must have been all of the fat i feasted on but sleeping almost midnight and waking up at five today just didn't seem to cut it. i felt so sluggish waking up and had to pull myself out of bed to shower, dress up and drive to the faraway land of zeevee (we call our building CV, short for cavite). the only consolation is that driving an automatic (yeah, i'm a convert) makes it easy to navigate the backroads and hum into the emo-songs blasting from my ipod.

so far i had two presentations done by phone con today. first one, i kind of breezed through it and there weren't really a lot of questions. its really easier to attend phone cons in the office because the audio is better than my headset and wireless phone at home. my second presentation should have gone well except there was this pestering attendee from another country who for the love of life, i couldn't figure out what the problem was. i lost my cool for a while and chastised her for not raising her concerns months back when she had the chance. bwahahaha. i can really be bitchy like that, phone con or not.

one more meeting before the day ends and there still a number of things i need to do. all i can think of right now is the comfort of my bed and how nice it would feel to step back into la-la land. i really need r-e-s-t right now.

and yeah, i'm still waiting for an epiphany for me to get back into the gym.

mind your own business

i don't have to explain myself to you. in the first place, you are not my boss and we don't even work in the same company anymore. i deliver to all my commitments regardless of where i work. if my boss doesn't mind, why should it to you? your life will probably be more productive if you start minding your own business. its really irritating and nakaka-strike two ka na.

strike three and you are out for good.

mark this: january 27, 2009

OMG! i was listening to david archuleta's first single "crush" and decided to google for david cook hoping to catch some news on when his single (or album) is going to come out and found this piece of news instead.

Straight from Cook's mouth, he's coming over to the Philippines for probably a one-night show on january 27, 2009. Aaaaahhh, i can barely type right now. I am such a Cookie fan!!! Here's Cook's interview where around the 4-minute mark he mentions about his upcoming concert.

Time to save.

does true love really happens to everybody?

i don't think so. hearing barry's post of "the scientist" by coldplay on piano made me lookup that video of arguably (for me) one of the sweetest, romantic and most endearing movie ending i've seen. the movie is "wicker park" and while some parts of the movie may be confusing, everything sort of falls into place towards the end. its not your typical narrative since the movie is cut into different timelines. but enough of that right now, that's not what this post is all about.

seeing that ending made me ask myself if that can really happen in real life. maybe so, but likely to very few, select people who is lucky enough to find true love. it doesn't happen to everybody - and probably will never happen to me. some people call that jaded. i prefer to be called a realist. the heart isn't the one that makes us fall in love - its still the brain. i don't know how we have come to associate the heart with love - maybe its when our heart goes thump thump everytime we see somebody we fancy that we think that's what helps us feel. don't you just wish that people were created as half of a whole? that each of us is made as half of a couple - similar to that movie "hancock." wouldn't that be swell? that no matter what, fate brings two people together? maybe that's the easy way out of loneliness. are there really people who prefer to live life in solitude? or is that just an excuse for not being able to find a better half?

here's the ending of the movie "wicker park." if something like this (course i'm talking about just the ending, not the whole complications of the film) happens to me, i'd be the luckiest person in the world. finding your better half after a long time of searching has never been more romantic!

its been awhile

its been quite some time since the last time we managed to pool former colleagues from the big blue. with some of the barkada moving to other companies, its expected that our get togethers will really required effort. ria and i are the only peeps left at the big blue and we both have the same number of years put in. ice, who was the first one i have worked with x number of years back is now working for another company. jowell, who came in four or five years after is already working for accenture. ali, has moved to a new company we like to call the green bling. allan is with the separated company, numonyx. some of our other friends unfortunately couldn't make it that night - van is busy with her "alive! alive!" while arlene will be flying out to the US. trixy on the other hand is on night shift (we miss her a lot!).

thankfully, once every now and then, ali is the one who calls out these sorta impromptu get togethers. friday being 08/08/08 is supposed to be lucky and it was actually kind of - at least for me. had lunch with an old friend B who i managed to borrow an 18-200mm Nikkor VR lens from (cool!) and who also treated me to a hearty lunch at banana leaf. yum! mom confirmed already her prize from sunnex for our all-expense paid trip to HK which most likely will be on the last week of October. Dinner during the get-together at TGI Friday's was courtesy of Ali (thanks for being so generous girl!).

it was nice to see the old gang together again. surprisingly, despite the rarity of our get togethers, its still as if we just talked yesterday. i guess that's the nice thing about us - we have something that binds us together. its nice to have great friends.

wow philippines

while scouring youtube for some interesting videos, i felt a little bit patriotic and searched for the "wow philippines" video ads. interestingly enough, both the various artists and regine's commercials were posted on youtube. i realized that the perfect complement to this whole photography thing is to go around the country, attend the festivals and capture them as they happen. i've managed to see a few of the scenic places but there are still A LOT out there that begs to be seen. so maybe if i plan and save well, i can finally go visit these places.

looking at these ads, you just gotta love the beauty of this country. yes, perhaps there are other places and countries equally (or more) beautiful. but i love being in this country (traffic, corruption, steep taxes and all).

thirteen years after

aren't you amazed how after a long time, life sort of brings people from the past together? this is sort of whats happening now after that mini-reunion of sorts we had with a few college mates last friday. we're actually planning on holding a college christmas reunion for all of our industrial engineering classmates from la salle this year. while email was a relative unknown during our college years, we are hoping that starting off a yahoo groups and through our network, we'd be able to bridge everybody eventually. its no easy task i know but one can be hopeful. our target is to gather at least most of our classmates for that college reunion. i bet it will be pretty fun seeing how people look today and reminiscing how it was back then. had lunch with a few of them again today at the house of a friend nearby and we were all laughing reliving our college years (circa ... 199x hahaha). hopefully we can pull off the december reunion thing.

that will definitely be a blast from the past.

childhood reminiscing

its cool that a year back or so, i finally managed to get all episodes of this cartoon i grew up with. even during that time, voltes v has been ahead of its time - the japanese has always been tops in the anime department. they're visionaries. i would love to get my hands on this uber cool toy - its a collectors item and i think i saw one being retailed for a cool 20,000 bucks. pretty expensive.

the english version of its opening theme is blaring on my homepage. its pretty cool and i remember humming on to the japanese version even though i didn't know what the heck those lyrics meant or how to properly pronounced them.

voltes v theme (english version)

Someday the sons of light shall fill all the earth
The morning of justice shall have come to its birth
So we'll all wave our banners high and free through the air
For the love and glory we then all shall share

Soldiers boldly unite to fight and fight for peace
Hand in hand like eagles through the breeze
Over lands and over seas

Voltes V we come to you
Flashing through with wings of steel
Fates of foes are what we seal
With swords of laser light
And over lands and over seas
Onwards victory / Voltes V

so this is what limbo feels like

there's still no certainty about the current state of the big blue ...i think its mostly certain that there's a new building in sight but so far the only certainty in terms of headcount reduction is teh first wave for the factory by end of this year. after an hour of chatting with our manager this morning, from her perspective, it seems that "our" job is technically secure even if we are "regional" positions. this should be good, make that great, news if we were actually looking at staying. but the remaining pinoys in my group is a 25 year veteran who is all but ready to reap her millions, another who has plans of pursuing other options and i, who is but ready to move into a different industry. the only consolation i here is that our manager seems to be supportive of what we want (at least that's how it seems today). i'm kind of waiting to receive a package and while there have been a number of calls for job openings to which i've all indicated "i'm looking (for a job)" there really is no certainty of moving out until after i'm certain of getting the package. the additional responsibilities that i've inherited from a resigned colleague most certainly makes me busy these days. its downright tactical which can be exhilirating except that they're all issues (problems in semicon speak) that needs to be taken cared of.

i should be happy i have a very flexible job - and i am grateful don't get me wrong. i earn decently. the only thing i am wanting right now is the thrill into moving into uncharted territory - that should scare me but it really doesn't. almost 11 years in the semicon is a long time it makes me feel ancient. the thrill and the challenge a new industry and company poses makes me giddy and adrenalin all but shoots through my veins at the thought of it. i should be careful what i wish for but this lull career-wise is killing me.

this is what steady feels like, when you're not moving forward and you're not moving back - a limbo of sorts. well i should just make the most of it, take the time to pursue other interests like this photography thing, and hopefully soon my culinary obsession.

kailan ka ba

to complement the mood i am this week ...
i need someone to .... save me! or grab a drink with me! =P


Kailan Ka Ba - Sugarfree

Duda ang aking kasama, at sabay kami sa aming pag-iisa
Meron akong, matagal nang hinahanap
at ang takot ko’y di sya mahagilap

[refrain]
Dumaan na ba sya? Di ko lang napuna?
Ilang gabi pang laman ng isip?
Ilang araw pang magtatanong?

[chorus]
Kung sino? Nasan?
Kailan ka ba darating at ako ay sagipin
sa mundong malupit, at naiinip
Sino? nasan? kailan ka ba?

Walang silbi sa akin ang gabi
at di makatulog sa kahihintay sa 'yo
Kung ika’y dumating, kailangang tanggapin
na baka di ka naman maging akin

[repeat refrain and chorus]

Sino ka man dumating ka na please
Sino ka man dumating ka na please
Sino? nasan? kailan?

i need a drink

seriously, i need a drink. its one of 'em days when i spiral down into fits of depression. it comes and goes and maybe its because i've been trying to do too many things at the same time. its easy to forget about it when i'm with other people but its the alone time that gets me. shopping used to be good therapy but i'm over indiscriminate spending (ok, i've improved on that big time!). blogging lately has been a bit of a chore, not finding anything to talk about and not finding the words to write something much more coherent than this. its the lack of things to say that makes me babble ... its these momentary bouts of sadness that i hate so much because there's no hand i can hold on to except my own. its not for the lack of friends, i just prefer to sort out my own personal demons. i've never been good talking about my sad stories which has got me to start blogging in the first place. lately though, baring my soul to the public doesn't seem to be such a great idea.

where's that bottle of shiraz when you need one?

a dark knight to remember

so i probably am one of the last few who hasn't seen "the dark knight" but i did manage to catch it last night with d who incidentally was watching it for the second time. i was planning on running some errands before meeting up with d so i dutifully allocated 2 full hours to drive to makati. i left at 4pm thinking that was enough time to swing by a couple of stores and even took the skyway. wow, annoyingly, right after the tollgate, the cars were piled up - totally non-moving. it moved after a good 10mins and then stopped again right before the don bosco exit. i heard from passerby's (yeah there were people walking going down and checking things out) that they weren't letting cars pass cause of the streets were flooded. it was probably 45mins after when we started to move and i realized that there won't be time to swing by the stores anymore. two full hours just to get to makati.

we decided to grab a light meal at the small italianni's in glorietta and grabbed a full order of the sicilian salad. i thought the serving would be bigger but d & i were both disappointed that we each just had one serving of the greens and the bill racked up to around 600 pesos. while i love that sicilian salad, that was so not worth it. this is why italianni's kind of rank low in my list of restaurants - they're way overpriced so i prefer CPK any day.

what can i say about "the dark knight"? it was definitely very well made and bears that dark theme christopher nolan is known for. heath ledger did a fantastic job on the joker. this film definitely is not for kids. it is a grown-up flick and should have had a R-18 rating. i felt like i saw very little of bruce wayne (christian bale) throughout the flick and so much more of batman. i didn't like that batman had to talk in that deep, husky almost inaudible voice - what's the deal with that? the film was quite long and i must have been kind of tired because i committed the ultimate crime - i sort of felt sleepy in some of the scenes. (lol). batman is not your typical superhero. he is in some way but he's the only one in the justice league who doesn't have superpowers. some may not like that and others might because that means there's more realism to it. while i'm not really a big batman fan (i'm more inclined to the superpowered ones), i must admit that the last two bat flicks were very good (hmmm don't like katie holmes that much though) and they did an amazing job resurrecting this franchise. so here's to more superhero flicks ... may they keep on coming!

pet peeve: why is it that some people continue to answer their mobiles in the movie theater? talk as if the other people can't hear them. the other thing i hate are those who sit at your back and their legs, feet touch the back of your seat and they shift their them like non-stop. or even those who talk non-stop and make comments every freakin' scene. aarrrggghhh. silence is golden di ba?