Hey Christmas!

Guess who had the most boring Christmas ever? ME! I spent it at the office in front of the monitor, working. It’s not that I am workaholic, it’s because we’re required to go to work. This is the second time I’m doing it anyway so I’m cool with it. Except that I wish my parents are here to spend the season with us. *sigh*

I’m not yet done with my Christmas shopping because, knowing myself, I’m too lazy to go out and shop around. I’d rather give my inaanaks gift checks so they can buy what they want, right? Or I can just give them a sloppy kiss and a hug. But hey,  look at some of the gifts I received:

a fake bread which you can use as a wrist support when you're using the mouse, an indoor plant whose scientific name I'm always forgetting, a red bee clip-on, a weird looking giraffe toy, and some bangles.

I had so much fun kris kringling! I also got an aluminum tripod and a Moleskine journal, etc etc! Thank you to all who gave me these wonderful gifts! Now I know that I am blessed, not only with these gifts, but with amazing friends and family.

Spread the love and Merry Christmas to all!

Why You Should Not Date Me

Hey you know what, my lymph nodes are swelling for some crazy reasons! I brushed my teeth way too hard last night and I accidentally hit my gum and it bleed and now I have a mouth sore. Anyway, I’m back in Manila and it’s time to do some serious… blog meme! Why you should not date me? Find out why!

• I eat a lot, burp loud and feel guilty afterward.
• I like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
• I crush on Korean actors and watch cheesy Korean dramas.
• I have a short attention span.
• I’m not always on time.
• I don’t fix my hair nor dress fashionable.
• I’m quiet at parties and won’t sing in the karaoke unless you plead or buy me something worth my talent. Just kiddin’.
• I depend a lot on technology and I can be found everywhere in the World Wide Web with a pseudonym.
• I have more guy friends than girl friends.
• I will blog about you and post embarrassing photos of you online.

1. I eat a lot, burp loud and feel guilty afterwards.
2. I like Miley Cyrus, Demi Lovato and the Jonas Brothers.
3. I crush on Korean actors and watch cheesy Korean dramas.
4. I have a short attention span.
5. I’m not always on time.
6. I don’t fix my hair nor dress fashionable.
7. I’m quiet at parties and won’t sing in the karaoke unless you plead or buy me something worth my talent. Just kiddin.
8. I depend a lot on technology and I can be found everywhere in the World Wide Web with a pseudonym.
9. I have more guy friends than girl friends.
10. I will blog about you and post embarrassing photos of you online.

Ano Ga? Ala Eh!

Lipa was… GREAT! And I’m glad to say that I survived my first week there. (2 more weeks btw). Though my first day there was a nightmare, I wouldn’t want to go in details because this page might burst into rants. The people, place and the food made me want to totally forget about the disorganization of my stay there, or let’s say I was a victim of other people’s inefficiency. But since I’m more on the optimistic side, I was able to see the opportunity it brought upon. Again, lessons were learned. (Screw me, I had so many lessons these past few months). Fine, that’s me being boring again.

Credits to: Globosapiens.net

Top 5 Reasons Why I Love Lipa

1. The People. “Ano ga?” Though their accent sounded weird (because it’s superprofound Tagalog,and some words were very unfamiliar to me, plus they put emphasis to it), they’re so kind that they will offer their place for you to sleep at.
2. The Weather. Makati is summer, Lipa is winter. Maybe I’m a bit exaggerated but its freezing cold there and I can’t take a bath without having to heat water first. I’ll make sure my luggage contains a jacket next time.
3. The Food. Aside from it being cheap (37 pesos per meal), the taste was really good! Their famous Lomi is the best! Yummeh!
4. The Tricycle. Man, their tricycle is spacious and it would take you practically anywhere around Lipa. It’s like Lipa’s version of a taxi cab. Cool, huh?
5. The Simplicity. I have considered living there because of the style of living is so different from Manila. The workplace environment is conducive to my health (cough finally gone, thank God), less stress, less worries – those sort of work related things.

C’mon, this doesn’t mean I’m going to retract myself being an “Urbanite”. I still love Makati, it’s just that new things never fail to amaze me. They always do. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have to pack my things for yet another adventurous week in Lipa. Be back soon!

Sha-la-la

I was in a meeting with my boss before the week has ended. It was my first time meeting her formally (since she’s new, and I am also new in that department) and I can say she’s an inspiring person with a mix of goofiness in her personality. There was this point when we’re talking about being happy in general. I vividly remembered her saying with a compelling and wide smile on her face that “happiness is a choice and there’s no such thing as no choice because you are always given a choice”. Not all of us know about that, don’t we? Maybe we knew, but just not aware of it.

As a treat for what I’ve learned this week, here are some random pictures which dragged me into choosing happiness.

My sister and my uncle, taken on a lazy Sunday malling at MOA. Wait, who is that man in their middle??

Ate Osang, our all-in-one super sipag, super topak housemaid! (She can be a clown too, you know?)

Beni my little dachshund who licks my face whenever I arrive home.

My PPO family who I heart heaps. Not all of them are present in this picture, though.

Jayr the Puge. (Pogi na sana, kaso natutulog sa jeep eh, tsk tsk ).

Let’s all choose to be happy, shall we?

Defying Gravity

The song is playing in my head like crazy (you know, when I wake up, when I take a shower, when I’m working, blah blah). TV shows are a no-no for me because I don’t like complicated, long storylines and plots. Well, Glee is a different one and do I love that show so much it makes me want to go home early on a Thursday to download the current episode.

Anyway, Glee is really not what I’d like to point out here. I’m going to Lipa in a few days, maybe stay there for a month and assist my colleague in doing the certification for the newly opened segment in which I’m trained at (I’m not quite sure yet because the instructions given were vague). I was not given any choice; neither had they asked me if I want to go there or not. My boss just told me to be prepared. Pfft.

I am afraid of stepping up too fast, because it’s like things are not happening the way I listed them on my to-do list. It has to slow down at least, because I’m afraid I might overlook a couple important things, or fail to do the stuff I really need/want to do (like going to Macau, have a decent date with a badass guy, my DLSU web design pending course – to mention a few).

Going to Lipa is a good thing, another opportunity for me to practice being independent, and a chance to impart my knowledge to the people who will be under my roster. But, we can’t help to say that part of stepping up is what you call “sacrifice”. The chances of me spending the Christmas season with my family / teammates / friends is going to be slim because from what I heard, I’ll be staying there for a month. Oh, well.

As the lyrics of Defying Gravity said: It’s time to trust my instincts, close my eyes and leap! It’s time to try defying gravity… and you won’t bring me down.

Blog Make-Over

Lookie! I’ve reinvented my blog with a new banner and theme because I got bored with the old one.  Photoshop did the trick. Love it!

Credits: Adobe Photoshop CS, Nokia 5800 for my photo, Sadish for the theme.

 

Maybe, I should

I’ve been moved to a different department in my workplace, you can say somehow promoted a month ago. It’s an opportunity I grabbed without the readiness and anticipation what’s in store for me. Nobody wants to stay in their position forever, right? Well, it’s been a month now and I’m still adjusting to the transition and weighing the worth of the job I put myself into. So far, so good? Maybe yes. Maybe no.

So here’s the deal. Previously, I belong in a pool of wonderful people whom I became really close friends with and it’s just sad I can’t be with them anymore.  My new job requires a lot of time and responsibility so I have to prioritize things. Sometimes, I am trying to get my work done as fast as I could so I can at least ride the jeepney/MRT with them going home or hang-out with them on a Friday. But sometimes, things don’t happen as expected so I was left behind. It even leads me into shedding tears out of envy, asking myself why am I still in the office finishing the report when all of them are toasting beer, laughing and having a really good time. The feeling sucks big time.

Upon crying, I’ve realized I’m not a teenager anymore to feel that way. I should be happy because my team deserved to be having a good time. I should be happy because they have newly found friends. I should be happy because they have high QA grades, which is suppose to be my grade too. Yeah, I weep a bit but I should be happy for them as much as they are happy for me being promoted and such. There’s still a next time so I’ll just catch up by then.

Possibly, it’s just a matter of getting use to the things I’m doing now and the new environment, the new people and how old colleagues treat/sees you. Change is the only constant entity in this world so I might as well accept that mere fact.

Anyhow, it’s my rest day today and I have zits popping out of nowhere. I’d better be sleeping. ZzZiiitttsss.

1st Blogoversary

I shifted from Tabulas to WordPress last year… I think maybe it was in early October so yeah, this blog has turned a year older. It’s nice to read posts from before and it was funny because upon reviewing, I had some grammar lapses, and of course lots of stories that are quite nonsense. Whoever invented the blog must be a genius! As I said on my sidebar, I will continue blogging until the longest of time. Swear I will catch up! Ciao!

-R

Lessons from Ondoy

The signal number 1 storm named “Ondoy” created havoc in most parts of Metro Manila yesterday, wherein hard rain continued to pour non-stop. Early in the morning, I meet up with a friend to have a breakfast near our place somewhere in Quezon City. Our place is one of the lucky few that are not affected by floods so I have the courage to go out despite of the warning.

When I went home and turned on the television, I was shocked at what I saw – people already in their roof because the flood is rising at a human-level, cars submerged on the road, babies in Styrofoam cases, etc. Facebook and twitter updates are full of re-posted tweets/updates asking help for people who are stranded and needing help. It pinched my heart seeing how bad the situation had become, and the only thing that came into my mind was to help in the best possible way that I can.

Credits: Twitter

Blaming is the frailest ground of people – they tend to pinpoint as to why floods are still present in their respective areas, which of course they put on our government. But blaming should be the least thought of verdict during times like this because calamities come in a much unexpected way – and the paramount of defense is to be prepared at all causes. Discipline should also be put into act, as most of us (Filipinos) are fond of violating simple laws. (Ex: ‘Wag magtapon ng basura dito!). It’s the time to lend a helping hand and not to exploit the situation by exceeding the price of drinking water in the market. It’s to use your leadership skills in organizing and managing relief operations, not to showcase your kindness and campaign for your candidacy in the upcoming election. It’s to make the most out of your talent or fame, not to brag about the millions of pesos given by your endorsers in the media.

The typhoon Ondoy teaches me that luxurious cars may vanish in a blink of an eye and a nice house can be ripped apart in a matter of hours. It’s not about the tangible things we lost and the amount of money we spent buying it, but about how our loved ones are still breathing, ready to continue their lives with us for more years. It taught me to appreciate life more and to value the things I possess because one day, I might lose them forever.

We may not know if this is a way of testing us to become strong as a nation or as an individual. With the impressive unity of the Filipinos in helping out with the relief operations, there’s no doubt we can rebuild Manila again – sturdy, and surely.

Think 24, Act 24

I committed myself on a 2-hour pre-shift overtime at work, meaning I will be working 10 hours everyday starting Monday. My reason was to catch the last train because I don’t want to ride the bus very late at night, and of course, I also need to save on gas expenses. Part of the reason is that I need the money to fund my online clothing store (and my trip to Macau). As you can see, I’ve been trying to save up some money for my business so I could end up earning even more. I know I’m a moolah-freak, but I’m trying to think and act like a 24-year old adult here. And to tell you honestly, it’s not that easy.

Here are some of the things I did that proves I am 24:

• I went to the grocery store to buy ingredients for spaghetti. I decided I should learn how to cook this everybody’s favorite meal, and to cook means, it should be delicious. What I did was I asked my Facebook friends for suggestions because I am bad with experiments:

Loads of suggestions, wasn't able to printscreen them all!

• I reinvented my bed sheet and bedroom curtain to a more adult-like designs. Before they were Mickey Mouse and Winnie the Pooh pillowcases and comforters. Now, they’re more flowery, colorful and patterned-like. (My mom will be so thrilled when she sees this, haha)

• I took the bus going to work for 5 straight days. The hassles of taking the public transportation are harsh, especially when it is raining. Half of my pants were drenched and a pesky cold virus disembarked on my system. I learned it’s just a matter of getting used to.

There, I came up with 3 things because I couldn’t think of anything else to add. There’s more to come, hopefully. Some adult (and childish) acts might be seen on my twitter updates so please, follow me!