yada yada yada yada

yay!!! i finally have internet at home again. i've been internet-deprived since Sunday, and i just got it back yesterday. i was getting so pissed at Globe already when it still was not available by Monday night. they came by on Wednesday morning and discovered that at fault all that time was the electrical wiring in my condo! some wire short-circuited on the 15th floor. and they had the gall to ask me to pay for the wire they used to replace the one that short-circuited. now i love Globe again, and i hate my condo again. and since it's nearly April, i think i will be entertaining the thought of moving out again... let's see. ------------------------------------------------------------ since a lot of people are still asking, yes i am still very busy. but i really really hope it will be over soon. when i say that, people try to console me by saying something like "well, that's ok. you're getting rich anyway". now just to put an end to all that nonsense, believe me that that is not the case. if you know me, then you know that i prefer to work, and work better during the night. it's easier for me to work until sunrise, than to come in the office before 10am. so when things matter, i give it my best. and what's best is for me to take advantage of my strengths, which translates to working at night. and unfortunately translates also to being late for work (i can't help it, i still love to sleep). and even if i get a lot of scolding for this behavior (though it's less now than before), i still believe that after all things considered, it's more beneficial than detrimental for my work. and of course, i pay for being late, literally. but i need money especially to pay for my outrageous rent. so i offset some of the salary deductions by getting paid for the extra hours i put in (at night, of course). and that's my financial story. so now, on the very rare times that i get to meet you, my other non-office friends, stop bugging me to treat you! ------------------------------------------------------------ i don't want to say that i'm workaholic. i'd rather say that i'm dedicated. ok, stop laughing. to prove that i am still not workaholic, i went out tonight (yes, friday night. social life. yay!). and that's considering i have to make a build tomorrow and i still have some code to put in. so clap clap for my efforts (please?). i finally got to watch twilight. i read the books (thanks Mapet!) so i expected to be disappointed even with my very low expectations. and guess what, i was right. what i hated:

• Rosalie, Esme and Jacob are ugly
• isn't Eric supposed to be nerdy and pimply, and not gay?
• the makeup. is it too much to ask to at least even out the pale white foundation/powder, and put some on the necks of those actors??? (and i usually don't care about this but it really bothered me)
• Jasper looks constipated
• Edward looks like he's smelling something really bad when he's supposed to be in pain, and he looks constipated also
• it could be the screenplay, or the directing, or the acting. but at least one of those is to blame for the bad story telling

what could be better:

• i wish Edward smiled more, he's supposed to have this really nice smile
• i wish Alice was more bubbly, and had more screen time
• i wish all of them Cullens would be more regal, and graceful. Edward was a slouch.

what i liked:

• the baseball scene
• Alice's pitch. did you see that right leg?!?!? she kicked so high, and her foot was pointed and all... it was so pretty.
• the dad. i think he's the only one who more or less satisfied the idea of what i had in mind when i was reading the book

the verdict: i don't regret watching it, but i won't buy the DVD (and that's a harsh punishment). however, i'll probably still watch the sequel/s if they come out. ------------------------------------------------------------ speaking of DVDs, i finally had the time to clean and reorganize my collection last Sunday (all 160 of them. no internet, what do you do? me, i cleaned my room). so now they are all so prettily arranged, and i have space again for more! yay! I HAVE SPACE FOR MORE! so now you have an idea of what you can get me for Christmas. hihihi! :D but ok, if you want specifics:

• Friends Season 8, 9 or 10
• Iron Man (i love the steel case version, so freakin' expensive though so i'm still undecided if i should it get it or not)
• Bourne Ultimatum (2-Disc), Hulk (the one with Edward Norton), Wanted (James McAvoy ftw!)
• i haven't updated it in a while but i still want these
• a revolving/rotating (?) DVD-rack
• Absolute Sandman Volume 4 (i'm waiting for Fully Booked to go on 20% off sale before i buy it)
• Fables Volume 11
• if you're rich and/or you love me, you can buy this for 11k at Fully Booked
• breakfast! (yes, i love breakfast food but not in the morning)
• and as always, i like things that are personal (handmade, personalized, one of a kind). but no paintings from J please, don't get any ideas. :P

(ok, back to work. advance merry christmas everyone!)

dahil nami-miss ko nang mag-blog

sobra sobrang toxic lately. tinatawanan na nga ako ng friends ko kasi nag-remark ako minsan, "pumasok ako ngayon (holiday) para di ko na ako papasok sa sabado." apparently maraming mali dun sa statement na yun. anyway, iniisip ko na lang na dapat matapos na ito kaagad at naghihintay na ang aking 1 month leave. ------------------------------------------------------------ i miss my friends. a few weeks before nung homecoming, i meet up with friends almost everyday. di bale nang magastos. but since busy lately, i barely get to see anyone anymore. pag may oras kasi, kelangan yata itulog ko na lang. nami-miss ko na rin matulog eh. ------------------------------------------------------------ hmmmm... mukhang kelangan ko na uli maggupit ng kuko. sana matuloy. excited na ako! :D ------------------------------------------------------------ sigh.. mukhang hindi na ako makakapanood ng west-side story. sorry ola and lino. ------------------------------------------------------------ speaking of musicals, at dahil sa kapapanood ko ng Animax, gusto ko sana makapanood ng Muscle Musical. unfortunately, sa Japan at Las Vegas lang may show. ------------------------------------------------------------ "o kay tagal din kitang minahal..." - Burnout by Sugarfree ayan, tapos na.

partey!!!

as you prolly noticed, i have been looking forward to my birthday (umm.. let's count how many blogs i made related to it...). obviously, i wasn't excited about getting old. i was actually very much excited to the celebration i have been wanting to have for years. and last night, it finally happened. :D my "party" was held in the Top Grill restaurant in Jupiter Street, Makati. i chose it because it was near and seems accessible, and when i was there once, i noticed that their prices are not that steep. the food isn't bad at all, and they also have videoke. only you would have to sing on the stage! :D i really really wanted to invite a lot of people. but there were still budget constraints since (as you know) i have no savings whatsoever, and i also need to keep some money because i will probably be moving again (which will cost about 3-months worth of rent). i'm really sorry about that. i originally had a guest list of about 50 people, and i counted 29 attended last night. it was too bad though that lots of people couldn't make it, and some even canceled the last minute (too bad since i could have invited more people if i only knew... :P). by the way, you guys would still HAVE TO make up for it (paging Jonas, Novis and Tami). hehe! :P but anyway, i am really really thankful to all that came. my birthday has really been special because you were all there with me. my favorite moment was when everyone sang "happy birthday" when the clock struck 12mn. it was expected, but it was still special when it happened. thanks so much again! :'D

my pisay friends. they turned on the smoke machine that is why the picture is a bit blurry.

my college "wehehe" friends.

my friends from work.

someone needs to start using the videoke and sing on stage. but no one was gonna do it first. so i requested Oliver to do it with me. and after that, the dam was wide open. :D me with my best and longest friends. my birthday "loot". the gift from J has gone missing though. waah! i'm sorry. i wonder where it went. :(

overall, i'd say the party was a success. most of the people i wanted to be there were there. there seems to be enough food and drinks for everyone, and still i didn't go over budget. i had so much fun and i hope everyone else too. and by the end of the night, i was wasted. :P see you all again next year. :) more pics will be available in my multiply site soon. check them out. :)

Surviving the Urbanathlon

yes, i am still alive! i would like to share with all of you my greatest physical achievement for the year, that is finishing the Urbanathlon! What is the Urbanathlon? Well basically, it's a 10 kilometer run/race plus 2 laps (except for the wall) of obstacle course. The obstacle course includes overcoming four 4.5-foot high marine hurdles, climbing 4 pickup trucks, walking through a 4-feet long 4-inch thick wooden plank, "jumping" over four 3-foot high barricades and finally, conquering an 8-foot wall. and yes, i came out alive, it's a miracle! many many thanks to my teammates who helped me throughout the race. i wouldn't be able to climb that wall and marine hurdles without you. for my officemates and grish for the cheers and support. and especially to mapet for being our official photographer and producing "proof" of our greatest achievement up to date. :) below, a step-by-step guide on how to climb an 8-foot wall. prerequisite though: 3 grown men!

step 1: hold the rope and put your feet up.

step 2: everyone, push!

step 3: hold on for dear life!

step 4: get reinforcement at the top.

step 5: for someone with no upper body strength like me, have someone clamp your feet over the wall, and another one to boost you up through your other leg. requirement though, a bit of flexibility or high tolerance for pain.

step 6: for someone who just went through much pain, rest a bit at the top.

step 7: climb down.

step 8: put both feet on the ground. ta-da!!!

yey! and we crossed the finish line together. that is team building for you! :)

all posted pics here and in my multiply are from mapet. thanks mapet! :)

what do you call it: dependable or work-a-holic?

in the 4 years that i have been working, i have never considered myself as a work-a-holic. all my life though, i have always thought i was dependable. ok, there may be times when i wasn't so dependable as a friend or a child... but that's another story. anyway, i always step up to the plate when i can. and when it is my idea to step up, it's just natural that i give more than 100% of my best effort. otherwise, for me, it's just embarrassing. since i got back here from my trip to Europe, my "usual" work hours became from 10am to 2am. that is, if i manage to come in around or before 10am in the office. most of the people i'm working with on my current project is based in Madrid and/or Oslo, thus i extend my work hours to confer and basically, work with them. but anyway, it's not like i spend 16 hours straight working. i usually break away for 2-3 hours during dinner time and then just come back. of course there are the occasional extra extra work hours; like when i worked until 6am the next day last Thursday night, and when i had to come in yesterday to work even if it's a holiday. but i am not complaining. truth is, working for extra hours is my choice. nobody really asks me to stay and work longer. it's just that i have this weird notion in my mind that i am needed. and these colleagues of mine are doing most of the testing for me (since i cannot really test most of the things from here). i just feel bad about asking them to test and then leave them. that is normal behavior right? anyway yeah, i'm a bit concerned if i am going over the top here. besides, my work attendance is suffering. i mean, when i don't work for extra hours, i'm already very bad at coming in on time. can you just imagine what's happening now? edit: i have therefore concluded that i have become... a work-a-holic. so next question is, how do you stop? :D

ready for the trip

just 3 more days to go! now, i am officially excited. i have been keeping myself from the feeling since i was leaving room for disappointment. but now, there's very little room left for it, and i think i'll be able to handle it now whatever happens. my Spain trip is also pushing through. so i'll be staying in Oslo for 3 weeks and 6 days in Madrid. i'll try to chronicle my adventures in Europe through this blog, so i'm making a new label for it. be sure to check it out! :D in other news, i just finished watching Pinoy Big Brother, and i found that Bodie just got evicted. it has been a long standing "joke" in the office that we're all hoping for him to be kicked out since we need him back at work. but now i feel a bit guilty about not voting for him these past weeks. the truth is, we were all confident he'll make it to the Big Four... but, well you know what happened. too bad i'll miss his first time back at work (if he ever gets back soon). i wanna see for myself what kind of ruckus he'll bring to the building. now that would be exciting. :D

leaving on a jet plane... again

but this would be farthest and longest trip yet. this is the first time i'm going on a trip for Colibria. way back in ePLDT, i used to travel 1-3 times a year for conventions or seminars, etc. i was already starting to feel bad because i still haven't been sent anywhere in the 1.5 years i've worked here. but this, THIS has definitely made up for all that! no more "hindi maka-handle ng inggit" for now! :D i'm going to Norway, work in our Oslo office for a while. 4 weeks to be exact. there's also a chance that i'll spend the last week in Madrid, Spain instead. it is definitely exciting!!! not even the 15-hour flight can dampen my spirits. so i'm leaving on sunday and i won't be here for the whole month of July. only thing i am worrying about is that i MIGHT miss all the good movies showing this coming month, like Harry Potter. i'm just hoping that i'll find a movie date there. a cute movie date won't hurt either. :P i'll be broke before leaving. but if anyone wants to meet up, i'll be glad to. so, who's still free this week? :)

bora bora bora boracay

ok, so i'm the third person to use the title. heheh! went to boracay last week. had so much fun. now, it seems so long ago. going back to work does that to you. but still, thanks to the company for sponsoring this great summer outing. i rode on the banana boat, did not fall, so i tried parasailing. so far, that's the most daring thing i've done in my life. it was fun, though a bit scary. but i think it really is worth it. i'll be going there again this September. sana lang walang bagyo that time. maybe then i'll try the Flying Fish and look out for more adventure. i'm sure it'll be great again. anyway, more pics? i have more here. enjoy! :)

updates, updates, updates

ok first of all, i've moved! i've been in my new apartment for 2 weeks now, and i just finished unpacking all my stuff. i still have to get rid/sell some of my things, but at least now i can move around the house. i got a studio apartment, somewhere very near my office. rent's almost thrice my last one, but i think that's the price you pay for living alone (in makati). living alone is quite new to me. i still get late to work because i have trouble sleeping. and i can't sleep because i'm still a bit freaked. i have to leave a night light and the TV on (i need the light and the noise). i've been meaning to invite some people over for some sort of "house-warming party". but my place is much smaller now, so it won't be much of a party if we can't breathe anymore. but if you want to bring a lounge chair for my balcony (see pic above) as a house-warming gift, then you're very much welcome. hehe! i'm on the 24th floor by the way, so just think about that before you decide to look down from my balcony. the view is still nice though. anyway, if you could help me, i'm trying to sell my blue orocan drawers. the condo's got a built-in cabinet so i'm using that instead. besides, i'm trying to make the place less crowded. i initially thought of selling my gigantic sofa, but it's got sentimental value and i can't bear to get rid of it... yet. (sorry for the tons of pics, i don't have a resizing or "collaging" tool right now. :p) ----------------------------------------------------------------- last April 27, after a month of medication, i went back to have my FT4 and TSH levels checked. good news is, the meds seem to be working, my FT4 is down to 53.36 from >100. however, that is not yet normal (ceiling for normal level is 22). but i've been feeling "more normal" lately. i don't feel so warm anymore, sometimes i even feel cold (omg!). i don't pant so much and even the trembling of my hands lessened. i relatively can sleep easier now, if only i am less freaked by my new apartment. but, i became less jolly and still easily irritated. and worse of all, i am still fat! anyway, i still have to go back to ask for new medication. they need to adjust the strength otherwise, i'll have hypothyroidism instead. but i'm currently on a 11-day work week (more about that later) and things are really hectic, so i'm already 2-weeks off medication. i just hope my thyroids did not decide to overwork again just because i'm off my meds and make me start all over again. ----------------------------------------------------------------- we're going to Boracay next week!!! and the best thing about it is, it's free!! well, almost. our company outing will be in Boracay. it's going to be my first time to step on the Visayan region and i'm really excited (though i'm trying not to be). everything is paid for, except for our lunches. too bad i am still fat. but dont wont stop me from partying, drinking and eating! i dont plan to spend too much time on water though since i can't swim. anyway, i still have to buy lots of stuff for the trip. and i still don't have a big enough bag (or a bag smaller than my luggage bag). anyone willing to lend me a bag? :D

sick and other things

i catched something last monday afternoon which cost me two days off work. you think some people would be happier to miss work, but i just felt so terrible that i'd rather be at the office than be sick at home. i just got back yesterday, still feeling a bit terrible. My throat hurts (you know that cold that is just starting and is still in your throat?? grrr..) and my head too for oversleeping (well, what do you do if you're sick?!?). I was constantly hungry since Tuesday, but i had no appetite, (which is why i was constantly hungry). Besides, i cannot swallow food very well because of the ball of phlegm in my throat. And so, you might have guessed.... i already lost 6 pounds (... or maybe more!). anyway, i feel so much better now. i ate some spicy food which helped "release" my cold. and the "ball" in my throat is probably reduced to a fourth of it's original size now since i've already spent 2 rolls of tissue for blowing my nose. well, the only downside is, my nose hurts and it's red (just in time for christmas! i can be rudolph!). --------------------------------------------------- my officemates were joking that i probably got sick from eating too much Krispy Kremes... hehehe! yep, the Krispy Kremes everyone is talking about. last Saturday, Allen and I fell in line, for only 20 minutes, to know what is the big deal with those 30-peso donuts. well, i was meaning to get a dozen, to try several flavors. and i was thinking of buying only 2 pieces of the original glazed ones. Allen wanted 6 pieces only of assorted donuts. but everything changed when we got near the cashiers area.... you see there's this person who is giving free original glazed donuts to everyone in line (well, once you get near her, she's not walking around, mind you). all i can say, the glazed ones is worth the 30-peso price! it was really good, sorta melts in your mouth but not really... well, can't describe it! :) so Allen and I got a dozen of the original-glazed donuts and another dozen of assorted ones (and we split them). i think the girl who was serving us was a bit annoyed since we were suddenly at lost as to which donuts to get. anyway, here's the assorted ones we got, they look great, right? the 3 donuts on the left-most column are "crullers". they're kinda hard so i didn't like them. the middle one on the second column from the left is Caramel Kreme Crunch.. it was great!! until i get to the part of the donut with the caramel-filling... it was too sweet, even for me. and i guess that is where i got the "ball" in my throat. hehehe! for the last two columns, they were Allen's share so i dunno what his experience was. i haven't tried the rest (uh-oh!), because i was sick and i didn't feel like eating anything sweet (see, i was really sick). so, *sigh*, i think i wasted some of the donuts... who would want to eat almost-a- week-old donuts???? :( --------------------------------------------------- hmmm.. i am looking for another flat-mate... or maybe another apartment if i can't get one. my current flat-mates decided that they can't stay anymore... so there. (i don't really know why the wind suddenly blew on the opposite direction, but no hard feelings). anyway, i needed two people. i already got ET on board... i need another one... and i need to find that other one, or another apartment, before the end of the month. anyone interested??? please please please!!! if you're wondering why i'd rather stay than find a new apartment... well, it's because of the ameneties. with the rent, i can get free use of the gym and the pool (which i intend to really use this time now). anyway, if you also know of an apartment in the Salcedo-Makati area where i can have my own room and free use of the pool and gym, which will cost me less than 9k a month, please just point me to the people i need to talk to. thanks! --------------------------------------------------- Blogger just offered me the option to switch to Blogger Beta.. so apparently, i don't have to leave pisay98 blog anyway. yey!

daily routines that makes you sad, part 1

three websites i open everyday once i get to sit down in my office cube:

1. Google Reader
2. Gmail
3. BUGZILLA!!!

bug fixing everyday.. when will they all be gone??? "you are the reason i wake up each passing day: i see you in the buglist, in my dreams; i have to wake up." - fave quip of the week

man, i need to blog!

do i miss blogging... i mean, i've been on blogging hiatus before.. but it was different this last time. before i don't blog because i have nothing to blog and don't want to blog. but this last time, i just don't have time for it. work has literally taken over my life. i'm such a loser! waah!!! anyway, just some updates before i get back to work (sh*t!). ------------------------------------------------------ today, it's been 6 months already since this. time really flies. anyway, i didn't get a raise. just some additional tax-shield that's supposed to increase my net salary by a few thousands, or maybe just a thousand... i've yet to know. i don't know how i feel yet. definitely disappointed but i don't know how much. also, i've kinda prepared myself for this after hearing ET's story. so i'm not really shocked. but what i can say is that i really worked my butt off for the last five months (yeah 5, coz i wasn't really doing anything the first month), more than ever. and now that i'm writing this, i realized that i'm also a little bit angry. they promised bonuses though, for the projects i worked on, once they are signed, sealed and delivered. but from experience, i learned that PROMISES SUCK! and so.. well, you know... anyway again, i know that i shouldn't complain much. i know i was getting a little bit more than the other people here (stress on the little bit) for starters. so they get the raises, i dont, and we're all equal now. after all, i did say the organization here is "flat! mas flat pa sa lupa!". yet, why do i get this nagging thought, "kasalanan ko ba kung may experience na ako?". i mean, i did spend my first 1.5 working years earning less than the standard! ang gulo ko noh. balak ko na rin naman umalis dito early next year, ang dami ko pang satsat. hehe! :D ------------------------------------------------------ i met up with Jam, Allen and Luz last night, just to have dinner. ang sarap magkwentuhan. i missed my old friends so much. it's so nice to be back in that comfort zone, di ba? :) ------------------------------------------------------ i just finished watching House Season 2 (thanks mapet! :D). i can't wait for Season 3, which is about to start this September. sobrang bitin naman kasi nung season-ender e. hehe! anyway, i like this season better than the first one. well, except for Friends, i noticed that the best season of the TV shows i like is the 2nd season. Don't you agree? However, it's not like that when it come to movies. yech! ------------------------------------------------------ i've completed my Calvin and Hobbes collection. i was supposed to start on a new collection, like Sandman. But then Mapet showed me this, so i guess i'll be waiting. For now, i'll be parasiting on Chris' Fables collection which is really good, by the way. :D ------------------------------------------------------ i'll have dinner with my ex-officemates tomorrow. wala lang, dinner lang. i hope lots of people will show up. i missed their company so much. iba pa rin talaga ang ContentDev.

summer outing

since summer's over, we finally had our company outing last weekend. the good thing: i've been feeling sick since tuesday last week and i just got well in time for the outing. the bad thing: apparently, my virus was kinda contagious and i passed it on to my best buds in the office, Chris and Elmer, and so they had to miss the outing. now whenever Elmer coughs, i feel guilty. i haven't seen Chris yet... huhuh.... the not so bad thing: i also infected my other good friend, Mark. he didn't miss the outing but he can't come to work today. so far, only ex-ePLDT people in Colibria were infected. Which could mean that somebody is sabotaging us! *gasp* Nah, it's just because they're usually with me. hihih... anyway, on to the pictures!!!

the girls. obviously, we had to take a shot where it's just us. hihi!! (L-R): Kotse, April, Cheryl, Elaine and me.

i tried kayaking with Ian and Kotse. was all smile here but i was frickin' scared!!! hahah!

the "getting there" picture... getting drunk. haha! see how red we all are! clockwise from me are: Jon, Chad, Thope, Cheryl, Alex and me.

mario mark!!!

and my masterpiece:

super caloy!!! best actor si bodie, mana sa tatay, naks! ;p (hulaan nyo sino dad nya...) (L-R): April, Elaine, (my boss) Simon, Bodie and my "executive producer" Mark. hehe!