my futile attempt at being interesting

I'm Not Here

2014-02-10T18:08:00.000+08:00

Hey there! I no longer update this blog. You can find me at www.wfhgal.com

A “slight” misinformation from Globe Gcash

2011-07-12T23:10:00.001+08:00

I saw this posted on Globe’s Gcash website two weeks ago. I stopped using Gcash since I lost my last phone over a year ago, but I used to utilize it often for online purchases. Since my friends and I decided to start our own online business a month ago, I figured it would be a good idea to re-active my Gcash account again.

What further spiked my interest was this promo they have. Instead of paying P100 for a Gcash card, you can get it for free either by purchasing tickets at SM Cinema with Gcash or by subscribing to a postpaid plan. Subscribing to a postpaid plan is not an option for me since I can barely consume P500 a month on prepaid credits. So I clicked on the first option which is through SM Cinema. The link opened to this page here.

This wasn’t the exact page that appeared. It seems like they have extended the promo period. This promo was supposed to end by June 30th and since it was already the 25th that day, I called their hotline to verify some information. The representative on the other line confirmed that as long as I make the purchase during the promo period, I would be eligible for this offer. I just need to wait for the confirmation message from Gcash that would enable me to apply for the free card. Armed with this information, I proceeded to register my current Globe SIM to Gcash.

It took a while before I got to register through my mobile phone. I had to try a couple of times before my registration finally went through. Apparently, my previous Gcash account was interfering with my current registration. I had to find that out the hard way because I had to wait in line (sure there were seats and numbers but my point is, I had to wait a long time) the next day at the Globe Business Center in SM Marikina. It took around 20 minutes for my number to be called at the counter and when I got there, they had to send me over to Account Modifications at the Express lane because I can’t put money in my Gcash account yet. I waited another 25 minutes at the Express Lane as they tried to modify my account, and when they finally did, I had to go back to the counter again. Good thing they didn’t ask me to fall in line again.

While waiting for my account to be modified, I asked the personnel about this Gcash promo and she did confirm that purchasing tickets online from SM Cinema’s website would allow me to get a Gcash card for free. Purchasing the ticket went smoothly but I haven’t received any notification from Gcash yet. I called the Gcash hotline again as soon as I got home and asked how long it usually takes for the notification to arrive and the representative said it usually takes a week. I again asked, to make sure, that as long as I purchase the tickets during the promo period, I would be entitled to that promo and she said YES.

Fast forward 2 weeks later. I still haven’t received any notification so I called up their hotline again a few hours ago. This time the representative was telling me something else. I called twice and spoke to two different people (Mayfel Colasito and Satine Armada). This time, they were saying that only select subscribers are eligible for this promo; which is contrary to what appears on their website. Their website clearly states that ALL GCASH SUBSCRIBERS WHO PURCHASE SM CINEMA TICKETS FROM www.smcinema.com THROUGH GCASH DURING THE PROMO PERIOD ARE ELIGIBLE TO JOIN. It does say on the following line that an sms notification will be sent to qualified subscribers but it wasn’t clearly stated that being eligible doesn’t equate to being qualified. So we may have a loop hole here. Nonetheless, I called twice and asked a personnel at the Globe Business Center and they all told me the same thing – that buying a ticket alone would allow me to take advantage of this promo. Not once was it implied that this is some sort of raffle.

I have heard a lot of things about Globe’s “tendency” to not disclose things ie. those people who were billed exorbitant amounts for being unaware that they should manually switch from kb to time-based internet charging, and it annoys me that these little bits of misinformation is causing people too much hassle. I sure wish something can be done about this.

Qizia Cafe

2010-01-19T20:05:00.002+08:00

There aren’t many food treasures in this quaint city of Marikina. After all, we are known for shoe craft and not for food. Still, the city leaves quite a few surprises for its residents.
Qizia Cafe is located within the SDS Medical Center Compound along Katipunan Avenue in Baranggay Concepcion Dos. It’s directly behind the hospital building and isn’t visible from the street view. I’ve been hearing about this place for quite a while now but haven’t really found the time to visit the place, although it’s really just a 5 minute drive from our place.
Deprived of breakfast and lunch, I went there this afternoon to sample their food. I ordered the Pasta Amatriciana, which was described as an Italian pasta sauce prepared with bacon, olive oil and tomatoes. I found it a nice touch for them to have a detailed description of the pastas they had. It makes it easier to decide which one would be worth a try. They only had 3 cakes available for the day, so I decided to be safe and chose their Blueberry cheesecake. I saw an item called Lychee Frostie among their cold beverages but I was told it wasn’t available. So, I opted for a strawberry smoothie instead.

While waiting for my food, I let my eyes wander to assess the place. The place was really cozy, like the kind of place you could go to if you want to hang out with your friend to talk. Since it’s within a residential area, it’s also pretty quiet. The only thing lacking to make this place rock would be free WiFi. I passed by this area once at night and it’s really pretty with all the outside lamps lit.
It took around 15 minutes before I got my pasta. They served the cheesecake first, which I ignored because it wouldn’t be right to eat desert first. Then after 5 minutes came the smoothie. They also served water without me asking, which I think is a good thing especially if you’re on a diet or on a budget. When the pasta arrived, the first thing that hit me was the scent of the fresh basil. Of course my photos won’t do the food justice since these were just taken using my trusty cam phone. The scent of the fresh basil was really aromatic and just tells you that it was worth the 15 minute-wait because this pasta was made with love. Yeah I was in lurve. And if you are a fan of cheap non-saucy pasta dishes, then you would love this too. But I got dibs, yo!
It was a pretty big serving. It was a bowlful and came with a slice of white bread. The bread wasn’t toasted though. I took a forkful of this very inviting dish. The spaghetti was al dente, and the flavor was very fresh. The bacon, was almost like prosciutto. The tomatoes were skinned then chopped, and were just ripe enough to maintain a level of tartness that compliments the parmesan cheese, while still retaining some bite. There were also chopped white onions, which were also crunchy and sweet. I wonder if these vegetables were organically grown.

So what’s so special about it? It sounds pretty simple, right? Just sweat some chopped white onions, thrown in some bacon and skinned, chopped tomatoes in olive oil. Season to taste then mix in pasta then add fresh basil. Well, if you’ve been to our place, you would be surprised how limited the food choices are. This is like rain from a year-long drought. Bellini’s is a 30-minute commute away and the price is twice than what I paid for at the minimum. The Amatriciana only costs P105.
The blueberry cheesecake though, was less than awesome. Don’t get me wrong, it’s good. The filling was tart and doesn’t taste canned. The cheesecake was also good, although not as fine as I’m used to. The crust is made of crushed graham, so nothing special about that. I forgot how much it costs though. I think it was around P80-90 something. The serving was hefty too. The strawberry smoothie was sweet. I was hoping for a more natural taste but I’d bet this would be something that kids would love.
The total damage only amounted to P260. I would definitely go back to try their other offerings. Aside from pasta dishes; they also serve pizzas, sandwiches, hot drinks and iced versions of it. They also serve Italian soda in strawberry and kiwi flavors. Italian soda is a combination of flavored syrup and iced club soda. Refillable Iced tea is only P65 which would go well with the cookies and cakes they offer. People have also raved about their all-day breakfast meals which I intend to try on my next visit.
I’m not sure what their operating hours are but I’m sure they stay open pretty late because I passed by the place at 1am and they were still open. You may also call 489 0760 for more info.

Technorati Tags: amatriciana,blueberry cheesecake,strawberry smoothie,qizia cafe,marikina,concepcion dos,sds medical center,cheap pasta dishes

Looking back

2010-01-15T20:10:00.001+08:00

I was sleepy and tired because of my weekend shenanigans. Friday night was the first time ever I got to attend Poker night at Kulyan’s place and I came home Saturday morning, with the sun greeting me a happy weekend. I spent the whole Saturday scanning old photos and uploading them on Facebook. It was fun reminiscing the past along with old friends. With little sleep, I woke up Sunday afternoon to take my younger cousin, Asia to the salon. I was fighting hard to keep myself awake as she prettifies herself. Once I got home, I sat down in front of the pc and checked my mail.
I came across this email, and it made me double take. A rush of panic, hysteria, nostalgia came over me.

He was an old friend, whom I’ve been trying to get in touch with for almost 6 years now. Yes, the same guy to blame for the old emo posts. What made me panic even more is that when I clicked on the link, the Add Friend Request was no longer there. Acting on instinct, I tried checking his profile. It was a fairly new account. Not many friends, or even wall activity.
I wasn't sure whether it was just Facebook sorcery, a well played prank or karma kicking me right in my imaginary balls. So, I did what every rational person would do. I sent a message. A really short one, and waited.
A day passed, and still no word from him. Because I’m a dork, and an impatient one at that, I decided to send another message. A more pathetic one. Three more sleepless nights and I finally received a reply.
To cut the long story short, I re-found a very dear friend. Things seem to be looking up for me.

I should have done this to all my class pictures

2010-01-10T04:57:00.003+08:00

Nung nag relocate ako sa Iligan a couple of years ago, inangkin na ni Paul (utol ko) yung lumang kwarto ko. Mula nung nakabalik na ko dito sa Manila, hindi pa ko fully nakaka-settle sa bagong kwarto na pinagawa nila para sa kin. Siguro kase tamad ako, or OC, or a combination of both kase gusto ko pag sinet up ko yung kwarto isang bagsakan lang.
Dahil New Year na (10 days ago) pinilit ko umpisahan ang pagaayos ng mga gamit ko sa bagong kwarto. Kasama na dun yung paghahalungkat ng mga lumang gamit. Sa pagtatapon ko ng mga pwede nang itapon, nakita ko yung pandora's box ko. Yep, yun yung shoebox na tinataguan ko ng mga gamit mula sa nakaraan. Mga alaala ng pagkakamali, ligaya at
kung ano ano pa. Kasama na dun yung mga lumang class picture ko from wayyyyy back grade school pa. Nung high school ako, naging habit ko ang tingnan yung mga lumang class picture ko tapos ire-recite ko isa isa yung mga pangalan ng mga kaklase ko. Yun ang paraan ko para hindi sila makalimutan. Nung tinitingnan ko kanina yung mga lumang class picture, mangilan-ngilan na lamang yung mga pangalan na natatandaan ko. Pati spelling hindi ko na matandaan.

Akala ko pa naman bionic ang utak ko.

Gelatissimo

2009-12-24T20:13:00.002+08:00

There are only three foolproof things in this world that can make me happy.
1. chupa chups lychee flavor
2. chocolate
3. ice cream
I stumbled upon the Gelatissimo Greenbelt 5 Branch the day after I was sent to the Emergency Room for vertigo. I was advised by the attending physician to consult with an ENT (Eye Nose Throat) doctor regarding my chronic tonsillitis. Not knowing what to do next, I decided to go to our company clinic in Makati which is just a stone’s throw away from G5.
Now to those who aren’t familiar with vertigo, its basically the feeling that you get when you’re drunk and you lie on your bed too quick that the world started to spin around you. That’s what I was feeling, only it never stops. I have to focus on one object to prevent myself from being nauseous. If I turn my head too quick, or if the car comes to an abrupt stop, or something fast moved in my peripheral view; everything would spin.

I was so weak that time. I try to limit my f ood intake, afraid that I might throw up again. We were crossing the passage to the parking lot when we passed by this ice cream store. One look at the cozy lighting, the comfy chairs, and I knew I was in heaven. I dragged my siblings inside to check it out and there was a “soft opening” sign on the glass door. The crew were cheerfully offering free tastes so my little sisters had fun picking out flavors. My brother was intrigued with one flavor called Choco Chili and took pictures of it. I never bothered tasting them, I knew what I wanted.
The gelato costs P165 for a 2-flavor cup which was quite a big serving. Mimay chose lime and lemon, which was a really bad combination. Chou even commented it tasted like Nerds. Queennie went for the Forrest Berries and Chocolate Macadamia. I had Mocha Nut Crunch and Biscotinni. The gelato was smooth, not too sweet, and had crunchy / chewy bits that was so orgasmic I vowed to get more.
They also gave me a loyalty card, which would entitle you to a free gelato or coffee on your 10th visit. The downside is you can only get it stamped once a day, which was sad because if I worked/lived anywhere nearby G5 they would be seeing me multiple times a day.
Tags: gelatissimo gelato greenbelt 5

Globe Surf All Nightmare

2009-12-13T19:13:00.003+08:00

I have been a loyal Globe subscriber since the advent of SMS in the Philippines. I do use other networks as an alternative but Globe has been my primary service provider. I’ve always had little complaints on the side but none of them were extreme enough to make me want to permanently switch.
Maybe not until now.
They launched this new service called Surf all Day back in September where for just P20 a day you can enjoy unlimited browsing to either Friendster, Facebook, Wikipedia or Plurk. Plus, all of the four services are also bundled with unlimited browsing of ping.fm. Nifty huh? I was just as excited as everyone else since I haven’t been updating my Plurk page as regularly as I want to since phplurk no longer works. Plurk is my only connection to the online/outside world. I just lost another phone back in June and Plurk is sadly, my only social connection outside of work.

So I registered for Plurk surf all day, making sure I follow the instructions to the letter. I had over P200 of load at that time and I barely txt or call people so I never bothered checking my balance. After my shift, I decided to stop by Gateway for lunch. While having my lunch of World Chickens Tuna Fettuccini, Potato Salad and Grilled Chicken breast with Mornay cheese sauce, I randomly checked my balance to make it appear like I received an SMS. (flashes L on forehead) To my surprise, my balance dropped to around P40! So I called 211 to report what happened and the representative I was speaking with said they will have their technical team look over this and I will receive feedback within 3-5 days.
Seven days later I called back since I haven’t received any word from them yet. The rep told me that according to the report from their technical team, they can’t find any reason why it happened so she apologized and told me they will just credit the load back within 24-48 hours. I was upset because I waited for a whole week for nothing. I told the rep that I didn’t care about the load, the service is very useful to me and I want to be able to enjoy it without any worries. As expected, she was of no help so I hung up before I start going diva on her.
Sometime in November, I decided to hop onto the Facebook bandwagon. It was a family affair for us since most of my relatives are abroad, Facebook is one of the ways we keep in touch. As much as I hate maintaining social networking pages, I gave in and made a facebook account. It’s been almost 2 months since the Plurk fiasco so I thought of trying to register for Surf all day for Facebook. This time I wanted to be thorough so in case it happens again I would be able to provide more concrete information to the globe rep. I checked my balance, went online to m.facebook.com, clicked on surf all day, phone vibrated (indicating i already received the confirmation message) waited to be redirected to the log in page, exited the browser then checked my balance. The P20 charge was deducted. So I opened my browser again to m.facebook.com, logged in, browsed for a couple of minutes then logged off. I checked my balance, I was deducted P5 for the regular browsing rate. So I called globe again and was given the same crap as before. He apologized and told me I will receive an update within 3-5 days.
I tried looking for a solution of my own so I browsed the web for any possible solutions. I stumbled upon the Facebook mobile app and installed it on my Nokia e90. I found that whenever I use it to log in, I don’t get deducted for the regular browsing rate. I was happy but still, I can’t get to browse ping.fm without being charged. It seemed like it only worked for the mobile Facebook page.
Weeks passed and I never bothered following up on it until this yesterday. I was out Friday night with my high school buds at Roofdeck making plans for our Christmas party / reunion. We had an event thread on Facebook so I wanted to check on it. I went online using the mobile Facebook app and registered for Facebook surf all day. I received the confirmation message saying I was already registered, and I was deducted the P20 charge. When I launched the Facebook mobile app again, it redirected me to the same page that asked whether I want to register for surf all day or use the regular browsing rate. I excused myself from our table and went to the restroom to make a call to 211, which suspiciously got disconnected after I gave the details of what happened.
I decided to call back in the morning since I had to leave for work in a few minutes. I started calling again yesterday at around 3pm. For some reason, even if my signal wasn’t fluctuating and the signal bar was full, I keep on getting disconnected. The first rep I was talking to was very annoying. She gives all these generic answers as if she’s speaking with a moron. She kept on saying that it was an ongoing issue and they are working on it. I explained that this is not a one time thing. This has been going on for a months so no, I would not accept her reasoning. She also said that according to the report (which I never received) of their technical team, the reason I got deducted the regular browsing rate was because I went to other sites other than m.facebook.com. I was furious but I tried to be patient and nicely told her, “Miss, I checked my balance, registered, then closed my browser. I checked my balance to verify if I was already deducted the P20. Then I launched the browser again to browse for a couple of minutes, logged out and checked my balance again. I was deducted P5 for the regular browsing rate so I KNOW FOR A FACT THAT I WAS DEDUCTED BECAUSE I BROWSED FACEBOOK. I called, and reported the incident, to which they said I will get feedback within 3-5 days, which I never received. After I reported, I browsed other websites because its MY LOAD that I am spending. Am I not free to browse other websites?” After which she asked if she can put me on hold again. I said yes and when she came back to me, she said in an annoyed voice, “Ma’am regarding this issue ibabalik naman namin yung load eh”. That made me furious and asked to speak with someone else. Every time I call and report/follow up on the incident I always tell them, I’m not concerned about the load, I just want this resolved. Is there something wrong with my sim card? Is there something wrong with my phone settings? I just saved the settings you gave me so if we have to tweak something do tell. She transferred the call to her supervisor who was also a bit of an ass. They both sounded like they’re speaking with a moron, which irritated me to pieces.

Sup: Anong url ba pinupuntahan mo?
Isel: yung mobile facebook page kagaya nung nakalagay sa myglobe website nyo. Binookmark ko pa nga eh para sure na tama yung site.
Sup: Kahit naman binookmark nyo ma’am kailangan sure pa rin tayo na tama yung url na pinupuntahan nyo.
Isel: eh kinonfirm ko pa nga sa isang agent na nakausap ko kung tama ba yung site na pinupuntahan ko. sabi nya oo. tama ba na myglobe connect gamitin ko. sabi nya oo.
Sup: Pero kailangan nga sure tayo na tama yung url na pinupuntahan nyo.
Isel: Sige teka lang checheck ko.
[browse ng phone, careful na hindi ma end call]
Isel: It’s m.facebook.com
Sup: Ah ok tama naman pala. Kase ma’am actually habang hinahanap nyo yung url sinusubukan ko din sa phone ko kung paano magregister. (Tapos sinabi nya in detail kung anong mangyayari pag nagregister ka). Wala naman pong problema sa side ko, di naman nababawasan yung load ko so baka may problema sa phone nyo.
Isel: (medyo nagtataray na) I’m using a forty-thousand peso cellphone. I saved the GPRS settings that you sent me. And now you’re telling me there’s something wrong with my phone? So Nokia ang may problema hindi Globe ganun ba?
Sup: kase ma’am we do have reports na yung problem is twice na deduct yung P20 sa load pero yung sa inyo iba.
Isel: Eh kung ganun naman pala bakit sabi nung kausap ko kanina ongoing issue daw yun?
Sup: Regarding this issue ibabalik naman namin yung load eh
Isel: (galit na) How many times do I have to tell you people that I’m not concerned about the load. I want a solution, not an apology, not load reversal.

[click…]

The call ended. I tried calling again for like 8 times but I keep on getting disconnected. I went online today to check if I can talk to someone more knowledgeable online but for some reason the globe website won’t even load. I called just a few minutes ago using our landline. After repeating my complaint, the call got disconnected again. I dialed again, and at the onset of the call I asked the girl if they were having any phone line problems because it’s been the nth time I was disconnected. She then promised me she’ll give me a call back in case we do. And I was like, pwede naman pala yun pinahirapan pa nila ko. Since wala naman talaga syang magagawa, wala din akong magagawa kung hindi maghintay ng feedback within 3-5 days.

Fuck Qube Chapter 1 – The Acquisition

2009-11-24T13:20:00.003+08:00

I have never felt so strongly against any product or brand, as I feel about my Qube desktop that I bought back in April. It has caused more problems in the few months that I’ve had it compared to my trusty desktops and laptops that I’ve had for years. We bought this in the Gilmore branch April this year. I just came home from my shift, and my family was waiting for me in the car so we could leave home immediately. Anything tech related at home is my responsibility since I’m the one who understands the jargon for the most part.

So off we drove to Gilmore. We got there at 10am, spent the first few minutes scouting for flyers and looking at good deals. This guy approached us and gave us a flyer for Qube, which we found interesting because of the cheap price and the extended warranty for 2 years. The extended warranty was a dead give away. I immediately looked at it as a business strategy, because it would often be cheaper to manufacture low quality items and have it replaced when it breaks down (2 years is an ample amount of time) than to invest in high quality products. But then I noticed that Michael V is their endorser. So I took a step back and decided to look around. They had laptops and mini notebooks on display. One thing I noticed was despite the room being air-conditioned, the laptops are still warm. Ok, cooling problems. That can be easily addressed by cooling solutions. Then I started breaking it down in my head. My two little sisters and my mom are the only ones who often use the desktop. We have our own laptops that we normally use so the desktop would be primarily used for chatting, research and typing. It won’t be running for hours. Our old desktop despite ultimately being punished for gaming and photo/video editing, got to survive for 7 years. How bad could Qube turn out?

We configured the desktop. I opted for an upgraded RAM and video card. We also bought a copy of Windows XP. We paid in cash, read through the Terms and Conditions of the sale, got the receipt and asked the sales person how long it would take for it to be assembled. She said it would only take an hour. It was almost lunch time so we decided to grab some lunch at SM Sta Mesa. About an hour and a half later, we came back, only to find out that it isn’t ready. I was already getting sleepy, and I still have to go to work that night, so I thought I’d waste time looking around. I came back another half hour later and it still wasn’t ready. We waited, until we noticed that people who came in later than we did are already getting theirs packed up and ready to go. Being without an inch of sleep made me crankier than usual, but I forced myself to put on a smile. I politely asked the sales person about how much time it was taking. She dialed a number and spoke to someone who said it was almost done, apologized and asked us to wait a little longer. That “little longer” meant another hour. My little threads of patience are crumbling to pieces by this time so I marched out of the waiting area, and in a tone slightly higher than usual, making sure that other people would take notice, asked about how much time the assembly is taking. The sales person looked shaken and afraid, and asked the people who were testing the assembled units to check on ours. The guy came back a few minutes later, told us that it was fully assembled, and its just taking a little time activating Windows. WTH? Activation only takes seconds, what kind of bull are they pulling on us? Another half an hour later, they finally took it down. I made damn sure I looked impatient enough for them to hurry. They tested the CPU, checked the specs according to my liking ; then tested the lcd monitor for dead pixels. Everything looked ok, and they hurriedly packed it up.
We got home at 4pm. I immediately unpacked the unit and assembled the whole system. I turned the CPU on but it won’t turn on. I checked all the connections, everything seemed right but it still would not turn on. Apparently the cheap China made power strip was the one that isn’t working. I shouldn’t be surprised at all. It looked similar to the ones you can buy for P20 at the local tiangge. So I used our old AVR. Still nothing. At this point I was already tearing my hair out. My shift starts at 12am and that meant I had to be out of the house by 9:30 and now I barely have time to snooze. That didn’t matter, I came this far and all I want is to make this darn thing work. Apparently, the power strip is not the only one defective, but the power cable as well. So I replaced that with my old power cable and now the CPU is miraculously turning on!
The nightmare did not end there. I noticed that a panel on the front of the CPU was broken, and was just attached with masking tape. These people are banking on my patience too much. Not only that, the LCD monitor is still displaying No Signal, despite the CPU running. At this point I decided to give up. At any rate, I would have to go back anyway since I need to get things replaced.
to be continued…

DisEnchanted Kingdom

2009-11-17T18:37:00.002+08:00

I was setting up my work station one day when Krung from another team asked me, “Bakla, sama ka sa EK sa Monday?” Me, being the kaladkarin (kahit saan mo dalhin pwede) that I am immediately said yes. Over the week, we’ve been asking people around hoping that we could encourage others to go with us. There were the usual bahala na or titingnan ko which we didn’t mind nor cared for because really, we can’t take the word of others in such a time distorted place such as the office. It’s been hell for us at work for a couple of months now, a lot of changes, transitions have been going on and we really haven’t had time to just chill.

Day before the trip, we managed to convince 8 people all together. We decided to meet up at the office at 8:30 (which in office jargon actually meant 9am). While getting ready to leave for the office, I had this gut feel that made me hobble to get Enchanted Kingdom’s phone number. I was already on my way out actually when I did a double take and decided to get Star City’s number as well, which I didn’t find by the way.

While I was commuting, I tried calling EK’s (Enchanted Kingdom) hotline but no one was picking up. Finally, at around 9am someone did. Imagine my horror when I found out that they are closed on Mondays until Wednesdays. I can’t even find the courage to break the news to the others through SMS. I then waited until I got to our meeting place to tell them the bad news. To soften the blow, I then offered an alternative. Why don’t we go to Star City instead? It’s near, it has similar rides, and at least our day won’t be wasted. It’s not as awesome as EK, but hey, it’s not that bad a second choice.
Everybody agreed that it was the better option instead of going back home like the losers that we are. Problem was, Star City won’t open until 1 or 2pm, and it was only a little past 9am. “Let’s go to Mall of Asia first, hang out for a couple of hours, then let’s go to Star City”, I suggested. The idea was feasible enough, but since Lloyd just came from his shift, he asked if he can go home first, catch a few hours of snooze, then he’ll just follow us to Star City. Being the kind-hearted ladies that we are, we all agreed to let him off the hook.
From Star Mall, we then took the bus to Mall of Asia. To add insult to injury, guess what movie was playing inside the bus? No really, guess! So there we were, staring at the irony of it all, while putting on a brave face, convincing ourselves that it will be a fun day for us.
We reached MOA (Mall of Asia) at around a little past 11. The sun was hot on our skins but we didn’t mind. The last thing we want is for it to rain. Karen suggested we go to Starbucks to which we all agreed. I’m not really a big Starbucks fun but I badly needed a pick-me-up so I gladly followed them. They didn’t want to settle for the Starbucks inside the mall. They wanted to stay at the one near the bayside. So we walked until we had Starbucks in view. There was something unusual though, it appears that there aren’t any people inside. I hurried to take a closer look and lo and behold, this particular Starbucks branch opens at 2pm. At this point we were starting to feel jinxed. It’s either we were too stubborn, or we are too much in denial to face that fact because we still decided to find another Starbucks branch.
We finally got our coffee fix at the Starbucks branch near IMAX. We stayed there for a couple of hours, then at 1:30 we dragged ourselves to Star City. You would think that this is the part where it starts to get fun. You’re wrong then, because when we got there, it was still closed. The good news is, they will open at 4pm. So we took pictures, and decided to find a place where we could sit and wait to pass time. We all decided to find a place near the sea side so walked eastward, not knowing where exactly we were going. Then we headed north, pass Tanghalang Francisco Balagtas (Folk Arts Theatre) and Coconut Palace, only to find out that it was a dead end. So we headed south again back to where we started. Being steadfast, we just brushed off the next disappointment by heading far east, past a small tiangge, where we were greeted by the sight of boats. Eureka! We finally found the sea! We stayed there for another hour or so, talking about the office gossip of all things. Just the four of us though (Karen, Roma, Karla and I) because Krung spent it talking on the phone, abusing her Smart Unlicall.
At 3:30 we started walking back to Star City. We were a bit thirsty so we thought of getting a bite first at the Chowking branch beside it, where again, we found another disappointment. There weren’t enough seats, so we settled for eating at Tropical Hut instead. We ate just enough so in case we needed to vomit, it wont just be water and saliva. Finally, we went inside Star City. We bought a Ride-all-you-can ticket with an entry for Ice World for P375. The Ride-all-you-can itself was just P300 while the Ice World Entry was P100 so the P375 we paid for was the bundled price. We headed inside where the girl at the entrance wrote the word “ice” on the RAYC bracelet and cheerfully told us that we can enter Ice World as much as we can, which I now find weird considering the events later.
to be continued…

burjer burjer

2009-02-23T18:11:00.003+08:00

Last week, matapos ko mag-encash ng check sa BDO sa ADB Avenue ay dumerecho kami ng mga katrabaho ko sa Megamall para maghanap ng kakainan. Nagyaya sila mag Tokyo Tokyo pero sabi ko, baka gusto naman nila sumubok ng iba kase medyo nakakasawa na para sa akin ang lasa ng Tokyo Tokyo. Niyaya ko sila sa Yoshinoya at pumayag naman sila. Medyo mabagal nga lang ang pagdating ng order nung iba sa amin. Mukhang giniling pa nila yung arina na ginamit nila para magawa yung noodles ng pansit kase may pansit yung bento box ng mga kasamahan ko na natagalan ang order. Habang kumakain kami ay may napansin ako na tarpaulin sa may bintana na nagsasabing nagdedeliver ang Yoshinoya ngunit di gaya ng karaniwang delivery services, imbes na telephone number ay website ang nakalagay na impormasyon sa tarpaulin. Sinabi ko sa sarili ko na tatandaan ko yung website na iyon.

Kaninang tanghali, habang abala ang nanay, kapatid at dalawang pinsan ko sa pagchecheck ng mga test paper ng mga estudyante ng nanay ko ay hiniritan ako ng nanay ko na magpa-meryenda daw ako. Gusto daw nila ng halo-halo kaso bawal naman sakin yun kase sinisipon ako. Sabi ng nanay ko banana-q na lang daw, kaso sa kasamaang palad ay tinakasan na naman kami nung isang kapatid namin kaya wala kaming mautusan na bumili ng banana-q. Sabi naman ng kapatid ko, ice cream na lang daw. Kaso nga, walang bibili. Kaya tumunganga kami ng pagkatagal tagal sa kakaisip kung anong bibilhin namin na meryenda. Inabutan na kami ng alas-3 ng hapon, wala pa rin sila naiisip na memeryendahin. Sabi bigla ng nanay ko, burger na lang daw. Eh kaso ayoko naman ng McDo, kase lagi na lang McDo. Sinubukan namin tingnan yung website ng Jollibee kaso wala namang presyo kung ala carte na burger lang. Tapos naisip ko yung Yoshinoya. Problema lang ngayon, hindi ko maalala yung website na nakalagay dun sa tarpaulin ng Yoshinoya. Sorry naman, tao lang. Sa sobrang kabusugan eh nakalimutan ko yung website na nakalagay dun.
Shempre, here comes Google to the rescue. Hinanap ko agad sa Google yung delivery ng Yoshinoya at napadpad ako sa www.delivery.ph. Nagtingin-tingin muna ako sa website at nakita ko na maari palang magpadeliver ng Hot Shots Burger dito sa Marikina. Sinubukan ko gumawa ng account tapos sinubukan ko mag-browse ng mga pwede orderin. Yung ibang items ay may description na makakatulong para sa mga hindi pamilyar sa mga items sa menu pero yung iba ay wala. Tapos napansin ko lang, kahit may Sign In Option ay wala namang Log Out. Wala namang mawawala kung susubukan kaya umorder ako ng 3 Junior Cheese Burger Deluxe at isang Cheese Burger Deluxe. Mayroong 1% na delivery charge at sabi dun sa website ay 30-45 minutes bago dumating ang order ko. Pagkatapos ko mag-submit ng order ko, matapos ng isang minuto ay nag-ring na ang landline namin. Ang nasa kabilang linya ay isang tao mula sa delivery.ph para mag-confirm ng order ko. Matapos ng ilan pang minuto ay tumawag rin ang Hot Shots Burger para muling mag-confirm sa order ko. Matapos ang 30 minuto ay dumating na ang delivery. Medyo mabilis na ito sa aking palagay considering na niluluto lamang nila ang burger kapag ito ay na-order na. Hindi tulad sa KFC na sa hindi malamang dahilan ay inabot ng 45 minutes para magdeliver ng na-order ko kahit na magkasing layo lang naman sila ng Hot Shots. Tumawag pa yung crew nila dahil naubusan daw sila ng cheese kaya kung pwede daw ay dagdagan na lang niya ng gravy iyong Famous Bowl na in-order ko. Pagdating naman dito, hindi ko naman napansin na nadagdagan nga ng gravy yung Famous Bowl.
Eniweis, sa tingin ko mauulit pa ang pag-order ko sa delivery.ph kase wala pa rin kaming katulong ngayon at madalas ay wala na kaming oras para magluto dito. Kaya hello fast food, goodbye savings.

Prrty Watch

2008-11-09T22:59:00.003+08:00

Since I haven't updated my blog in quite a while, I wasn't quite sure what to write about first. So as a warm up, I'm blogging about my watch. A couple of years ago, my dad gave me this really great looking, blue-faced Fossil watch. After two years of service, it's bracelet sadly broke off and I found a hard time looking for a replacement because its the kind that you have to screw on. Eventually, I gave up looking and decided to make a bracelet of my own. I used denim fabric that I cut off from one of my jeans.
The one in the picture shown on the left is actually the second bracelet I made because the watch ran out of battery a couple of months ago and since I just stitched the bracelet on, I had to cut it off so I could get the battery replaced. Good riddance anyway because it already smelled bad. (Think two-year unwashed jeans) The first one I made had a pocket that is sealed by a big zipper where I keep money and whatever small things that could fit in it. Then I graffitiziced it with fabric paint.

I used denim fabric that I cut off from one of my skirts on the one in the photo. An old pop swatch bracelet was used as a base so this one is better formed than the old one. I used metallic gold colored thread to sew the seams before I teased the sides. Then I decorated it with ready-bought craft materials from the bookstore. Both watches used velcro.
A lot of people often compliment me for my watch and ask me where I buy it. When I tell them I made it they either ask me if they could buy it, or if they could have it. I always say no, but I graciously tell them that I could always make one for them if they provide the materials. That way the design would be personal, and something they would like. It gives me a sense of pride knowing that people appreciate my work.

A Confession and Proposal of sorts

2008-09-02T17:07:00.002+08:00

In all my twenty-four years of existence, I can't remember getting anything I wanted. I've always had to settle for something less - be it a material thing, a status, a title, a condition, even love. Being the pseudo-righteous person that I am, and ever living the values that the Scholastican nuns have taught me, I've always tried to be contented with what life gave me. I continue to find happiness in what those second bests gave me.
Recently, I found something I wanted so bad, that I was willing to break all the barriers I've built around me. His name is Ryan. We've been friends for a couple of years, and I've always liked him. I'd like to think we potentially had something good before, but I was too afraid. You see, he's the kind of guy I've always wanted. Like the uber cool Alienware Aurora that I would gladly sell my soul for. (Yah hear that Satan?) He completes me in ways I could never explain. He understands every bit of me, without even me having to say a word. He's a treasure, and at that time I felt too scared to ruin something good. So I kept mum about the growing affection I had for him, instead I focused on someone dispensable. I kept my distance, because I knew exposing myself to him more could only lead to disaster.
We remained friends, with the occasional flirting to pacify my cravings for him. We've always had something special, and he always remained to be that amazing thing I want but is too lazy/dumb to work for it. Much like that HTC Touch I always look at whenever I'm at the cellphone store at the mall, but never had the courage to come inside the store and ask about it. I just know I can't afford it, and I was too lazy to work for it. And if for some reason I was able to buy it, I would probably just break or lose it. He was special, and I put him up on a pedestal, with pretty lights blinking around just for kicks.

I'm an independent and liberal minded woman who's been in a string of relationships in the past. Some are so-so, some more serious than the others, but more importantly, I had them to pacify my need for companionship. You see, although I appear to be a bitch who's got more balls than any guy I know, the truth is I'm just afraid to expose my self and get hurt in the process. Yep, that's me. I make people think guys are dispensable (although most of them really are), and I make guys think I can live without them. Don't get me wrong, I'm a very loving and caring person. I just dislike sadness as much as I dislike dugyot emo kids. Well, now I think karma has finally caught up with me... in the form of Ryan.
A couple of months ago, scarred from the number of dilemmas that life has thrown my way, I finally decided to eat up some of my inhibitions and throw away some of my fears. I needed something real, and I knew he was the only one who could make me feel better. I thought to myself, I'm already miserable, it can't get any worse than this. So for once, I went out of my shell and showed someone how vulnerable I am. I showed him how I feel, and it felt good for a while. He reciprocated. He was sweet and caring as always. He made me feel secure. But not knowing where I stand soon ate up my sanity, and I wanted to know he was mine. So I told him I liked him... a lot, and I was afraid of losing him. I want him for myself, and I want him to want me back. I told him I can no longer stand not having claiming rights over him. I told him I want to have every right to be jealous. He was very quiet, and he said I caught him off guard. This isn't how things go in the movies, or in any romance novel. I was disappointed, broken, and hurt. It hurt so much that I had to stay away, in hopes that these feelings might go away and disappear into the pits of hell. I wanted to forget him, and I wanted my old self back - safe and practical. But then he asked me to stay, and I could feel all my fears melting away, washed down by those tears that just won't stop from flowing. I hate how he has so much power over me. I hate how his words work like a command string in my system. I practically turn to mush in his hands. For once in years I felt human. He then told me not to worry and enjoy what we have. He also said, "For now, I'm yours, and you are mine". My mind passively ignored the "for now" part. All I could think of was how amazing I felt when he said that. He's mine, and that's all that mattered. It was heaven and hell from there. I was happy to be with him, but beneath those sweet moments we shared, I still felt that stabbing pain in my heart.
Things again, went well after that. He bugged me to play Cabal so that we could play together. As much as I dislike E-games, I made a character on one condition. I won't tell him the name of my character. All he knew was that I made a wizard, and that I would challenge him to a duel once I catch up to his level. So I grinded, and leveled and did everything to learn the game. It wasn't that much work because he has a job and can't go on addict mode. Still, those days were very tormenting. I barely slept, played like crazy, and I tried so hard to fight the urge of finding him in game and stare mindlessly at his character. Yez, pathetic much? I'm in lurve, hmmkay? I'm at least entitled to be stupet. One day, as I was running back to DS from doing some quests, I saw his character. He was right in the middle of the circle pavement in front of Dunhike. I stared in amazement, and I tried so hard to stop myself from coming close and taking a dozen or so screen shots. In my mind I was thinking, He doesn't know I'm online. He thinks I'm ukay shopping with my little sister. What are the chances of him finding out its me?! One screenie won't hurt! Then poof! I got disconnected and there was no Internet connection for four excruciating hours. I knoe rite?! Anyway, I've had a number of close encounters after that, but I was able to stop myself from spoiling the surprise. Then one day, when I was finally nearing my goal, something bad happened at home. I was distraught, and he noticed. We talked about what happened for a while, and because I dislike drama with the pizzazz of Anakbayan's hatred for our mouse of a president, I jokingly told him, "date mo naman ako in-game". He asked, "I thought you're not gonna introduce yourself until you get to my level?" Well screw surprises, I felt bad and I needed some comforting.
He asked what channel I was in, but I said I'll go to his channel instead. I was nervous. It felt as if it was the first time I was going out on a date. And to think this was a virtual date at that! He said he'll just finish his dungeon quest while I changed channels. We agreed to meet in GD. I sat near the grocer, nervous as hell. I kept thinking of a sweet gesture I could do. I mentally listed ways to surprise him. I alt tabbed and waited for him to reply in YM. Then it happened. I saw his character walking towards the grocer. I panicked! Does he know it's me? How could he know? Nobody else knows about my character. He stopped beside my character and made a pointing gesture. I tried to ignore him. No, he couldn't have possibly known. But he stayed there, so I finally whispered, "How did you know it was me?"
All he said was, "I just know", and I found myself smiling silly.
After that I began to spend more time with him in-game that it was almost like a ritual. And as Cupid has a way of fucking things over and making you miserable, I fell deeper. It came to a point where I realized, that keeping up with this would be an insult to my ego. (At the risk of sounding like an ass) I'm an awesome person. I'm smart, talented, cute, caring, thoughtful and downright lovable. I'm girlfriend material. Why doesn't he want to be with me? He obviously likes me and he obviously cares for me. Why can't he love me back? Maybe he's afraid too, I dunno. All I'm sure is that he can't possibly faking all the affection he's showering me with.
As much as it hurts my ego, I still chose to stay and be with him. Maybe in time I can move on and forget about him, but for now I choose to hang on to all my hopes and cross my fingers and hope for the best. I know I deserve him, and I know I'm doing everything I can to let him know how much I care, in hopes that he may someday care for me as much as I care for him. If he doesn't, I know that I'll still have him as a friend, and I get to bring with me memories from the last time I gambled for love. No regrets, no pain...just memories.
PS. I know you will be reading this, I hope you won't find it weird. I enjoy being with you, and I'd like to save up as much trinkets as I can that would remind me of the time I did these silly things because of you. Lastly, this one's for you...

Dummies Guide to being a successful chixilog in the world of online games

2008-08-16T16:35:00.002+08:00

1. Steal pictures of a very pretty girl on Friendster. Plus points if the girl is mestiza and chinita because those kind of girls look innocent and virginal... exactly the types of boys who play online games in hopes of getting laid. It's important that you have many pictures to minimize doubts of you just stealing those photos from someone else's Friendster account.
2. Make a dummy Yahoo account. Use a common girl name like Jen, Karen or Apple followed by a the word "cute" and a number. Example: karen_cute_18@yahoo.com. The more people who have names just like yours, the lesser are the chances of you getting caught. Don't bother editing the Yahoo profile, nobody checks that anyway.

3. Make a dummy Friendster account and use the photos that you stole. Also, take screen shots of your character and blingify it. Upload everything to your dummy Friendster account. Use a girly Friendster lay out to complete the illusion. Modify your profile in txt speak to make it cuter. Everybody thinks "hi pEePz, jaz aDd mEh uP" is adorable.
Pay attention to detail when it comes to editing the About Me part. Say something like, "iM a FrIeNdLy pErSon n aM sWeeT n maLamBinG tO pPoL wHo are nIcE 2 mEh." You can also try being emo, it really depends on your style.
4. Find an easy target. Possible qualities include: a teen, a bit emo, always on karir mode, a virgin, a power gamer. By power gamer I mean someone who spends a lot of money on the game so he could have a very formidable character. You know what they say about the dicks of guys with big cars? Well the same thing applies here.

5. Find an opportunity for you and the target to meet in-game. Pretend to be a helpless dame in need of saving from the gallant knight. Now here is where the importance of the dummy Friendster account comes in. For some reason, after finding out that the person behind a character is a girl, online gamers tend to ask for "her" Friendster account so "she" could prove that she is indeed a girl. It doesn't matter if the account looks awfully new, and that "she" barely has friends. You could always say you made a new account because the ex-boyfriend hacked your old account.
6. Now that you have acquainted yourself, you can now start befriending your target. This is crucial! Be cute and charming but play hard-to-get. Never appear to be easy because that's when doubts might seep in. Remember, we are after long-term leeching. Find out about his interests and weakness. Be sweet! Always let him know you miss him but don't give away too much. Be available, but not achievable.
7. I'm sure that after some time, the target will be putty in your hands. He will finally court you, and after some time of waiting, you two will finally be a couple. And as a couple, he is obliged to dress up your character and buy you fancy items as gifts. Then you can sell those items for PHP, using another character of course. Just tell him you got hacked and sob incessantly so he can replace your items again. Or better yet, you can hack his account once he trusts you enough with his account info.
If you have more questions, feel free to leave a comment. With my expertise, you will be the legendary chixilog of whatever online game it is that you're playing!

Technorati Tags: chixilog,online games,MMORPG

Turning bad

2008-08-04T21:28:00.002+08:00

The world wide web holds many marvels and one of these is the ability to find and connect to people through various social networking sites. Recently, I realized how many people I've lost touch with has been reachable through various social networking sites. Not that they weren't on these social bandwagons before, but since I'm not really the type who makes it her weekly habit to blingify my Friendster profile and scour 3rd level connections for people I might know, I didn't get to be connected with them sooner. Normally, revived connections are greeted with much gusto. You ask questions and try to catch up with what has happened to them in the past years. I'm not a fan of that. For a lot of reasons actually, but more inclined to the fact that I don't care. I don't care not because it's not important. I don't care because it doesn't matter, you're an old friend and I really don't mind what is it that you do or have been doing. As long as you're not an ass then you're cool with me.

I believe that, despite my aversion to labels, people play roles in life. I'm the ever so helpful bitch~bully classmate who always gets awesome grades despite being a troublemaker (ok self centered moment there), and someone else is the goody-two shoes teacher's pet who always plays patintero between the love-hate line of our schoolmates. Although it's true that change is the only constant thing in this world, I still don't believe that a person can change so much that it borders on the extreme. So where am I going here? Due to various circumstances, I was able to catch up and be in regular communication with some of my classmates/schoolmates from grade school and high school. I was surprised because, some of them have become so different. The obscure and quiet geek became a big jerk who thinks he's too cool for everyone else while the nice, helpful guy became someone who tells people that he has buried his high school memories behind and is now an ass who thinks (in his own world) that he is uber kewl and that a lot of chicks dig him. Ok, so I know I'm being a bitch here but why do good people turn out to be such big assholes?
I don't understand the whole fitting in thing. Sure it's normal in grade school up to maybe early high school but jeezus up to now? Have you totally screwed up your personality by pretending to be someone you're not? It's terribly disappointing and to those people if you ever figure out that you're the people I'm talking about -- You were better people before.
For most people, college is an opportunity to reinvent yourself. You have freed yourself from the shadows of your clique in high school and now you can be, or at least pretend to be, someone else. I know that most people take advantage of this but pretending can only go so far and I see most of them go back to their old cliques (where they feel more at ease) after a year or so. For some though, who are so intent on leaving their past behind, the change becomes permanent. I wonder if they miss their old selves. I actually think more highly of those people who despite of being confined to a clique that is in not cool according to the stupid norm, they still choose to be who they really are not mind those people who talk shit about them. That to me, is the epitome of awesomeness.
So this other guy was bragging about chicks and how much he need a beer and I'm like, you didn't even like beer back then and now you're telling people that you're an beer guzzling hunk WTF?! Ok, so I know I'm not really in the position to criticize you because unlike me, you have a job and you have a BS (bullshit) degree in God knows what. At least I've enjoyed a better life than you did that's for sure. At least I'm not caught up in a lie that has become so tangled that no light passes through. So enough about this rant post. I just wish them (and everyone else who is in a similar position) all the happiness. May you finally find your place under the sun.

Pepe shorts

2008-07-29T22:16:00.001+08:00

Photo courtesy of Ali of MASSDEFECT.

Kung may pepe shorts ang babae, may betlog shorts din ba ang mga lalake?

Ano nga ba yung pepe shorts? Eto yung mga nausong shorts ngayon, karaniwan ay maong, na hanggang singit lang. Sa sobrang ikli nito, kita na mga kuyukot ng kung sino man ang magsuot nito. Ito ay hulog ng langit para sa mga kalalakihang tigang.

Entrecard rocks the socks off boggers!

2008-07-18T22:32:00.001+08:00

Following the set of huge updates that Entrecard released two months ago, they are now working hand in hand with SezWho to make the blogosphere an even livelier place.

Wait... Incoming word vomit... *Graham Langdon is a blogging hero and should have his own star on the blogosphere's walk of fame.* OK, glad I got that one out.

Just the other day I commented on a blog post asking why despite her efforts to make readers comment, she still doesn't get that many comments. Generally, bloggers are hesitant to comment. Now, I am not the most friendly person around. I tend to be quiet, lurk and am contented to just be reading and digesting the stuff I read. I am antisocial off the Internet, and still a wee bit hesitant to socialize over the Internet. I don't usually get comments here in my blog, probably because I don't comment as much on other people's blogs. For a lot of reasons actually. For one, I'm not one of those people who would say anything just to get to post a comment and build an backlink. Oh noes, me is not that desperate. The only time that I would take the effort to click on that comment thingamajig is when I have something really insightful to say and I don't spend more than necessary to think about it. While reading a post, an idea starts to build up and if that idea is cohesive enough, that's the only time I would click on the Comment button. If by the end of reading the whole post, I still haven't gathered enough thoughts, or if I can't just quite organize the jumble of ideas stuck in my head; then I would just move on to another blog. Why pressure myself right? Opinion should be innate and if I don't have enough opinion to come up with a sentence or two then it's not worthy of other people's time. Yezh, I'm that considerate. I don't like people wasting my time and as the whole karma rule goes, neither am I wasting anyone's time.

Anyway, now with this partnership with Entrecard ans SezWho, I will probably get more motivation to post a comment. Probably -- because I'm lazy and all ya' know. And since I don't drop as much cards as I should, (because pretending to be busy takes up most of my time), I'm now relying on this Super Secret Contest that Entrecard is running so I can earn credits to buy ad spots. If you're already on Entrecard you have probably received an email about this, unless you're one of them kinds who hardly check their mails. If you're still not on Entrecard you should probably consider doing so. You can read more about the Entrecard and SezWho partnership if you wish to find out more about this amazing blogging revolution.

Random Pic of the Week

2008-07-16T05:16:00.001+08:00

It's 2am on a stormy night, for some reason, you can't sleep. You feel a slight grumbling in your tummy, and you suddenly crave for something to eat. You go to the kitchen, look around, but nothing catches your fancy. You found some pancake mix, and then your salivary glands starts to go on overdrive.

Pancake is done, and you start eating. For some annoyingly stupid reason, the need for sleep starts to kick in, and you fall into a slumber.

SLEEP EATING~

LASINGing Bee

2008-07-14T07:39:00.001+08:00

Vocabulary Words:

Lasing - a Tagalog word meaning drunk or intoxicated

Singing Bee - a foreign game show franchised in the Philippines where players must sing the lyrics of a given song correctly in order to win cash

My barkada like most cliques have our own set of traditions. Since all of us are busy with our own shait most of the time, we see to it that we get together every once in a while, particularly during Eric's birthday and our annual Christmas party. Now, unlike some people who are contented with just getting drunk, we like to keep things interesting. This is why every time we have a get together, we try to come up with games that all of us could play while drinking. And I'm not just talking about childish drinking games, we are already good at that so it's not much of a challenge anymore.

A few weeks ago, Eric was luckily chosen as a contestant to one of the hottest game shows on primetime TV right now, The Singing Bee. He was one of the very first contestants on the show and his stint was shown on the second week of the show's telecast. You can read more about his experience at Naknampootah. Inspired by the same game show, Eric decided to scout Raon for a decent videoke dvd player. He was able to buy one with part of his winnings as the Singing Bee Champion. To cut the long story short, we spent the night drinking, singing, and being plain silly. I already had a bad cough, but that still didn't stop me from singing anything from house music to beerhouse music. God knows I badly needed to get drunk. Anyway, I ended up with a really bad sore throat and I lost my voice, which I already said on my previous post.

The highlight of the night would have been Eric and Badong's duet as they sang Lando. Yep, that Gloc 9 song. Well, that's just how we are, we tend to act silly and we laugh at the corniest things. We are not afraid to be labeled because we know who we are. Some might think we act gay and that its weird because we sing jologs songs, but we don't really mind. It's all for fun and if people don't get that then screw them.

Looking back to our Christmas party last year, when people start inviting people to their kid's Christening, even if the baby hasn't been born yet; people showing ultrasound photos; and calling each other ninong, ninang and kumpareng tunay; we all sound different. We carry on the same thing now with the guys talking about work, salary, family, about being father's; over beer and cigarettes. Things have certainly changed, but what would never change is our love for all things fun.

I can't hardly wait for our Christmas Party. Eric plans to have a Singing Bee trophy spoofed to make it look like a drunk bee and that would be the coveted prize for our Christmas party activity.

Virus and Religion

2008-07-12T21:30:00.001+08:00

I still feel like kicking my brother over for not going to the doctor when he should have. Now, I'm still sick and non-functional. It started over a week ago when I started sneezing. Whenever it's the "time of the month", I always feel weak and a bit sick. It must have aggravated the bug I caught from my brother because even if the cycle ended, I still kept sneezing. Unluckily, Kulyan's birthday celebration was set last Saturday. No amount of sickness can stop me from going there so I went there, got drunk, had fun, and played LASINGing Bee. As a result, I have a really bad cough, my voice is coarse (buti nga meron na eh, a few days ago all that comes out whenever I try to speak is a squeak), and I feel really weak. It's like my life energy escapes whenever I cough.

On a side note, kida and I got banned for 7 days over at the newly opened Ikariam Zeta server for an account sitting violation. Don't ask, totally my fault. So now I'm thinking of getting him ambrosia to make up for it. Sucks a bit because we have just started the Zeta branch of our VIRUS alliance. I made a kick ass external alliance page only to get banned. WTF! Anyway, its just 4 days more until I get to play in Zeta again. In Delta on the other hand, I've been struggling to upgrade my capital to Level 18. I also painstakingly managed to upgrade my palace. So now, I'm planning to upgrade my marble town and have many citizens who would generate gold to compensate for the corruption when I start building my 4th town. I intend to upgrade the Governor's Residence in my marble town then work on my 4th colony and maybe just struggle my way out of corruption. I badly need marble. I fookien needed marble so much that I even traded crystal for marble 2:1. Anyway, there's a screenie of my capital now.

Last Educational Monday, Dakila talked about Religion on the Brewrats. To anyone interested in downloading a copy of the show, you can do so by clicking on the following links:

Educational Monday - Dakila talks about Religion Part 1

Educational Monday - Dakila talks about Religion Part 2

All in all, it was a very good episode. Sadly, 2 hours just wasn't enough to cover everything. The Brewrats IRC channel was also teeming with discussions about religion and I was glad to have contributed to their knowledge. So, I'm not about to discuss about my faith here because it's only Saturday and you can only talk about faith on Sundays. If you ask, I'm a Catholic on paper, a Christian on special occasions and a wiccan when needed. If you want, you can read my previous post about my faith, HERE.

Recounting the Fete de la Musique 2008

2008-06-22T15:23:00.001+08:00

The last gig I've been to, before this one, was incidentally the Fete de la Musique 2006. One of the reasons I came to that one was because I wanted to see Hard Boiled Eggz live. Since Rohan and I have been friends I have never seen them play live. I have been inactive in the scene because of personal issues and I don't have as much time to go to gigs as before. Sadly, I didn't get to catch them that time. When we arrived at the Mall of Asia, their set was already over.

Fast forward two years later, and again, I found the time to go to a gig which is incidentally, the Fete de la Musique at the Mall of Asia (again). Last year the Fete was in Malate. This year, it has moved back to the Mall of Asia, but was done in different areas. In 2006, there were five stages scattered throughout the mall. The rock stage was the only disappointment because it was located near the garbage dump and the stench reached the stage. This year, however, there were only three stages. The Jazz/Electronica/World music stage was within the comforts of the mall while the Pop and RnB stage was across the street near the bay. Surprisingly, the rock stage was located in the parking lot a few meters away from Sofitel. It was THAT far. It felt as if they deliberately isolated the stage.

When we arrived, the first stage we visited was the pop and RnB. Jing and I were still waiting for our other friends so we didn't venture too far. It was raining so we decided to go to the Jazz/Electronica/World music stage for the mean time. We were able to watch the band called Slavedrum. This is the first time I've seen them play and I must say that I really like their music. It's like the dark side of electronica. Apparently, they were the last band to play on that stage. Following their set were the DJ's so I was pretty disappointed because I was really looking forward to watching Brass Munkey again. It's been years since I've seen them play. Oh well, guess we have no choice but to go to the rock stage.

The rock stage was almost a kilometer away from the two other stages. It was located past the open parking lot, on the dirt grounds near Sofitel. Because of the rain, the place was really muddy. Good thing there were tents around. We found a big one and settled there. A few minutes later, Badong and Michelle saw us and we joined them. We sat on the grass, it was then that I got to take a good look at my surroundings. Gawd. The first thing that came to my mind when I looked around was, "Shit, I think I'm too old for this". Majority of the people were kids, probably high school, even grade school kids. They were really rowdy and noisy, so I put on my "don't-you-dare-mess-with-me-look" so they wouldn't get anywhere near us. They were so jologs and dugyot. They swipe cigarettes (oo, nangaagaw sila ng yosi) from other people and they ask for drinks from people they don't know. It was obvious these kids had no cash. Throughout the night we continually talked about being in that age. Yes, we moshed but we were never as boisterous as that. Kids screaming and slam dancing and being unpleasantly noisy made my night unbearable.

I felt a bit better when The Wuds went up on stage. As always, they were amazing. It was obvious most of the kids only know them by name and don't really know their songs. They played Inosente lang ang Nagtataka and immediately, all the kids were slam dancing and singing along. They know the song because Rivermaya covered that song. Then they played Nakalimutan ang Diyos and everyone around us were clueless as we sang along to the song. What a disappointment... Then there was Kjwan. Predictably, the kids were again singing and slam dancing to their songs. Badong jokingly pretended to be Marc Abaya and said, "Manood kayo ng show ko na Ligaw na Bulaklak". He was pertaining to the afternoon soap opera of Marc Abaya. There was also Faspitch, last year's winner of the World Battle of the Bands. I can only describe them as pogi metal. It wasn't a surprise that they won because their music was so commercial. Although it had really fast beats and nice guitar riffs, it lacked the rawness that is eminent in metal music. There was also Gayuma, the last winner of the Redhorse Musiklaban. I didn't listen to them. Don't ask why.

Finally, Hard Boiled Eggz went up on stage. I squeezed my way to the front so I could take good pictures of the band so I could upload them on their Yahoo Groups. I almost hit a guy on the face when he started making snide comments and disrespected the band. It was so nice to see Rohan again, I haven't even congratulated him on his very cute baby. Then there was Imbue No Kudos. I really admire the spirit of these guys. I first met these guys around four years ago. They registered at Pulp community and they were having gigs like crazy. Hailing from Olongapo, these guys were always eager to play in Manila and be recognized by the scene here.The first time I've seen them play was at the Pulp community gathering at Purplehaze bar (back when it was still in Marikina). They had no qualms about being the first band to play. And the moment they started playing, I understood why. As soon as they played everyone outside immediately got in and watched them. I even had it on videotape (which sadly I still haven't converted to dvd). Their hard work really paid off and they really have gone a long way. Then Maryzark, Boy Elroy and Subscapular subsequently went up on stage, but I didn't get to watch because Jing dragged me to the Tropang Bangko's spot. We met up with Khaye and Kathy and the other Tropang Bangko people.

At around past 1am, Greyhoundz went up on stage and as expected, they got the kupaw crowd going. I was secretly wishing that all the kids would go home after their set so I could finally enjoy my fete experience. Although Cheese wasn't in the line up, Ian Tayao performed with Greyhoundz. Midway into their set, it suddenly started raining (again). The rain wasn't much, it was the winds that posed trouble. The winds were really fucking strong. They finished their set around past 2am. As much as I would have loved to stay and watch the bands that I've been really looking forward to watching (Bloodshed, Bane and Sanctus), my legs were already numb from the cold, and I can't handle the rowdiness of the crowd. A few minutes more and I would have punched somebody in the face. My only consolation was I could still hear Bloodshed play as we walked our way out of the lot.

Once we were out of the tent, that was when we realized just how strong the winds are. Walking was effortless, the winds literally blew us forward. At one time I even had to hang onto a post because I would have skidded forward when the wind blew. We stopped by 7-11 to grab a pack of cigarettes and other refreshments. Lighting a cigarette was a challenge. Good thing there was an area that was safe from the winds, but I wasn't all that lucky. The moment we stepped out of that area I only got about 5 puffs from my stick before the wind blew the rest of it off. It burned so fast because of the strong winds. Finally, we got to the area where the buses pass by. The bus that was there was almost full so we decided to let it pass and just take the next one. We almost regretted that decision because the light posts in that area were making noises and were like warning us to stand back. Good thing another bus came by after a few minutes. After plying its route towards coastal road and back to Roxas Boulevard and then EDSA -Taft Crossing, the bus was so full that it was already leaning on one side. Most of the other passengers were the same rowdy kids that I've been trying to get away from. They were again, noisy and disrespectful. Most of the refused to pay and gave alibis like they lost their money or their wallets have been stolen. What bollocks! Taena pumupunta sa gig ng walang pera mga pulubi ampotah! Not that I don't like beggars, but those kids represent everything I dislike in the scene. Disrespect, Irresponsibility, Extreme Compulsiveness, Stupidity.

The driver decided to make them go down the bus at Guadalupe. The driver told them, "Naiintindihan namin kayo pero sana naiintindihan nyo din kami. Hahanapan kami ng kita ng bus company. Di na makasakay mga tao sa dami nyo." So almost everyone went down and the bus was finally spacious. When we got to Cubao, I told Jing that we should take an FX instead because it would be warmer compared to taking a jeep. That we did and I finally got home at around 4am.

Moral of the story: Typhoon Frank is an asshole!

Technorati Tags: Fete de la Musique

A fairytale...

2008-06-18T19:00:00.000+08:00

WARNING: Cheesy content follows! Do not continue if you are not a fan of love, hope and fantasies...

Once there was a princess and a mighty warrior who became really good friends. Their friendship transcended physical boundaries and the princess was really happy to be with the warrior. I assume she had feelings for him, but hesitated to express it because the warrior might not feel the same. After all, he never said anything concrete. In time, the princess found another love but the warrior remained in her heart. She still yearned for their long talks, his smart-aleck comments, his sweetness and care. They still talked sometimes, and those talks only made the princess realize how much she misses the warrior.

After some time, the princess could no longer deny her emotions. She was miserable, and day by day she yearned to be in the arms of the warrior. So she said goodbye to her present love and spent some time alone. Still, the yearning in her heart grew stronger. The princess is losing hope. She feels bad. She knows it was her lack of judgement that made them drift apart. She's not used to feeling this way, she's used to being wooed. Whether it's plain stupidity that the princess is doing this, I don't know. I guess she needs to spend some time alone in hopes that she could get over those emotions that might never get reciprocated.

Fete de la Musique 2008

2008-06-16T16:24:00.000+08:00

It's that time of the year again when summer starts in the northern hemisphere and music is celebrated in this worldwide feast. This year, the yearly music festival is organized by PULP and will be happening on June 21 (this Saturday) at the SM Mall of Asia in Pasay.

Here is the line up:

FETE DELA MUSIQUE 2008

SM Mall of Asia/San Miguel by the Bay

Entrance is absolutely free

Pop and R&B Stage

Shift * Battle City * Delara * Playphonics Ciudad * Zelle * Lala * Purplechickens * Chubibo * The Pin Up Girls * Sugarfree * Stonefree * Gloc 9 * Reklamo * Hale * Dice & K9/Mobbstarr * Itchyworms * Taken By Cars * Pamilya Dimagiba * Chilitees * UpDharmaDown * Out of Body Special * Sino Sikat? * Mike's Apartment * Paramita * Brigada Topjunk

Rock Stage
Boy Elroy * Astrojuan * Hija * Kinetic Daze * The Low Techs * Skies of Ember * Kastigo * Shotgun Lola * Syalam * Hilera * Faspitch * Wuds * Kjwan * The Youth * Nictynasty * Imbuenokudos * Maryzark * 4MH * Subscapular * Bloodshedd * Witchtreesymbol * Sanctus * Bane *Andrea Marie * Republika de Lata * Acidstone

Jazz, Blues, World, Reggae, Electronica Stage
Radioactive Sago Project * Tropical Depression * Blue Rats * Coffeebreak Island Skaramouche * Drip * Johnny Alegre * Bembol Rockers * Brass Munky * Bagetsafonik * Outerhope * Swissy * Juan Pablo Dream * Elemento * Slavedrum * Nyko Maca + Playground * Spaceflower Show * DJ Andy T. * DJ Red-i * DJ Vernon Perez aka Spoonman * DJ Astrid aka Soulflower * DJ Christina Bartges aka Miss Badkiizz * DJ Manifesto * DJ Vikno * DJ Brando Umali * DJ Marts Ballesca * Jay De Leon * Manifesto * Clang Sison * Pilipinas Street Plan

Pagsuko

2008-06-15T14:29:00.001+08:00

May ilang linggo na rin akong absent sa pagsusulat. Naging abala ako sa pagbuklat ng panibagong kabanata ng aking pag-school hop. Oo, binibitiwan ko na ang aking pagnanais na magaral muli sa Iligan dahil sa maraming dahilan. Una, nahihirapan talaga ako aralin ang Bisaya. Hindi naman sa dahil mahirap sya intindihin. Mabilis lang talaga sila magsalita. Pangalawa, marami pa palang salin ang dyalektong ito. Pangatlo, masyadong bata ang mga naging kamag-aral ko. Sa Iligan (hindi ko alam sa ibang bahagi ng Visayas at Mindanao), 15-anyos pa lang ay pumapasok na sa kolehiyo. Siguro dahil walang Grade 7 at (kadalasan) Kindergarten ang mga paaralan doon. Kung mayroon man silang Kinder, eh iisa lang, hindi kagaya dito sa Maynila na may Kinder 1 na may Kinder 2 pa ( o Kinder A at Kinder B - kung ano man trip itawag ng paaralan sa kanila). Dahil sa maliit ang populasyon ng mga mag-aaral, halos lahat ay magkakakilala. Kung mayroong anunsyo mula sa inyong guro ay kadalasan ipinapasa lamang ito. At dahil hindi ko sila (masyado) naiintindihan eh kadalasan hindi nakakarating sakin ang anunsyo.

Doble ang pagsisikap ko nuong naandon ako dahil wala akong ibang aasahan kundi ang sarili ko. Sa isang banda, may mga mababait at palakaibigan sa kanila pero dahil (slightly) antisocial ako eh hindi ko mapilit ang sarili ko na makihalubilo sa kanila kung hindi naman kinakailangan. Naiingayan ako sa kanila, parang mga bata sa high school. Sabagay, dapat nga naman nasa high school pa sila. Naandyan yung may sumisigaw sila mula sa loob ng jeep para tawagin ang isang kakilala na nakita sa daan. Minsan din eh kita ko na ang tonsils nila sa kakatawa sa loob ng silid-aralan. Andyan din yung peer pressure at pagpapasikat na ugali ng mga teenager. Lahat yan, bagama't hindi nakakainis eh nakakapagpataas ng kilay ko (sa imagination lang kase hindi ko naman talaga kaya itaas ang kilay ko gaya nung mga kontrabida sa telebisyon).

Sinubok ko din ang pumasok sa extra-curricular activities upang magkaroon ng dagdag na pagkaka-abalahan at kakilala. Nagpasa ako ng isang sulatin sa punong patnugot ng college publication. Sa kabutihang palad (at hindi naman sa pagmamalaki) ay nakapasok ako. (Dapat lang!) Natuwa naman ako dahil nakita ko na maganda ang lathala nila. May istilong pang magazine. Ngunit, isa sa mga napansin ko ay ang kakontian ng mga manunulat nila. Nung nagkaroon ng taunang pagtitipon para sa mga miyembro ng publikasyon, binoto nila ako bilang editor ng Entertainment Section. Madami sana akong balak para dito ngunit dahil sa kakulangan ng kakayahan na mag-Bisaya eh hindi ko naisakatuparan ang mga plano ko. Akala ko, marami sa mga tao dito ang marunong mag-Tagalog. Nanonood naman sila ng mga teleserye araw araw at may mga aklat na nasusulat sa Tagalog. Sa kabila nito ay marami pa rin sa kanila ang hindi masyado marunong mag-Tagalog. Alam ko naman na bilang Tagalog sa Mindanao, dapat ay matuto ako mag-Bisaya, ngunit paano ako matututo kung hindi rin nila ako kayang kausapin sa wikang alam ko. Madalas, English na lang ang ginagamit ko sa pakikipag-usap dahil mas malamang na magkaintindihan kami.

Dahil na rin sa pagkabilib sakin ng punong patnugot ng publikasyon, inirekomenda nya ako upang makasali sa Essay Writing Contest sa Foundation Week. Ang mga kalaban ay magmumula sa iba't ibang kolehiyo sa unibersidad. Dahil sobrang abala ang mga tao dito (hindi ko alam kung bakit), nung araw bago ng kompetisyon ko lang nakausap yung guro na dapat na magsasanay sa 'kin. Kaya para naman maging handa ay nagsaliksik na ko tungkol dito. Sa ilang minuto na aming paguusap ay binigyan nya ako ng mga handout at binigyan ng kaunting overview tungkol sa paksa ng kompetisyon na base sa tema ng Palakasan (yun ang tawag sa Foundation Week). Ang tema ng Palakasan ay "Enhancing knowledge workforce through quality education and culture of peace". Labo diba? Natuyo ang utak ko nun. Dahil sa kawalan ng gana, madaling araw ko na natapos basahin yung mga handout na binigay sa akin. Ang kompetisyon ay magsisimula ng ika-8 ng umaga. Dapat makarating ako dun ng 7:30 para makapag-rehistro. Pero dahil sa trapik na parang himalang lumabas nung araw na yun 8:00 na ko nakarating sa venue. Anyway, nanalo naman ako ng 2nd place. Dapat nga daw 1st place kaso may deduction dahil sa pagiging late ko.

Sa kabila ng lahat ng achievements ko hindi pa rin sapat yun para ipagpatuloy ko ang pagaaral ko dun. Masyado nang komplikado, ang hirap bumangon. Ang plano ko talaga gusto ko na magtrabaho kaso pinilit ako ng tatay ko mag-enroll dito. Ginawa ko naman lahat ng makakaya ko, pero parang hindi talaga para sakin. Nakapagdesisyon na ko. Maghahanap muna ko ng trabaho tapos next year magaaral ako ng culinary arts. Tuloy pa rin ang laban, sa ibang eksena nga lang!

The Breast Awareness Campaign

2008-06-10T15:50:00.000+08:00

This tag is from Ate Mhel of Marikenya. I don't know that many bloggers so I'm not tagging anyone but feel free to spread the word about it.

June is the International Month for Breast Cancer Awareness, let us all pitch in to spread the information on this killer disease in the blogosphere to help more people worldwide.

Facts we need to know about Breast Cancer:

• The first sign of breast cancer usually shows up on a woman’s mammogram before it can be felt or any other symptoms are present.

• Risks for breast cancer include a family history, atypical hyperplasia, delaying pregnancy until after age 30 or never becoming pregnant, early menstruation (before age 12), late menopause (after age 55), current use or use in the last ten years of oral contraceptives, and daily consumption of alcohol.

• Early detection of breast cancer, through monthly breast self-exam and particularly yearly mammography after age 40, offers the best chance for survival.
• Ninety-six percent of women who find and treat breast cancer early will be cancer-free after five years.

• Over eighty percent of breast lumps are not cancerous, but benign such as fibrocystic breast disease.

• You are never too young to develop breast cancer! Breast Self-Exam should begin by the age of twenty.

(Resources: American Cancer Society National Cancer Institute Komen Foundation)

You can help save lives of many women by spreading the word about The Breast Cancer Site and clicking on the pink button many times as you can. If The Breast Cancer Site receives 8 million clicks on the pink button in June, their premier sponsor -Bare Necessities- will donate $10,000 for more free mammograms. CLICK the pink button today!

To my blogger friends, please help spread the word to reach more and more women and even men, everyday.

It's not enough that we had to worry about getting good grades

2008-05-26T19:45:00.001+08:00

It's not enough that we had to worry about getting good grades; we also had to worry if our parents can afford to pay for the remaining college tuition fee installments, school projects, books, school supplies, or if they can even give us money for transportation and snacks. Last week, I saw part of a newsflash that said that enrollment numbers in public and private colleges and universities have dropped by at least 50%. I wasn't surprised at all.

Today on the news, President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo ordered the Commission on Higher Education (CHED) to stop the schools from increasing tuition fees for the coming school year. Now isn't it too late for that? I think enrollment in colleges and universities have already started and many students have already accepted their fate. With all the rising costs of living, it's not at all surprising that many students have dropped out.

At this point, I start to think, would having a diploma really matter in the real world? A lot of my friends who have already graduated work in call centers -- along with a bunch of other people who haven't graduated yet. Diploma or no diploma, call center agents manage to earn a very acceptable salary. In the call center industry, work experience seems to matter more than school credentials. Still, there are those few principled people who choose to earn little in an industry they love and support rather than prostitute themselves as a call center agent.

Ever since those fucked up College Insurance plans messed up, a lot of college student's dreams have gone down the drain. The effects may not have been instant, but slowly, most parents stopped sending their children to school. I remember envying a classmate because her CAP Educational Plan always paid more that what she should be paying for. At the end of the school year, she was able to apply for a refund and she spent all the refund money shopping. When rumors of CAP going bankrupt surfaced, I gave my head a little noggin'. It was silly of me to envy that classmate and I was thankful that my Platinum College Plan didn't suffer the same fate as CAP.

We all know what happened. The 'thankfulness' didn't last long. After a year, Platinum stopped issuing checks and my parents have to start including my tuition fee in their budgets. Everything became harder since then. In a statement that Platinum released that year, they said they would be issuing refunds to all their plan holders starting 2008. Last year, I reminded my mom of that and she said I should go to their office in Makati to inquire. Since I was too lazy to go to a far place with an unsure agenda, I just shrugged it off. Some time early this year, I happened to be in the area so I decided to pass by their office. Their office was in this building in front of Mapua Makati. When I got there, Platinum Plans was not among the listings outside the building. I told my mom about that when I got home and she said they must have moved. Since I had to go back to Iligan in a few days, she said she'll just take care of it.

Fast forward to now, my mom found their office to be somewhere in the Ortigas area near their other old office building, Tektite Towers. My mom was informed that checks will start to be issued in 2010. Wow, they must be waiting for the end of the world so they can get away from their obligations. I wonder if their stock holders can sleep at night knowing they have single-handedly managed to thwart the dreams of thousands of college students.