Ok, I won't eat my "baon" here

While I was in queue for my lunch order in a nearby cheap canteen, I saw this sign on the wall...

So conio the carinderia manang ah! Haha!

Re: Re: To be one of the 100?

January 4, 2008, 12:18 PM, I received an SMS from my Aunt:

Someone called from 1 vs 100 and she said tomorrow is your taping. Call time is 5 PM. Enter through the audience entrance and bring a valid ID.

Waah! After more than three months from the day of screening... after almost being oblivious of my mob member application, I finally got a taping schedule for 1 VS 100.

It was last Saturday that I got inside ABS-CBN's compound once more for the taping of 1 VS 100. In as much as I would want to detail what has been during the actual taping, I would not want to preempt avid viewers of the show who might be reading this post. Don't worry, I won't spoil or give the questions in the episode I was in. Hehe.

Anyway, just to summarize ('cause I don't have much time. The new year has been busy for me as I have been training new employees and surely do not have the luxury to blog so much.) what has transpired that evening of January 5:

• I was so nervous during the show - my presence there was definitely out of my league and I couldn't tell if I was enjoying my stay in the studio or not. Keying my answer for every question was a chore, plus the fact that the 6-second time limit was a bit mind-blocking and thought-disrupting - my common-sense almost got paralyzed by my nervousness and chills from the frigid studio. Next time, I'd bring a jacket.
  
• The episode's contestant (a.k.a. "The 1") was Aiko Melendez. She was playing for some charitable cause.
  
• There were two pastors in the mob; some devotees of the Black Nazarene; some wood sculptors from Pampanga; and some Moriones dancers from Tondo, Manila
• Out of some luck, I answered all given questions correctly (and nervously!)

Yes... the last item in the list suggests that I was "awarded" after the game an orange shirt, with a flaming text on the front shouting...


I'll not tell you if I got some cash prize or not - no spoilers here. This souvenir shirt would suffice for the moment. (^_^)

From Suspension and Back

It's been a spell since I bothered to update Drake's Ragbag; Seems to me it's been eons already. OK... I'm just exaggerating. Frankly, I've been sporadically present in the blogosphere in the past weeks. No blog hopping and no blog updates. To tell you the truth, I do not miss it much...

Apparently, I do not qualify myself as someone would call a "certified blogger" or a blogophile. For one, writing does not come close to my "i like to do" list. Err.... Is this a paradoxical statement? So would it mean that I'm doing something I do not like right now? Well, not really.

To continue... I only get the itch to write, or in this case, to blog, in occasions when I feel cathartic enough to expel some internal tension, or when I'd want to tell some personal anecdotes. In some superficial cases, I blog to share some stuff that seem to interest or catch my attention, whether intellectual, trivial or ridiculous. The bottom line is, I blog whenever I feel like blogging. When blogging becomes a hobby of mine, that I'd have to wait and see. So please, bear with me... (^_^)

OK... so what's been with me lately?

Actually, nothing much. I've been partially occupied with intermittent office work from some same old project that I do not really like dealing with. I just despise how the project schedule goes and how many requirement change cycles have passed despite prior sign-off of the design document. Sometimes, it beats the hell out of me when the customer I have to deal with is my own employer, 'cause it could easily change the project schedule. OK... enough said about office task.

What's been keeping me up right now is capoeira. Oh yeah, it's getting addictive alright. It's been more than a month since I joined the class and I must say, every capoeira class gives me that feeling of vigor (despite the grueling exercises) to pursue on my daily tasks. This is quite silly to say, but my capoeira class motivates me to do my office work better, especially now that I don't feel anything fulfilling from my office chores. I guess capoeira covers up to that missing factor in my workplace. Haha! Absurd!

In the coming days, I'll be very busy with a different project. If management goes final and the role presumably assigned to me is fixed, I'd be on the run to total mania. This project that I'm talking about is the "Israeli" project that died more than three months ago and now had come to life to whack me to the bones. I could foresee the prolonged office hours in the next months. My Christmas break is in danger. Err... OK... I'm getting paranoid. You might be wondering why do I react as such. Well, it's hard to explain. I'll just leave it at that. Hopefully, this project would be my last best effort for this company, and hopefully, I'll do very well.

Before I go back to my indefinite suspension, let me share you this video from HappySlip.com. I've seen HappySlip videos before to prevent me from falling to slumber, and from what I've watched so far, this HappySlip video is the best for me. Enjoy the questions game. (^_^)

Blog Action Day: Environmental Concern

So, what do I do for the environment? Let me count some of the ways:

1. Whenever I buy items from 7-11, especially for a single item, I don't ask or even let the cashier bag my purchase. Also, if I am bringing my own bag, I just dumped my purchase inside it as long as I still have extra space.

2. I don't smoke cigarettes.

3. I don't have my own vehicle. (If I would, I want it to run with biofuel - Err... I just hope this does not cost much when the time comes I am to purchase.)

4. The REUSE/RECYCLE principle: for plastic bottles to be utilized again as water containers when I attend my Capoeira training and do swimming; for office printouts, reuse for doodling (hehe) and brainstorming.

5. Common sense: put the trash inside the trash bin. For segregated trash cans, put the right trash on the right bin. Need I say more?

6. Non-CFC aerosols for me. Always check the labels.

7. I reuse that "green bag" from SM Supermarket whenever I do grocery shopping since the day I got it. It would have been much better if the bag were made of canvass instead of the seemingly plastic green material.

I may have offended one of these (but never #2!) but nevertheless, in most cases, I adhere to them. Such no-brainers I assume, yet too hard to be habitual to some. What do you do for your environment? Do you still care?

Control. Discern. Adapt. Think. Decide. Move.

"Since changes are going on anyway, the great thing is to learn enough about them so that we will be able to lay hold of them and turn them in the direction of our desires. Conditions and events are neither to be fled from nor passively acquiesced in; they are to be utilized and directed."

- John Dewey

... You can't be more miserable or jubilant enough than your own doing.

Getting Combative

On the eve of my birthday, I had a taste of how it was to do some martial arts maneuvers with the guidance of an erudite trainer. This was no Chinese martial arts, as most would instinctively assume in their minds. It's Capoeira, a Brazilian dance form of martial arts.

Last Monday, when I had my second session, I finally enrolled into the class. Yey! This was like a product of The Secret. Months ago, I was practicing my cartwheel for some childhood frustrations. Then, I held knowledge about Capoeira from a men's magazine. The next thing, I found myself enthused by it. And just recently, it came into reality, like wishing it to the worldly genie responding to me: Your wish is my command. Haha! Roffle!

If you could recall one Bench commercial, which featured Rafael Rosell (only wearing a nether undergarment), the routine he did there was a series of Capoeira moves (if I am not mistaken, the first stance he did was esquiva frontal).

It....

IS WEIRD
... when you suddenly transcend to the 4th position from being the 31st in a class
... when you enjoy integration and differentiation in calculus, together with analytic geometry while your classmates are freaking nervous whenever an 8-page fully-graphed exam paper is given by your weird teacher
... when you memorize all the currencies of all the countries in the world and be called a walking encyclopedia
... when you get the highest grades from all the highest-weighted subjects but you're not even the Valedictorian or the Salutatorian
... when you make the school team win in a knowledge quiz bee competition despite you being just a one-day replacement for an absent member
... when you get a perfect score in your final exam in Numerical Analysis and half of your classmates are dying to pull their scores up to the passing mark
... when you become the class president, when you tutor your other classmates in Calculus, Statistics, Discrete Mathematics and Accounting... despite you being the youngest

SUCKS
... when you live-up a year unknowingly wavering your relationship with your one best friend
... when you do not realize enough how your best friend cares and appreciates you
... when you can't bring back the same relationship you've had with your best friend simply because now is not yesterday
... when you cry in the presence of your teacher and classmates because of a line from the Secret of the Fox
... when you're foolishly in love
... when you love and not be loved in return
... when people think just because you're queer you're all loquacious and promiscuous
... when you get exposed to premature sexual encounters that taint your innocence
... when people think you're all perfect when you're not
... when you're misunderstood
... when you're too kind
... when you unintentionally hurt someone's feelings

Infected by Trinoma

A new frontier disease is lurking at the northernmost terminus of the MRT station, and the Ayala elites call it Trinoma. Haha!

Well, I just can't seem to stop wondering why this mall is called Trinoma. It really sounds like a disease - I've known a number of people, coming from my friends and from some individuals of the Web, who would agree on this. Trinoma can seemingly be listed on a medical book together with carcinoma, helanoma, adenoma, lymphadenoma, neurinoma and seminoma. Even its "root word" noma (as I assume tri- to be a prefix, which indicates the triangular area covered by the mall) is defined by WordNet as an acute ulceration of the mucous membranes of the mouth or genitals; often seen in undernourished children.

OK... enough of the blah blah....

Trinoma, according to a WordPress blog I saw last week, is named as such to mean Triangle North of Makati/Manila. Gosh... I think the choice of acronym is plain feebleness. Anyway....

Last Saturday, I was there. Yes I was... to meet my college clique for another "chaotic" reunion.

As I'd known it to be, Trinoma was still in it's soft opening phase, with several unopened stores and sections. Below are some pictures I took while lingering inside the 4-level infrastructure.

Ouch!

Ouch!
My upper back's aching, especially on the region of my right scapula. I badly need a massage! (Makes me wonder... I haven't gotten a body massage since I started swimming...)
Ouch!
My eyes are blurry. Myopic vision is deranging my sight!
Ouch!
My stomach's grouching. Maybe I should take a crap this instant. (LOL!)
Ouch!
My heart has started to heal. Though occasionally, it hurts. (Haha! Where did that come from???)

Give me a break

This week's such an awkward and unusual week for me. It's not that it's Independence Week. It's because of the unprecedented influx of high-ranking managers lingering the office. They're like bees flying, i mean pacing along the corridors, surprisingly showing up without me noticing them (That gives me the creeps!). I'm not really used to them.

And because of their presence, I need to make myself look and "be" busy. Oh damn! I need work load, so give me some to occupy my lallygagging mind! Hehe. Besides, the company's paying me so I should do something for it. Harhar. Well... good riddance I get to have intermittent (at least) work loads, just like now (I am so stuck fixing this elusive code bug; Maybe I'll just call the day off and just continue tomorrow morning). Yey, tomorrow is Friday, the end of the week! No more bosses after that. ;)

Enough said about work. Lately, I've been missing a few things...
- I miss going to the pool. I haven't been in the water for the past two weeks. That's a sin to my weekly routine! And it doesn't feel good not having enough physical work. My body's already demanding an explanation!
- I miss going out of the office and meeting bestfriend to talk about our recent chronicles. I miss the coffee sessions too!

Gosh! It's 11 minutes before 7 0'clock. I better get going now 'cause I need to rise early for tomorrow. I still need to bear 2 hours of road travel just to get home. Adios!

Reaching the second year of work life

Today marks my second anniversary of a working life in the so-called software industry arena. Such a milestone it is to be celebrated by a typical one; I am half-hearted about it. Well, apparently I am employed in this not-so-locally-known-but-internationally-acknowledged company in its Software Engineering Department. I would say it has been a pretty slow-paced, on-the-average, and intermittently-stressing-and-boring stay in this office. My liking and motivation to persist and do my best has gradually degraded since the day I joined. Even my will-boosted and often faux interest to the work loads I've had and are currently dealing with seem to have reached half-life. Simply put, I am on the verge of resignation.

Why? Chiefly because this is not the ultimate goal that my psyche has constructed way back three years ago. I've known myself to be very persistent in most of my endeavors. Even if an attempt lacks interest to me but seems to be compelling, I'd boost myself to be enthused and do things well in as much as I'd do something of my liking. I think this is one attitude that kept me going in the past years (aside from the bigger starting salary I had then).

But recently, my batteries seem to be discharging faster than before....

Being in this company, I would say, is an endeavor of an amateur yuppy to have a quick satisfying taste of the wild world of corporate life, and to feel the sensation and enjoyment of withdrawing an above-average monthly salary from the passive ATM. I think that's very typical for most aspiring fresh grads - to eye for big-salary-giving companies. In this third world country, it's very common to put financial gain over the top of the priority list, even if one's passion is compromised. And I am guilty of that.

I decided to foray in the software industry (the sensible thing to do, given that I am a Computer Science graduate) partly because of my loved-ones, especially my parents, whom weren't very much supportive to my passion; and partly because of my being the eldest in an average middle-class family in a provincial town. My being a top student of my contemporaries was seen by my parents as a big advantage to land on a satisfying job and not using it to our benefit would seem to be wasteful (Well, they were just being practical, and I totally understood that. Besides, not all parents are "fortunate" to have an academically acclaimed child). Ultimately, I needed to decide; And I decided to give the software industry and this company a try....

I know I sound bitter telling all of this. Well, my life here [in this company] hasn't been all unpleasantly experienced. I have had my dose of good happenings too - I have good colleagues and a pleasant environment. I am even friends with some. It's just that, to blatantly aver my mere dismay, I am not anymore happy with what I am doing.

Well, I guess this is just a phase I need to deal with determination and conviction, with less compromises to burden. At the end of the day, when my resignation comes, I still need to decide on what to do next, 'cause that's what life's about - making decisions.

P.S.
If I would not have been employed by October of 2005, I would have been living my dream by now - teaching my students the best way I can! Then again, I would not be the person I am now if not for the things I have learned and experienced in my life as a software developer.
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My camera's home!

Yehey! Finally, I got my newly repaired digicam from the service center yesterday. I hope to experience no more glitches in the future with you. :D

A sample shot

Beer allergies!

Arrgh! I promise I won't drink beer again. It really pisses me off to have itchy skin that bumps and turns red when rubbed. I always get this side-effect from drinking beer/booze (Note: I only do social drinking and I do not over-indulge as to prevent intoxication). The one I am experiencing now is the worst! My skin is peeling from the former swollen areas that have just subsided. I abhor Red Horse beer from this day! And to the rest of the alcoholic bev clan, I'll just meet you, in sight! (Exception to the booze that I haven't tried, you are still pretty much welcome, but only on a "one shot" degree. No more, no less! Haha!)