(I Missed) My Bestfriend's Wedding

Matagal na kong di umaiiyak. Pero naiyak ako sa gitna ng usapang ito.

Naisip ko, bakit ko namiss kasal ng isa sa mga bestfriends ko? Eto yung pards ko. Yung me usapan kaming hindi magpapakasal. At nung nagpakasal sya, di ako nakapunta!

Mula sa "Busy" status ko sa YM, pinalitan ko ito ng "sorry pards, hindi ako nakapunta sa kasal mo. walang kwenta akong kaibigan ='("

abet (12/19/2007 11:08:54 AM): hows you fuck you?
abet (12/19/2007 11:09:00 AM): busy ka talaga?
ako (12/19/2007 11:09:20 AM): me kasamang fuck you?
ako (12/19/2007 11:09:31 AM): sorry pards di ako nakapunta sa wedding day mo
ako (12/19/2007 11:09:39 AM): maybe the most important day of your life
abet (12/19/2007 11:09:41 AM): check lang
ako (12/19/2007 11:09:46 AM): bwisit kase mga pusa :(
abet (12/19/2007 11:09:51 AM): marami naman kayong nakamiss e
abet (12/19/2007 11:09:52 AM): hehehe
ako (12/19/2007 11:10:07 AM): ambaho ng kwarto namen, tas nasa gitna kama namin isang kama lang pucha hirap matulog
abet (12/19/2007 11:10:07 AM): nagkaroon ba ng mega away after the pusa
abet (12/19/2007 11:10:09 AM): cat fight ba?
ako (12/19/2007 11:10:18 AM): oonga malamang madami kame namiss :(
ako (12/19/2007 11:10:32 AM): saan nag away?
abet (12/19/2007 11:10:47 AM): dahil sa pusa
abet (12/19/2007 11:10:53 AM): kanino bang ousa iyun
abet (12/19/2007 11:11:01 AM): at paano nakapasok sa kwartu ninyong nakasara?
ako (12/19/2007 11:11:17 AM): huh? wala naman nag away
ako (12/19/2007 11:11:22 AM): sino nag away? :))
abet (12/19/2007 11:11:37 AM): :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:11 AM): syet me ganun bang nakarating sa inyo?
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:18 AM): kase nagtaka ako nagtext si angku
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:30 AM): "i head what happened, hope everything is ok"
abet (12/19/2007 11:12:32 AM): anu text ni angku?
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:35 AM): parang huh?!
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:37 AM): :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:12:48 AM): naisip ko, coincerned lang sya na walang tutulugan
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:04 AM): me away away bang natsismis? :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:09 AM): ke papa john yung pusa
abet (12/19/2007 11:13:23 AM): wala naman
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:24 AM): pero ako hindi ko naisip na ke papa j kase hindi na yun lumalabas/pumapasok sa mga bintana
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:32 AM): pero sabi ni nick si momo daw yun
abet (12/19/2007 11:13:33 AM): naisip ko lang na malinis kasi kayo sa kwarto
abet (12/19/2007 11:13:39 AM): tapoas yung mga tao kasing ganun
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:43 AM): aaaah :))
abet (12/19/2007 11:13:44 AM): nanggegera pag may komosyon
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:49 AM): hahahaha
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:51 AM): :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:52 AM): di naman
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:57 AM): nanlumo lang kame
ako (12/19/2007 11:13:59 AM): hahahaha
abet (12/19/2007 11:14:09 AM): hahaha
abet (12/19/2007 11:14:12 AM): panlulumo na lang ang nagawa ninyo
abet (12/19/2007 11:14:49 AM): :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:14:59 AM): KURAK!
ako (12/19/2007 11:15:04 AM): tas diba kasal mo pa yun?!
ako (12/19/2007 11:15:13 AM): anong klase akong kaibigan?!?!?!?!?!?!?!
abet (12/19/2007 11:15:19 AM): okay lang
ako (12/19/2007 11:15:54 AM): sorry talaga
ako (12/19/2007 11:16:01 AM): hanggang ngayon magulo kwarto
ako (12/19/2007 11:16:04 AM): me editing kase
abet (12/19/2007 11:16:17 AM): well that's life
ako (12/19/2007 11:16:32 AM): alam mo naman pag me editing hindi nakakauwe
ako (12/19/2007 11:16:40 AM): SORRY TALAGA PARDS!!!!!!!!!!!! syet!!!!!!!!
ako (12/19/2007 11:16:41 AM): :(
abet (12/19/2007 11:16:42 AM): well
ako (12/19/2007 11:22:14 AM): sorry talaga
ako (12/19/2007 11:22:25 AM): saka belated happy birthday kay hash
ako (12/19/2007 11:22:45 AM): sila nick din ata naihian yung kama nila pero a day before naihian kama namen
abet (12/19/2007 11:22:47 AM): okay
ako (12/19/2007 11:22:48 AM): sad :(
ako (12/19/2007 11:23:05 AM): pards di ko maisip kung ano itsura mo, pero sana talaga hindi ka nagtatampo :(
abet (12/19/2007 11:23:14 AM): hindi
ako (12/19/2007 11:23:16 AM): sorry talaga! andami din kaseng edit kase magpapaski
abet (12/19/2007 11:23:16 AM): effort pa yun
ako (12/19/2007 11:23:19 AM): sorry talaga! andami din kaseng edit kase magpapasko
abet (12/19/2007 11:23:23 AM): i just dont care
ako (12/19/2007 11:23:30 AM): WWWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!! :((
ako (12/19/2007 11:23:51 AM): you dont care?! huwaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhh (imagine ynez veneracion crying)
abet (12/19/2007 11:24:26 AM): yeah
ako (12/19/2007 11:25:42 AM): uy grabe ang onti ng sagot mo
ako (12/19/2007 11:25:48 AM): so anongpakiramdam ng kasal na?
abet (12/19/2007 11:26:48 AM): masaya. and we shared it to our few guests nung wedding
abet (12/19/2007 11:26:51 AM): sa kanila na lang
ako (12/19/2007 11:27:24 AM): anong sa kanila nalang? yung kasal?
abet (12/19/2007 11:28:22 AM): uu
ako (12/19/2007 11:32:43 AM): :))
ako (12/19/2007 11:32:52 PM): nakakatawa ka pards!
abet (12/19/2007 11:33:16 PM): that's not new
ako (12/19/2007 11:33:30 PM):
qtalaga: mama, nakapunta ka ba nung bday/kasal ni abeth?
ako: hindi po qtalaga: nagtatampo sya, ayaw pa aminin
ako (12/19/2007 11:33:37 AM): :( ayaw mo lang umamin
abet (12/19/2007 11:34:45 AM): hindi nga ako nagtatampo
abet (12/19/2007 11:34:54 AM): that's too much caring for those who dont care
ako (12/19/2007 11:35:41 AM): :(
abet (12/19/2007 11:36:19 AM): yeah
ako (12/19/2007 11:36:26 AM): hindi naman sa we dont care e
ako (12/19/2007 11:36:32 AM): wala lang kameng tutulugan nun
ako (12/19/2007 11:36:41 AM): saka wala din kame pang time puro edit pa
ako (12/19/2007 11:36:54 AM): super ngarag pa talaga as in
ako (12/19/2007 11:37:07 AM): why would i miss your wedding day, diba? sorry talaga
abet (12/19/2007 11:37:19 AM): i dont why
abet (12/19/2007 11:37:21 AM): you just did
ako (12/19/2007 11:37:32 AM): sorry :(
ako (12/19/2007 11:37:46 AM): i know how important this day was to you
ako (12/19/2007 11:38:24 AM): no excuses na lang, sorry talaga, big time
:(
abet (12/19/2007 11:38:29 AM): yeah
ako (12/19/2007 11:43:09 AM): hindi ko din alam how to make it up to you, alam ko importante yun, and importante din sakin na makita kang kinasal, or atleast makita ka sa gabi ng kasal mo
ako (12/19/2007 11:43:17 AM): pero andaming nangyayari, konti lang ang oras
abet (12/19/2007 11:43:39 AM): i know
ako (12/19/2007 11:44:29 AM): hindi ko alam kung makakabawi pa ako ever dahil hindi naman sure kung ikakasal ka pa ulit
ako (12/19/2007 11:44:43 AM): suang sama lang din ng loob ko ngayon na nagtatampo ka
abet (12/19/2007 11:44:53 AM): hindi nga ako nagtatampo
ako (12/19/2007 11:44:58 AM): hindi ko narealize yung weight until now
ako (12/19/2007 11:45:28 AM): i mean akala ko di ka magtatampo, or anything
ako (12/19/2007 11:45:38 AM): hindi lang ako makaniwala na namiss ko nga yung kasal mo
ako (12/19/2007 11:45:43 AM): sorry talaga, ang lungkot
ako (12/19/2007 11:45:57 AM): hindi ko lang kaya na parang may tampo ka sakin or anything
ako (12/19/2007 11:46:28 AM): parang syet lagi ko sinasabi na sa mga tao na si abet, yung pards ko, yung parang bestfriend ko na lalaki pero hindi, etc
ako (12/19/2007 11:46:40 AM): tas parang wala akong kwentang kaibigan
ako (12/19/2007 11:46:43 AM): sorry talaga
ako (12/19/2007 11:46:57 AM): kahit hindi ka nagtatampo soirry talaga
ako (12/19/2007 11:47:00 AM): sorry pa rin
ako (12/19/2007 11:47:15 AM): hindi ko lang din naramdaman yung bigat, until ngayon na naka YM kita
ako (12/19/2007 11:47:26 AM): kahit di ka nagtatampo or anything sorry talaga =((
abet (12/19/2007 11:47:34 AM): okay lang
ako (12/19/2007 11:52:37 AM): i dont expect you to understand, sorry talaga...
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:37 AM): ikaw, anbaba naman ng expectation mo sa akin
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:42 AM): of course i understand
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:42 AM): may werk
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:43 AM): may pusa
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:43 AM): whats so mahirap to understand?
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:57 AM): hindi rin naman ako nakarating sa birthday mo dahil buntis si hasmin
abet (12/19/2007 11:53:58 AM): naintindihan mo naman
abet (12/19/2007 11:54:00 AM): okay lang yun no
ako (12/20/2007 12:00:12 PM): ok, kahit ok sayo, hindi ok sakin, esp it seemed na hindi naman talaga ok sa iyo.
ako (12/20/2007 12:00:19 PM): my birthday happens every year.
ako (12/20/2007 12:01:08 PM): thats no big deal... pero ayun lang...
ako (12/20/2007 12:01:23 PM): i mean, ok, you understand, but it's still not ok...

29 Nobyembre 2007

May meeting kame kanina sa Shangri-La Mall ng 1PM. Umalis kame sa QC ng 12:30, pagsakay namin ng taxi, ayaw kameng ihatid ng driver, sabi nya, meron na daw coup.

"Ha? Meron pong ano?!"

"Merong kudeta!"

Pinakinggan namen ang radyo nya. Nagkakagulo nga daw, si Sen. Trillanes, kasama si Gen. Lim. Hindi ko gaanong maintindihan. So tinext ko ang daddy ko. Sabi, nagwalk out daw sa trial sa Regional Trial Court si Sen. Trillanes at nagpa presscon sa Makati.

Pagdating namin sa meeting sa Shangri-La, pinauwi na daw ang mga offices sa Makati area. Ayon sa mga dumaan sa may Manila Peninsula, wala naman daw aksyon, pero madaming tao.

Bandang 5 ng hapon, nagbukas kame ng TV. Nakita namin kung gaano kadami ang media. Kung gaano kadami ang tao.

Nagulat ako, may tangke sa loob ng lobby ng Manila Peninsula. Sinong gumawa nun?! Bakit?! Ang apektado dun ay yung may ari ng Manila Pen, at yung mga guests. Nakakasindak naman yun.

Tapos sinakay nila sa bus na may rehas si Sen. Trillanes. Sabi, sinisiguro daw na hindi siya tatakas. I don't think gusto nya tumakas. Una, san siya pupunta. Pangalawa, senator sya, san nya gusto pumunta. At kung san man siya pupunta, madali siyang mahahanap. Pangatlo, wala naman siyang reklamo sa pagiging kulong niya.

Tapos pati ang media, hinuli? Bakit?!

Ang labo talaga. At ang gulo. Ang lungkot.

28 Days Before Christmas

Bernard put up the Christmas Decors today. I was inside the production room when I saw him hanging something on the door. It was a mistletoe, "Ma'am, Pasko na e". I smiled and felt warm. Bernard is a year younger than me, and he has two kids. I thought he must be a sweet father.

At around 5PM, I took a break from the computer and walked outside with my lighter and a stick of cigarette. I was amazed as I came to the sala/reception. There stood our 2-foot Christmas tree, standing tall. It was filled with golden balls and gleaming red ribbons. Its green lights flicker in the dark. I suddenly felt that it is Christmas!

Upgrade

On January 2 is my 2nd anniversary as an employee of a below-the-line advertising agency.

This is a very young company with young and talented creative team.

When I got here, there were only a PowerMac G5, which the Creative Director used, a Powerbook G4 which the GM used, and one PC, you know, Windows XP. Which I used.

Now there are 2 Powermac G4s - one is for the new Graphic Artist (who's only been here for 3 months or so), one is with a 12" LCD screen, and 3 powerful speakers, which the Creative Director uses.

There are 2 additional PCs for the admin staff and the new graphic designer, and the 'pioneering' PowerMac G5 and Powerbook G4, both used by the GM, since she also edits. The G5 now has 2 powerful speakers, and 2 matching amplifiers. And the PC, which I still use.

A lot has changed in the office, new paint, new chairs, new printer, new powerful speakers, etc. But my desk remained the same -- old pc, old phone, old white plastic speakers which have masking tape all over.

Just the other day, I had to take out a part of my PC table because its screws have been popping out for the last few months, because it's an old table. Maybe 3, 4 years old? The top level of the table (where you put the printer or fax machine or what have you) has been swaying since I got there. Also, when I started working there, the keyboard platform was missing! Not to mention that 3 of the 4 feet of my table have been replaced with small wood blocks. And oh, the keys in the keyboard have letters written on strips of paper, taped on the keys. But you know, if you look at my working area, it wouldn't seem so bad.I've a 17" flat screen, so it's actually ok.

Ive been dreaming of a Macbook. Acquire it from personal savings or from company incentives, loans, doesn't matter. But unfortunately, I can only save up for it if I don't eat and pay my bills. And I guess the company cannot afford to give/lend/loan it to some employee like me yet, it's 90K!

So there, I'm letting go of my Macbook fantasy. And don't be smart with me and ask me why I wouldn't ask for a new keyboard and/or a new table instead, I don't need them. My whole PC set up is perfectly functional.

But you know, the Macbook can do wonders for me, as a person, as an (ahem) artist. Haha. But it's too darn expensive! And oh, by the way, my PC at the apartment is still busted. Life.

Saving Face

I haven't watched TV for weeks now. Haven't read the papers, seen or heard the news. Plus,we brought our TV downstairs last Sunday for Nicky's videoke birthday party. We did not take it back until last night.

Nicky borrowed Angku's Globe 3G to be able to surf the net, so he was busy doing other stuff than watching TV. So we hauled our TV back upstairs, tuned in for news and voila! 80% of the GMA News' show was all about Arroyo's pagpapamudmod ng pera last Thursday in some Malacañang meeting. We tuned in to ABS-CBN and we saw the same thing. Literally, walang ibang laman ang balita. Save of course for the seemingly mandatory kidnap/rape/death/crime news in the program. Of course, though we did not get to watch/see/hear the news for long, we got the gist about the administration's new adventures.

Today, past lunch, Glorietta unfortunately faced a tragic explosion. Our messenger was on his way back to the office from Makati at that time and he sent an SMS to our admin personnel that he's stuck in a really bad traffic.

A few minutes later, my officemates were talking about it already. They were even searching the net for photos of the said 'bombing'. One officemate was even chatting with her mom over YM, while her mom was relaying what's on the news at the moment. A friend sent me an SMS, saying that it was probably another cruel admin plot. Saying that it was a way to upstage the other news (which was ang pamumudmod ni Gloria ng pera).

For me, my friend's assumption (that the government had anything to do with it) perfectly made sense, but if there's any truth to it, 2 were dead and 70 were injured, and it's a very cruel way to save face.

05 October 07

It's been raining and i love the rain, so I've been happy these days. :)

I wish I could have the real leisure to write more, especially when something nice happens in a day. To remind me that life sucks, but it is generally good.

I'm meeting my cousin later, bonding time! And then I'm going to my high school friend's lola's wake. Tsk.

Smell you later! ;-)

Goodbye, Dwight.

Today, Dwight, our Company's admin personnel for two years, said goodbye to everyone. He's flying to Dubai on Monday to find his luck.

We knew the news only this Monday. We though it was sudden, and our GM felt a little bad that Dwight told us only now. Good thing GM was able to find a replacement in no time. But still, turning over all the files, the contact numbers of suppliers, clients etc., takes time. But yet again, we cannot do anything about it now.

GM ordered pizza at Yellow Cab so we can have a lunch get together. It was quiet. There were a few questions to Dwight that he answered very briefly, like "what are your plans when you get there?" and "are you excited?" He looked a bit sad, especially Bernard, our messenger, who's been with him all throughout.

When I got here one year and eight months ago, there were only been five regular employees. Now, there are seven, counting the two new graphic artists. We were never close, Dwight and I. But still, the thought that one of my officemates is leaving quite saddens me.

When he said goodbye, he couldn't look into our eyes. He looked a bit flushed, even. Saying goodbye has always been hard. But it's a fact of life. People come in and out of other people's lives. That's a fact.

Goodbye, Dwight. Take care and I wish you the best of luck!

Too busy to post

I've been busy for the past few weeks because of the following occurrences:

August 11, we went to the annual Graphika Manila, our 2nd time. Our GM realized that it's time to work on our departmental thingies, so, I had to be 'busy'.

August 13-18, working on departmental thingies, meetings, etc

August 19, it's Amrei's birthday on August 20 so I had to 'organize' a birthday celebration. I did the food, with baked oysters and cocktail hotdogs on stick with marshmallows and pineapple chunks. Everyone got drunk, it was great.

August 20, a holiday, the day after Amrei's birthday celebration, so we had to clean up the house, and sober up the whole day.

August 22, our office hired two new graphic artists, so we have to be 'busy'.

August 24-26, Our friend Laura invited us to join her in selling stuffs at the Coffee Break Island Booth at the 3rd Arts and Music Festival at Megatrade Hall 3 last weekend so we had to prepare our stuff and all.

August 26, we went to Divisoria last weekend (before closing our booth at the Megatrade) to do some long-been-planned "shopping". Great finds!

This week, we are editing an Awards Night AVP, deadline is tomorrow, still have a lot of things to do, so yeah, I hope I'll have time to pick up my laundry and sleep.

I am a C Traveler. Shite.

My Lakbayan grade is C!

How much of the Philippines have you visited? Find out at Lakbayan!

Created by Eugene Villar.

I'm going back to Boracay this September, but since I'm a C Traveler, I think I'd better go somewhere in Mindanao instead, to make my grade higher. Haha. Goodluck. Airfare's expensive.

Yes, these walls did talk

(Note: to see the photos, click on linked text :) )

On November 2005, I was visiting my friend Amrei's office when they have decided to repaint and do a make over project to the office. One day, near the end of the month, I walked into the office's living room-like waiting area with drawings on the wall. Two huge figures of what seemed to be Amrei, and Teks' (an officemate) caricatures. Amrei's caricature had its arms over her head, no shirt with X marks on the nipples. Teks' caricature was sitting on a toilet bowl, with stretched arms and wearing only polka-dotted panties, with the words "future rockstah". There were small drawings of other people. Their officemates - Dwight, the admin officer, answering a telephone call, and Bernard, the messenger/utility, holding a plastic of pancit with the bubble "Naku, Ma'am" There were drawings of some of their friends too - June, Tek's then girlfriend, a tutor, in front of a blackboard. Aileen, Amrei's ex-gilfriend, with her new boyfriend, in front of their car. And me, the frequent visitor. I was wearing a sleeveless top with a star on the middle. I was smoking, with humongous sunglasses and arm bangles. With a bubble that said a lot. Haha.

The office repainting was scheduled a few days after that first set of vandalism. Dec 03, 2005 to be exact. But it was postponed and postponed again for different reasons. So everyone who went to the office would be 'asked' to write something on the wall.

I was formally hired by the company on January 02, 2006, and I wrote "Lugao, Tokwa" as I was then a vegetarian and there was a nearby Lugawan in the office for a midnight food trip. Teks draw a scoreboard somewhere on top with "Vital Tunggels" scoring high, since now, officially, we have outnumbered the boys in the company where there were only five regular employees of two boys, and now, three lesbians.

Someone wrote "Cherifur is bad!" because she apparently did not become taller drinking Cherifer but instead, gained weight. Someone wrote "Jay Manalo was here!" -- a Balikbayan friend who watched Feng Shui for a dose of the current Philippine Cinema. My friend Mei wrote "Karl hart Mei". Mei is the manager of Sand Lady (formerly Slow Dive) who was then with Karl, the guitarist.

Eduardo Roy, or Edong to many, a filmmaker-friend, wrote "Ang Pinakamahabang Short Film" as mockery of his short film "Ang Pinakamahabang One Night Stand" while editing this film in the office. Manix Abrera, a long-time friend, was asked by the company to do the illustrations for a client's activity book, drew his famous punk character in his Kikomachine comics strip saying "Asteeg!"

Some of our orgmates drew funny caricatures and wrote funny one-liners like "Bakit may gloves si Bugs Bunny", or "Ipaghihiganti ko si Erik ~ Vina Morales", after Erik Morales lost to his match with Manny Pacquiao. Then after Mo Twister's controversial interview with Borgy Manotoc, someone added "♥ Borgy Manotoc" after Vina's name.

On September 2006, Teks and June broke up. June wrote so many heart-felt excerpts from her poems to the wall. Most of these, most probably, were things that she couldn't tell Teks directly. But the walls did became a concrete medium to voice out such love notes.

You see, there was so much fun, memories, and history written all over these walls. They were un-edited, honest and spur of the moment thoughts. Some drawings and words were really naughty and not for the faint of heart. They were relaxing, releasing and liberating, They were real, strong and hard-hitting. Everyone enjoyed writing to our accidental freedom wall. I mean, you can't easily find a wall to write on, right? A freedom wall to its truest sense.

Then yesterday, one year and eight months later than planned, the walls were finally painted with fresh, warm colors. Colors that suddenly covered the sensored drawings. Beautiful hues that hid the sadness and painful truths.

Though prepared, I was in awe when I walked in to room 201. I even chose the colors green and yellow for the walls. But I was still so surprised to see these really pretty new walls. There was even a dramatic red floor light going on. I sat on the couch and looked at the wall. It was empty, but pretty. Nothing like a freshly painted wall in yellow. Then suddenly, inch by inch, I traced the drawings that were once there. The words that touched. The funny lines that comforted. I was a bit saddened, but then again, I thought, this is a start of a new history. Of (literally) brighter days. I saw something so pretty, so clean, innocent. I saw fresh. This is anew.

We couldn't allow walk-in clients before for the walls were untidy. But now we can. And if these walls did talk, maybe now, it will not. But it will exude interesting vibes. We are a creative agency. And now, with this big move to finally erase our naughty nature, I can say that we are ready to be more competitive. We are ready to move on, and we have matured.

Maybe years from now, the wall will again be a big canvass for our creative and naughty stints. But for now, the wall will just be beautiful, and clean, and all grown up. Goobye writings on the wall, until next time.

the small stapler

Last night at 8pm, we dropped by at National Bookstore Quezon Avenue to buy a small stapler. Just a small stapler.

Of course you can't be in a bookstore and not check out the other 'supplies'.

So we ended up buying a cutting mat, an 18x24 white board, its eraser and marker, a roll of kraft paper, nylon strings, a brown and a green pen, and Entrepreneur magazine, and oh, that small stapler, which, as I had planned to buy, should be in black color. But since the store is already closing, I did not have time to look for the black stapler, so I got the common red stapler.

Our total bill amounted to Php 1,110.50, where, the stapler -- our primary 'to buy' supply -- is only Php 37.75. A lot of random and compulsive buying, but a lot of fun too!

Hoorah for the small stapler!

What Kind of Girl Am I?

Today, I'm wearing green. And I used my vintage bag. Not a purse.

What Your Green Outfit Means

Having a unique style of dress is quite important to you. You're a bit of an oddball, but you're also very friendly. No worries - people find your eccentricities charming! Designer match: Diane Von Furstenberg Signature accessory: A vintage purse

How Your Favorite Outfit Tells What Kind of Girl You Are

I know I'm abnormal, did not know just how much.

You Are 20% Abnormal

You are at low risk for being a psychopath. It is unlikely that you have no soul. You are at low risk for having a borderline personality. It is unlikely that you are a chaotic mess. You are at low risk for having a narcissistic personality. It is unlikely that you are in love with your own reflection. You are at low risk for having a social phobia. It is unlikely that you feel most comfortable in your mom's basement. You are at medium risk for obsessive compulsive disorder. It is somewhat likely that you are addicted to hand sanitizer.

How Abnormal Are You?

My 'Brain Lateralization Test Results'

Out of boredom and curiousity, Itook this quiz. Again, another quiz.

Brain Lateralization Test Results

Right Brain	||||||||||||	50%
Left Brain	||||||||||||	50%

Left brain dominant individuals are more orderly, literal, articulate, and to the point. They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right brain dominant individuals are more visual and intuitive. They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization, and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

Overall you appear to have fairly Equal Hemispheres

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According to Darwinian theory, optimal evolution takes place with random variation and selective retention. The evolution savvy individual will try many different approaches when faced with a problem and select the best of those approaches. Many historical intellectuals have confessed their advantage was simply considering/exploring/trying more approaches than others. The left brain dominant type suffers from limited approaches, narrow-mindedness. The right brain dominant type suffers from too many approaches, scatterbrained. To maintain balanced hemispheres, you need to exercise both variability and selection. Just as a company will have more chance of finding a great candidate by increasing their applicant pool, an individual who considers a wider set of options is more likely to make quality decisions.

follow up on that quiz

I searched for other L Word-related quizzes in quizilla - where I took that quiz. And this time I took this one and I suddenly became Jenny. Hehe. Interesting. But most questions are give aways. And I don't like the way this quiz projects Shane. How rude. You'll see.

Took this twice, same result.

I was hoping I was Alice. Haha.

Which L Word Character are you?

Shane - You're fun and exciting; but a little distant. You never get too connected wherever you go; but you are able to let your friends know that they are important to you without tying yourself down. Truth is you're afraid to get too attached because when it comes to love who knows what will happen; don't be so afraid. Other than that everythings cool; you do things your own way and encourage people to do things their own way too. Take this quiz! Quizilla | Join | Make A Quiz | More Quizzes | Grab Code

Addicted to Blog

There was a time that just coudn't get enough of the internet. Of surfing. Of the YM. And of blogging.

I believe it was around June 2005 when my friend Starsi taught me about blogging. Initially, my reaction was "what blogging?!" Haha. Anyway, he kinda briefed me that blogging is like an online journal, and if you know some HTML, you could actually personalize your blog, like an own website, etc., etc. And since I (used to) love writing as I aspired to be part of the prestigious Kule, I thought, well yeah, why not?

Aside from my Kule frustration (though I never got to take an exam anyway, because I heard that it was really hard passing it), I was into theatre, I had a band, I did hostings for concerts and events, and I was a gig maniac (counterpart of a party animal - only that I didn't party, I went to musical performances), I did a lot of artsy things, went to a lot of places, etcetera, so there was one helluva lot of things to write about. Also, at that time, I was a fresh grad bumming around, so I had a lot of time to write.

A techno idiot that I was (and still am, I think) Starsi guided me, through YM (yes, just like a tech support) on where and how to create a blog account, and some basic HTML to get me started.

You can choose a layout from the defaults.
How? Where?
You can change the background if you like.
How?
You can change the color of the fonts, the title, the header, etc., etc.
How?
How?
How?
And oh, Starsi, what's a photo host?

I forgot how my friends knew about my blog, or how I knew about theirs (maybe we knew because 2005 was a time when 'blogging' was 'hot'), but little by little, we would talk about how to persobalize blogs. Though I still don't know until now what CSS means, I was able to edit my 'CSS' setting and was able to create my first ever blog account at blogdrive.com.

I kinda worked hard to make a seamless background, I thought up of categories to use to make a multiple account. Since blogdrive did or still does not have a more user-friendly sidebar, I had to manually input the links, text and recent post titles to make my ex-blog 'interactive'. Sometimes I would be up all night blogging.

As you can see on the lower part of the side bar, I was able to report my gig hopping almost every week, though there were still a lot of gigs that I was not even able to mention. Also, as you can see on the June 2005 archives, a lot of titles are purely creative writing. Until I lost my time on October 2005 and then I was gone. I came back on October 2006, a whole long year after, only to report that I was stranded in Bacolod.

I will tell you next time why I was gone.

Anyway, on October 2005, I lost my time. On October 2006, I lost my wit. And still losing it. Today, I lost my thoughts. Haha.

I want to write about a lot of things but I can't. Probably because now, I have a job (which I also mentioned in another entry), or because I am slowly becoming dumb and dumber by the day. Or maybe because my work actually requires a lot of brain cells, and taking up much space in my mind that I can't seem to focus on writing something creative.

But I still want to 'blog'.

There are times when I would sit in front of the PC and start writing, but something would come up that better needed my attention. Or I would start writing and stop. Because I did not like the way I was going with my article. Or I would want to write, but I had no time. Or I was busy. Or I would want to write, but I was at home and my home PC's busted. So I would list up all the things that I would write about, then forgot about them. Or I would want to write but I couldn't. I just couldn't.

Now, I am saving up (well, just trying) for a laptop, and hopefully, when I finally get a laptop, I will be able to write when I want to, when I need to, and when I thought of something good to write about. No delays. No worries. Then I will be able to hone my (little) writing skill again, because practice makes better.

Here's a list of things that I have always thought of writing about (and posting pictures of):
- my quantum experience + shopping day
- my dreadlocks
- my new sandals, headset and shades
- Lolita
- the Bicol experience
- the Camsur Watersports Complex fun
- the other travels - Boracay, Bacolod, Pagudpod, Dagupan, Baguio etc
- Panagbenga Festival 2007
- Family Baguio trip 2007
- and a whole lot more.

Don't you worry, altum viditur, you will be back! With a better workstation (a laptop!) and a better focus. I will not run out of things to blog and so I will blog more and I will blog wisely! (please read previous line as if giving a ra-ra speech!)

Now that I'm saying all these things, I might as well face it, I'm addicted to blog.

.

Dumb and dumber

I used to write. A lot. I used to think. A lot.

Now I just don't or I just can't.

Maybe because now, I have a 9-6 job sometimes 9-12 or

Everytime I think of something good to write, or write about, something comes

Maybe because my pc at home is busted and I can only use my office pc when

When I start writing, I always run out of words to

See what I mean? Darn it. I'm getting dumb and dumber by the day.

Hey, I'm not even sure if I used the terms correctly... lemme see...

dumb /dʌm/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[duhm] –adjective
1. lacking intelligence or good judgment; stupid; dull-witted.
2. lacking the power of speech (often offensive when applied to humans): a dumb animal.
3. temporarily unable to speak: dumb with astonishment.
4. refraining from any or much speech; silent.
5. made, done, etc., without speech.
6. lacking some usual property, characteristic, etc.
7. performed in pantomime; mimed... etc

Yeah. Right.

Definitions from Dictionary.com

Gender Role Inventory Test

Just for fun, I tried this one. I took one of these tests in another website a few years back, and a few years back, I was "DEFINITELY A MAN!" now I am just Androgynous. Big improvement. haha.

Your Score: Androgynous

You scored 80 masculinity and 63 femininity!

You scored high on both masculinity and femininity. You have a strong personality exhibiting characteristics of both traditional sex roles.

take it here: The Bem Sex Role Inventory Test

Oh by the way, why The Matrix?

And here is my tickle.com gender test result, where I am "somewhat more masculine than other women." Tsk.

.

FRENCH MUSIC FESTIVAL FETE DELA MUSIQUE 2007

June 23, 2007
Malate, Manila

UNIVERSAL STAGE
(Rajah Sulayman Stage, infront of Roxas Blvd.)

feat.: orange and lemons, stonefree, salamin,
cynthia alexander, radioactivesagoproject,
up dharma down, mayonnaise, the dawn, alibata, mojolfy,
wake up your seatmate, snakecharmer, lala,
kadangyan,slapshock,the bloomfields and many more!

ROCK STAGE
(Remedios Circle, malate manila)

feat.: chicosci, sin, badburn, moyg,
intolerant, hampaslupa, boyelroy, hilera,
greyhoundz, cog,valley of chrome,kapatid,
join the club, ressurected, typecast,
the ambassadors, check, analog, end of man,
mortal fear, el mercurio, pin up girls,
ducks entertainment, the wuds,
vox de murk, redd boy, eternal now,
severo, effinboiche, reklamo, dirty stone
yard, giniling festival, april morning
skies, subscapular, queso

WORLD STAGE
(NAKPIL ST. COR. MA.OROSA ST.)

feat.: peryodiko, taken by cars, day
dream clycle, drip, makatha, cosmic love,
switch, salindiwa, milagros dance hall collective,
the chongkeys, the rinka collective,
bagetsafonik, paramita, 4mh, jeepney joyride,
blue rats, the spaceflower show, jerome rico,
sound, wahijuara, brass munkeys,
bembol rockers, coffee break island,
swissy, outerhope, ang bandang shirley,
blazing bulalakaw, juan pablo dream,
musical orgasm, pinikpikan, spy, skabeche,
johnny alegre affinity, sino sikat

HIPHOP STAGE
(nakpil ct. cor adriatico st.)

feat.: sinag, nimbusnine, krazykyle,
slick n sly kane/mista blaze, corporate lo-fies,
audible, syke, pamilia dimagiba, chilitees,
out of body special, mobbstarr,jay flava, miscellaneous,
stick figgaz, the expansion team, urban outlaws,
artstrong, dash & esp, monique with metagrove,
ill-j, 2tay, peoples future, flipballz, aero,
ampon, los indios bravoz, diwata, mike apartment,
dcoy/the franchize/sunny blaze, nathan j,
cirkulo pugantes, mh crew

Matilda @ Sharky's Timog on June 9

Matilda, one of my most favorite all-female bands will be playing at Sharky's Timog on June 9. They are my good friends too. Be there to experience this great gig!

The Phoenixes

The Phoenix is a feathered specie that is fabled to be one of its kind. It has a gorgeous plumage that never fades even over hundreds of years, it can survive longer than any nation in the Arabian dessert, and then burns itself to rise up from its ashes with renewed youth and live another series of centuries. Mythical but definitely splendid.

He was a Phoenix. Everyone envied him for he was beautiful. He always got all the sweet deals. Life was really easy on him, he just made it difficult. He would certainly be a tale. And his tale would be told and retold for years. And he, a Phoenix, would live on.

He was famed because he was a Phoenix, or because he came from a family of Phoenixes. A renowned doctor for a father, an elegant mother, a genius brother and a lovely sister. What his friends lacked, he surely had. Whoever said that "birds of the same feathers flock together" is definitely wrong.

I said the Unicorn is equally astounding. Legendary for its form, with magical properties on its twirled single horn, usually magnificently white and bright, flies graciously, a charger in the Arm. Remarkably fabled on legendary battles.

Everyone in the crowd wanted to be the Phoenix. I wanted to be the Unicorn. But bad news for me, they say, I am a Phoenix too.

Many times that I dared to emerge from my ashes. Many times that I was envied and my beautifully colored feathered precious back stabbed. Many times that I got what I wanted. Life was also easy on me, I just made it difficult. Many times that my tale has been told, and retold. And I would live on.

What happens when two phoenixes meet? A smorgasbord of spiteful and amused eyes. A feast of smoldering stories, of vivid circumstances. A very mighty combination of two birds of a rare specie, the envy of the ones who wanted to be with a phoenix, and the secret loathing of some who wanted to be the phoenix. A romance of two beautiful birds, gleeful with every flail of their wings, flying past over everyone in the Arabian desert.

Sure, two phoenixes finding each other in the throng is already a star on its own. Being happy together makes it a supernova. This tale would definitely live on for gazillion years. But whoever said that "birds of the same feathers flock together" is definitely wrong.

Two phoenixes soaring in the dessert sky would do the trick for them to just fly and be happy for hundreds of years. But in the city sky where there is nothing but the weather and pollution would really tire them flying above everyone else and they would want to be less self-important. And would rather not flock together.

Even before burning up to my ashes and rejuvenating, I have already realized that his friends were far better than him in terms of priority, romances, relationships, life, and love. Because they were not phoenixes who are colorful creations of The Gods so they strive for flying colors and Aces. They were not phoenixes who could live for ages so they knew the worth of time. Most importantly, they were not phoenixes who could rise up from their ashes to pass up from good friends, or family, and they knew the value of love. They were not phoenixes who always had the leisure and the second, and the next chances in their lifetimes.

How I envied these non-phoenix creatures so much. Maybe they would not have tales to their names to be told and retold but they would absolutely live on. And their loved ones would exalt their names. I wish he wasn't a phoenix. I wish I was never a phoenix myself. Because you know what happens when two phoenixes meet? They still burn up to their ashes, together.


The Phoenixes @ Peyups.com

My New Pencil Case and Micro SD

We did our grocery at Eunilaine yesterday and I impulsively bought a 39-peso pencil case, that's actually a small clutch bag. I made it my new personal (hygeine) effects kit. I am so happy, I've been wanting to replace my tribu mesh bag for so long.

This afternoon, Amrei and I had lunch at SM North and went to Cyberzone to canvass for a laptop, or, if my discipline would help me save money, I would like a Macbook/iBook best. Then we thought, maybe I should finally buy a Micro SD for my 3250 phone. I've been using this phone for about half a year now, but have never used its mp3 and video player features because my phone memory could only store up to four mp3s and 13 photos! It was ok with me, anyway I wasn't really particular with mobile phone accessories.

But I never thought that having a memory card is so much fun. I downloaded two pretty themes from the internet and currently searching for games!

My new pencil case and micro SD card made me so happy today.

Simple joys from simple things.

Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo

Dear Friends,

Please support Nick Olanka's film, "Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo." You may repost this in your blogs. If you want a digital copy of the poster, you may grab it from the photos section. Thanks!

Cinemalaya presents a VitalStrats Creative Solutions production in cooperation with Red Door Productions

A Nick Olanka film

"Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo".

Ang Huling Araw ng Linggo spans a week in a life of seven individuals with interconnected narratives. Domeng is involved in networking or multi-level marketing business and plans to encourage his estranged daughter Luna to join in this unscrupulous business. Luna is abandoned by her husband and son so she asks help from her mother Aling Tess. Aling Tess is a land lady who lives alone and fancies a young male boarder named Kulas. Kulas is a grocery store employee who aspires to become a store manager to impress Julie. Julie is a laundry shop attendant who is obsessed with a male costumer named Brian. Brian is a nurse in a local hospital who wants to work abroad so he persuades his girlfriend Sally to provide for his "fixer" fees. An accounting graduate who failed to pass the board exam for two consecutive years, Sally enters Domeng's networking business in the hopes of proving her worth. When she found out that networking is a scam Sally plans to take revenge on Domeng. The film illustrates the interconnectedness of our lives, a cycle of random events in which the decisions we make are as important as the choices we didn't take.

About the Director

NICK JOSEPH OLANKA is a graduate of Film and Audio Visual Communication from the UP College of Mass Communication in Diliman. He has taken workshops in cinematography, photography and theater. For the UP Repertory Company, he directed Damas de Noche, Haplos ng Dahas, Sa Ngalan ng Ama, Sino Ba Kayo, New Yorker in Tondo, Parokyano and Ang Paglilitis Ni Mang Serapio. In film and video, he was director, writer and producer of Lunes ng Hapis, Happy Birthday Millie and Drive. He worked as production assistant for FILMEX under his summer internship program in 2004. His short film Lunes ng Hapis won the 2005 Kodak Film School Competition and was the Philippine entry for the Asia-Pacific Kodak Film School Competition 2006.

Production Staff

Writer/Director: Nick Joseph Olanka
Assistant Director: Emman Pascual
Production Manager: Gavin Herrera
Director of Photography: Pao Pangan
Editor: Amrei Dizon
Musical Score: Nani Naguit
Production Design: Roma Regala and Armi Cacanindin
Sound Design: Raffy Magsaysay
Post House: VitalStrats Creative Solutions

What is Grass Green

We got this project to layout a golf ball box. The project brief that I got said that the main color should be "grass green" but apparently, the person who gave me the brief, did not know what grass green exactly looks like. She noted "...(hindi ko alam kung anong shade ng grass green, yun lang ang sabi ng client. Please find out nalang)". So I 'googled' "GRASS GREEN COLOR" and hit a site for the colorblind. There were various greens, including grass green, in a table that shows the shade, the name, the decimals, and the "hex" (whatever that is), and the "co#". I tried to enter the 'hex' numbers in the pantone number box in Photoshop and voila! The same supposed-grass-green-color from the website appeared on the color picker preview.

But I was not impressed, of course, I mean, it wont hurt to look for another "grass green" testimonial. So I chose another link from my googled links.

I was directed to the Blogthings. It greeted me with "What kind of Green Are You?" Of course, this was definitely not what I was looking for. But hey, it wont hurt to have a little fun as well. So I answered the questions and ticked on my answers. After the 'quiz', you know what it told me?

You Are Grass Green

Down to earth and a bit of a hippie, you are very into nature and the outdoors. You accept the world and people as they are. You don't try to change things. You are also very comfortable with yourself, flaws and all. Optimistic about the future, you feel like life is always getting better.

Funny, right? I mean, I could've been a light green, or a yellow green, or a moss green. But no! I am a grass green! Just when I was wondering 'what is grass green?'.

So I stopped looking for the color grass green. Because hey, what am I looking for? I am grass green.

Actually, I'm just making sense of a coincidence. But still coincidentally, it said that I am a bit of a hippie! No proof! Hehe)

A Twisted Love Affair

Yesterday was EMC2 Fraternity and UP CE's night at the UP Fair. The line up was still as fab as before. And like all the past Schizofairnias, I emceed the night again before the DJs from the sponsor radio station came.

Though i only emceed for like 3 hours, I felt so tired. And I am still tired. Hehe. So I'll finish this entry after I've rested, ok?

Will post photos and stories as soon as I find time.

Random Lunacy @ Wilfredo's

It's been a long time since I've seen my friends Jovi, Charms, Meh, Yvette, and Coi, collectively known as Matilda, play. Partly beacuse I was absent on their January 13 gig at Purple Haze and Freedom Bar because of the World Pyro Exhibit. And mostly because I haven't been watching gigs a lot lately.

Last night, I was happy to see Matilda back, (a)live and better than ever. It's just sad that Coi wasn't there because she's been said to bepracticing for her upcoming recital (April 13, marked!).

Anyway, there were around 10-12 bands. Half of them, I never heard of until last night. Half of them I knew (and my close friends) since college -- Kiko Machine (I hosted both of their album launches), The Brew (hosted their album launch too, had the chance to interview Mr. RA Rivera), Aizo (one of my most favorite bands), Chubibo (the Chubiboys and the Chubibabe), and of course Matilda (hosted their demo launch too, and Meh's bday.)

The other half were (I'll try my best to enumerate all the band names that I can remember) Pentavia, Saffron Speedway (I'm really sorry I said Saffron Subway -- in that hosting stint), 7 days up (or 7 high up? or up high 7? day 7 up? Oh dear..I'm so poor with names), and Descant Gott. I was out there somewhere most of the time, drinking beer or chatting with the other bands, that's why I can't remember the other bands' names. But what the heck, the show was good, in general.

And oh, part of the show was Charm's bday celeb. Belated happy birthday Charms!

My First Rock Story

January 19, 2007. Kublai's Katipunan.

The UP Underground Music Community presents My First Rock Story - some kind of a fundraising event for a school in Katipunan. Nice show. Nice cause. Nice to see my old friends again.

Will post photos and stories as soon as I find time.

Aizo, La Passionaria @ 6UG

I've been gone. For a long time. Haven't seen gigs. Haven't been around to party. I never realized it until Janji said "Good evening po, kami po ang Aizo. Ito pong buong set namin, para kay Roma, kasi ang tagal nyang nawala!"

Imagine, dati, isang song lang ang dinededicate sakin ng mga band friends ko. Ngayon, sa tagal kong 'nawala', isang set na ang katumbas! Where have I been?

Will post photos and stories as soon as I find the time.