Loving It

To vie away from my usual post of me being tired, let me share a partial list of things that I love.


I love YM and MSN - rantings, ravings and everything in between.

I love StumbleUpon - the best firefox extension. Channel surf to your heart's delight.

I love LOST - unexpected all the way.

I love Desperate Housewives - Gab, Edie and Bree. What's not to like?

I love WMP Skins - ano na sa boring?

I love Tiger's Chicken Foccacia Sandwich - never had a problem with airplane food being that I also love eating military food rationed in sun protected brown bags. i'm so low profile!!!

I love Mini Chocobons - a definite must-have on a depressing day.

I love Cafe Provencal - in search of the best chicken sandwich, we stumbled upon this restaurant. Everything from the appetizer down to the refreshing fruit and milkshakes is a must.

I love Quiapo - From Mp3s to DVDs... (Jencarps!)

I love My Eyeglasses - the lightweight, nearly unbreakable glasses that I used to have broke in less than a year...and expensive it was. Now, I'm sporting a much more comfortable pair priced at just about a third of my plastic ones. Great find.

I love Becky's Kitchen - one of the best finds when I was still a kid and remains to be one of my favorites.

I love P2P - possiblilities...endless.

I love Unlimited Texting

I love the Holidays - makes you feel warm and gooey on the inside.

I love Horlicks - malt candies long gone.

I love French Baker's Chicken Caesar Salad - the chicken sandwich taste I'm looking for without the buns.

I love Big Boy, Tarzan's, Bazooka Joe, and Texas - remains to be the best tasting gums.

One Month Gone

Selle aside, most of my blogger friends have had no recent posts. Interesting that when I finally got broadband at 'dial-up'speed, I haven't been blog-hopping or posting at all. And when I finally decided to post a new entry, it's been exactly one month since my previous post.

It's been a few-three days with the weather so cold. And I'm missing rmh and msn. I wonder why. I'm feeling nostalgic, I went back to reading my entries from my previous blog and I can truly say that so much has happened. I remember heading to work at 11am, furiously checking my break schedule and desperately looking for an extra chair to sit my friend (either emj or jencarps) to join me in my misery of supporting over the phone. Starbucks is an everyday menu and staying long after my shift is over is never questioned.

Anyway, as of today, still loving my work. I'm already at the backrow of our 'mala-comelec' office. Have already watched the 4th installment of the Harry Potter series along with most of my co-QCs. Loving Grey's Anatomy. Have already watched every episode of the second season of Desperate Housewives and have also been forever banned playing the mafia boss. Sad.

A Night at Work

Just as I no longer remember how to generate the tv trends report that I used to do, many years from now, I will no longer remember what I'm currently doing. Thus, here is my desktop immortalized.

I'm actually listening to a particularly long call, feeling bored, this idea came along. Jencarps, wag mag-react. Nothing contrived about the picture. I was actually also surprised that there was not even one internet explorer or firefox browser open. And it only means one thing...I'm trying hard to catch up on work. Hehehe.

Notice my wallpaper, this usually changes every week as I get bored easily. I also changed almost every icon into funny icons that I got from iconfactory to hide the fact that tons of responsibility lie behind each one.

Oh and by the way, eversince Jencarps' violent reaction on Ever After, I've decided to stop listening to it and I'm loving Pon de Replay now...though a couple of months delayed.

Friday Night

I declared an 11pm shift last friday which gives me an ample amount of time to do what needs to be done before working. Em-J and I decided to have our long overdue haircut at the Podium, being that it's the one nearest to our office. Imagine, tons of clients, one stylist around...hence, my "natipos" look. He didn't even bother to ask me what I really wanted. I was asking for a catalogue when he abruptly cut me and said that they don't have one. Armed with a pair of scissors, he snipped away while also attending to the person beside me. Right after, I asked the receptionist if they had a catalogue, and not surprisingly they do have one. Probably one of my worst haircuts ever. The nearby palengke parlor would have fared better.

After waiting for Em-J to finish, we rushed to the office to meet Pau for our 40-year Old Virgin date. We arrived at the Shang 5 minutes after 10 and the ticket booth closed. We then resigned ourselves to have dinner at Gloria Maris. A not too bad alternative...until our orders took to long to arrive and the Japanese Siomai that I so craved came topped with carrot bits!!! Anyway, despite the hassles, it was still a lovely evening. We then headed to work and quickly finished what needs to be done...trackers and all.

John Emmanuel on the other hand is another matter. Again, I do not wish to elaborate but he continually surprises me...a true work of art and I am being sarcastic.

Repost

of text messages and jencarps

boat means pareho. lather is ung partner ng former. bets are small pieces. the girl focus on quality. the boy, he's more to the process. by the way, my name is ... to those who haven't known. we are actually started.

this is a reprint of a text message i recently received.


Was going back in time by reading my previous blog when I saw this post...can't help but smile! I miss those days!

...I'm becoming too sentimental. Why do I have to be so gloomy today?

Pay Offs

There are things that pay off, there are those that don't. Everything is indeed a gamble and being that I've never been lucky in gambling, it almost equates to the game of life. I wish to elaborate but I hesitate because I don't want this to be too dramatic.

Monday Morning

I've never felt better...it's been just a drag the past couple of weeks. Nothing's changed really...in fact this week has got to be the start of one of my most hectic weeks at work with three major activities in line on top of my regular load and still without a partner. You'd probably read about it here in the future but as of now, I choose not to think about it.

Woke up today listening to "I Can See Clearly Now" upon the advice of Shobe that she downloaded from "lemonwire" hahaha! I think it has helped with my sunny perspective today. Another song that I've been listening to this early morning is Bonnie Bailey's Ever After...a song that we constantly listened to during our Singapore trip. It makes me wanna dance although everybody knows that my dancing prowess has been a constant source of Em-J's amusement.

Moving

It's been barely 6 months but let me just say that I've moved stations 5 times already. The rest of the QA Team will be moving to another floor next week so that leaves our team to this training room ala Comelec...another impending move? Let me also say that moving stations is not as simple as it seems. Apart from moving everything from the monitor to the pedestals and finally to stealing networks, it also entails a lot of drama. Believe me. What a ho-hum life.

Tired

Dead tired.

I came from a late shift yesterday and had to get up early because of an early training. I literally had to drag myself out of bed...thanks to an irate friend. We were supposed to meet up 2 hours earlier but I was sound asleep.

Thus...the prelude to what will turn out to be one of the most tiring days of my life. Again, thanks largely to Mina. Hahahaha!

We rushed to Makati for our first training, but as it turns out the trainer left word that she won't be able to make it. Grrrr....

Anyway, we then attended our general assembly and then proceeded to our unofficial team building. I have pics but I'm too tired to upload it so I'll post it the next time. Our team building was at IO and we stayed there for the longest time. (We had the biggest surprise of our lives when we got our bill!!!) And to think, I didn't even eat. I also dropped by greenbelt for a short while to meet a friend.

With my boss half-drunk and everybody tired, we were surprised when she announced that we still have to work! So here I am, half asleep at nearly 5am. I've been awake for more than 15 hours now!

Prayers...

Lazy Weekend

Day 2. 3. and 4. will just have to remain in my not so vivid memory. Thinking about it wears me out...seriously.

Watched Red Eye last Friday and loved it. It's simple, yes. But when did you last see a film that did away with all the crazy all-too unbelievable twist just for the sake of being a benchmark in fildom's history. This time, we get to appreciate the art that is acting. I'm not a critic, I appreciate eye candies like a film thespian never would. And my background on tv has been limited to appreciating the work being put on airing our sitcoms and soaps. Have never been able to participate in the film appreciation classes that were held every weekend by our former boss. So don't believe me, see it for yourself.

Anyway, it's payback time. We played several rounds of CLUE over the weekend and I'm proud to say that I won each and every round...save for the last one where my brother purposedly forgot to say that he has the card that I was looking for. Indulge me in gloating as it might not last.

Day 1

Having had just three hours of sleep coming from a long shift (ayaw pang magpa-uwi ni Mina eh, sayang lang ang afternoon shift namin), we headed to Megamall to catch the bus en route to Clark. And since everything from the airline booking to the hotel were done online, we were armed with a lot of papers. Mina was the first one at Mega as expected. We ordered McDonald's to go and boarded the bus. Em-J had to sit with a passenger that does not smell too good. We originally thought that this was going to be a problem, but judging from his snores, we figured it didn't. We arrived at Singapore earlier than expected but since none of us were familiar with the place, it took us sometime before we found our hotel. And by that time, the four of us, except for Mina were too tired to even go out. Imagine lugging a 15KG baggage everywhere. The train, the airport stairs, while crossing the street and even inside a crowded bus.

After about an hour of rest and a shower but still very much hungry, we set off for the Night Safari. The front desk personnel advised us against it as it was already late. (It was nearly 9pm) The four of us wanted to just have dinner but Mina insisted. And instead of alighting at Ang Mo Kiok, we tried a different route. I was really tired by this time and my legs were shaking from hunger. It was very far. After the long MRT ride, we waited for the bus that was supposed to take us to the Night Safari but it didn't seem to notice our stop. We had to run after it three times. Finally, out of exhaustion, we decided to give up. We then headed to the mall on top of the MRT station to get something to eat. One of the major observations that I had there was the fact that choices for food were very limited! Nothing seemed appealing at the Food Junction so we decided on KFC. But surprise of all surprises, they don't serve rice with their chicken!!! We finally ended up with Quarter Pounders at McDonald's together with a Lime juice that's more like a cleaning product that a fruit juice.

After resting for a bit, Mina decided that we have to hit the night spots at Clarke Quay much to our chagrin. Pau, Em-J and I didn't want to go but we had no choice. We were weary by the time we got to Clarke Quay. Good thing I saw the reverse bungee! I had to beg Mina and Em-J to join me on the ride. One of the things on my wish list crossed out and we have the video for us to laugh at. Mina shrieked to her heart's delight causing a lot of people to gather around us. Hehe.

We then had to take a very expensive cab ride back to our hotel and finally hit the sack.

Much Deserved Break?

I meant to write about our recent trip sooner but I wanted to wait for all our pictures to be uploaded before chronicling it. However, I recently realized that it might take some time so here's a preview for the mean time. I'm not likely going to forget about it as it was both harrowing and fun.

Catching Up

I was on leave for a couple of days last week and I haven't been able to catch up on work yet. Good thing it's a an American holiday today so OPS don't have to report for work. (that's a little pressure taken off my back)

I got back to work Wednesday already thinking of reports that I haven't been able to attend to and surprise of all surprises, one of my dormant team lead decides to return his QA report and that's another month and half worth of back-logged reports for me. Perfect timing! A week has long passed and I'm still up to my neck with work!

Anyway, on to some good news. I got the Clue board game from Hobbes yesterday. It's my third set after losing the first two. (I desperately searched for it to no avail) I promise to take care of this one considering how expensive it now is. We were supposed to go see a movie yesterday but we just had to rush home to start playing. I'm a little rusty as I didn't win a single round. I was surprised that my little sister and first time player Em-J beat me.

By the way, my dad will be leaving for the States this friday and everybody bade goodbye at yesterday's despedida.

Interesting

• A couple of weeks back, I went to Powerbooks in search of Skinny Dip but with just the British version available which is of course more expensive, I decided to look for other titles that might interest me and I ended up with Ted Dekker's Three. I haven't heard of the book yet but the story seemed exciting. (Because of the sale, I got a hefty 5% discount...you only get more than 20% discount for books that either have pages missing or are already worn out) As I settled at a restaurant and waited for my order, I noticed, after removing the plastic that the book was already worn out. The jacket has scratches and the pages are already discolored. (I should've been given more than 5%) Anyway, I went back to Powerbooks to have my purchase changed but they already have one copy left with the pages and jacket more tattered. So I guess I have to settle.
  
  It's interesting to note that when I went back to Powerbooks this weekend I saw the same book with the tattered pages P200 more expensive.

• I was also at National one time and came across this book:

• I was going through the archive of INQ7 when I chanced upon an article stating Probe's transfer from GMA7 to ABC5 despite ABS-CBN's offer. A few days later, I read on the news that Probe is going back to it's beginnings - ABS-CBN, after 18 years. I'm a Kapamilya and I love the Probe documentaries.

• I also came across an interesting search engine: www.dogpile.com

Gloomy

I'm up to my neck with work...i really don't feel like posting anything new. The moment I hit the bed, it's uninterrupted slumber. And as soon as I wake up, I'm dreading work. I'm overworked and underpaid. Heck, I can't even afford a decent meal. How sad is that? Again, overworked and underpaid...it's been several days of stressful work. After several promises of breathing room and constancy of duties, we, now know better. Why did I turn my back to MSN?

Something New, Something Borrowed and Something Else?

New post...read on...


I desperately clung on to The Practice and wished that people would have enough sense to tune in but sadly it was on it's way down the spiral staircase. ABC is desperate for a hit. I spent the entire weekend or at least what's left of it watching LOST to see what the hype was all about. This was, after all, ABC's saving grace. The premise might be interesting but can it really captivate an audience to keep tuning in every week just to find out what creature lurks in the island?

...And it does. The twists are interesting and the plot is definitely arresting although I don't agree with one twist as it just doesn't hold up. It was shocking but the motivation is not there. If you are fans of the series I'm talking about the revelation that Walt is responsible for the fire. I'm nearing the season finale and will soon return the borrowed DVDs to Mina.

Also had the chance to finally watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory and I have to say that I loved the movie...at least until Charlie went to the factory. The movie was truthful to the book that when Grandpa Joe danced, it was exactly the same picture the readers saw. Charlie is endearing. However, the chocolate factory isn't as amazing, the oompa loompa is scary, the songs are forgettable with it's techno beat and the subplot on Willy Wonka's life is...well...something else. Where did that come from?

Photo Mosaic

Relax, Watch a Movie

Finally saw a poster of Memoirs of Geisha. I used to think that they halted the production of the movie because I haven't come across any news about it for quite some time.


Teaser poster for X-Men 3 is also out which will be released next year! Such a long wait!

Also came across sequels of two groundbreaking films.

And lastly for something interesting and funny...

The Office

Since I've been doing nothing much the past three weeks but go to work, it only figures that I won't be writing much about anything else but the office.

Today is supposedly the last of a series of Time and Motion studies being conducted by our team. We were all ready to breathe the biggest sigh of relief when our supervisor announced just before our shift that we will be carrying on with the task for several more weeks to two more accounts which sadly included mine. It only means that the burden of preparing and consolidating all the gathered data falls on me...and Em-J who also owns half the account. Looking at the bright side, it would at least give me an opportunity to earn more.

Here we are taking a break from our time and motion study today. I have to say though that apart from the boredom it's really not so bad. I met some new friends and we were also treated out for lunch by our manager!


Another news that we got was that we have to finish every backlog that we have by Saturday and it's already end of shift Thursday! Protest! Anyway, due to the load the we currently have, we will be needing 7 more heads to join our team! Yahoo! The eccentricities of our team are also worthy to be mentioned. One of us went on an indefinite leave for lack of a better term...because the person comes and goes. In fact, we've only been graced by this particular person's presence twice during the entire week. Someone who's just been to Singapore for 7 days will be leaving this weekend for Pagudpod, hence, another team meeting incomplete. Someone is also so addicted to discounted Cadbury's and Pizza that Cost-U-Less has already become part of our weekly routine. Someone's also been rendering too much OT that you wonder if he ever gets enough sleep at home. Another friend of ours is perennially late and couldn't care less.

Subdued

Sunday was uneventful particularly after a long and tiring Saturday at work. I finally had the time to finish Book 6 and it left me depressed and aghast. I was waiting for something to happen to reverse Dumbledore's death...I was waiting for Snape to come through but sadly nothing happened. I get it that for Harry to be truly triumphant in the series he has to figure things out for himself but surely a workaround other than death is much more acceptable! Harry Potter is already sensational as it is, need somebody important die be used as yet another marketing tool to topple the previous books' pre-orders?

I also finished the second season of Popular on DVD and with such a cliffhanger I wonder why the series was discontinued. What happened to them??? Though the series deals with everyday concerns, its storytelling is so unorthodox that you forget it's cliché.

Having to go to work on a non-working holiday on Monday didn't do much to lighten my mood. In an attempt to have something to look forward to, I decided to compile some of my CDs that I intend to rip at work. It was a blessing indeed and it immensely improved my mood especially after seeing a 500-peso bill tucked in one of the CDs.