water baby

It's past 10:00 PM, I'm barely finished eating dinner and my hair's still dripping wet. Sounds like a surefire recipe for another sleepless night. Tsk.

Anywho, went swimming at the pool downstairs. Alone. Tine was supposed to go with me, but she was really tired. So I went ahead alone for some much needed distraction and relaxation. Yeah, I was able to wear my bikini--thankfully only kids were in the pool. That, and there was another girl there also wearing a bikini--and she was quite a bit more, uh, voluptuous than I am. Gave me such a boost of confidence. Haha.

I swear, being in the water is such therapy for me. Never mind that I could swim just marginally better than your average dog, just soaking in the water soothes me big time. All the tiredness and tension of the day just dissolved in the cold water. Bliss.

adiktus

Okay, this is ridiculous. I really gotta sleep now. Shit. I hope I wake up in time for my job.

pahabol

Oh, and I just saw the X-Mini at some shop in Glorietta. And heard the sound quality too. Looks like my On Tour would be staying with me for quite a while more..

*winks*

Glorietta, fear, Aiah, Christine and Cindy

So. After a month of living here in Makati and just going straight from home to office and vice versa, I finally plucked the courage from somewhere and conquered my fear of getting lost. In other words, I went to Glorietta earlier and got home in one piece. Haha.

It may sound really shallow and all, but I really have this deep-seated fear of getting lost in an unknown place. And yeah, the whole of Makati--with the sole exception of Chino Roces Avenue where I live and work--still counts as an unknown place for me. So however much I want to go malling--and I'm your typical female mall rat, mind you--I was just too scared to go somewhere especially when I haven't the slightest idea how to go to. Of course, I could always just hail a taxi, but I prefer to leave that as a last resort--it's just way too expensive for a mere pauper like me.

I just really forced myself earlier since I still have no gift for Aiah--it just doesn't feel right not to give her something when I'm already working and she got top honors. But in the end I was able to find her a really cute skirt and top which actually fit into my budget, thank God.

By the who, Christine and I planned to go swimming earlier tonight. But when we got to the pool, it was already closed and being cleaned/treated. Tsk. So we ended up going to ShopWise instead where she bought a swimsuit to use tomorrow morning. As for me, I may actually wear that cute bikini I bought from eBay. Kapal ng mukha, para namang me ipapakita. Haha. But what the hell? It's a private pool anyway.

Oh, and in just a few minutes the two of us are going to the airport to fetch Cindy, our Chinese ex-housemate who went back to China a week or so ago. Poor girl was practically pleading with Christine to come get her there since she might get lost on the way here. So we're being good Samaritans here and agreed to fetch her there. And have pizza before going back here, gluttons that we are. Haha.

finally!

I was able to catch Franco online. Sweet of him to stay up so late to wait for me--it was almost 4:00 AM his time when I got home and went online. We were able to talk a bit about stuff here and there. I'm okay now. Rather, for now. Haha.

I wasn't late this morning! Yey! Was finally able to overcome my laziness and reach the office before 9:00 AM. Such a relief.

I'm going home on Saturday--and I still have no grad gift for Aiah. Because I have no money. Because my last pay all went into my rent. How sad. I hope there's still some money left on my ATM. T_T

i need sleep, food and Franco

I'm sleepy. I haven't had any decent sleep these past few days. Scratch that. These last few weeks rather. I so want to sleep now but so many things occupy my mind and I just can't let go and relax. Fucker.

I'm hungry. I haven't had dinner, just some chips and a coupla biscuits. The blasted can opener is toothless and can't open a single can to save its life, discouraging me even further from attempting to fix a decent supper. So now I'm down to survival food--the trusty seafood flavored Nissin cup noodles. *sigh*

I'm a bit depressed. I just missed Franco online earlier. I so want to chat with him. Maybe tomorrow. Hopefully, tomorrow, if he could stay up till the wee hours of the morning and wait for me, that is.

so close

That was close. Though I originally woke up just a little past 6:00 AM, lazybones that I am, I just went back to sleep to wait for the next alarm I set. Yeah, I woke up, but then I went back to sleep again. The next thing I know it was 8:29 AM and I was going to be late. Big time. I didn't even have time to kick myself for being so damn lazy.

And guess what? Miracle of miracles, I made it to the office within the fifteen-minute grace period. As in I punched in exactly fifteen minutes after nine. My God. Super thank you Lord!

By the who, it's Aiah's graduation today. Whee! The pretty little devil actually got the first honor. And according to Mama, she made it through her speech without any glitch despite being stubborn as a mule when we were coaxing her to memorize it. Too bad I wasn't there to witness it. Tsk.

close to crashing

Okay, enough is enough. I desperately need sleep. That is why I'm turning off my PC in a few minutes to get some precious shut eye. Lord knows I've been running on nothing but adrenaline these past few days. So not good for my health, even for one as unconcerned about health in general as I am.

Blech. I'm not making sense again. Whatever.

By the who, I got my pay earlier. I should be happy, but I'm not. Instead, I'm depressed. Why? It's all gonna go to my rent which is due tomorrow. Tsk. How sad.

Oh well. At least I have a pretty active online life even if my offline one is practically nonexistent at the moment.

And yeah, I'm so missing Franco as usual.

>.<

X-Mini Capsule vs. JBL On Tour

or

I wanted the X-Mini Capsule Speaker since I first saw its review at Gadgenista. It's über-small, plays loud and is actually quite affordable, all things considered. It comes in three colors: black [my choice, predictably], red and white. And its price even includes the shipping to anywhere in the Philippines.

Problem is, I already have a perfectly functioning portable speaker, a black JBL On Tour. It cost me quite a bundle and I had to really persuade Mama to let me buy it--she'll have a fit if I told her I want to get rid of it to buy another.

On the other hand, if I sold my JBL for to buy the X-Mini, I actually stand to gain instead of lose since I'd still have my speakers and even a little profit from the JBL.

Hmmm... Decisions, decisions... What do you think?

late!

I was late this morning. I punched in one blasted minute after the fifteen-minute grace period. Fuck. I hate that. I really ought to go to bed earlier so I could wake up earlier too..

but THIS is what i really want *drools*

Photo taken from LetsGoDigital.

*sigh*

The Canon EOS 450D. This is actually the D-SLR that I am really lusting after. The EOS 40D and Nikon D80 are both great beauties too, but this is what really hits the sweet spot for me. As far as I know it isn't officially released here in the Philippines yet, but it ought to be cheaper than the EOS 40D even though their specs are pretty similar.

Hopefully, it'll be available by the time my birthday comes and I'll be able to afford it. I'll be damned if I still don't have one before the year ends.

>.<

not-so-holy week

Went home for the Holy Week last Thursday. And the most "holy" thing I did for the occasion was visit the Immaculate Conception Basilica in Batangas City. Err. Actually, that was the only thing vaguely holy that I did all weekend.

Bah. I never was one for religious festivities anyway. Whatever.

Went to the beach with the Kapisanan yesterday for the traditional Sabado de Gloria outing. As usual, we went to A. Santos Resort in Nonong Kasto, Lemery. And as usual, the CR was stinky as hell and the water even murkier than my conscience. It was one of those trips that was fun only by virtue of the company you are in--my old young friends in this matter.

I was able to spend some time with some of my Chikito Boys--those guys [mostly cousins and some friends] who helped me with the summer league a couple years before and whom I used to buy Chikito cracker nuts, hence the name. Gee, they've all grown up so fast. Whereas before
all that was on their mind was basketball, basketball and basketball, now I find them worrying about girlfriends, having flings and other such kahitaran stuff. Haha.

Some of us never got any sleep due to the lack of places to sleep so we had to make do with coffee, conversations and the occasional walks. Which, I must say, turned out quite fun anyway. Macky, Loura, Jervis, Jessica, Puti and I walked along the coastline sometime before daybreak. It was so peaceful and beautiful in the moonlight--you couldn't see the trash, seaweeds, and coarse sand. I so enjoyed that.

To think I wasn't even planning to go in the first place. Bonens told Tita Ed just a couple hours or so before the trip that she wanted to go and so I was automatically given the choice to go too if I wanted too. Upon learning that Kat and Fe would also be there, I decided to join in as well since it's pretty rare that we could all get together. And after that, the rest is history.

INCENSED--pun intended

Oh my sweet Jesus.

There was a fire downstairs early this morning, in the squatter's area near our building. The smoke was already in our room so we had to evacuate. It was super adrenaline rush. We somehow managed to pack our things and bring them down to the podium level.

What's really alarming was that the alarm system in the building didn't go off. Not even with all that smoke--and there are smoke detectors practically everywhere. I was so right when I guessed that the ancient devices were more of a cause for alarm rather than a safety device. And what's even more alarming is that the emergency break-glass alarm station wasn't even functioning. I nearly broke a finger jabbing at the damn thing but it would neither give in nor break. In short, there was no way to alert others in the building if there's an emergency.

Fuck. We could have suffocated helplessly in our sleep if Christine wasn't still awake when that happened and alerted the three of us--Nikka, Shy and me--that there was a fire and we should all get out.

and ANOTHER one--sweet torture

Okay. This is absolute torture. Now I know exactly how Tantalus feels about those fruits he can never pick hanging above him and the water he's standing in which recedes when he stoops down to take a drink. Goodness gracious.

I'll positively go stark raving mad if I don't stop thinking about my deep-seated lust for a D-SLR. Fuck.

a very severe case of LUST

Oh. My. God.

I just saw something that made my heart beat triple time:





I'm partial to Canon cams, but the D80 is cheaper and John Mayer--just one of my personal idols, thanks very much--uses one so that got me kinda interested too.

Got them pics and all from OneGear Shop. Look at the prices. Look at their friggin' prices!!!

Seems D-SLR prices are really going down now. But bitch of the matter is I don't have the moolah anyway, however cheap they are. I just want to cry and take my car or laptop back to where I bought them and get one of these beauties instead.

Anyone interested in buying a kidney?

cry for help

Once again I'm bored. Not the simple kind of boredom about having nothing to do. I have stuff to keep me occupied--work being the foremost, plus virtually unlimited online time both at the office and at home.

No, this is a different kind of boredom. Emptiness, more like. The kind that just gnaws at you from the inside out. This feeling has been creeping up steadily on me for quite some time now and it has just about caught up with me now.

Apathy is the name of the game for me right now. Ennui is a constant companion as well. And I hate it.

Somebody bring me back to life...

worse

If there's one thing worse than a runny nose, it's gotta be a scratchy throat--especially when that leads to coughs. Fuck. I so hate getting sick. Maybe I really oughtta take vitamin C again.

I'm not slacking off now!

I need to sleep. Like, really. It's almost 1:00 AM and I still have work in the morning.

Speaking of work, I was pretty productive today. I revised floor plans, consulted with a prospective client, did several estimates and sold a coupla cameras. Not bad at all.

And I still had time to correspond with Ktle and Patrisha throughout the day, and with Ketty right now.

Only bugger today is that niggling little fact I discovered about someone interesting. Err. Never mind.

Realize.. ='(

bitchy night

God.

I am swearing off new shoes. Any new shoes except maybe a new pair of Chucks. But leather shoes or sandals? Thanks, but NO thanks. Even if you're offering me a brand-new pair of authentic leather Louis Vuitton kicks. Seriously.

My poor feet are once again blistered by a new pair of seemingly-cute-but-wears-like-hell pair of Mary Janes. Yeah, the same MJ's I bought the other week. Fuck. From now on I am swearing off anything I ever find cute--except maybe, well, guys. Haha. But that's another matter altogether.

Anywho, got pissed off at a couple of my roommates. They were all ranting and bitching about the chaotic state of the kitchen. I admit, a couple or so of the dirty dishes were mine, but it's not like I made that whole mess single-handedly. I'm not the only one using the goddamn kitchen for chrissakes. Infinitely incensed, I got ahead and washed them just to get rid of the yapping.

And yeah, the kitchen is still a mess. But hell, that's not my problem now, is it?

how nice

Cindy, one of our Chinese housemates and one of the friendliest of the bunch, just cooked for us. They transferred to another room a few days ago, but she showed up at the door a just a few minutes earlier with a bowl of hot coconut and chicken soup. It smelled really good, too bad I couldn't taste because of this damn cold.

miserable :(

I feel so friggin' miserable right now. I'm down sick with colds, there's that nagging little problem with, uh, someone and I just plain feel miserable, damn it.

one day in a life

Life here ain't so bad even if I don't have a lot of money to spare.

I'm learning a lot from my work, and even enjoying it. And oh, I just got my calling cards today which is so überly cool. Sir Lito even insisted on putting my PRC license number in it. Haha. I was like, Gosh this is now serious, people are gonna see this and know I am a professional. The thought both thrills and terrifies the hell out me. I mean, me, a real working stiff now, not just a mangy college student out to prove to the whole goddamn world what a bitch I can be. This is the real world now, and I'm just one more worker bee trying to get though the day without any untoward incident.

My housemates are fab girls. Yeah, even the Chinese girls. They're really nice and really make an effort to communicate with us Pinay girls despite the language barrier. One of them, Cindy, offered me some of her food the other day--the chicken was delicious.

In fact, our house has become an unofficial ESL center: every encounter is a lesson. We'll even miss them when they transfer to another room, maybe this Friday.

lazy Sunday--early Monday rather

It's well past midnight but here I am still up and about, squandering time as usual. It doesn't really help that I slept for the better part of the day, having had no chance to do that before because of work.

Ah shit. I miss him. Again. Rather, as always. I was able to talk to him for but a couple of minutes earlier since I barely caught him before he went to work. I would have called earlier and we could have talked a bit longer if I'd woken up when the alarm I set the night before went off. But as it is, I never even heard the alarm even though the damn phone was right next to my pillow--just giving you an idea how deep a sleeper I am. Oh well.

I really should be sleeping now. I have work in the morning--that would be a few measly hours from now--and I couldn't afford slacking off since I have to finish the floor plan and cabling plan on AutoCAD. For two floors and a warehouse of sorts. And somehow convert them all into a PDF file. As if I have any idea how to convert the friggin' thing. Whatever. I'll get through that somehow.

shopping and wishful thinking

Just got a much-needed wardrobe update for my so-called corporate life. Haha. Corporate life, my ass. Whatever.

Got a couple of tops and a pair of black kitten-heeled Mary Janes earlier. Care of Mama's credit card of course. I definitely don't have any money to spare as of the moment but I really need something appropriate for the office--denim jeans aren't exactly what you'd call office wear.

Anywho, the real reason we went to MOA was to buy Ninong a laptop. He's using Mama's credit card and my technical knowledge to get the best possible deal. Haha. But he got a right pretty laptop at HP anyway and he was happy as the proverbial kid at Christmas morn.

Reminds me, the last time I felt that giddy over a gadget was when I replaced my iPod last year. And the way things are going at the moment, it'll be a pretty long time before I feel that way again--I have no money to speak of to buy any gadget. And the gadget I'm lusting over right now--the Canon EOS 450D--isn't even officially released here in the Philippines, but for sure it's gonna cost an arm and a leg. For someone broke like me at least. So there you go.

*sings* it's a small world after all..!

Indeed. I was more than a little surprised when I bumped into Dianne Real--a high school classmate--earlier on the lobby while waiting for the elevator. Turns our she's been living here for more than a year.

Anywho, it's been a real riot here at the house lately. What with the gaggle of Chinese girls and crazy mixture of Pinays from all over the Philippines, there's practically no peace or quiet to be had. But I mean that in a good way. I always did thrive in chaos. =D

Speaking of chaos, I had a much easier time of cleaning my closet earlier than I expected. Honestly. I am such a slob. A mere two weeks here and my closet already resembles a hovel. I was forced to clean up a bit when I got my clean clothes from the laundry. I wouldn't want my clean clothes mixed in with those I've already used. I am a slob, but not that much of a slob. Haha.

another first! =D

I still couldn't believe it. Less than two weeks at work an I've already sold something. A CCTV system in this case. Never mind that I'm not even the one who was supposed to be facilitating the transaction in the first place--in essence, I guess you could say I'm the understudy who had to step in for the lead actor at the last minute. =D The important thing is I am now managing an account. Whee!

busy day

Had a pretty productive day at work. Kuya Bobby took me along for a demo at Final Option in the morning. Of course, I drove. In fact, I have a sneaking suspicion that that's the real reason why he took me along and not because he was planning to teach me how a demo is done properly. Haha.

I would have spent the whole afternoon rereading the product training materials if I hadn't chanced upon Kuya Marvin and Sir Lito troubleshooting an alarm panel at the lobby on the way to the comfort room. The latter asked for my opinion--as if I really know a lot about the stuff-- regarding the wire connections. I hung around a bit after that--mainly because I'm already damn bored from rereading the manuals for the nth time--and ended up helping a bit in testing the panel. Good thing too, I learned loads more from that than from any of the manuals I've been reading lately.

I was really really hungry when I got out of work so I decided to drop by McDo before going up to our room. Then I dropped off my things at my bed--literally, I must admit--and headed to ShopWise for some stuff I need. Washed a couple of underwear afterwards, before finally taking out my beloved computer and getting lost in cyberspace once again.

By the way, a whole gaggle of Chinese moved upstairs in tonight. The old occupants were relocated to another room in the lower floor I believe. The four of us here would have been separated and relocated too if we hadn't stood our ground. Somehow, despite knowing and living with each other for only a short time, we've all settled here and gotten relatively comfortable with each other and so they couldn't persuade any of us to relocate.

Ooh, and yeah, I already have 11 friends in Facebook. Yey! I was able to contact some old friends and classmates too. Coolness. Friendster just took a backseat to give way to another addiction. Haha.

Lesson 2: Learn when to keep your mouth shut.

I suppose this is nothing new. But there really are certain times when you get fed a load of shit just by simply opening your mouth at the wrong time. John Mayer's My Stupid Mouth just about captures the thought to a tee.

Or perhaps a more familiar scenario: keeping quiet about something and someone because of mutual shame. An old PMT rule immediately comes to mind: What you see, what you hear, when you leave, leave it here.

Facebook madness--add me up please!!!

Okay. This is now officially an addiction. Fuck.

On a completely unrelated note, I was able to chat with Franco earlier. Thank goodness. *big grin* I so love that guy.

another impending addiction

Facebook. 'Nuf said.

Lesson 1: Learning to ask questions

I've been meaning to write about this for a few days now but somehow never got around to actually posting anything vaguely useful despite being online practically every night. Err. Whatever. Anywho, here it is.

The first lesson I learned from my first week living and working here in Makati is this: You cannot learn if you think you know everything. Or, put in another way, ask questions. As I just learned, there's really nothing wrong about asking for information when you're lost--and I mean that both literally and figuratively.

Not that I'm a know-it-all or something like that. In fact, I'll be the first to admit that I know but the very basic knowledge required for my job. My problem is I hate admitting just that. Call it pride, call it stupidity, or maybe just plain old antisocial behavior. Whatever. But the thing is I hate asking questions about things I'm supposed to know about.

But I really want to make this work, so I just have to know every little thing involved in making this work. Thus, the questions. And I learned too that asking questions don't kill you. Or me, for that matter. I just ask and ask and ask if I don't know something and I'll be none the worse for it.