We Have a New Baby

I couldn't help myself but cry when I saw today's episode of Moms. Argumentum ad hominem is something I hate most and most of the time, I'm not affected by it. But this time, I was really moved. I don't like kids but they don't deserve to be abandoned and all. You know, seeing them cry, hearing them tell their parents (who are hopefully watching them) to come and see them in (or even take them from) the orphanage.

I strongly believe that this country needs a law against child abandonment. Moreso, there should be a law regulating the creation of children itself. There should be certain prerequisites that a person must pass before he'll be given the license to have a child. I don't like kids but I can't tolerate irresponsible parents. They shouldn't have the right to be called "parents."

-o0o-

I have a new nephew! He's supposed to be named Noel (since it's Christmas time) or Enrique (since my mom's birthday was yesterday) but my mom doesn't want to have her precious name inherited by somebody else and that it's difficult to find a good number for those names. So I ended up naming him Dylan Christien. Dylan, because in Irish mythology, he's the son of the God of the sea (he's brother and sister are Janus and Athena, respectively) so there should be a pattern. Christien is Greek for Christian, which obviously means "a follower of God," (I hope he'll really live by that meaning).

He's supposed to have the same birthdate with my Mom but my sister, being scheduled on the 20th, never went to the hospital because she didn't feel the pain yet. So there, the baby sort of "overstayed" inside her womb and has already excreted those solid wastes and taken some of them inside her system. He's being treated with some anti-biotic but he's perfectly fine. I'm really excited to go home. This is my last day!

Blog of the Month - Why I Hate PBB

Isn't it obvious? I am not a kapamilyucks. Recalling my entry last year, criticizing all those so-called celebrities, I thought I delivered my piece. It's not enough. I really don't watch it because other than the fact that it's not entertaining, it doesn't give me helpful things to learn, it's a waste of time, and yes, I don't know these celebrities, although, I must admit, this batch is better than last year's. By the way, this blog of the month is never my idea, but Janice's. I'm just writing this as an obligation (devil's laugh).

Why do I hate PBB? Let me count the reasons.

First, it is fake. Regardless if it is scripted or not, the fact that these challengers stay in this heavily-guarded house is already far from being normal. Since this is a battle of votes, of how many more will like you or not, one serious housemate should have a gameplan on how to win - faking - being a goody-goody, religiously doing the tasks, looking like the one being oppressed to the point of dehydrating oneself from an ocean of tears, just to get the people's votes. Even I could appear nice, abused and responsible, when in fact, I am never one. Even if one is a notorious girl-beater, he could still get people's sympathy by saying that he's the one being left or what. I'm not mentioning names, just symbols.

Second, this is state where a capitalist is extorting the population that is supposed to be living within and below the poverty line. This whole damn country is undeniably living in inconsistencies. We see people in the streets protesting and accusing the government for not helping them out in improving their lives, monetary-wise, but here they are, wasting several 15 pesos to save their bets from being evicted from the house. How much does a text winner receive? 1 Million? Thousands of pesos? How much does the network get?

Third, these so-called celebrities are almost and are already career-less and joining this stupid contest is a way of reviving their sinking state. Megan Young. I know she's pretty, she's talented, she's tall and she was my bet when she was still in Starstruck but her bitchiness and immaturity led her to her loss. Ethel Booba. She's funny, fine. But she's nothing but a floating plastic who put her popularity aside and opted to cuddle, catfight and be scandalous with her boylets. Baron Geisler. Another talent put to waste. From being a child actor, to a matinee idol, to a Hollywood Dream contender, to a notorious drunkard, to a housemate. Then there's this noisy Mariel Rodriguez who opens her mouth wide before uttering a single word. Some models like Will, Gaby and Victor (whose lips look like the mouth of a catfish) try their luck. Obviously, they want exposure. Hopefully, they'll succeed. So far, nobody from last year's celebrity edition batch became more popular. It's either they maintained their stature of being an endangered species or they became extinct.

Fourth, Kuya is nothing but a corny gay man who has a dark childhood. He must have been beaten badly when he was a kid. Or his father, or mother, or the entire family must have dominated over him that he didn't have any choice but to follow them. Unfortunately, he's not pure-hearted like Cinderella that even the mice and a fairy Godmother chose to get rid of him. Now that he's older, and has acquired a bit of power, he's taking revenge.

Fifth, the challenges are corny. Their slogan says "Ang drama ng totoong buhay" but the challenges are not realistic and never funny. While The Sweet Life was on break the other day, I was switching channels and saw these two silly people acting as Saint Michael and Lucifer on the roof. What the? I could remember several months before that some housemates were praying using a giant rosary on a Good Friday. If they really respect other people's beliefs, they shouldn't have done that.

Sixth and most importantly, I hate PBB because I have a brain, I've got good taste and I know that there are still other things that I could do in this world than watch that senseless program.

Janice's blog of the month

The O. C.

OK, I give up. Though I really don't think that I am one, in order to stop all these teasing, I'll make a public confession. I have a [slight] obsessive compulsive disorder. Unlike my Ate who [strongly] believes that there's a place for everything, order is not really found in me. But still, I'm finding it difficult to function if things are a lot different from what they're used to be.

I could remember when I was as young as two. My dad beat me because I was rolling like a brat when my set of silverware couldn't be found. I really wouldn't eat without those. What's difficult was it's the only set available.

Two, since I've been working in a callcenter, I have this particular arrangement of my windows, which when not in my order, makes my wind go wild. I really couldn't think well.

Since I've come to know "justify," I already forgotten everything about align left. And this was since 1997. I could remember way back in high school when Arsini, my classmate, told me that my typewriter is not a computer. I really spent a long time calculating the number of characters so that I would know how many spaces were needed for the last letter to touch the right margin.

Then there's this difficulty in me to open packages without scissors. I really hate it when sachets are torn instead of straightly cut. I also don't want to tear papers. I'm already bringing a pair of this tool so that I wouldn't have to be looking for somebody I could borrow from.

If you're observant enough, aside from the first letter in my sentences are capitalized (which should always be the case), I make two spaces after every dot. Hehehe. I just want it to look neat.

My friends and classmates who me that my answer sheets and compositions are always submitted neatly, it's as if I didn't have any hard time solving the problems. Truth is, I always have scratch papers with me. And when our teachers won't allow us to have one, then I would keep on complaining and I couldn't concentrate well with the questions. I also waste some papers if I see a single letter printed wrongly or if I missed to double space a certain line.

But then again, I'm still not orderly. I'm just maarte. You don't know how my Ate Doreen is. Everything is in order. Her closet is very neat, her bed well done. And she knows if somebody has entered her room because of a distinct smell she doesn't possess. Sometimes, I appreciate her being around while I'm cooking because she cleans my mess but most of time, I hate her presence because she keeps on reprimanding me, affecting the taste of the food I'm preparing (it is because one has to be in his good mood when cooking).

But still, these officemates are teasing me that I'm OC. I'm telling you guys, I'm not. I couldn't be. But to give you a sense of contentment that for once you won, fine, I am an OC but slight lang.

Blog of the Month - Top Five Friends One Should Have

Friends may come and friends may go
But true friends never go
They'll never leave you
True friends never go because they love you

REFRAIN:
You're the kind of friend
Who's always hard to find
Very good at listening, warm and kind

RAP:
I'm the kind of guy who needs someone like you
To share my happy moments
To cheer me when I'm blue
We're the kind of friends who could never break apart
Because our friendship is the kind that warms the heart

CHORUS:
What are friends for?
For better or for worse
It will last forever, it'll never end

RAP:
A true friend is understanding, truthful
And never jealous to his friend
So good, so natural and the best among the rest

Friends may come and friends may go
But true friends never go
They'll never leave you
True friends never go because they love you

Repeat refrain and chorus

I'm reminded of this song we've performed in high school where its [shallow] lyrics are written by no less than yours truly. At that time when I wrote it, I didn't have any [true] friends I really considered. I already met them at that time but you know, the commitment wasn't still there. I just treated them as special classmates I got to bond with more often than the ordinary ones. But "in partial fulfillment of the requirements in English II," I had to extract my thoughts to come up with this song. As for its theme, I don't have to state the obvious.

This should have been written in the early part of this month. Janice thought of this entry even before my birthday. It's just too difficult to categorize them because to begin with, my heart, and not only my will, chose my friends, and God helped me light my way.

This gives me a lot of pressure. Honest. In no particular order, these are Eduardo's top picks. (Jan, I hope the blog of the month for November wouldn't be a list of things anymore. Ha ha ha.)

• Spoilers
  
  They're the type who go with whatever stupidity and madness I have in mind - some harmless trips I do, like entering a bank for no reason at all except following their request to "Please come in" because they're open or shouting out loud inside a mall after seeing the sign "Sorry we're closed." I love to go with them because our creative minds coordinate with each other in making up funny stories that only us would laugh at them because we're the only one who would understand.
  
  
• Parents and/or Older Siblings
  
  While I love to be spoiled, I also love to be reminded that I'm not perfect and that I also need to grow up, be responsible, wake up and be realistic, those stuff that a sane person need to do. They're the type who would tell me to wake up from my deep state of insanity, push me to study, or to even clean my clutter and even to take a bath because I already stink.
  
  I'm a dominant type and I hate it when some people are trying to drive me but when I know that what they're doing is for my own good, I really appreciate it. They just don't want to spoil me to my ruin. Without them, I wouldn't have graduated and ended up being an endless member of a fast food crew instead, or I wouldn't have passed the board exam until now, or I might be swimming in the eternal ocean of fire at this moment.
  
  They are also my defenders, the type of people who would fight for me when I already feel weak enough to face my opponents. They're there to have the fist for those who made me cry, who have the logic and facts to defend me from my prosecutors, or those with the look saying don't mess up with my friend, or even the nice words telling the person to stop teasing me.
  
  
  
• Believers
  
  I am a person filled with insecurities inside. My self esteem isn't really that good. Thanks to these friends who keep on encouraging me to do things that they think I am capable of doing, those who tell me I am not fugly, and those who remind me that there's always a silver lining after the great flash flood. I'm already getting sentimental here but I really owe them a lot for my achievements because I've never had reached this far without their motivation.
  
  Truly, they've really lifted my soul to a level I never thought I would reach. Thanks a lot guys.
  
  
• Listeners
  
  What women really don't understand much with men is that we only open up our problems when: One, we've already exhausted all possible means to resolve the problem alone but still it wasn't solved; and Two, we know that the person we're confiding it with knows how to solve it. We don't talk just to be listened with. We need action.
  
  But sometimes, they are there just to listen. You know, the feeling of security that somebody is there when you whine, curse and all without them uttering a single word. They're just there. It reminds me of a text message my friend sent me:
  
  

  Friendship isn't about being there to discuss each other's problems. It's just about being there. She need not open up for you to know there's something wrong and you need not say anything to let her know you're there for her. Sometimes it's when you're both silent that you say the most meaningful things.

  
  Ayan. Pang-forever na yang quotation na yan.
  
  
• Talkers
  I am not really the type who calls, e-mails, or texts much. I only do it whenever I feel like it or when there's something I need to say. My Ate and Aunt feel bad about me failing to keep in touch with them. I honestly appreciate those who don't mind spending their pesos just to tell me that they're there. But whenever we meet, I love the endless conversation. Time is too short that our discussions wouldn't reach tae. It's the exciting debates, the ruthless criticisms, the funny things, reminiscing childhood years, embarrassing moments, politics, showbiz, science, everything.

Actually, there are still a lot more. Brevity isn't really born in me. There are still more that I would like to add. If there would be some additional numbers, I would like to include those na nagpapautang, nanlilibre, nagpapakain, nagpapaloko sa akin, and again, nagpapakain. Hehehe.

See also: Janice's blog of the month

Maayo'ng Pasko

I'm [almost] done decorating the house for Christmas. I know it's too early to do it. We could have waited for the halloween to be over but what can I do? I would be around till today. My mom and eldest sister doesn't have any artistic skill to do it.

Okay, I'm not really good at it. I usually leave that thing to Ate Doreen but since she's in Davao, I'm the only one left to do it. Thanks to Joanna who gave her time putting those trimmings on.

I've already taken a picture of the tree but I've left my USB cable in Manila. Apparently, Butuan has very limited resources that not a single computer store nor internet cafe has a USB cable being sold.

-o0o-

My birthday was held successfully. Only Joanna and Janice came in their costumes. But I still thank Ivy and Leah for coming. There presence is more important than anything else. As for the rest, what were they thinking? If they have the will to come, then they'll find ways to do it.

-o0o-

I think I'll be having flu.

What If? - Privileged Speech 1

It is a very hypothetical question and doesn't count any point at all in any forms of debate. It could easily be tappled down by answering back a "What if not" question. It is the question one very pessimistic person who doesn't have any other stand in this world but to be an opposition would raise.

I could remember way back in high school that I used to have difficulty in solving word problems. I know the answer but I don't know how to assign the variables to make an equation. But it was an advantage for the team in the Math Olympiad because I immediately knew the correct answer without my teammates using their pen to start calculating for it.

Same goes with the presentations. I could already have a clear picture of how the final work would look like. Perhaps, it is because it is really how artists work (Based on a Humanities book, Michaelangelo knows how his sculptures would finally look like before he starts working with his chisel). Problem is, being a scatterbrained, I always don't know where to begin.

But with that difficulty, the final work is still done. Though most of the time, it's not really something that I wanted it to be, at least, I'm happy that it's closer to what I want it and that our teachers are pleased with the outcome. Modesty aside, our group would always emerge as the best one when it comes to presenting our reports. It is because I choose to take charge of almost everything - from the concept, to the script, to the props, even to the costumes at some point.

My classmates know me well that I always get what I want when it comes to presentations. If my idea won't win, things won't be as good as expected. It is because it is my forte. Call me somebody who's tooting my own horn. But at least, I know my capacity.

And now, a strong force of negativity is testing me. A series of "what if" questions have been raised. Honestly, I feel so disappointed with these people, who I've been expecting to be the first to cooperate since they have the same range of intellect as mine. I'm counting a lot on them to make all these ideas into reality. I just thought that after years of having been graduated from high school, we've already grown up. I believe that with chronological age, being mature mentally also comes with it. But then I'm wrong. They really let me down.

But knowing me, I don't give up. If Group A can't do it, then there's Group Z. They might not be gifted with big brains as the others but they have the will to embrace the responsibility, the courage to take the risk of committing mistakes and of being criticized for being imperfect.

Personally, being so pessimistic about all things without even attempting to take a single step in achieving it is plainly cowardice. It's just having no sense of responsibility at all.

What if's are silly questions to be asked. Being realistic is, in fact, good but adding optimism to it would make it better.

Shedding off the last piece of responsibility from one's system will resolve nothing. Everything is a risk that we have to take. If others were able to do it, why can't we? Everything in this world is a challenge.

With this, ladies and gentlemen, I rest my case and I am now ready for interpellation.

Starstruck Part 2

Andyan na siya... Andyan na siya... Magtago ka na.

If you've been regularly going to the movies recently, you must have heard these familiar lines. Then some scary faces might surprise you but not enough to make one scream.

For the first time in my life, I've gone to a premiere night. Thanks to igma.tv forum where I've won four premiere tickets for this movie. I had to cut my time of sleep to only four non-straight hours for me to watch it. And it's worth everything - standing for hours on the line, dodging with the huge crowd, having lack of sleep, and yeah, hearing the boy band named "Studs" bastardize the songs "Binibini" and "Panalangin."

The Plot

After 20 long years, half-sisters Aileen and Romina, along with first cousins Ruth and Sandra, reunite in Camiguin all because of their grandmother's death. Accompanied by Sandra's friend, Lucy, the five girls dare to call on the spirits of the dead when they find their old Ouija board from when they were kids. The Ouija board is burned by accident before they are able to finish the ritual, trapping a murderous entity around them. As they begin to realize the terror that they have brought upon themselves, Aileen and Romina's hostile relationship even become more strained, while Lucy's sanity brings a heavy burden on Sandra, and Ruth's boyfriend, Gino, is unknowingly pulled into the danger and horror that await all of them. Confronted by imminent Death, the girls have nowhere to go unless they can identify the spirit and find out where it is buried. It is only by leading the spirit to its burial ground that they will able to release the spirit from the Ouija board and survive its fatal hauntings.

Disappointing?

Of course not! This is the scariest Filipino movie I've seen in the entire life. The screenplay is neatly made that even a fault-finding individual like me hardly found any loophole on its story.

Here are my random thoughts:

• From the start of the movie to the end, it's been consistent with its genre.
  
• I would have to say that Topel Lee is the best horror director so far in the Philippines. If you got scared with "Feung Shui" and "Sukob" (though I find some scenes corny and very predictable), this one is far better than the two popular horror flicks.
  
• Puwedeng panlaban sa "The Ring."
  
• Jolen and Juday fans were everywhere that they couldn't help cheer whenever their idols' scenes are shown. Their side comments are really funny like when Juday was interrogating a complainant and somebody shouted "Superstar!" Another one couldn't help but answer back Juday when she accused Jolens of being greedy for their grandmother's wealth. Well, it's really shallow but simple things such as that made me laugh.
  
• What happened to the no-ticket no-entry policy? And what have all those many guards done to help keep people in order? I was religiously waiting on the queue and what the hell happened? People were pushing with each other that even those who didn't have any tickets got through.
  
• It's good to see stars. Gahd! Iza Calzado is very beautiful. My goodness! Saan ba makakakita ng ganyan kaganda at talented na babae? She even played the role well - funny, composed, maarte and... beautiful.
  
• Jolina is so different in this movie - not the same patweetums character we see in all her films. This time, she is a grade school teacher who is not the cheerful type.
  
• For once, Juday experimented a different role - somebody not the inaapi type but someone who has a strong character, chain smoker, maldita and all. Magaling! Magaling! Magaling!
  
• I was already expecting Rhian to be a mestiza so I wasn't surprised when I saw her in person. But still, she's so pretty. And I must commend the casting staff for being able to choose the right artists. Rhian's character speaks of innocence, youth and fragility and she was able to play it well.
  
• Day, nakita ko si Annabelle Day, pati ang anak niyang si Dong Richard. Wala lang. Some celebrities I saw were Lovi Poe, Valerie Concepcion, Prince Estefan and again, the Studs. I don't know some of them so I better not enumerate their names.

Guys, you better watch it na. It's worth your 150 pesos. And please, no piracy. Let's support Filipino movies.

-o0o-

Stargazing

Last Sunday, Hunnie and I thought of watching Showbiz Central live in Broadway Centrum. It just popped out of our head after a tiring baratan in Divisoria.

What started to be a mere curiosity turned out to be a realization that she, together with her two other classmates in Med school, are also gaga with good-looking stars. I just can't help but stare at Pia Guanio's slender legs and Rufa Mae's sexiness.

Other Realizations

• These four hosts speak with spontaneity. They don't have their queue cards with or any idiot board infront of them. Some staff just flash other follow up questions, they just glance at them and rephrase them according to how they understand the questions. They really gained my respect for them.
  
• Mo Twister is tisoy enough that no wonder girls got crazy on him.
  
• Rufa Mae maybe cool, candid and funny on cam but she's actually quite reserved in between takes. So typical for a comedienne.
  
• Raymond Gutierrez is more vain than Rufa or Pia. While Pia only needs some tissues to wipe some sweat on her face while Rufa Mae asks for some retouch every now and then, Raymond's make-up artist/assistant has to frequently re-apply powder and blusher on him in every break. Mo is just cool looking at the crowd.
  
• The studio is actually small.
  
• Love team thingys are really scripted. After the sweetness JC de Vera and Yasmien Kurdi showed while they were being interviewed, JC just disappeared in a snap of a finger leaving Yas alone. Well, that's showbiz.
  
• Amalia Fuentes isn't really mataray in person. She's even nice to the staff and to the people who ask for her autograph. She just has a strong personality but that doesn't make her like Annabelle Rama.
  
• Rustom Padilla is prettier than a lot of girls I see.
  
• Hunnie and friends got so kilig with Dingdong. My sole job was to take pictures of them with the celebrities. I could be a photographer in showbiz shows and make it as my part-time job. Hehehe.
  
• I'm really wondering. How do I look like on TV. These stars look dark when they are fairer than me in person. What the!
  
• Again, I'm jologs. I know that. Mababaw lang ang kaligayahan ko. Just want to entertain myself sometimes.

Election Flashback

So the partial and unofficial results are out and Escudero is in the lead followed by Legarda and Aquino. Unfortunately for Pichay, he's starting to wilt because not enough number of the people of the Philippines have planted him in the Senate. Tsk. Tsk. It just goes to show that political ads wouldn't guarantee you a winning seat. I'll just start to hypothesize that face value is something that matters to the voters.

I'm just happy that Chavit is definitely out. Bwahahaha! And so are Cesar and Richard. Manny Pacquiao has been swept by landslide victory by his competitor. Christopher de Leon is losing, so is Lito Lapid who'll definitely lose from Binay. This is a proof that popularity isn't also a big factor in one's victory. There are still voters who are intelligent and responsible enough in voting for their right leader.

As for the people of Butuan, they are still morons. Boy Daku, as what I've heard, is likely to win again. It'll put my beloved city in stagnation for another three years.

-o0o-

This moment of choosing the right leader reminds me of the May 1995 Elections.

I was 13 years old then when I've overheard our Barangay Chairman talking to my mother on matters regarding his bet. He's campaigning for no less than Boy Daku then when he heard that my mom wouldn't vote for him. His tone seemed to sound like he's reprimanding my mom for not supporting his bet, instead of sounding like he's convincing her. I didn't say a word. A few days after, lots of our female neighbors went to our house and told my mom that her only son's voice was heard over Radyo Bombo, reporting his Barangay Chairman about the obvious politicking instead of focusing on his role in developing the community. He also was calling all the people of Butuan to never listen to anybody's dictation as to who to vote, and instead, go for whatever their clean conscience is choosing.

That made my mom take an action. She wrote to tha radio station telling them that what I was doing was all caused by my youth and lack of knowledge about the reality. Too bad for her, she didn't have anybody to hand the letter except me. I threw the letter. Haha.

-o0o-

Weeks after, Radyo Bombo's rival station, Radyo Agong, was calling all interested people who would like to get election results in one voting center and get 500 bucks. I took the opportunity. The manager seemed to have no confidence on me at first but when he heard me speak, he realized my brain is bigger than the rest of the older people there.

Then election day came. I was assigned to the school near ours (more a kilometer away, near the place where I got hit by a jeepney). I came too early. Too early that it was when the first ballot was read by the teacher. After 50 or so ballots, the bored and tired teacher got suddenly delighted when she saw somebody's handwriting. She showed it to all the people in that room, appreciating how nice the penmanship is. How would I not recognize it when it's personally the best handwriting I've ever seen?

"That's mama's," I whispered to myself. I guess that was loud enough that my seatmate, our neighbor heard it. When the teacher read that she voted for another mayoral candidate, our neighbor said "You're mom is not voting for our candidate?" I told her "No, it's not my mom's. She has a better penmanship than that one." Hehe.

While other precincts were done in counting all the votes, some others had just started. I even got the chance to bond with a Radyo Bombo reporter, compare notes with him, etc. People around were just amazed how those two people from rival stations got close (rivalry is like Channel 7 versus Channel 2).

1 a.m. came and two precincts were still not done. I was hungry. I was sleepy. Our neighbors offered me some food. I declined. God, mosquitos were flying everywhere. They offered me their blankets. I said no. Minutes later, they panicked. I suddenly disappeared without them knowing where I'm at, where I've gone. I went home, ate and slept.

That was too courageous of me to walk more than a kilometer to our house, where there's a big balete tree along the way, where one portion of the highway is known to be enchanted, where high-speeding vehicles run. I was sleepy and hungry and it's all that matters. My mom was even surprised to see me at the gate calling for somebody to open.

I came back to the two precincts at 8:00 a.m. One was done. The other one had less than 50 more ballots to count. After an hour, I'm done with my report but I found my paper too dirty. At 10:00, I've gone to the radio station, transferred the results to another clean sheet and handed it to the news anchor. He even commented on my neat work. Well, that's me. Thanks to my mom who once told me that "The neatness of your paperwork reflects your personality." End of story.

High Blood

I guess I need to be taught about anger management. My blood was boiling 1000^oC yesterday.

I come here more than thirty minutes earlier to find out that our assigned workstations are occupied by some pieces of shit called newbies. I look for some available workstations where all of us in the team could be accomodated, pull up all my tools and is told that I need to transfer again to our plotted area, five minutes before the time. Isn't it very annoying?

There's a TOIC sitting on the chair that I'm supposed to sit on. I didn't give a damn. I loudly asked my teammate, "Where am I supposed to sit? All of the fuckin chairs are used." Thank goodness, he's sensitive enough to vacate the chair.

It's already eight minutes after 12:30 when my computer finally booted up. My Outlook was not working. Fuck! I have to call PAC and ask to go on Aux 8 while looking for another computer to use. I'm given five minutes. Are they serious? It doesn't even take five minutes to boot completely to the OS, plus pulling up the tools, registering to this Goddamn Open Office (since this bullshit company can't afford a Microsoft Office license), et cetera, et cetera.

Finally, I'm all set, except that I have to use web-based Outlook since the application is down. I have to deal with clicking the "check for new messages" icon everytime I remember doing it. Then came all these spam messages from the team about the QA update, clearing out some issues and reading a lot of whining about the inconsistencies. I shared my point. Giving a case ID number is just consuming less than a minute of your time and won't hurt any part of one's system doing it. What's the big fuss? Why keep on complaining?

Then there's this fat guy replying with a picture of an oogly bald faggot in the name of Boy Abunda. I just hate that celebrity. And I hate it more when I'm compared to him/her/it. I boiled my top. I told him to shut up. I cursed him. Our TL told us to stop. There was already a tension in the team. Finally, Miggy apologized. I did the same. We patched things up.

Time for lunch. I have to go to the locker area to get my food. My locker is blocked with a ladder that was supposed to be kept in one corner after use. I throw it out of my way. I don't care how loud the noise it creates. I'm sick of people not knowing where to put things back the way they were placed.

At the pantry. As always, those wide-mouthed Cingular agents are filling up the room. They're too noisy. The air literally smells bad breath. I'm not joking. The microwave oven is not closed. It's dirty. I don't want to clean it. I have to look for one seat in one corner. I can't get through. All those chairs are not properly returned. I pushem them too hard that they shook those tables. I didn't care. People around obviously observed that I'm pissed with their absence of sense of responsibility. I want to throw those chairs on their ugly faces.

What's so wrong with these people? Anyway, I went home happy. My sister and I were discussing about a very serious, timely and most importantly intellectual topic - Ruffa getting annulled. What can I say? Great minds talk about people.

Ate

We used to be enemies. It's hard to deal with her being bossy and OC. We're the extreme opposites. She's my mom's right hand and I felt like a Sergeant with no other choice but to follow my General and Colonel. But as we grew older, I realized, we've become close friends.

Meet my Ate Doreen, 31, still single. If we go out, people wouldn't think that we're siblings. We don't have any similarity as far as physical aspects are concerned. Our classmates who don't know our family often mistakenly identify us as sweethearts. We just laugh at them.

She came here two weeks ago to accompany a family friend who's going abroad. You don't know how difficult it was for a tornado like me to be cleaning my place in less than a day. I don't want to be reprimanded again for my lack of tidiness and order.

It's just too exciting for me to see my sister again after three months. But I admit, I also get irritated with her presence. I slept barely five hours a day, going with her to malls or some other places. I get pissed waiting for her outside the restroom, or when she has to enter all possible boutiques that she could see just to try some pieces of clothing or cosmetics. I also hate her being a lady, that she takes too much time in everything. I feel that I'm her PA, bringing one of her very heavy backpacks and handing her one or two of the four cellphones that ring.

She knows that my impatience drives me nuts. She could see that in my deep silence, through my sharper eyes, and the fastness of my pace. After all, I have been her brother for 25 years.

But when she went back to Butuan, I felt sad again. For more than a week, I chose to wake up late because I knew that I don't have to cook my food anymore because she already did it. That my room wouldn't be filled with silence because I have somebody to talk and argue with. That there's somebody always reminding me to change my shirt because it's already wet with my sweat. That I have a sister with me.

Life's like that I guess. The most important people in your life are those that are often unappreciated and disliked. But when they're not around, it's when you're longing for the things that you hate in them.

Well, I'll be seeing my family again... this Christmas and it wouldn't be too long.

Happy Anniversary!

Happy anniversary guys! We've gone this far. But then again, you are still my friends no matter what. We've changed a part of our personalities, we've grown, we've lived different lives and we've taken different paths but we're still here (although I know a lot in there nga di magparamdam).

OK, too much for the drama. In the observation of our 11th year, I enumerate things we all possess.

1. We are awesome.
   
2. For us, food and camera spell the word "fun."
   
3. People find us corny but we find ourselves amusing.
   
4. We love to debate on different matters.
   
5. Nobody has the ear to listen. We talk at the same time. The louder one's voice could get, the better.
   
6. Our conversations would lead us anywhere - the Greek and Roman mythology, the behavior of the gas molecules in the soda we're drinking, the acceleration of a falling body due to gravity, our high school teachers (and their kabobohan), our own funny and sad experiences, etc.
   
7. We're the biggest and the noisiest group in our class.
   
8. We are notorious for being liars (because of me).
   
9. We used to have weekly activities to make us "feel the closeness" of the group.
   
10. We used to date as a group every Valentine's Day.

Did I miss one? But surely, I don't miss you. Hehehe. Again, happy anniv.

_________________

Acknowledgments:
Ate Doreen for scanning some of the pictures for me;
Janice and Hunnie for making me steal some of your Friendster pictures

New Year's Resolutions

It's the second week of the new year and I still haven't posted my list of resolutions for this year. I really don't do it (in fact, I used to bluff and work on my creative mind to write a two-page, 500-word formal theme composition for like three consecutive years for the same theme - My New Year's Resolution) but for the heck of having a post, and also to experience sometime in my life that I once had some real resolutions, let me try aiming for some things. At least I have a goal. At the end of this year, I'm going to evaluate myself if I'm good enough at realizing my goals.

• Have a healthier lifestyle. I know that even though I don't look like a nice and kind person, people still mistakenly see me as a priest/seminarian because I don't smoke nor drink. It's not enough though. I make sure that I've walked at least 500 meters everyday but it's still not enough. Metro Manila is so polluted that I get sick often.
  
  This year, I'm planning to enrol in a gym. I could work on my cardio well, which, hopefully, will help cure my asthma, and, at the same time, exrete all the toxins in my body. I'm also planning to gain some muscles. I'm too shy to go shirtless because my narrow shoulders are too slopy, my older sister's biceps are bigger, my chest so flat, and my abs flabby. In short, I look like a seven-year-old boy who needs constant deworming.
  
  Gym membership costs a lot and I still have some things to accomplish early this year but I'm planning to start working out before the first quarter ends.
  
  
• Learn to swim. I have webbed fingers, my ears move and blush like gills, and I love saltwater. I know how to swim a bit, but I even laugh at myself imagining how I do it. My butt moves like I'm a merman. I need to learn how to float. And man, I need to learn how to hold my breathe longer.
  
  
• Learn to manage my finances. It's a shame. I have higher salary than my sister but she has a bigger contribution to our family and she still manages to buy what she wants. I need to learn the value of sacrifice. It's also one thing that I'll be considering before I'll be getting into a relationship.
  
  
• Read more. I admit that my vocabulary is too elementary. I need to learn new words. Maybe, I should invest on fictional books (which I hate) more than inspirational ones so that I could learn new techniques in writing. But that doesn't mean I would stop reading life-learning materials. I also want to be a better person.
  
  
• Sit and walk straight. Whenever I see myself on pictures or even on a big mirror, I'm ashamed to learn that my back is so curved that I don't stand my age. I know I have scoliosis but I should be more conscious with my posture. This is a big challenge for me though but I'll try. I'LL TRY.