I thought it was going to be another boring dinner for me last night. It’s a good thing I saw my college friends Bob (the one wearing sunglasses. i’m not so sure if the sun was still up that time. lol) and mama Jo (the one wearing turtleneck dress) in the lobby of our building. They invited me to join them together with their officemates for dinner. Of course, I said yes with no hesitation.

Fun time @ Teriyaki Boy. Photo by Rich Bob Poor Camera

The train left half past 12 in the afternoon. It’s a cloudy day today – kind of gloomy. In a little over 4 hours I’ll find myself again in the bustling city of Toronto.

Ottawa has been my home for almost two months and I must say that I really enjoyed my stay in this beautiful city. It’s not just the place that I’ll be missing, I will also miss the wonderful people I happened to meet.

New country, new time-zone, new offices, new platform, two instances of the system which are totally different from each  other, new set of tools, new products, different business practices and regulations.

I am enjoying my first cup of Starbucks coffee here in Canada. A bit more costly but it’s okay.

It reminds me of the happy days back in Manila. Nostalgic.

I just wanna go back to the Philippines.

Sure I enjoy my time here but I always feel tired, sleepy and stressed out when I go home after a long day in the office.

We were scheduled to depart from Manila at 12:30pm but it got delayed due to some technical problems. The plane took off way past 1pm and we got to the HK airport barely 30 minutes before our connecting flight to Toronto. The flight to HK was uneventful. No turbulence whatsoever. Or was there? I guess it got a little bumpy toward the end as it was raining heavily in HK. It was bearable, though.

There’s free wifi connection everywhere in the HK airport. I was able to go online and published a number of tweets. Oh yeah, talk about being narcissistic and all. I always have this little urge to update my friends either through Twitter or Facebook or both.

After sitting in the airport for a meager 15 minutes, we had to board the plane going to Toronto.

I remember I was so hungry by the time I got into the plane. And that was already past 4pm. The reason? Well, they had not served the much-awaited lunch for chrissake.

Finally, the lunch was served. I, of course, opted to have something with rice in it. Because I was so hungry, I finished all my food in less than 10 minutes.

The problem with long flights is that they get boring as the hours pass by. It’s a good thing that we all have individual entertainment sets.

If you’re an avid reader of this blog, you sure know that I have this fear of riding airplanes. Man, I’m happy to let everyone know that I have already conquered that fear. I realized that what I need is actually to have someone I know to travel with me. The flight to Toronto got shaky a number of times but they’re all tolerable. At times I would say to myself, “Bring it on!” Hahaha. I recall that we actually encountered a mild turbulence when I was in the washroom. Crappy-doo.

I was only able to finish one movie during the entire flight. It’s not because I didn’t like the movie lineup. It’s just that my eyes got tired of just staring at the small screen in front of me. Maybe I should have put on my eyeglasses that time.

After more than 14 hours, the plane finally touched down the Toronto airport. Local time was 7:30PM. A little chilly but it was all good.

Then, a thirty-minute taxi ride took us from the airport to our hotel. That’s the time I had my first glimpse of Toronto – a truly bustling city.

Bye for now Manila and see you very soon Toronto.

The hardest part of parenting is arguably disciplining our children. It’s a tough job; somebody’s got to do it; and we, as the parents, have to do it.

Got this one from some random blog. I guess, the same thing applies in the  workplace. I’m just wondering why some people don’t seem to realize it.

Being nice and cool didn’t work so I tried something else.

Warning: Another one of those tweets.

The bad:

Rough day in the office.

The good:

Very nice Japanese food for lunch.

Cups and cups  of coffee.

An even better dinner. Not to mention the bottles of beer, grilled pork, crispy pata, beef steak and sinigang.

nararamdaman ko na ang pagod na dulot ng project na ‘to. hay.

I’m starting to believe that finding a new job will do the trick.

Me at the office on this beautiful Sunday afternoon. I need to be home by 4PM to catch the Federer-Murray match. Australian Open 2010 Men’s Finals, baby!

Loads of sh it in the office. Gusto ko na umuwi!

and little brother’s kiddie party. para akong adik o. lolz

please.

The weather is kind of cool. The perfect weather, I must say.

I head to a mall to have a nice dinner. I’m thinking that I should treat myself after having spent 5 hours in the office on a Sunday afternoon.

The mall is unbelievably crowded. Thank goodness, I only need to spend less than an hour in this people-infested place. I will soon find a quiet place and have a cup of tea or coffee and probably read a pleasant book.

Maybe I was a barista in my past life. I just feel so at home whenever I’m in a coffee shop – any coffee shop.

I love looking at lovely girls. I love watching them especially when they’re enjoying their coffee. I like it when they take a sip from a paper cup. Or even from a white porcelain mug. I find it sexy.

I am supposed to be reading A Theory of Learning for the Mobile Age but I’m getting tons of distractions. I decide to put it away and just continue with what I do best – watching moving works of art.

I suddenly wish that I smoke.

I take a last sip of the stale mocha, put my earphones on and leave.

I noticed that I’ve been posting a lot on this blog for the past weeks. But I also noticed that most of them are nothing but pure shit. Maybe I should put in extra efforts to come up with more sensible posts.

Another thing… I’ve just received my professor’s feedback on my assignment number 1. As expected, I almost got a failing grade. Whew. Good thing I still have until Thursday to revise it.

Crazy brain cells, get back to work!!!

Haha. Two days after the deadline of assignment no. 1, tsaka ko lang sya nai-submit. Ayus di ba? Dahil delayed ang submission ko, may 10% deduction ako. Sa graduate school kasi ang passing grade is 80%. So dahil may deduction nga ako, ang highest score ko na lang e 90%. Pero asa pa di ba? Ibig sabihin kasi nun e perfect ako sa paper na yun. E sa dating pa lang ng sinulat ko, baka mga 30% lang ang grade ko. Lolz. So, 20% lang ang final grade ko. Wahahaha.

Anyways, ok na yan. At least makakabalik na ako sa dati kong sarili. Na-miss ko kaya ang badminton kahapon dahil sa demit na assignment na to. Hay. Pero kagabi, naglaba pa ako ng sangkatutak na damit. Mas ok kasing gawin yon kesa gumawa ng paper. Haha.

Ok, uwi na ako. Pero kain muna ng masarap na dinner. Hehehe.

Kasama ko nga pala si Jason Mraz habang ginagawa ko ang assignment na to. Sarap pakinggan ng A Beautiful Mess.

Badminton leveling mamaya. So konting palo palo lang yun. Malamang walang sobrang pawis. Pagkatapos nun, may mga gagawin akong ka-shit-an sa buhay. May assignment akong kelangang gawin na deadline ay next week. Hay life. Tapos balak ko nang bumili ng washing machine ngayong weekend. Ayaw ko na kasing magpa-laundry. Mas ok maglaba ng ng sariling damit.

Basta ayaw ko ng weekend. Demit. Basta. Basta. Basta.

It was raining hard when I left the condo. And as expected the floodwater along Pasong Tamo has risen significantly making it impossible for pedestrians to cross it without their (read: our) feet getting wet.

So in an effort to avoid the flood-stricken street the Makati government has failed to address for years, if not decades, I decided to ride a jeep going to Mantrade first and another one going to Ayala.

It’s not all negative though. I must admit that I prefer rainy days over sunny ones. The reason is that I perspire a lot when it’s hot. And I hate it when I’m dripping wet with my own sweat when I’m not actually exercising.

I got to the office at around eight. Pretty early I must say. I had a hearty meal at the foodpark but it wasn’t good enough to tame my appetite. I then bought something to munch on at Ministop.

—oo00-00oo—

I’m still wishing and hoping and praying to all the coding gods out there to shower me with some pretty neat and challenging assignments. But not TOO challenging though. Hahaha.

I think it would be best not to.

Anyways, congratulations to Roger. And good job, Andy. It was indeed a superb match.  I’m looking forward to the US Open.

Need to read some nerdy stuff. Gonna catch up on tons of reading.

Demit. Di ako makapagtrabaho.

Pababa ako ng escalator nang makita kong malakas ang ulan. ‘Yan and dahilan kung bakit may ilang taong umaakyat na naman pabalik ng building dahil wala silang payong. Isa ako sa kanila. Kaya dali-dali akong bumalik sa opisina para manghiram ng payong. At sa awa ng diyos ay nakakuha naman ako.

Subalit nang makababa na ako ng building ay wala na palang ulan. Parang gago. Feeling ko tuloy e pinaglalaruan ako ng tadhana. Hahaha. Drama.

Anyway, ayun dumerecho ako sa Sbarro along Ayala. Hinintay ko si kaibigang Siops dun kasi nagpalibre ako sa kanya. Grabe, andami naming kinain. Pero mas madami akong kinain kesa kay Siops. Nakakautot nga sa dami e. Kala ko nga majejebs ako sa office e. Pero mali pala ako.

Tapos nang pabalik na ako sa office, wala ng ulan. Normal na paglalakad lang ang ginawa ko tapos bumaba lang ng underpass. Tapos pagakyat ko, ayun na naman. Parang may bagyo sa lakas ng ulan. Labo. Buti na lang at may dala akong malaking payong.

Yon lang. Gusto ko sanang magkape kaso kelangang pigilin ang silakbo ng damdamin. Baka kasi bumilis ang tibok ng aking puso at biglang ma-inlove ako. Hahaha. Adik.

Mga naka-jacket ang kasama ko dito sa office. Talagang mukha silang nilalamig. Pero bakit ako, hindi? Siguro makapal na talaga ang balat ko. Pati ata mukha. Hahaha. Partida pa wala akong underwear. Este undershirt. LOL

Hindi na sumasakit ang mata at ulo ko kasi nadala ko na ang mahiwagang salamin. Hindi ‘to yong mahiwagang salamin ni Boy Abunda. Eto ay reading glasses lang. Hehe.

Lapit na mag-lunch. Hehe. Kainan na.

It was my first day at work yesterday. Nothing fancy, really. I just filled up countless forms, read lots of slides about the company and stuff, and got myself an access card. And sat in front of the computer until the clock ticked 5:30 PM.

I’m still looking for a place to stay here in Makati. I’ve made several calls to different brokers and was able to make an appointment with only one of them. I’ll be viewing a unit at noon today. Hopefully I’ll like the place and eventually settle everything so that I can move in this coming weekend.

I have with me a John Grisham novel. Yep, I failed to finish it last week because I got busy. But I’m trying catch up. Good thing the story is becoming more and more exciting. So that’s all for now folks. Will try to update this blog frequently. I won’t promise, though. LOL

It’s rather cold and dark outside. I haven’t seen the sun since I woke up at around seven in the morning. This is kind of weird considering that it’s just mid April but it’s raining as though it’s August. Some news reports say that it has something to do with climate change. Others say that there’s just a low pressure area somewhere in Palawan.

I had breakfast of oatmeal. A large serving of it in a big bowl. I used soymilk instead of fresh milk and added some canned fruits. I bought a considerably large container of oatmeal last Monday to somehow stay healthy.

I haven’t visited the gym for almost two months now and I must admit that sometimes I feel my joints are becoming weak. Probably due to the fact that I seldom move around the house. Except, of course, when I’m babysitting one of my nephews.

When I finished eating breakfast, I brushed my teeth and headed straight to a barber shop near the hi-way. I decided to have my head shaved because I have grown tired of spending time taming my stubborn hair. And I didn’t want to waste my time looking for my small comb that disappears each time I need it. So there goes my hair. To the garbage bin – its appropriate place.

I went back to our house and had a nice warm shower, and moments later helped cook food for lunch.

I’m enjoying the snail’s pace kind of life I’m having right now. I know that it will not last long so I’m just making the most out of it. Once I get a new job, I am sure as hell that I will be busy as other IT people are.

Remember the entry I had a week ago? The one which says I was reading some ebooks about web development? Well, I have lost my drive and decided to transfer those files to my external hard drive. But mind you, I was able to read three quarters of the first ebook and half of the second. I won’t probably be spending time reading them for the next couple of weeks.

But I haven’t said goodbye to reading stuff completely. I’m actually reading a novel and I’m proud to say that I’ve finished reading more than half of it. I think I’ve found a new hobby. A very enjoyable one, for that matter.

Andito ako sa veranda ng aming bahay (veranda daw o, para mukhang sosyal LOL). Mas malamig kasi di hamak dito kaysa sa loob ng bahay. Dito ako nagbabasa ng ebooks tungkol sa web development. Dalawang books yun actually. Nagpapakahenyo lang ako habang walang trabaho. At habang nagbabasa e nagpipicture picture din ako. Kaya eto, tingnan nyo ang view mula sa aming veranda. Kumuha lang ako ng medyo maayos na angle para di kasama ang bubong ng bahay ng mga kapitbahay namin. Hahaha.

Tapos bumili pala ako ng cabinet nung isang araw. Wala kasi akong matinong cabinet sa room ko. Kaya pinilit ako ng nanay ko, hati daw kami sa pambili, Ayun, pumayag naman ako. Haha. Nahirapan pa kaming ipasok ang cabinet sa kwarto ko kasi hindi magkasya sa hagdan. Mukha tuloy akong loser kasi ako ang bumili at inassume ko lang na kasya yong cabinet. Pagkatapos pagbalibaliktarin e napagkasya din naman namin. May dalawang lalaking naghatid galing sa furniture shop tapos tinulungan namin ni tatay. Kaya apat kaming lahat pero tagaktak pa rin ang pawis ko. Napilitan tuloy akong maligo ulit nung maipasok na ang mahiwang cabinet. Heto ang mahiwagang cabinet mga kaibigan.

At i-share ko lang ang picture ni Boom pagkatapos n’yang kumain ng ice cream.

Last weekend, I went to U.P. Los Banos with Jong to stroll around the campus and take some pictures. Seeing familiar sites in and around the campus brings back the good old college days.  I miss the time when I go to class with a pambahay or bagong gising look. Haha.

Visit my Flickr account to see the pictures.

It’s another lazy afternoon. I’m just in my room making the most out of this fcking slow internet connection. And the worse thing is that our neighbor is playing sad songs at a very very high volume. Crap. I hate sad songs… especially during afternoons when I couldn’t take a nap because of the hot weather.

Boredom is killing me. I hope to find a job soon. I really do.

I was browsing the inquirer.net website when I ran into an article entitled Waiting. The title didn’t tell much about what this article is actually all about but as I read through it, I learned that it’s about a young guy who has just finished Nursing with the help of his persevering and loving parents.

It made me recall what I had gone through when I was still in college. I was in the very same situation as this guy was. I can still remember the time when we had no choice but to sell half of the small piece of land my dad inherited from his parents. We also had to make loans with the remaining lot as collateral. I can list all the things my parents did but it will just make this entry so long. What I just wanted to say is that I’m very thankful for having them as my parents. I couldn’t be prouder of my parents and all other parents who are doing everything for their children.

I need to take a cold shower. Hahaha.

 Beer, anyone?

Madalas, nakikita ko ang aking sarili na nagiisip. Maraming mga bagay-bagay na tila hindi mawala-wala sa aking isipan. Akala ko minsan ay ayos na ngunit heto na naman, bumabalik.

Noong mga nakaraang buwan, palagi kong naiisip ang posibleng pagpunta ko sa Ireland upang doon magtrabaho. Medyo nalulungkot ako masagi lang sa isip ko ang layo ng nasabing bansa sa Pilipinas. Tapos dagdagan mo pa ng winter, spring, summer or fall. (Hindi ako kumakanta habang tina-type ko ang four seasons). Pero kung magiging objective ako, wala namang pagkakaiba ang layo na yan kung ikukumpura sa layo ng Kuala Lumpur sa Pilipinas. Kasi dalawa o tatlong beses lang rin naman ako kung umuwi sa Pilipinas na pwede ko rin namang gawin kong matutuloy ako sa Ireland. Pero hindi pa naman ito kailangang problemahin kasi wala pa namang offer. Matagal ko nang natapos ang series ng interviews. Preliminary interview, technical interview sa Ireland, techanical interview sa Ireland + US, at HR sa Ireland. Astig nga kasi tatlo kaming nagconference galing sa 3 iba’t ibang kontinente. Pano hindi magiging cool ‘yon, di ba? Kaso nga lang hating gabi sa akin at umaga at hapon naman sa ibang partido.

Kinoconsider daw ako ngunit syempre ang kalaban ko rin sa posisyon ay sangkatutak kasi kumukuha sila ng tao sa buong mundo. United Colors of Benetton nga ata doon e. Pero hindi ko naman ine-expect na matatanggap ako kasi kulang ang experience ko na nakasaad sa requirements. Masaya na ako na natapos ko ang buong interview process. Ang cool kasi e. Tapos yong agent pa ay tumatawag sa kin 30 minutes before ng scheduled interview. Aba aba, para akong may secretary. Parang, “Hey Jun, this is to remind you of your technical interview scheduled at 2:00 GMT today. Three technical managers will be interviewing you. Please email me after. Good luck.” Ganyan ang mga interviews ko. Mga apat o limang beses na ganyan.

Binabalikan nila ako paminsan-minsan pero hindi ko alam ang gusto nilang mangyari kasi wala pang konkretong status ang oportunidad na ‘to. Pero di ko na iniisip. Come what may sabi nga isang taong malapit sa puso ko. Naks. Jowk.

Kaya ngayon, todo job hunting na muna ako sa Malaysia at Singapore. Pero mahirap sa panahon ngayon dahil may krisis pang-ekonomiya. Kung hindi naman ako siswertehin ay malamang uuwi na lang muna ako sa Pilipinas. Magaalaga na lang ako ng mga pamangkin ko. Tuturuan ko silang magprogram. Hahaha.

Iyan ang mga katagang binitawan ng aking boss. Adik kasi ‘tong boss ko. Nagresign ba naman tapos hanggang huling araw na lang s’ya ng Enero. Adik talaga. Tapos ako ay hanggang Pebrero 24 pa.

‘Yan ang sabi ng matatanda. Hahaha.

Bago mag Agosto noong nakaraang taon ay nagsimula na ang plano kong umalis sa aking kumpanya. At dahil sa maigting na pagnanais na maisakatuparan ang planong ito ay nagpasa na ako ng resignation letter bago pa man ang aking bakasyon sa pinas noong isang buwan. Hindi maikakaila na ang kumpanya ko ngayon ay isa sa pinakamatinding hinagupit ng krisis pangpinansyal sa buong mundo. At lalong hindi maikakaila na may ilang business units dito sa Asya na nagtanggal ng mga tao, contractual at permanent.

Kinausap na rin kami dito sa kumpanya na maaring may tanggalang mangyayari sa hinaharap. At ang posibilidad ay malaki. Sa totoo lang, magaan kong tinanggap ang balitang iyon. Kasi ba naman, limang buwan ko nang plano ang pagbibitiw sa aking tungkulin. Kaya ayun, hanggang ika-24 na lang ng Pebrero ang itatagal ko sa aking kumpanya. Ito ay naaayon sa aking plano. At mukhang ako na lang ang pinoy na maiiwan sa aming departamento dahil malamang ay maunahan pa ako ng iba. Pero hindi nakakalungkot ‘yon. Parte ‘yon ng buhay. Hahaha.

Ang kailangang kong pagtuunan ng pansin sa mga susunod na linggo ay kung saan ko ba talaga gustong magtrabaho. Ngunit pakiramdam ko ay gusto ko sa Singapore. Bagong lugar, bagong trabaho, bagong buhay at bagong bahay. Sabi nga ng Chinese/Rich kid kong kaibigan ay masaya ang walang plano. Haha.

At mukhang ginaya ko na naman ang aking brother na nagbitiw din sa kanyang posisyon 2 buwan na ang nakalipas. Pero ang kaibihan lang ay tila ayaw ko munang bumalik sa aking tinubuang lupa.

Anu’t ano pa man, magiging maayos din ang lahat. Mali ata iyon. Kasi maayos naman lahat e. Hahaha. Kaya ang magandang gawin ay magbakasyon sa darating na Chinese New Year. Tutungo ako sa Singapore kasama si Dhey at Jong at maglalakwatsa. Kwentuhan ko kayo ng mga susunod na kabanata ng aking buhay sa mga darating na araw at linggo.

My current office is actually in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur. It’s your typical Technology Park. Still part of the city but not quite.

Lots of trees, birds, squirrels, and some occasional monitor lizards greet me on my way to the office.

With this kind of environment, one can expect that the ground is not all concrete. Some parts are actually muddy when heavy rain pours. The kind of mud that sticks on the sole of one’s shoes like a leech.

During the rainy season, I usually find a pile of soil under my table. No magic, really. It’s the accumulated mud that has dried up. From my shoes, of course. Out of embarrassment, I would try to push it to one corner so that it is not that visible. Haha.

Because I didn’t have much to do today (and yesterday), I just called some of my friends in my previous company and pretended to be a credit card agent of a leading multinational bank.

Friend 1: (Around 3:30PM yesterday)

<Phone rings>
JUN>> Hi. I’m looking for Ms. XYZ
GUY>> Ummm. Sorry but she has just left. <pause> Left her cubicle.
JUN>> I see. Thanks a lot.

Nakakatawa. Kala ko umuwi na si XYZ. Yon pala may kaduktong pang “left her cubicle” yong script nung sumagot. LOL

Friend 2: (Around 9:30AM today)

<Phone rings>
JUN>> Hi. I’m looking for Ms. ABC. This is Arthur from Citibank.
ABC>> Speaking.
JUN>> Ah yes, I just want to know if you already have a card from us, Ma’am.
ABC>> Yup, I have a Citibank Shell card. Why?
JUN>> I see. Would you be interested in getting a Citibank Cashback?
ABC>> Hmm. How does it differ from the other cards?

Daming tanong ni ABC, tapos talagang english din sya.

JUN>> You will not earn points when you use this card. You will get a corresponding cash rebate for your purchases, instead. By the way, would you know anyone in Malaysia?
ABC>> Malaysia…? Huh?
JUN>> Yes, Malaysia. Specifically in Kuala Lumpur?
ABC>> Walanghiya ka Jun-Jun..

Hahaha. Ok di ba?

Friend 3: (Around 9:35AM today)

<Phone rings>
JUN>> Hi. I’m looking for Ms. EFG.
EFG>> Who’s this?.
JUN>> This is Arthur from Citibank.
EFG >> Eto na nga.

Ayus, nagtagalog si ma’am. Haha. Hindi dudugo ang ilong ko.

JUN>> I’m just wondering if you already have a Citibank credit card.
EFG >> Actually, kakapa-cancel ko pa lang nung Citibank credit card ko.
JUN>> Would you be interested in getting a Citibank Cashback.
EFG >> Sorry, pero nagbabawas nga ako ng credit card.
JUN>>  I see. Would you know anyone in Malaysia?
EFG >> Nakakainis ka Jun-Jun.

Haha. Ang saya-saya.

I saw this hilarious picture in Friendster through my high school friend, Jasper. In the picture are Melvin, Jayson aka Wiwi, me aka boy palaboy and Joseph(L-R). Not in the picture are Jasper – probably the one who took the picture, Jason and Omar. Yup, we call ourselves the Magnificent 7.

This really made me laugh.

Early this month, my brother passed the ECE Board Exam. Today, it’s my sister’s turn. She has just passed the Licensure Exam for Teachers.

How can I not be proud of them?

See the results here.

I’m one of the happiest kuyas in the world right now. My brother has just passed the Electronics and Communication Engineer Licensure exam which was conducted last weekend.

What made me even happier is that I realized that my brother is just like me. Arrogant. Haha. I asked him yesterday if the result of his exam is already out. He said no. He asked me right away to give him something if he will pass it. “Sure! Basta ba pasado e.” I replied. Then he said, “Walang problema.”

And last night (or should I say early this morning because it was past midnight), I checked the inquirer.net. To my surprise, the list of successful examinees was already there. A bit tensed, I checked it. Though I was pretty confident that he will pass the exam, there was still a feeling of nervousness.

And his name was there. I was relieved.

I called up my brother to tell him the good news. The truth is he and his classmates were waiting for the result that time. I just don’t know how come they did not check the inquirer.net. He was really happy. He even asked me who’s on the top. Yeah, he was hoping to make it in the top 10. I just laughed at him.

Now I’m thinking what to give him. Haha.

After being involved in the development of the Fund Administration System of our office in Taiwan, I will be transferring to another team next week. I’m quite sure that my new assignment will be a bit more challenging because we are going to rollout a new insurance system in our Kuala Lumpur and Singapore offices. I don’t exactly know the scope of the project but what I was told about is that I need to join their team to deliver the project as early as possible. I hope I will still be able to have slack time every once in a while.

This transition also means that… Makakawala na ako sa bossing ko. Ayaw ko kasi syang katrabaho e. haha. Tinagalog bigla. Mahirap na kasing mabasa nya. Haha. Pero wala naman akong nabanggit kung saan ako nagtatrabaho e.

So, just wish me luck.

I have been looking for a minimalist WordPress template for a long time but I can’t find a good one. Since I had a considerably light schedule yesterday, I decided to give this itch a good scratch and just modified the template I’m currently using. I thought the picture below would be a nice banner because it matches my tagline so I used it.

With the help of PaintShop Pro, I was able to come up with my new banner. Man, I’m satisfied!

I also changed the template so that the entry titles, date, links, etc. would be just plain gray.

To complete this minimalist thingy, I’m thinking of removing the colorful widgets on the right panel of my blog. I have yet to finalize it though.

The picture above which depicts me crying was taken by Estelito when we went to Genting.

So yesterday, our team went to this restaurant in Sri Petaling called Fusion Haven. This restaurant is called as such because the food they serve is a fusion of different cuisines – American, Russian, Japanese, Chinese, British, Malaysian and a lot more.

I ordered Grilled Spicy Chicken Chop (I think the better name is Spicy Grilled Chicken Chop) and a cup of white rice. The dish comes with a piece of Onigiri which is actually flavored steamed rice. To my surprise, it didn’t just look good but it actually tasted so great. It’s crispy yet so juicy. Haha. It looks like I’m promoting this restaurant. Haha. To give you a glimpse of this oh so yummy meal, I’m posting its picture.

After the satisfying main course, I ordered Warm Heart Chocolate and Ice Cream. They actually use a special blueberry ice cream in the recipe which makes it more special.

The only negative points I can say about this resto is the fact that their service is very slow and the manager doesn’t know the basics of customer service. Haha. Pathetic manager/owner.

NOTE: The pictures above were nenoked from someone else’s blog. Haha.

1:53
1:49
1:42
1:37
1:24
1:19
1:08

Ang mga numerong nasa itaas ay bunga ng pagkabugnot ko ngayong araw. Countdown yan bago ako makasibat dito sa opisina. Ang totoo ay buong linggo ko nang ginagawa ‘to. Kung ganito lagi araw-araw ang mangyayari sa kin, baka mapabilis ang aking pagtanda. Hay buhay. Konting tiis pa. Isipin mo yon, Agosto na. Limang buwan na lang at pwedeng pwede na akong magpasa ng resignation letter ko. Haha.

Yong nakaraang blog ko sa totoo lang ay hindi naman laging ganon. Ngayong buong linggo lang. Naisip ko lang di ko pala kayang magpetiks habang buhay. Sana may maayos na ulit akong task next week. Wag muna bukas kasi biyernes na.

1. Turn on my monitor when I get to the office. Yup. Just the monitor because I don’t usually turn off my computer when I go home. But because of the looming threat of global warming, I’m TRYING to conserve energy nowadays.
2. Check my inbox. Reply to some non-business-related emails first. Bypass work-related emails. Haha.
3. Go to the pantry to wash my water container.
4. Fill my container with ice-cold water at the pantry on the first floor. The water in our floor’s pantry is not that cold, that’s why.
5. Scan my inbox again to check if there are indeed work-related emails. If none, open a browser and start blog-hopping.
6. Once done with blog-hopping, start an email conversation with other pinoys in the office.
7. Perform step 6 until I receive a new task from my boss OR my water container is already empty OR it’s already lunch time OR I want to do blog-hopping again.
8. Have lunch at my workstation while listening to cool songs of The Beatles
9. Take a nap if time permits.
10. Perform item #2 and #5 alternately for two hours.
11. Refill my water container
12. Go to step#7
13. Wait for the clock to tick 6PM.
14. Do the “Runaway Bus” dance move. I have to move really fast to catch the unreliable rapid KL bus. Haha.

Disclaimer. Anything contained in, assumed to be implied by, or vaguely alluded to in this entry shall not be attributed to, blamed upon, or otherwise associated with the blog owner.

Four years ago, I applied for the Master in Information Systems program of the University of the Philippines Open University. I was 21 years old when I got admitted to the program. No one in the office knew about it that time except my boss who, as I recall, didn’t encourage me because she said I don’t have enough work experience yet. Anyway, I was able to get recommendation from her.

Then the start of the semester came. Even though I had a very busy work schedule that time, I still took 3 subjects. That was one subject more than the regular load. It was probably because of the burning desire to get my master’s degree at the age of 23 and then pursue a residential mode graduate program in the US afterward. I finished my first semester with flying colors. I even got a perfect grade in one of those 3 subjects.

The same story continued for the next two semesters.

And suddenly, everything turned up-side down.

I started dropping one subject per semester. And it was followed by filing a Leave of Absence.

I actually don’t know what happened. Laziness? Loss of motivation? Change of plans? I really don’t know.

But one thing is for sure. I am starting to feel the itch to be part of the commencement exercises next year. I’m giving myself one year to finish everything.

I have 2 papers due on Saturday. Unfortunately, I have not started any of them. I don’t know if I have become so lazy lately or it’s just the lack of time.

I haven’t started with my infosys project yet. I’m left with a little more than 2 months to complete it. I hope the good Lord will give me some motivation.

To me, gym is a thing of the past. May my trainer have mercy on me. Haha.

It’s just cooking and going to the grocery store that get a big chunk of my precious time. And watching CNN, too. Pathetic.

That’s all for now. I need to organize myself or else…

When I went back to the Philippines last month, I made sure to drop by my former office to see my friends there. I saw a lot of them but failed to see some. The lucky ones are in the following picture. Haha. Feeling artista.

Thanks allanG for the pic.

Yesterday was quite a tiring day. After a usual working day, I went straight to a grocery store near our condo, bought a few items and headed back home.

After changing clothes, I immediately went to the kitchen and cooked a hearty meal for dinner. Steamed lapulapu and eggplant with a decent sauce. While waiting for the fish to cook, I drank two glasses of apple juice. Trying to be a health buff? NO. I just thought that driking 2 glasses of apple juice can help me be awake for a couple of hours or so. But it failed me. I still felt very very sleepy.

And my dinner was ready.

It was very satisfying that I felt the urge to sleep even without washing the dishes, brushing my teeth and taking a quick shower. But of course, I was able to convince myself not to give-in easily. Haha.

The next menu is Sweet and Sour Lapulapu. Special thanks to Mama Sita. Hehe.