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Nothing To Look Forward To

2010-09-17T17:53:00.001+02:00

So it looks like we won't be coming home for Christmas. For the past two weeks, I have been losing sleep, poring over websites late into the night, looking for affordable plane fares to Manila. I always come up empty handed. If it's not a ticket that's sure to burn a deep hole in my pocket, then it's a flight that will make us take 10, or even 20 hour layovers in the airport. I don't want to say it's not worth it, whether money-, time-, or stress-wise, because going home for Christmas is definitely worth it, but there are limits. I mean, we can probably spend the holidays in London. I've checked the price of plane tickets and hotels in London, and we're bound to pay the same price as a two-week holiday in the UK as we would for a single plane fare to Manila. But then there's the nagging thought: Will it be as fun as spending Christmas in Manila, together with the rest of the family? My sister and her husband will be coming home for Christmas, so that would mean spending the holidays together as a unit, something which we haven't done for the previous three Chirstmases.

For now, I have to get that thought off my head. Even though it's barely end of September, I can already feel how lonely this Christmas is going to be.

The Magnificent Bastard

2010-04-08T14:03:00.001+02:00

Spring is definitely here, with its fickle sunshine mornings and afternoond showers. Pretty soon, it's gonig to be summer. Time to look great, whether it's for a Sunday barbeque or just lounging about around the company coffee machine.

I've been looking for an alternative to GQ for tips on how to dress up, and came up with The Magnificent Bastard. Unlike GQ, which mostly gives advice on how to look polished, I go for the "slightly stressed" look. The Magnificent Bastard has a term for this: artful dishevelment. Cool, huh? This look involves small details as rolling up your sleeves above the elbows, which I haven't done for a very long time. Seems I've been stuck in that era where you just roll up your sleeves somewhere between elbow and wrist.

Now that I've got the sleeve-rolling business settled, time to learn how to tie a Windsor. Any suggestions which websites to visit?

Irresponsible, at the very least...

2010-02-19T15:46:00.001+01:00

Outright moronic would best describe what four call center agents from Philippines-based Sitel did to the customers of their client, Telecom, a cellular communications provider based in New Zealand. Five Telecom customers reported receiving obscene messages from their provider. Further investigations showed that the messages came from Telecom's outsourced customer service provider Sitel.

What were those four people thinking? Other than the fact that they will surely lose their jobs, apparently, even the Philippine police are now involved in the investigations given the serious nature of the offense. Apart from that, I can just imagine the backlash on the Philippine community in New Zealand. I have some friends who moved to New Zealand and I have yet to hear from them how this has affected the Filipinos there. I hope there won't be any serious Pinoy-bashing that will happen as a result of this.

By far, seven internet sites are already carrying the news item. For sure, more will pick up on this. For more information, here are the sites:
Radio New Zealand
The Southland Times
Earth Times
Computer World
Newstalk ZB Auckland
New Zealand Herald
The National Business Review

Pompom, February 9, 2010

2010-02-10T10:26:00.000+01:00

He would always be there, the first to greet me as I would come out of my car. He wasn't afraid to show how excited he was to see me, whether I was gone abroad for two and a half years, or I was just walking back from the sari-sari store. For some reason, he always wanted to follow everybody around the house, that is except when you go up the stairs. He was always afraid of heights, and never did learn how to properly walk down a flight of stairs. He would never get to learn that now, but that's alright. He's in a place now where he probably wouldn't want to get down from.

We love you Pom. Thank you for guarding us, thank you for guarding the house. Thank you for being the loyal friend and companion that anyone would love to have in a dog. We will really, really miss you.

If I Were A Rich Man

2009-10-05T10:05:00.000+02:00

Becca's challege for today is to name five things you would do, if money was not an object.

1. Charity, charity, charity - The Philippines has been hit hard by calamity recently. Two very strong typhoons had passed through the country, one almost right on top of the other. The first one, storm system Ketsana, dumped almost 400mm of rain in Metro Manila in 6 hours. This is almost one month of rainfall in half a day, and caused massive flooding in areas in Metro Manila which normally never gets flooded. Damage has been estimated to run into hundereds of millions, nearly 300 people are dead, and thousands are forced to abandon their homes and are now living in relocation centers. The second storm system, Parma, hit northern and north-eastern Philippines, also causing massive floods in my father's province, Ilocos Norte. Because of another storm system lingering in the Asian area, Parma is continuing to linger in the Philippines, still dumping rain and preventing waters from subsiding in alreay flooded areas. These storms have put a massive strain on the government and private organizations' ability to deliver relief goods to affected people. The resources and infrastructure are not there. If I had the money, I would provide funding to the various charity organizations to make sure that people are fed; that relief centers are maintained (in some relief centers, it was reported that there were only one portable toilet to serve 3000 people!); and that those severely affected are given resources to start their lives anew.

2. My own jet - With a pilot at my beck and call, of course, since I do not know how to fly. My wife and I love going on trips, and having one will allow us to go whereever we want, whenever we want. No more searching in Momondo.com for the cheapest fares. Best of all, we can take our friends Ryan; and Alma and Bob and their family, on holidays.

3. A holiday home in Ascona - We've only been to Ascona once, but we immediately fell in love with the place. It has mild weather year-round, it has a lake, and it's close to Lugano, which has it's own airport, so that means jetting in and out should be no problem. There are a lot of really nice areas in Ticino, like Lugano, Locarno, and Bellinzona, but Ascona strikes me as something like a Swiss version of the French Riviera.

4. A lifetime lease with Ferrari - Why drive anything less than the best?

5. Anything my family wants - especially my Mom. Wouldn't it be nice to be able to buy whaterver your family wants, and not worry about the credit card bill later?

Politics in the Time of Disaster

2009-09-29T22:55:00.000+02:00

First off, I would have to apologize to my English speaking readership. A lot of this post is written in Filipino, because this is a commentary on a friend's Multiply post. Just so to give you an idea what this is all about, this is a first-hand account of my friend who is a volunteer for the Philippine National Red Cross. He was in the middle of rescue and relief operations in one of the hardest hit areas affected by flooding from Typhoon Ondoy. Below is his narrative on what happened...

SHOW TIME

Ang lahat ay naghahanda na para tulungan ang lahat ng biktima na lalabas ng Vista Verde, mga alas dos ng madaling araw ng Lunes.
Kaming mga red cross volunteers, alam na namin ang gagawin namen.
Isulat ang pangalan, bigyan ng pagkain at stub at bigyan ng relief goods na may kasamang bigas, delata at tubig.
Ang daming ambulansya, militar, at media na nag-aabang sa labas, kasi halos bewang pa daw ang baha sa loob.

Mula sa loob ng subdivision, may papalabas na dalawang military trucks na puno daw ng tao.
Isa sa mga unang bumaba si Senador... video rolling... flash... flash... flash...
Buong akala namen na sobrang dami ng tao sa loob ng truck kasi malaking truck eto.
Pero mangilan-ngilan lang ang bumaba nito na biktima ng bagyong Ondoy.
Ang aking nakita lang ay ang isang lola at ina na may kargang baby na mga nasa isa or dalawang buwan pa lamang, na pinasok sa ambulansya para sa unang panlunas.
Pero pagkatapos ng mga ilang sandali bumaba din sila.
"Mag-ingat po kayo." ani ni Senador sabay tapik sa likod ng ina na may baby. flash... flash... flash...

ayun sa mga naririnig namen, tinipon daw muna lahat ng tao muna bago ilabas para kasabay si Senador paglabas! Ayun bidang-bida sya!

Sinabihan ako ng kasamahan ko na magbitbit daw ng relief goods at tinapay at isakay sa truck para ipasok sa loob.
Bitbit agad ako ng dalawang kahon ng tinapay.
Tinanong ako ni Senador, "Para san yan?"
"Ikarga po sa truck para sa loob." ang sagot ko sabay tungo si Senador.
Pagdating ko sa truck para iabot ang aking bitbit, tinanong ako ng militar kung para san eto.
Ang sabi ko para sa loob pero ang sabi sa akin, "Hindi na eto papasok sa loob".
Pano na ang ibang tao sa loob? May ibang tao pa na di pa makalabas ng bahay nila!
Binalik nalang namen ang dala namen sa sasakyan namen.
Utos pala eto ni Senador na ikarga ang relief goods sa truck pero hindi ipapasok sa loob. SUS!

Ilang sandali, umalis na rin si Senador kasabay ang lahat ng militar at ambulansya.
Naging tahimik ang labas ng Vista Verde, kaming mga Red Cross volunteers nalang ang naiwan kasama ang ibang tao na nakalabas sa subdivision.
Habang sumisikat na si haring araw, may mga ilang tao na ang lumalabas ng subdivision.
Ang ilan sa mga eto nangangailangan ng gamot at pang-unang lunas, lalo na ung amang may bitbit na anak na namumutla na.
Humihingi sa amen ng tulong, ngunit wala kaming maibigay dahil walang ambulansya na naka-antabay.
May isang lolo na gustong magpaBP, buti nalang isa sa kasamahan namen ay nurse at may dalang gamit, kaya nakuhanan eto ng BP.

Nasan na ang mga ambulansya na nag-aabang sa labas?

Ayun kasama ni Senador! Baket walang man lang naiwan para sa ibang tao?
Alam naman nilang madami pang stranded sa loob ng subdivision.
Hindi ba naisip ni Senador yun?

The senator was eventually identified as Richard Gordon, the Chairman of the Philippine Red Cross himself. Of course I couldn't confirm this myself, but if it came from someone who was personally there, and who had no reason to make a baseless accusation on the good Senator, then something smells. And it isn't the estero water that's still engulfing half of Metro Manila at the moment.

I just had to share this because a batchmate from Philippine Science High School posted an online call for volunteers on behalf of the Philippine Red Cross to help in the relief operations. Wag na lang, 'toy. I don't feel like making myself party to the hypocrisy of Philippine politics. In the face of disaster, some people are still putting their political ambitions ahead of providing help to those severely affected.

The Big Flood - Storm System Ondoy, Metro Manila

2009-09-28T13:25:00.000+02:00

Ondoy Aftermath
Originally uploaded by John Javellana

Last Saturday, September 26, 2009, storm system Ondoy hit Metro Manila in the morning. Raining continuously for six hours, the storm dumped 455mm of rain. Typhoon Katrina, which hit the United States in 2005, was a baby compared to Ondoy. By the time the storm was over, eighty percent of Metro Manila was submerged in water, with some areas reporting flooding that was higher than man-height. As of today, between 100-120 people are believed dead, and hundreds more missing. Needless to say, more casualties are to be reported as the water recedes. Damage to agriculture alone was pegged at PHP500 million. Damage to other properties are believed to more than double this number.

How and why this happend, we will never really know. There are a lot of factors. The continuous torrent of rain; the insufficient drainage of water from the Metro's streets and highways; the clogged esteros. In the end, this will be another disaster in the long list of disasters, man-made or otherwise, to hit the Philippines. And sad to say, there's not a single note-worthy solution in sight.

Interestingly, here's an exerpt from Gloria Macagal-Arroyo's State of the Nation Address last July:

“As a country in the path of typhoons and in the Pacific Rim of Fire, we must be prepared as the latest technology permits to anticipate natural calamities when that is possible; to extend immediate and effective relief when it is not; the mapping of flood-and-landslide-prone areas is almost complete. Early warning, forecasting and monitoring systems have been improved, with weather-tracking facilities in Subic, Tagaytay, Mactan, Mindanao, Pampanga.

“We have worked on flood control infrastructure like those for Pinatubo, Agno, Laoag, and Abucay, which will pump the run off waters from Quezon City and Tondo flooding Sampaloc. This will help relieve hundreds of hectares in this old city of its age-old woe.

“Patuloy naman yung sa CAMANAVA, dagdag sa Pinatubo, Iloilo, Pasig- Marikina, Bicol River Basin, at saka river basin ng Mindanao.”

Big words. And yet they remain just that. Words.

It is also maddening to know that since 2001, the Philippine Government has collected P56.5 billion from Road Taxes; but instead of channeling this money to improvement of road infrastructure, it has instead been allocated to other things, like funding for ASEAN summit in 2007. Once again, corrupt hands have been dipping at the cookie jar, funnelling away money for their own ends instead of pouring it into much needed better roads and highways.

Election time is around the corner, and for sure, this latest tragedy will be in everybody's minds as each candidate lays out his platform of government. I only hope that this time, the Filipino people will be wiser in choosing the right person to lead the country.

Five Favorite Drinks

2009-09-21T10:00:00.003+02:00

After a weekend of brazen drunkenness, I think I see it fit that I start Monday with a meme from Becca about five of my favorite drinks.

1. Espresso - I've always loved coffee, but I've been experiencing somewhat of an espresso renaissance for the past year or so. Personally, I think of espresso as the purest form of coffee. It's intense, the flavors are complex, and it always comes out differently, regardless if you use the same machine and same grounds. I usually use my Jura machine for my morning fix, but whenever I have the time, I would use my Mokka maker which I bought from a small shop in Venice.

2. 7&7 - There are several recipe's for this quintessentially male drink, but I like mine with one part Seagram's whisky, two parts 7-Up, and plenty of ice. This drink was introduced to me by a friend from Arizona and I liked it ever since. Seagram's is difficult to get in normal liquor stores here in Switzerland so I try to get a bottle whenever I fly out of Zurich Airport. Also costs cheaper if you buy it from a Duty Free Store.

3. Homemade Orange and Carrot Juice - Oranges and carrots are quite expensive in Manila, but since these two are so good for the body, we bought our own juicer so we can make our own, preservative-free. We kept this habit even after we've moved to Switzerland. And it's so much better because oranges and carrots are so cheap here! A three kilo bag of oranges are about CHF4, and a two kilo bag of carrots are CHF3 in our local Migros store. These will yield about two liters of juice.

4. Caipirinha - Plenty of lime crushed with some sugar, a healthy splash of cachasa (native Brazilian liquor), and some soda water is all you need for this refreshing drink. Very nice to sip during hot summer nights when you go out clubbing with friends. There's a nice story how I learned about this drink: I met this girl a few years ago in a popular bar in Eastwood. I was hanging out by the bar and she came up and ordered Caipirinha. The bartender didn't know what it was, and asked me. I didn't know it either. So she had to explain how to make one. Of course most bars in the Philippines don't stock up on cachasa, so we had to make do with gin and vodka. Technically, when you use vodka on Caipirinha, you don't call it Caipirinha anymore, but Caipirovska..

5. Water - everybody should drink at least 8 glasses everyday.

Ticket

2009-09-16T13:36:00.004+02:00

Are you the kind of person who gives names to inanimate things you own? Because we do. We give names to almost everything we have. By names, I mean REAL names. And the names would always be something that would best describe the moment when we bought or first saw the item. Take for example our SUV back in Manila. It was a black Kia Sportage that we bought back in 2007. The Sportage was just being reintroduced into the Philippine market at that time, so there weren't too much of it on the road back then. We named her "Inday". Why Inday, you ask? Because it was a colored black. And we had intended it to be a workhorse due to the fact that I'll be using it everyday to work from Quezon City to Paranaque. Pretty much like Inday the household help. At one time we had a standing coat hanger. This one, we called him Harry. For Harry Potter. This was because during the night, it's silhouette pretty much resembled a wizard wearing a flowing cape.

The practice continued even after we had moved to Switzerland. Our SUV was named Spidey, because when we first saw it in the showroom, we were accompanied by our friend Bob and his son Jordan. Jordan was wearing a Spiderman cap at that time. And when we bought our Lazyboy at a local secondhand shop, we named it 50/50 because when she asked me how much I liked the sofa, that's what I said.

Earlier this week, we had to pick up another single seater sofa that was being given away for free. The owner is also from our company, but he's giving away most of his furniture now because he's being relocated to our head office in Paris. So we signed up to get his Poang sofa, a really popular item in Ikea. I've been eyeing one for a long time already and getting this for free was really sweet. Anyway, we agreed to pick up the item in Ennetbaden, a small town about 20 minutes away from our place. I've only driven around Ennetbaden three or four times, and I've been warned about the narrow one-way streets and some "No Entry" areas. We were driving across a small bridge when suddenly we noticed something flash. We've been flashed! That means we entered a "No Entry" zone, and now we have to wait a week or so to find out how much we have to pay for the fine. We went on to get the sofa, which isn't going to be free anymore since I have to pay for the traffic violation. And what did we name the sofa? We named her "Ticket".

Food for Thought Friday

2009-09-11T15:29:00.002+02:00

Can't think of anything to write about so I'll just take a random meme from the web.

Breakfast
What do you like most about this time of the year?

Call me weird but during this time of the year, I like the way the temperature varies during the day. Here in Switzerland, or at least in suburban Zurich, it gets really cold in the late evenings and early mornings. Really cold, but not freezing cold. Cold enough that you have to swear a fairly thick jacket during the morning commute. Before lunchtime, you start to peel down to your shirt and pullovers. But in the afternoons, it gets hot that you break into a good sweat in the offices. Well, at least in our offices, because we tout ourselves to be a "green" company, and green companies do not have airconditiong installed. By the time you go home in the afternoon, you're down to your shirt. The only hassle is you have to carry all of your outerwear and office gear.

Lunch
What has been your favorite age so far?

Tough question, because I can't remember any point in time which I can say I really didn't like. But if I were to pick any single age, that would be 21. I was young, fresh out of college. I had just landed a good job in a company that within weeks of getting hired was sending me to the US for a long term assignment.

Dinner
What was the funnest thing or best memory you made this summer?

This summer was really good because my mom visited us here in Switzerland, and so did my sister and brother-in-law who are based in Beijing. We travelled to Germany and France together. It was too bad that my brother was not able to join us. I've always loved having roadtrips with family.

Midnight Snack
What is your favorite thing to make for dinner?

Anything that requires firing up the barbeque to do some grilling.

New Haircut

2009-09-09T13:25:00.004+02:00

After seven months, I finally got my self a haircut yesterday. I think that was the longest period I ever went without having a haircut. If you would notice from my fairly recent photos in Flickr, I had my hair down to my nape at the back, and close to covering all of my face when i put it out in front. Quite nice, I should say, because my hair, unlike most other guys, is actually like that of a girl's. Really soft, really straight, and really shiny. Siguro kung kukuha ang Pantene ng lalaking hair model, pwede akong magprisinta eh. But all that is gone now. In place, I have my normal hairstyle. Razor cut at the sides and back, and short in front and on top. I now have to make sure I prep my hair with gel or wax in the morning before I leave home kasi pag natuyo nang walang gel, magmumukha akong bondying.

Ba't nga ba inabot nang pagkatagal bago ko naisipang magpagupit? Two reasons I guess. First is the language issue. How can I properly expain how I want it cut? All of my haircut experiences here have been okay naman. I can tell them how I want it done: machinenschnitt (then point to the sides and back) und schnitt kurz (pointing to the top). So far, that hasn't gotten me in trouble. But sometimes, when I notice something is off, like some strands and tufts sticking out in odd places, I don't know how to handle this anymore. I end up just letting it go and fixing whatever it is that needs to be fixed when I get home.

The second issue is cost. Do you have any idea how expensive it is to have a haircut here? The cheapest, and best!, haircut I had so far cost me CHF25. And the most expensive? Tumataginting na CHF60! That's PHP2800. Okay, so maybe that's less than some of you may spend in those posh Makati salons, but for me, that is a lot of money spent on a haircut. Good for me, the wife was able to scout a coiffure that charges CHF29 for my haircut. Actually, it turned out a little more than that: CHF2 for the gel (hehe, maarte ako eh) and CHF2 for the tip. I would definitely go back to that place. Ganda naman yung tabas nila eh, tsaka di na masama yung price.

Think About It

2009-09-01T10:21:00.001+02:00

1. More often than not, when someone is telling me a story all I can think about is that I can't wait for them to finish so that I can tell my own story that's not only better, but also more directly involves me.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realise you're wrong.

3. Have you ever been walking down the street and realised that you're going in the complete opposite direction of where you are supposed to be going? But instead of just turning a 180 and walking back in the direction from which you came, you have to first do something like check your watch or phone or make a grand arm gesture and mutter to yourself to ensure that no one in the surrounding area thinks you're crazy by randomly switching directions on the sidewalk.

4. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

5. The letters T and G are very close to each other on a keyboard This recently became all too apparent to me and consequently I will never be ending a work email with the phrase "Regards" again.

6. Is it just me, or are 80% of the people in the "people you may know" feature on facebook people that I do know, but I deliberately choose not to be friends with?

7. Do you remember when you were a kid; playing Nintendo and it wouldn't work? You take the cartridge out, blow in it and that would magically fix the problem. Every kid in the world did that, but how did we all know how to fix the problem? There was no internet or message boards or faq's. We just figured it out. Today's kids are soft.

8. There is a great need for a sarcasm font.

9. Sometimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realise I had no idea what was going on when I first saw it.

10. I think everyone has a movie that they love so much, it actually becomes stressful to watch it with other people. I'll end up wasting 90 minutes shiftily glancing around to confirm that everyone's laughing at the right parts, then making sure I laugh just a little bit harder (and a millisecond earlier) to prove that I'm still the only one who really, really gets it.

11. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

12. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

13. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I'm trying to finish a text

14. Lol has gone from meaning, "laugh out loud" to "I have nothing else to say"

15. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

16. Whenever someone says "I'm not book smart, but I'm street smart", all I hear is "I'm not real smart, but I'm imaginary smart".

17. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear what they said?

18. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars teams up to prevent a d1ck from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers!

19. Everytime I have to spell a word over the phone using 'as in' examples, I will undoubtedly draw a blank and sound like a complete idiot. Today I had to spell my boss's last name to an attorney and said "Yes that's G as in...(10 second lapse)..ummm...Goonies"

20. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

21. While driving yesterday I saw a banana peel in the road and instinctively swerved to avoid it...thanks Mario Kart.

22. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

23. I find it hard to believe there are actually people who get in the shower first and THEN turn on the water.

24. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

25. Bad decisions make good stories.

26. Whenever I'm Facebook stalking someone and I find out that their profile is public I feel like a kid on Christmas morning who just got the Red Ryder BB-gun that I always wanted.
546 pictures? Don't mind if I do!

27. Is it just me or do high school girls get s1uttier & s1uttier every year?

28. Why is it that during an ice-breaker, when the whole room has to go around and say their name and where they are from, I get so incredibly nervous? Like I know my name, I know where I'm from, this shouldn't be a problem....

29. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you've made up your mind that you just aren't doing anything productive for the rest of the day.

30. There's no worse feeling than that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

31. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

32. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this ever.

33. I hate being the one with the remote in a room full of people watching TV. There's so much pressure. 'I love this show, but will they judge me if I keep it on? I bet everyone is wishing we weren't watching this.It's only a matter of time before they all get up and leave the room. Will we still be friends after this?'

34. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dammit!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

35. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

36. I like all of the music in my iTunes, except when it's on shuffle, then I like about one in every fifteen songs in my itunes.

37. Why is a school zone 40kph? That seems like the optimal cruising speed for pedophiles...

38. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

39. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

40. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

41. The other night I ordered takeout, and when I looked in the bag, saw they had included four sets of plastic silverware. In other words, someone at the restaurant packed my order, took a second to think about it, and then estimated that there must be at least four people eating to require such a large amount of food. Too bad I was eating by myself.
There's nothing like being made to feel like a fat b@stard before dinner.

42. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, hitting the G-spot, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I'd bet my ass everyone can find and push the Snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time every time...

43. I wonder if cops ever get pissed off at the fact that everyone they drive behind obeys the speed limit.

44. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

'Nuf Said

2009-08-07T14:37:00.002+02:00

The picture says it all...

Go Barca!

2009-05-28T11:03:00.002+02:00

I rarely watched any football matches this season simply because I didn't have any chance to do so. When you have a wife who insists to watch cooking shows or movies, there's really no way to follow professional football. So coming into the Champions League finals last night, the only game I watched was the semifinal match between Chelsea and United. I was rooting for Chelsea in that match only because I don't like Ronaldo. He's like someone who God showered with everything. Good looks, awesome football talent, all the money he can ever be able to spend at such a young age. I'm not too sure if he's got anything between the ears, but if you can crash your Ferrari, walk away from it, and buy a new one a couple of days later, who needs brains, right?

So last night, I was rooting for United's opponent again. I have not seen any of Barcelona's games this season, but I was aware of the fact that they are being coached by Pep Guardiola, who happens to be a professional football rookie coach. I would say that was just outstanding. To be able to guide your team through the Champions League, and as well as La Liga and Copa Del Rey on your first year as coach is amazing!

Both teams played well last night, but it was apparent that Barcelona wanted it more than United. Barca was moving the ball well in the midfield, and came up with a lot of brilliant attacks. To me, it seemed that United was struggling throughout the 90 minutes to get their pace going. I would have loved to see more passing from United, but you can see that everybody wanted to take a stab at Barcelona's defense. To me they were just not playing as a team.

So congratulations to Barca. And to Pep Guardiola, PEP PEP HOORAY!!

Sweating Like a Pig

2009-05-14T13:27:00.002+02:00

I like spring. Spring is that time of the year when you get really fresh fruits and vegetables, and everywhere you go you see flowers all abloom. The mornings and evenings are comfortably cool, and during daytime, it doesn't really get that hot. But one thing I hate about spring is how it seems to be more humid than winter, and how it affects my sweat glands. While I rarely sweat during winter, during spring I feel like I'm always just walking out of a Szechuan restaurant. I sweat all over. My undershirt stickily clinging onto my skin. My skin feeling moist and sticky. And I get an impression like I'm beginning to smell like someone who hasn't taken a bath in days.

I checked Swiss Meteo and found that the current relative humidity in Birr is a mere 63%. That's not even anywhere near the high 90's typical of a Philippine summer! Whew... I can just imagine how gross I would look like when I come back to Manila in the middle of May.

Kinidnap ni Arroyo ang Libro ko

2009-05-04T13:57:00.000+02:00

aka The Great Book Blockade of 2009

The great book blockade of 2009

By Manuel L. Quezon IIIPhilippine Daily InquirerFirst Posted 04:15:00 05/04/2009

According to Malaysian blogger-turned-parliamentarian Jeff Ooi, if you buy books or computers, the government will allow you to deduct your purchase costs from your income tax. The Malaysian government seems to be of the opinion that buying books and computers are good things; that these good things should be encouraged; and that the benefits of personal purchases that improve knowledge and increase modern skills outweigh any potential loss of revenue to the government.

The policy of our government seems to be the exact opposite: to put the squeeze on citizens in order to add to government coffers depleted by electioneering expenses. Over at McSweeney’s is an entry by Robin Hemley, the director of the University of Iowa’s Nonfiction Writing Program who’s in the Philippines on a Guggenheim Fellowship. In “The Great Book Blockade of 2009,” he details the creativity of Filipino bureaucrats like Customs Undersecretary Espele Sales.

According to Hemley, the situation developed this way. Stephenie Meyer’s novel “Twilight” apparently did so well in the bookstores that the number of copies being imported attracted the attention of a Customs official. Examiner Rene Agulan decreed that duties be paid. It seems that the importer of the book reacted in a manner familiar to most book lovers in the country: to eliminate the hassle, the importer complied with the Customs levy on the title.

Hemley says surrendering to the authorities was a mistake because the Philippines, back in 1952, became a signatory to the Florence Agreement, a United Nations treaty that mandates the tax-free importation of books in order to facilitate the free flow of “educational, scientific, and cultural materials.” The importer’s submission to the whims of Customs whetted the Bureau’s appetite; they put a squeeze on all book importations by air. The result? For two months virtually no imported books entered the country.

Not least because it seems book sellers had the gumption to challenge the government. Enter Undersecretary Espele Sales whose PowerPoint presentation to booksellers Hemley describes as “Orwellian,” because of an essay in which Orwell examined how officials twist words to suit their purposes.

Take the official’s interpretation of the following sentence in RA 8047 (the Book Publishing Industry Development Act): “the tax and duty-free importation of books or raw materials to be used in book publishing.” According to Sales, this lacked a comma after the word “books,” which meant that what was tax and duty-free was only books used for book publishing.

People in the book industry were left scratching their heads, wondering what a “book used in book publishing” is. Customs went further and said it interpreted the Florence Agreement to mean only educational books are tax-free, with Customs deciding whether a title qualifies as being educational or not. Booksellers responded that this went against half a century’s common understanding of the treaty; did this mean everyone had been wrong and Customs suddenly right? Sales replied, “Yes.”

Their books sequestered in warehouses, booksellers trying to comply with red tape found the rules being changed every time they seemed on the verge of getting their documents in order: “Now they were told that all books would be taxed: 1 percent for educational books and 5 percent for non-educational books.” With Customs officials doing the sorting, manually, on a per-volume basis, it seems, tying up inventory as storage fees escalated.

This finally led many booksellers to comply (under protest) with the government’s levying of tariffs. Who says kidnap-for-ransom doesn’t pay?

For years now, Filipinos bringing in books have had to wrestle with Post Office and Customs officials trying to impose tariffs, hoping that citizens would meekly submit to paying duties and fees on books. But back in September 2008, there was an opinion of the Bureau of Internal Revenue that the importation of books for personal use is exempt from value-added tax as well as from the payment of import duties. A small handling fee, is, however, legitimate on the part of the Post Office.

While Republic Acts 8047 and 9337 put in place Value-Added Tax exemptions for imported books, the government seems intent on nullifying those privileges; and citizens and booksellers alike seem headed to being at the mercy of Customs officials pressured to remit to the national government even to the extent of defying international treaties. This is a government policy that has basically declared obtaining knowledge, in any form, as subordinate to fattening the national purse.

But of course this is simply yet another manifestation of a larger trend, which is to deemphasize government’s being in place to serve the citizenry, and instead fortify it’s existing in order to mulct the population: the rule of law being nothing more than systematized extortion, whether one talks of traffic enforcement or books.

As a writer and a partner in a modest book publishing concern, I have a bias for books. But then again, this is, to my mind, a healthy bias and one shared, for example, by countries like Malaysia. You’d think any reasonable government would encourage all forms of reading, as healthy and beneficial to the population. The teenager who reads “Twilight” might just go on to reading the classics or about science; however, at the rate officialdom’s going, it seems content to keep us starved for affordable reading materials. In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king?

* * *
YOU can read Robin Hemley’s entry in full at http://www.mcsweeneys.net/links/manila/1dispatch6.html

Mabuhay Ang Short Time

2009-01-29T10:39:00.002+01:00

At a time when people are losing their jobs, factories are closing, and everybody is struggling to put food on the table, it's good to know where the Philippines' Supreme Court priorities are. Click on the post title to find out what it's all about.

Emergency Numbers in Switzerland

2009-01-19T11:09:00.001+01:00

My wife and I were eating some grapes last night and I contemplated on what will happen to me should I accidentally choke on one of them. I asked her if she knew how to perform the Heimlich maneuver, even though I already know the answer, which was no. She told me she will instead call 911. Of course, 911 is something which is used in the USA, but Switzerland also has equivalent emergency services. Unfortnately, more for me than for her, she also didn't know the emergency numbers in Switzerland. So I'm posting here some information on what to call in case something untoward happens. Note that this is the current known numbers, and that you should get in touch with your local Gemeinde if there are any specific contacts for your area. The Gemeinde also issues information mailed to your address either at the end or early of the year.

117 - Police
118 - Fire Department
144 - Ambulance
1414/1415 - Helicopter rescue (Rega)
145 - Poisoning emergencies
140 - Emergency roadside assistance
143 - The helping hand (I have absolutely no idea what this is about)
147 - Support for children and kids

There are also some miscellaneous services available. What I do not know is if dialing these numbers will incur you some additional cost on your landline bill.

161 - Talking clock
162 - Weather forecast
163 - Road conditions and traffic news
164 - Sports and lottery results
175 - Telephone fault assistance
187 - Avalanche reports
1600 - Regional/local information
0900 77 hh mm - Automated wake up call (Replace hh with hour and mm with minutes on what time you wish to be called)

Now that you have these numbers, there shouldn't be any reason why anyone has to die of choking by grape.

Untitled

2009-01-14T09:43:00.000+01:00

I was terribly disappointed at my office colleague yesterday. We were having a staff meeting and he was his usual self: laying blame on everyone but himself, making it appear to the boss that he's the only one working in our group, and basically, just showing how big an asshole he really is. I was really pissed at the fact that he makes it appear to everybody that he's the only one in the group who can accomplish anything. I wouldn't really make a big deal out of it, except that even outside of our group, he would usually push himself as "the man" who knows everything about our processes, and that he's the only one who can make things happen.

I have to admit, he gets things done. Unfortunately, his working style is only effective with one group of people. He tried, unsuccessfully if I may add, to use this kind of working attitude to two other groups and failed miserably. This was the reason why our manager decided to give the more challenging task to me. Unfortunately for me, success has been slow but I think we all believe the reason for this is that those two groups are really hard to push.

So after our staff meeting yesterday, I have decided to get out of my colleague's way. If he's really aiming for the top position in our group, he's welcome to have it. I have decided to get out of his way. I would rather move to another group, hopefully to one with no competitive jerks.

What would you do for fun if you had to give up tv, movies, electronic games and the internet?

2009-01-09T13:07:00.001+01:00

For the past couple of years, I feel like my life has revolved around exactly just that: internet, movies, and TV. I had taken up photography for the past three years, and I feel it has helped me get out of the house and do something not related to anything electronic, although I do have a digital camera, and that means sooner or later, I would have to use my laptop to download the pictures and upload them to my Flickr site. And that's the problem. No sooner than I had downloaded my pictures then I start browsing the internet for good ways to tweak my pictures and one thing leads to another then I find myself surfing for something totally unrelated to photography. Lack of discipline on my part, I guess.

So to answer the question, here are some things I would do this year that is not related to TV, movies, and the internet:

1. Pursue photography even more. But this time, I would remind myself not to get drawn to the internet whenever I start photoshopping my pictures and uploading them into Flickr.
2. Learn how to play a musical instrument. I still want to learn how to play the guitar; and there's this shop I found in Brugg which sells that drum-like thing which you sit on. Yes, the one you usually see when bands have their acoustic sessions.
3. Learn how to ski or snowboard. Fat chance this is going to happen soon, but my office colleagues are bent on teaching me.
4. Write more. This blog needs the much needed attention from me.
5. Read more. I know English books are expensive in Switzerland, but spring will come soon, and with it, flea markets. Or tap my friends in Couchsurfing to see who's trying to get rid of old books.
6. Spend more time with friends. Most of my friends are not into anything electronic. They just want to hang out, have a couple of drinks. Not really good for the beer belly, but at least I'll get a chance to travel more outside Brugg.

Activity Equals Accomplishment? NOT

2009-01-09T11:07:00.000+01:00

You see it time and again in the work place. People make side remarks on how you come late into the office, even though the company has a policy of self-time management. They comment on how you come in at nine o'clock and leave the office at five-thirty. On the other hand, you see other people who come in at six in the morning and leave at seven in the evening. Does that mean that people who spend ten, twelve hours in the office are more productive than people who don't?

Then there are those guys who send countless emails everyday. Most likely, they're the same guys who store tons of supposed work in the network drive. They're the guys who writes reports of whatever they do. Report this, report that, presentation this, presentation that.

In all of these cases, I talk about people who mistake action or activity as a form of accomplishment. While I don't really care much about how someone decides how to perform his or her work, I definitely take issue on people who say that they have accomplished something just because they sent an email, or created a file in the network drive, or, of all things, they spend twelve hours in the office. Accomplishment, for me, is a result that meets the group's end goal. Anything short of it is not. And what pisses me off more is when people tout they have "accomplished" something just because they spend more hours in the office than I do. And what pisses me off most is when these people get rewarded for it.

London

2009-01-08T14:20:00.001+01:00

Wifey and I spent our Christmas and New Year holiday in London. I guess you could now call me one of those guys who fell in love with that place. Understandably, being there during Chrismas holidays, the streets were just so packed with people. We only had the chance to ride empty trains in the mornings, when we would wake early enough to beat the crowds in the tourist places, and in the late evenings, coming back to the hotel late at night after watching a West End musical. Nevertheless, we felt so much in our environment: crowded places where you could shop the whole range from name brands all the way down to Baclaran-type nicknacks, and food from all over the world.

Unlike here in Switzerland, where everything seems to run perfectly, one of the reasons why I like London is because of its imperfections. It felt normal. Trains break down, you see people arguing heatedly, there are real traffic jams, those things. And coming into London, I heard about how some places are dangerous because of knife crimes. That made me a bit wary, especially when we were walking from the train station to our hotel, but at least it made me feel normal.

I can't even describe what we did, where we went to. All I know is that we had a good time watching the musicals, doing the tourist things, and even shopping. If it's any indication how good London shopping is, I managed to buy three pairs of shoes... and I don't even like buying shoes!

We missed our flight going out of London, so we had to buy a new set of return flights. So that means we will be going back. Sooner, hopefully rather than later.

2008-10-13T13:54:00.002+02:00

UNTITLED

I thought long and hard before I posted this entry, the reason for which will become obvious later on. I certainly did not want to offend anyone, especially those who are participating in activities I will mention below, and certainly not those people who I have only met for a relatively short period of time. But then again, this is my blog and I want to take this as a rant against something which probably also happened to you at one point in time.

Don't you just hate it when you feel you are forced to give money to a charity or a church fundraising? I'm not a big fan of giving money away, even though I know that it's fundamentally for a good cause. I just don't believe in giving money. Period. There's just something about giving money that turns me off. I feel that to support charity or support a fundraising by a church, people should be given an option on what kind of support they can give. It can be time, talent, doing chores, or some other thing. If some people choose to give money, then that's fine. It's their money anyway. But if someone makes me feel like I'm being forced to give money, then that's where the problem start. I will likely still end up giving money, like what happened to me recently, but I sure don't feel good about it. And in the end, I end up not liking that particular cause, charity, or church at all.

One day I was talking with a Filipino friend outside of our office. We were catching up on what's going on with each other's lives. Then another Filipino working in the same office approached us. She said that she's working on a fundraising for one of the Catholic organizations, and then she proceeded to hand us a newsletter produced by the organization. I took the newsletter, not knowing that a couple of minutes later, as I was about to leave for home, she said that the newsletter costs 10CHF and the money will go into a fund to buy a new laptop for the use of making the newsletter.

I still ended up giving her the money a couple of days later, but I really felt bad. I felt tricked. I felt like I was one of those guys seated in a bus going from Makati to Fairview, stuck on Cubao Ibabaw, and then one guy comes up to you asking, "Ilan kayo?" Then you answer, "Isa lang." And then this guy suddenly gets a Zesto from his bag, sticks a straw into it, hands it over to you and demands 10 pesos as payment. You, on the other hand, thought the guy was referring to the number of ticket you will pay for the fare. Of course at this point, there's no way you can refuse the Zesto knowing that he can easily call on the rest of his gang and intimidate you into paying.

I know that the comparison between the Zesto gang and the church fundraising is very much different from each other, but nevertheless, the feeling is still the same. I know I should've spoken up somehow, but that's not really how I am. I'm the kind of guy who would rather keep quiet about it. I feel like I was tricked into doing something I really don't want to do. And it's not a good feeling.

2008-10-01T08:34:00.001+02:00

ARE YOU ONE OF THEM?

Today is INTERNATIONAL DISTURBED PEOPLE'S DAY!

Please find time to send an encouraging message to your disturbed friends, such as this one that I wrote for you today.

I really don't care if you feel like you're always being chased by other people. Hang in there. You're so f***in' special!

2008-09-30T09:39:00.000+02:00

STOCK MARKET CRASHES... SO WHAT?

Last night, I sat in awe in front of the television. I was watching CNBC. They were showing two views: one was of the US Congress voting on the $700 billion bailout, and the other on the New York Stock Exchange. As it became clear that the bill wasn't going to pass, I saw all graphs of major stock indices plummet down. As trading on Wall Street came to a close, the US Markets lost more than $1 trillion. Wow.

Looking back at commentaries made last night on why the US Congress didn't pass the bailout legislation, it became clear to me how politics of one country can affect the rest of the countries in the planet. Everywhere you go, politicians are actually after the same thing. What will keep them seated in power. That scene played out in Washington seems strikingly familiar as in Batasanwhen they voted for (one of many) impeachment proceedings against President Arroyo.

Fast forward now to 12 hours after. How will it affect me? How will it affect all of us? Should we start rushing to the bank and getting all our money out? What will we do with it then? Hide it under our pillows? And should we now start looking for another job? Are our current employers secure?

There's too many things going on now. Too many uncertainties. I've heard stories about what happened to this company several years ago, when they were faced with so many problems and that the people wonder every morning if they still had a job by the end of the day. But in the end, what can we do about it? Everything seems beyond our control now.

At the rate the world economy is going, lahat tayo pupulutin na lang sa kangkungan.

2008-09-29T11:10:00.003+02:00

SECRET LIFE

Last week, I stumbled into an interesting show on ITV. It's a television series called Secret Diary of a Call Girl. Basically, it's all about the life of, well, a call girl based in London. Billie the call girl finds herself in a variety of situations which I find familiar, but more of that later. She's doing tricks for an upscale clientele, she's acting as a mentor for a girl just starting into the business, she's best friends with a guy who knows about her job, and she's girlfriend to a doctor who doesn't know a clue about what she actually does for a living. I've only watched one episode so far, the one where she introduces her friend to her boyfriend, and her friend was acting like a real prick and was daring her to tell her boyfriend what her real job is.

Like I said, it's a really interesting show, not just because of what it's all about, but more sobecause I can relate to one character in the show. I'm not talking about the boyfriend. I'm not sure if that's something I can talk about here. Rather, I have find myself not unlike Billy's best friend. Yes, I count several "call girls" as part of my circle of friends. A couple of them have became some of my close friends back in Manila and I really miss them so much. Each one has their own reason for getting into this kind of "business", and I don't really want to talk about that. What I do want to talk about is that except for what they do, they're really such ordinary people. I remember spending hours with them in coffee shops, talking about nothing and everything. Sometimes, they would talk about their clients, but only if they feel like talking about them. More often than not, we don't.

Of all my call girl friends, I really miss Freya the most. She's sweet, charming, and easy to get along with. She's loves watching DVD's and whenever we would meet, we would go off looking for movies to watch. For some reason, she loves watching those Korean and Japanese horror flicks, even though she's scared witless by them. She's a big fan of thick, hot chocolate, using it like a dip for a couple of churros. Sometimes I would cook sisig for her, the one that comes out of a can, and she says that she thinks I'm trying to seduce her because I would add slightly cooked onions into the sisig, and that onions make her horny.

I really wonder what has happened to her now. Before I left Manila, she has started to seriously date someone already. She said she wanted to go back to school, get her life straight, and quit doing tricks. Maybe one day I'll get another of her text messages, asking me when I would cook sisig for her again.

2008-09-23T10:15:00.000+02:00

A YEAR AGO

Time flies so fast and in a couple of days, I will celebrate my first year here in Switzerland. I have indeed changed! Hopefully, I have changed for the better and not the other way around. But a questions begs to be answered....

Pogi pa rin ba ako?

2007

2008

O-hah!

2008-09-22T09:21:00.001+02:00

WE WANT Wii

Actually, my wife wants a Wii. Not me. I'd rather get a Playstation 3. But if I try to get a PS3 now, I'm quite sure we'll have this argument that about what happened to my PS2. Back when we were newly married, I really wanted to have a PS2. So on our anniversary, she allowed me to get one. It was put to good use for the first couple of months or so, but since I was the only one playing (she's not much of a gamer), I had soon gotted tired of it. By the time I left for Switzerland, the only time I turned it on was the time I found out that it was broken. I then gave it to my brother, unit and all 20 or so games. Haven't heard what happend to it since.

So I'm keeping my plans of getting a PS3 on the back seat for the meantime. I have to keep the wife happy, now that she's here. I think I found something which will surely be interesting for both of us: the Nintendo Wii Sports + Wii Fit + Yoga Mat bundle. Having had the chance to play the Wii when I was still in Manila, I know what Wii Sports is all about. But Wii Fit? And Yoga? People can actually practice Yoga with Wii? So I looked it up in Digg.com and saw this: Why every guy should buy his girlfriend a Wii Fit. One word. Wow.

2008-09-19T14:42:00.000+02:00

FRIDAY MAGIC MADNESS

It has been a terrible week, work-wise, and I am just happy I survived all the way to Friday. Unlike in Manila, there's really nothing here to remind me it's a Friday. All the days are the same. I get up in the morning after a night of struggling to get some sleep. I try to shock my body into waking up with two cups of coffee, and if that doesn't work, then a cold shower. But getting cold showers now can be such a pain, figuratively and literally. Have you ever taken a cold shower in Baguio in January? Now try doing that here. It's now about 5 or 6C in the morning.

Back in Manila, there are a lot of ways to remind me what day it is. While preparing to go to work, I can watch Magandang Umaga Bayan, or I can listen to the radio while driving to the office. But here, there's really nothing to tell me what day it is. I usually watch Swiss Meteo, but only to remind me to bring an umbrella or wear a jacket. On the train or bus ride to the office, I listen to my Ipod. That's fine, but I really miss the feel good mood that you get when you listen to DWTM 89.9 Magic during Fridays. They play mostly 70's, 80's, and early 90's music. Songs that are great, lyrically and melodically. They really put you into a weekend mood. So I was really delighted when I found out that DWTM streams it's broadcast over the internet. Now I can listen to Friday music over DWTM!

DWTM is streaming music on a 31k music stream. It's not really topnotch quality, but over my laptop's speakers or earphones, it's fine. It brings memories of lazy Friday afternoons in the office in Manila, when everybody is just talking of nonsense, getting ready for Friday night, or weekend gimmicks. Sometimes, I really miss weekends back in Manila. But at least, now that I have Magic 89.9, I can just imagine I'm back home on a Friday afternoon.

2008-09-16T11:18:00.001+02:00

RANDOM CONVERSATIONS: JOLLIBEE AND BIG BROTHER

After much prodding by my friend Ryan, and really, I don't want to see a good portion of Migros hackfleisch go to waste, I agreed to cook pasta bolognese for him last night. Jollibee style. Oh don't you just love that? For those who don't know, Jollibee style bolognese is simply spaghetti sauce with ground pork which tastes a little bit sweeter than what you would normally get in an Italian restaurant. Since it has started to get a little cold here in the evenings, I added some dried ground chili into the mix to heat things up a little. Ryan is currently on a diet and insisted we use pasta made out of corn flour. It actually doesn't taste differently from normal pasta except that you get this weird dark tan color. Needless to say, we ate well last night. Jollibee pasta, nacho chips, and a couple of bottles of Montepulciano.

I don't know how it happened, but we ended up talking about Big Brother conspiracy theories, about how everything we're doing and we're saying are monitored by someone. Just like in that movie Enemy of the State. I've read somewhere that there are supercomputers being run by USA's Defense Department that monitors all emails being sent all over the world, looking for trigger words such as Al Qaeda, terror plots, nuclear bomb, and other things. This is also true for all conversations transmitted electronically. Say something like "I had beer with Bin Laden" over your cellphone, then your call gets routed to some anti-terror group and you then get monitored and followed by secret agents everywhere you go. Hmm... Maybe I shouldn't be posting this here then? I really should stop now. Otherwise, Bin Laden might not buy me beer anymore.

2008-09-15T09:01:00.002+02:00

WHAT'S UP?

Is summer over? For the past couple of days, I've been struggling to keep warm at night. We have started to hit below 10C temperatures in the evenings and outside, some of the trees are beginning to have those telltale signs that their leaves are about start turning into wonderful shades of yellow, brown, and red. Wifey has started her long trek home, "home" now being officially here in Switzerland. Her residence visa has been issued, she now has a job here, and finally (hopefully!) life will start being normal again for the two of us.

Work has been terrible lately. I'm running several sourcing projects now, and sometimes, I feel like this is the most amount of work I've had, ever. It's still a struggle trying to juggle different cultures, and each of my project peers have their unique way of working. Nevertheless, I'm quite surprised that this has actually been a very fulfilling job. I can't believe I've survived my first year!

And even after a year here, I still can't believe how beautiful and diverse Europe is. Last weekend, I attended a wedding in Brno, Czech Republic, and spent a couple of days in Vienna. Quite an interesting opposites, those two cities. Brno amazes you with it's people, who I find to be surprisingly not different from Filipinos. They are open, so full of life, and so eager to share their culture with you. Vienna, on the other hand, is a typical West Europe city. It so full of history and there seems to be something happening at every corner.

So as I celebrate my first year in Switzerland, I begin to reflect. What is up? Or should I start thinking, What is next?

2008-06-04T23:29:00.002+02:00

WEIRDNESS

1. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?
When I was in grade school, I wanted to be a doctor. When I was in highschool, I wanted to be an airline pilot. When I was in college, I was taking up Metallurgical Engineering then, but at the back of my mind, I wanted to be an economist. Twelve years after graduating from college, I find myself wondering what if I pursued my dream of becoming a pilot.

2. Do you put ketchup on top of your french fries or on the side to dip in? If you don't use ketchup, what do you use? If you don't eat french fries, what's wrong with you?
I put ketchup on the side. I don't like my fries getting all soggy. I like them fried crispy on the outside, and somewhat moist on the inside.

3. When was the last time you had phone sex? If you've never done it, why?
I can't remember. Hahaha!

4. When was the last time you made someone cry? What did you do to make them cry?
I don't have any clue if I made someone cry lately.

5. How often do you sing in the shower?
Not as often now than before. I find myself waking up late the past couple of days, so I usually find myself rushing through my morning routine.

6. Have you ever cooked dinner or any other meal naked? If not, would you?
Sometimes. Hahaha!

2008-05-10T03:00:00.003+02:00

NEW STAMPS

I wish someone from Manila would send me a letter and use these stamps. Please. Give me a reason to laugh.

2008-04-29T10:17:00.002+02:00

TOP 10 SEXUALLY SUGGESTIVE LINES IN THE ORIGINAL STAR WARS TRILOGY

I haven't had time to get anything posted in this blog for some time now so I might as well get back with a bang. So this confirms what I've suspected all along. GEEK IS SEXY!

Star Wars / A New Hope
10. "Get in there you big furry oaf, I don't care what you smell!"
9. "Luke, at that speed do you think you'll be able to pull out in time?"
8. "Put that thing away before you get us all killed."
7. "You've got something jammed in here real good."
6. "Aren't you a little short for a stormtrooper?"
5. "You came in that thing? You're braver than I thought."
4. "Sorry about the mess..."
3. "Look at the size of that thing!"
2. "Curse my metal body, I wasn't fast enough!"
1. "She may not look like much, but she's got it where it counts, kid."

The Empire Strikes Back
10. "I thought that hairy beast would be the end of me."
9. "Size matters not. Judge me by my size, do you?"
8. "There's an awful lot of moisture in here."
7. "But now we must eat. Cum, good food, cumm..."
6. "That's okay, I'd like to keep it on manual control for a while."
5. "Hurry up, golden-rod..."
4. "I must've hit it pretty close to the mark to get her all riled up like that, huh kid?"
3. "Possible he came in through the south entrance."
2. "And I thought they smelled bad on the outside!"
1. "Control, control! You must learn control!"

Return of the Jedi
10. "Hey, point that thing someplace else."
9. "I look forward to completing your training. In time you will call me master."
8. "I never knew I had it in me."
7. "There is good in him, I've felt it."
6. "Grab me, Chewie. I'm slipping -- hold on. Grab it, almost... you almost got it. Gently now, all right, easy, easy, hold me Chewie."
5. "Hey, Luke, thanks for coming after me -- now I owe you one."
4. "Back door, huh? Good idea!"
3. "She's gonna blow!"
2. "I think you'll fit in nicely."
1. "Rise, my friend."

2008-03-03T09:34:00.003+01:00

EXPECTINGLY UNEXPECTED

We always get something bad on Mondays. It's almost like an unwritten law. It never fails. Whether it's a report that has to be handed in before lunchtime, or hot coffee spilling all over your lap in the drive-thru, it always happens on Monday. There's no point in trying to escape from it.

I got mine about an hour ago, and although I already know what it will mean for me in the next couple of months, it's only now that it's beginning to sink in. I'm thankful I still have some semblance of coherent thought in me to be able to talk about it in my blog.

So, as what I have been expecting for the past couple of weeks, my wife has finally told me that she's not yet ready to settle down in Switzerland. Not in a couple of weeks, at least; but I can safely surmise that I shouldn't be expecting her in the next half year. With so many things to take care of back in Manila, like selling some properties and tying some loose ends in our finances, it would be impossible for her to leave in a month's time when her residence permit arrives. And there's also the fact that right now, she's still happy with her job and couldn't think of a reason why she should leave it. Also, she hasn't received any good news yet on her job applications here in Switzerland. Well, she haven't really sent out a significant number of applications anyway, but that's another story.

So in a two-liner YM message, I was left hanging. I don't know whether I should feel happy or sad. Right now, I'm still numb. I'm hoping I won't get depressed, but I know it will come. What a crappy way to start the week.

2008-02-29T14:48:00.004+01:00

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer

Who was the last person you hugged?

The last person I hugged is this Filipina friend I met recently. We went out clubbing last Saturday night and I think she had too much to drink. Actually, it was my fault because I wanted her to try Long Island Iced Tea. I guess it was her first time to try the bastard concoction. She ended up dazed when we got home and was struggling to keep coherent. She managed to make it to the toilet to throw up but then she called out to me because she was really feeling weak. At that point I hugged her and apologized for letting her drink too much that night.

Soup

Share a beauty or grooming trick or tip with us.

Whenever using gel or hair wax, always make sure to rub the stuff between your palms as briskly as you can, especially if it's a particularly cold day. The stuff that makes gel and hair wax work is heat activated, meaning it must be heated up first for it to work. Otherwise, when you just slather the stuff on your hair, it ends up just like that, slather on your hair. Rubbing it thoroughly between your palms also ensures consistent application on the hair.

Salad

What does the color yellow make you think of?

Uhm... People Power? Cory Aquino? LABAN? Di Ka Nag-Iisa? Sorry, I can't help but feel so "political" lately. I guess I can't understand why people have grown tired of people power. If the Filipino people was able to overthrow two corrupt regimes before, why can't we now, now when we need it more than ever?

Main Course

If you were to make your living as a photographer, what subject would your pictures revolve around?

Anything! I love photography so much and I can't think of anything I wouldn't photograph. Particular scenes that really strike me are those which I can render as old/sepia/monochrome photos for that "antique" look. I'm not exactly sure if there's a market for it but if were to have a different career and it happens to be photography, I would enjoy taking "old" photos. Here's a sample of a photo that I took when I acted as tour guide for some friends. We went to Lucerne.

Dessert

What was the longest book you ever read?

For casual reading, it's a toss up between James Clavell's Shogun and Margaret Mitchell's Gone With the Wind. I haven't had the chance to put the two side by side and compare how thick they are, but I think they're pretty thick. For non-casual reading, even though we weren't required to read everything, I was able to read Reza Abbaschian's Physical Metallurgy Principles from cover to cover. I'm now glad that I did because my current job is now so much related to physical metallurgy, especially steelmaking manufacturing methods. If I weren't as interested at all at this subject, I would've probably acted like a complete idiot here in the office.

2008-02-28T14:24:00.002+01:00

TERRORIST BOMB PLOT IN MANILA

President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo, tell us, the Filipino people, how low can you go? Really? Why is it that whenever a sizeable political rally organized against you is scheduled, your people in the Armed Forces and Philippine National Police are falling over themselves in announcing supposed bomb threats all over the Metro? What are you so afraid of that you have to resort to lies just to keep people from expressing their views?

So please tell us... How low can you go?

2008-02-25T10:26:00.002+01:00

SOMETHING NEW FOR 2008

As a project manager, my job requires me to very good in planning. Good projects are ones that involved very thoughtful planning, so that when it's time to execute, you have everything considered, even the contingencies in case anything goes awry.

I cannot say the same for my personal life. I've stopped planning how I will live out my life the day I buried my father. My dad has this tendency to plan everything. He had everything laid out for us: how many kids he will have, where they will go to school, where the family will have vacations every year, at what age he will retire, where he will retire. All that. But he didn't plan on being told he had cancer and he had only four months to live. Hell, he didn't even know he had four months to live. He just sort of knew it would be coming soon from looking in our eyes everytime he can manage to stay coherent after bouts of chemotherapy. I don't want to go that path.

But somehow, being Switzerland means you have to do some sort of "planning". The whole country is obsessed by it! In a country where the trains arrive and leave on the dot, your daily life depends on good planning. Sometimes, it gets to a point where it is outrageous. We had sort of discussed over lunch about going out one Friday for after-work drinks. Before the day was over, the Swiss guy already had it all planned out: what time we will leave for the office, who's riding with who, where we will go, the bar's drinklist, who the designated drivers are, and the train schedule in case the designated driver forget that they're the designated driver.

So here's a list of something new that I want to do for 2008. I know I've already lost two months, but I think these are makeable, given that we have ten more months to go:

1. Learn a new sport - Switzerland = Swiss Alps = Snow. I have to learn either skiing or snowboarding. Everybody in the office tells me my European experience will not be complete without learning how to ski. Should I ask them if that will include getting the broken ankle as well?

2. A European car - When in Rome... And this may be the only chance I will ever afford a BMW or a Benz.

3. A new language - I have to learn High German. This is the universally accepted German language in this part of Europe. There's also such a thing as Swiss German, but the Germans tell me that even they would take years to be able to decipher it. Besides, it would be nice to go to a coiffure not worrying if I will end up looking like a poodle rather than Pitt.

4. Playstation 3 - Not really high on the list, considering that my wife and I plan to spend more time outside of the house and doing some travelling, rather than staying in for the weekend.

5. A baby - We'll see... Hahaha!

2008-02-22T09:34:00.002+01:00

FRIDAY'S FEAST

Appetizer

Have you ever played a practical joke on anyone? If so, what did you do and who was your victim?

That would be a yes. There were four of us who were really good friends way back from highschool. Glenn is in Manila, working as a Project Manager for a top tech company; Oliver is a doctor who's now practicing in Australia; and Eusebio is also a doctor but he's now living in Chicago. Anyway, back when we were still studying in Pisay, we went to this Science Fair sponsored by the French Embassy. All four of us, for one reason or another, decided to go to the restroom together. Being the shy one (back then), Glenn used the cubicle instead of the urinals. The remaining three of us locked Glenn inside the cubicle and we pressed against the door preventing him from going out. We didn't know Glenn was claustrophobic! So he was really struggling to get out and finally he kicked the door and the hinges came off. We ended up running away from the restroom as fast as we could fearing if we got caught, we would have to pay for the damages and the school will find out and we'd all end up in trouble. Had we known Glenn was claustrophobic, we wouldn't have probably done that.

Soup

What do your salt and pepper shakers look like?

The salt shaker I have at home is the one I stole off from the temporary apartment I lived in two months ago. It looks suspiciously like the salt shaker we use in the company cafeteria. Hahaha... The pepper shaker, on the other hand, is the I buy from the supermarket everytime I run out of pepper. For some reason, the groceries here don't sell cracked pepper in pouches that you can use to refill the glass shakers. Sometimes, their concept of recycling and waste management here in Switzerland baffles me.

Salad

Where is the next place you plan to visit (on vacation or business)?

I will be travelling to Thionville, France next week. I'm joining a three day audit of one of our steel forging suppliers who's been having some quality issues lately. Thionville is right smack in that area of France where it borders Germany, Luxembourg, and Belgium.

Main Course

What kind of lotion or cream do you use to keep your hands from getting too dry?

Actually I don't use lotion or cream to keep my skin from drying out. I really should, considering how easily the cold and dry winter air is making my skin so dry that I shed off skin. Eww....

Dessert

Make up a dessert, tell us its ingredients, and give it a name

Swiss Bora - a warm, rich chocolate cake with moist, almost runny, pure chocolate in the middle, generously topped with diced mango and swirled with cold mango puree/sauce all over.

2008-02-15T14:50:00.002+01:00

THIRTY UNFINISHED SENTENCES

It's another boring Friday afternoon in the office and I'm just waiting until it's time to go home. Let's jumpstart the weekend by answering thirty nonsense questions...

1. Today is:
Friday.

2. I should be:
working.

3. The last text message I received
was from:
my mom.

4. And it said:
thank you for the Valentine flowers.

5. I am currently pissed off because:
my officemate is making unsolicited actions on my project.

6. My cellphone rings and the song that's playing is:
one of the those boring, system-installed ringtones.

7. I would love to see:
GMA thrown off from Malacanang.

8. If I could change my last name, it would be:
Gates.

9. After class, I love to:
smoke and get pissed.

10. My favorite subject is:
Chemistry.

11. I liked yesterday because:
it was Valentine's day.

12. But I still sort of didn't because:
I didn't have anyone to celebrate it with.

13. My favorite song/s right now would have to be:
Chemical Romance's I'm Not Okay.

14. I sometimes forget to:
zip my pants after peeing.

15. I currently have a crush on:
Katherine Heigl

16. My favorite number/s would have to be:
28

17. When I'm in a bad mood, it's better to just:
give me a pint of ice cream.

18. I really can't stand:
liars and backstabbers.

19. I'd break up with my boyfriend/girl friend right away if?
she's a liar and a backstabber.

20. If I were to get stuck in an elevator with someone, it would have to be:
Lindsay Lohan.

21. I'd really like to improve my grades on:
Skiing 101.

22 . The last thing that wasn't good that I bought with my own money is:
stinky cheese.

23. The name of the street where I live is:
Zimmermannstrasse.

24. I have never rode on:
a horse.

25. If I won the lottery, the first thing I would buy is/are:
a plane ticket back to Manila.

26. One bad habit of mine is:
smoking.

27. I go to school in:
Quezon City.

28. I study there because:
they felt I was good enough to get a full scholarship.

29. my friend/s who is/are not from my college/school is/are:
all of my friends are not from my school.

30. I am currently stressed because:
I had lousy sex last night.

2008-02-13T21:40:00.002+01:00

FRANCE AND RANTS

As it turned out, I didn't just go to France yesterday, but I was also in Germany! It's just too bad that I was inside a moving car all that time and that the total time spent in Germany amounts to a grand total of 30 minutes. Hahaha. I love the way the countries in Europe are connected to each other. In the scope of eight hours, I was able to go from one country to another and another, and back to my "home country" in time for dinner.

So I finally experienced first hand how driving in the German Autobahn is like. I didn't really drive, it was my manager driving, but I was seated in the back. The minute we entered Germany, he just pushed the throttle and we were gone. 180kph. Whew. I can't wait to get my driver's licence and start being a road maniac around Germany. We travelled through the Schwarzwalder (Black Forest) and went on to France using the highway that goes all the way from Belfort to France. That part of France we were in was beautiful, with its rolling hills and low hills. Belfort, as I had learned from a French colleague, gets its name from the fact that the city is surrounded by the walls of a fortress that was put up during one of the wars with Germany. The region is not really known for its cuisine, owning to the fact that its an industrial region by nature, but he did say something about the fine sausages that they have. I really should stay in Belfort for a couple of nights sometime soon, so I can get a taste of those sausages!

On another note, it was not a good day in the office. I'm pissed off at three people. First is a colleague from Poland. Instead of referring to me, he called my officemate to discuss some problems regarding a project I'm managing. We recently rolled out a new database in Lotus Notes and it so happens that it only works on Release 6 of Lotus Notes. Unfortunately for some officemates in Poland, they still haven't received the upgrades, so that means the database encounters some errors when they try to access it. So this guy in Poland decided to call my colleague to discuss the problem. Second person I'm pissed at is my officemate. He proposed to the Polish guy to just sit back on the problem for a while until the Lotus Notes upgrades get rolled out and until the office in Poland gets trained on the details of the new database. I know he means well but still, it's my project and I feel I should be the one making decisions. I don't know about you but it borders on being unprofessional when you dip into someone's work affairs, make decisions, and then tell the affected person about it after-the-fact. Lastly, I'm pissed off at myself. I suppose the base reason why the Polish guy talked to my officemate was that he's uncomfortable talking to me in English and he's better at using German. I really should get German lessons and at least try to have some German conversation skills. I hope things start to get better in the office tomorrow. I can feel burnout beginning to set in.

2008-02-11T21:52:00.000+01:00

France, Here I Come

A couple of weeks ago, I was finally able to receive my Schengen visa. Actually, this is my second one. For some unexplainable reason, the French Consulate in Zurich doesn't want to give me a long term visa. One that will last me until Switzerland joins the Schengen Treaty this coming October. This even after I have given them a letter from the HR Director from my company that I need a long term visa, not these one month visas that they keep giving me. And yes, I am complaining, because the lack of a proper Schengen visa is keeping me from doing my job properly.

Anyway, I will finally get to visit our factory in Belfort tomorrow. It's about 135 kilometers away from my apartment, a 1 hour and 30 minute drive by car. Fortunately, the whole group is coming with me and I will be riding with my manager. Unlike our factory in Switzerland, which only produces the rotor part of a generator, the factory in Belfort produces some of the biggest turbogenerators manufactured in the world, including those that goes into the biggest nuclear power plants. I can't wait. I actually want to see how these things really look like. Too bad I can't take pictures. Too bad as well that this is only going to be an in and out thing and that my first time in France will take a glorious ten hours in all.

2008-01-29T00:25:00.001+01:00

I HATE MY PASSPORT

Actually, what I really wanted to say is that sometimes I hate being a Filipino. I hate the fact that, except when going to South East Asia or Hong Kong, being a Filipino means having to get a visa for just about any other country in the world. It has gotten to be such a nuisance that I think its preventing me from getting more exposure and more plum projects in the office. This week, I was supposed to go to France for a kickoff meeting for a big project and I wasn't able to join because my Schengen visa is still in processing. And to think that this is already my second Schengen visa in four months. I can't figure out why the folks in the French Embassy keep giving me three month valid visas when I had very clearly stated in the application form that I need a one year visa. I can only guess that it has something to do with what's boldly emblazoned across the cover of my passport.

And last Friday, my boss told me that I'll also take the lead in supplier selection for the big nuclear plant project in the US. No problems there, I already have a US visa and it won't be expiring until 2010. But the thing is, the major suppliers for this project are based in the UK. And the UK is not part of Schengen. So that means another visa application, another day getting interviewed for a UK visa, and another round of explaining why I need one. This is getting so very frustrating.

I know that nationality is an accident by birth. I hope that in a couple of years, I can finally undo this accident.

2008-01-27T21:23:00.001+01:00

IF YOU WANT IT SO BADLY...

This post is for a very good friend. I wasn't able to say goodbye to her properly when I left Manila, but she knows how much I miss her. Even though we're both too busy with our own lives, I know we both make it a point to check each other's blogs and see what's going on. Xy, I know I've been bad and I haven't made any effort at all to update my blog with anything relevant about what's happening in my life here, but you know how it is sometimes. And speaking of effort, here's my take on your last post.

When you want something so bad, you don't leave things to fate and hope that it, whatever it is, will swing your way. Anything, be it work, relationship, a new hobby, these require a certain amount of effort to make it successful. Your "project", if you don't mind me calling it that, requires both of you to make it work. Although we have never talked about it (and now I'm wondering why we never had the chance to talk about it), I can see how happy you are with him. He's a very lucky guy to have you as a partner, and I hope it will still turn out to be a happy ever after story for the two of you.

2008-01-13T16:00:00.000+01:00

MORE OF VINCENT BUENO

Apparently, Vincent has experienced performing in public before. Here he is, giving it up for a Vienna audience as front singer for Sarah Geronimo during her concert there.

I'm pretty sure talent managers in the Philippines are lining up to fly Vincent over to the Philippines for concerts and shows. So what do you think? Magiging Kapuso o Kapamilya si Vincent? Hahaha!

2008-01-11T23:45:00.000+01:00

PINOY WINS AUSTRIA SINGING CONTEST

Vincent Bueno, a 22 year old son of Filipino immigrants in Austria, has just won Austria's premiere singing talent contest. Vincent competed against nine other contestants and in a very thrilling two hour show, came out triumphant after besting two other finalists.

The weekly show, called Musical: Die Show, is the Austrian version of USA's American Idol with a twist. Instead of normal pop music, the contestants are required to sing their favorite songs from Broadway musicals. Vincent's repertoire included songs from Mary Poppins, Singing in the Rain, Phantom of the Opera, and Miss Saigon.

In winning the contest, Vincent not only brings home with him €50000, but pride for the Philippines as well. Herzlichen Glückwunsch, Vincent!

2008-01-10T14:03:00.000+01:00

BUT I JUST GOT HERE

One of the things I hate about horoscopes is reading something which totally goes against what you want to happen to you. Like this Chinese horoscope I got off from the web. Sure, I love to travel. But do I really want to move to some other place again? I'm just beginning to get my seat warm here!

Overview

Your sign is Tiger.

It’s a year of mobility for the tiger. This means you will be doing a lot of moving this year. It could be either by way of traveling, moving to another home or office or experiencing some kind of life-change. You can look forward to traveling more a lot more than usual, whether it is for business or pleasure.

Fmaous Tiger: Leonardo Dicaprio, Stephen Chow, Debbie Allen, Kofi Annan, Sir David Attenborough, Queen Beatrix of the Netherlands,Victoria Beckham, Beethoven, Tony Bennett, Tom Berenger, Chuck Berry, Jon Bon Jovi, Sir Richard Branson, Emily Bronte, Mel Brooks, Isambard Kingdom Brunel, Agatha Christie.

Your reading:It’s a year of mobility for the tiger, which means you will be doing a lot of moving around this year. It could be either by way of traveling to far off places, moving to another home or office or experiencing some kind of life-change. You can definitely look forward to traveling more a lot more than usual, whether it is for business or pleasure.

If you are accustomed to constant changes in your life, you will find you are better able to deal with these upcoming changes. If however, you have gotten used to living a more staid and placid life where everything is pretty much constant, you may find it a bit more difficult to handle these disruptions. Do not start worrying about it unnecessarily; not all change is bad after all. You may just get a promotion and move to a bigger office or you may get lucky and find a larger house that is within your budget that could move into.

If you were born during spring or summer, you are in real luck. All the changes that take place are likely to be good ones. If you were born during autumn or winter on the other hand, you may want to brace yourself for some unpleasant changes. While it may not be all that bad, you certainly won’t have it as good as those lucky Tigers born during spring and summer.

Try and refrain from acting impulsively when it comes to career decisions. Even if the going seems tough, even if you seem to be traveling a lot but are not getting an adequate traveling allowance, even if you’ve started taking a dislike to your job; hang in there. This is not the ideal time to make career changes as the more changes you initiate, the more likely you are to jump from the frying pan into the fire. Dig your heels in and rough it out; the tough times will not last forever.

This is a profitable year for Tigers who are self-employed and for those who belong to certain professions such as doctors, lawyers and accountants, where you get paid for the amount of work you do. But you will have to work hard to earn your money. If you are an insurance salesperson, a financial consultant or a real estate agent you should concentrate on expanding your client base as more clients means more money earned.

Your lucky star, Yi Ma, which means traveling, changes and movement, signifies your improved odds of getting a new and better job. Go ahead and make career changes if you were born in spring or summer. If you were born in autumn or winter, you may want to resist exploring new opportunities and prefer to stay on in the old job, no matter how much you may want to change.

Gu Chen, which means loneliness, refers to the loneliness you are likely to feel when you are travel on business trips by yourself.

Si Sang and Sang Men, two other stars in your constellation, signify that you should tend to the health of the elderly family members. These two stars have a mild influence and do not do too much harm.

Your Palace of Parents is fine too so no need to worry about that either.

2007-10-15T23:32:00.000+02:00

GRÜTZI!

That's how we say "hi" here in Switzerland. This is my third week here and I'm enjoying it so much. Work is okay. I haven't really been doing anything stressful yet. I guess this is what they call honeymoon phase. But based on how everybody else is acting in the office, it looks like nothing very stressful happens anyway. I haven't heard any heated discussions, no shouting matches, no harrassed, stressed faces. It looks like we could all learn from the Swiss on how to handle pressure gracefully.

Not much to blog now, it's already 11:30 in the evening. I need to get some rest. Will post again as soon as I get the blog rhythm going.

Tschüss! (and that's how we say goodbye)

2007-09-20T12:52:00.000+02:00

LAST DAY RANTS AND RAVES

Tomorrow will be my last day with company A. As I am about to hand back my cellphone and laptop, I am drawn to contemplate on how the last two years had been.

RAVES:
1. I had so much fun travelling for the past two years. My work has brought me finally to East Coast USA. Boston and New York were exactly what I envisioned them to be. Also, I will never forget the time when I practically made Hong Kong and China my second home. Going back and forth to those places practically every other week was both fun and taxing. I still have my Hong Kong MTR card with about HK$500 credit left, so any takers, just send me a note.

2. I met some really interesting people. You know who you are. I am forever grateful.

RANTS:
1. I felt like an overpaid messenger. A lot of times I was just transmitting information back and forth between my subcontractors and my foreign counterparts. Not good. You guys pay me so much money and I wish you had given me the chance to use my brain once in a while.

2. Things went downhill when Mr. G was ceremoniously booted out of his job and was replaced by a data maniac. We were asked for lots of presentations, reports, and what-have-you's but we couldn't figure out how the data was being used and what was the resulting impact to the organization.

3. Ms. D continued to toe the line, so to speak. Not much help coming from her, as always.

4. I met some really interesting people. You know who you are. My message to you... I'm way past "I don't give a damn."

It was also interesting to know that, according to my Singapore mole, a lot of my Filipino colleagues based in Singapore are quite vocal about their sour graping at my move. Of course Zurich is expensive. That's the price you pay for the high quality of living. But please, before you say that I'm making such a bad move, go and do your research. Apparently, you didn't get to the part where Swiss employees are also among the highest paid in the world. And that Swiss taxes are among the lowest. But never mind. I just wish you'd be happy for me the same way that I've always been happy for you.

I also learned how excited Mr. D was to meet Ms. A, who like Ms. D is a toe the company line girl. Well Mr. D, I hope you have a great time with Ms. A. I'm pretty sure you'll have a fine time discussing how customer A's visit went. By the way, your problems with customer A are far from over. How you guys manage to tout your successes with customer A and reap lots of awards and yet, you still get a lot of field returns and lines down, is beyond me. Reality is, you and I are not aligned on the definition of success. Good luck. You all need it. And I don't really care if you don't want to meet me, or at least talk to me why I'm leaving the company, in spite of you being the head of our group. It just shows to me the kind of leadership you espouse. Thanks, but no thanks.

2007-09-10T16:16:00.000+02:00

EMAIL SIGNATURES

Everybody here using Microsoft Outlook raise your hand!

Okay. I'm sure you all know that there's a feature in Outlook that allows you to customize your emails with signatures. You know, that little snippet of text at the end of your email where you can add something like a quote, or your email business card. I'm sure, at one point or another, you've dabbled around with that feature. Or you've probably seen one from your officemate. I have my share of officemates who use that signature feature in Outlook. As far as I know, all of their signature suck.

Here's an example of a signature from some know-it-all jerk who thinks he's a hotshot:
"Da Mihi Animas, Caetera tolle." Now what in the hell does that mean? No, I'm not going to waste my bandwidth on translate.google.com trying to figure out what this means.

Another guy has this: "He who stops being better, stops being good." Oh-kay...

I've been thinking of using my own signature too. I want it to express sincerely how I feel right now. And right now, I'm seriously pondering on putting this into all of my emails:

Really. I don't anymore.

2007-09-10T09:59:00.000+02:00

NOTHING COMPARED TO WHAT SHE'S GOING THROUGH

Have you ever bitched about something then, after a while, realize that your problems are nothing compared to what another person is going though? An hour ago, I was seething mad at the Land Transportation Office (LTO). As I'm now updating my documents, preparing for my move, I realized that you can actually exchange your valid driver's licence for a Swiss licence. All you have to do is to go to the local Swiss office and do the exchange. Sometimes, they will require you to do a driving test, but most often that not, they will just give you a Swiss driver's licence. Cool, huh?

So I paid a visit to the new LTO Satellite Office in Hypermart, C5. There they told me that I had to go to the main office in East Avenue to get it renewed. Now I don't want to do that. The office in East Avenue is just reeking of corruption. You haven't even told anyone what you're there for and they're already haggling with you that the best way to get it done is through someone from the inside, with a little (fuck me if it's really little!) grease money, of course. No amount of pleading will make them hear me out. Darn, if I had known it will be this tough, I should've just went there with my wife. She can get away with almost anything, when it comes to dealing with government morons. So seeing I have little choice but to either try another day at that office or go straight to LTO, I just went home.

Then I got an SMS from my sister in Beijing, asking me to call her ASAP. So I did and I learned that her husband had a terrible accident this morning on his way to work. He was riding his bike on the way to the Embassy when he got hit (by what, I still don't know. My sister wasn't in the right mental state for her to explain what happened.). She had to take him to the hospital and there they found that he had fractured his arm. He has the option to undergo a surgery where they will have to insert a titanium brace for his arm, or just have it in a cast, which is a cheap option but they couldn't guarantee that the break will heal properly. So now they're flying back to Manila tomorrow evening and going straight to St. Luke's.

All of a sudden, my problem with my driver's licence ain't worth shit. I just feel so sorry for my sister, having to go through that all alone in China. Makes me want to go there now and be by her side.

2007-09-03T11:01:00.000+02:00

TURETE

Grabe, lumalala ata ang pagiging makakalimutin ko. Kagabi, bago ako umuwi, bumili ako ng tatlong bote ng Cerveza Negra. Ito kasi yung favorite beer ko. Sa mga hindi pa nakakasubok, Cerveza Negra yung dark lager beer ng San Miguel. Parang katulad ito nung Guiness, yung dark beer na gawa sa Ireland. Kakaiba ang lasa nito. Para sa akin, medyo mapait-pait na parang kape na may halong dark chocolate, na may halong beer. Masarap. Subukan nyo.

So ayun, bumili ako ng tatlong bote nito. Nilagay ko sa freezer lahat tapos nagsimula na akong magcheck ng email. Hala! Nakalimutan ko. Ngayong hapon ko lang nalaman na may nilagay pala akong beer sa freezer. Pagbukas ko ng freezer, okay naman pala sila. Feeling ko kasi baka pumutok tapos kelangan ko pang maglinis ng ref. Ang dami pa namang laman yung ref ngayon.

So eto, Cerveza Negra muna ko habang nagi-email tsaka naga-update ng blog.

2007-08-24T18:15:00.000+02:00

'NUFF SAID

"You take the chance and go and all you need is your passport in one pocket and enough money for a flight home in the other pocket and life will take care of the rest. If you don't go, you may forever regret it." - Anonymous

No better time to break this than now. I'm leaving Manila next month. I accepted an offer from a company in Switzerland last June. Two weeks ago, my residence/work permit was approved in Bern. Last Monday, my entry visa was issued by the Swiss Embassy. Today, the company has emailed me my e-ticket.

Am I doing this for the money? Most likely no. Yes, I'll definitely be earning more there, but cost of living is pretty steep too. Still, the money left after taxes, rent, commute, utilities, and food is still a couple of times more than what I'm making before taxes in the Philippines. But as it is, my wife and I are already doing quite well here in Manila. Why fuck with a good thing, right?

The real reason why we're leaving is that we're tired. I'm tired.

I'm tired of dealing with the bureaucracy that is called the Philippine government.

I'm tired of daily two-hour commutes. And that's only one way from office to my house.

I'm tired of getting ripped off by the taxes here in the Philippines only to see those in government benefiting from it.

I'm tired of getting it up the arse everytime a public jeep crashes into my car and the driver brazenly tells me, "Wala akong insurance eh. Sigurado naman meron ka. Dun mo na lang pagawa yang bangga."

I'm tired of having to save up months and months for my simple extravagances here in Manila, our only passion that keeps us sane, when I can (almost) buy whatever I want with this new job.

I want to live life the way they do it. I want to enjoy life. I'm 32, and if I'm lucky enough to live until I'm 60, I might as well spend the rest of my life with a solid chance of actually enjoying it.

I know it's not going to be easy. It's a predominantly white country, and they speak a different language. But I'm taking my chance. I don't want to spend the rest of my life with another "what if" thought lingering at the back of my head.

2007-08-22T10:31:00.000+02:00

A LOVE STORY

Pinanood namin ni misis 'to last week. Magandang pelikula. On the surface, it looks like your usual misis versus kerida versus babaerong asawa movie. However, there's a nice twist in the how your usual keridas are portrayed, and for that reason alone, this movie is worth watching. Of course there are the usual cliches. Like Angelica's role as a jetsetting flight attendant. In the movie, you'll get an idea that flight attendants are pakawala: all night partying at their ports of call, getting laid by guys they meet in elevator. Goddamnit. In my ten years of flying all over the world on business trips, how come I've never gotten in bed with a flight attendant?! Not one!! There must be something wrong with me. Or maybe I should just accept the fact that I do not look like Aga Mulach. Whatever.

Anyway, I didn't feel too comfortable watching this movie with my wife. Is it because I felt guilty? Siguro nga. Though I've never banged any flight attendants, the whole idea of watching a kerida movie with my wife was simply too unsettling. It was like watching my life and Aga was playing my role. I found myself remembering those times when I was in the same position. Grabe, if they asked me to be a consultant in planning this film, or to take part in developing the story and writing the script, I know I would have done a terrific job of doing so.

It's a good thing I'm now over that period of my life. I'm not saying that I'll never do it again, or that if given the chance, I would. I'm just saying that my life is so much more peaceful now that I've gotten out of on the side relationships. Mas nakakahinga ako nang maluwag. Wala akong kabang nararamdaman everytime I leave my cellphone out of sight. Hindi ako nag-aalangan pumunta sa malls at nag-iisip kung sino ang pwedeng makakita sa akin. Life is so much better without having to worry about a third party. Tsaka sobra akong tinamaan dun sa sinabi ni Aga. Papano pag di ko na kayang ayusin yung mga nasira ko? Sobrang tama yung statement na yun. Ayoko nang bumalik sa situation na ganun palagi yung nasa isip ko.

2007-08-21T18:43:00.000+02:00

HERE WE GO AGAIN

This is it. Wala nang urungan to. Finally, nagkalakas ako ng loob para ipadala yung resignation letter ko sa boss ko. Actually, bago ko gawin yun, nag-usap muna kami sa phone. Syempre kelangan ganun. Alangan namang sa email ko lang gawin yung resignation ko. Mahirap na. Baka mamaya magkrus uli yung mga landas namin ng boss ko. Sabi nga nila, don't burn the bridge when you get there.

Anyways, ayun. Nakakatawa nga eh, kasi nung tinext ko yung boss ko kung pwede ko syang tawagan sandali, yun pala delayed yung flight nya mula San Jose papuntang Detroit. Tinanong ko sya kung okay lang ba na pagdating na lang nya sa Detroit ko sya tawagan. Eh sabi nya tawagan ko na daw sya so tinawagan ko na. Paligoy-ligoy pa ko nung simula. Lintek, hindi ko alam kung papano ko sisimulan eh. Tinanong ko muna kung ano gagawin nya sa Detroit. Maya-maya pa, binanatan ko na. Nung una di sya naka-imik. Nabigla siguro. Pero nung malaon, nagtatanong na kung san ako lilipat, pano ko nahanap yung trabahong lilipatan ko, at kung na-meet ko daw ba yung expectations ko dun sa trabahong binigay nya.

Nakapagtataka lang, ni minsan hindi nya tinanong kung anong problema. Pero okay lang kasi gusto ko ring iwasan yung usapang ganun. Kung tutuusin, wala naman talagang problema. May mga opportunities lang talaga na kelangan sunggaban mo, or else, buong buhay kang mag-iisip ng "what if". Ayoko ng ganun. Lalo lang akong hindi makakatulog pag ganun.

So ayun. Bago matapos yung usapan namin, sinabihan na lang ako na ilista ko yung mga current projects ko tsaka kung ano yung mga dapat ilipat sa iba kong kasamahan sa grupo. Actually, wala naman nang masyado akong ginagawa lately eh. Sana wala namang aberyang mangyari.

Countdown na. Last day ko na sa September 21. After nun, panibagong chapter na naman ang mabubuksan sa buhay ko.

2007-08-15T08:04:00.000+02:00

GOVERNMENT WARNING: YOUTUBE IS DANGEROUS TO YOUR HEALTH

Ayaw nyong maniwala ha...

Jeon Ji Hyun para sa Samsung DNA Printer

Jeon Ji Hyun uli, for Giordano

Jeon Ji Hyun for Laneige

Jeon Ji Hyun for Olympus

Niraket talaga ni Jeon Ji Hyun ang Giordano!

One more time!!

Mala-sineng commercial ng Giordano starring who else?

Marami pa nyan sa Youtube. Grabe. Love ko na si Jeon Ji Hyun.

2007-08-15T03:15:00.000+02:00

RAIN RAIN, GO AWAY

Grabe. Ang lakas na naman ng ulan. Nagising ako kaninang umaga na medyo makulimlim pa. Wednesday ngayon, at dahil color coding ang sasakyan ko, mamayang pasado alas-diyes pa ako makakalabas ng bahay. So habang kumakain ng agahan, nag-check muna ako ng emails at nakapag-attend pa ng phone meeting. Hala, ilang minuto pa'y dumagsa na ang malakas na ulan. Buhos talaga! Halos pader na ng tubig ang bumababa galing kalangitan.

Isang oras na ang nakakaraan simula nang mag-umpisang bumuhos ang ulan. Wala pa ring humpay. Kung gaano ito kalakas kanina'y ganun pa rin ang lakas ngayon. Malamang baha na sa C5 at sa SLEX. Pwede na rin ako sigurong umalis na ng bahay kasi sino namang MMDA traffic enforcer ang nasa tamang pag-iisip na magpakabayani pa at mag-traffic sa ganitong kalakas na ulan? Ay... wala nga palang taga-MMDA na nasa tamang pag-iisip.

Pero ano naman ang gagawin ko dito sa bahay? Kahapon pa ako naka-telecommute. Nabuburaot na ko dito sa bahay. Oo nga, masarap. Panood-nood ka lang ng TV habang nagtatrabaho, pag nagugutom ka, magbukas ka lang ng ref at may pagkain ka na. At kadalasan, pwede akong makipagsagutan ng maaanghang na emails habang hubo't hubad ako. Pero nakakasawa na rin. Gusto kong lumabas. Maglakad. Makakita ng ibang tao. Nagsasawa na kong puro mga taga-Yahoo Messenger at Skype lang ang nakakasalamuha ko.

Teka. Wala na yatang ulan. Medyo tumila na. Ano ba, papasok ba ko o hindi na lang?

2007-08-07T05:54:00.000+02:00

HOUSTON, DO WE HAVE A PROBLEM?

Shet, Sisig. Sikat ka na naman! Sino kaya yung may IP address na 69.153.213.# (AUSTIN EXPLORATION-040824003934) at nag-aksaya ng halos isang oras kakabrowse ng blog mo? At naka-39 page hits pa ha! Tinignan talaga lahat ng pages sa blog mo ah!!

Pootah, pare... Isa lang ibig sabihin nyan. May stalker ka na naman! May naglalaway na naman sa mala-Adonis mong katawan! Wahahaha!!

Hoy!! Stalker!! Kilala kita!! Hanggang dito ba naman eh hindi mo ko tatantanan? Kung may gusto kang malaman sa akin, text mo na lang ako o kaya mag-YM ka. Pakilala ka lang kasi simula nung malaman ko kung gano kasama yung ugali mo, pinagtatanggal kita sa Contacts ko!! Ano ba kelangan mong malaman at hindi mapakali yang daliri mo sa kakapindot sa mga links sa blog ko? Miss mo na ko noh?

Pwes, ikaw, hindi ko miss!! Nyahaha!!

2007-08-04T17:37:00.000+02:00

MERIENDA

Kakatapos lang namin mag-grocery sa Shopwise kanina. Konti lang pinamili namin. Shampoo, deodorant, green papaya facial cleanser, ilang kartong gatas, gulay-gulay at pansahog para sa uulamin sa darating na linggo. Syempre, ang walang kamatayang Pepsi Max din.

Pagdaan namin sa chicheria section, nanumbalik ako sa panahong suot kong pampasok sa eskwela ay puting short sleeve polo at khaki shorts. Nakita ko yung lagi kong binibili sa tindahan sa tapat ng bahay namin tuwing hapon.

Hehehe... Naaalala mo rin ba yung panahon ng kabataan mo? Ako, ito yung madalas kong merienda tsaka Coke 500. Kaya hindi na rin ako nagtataka kung bakit ganito ako kataba ngayon. Kung wala nito, Peewee crackers yung kadalasang pamalit. Pero hindi ako masyadong mahilig sa Peewee. Dati pa man, hindi ako nahilig sa maanghang na chicheria.

Bumili ako ng apat nito kanina. Bukas dadalhin ko sa office para sabay-sabay naming sariwain ang panahon ng kabataan namin.

2007-07-31T05:58:00.000+02:00

PAKIRAMDAM NA EWAN, PART 2

Kakatapos ko lang kausapin si Mommy. Binalitaan ko sya na nagkausap na kami ng kapatid kong babae. Bakas sa salita ni Mommy yung pagkasabik na marinig muli ang boses ng kapatid ko. Sabik syang malaman kung ano na ang lagay nya, kung okay naman ba sila dun, at kung may nahanap na ba silang malilipatang apartment.

Talagang nami-miss na ni Mommy yung kapatid ko. Dahil siguro kasi sya ang bunso, alalang-alala si Ma sa paglipat ng kapatid ko sa China. Nariyan pa't kung anu-anong masasamang balita ang naririnig mo tungkol sa China ngayon. Mga siopao na may lamang hinimay na karton. Mga batang babaeng namamatay dahil sa expired na gamot. Mga asong nagkakasakit dahil may hinalong kung anong gamot sa pagkain. Tapos lately, pati yung paborito nating lahat na White Rabbit, yung malambot na nougat candy, meron daw halong formalin.

Buti na lang may Skype. Murang tumawag sa China pag gamit mo Skype. More than 30 minutes kami nag-usap ng kapatid ko pero parang US$0.50 lang ang natanggal sa prepaid account ko. Pero ang hirap ipaliwanag kay Ma kung papano ko nagagamit yung laptop ko para tawagan yung cellphone ng kapatid ko sa ibang bansa. Sabi ko na lang susunduin ko sya sa Sabado para matawagan namin yung kapatid ko. Sana naman, magkaron ng kusang loob yung kapatid kong lalaki na magpakabit ng DSL sa bahay para madalas silang makatawag sa China.

As usual, pag nag-uusap kami ni Ma, hindi mapipigilang hindi namin pag-usapan yung kapatid kong lalaki. Medyo iba kasi mag-isip yun sa aming tatlong magkakapatid. Siguro dahil sya ang nasa gitna, at lalaki, lumaki syang may taglay na inggit sa akin at sa bunsong kapatid naming babae. To make the long story short, medyo may pagka-pasaway si bro. Hayaan na lang natin sa ganun. Siguro naman kayong may mga kapatid dyan, naiintindihan nyo yung ibig kong sabihin. So ayun, naglabas na naman ng sama ng loob si Ma sa akin. Hindi daw nagkukusang bumili ng grocery. Hindi daw nag-aabot sa mga gastusin sa bahay. Hindi daw pinapaliguan yung mga asong binili nya. Ang masama nito, hindi ko alam kung papano sasagutin si Mommy. Gusto ko mang tumulong, papano? Kaya nakinig na lang ako.

Ang dami na namang umiikot sa isip ko, lalo na 'tong mga nangyayari sa pamilya ko. Mga problemang hindi naman ganap na problema. Mga gustong gawin na hindi ko naman alam kung papano sisimulan. Malamang hindi pa matatapos itong ganitong sitwasyon na lahat ng tanong sa isip mo, ewan lang ang kasagutan.

2007-07-26T09:56:00.000+02:00

PAKIRAMDAM NA EWAN

Di ko maipaliwanag ang nararamdaman ko ngayon. Malungkot na masaya na ewan. Kaninang umaga kasi, umalis na papuntang Beijing ang kapatid kong babae. Communications attache ng Philippine Embassy sa Beijing ang asawa nya. First time nilang mapo-post overseas. Ganun pala sa DFA. Six years nang six years ang mga assignments. So ayun. Six years sila sa Beijing. Ayos. Next year may libreng hotel na kami para sa Beijing Olympics. Saya diba?

Pero kagabi, di maipaliwanag na lungkot ang naramdaman naming pamilya habang kumakain kami ng hapunan. Bawat subo, ang hirap lunukin. Parang kasing laki ng meatball ng Sbarro's spaghetti yung nakabara sa lalamunan ko. Kahit anong inom ko ng Pepsi Max, ayaw dumiretso sa tiyan ko.

Napapatingin ako sa Nanay ko. Namumula na naman ang ilong. Ganun si Ma pag gustong maiyak. Alam ko pinipigilan lang nya pero siguro ayaw nyang ipakita sa amin yung lungkot na nararamdaman nya nung time na yun. Yung kapatid kong babae kasi yung naging kasa-kasama na nya ever since mamatay si Daddy. Kasamang manood ng sine, magshopping, magmall. Pano na to ngayon.

Bago magboard ng eroplano yung kapatid ko, nagawa pa nga mag text sa akin. Sasakay na daw sila ng eroplano. At sinabi pang dalasan ko daw ang dalaw kay Ma. Panay daw ang iyak kanina nung paalis sila ng bahay.

Masaya ako para sa kapatid ko. Biruin mo yun, makapunta ka ng Beijing at malibot mo ang China at anim na taon mong gagawin yun. Marami sigurong masha-shopping yun dun. Tapos makaka-experience pa sya ng snow ngayong Christmas. Pero at the same time, nalulungkot ako sa Mommy ko. Para siguro syang naputulan ng isang paa. At siguro, ganito rin ang nararamdaman nya ngayon. Yung pakiramdam na ewan.

2007-07-18T16:36:00.001+02:00

BUHAY PA

Yup. Buhay pa ko. Medyo inis lang sa trabaho, pero kaya pa naman. Matagal na rin pala hindi ko napuntahan tong blog ko. Kadalasan kasi hindi ko rin alam kung ano isusulat ko. Pare-pareho lang naman ang nangyayari sa buhay ko araw-araw. Papasok sa opisina. Internet buong umaga. Kakain ng lunch. Tapos sisimulan ko nang basahin yung mga work emails ko.

Oo. Pasaway ako sa office. Kasi naman halos wala na ko ginagawa. Hindi naman ako binibigyan ng bagong assignments. Hay. Ang hirap talaga pag hindi ka peyborit ni boss.

2007-05-06T20:32:00.000+02:00

PEPSI MAX

Alas dos trenta na ng umaga pero hindi pa rin ako makatulog. Ewan ko ba. Ba't ang hirap akong dapuan ng antok nitong mga araw na 'to. Parang takbo nang takbo ang isip ko pero wala namang tinutunguhan. Namomroblema ng mga problemang hindi naman dapat problemahin. Ano ba 'to? Pangitain ng pagkasira ng ulo? O dala lamang nang sobrang pag-inom ng Pepsi Max?

Natatawa sa 'kin si Freya kanina. Addict na daw ako sa Pepsi Max. Isip tuloy ako... Ba't nga ba ang sarap ng Pepsi Max sa panlasa ko? Kung tutuusin, lasang gamot naman. Aba. Di kaya Pepsi Max ang sanhi ng panimula ng pagkasira ng ulo ko? Hahaha... Lagot sila sa 'kin pag nangyari yun. Idedemanda ko sila tulad nung nangyari sa Pepsi Scam maraming taon na ang nakakalipas.

Hay. Makatulog na nga lang. Pero bago yun, inom muna ko. Tubig naman.

2007-03-14T08:30:00.000+01:00

SAPUL!

Nabasa nyo na ba to?

Nakakasawa na.

Nahihiya na kong tawaging isang Pilipino.

2007-02-13T03:53:00.000+01:00

ARGH!

I'm too angsty enough to do any serious blogging lately. Things are not falling into place the way I want them. Midlife crisis has set in early for me.

Fuck you. Fuck the whole world.

And no, Valentine's has got nothing to do with this. Let's leave Cupid out of this shit.

2006-11-30T06:20:00.000+01:00

A DISASTER IN THE LOOMING

Typhoon Reming (international code Durian) is expected to hit Manila on Friday morning. I'm not taking any chances and have stayed home as early as Thursday. Hee.

And ever the worrier, I've also stacked up on Winston Lights, beer, and chips. Hindi natin alam, baka hagupitin ng bagyo yung pabrika ng Fortune Tobacco tsaka San Miguel, diba? Nagkakagulo sa grocery kanina. Panic shopping ang mga tao. Pati sa Nike, Bayo, at People Are People, ang haba ng pila. Matindi nga yata itong bagyong 'to. Hmm... Makababa nga uli at matingnan kung may GSM Blue pa sa grocery.

2006-11-22T18:46:00.000+01:00

UNTITLED

The last time this happened, you took away someone I love so dearly.

The waiting is killing me. I can't think straight. The day passes as a blur and all I do is stare into blankness. Unable to move. Unable to speak.

So please. Tell me now.

2006-11-05T15:57:00.000+01:00

DOES SHE KNOW?

Just finished a very long one on one meeting with my boss here in Hong Kong. I wonder if she has any inkling that I'm entertaining thoughts of moving to another company? We were talking about plans for fiscal year 2007, what my long term plans are as far as my career is concerned, all that. A lot of what I would be doing, of course, depends on how much longer we will be engaging China Subcon #1. That has been bulk, almost 75%, of what I have been doing for 2006. Now that the qualification activities are over and we're finally doing production builds, we're starting see what we have dreaded for the past three quarters. We're having a lot of issues with China Subcon #1. Process control is almost non-existent. The people who decided to relocate to China from Hong Kong are now disillusioned and a lot are thinking of resigning, or altogether have resigned already.

Instead of answering my question directly, she dangled what I would think is carrot. How would I like to be part of the team that will engage the new subcons? Hmm, this has always been what I would think to be the ideal job. But why is she giving me my ideal job? Something smells fishy here...

Anyway, interview with the second German company will be this Friday evening. It's gonna be a tightrope. We're leaving China on Friday afternoon, the probably have dinner somewhere in Hong Kong, then off I go to the meeting. I hope I don't get too drunk. Better skip the alcohol during the early part of the evening. Celebration or otherwise, I'd do the drinking after the interview.

2006-11-02T14:38:00.000+01:00

DOING THE ROUNDS AGAIN

I just finished an interview a couple of hours ago. About early October, a headhunter based in Berlin emailed me and asked if I was interested in working for a semiconductor company based in Germany. Of course I am. So after a couple of emails and a phone call from this headhunter, I was hooked up with a strict sounding German guy by the name of Mr. Wagner (I know, so typical German!). We talked for about 30, 45 minutes. I think I did okay. It seems like I fit the bill for whoever they were looking for, but I'm not about to say I did really well in that interview. You never know these Germans. You just don't know what they're looking for.

Next week, I'm also having another interview for the same German company but with a guy from another business division. Thing is, I didn't tell this second party that I'm already having discussions with someone from the same company. Should I or shouldn't I? I have a feeling I shouldn't, since there hasn't been any solid offer laid out so far. Never hurts to keep that extra ace card up my sleeve, right? Then again, was that the right thing to do?

I don't even know why I'm even entertaining all these guys who wants to interview me. This reorg is beginning to scare me. The announcement was supposed to have been done November 1st, but we still haven't heard even a peep from anybody what's it going to be like. Best bet is that my boss' boss is on his way out. Too bad, he was really such a nice guy. Fatherly figure, he was more of a mentor than a boss. Now, in the case of our boss... It's like you want her to go but the thought of someone I'm not comfortable with replacing her is making me balk at that idea. I just want this reorg done and over with. Let's go. Let's move on.

2006-10-03T10:42:00.000+02:00

CAIPIRINHA

Gusto na uli kitang makita.

2006-09-20T06:47:00.000+02:00

ULAN

ang lakas ng buhos ng ulan kagabi. dito na muna ako sumilong, sa tabi ng isang ginagawang gusali sa tapat ng podium. pinatay ay makina, binuksan ang ipod, at inihiga ang upuang dalawang oras na sumasalo ng pwet kong sumasakit na. habang tumutugtog ang bandang eraserheads, hindi ko mapigilang isipin na parang naging ipod ang buhay ko nitong mga nakaraang linggo. nandun na parang love song, nandun na parang masaya, at kadalasan nama'y tugtuging mabilis na parang gustong sumabay sa bawat patak ng tubig na nahuhulog sa bubong ng awto ko.

ulan. yan ang kailangan ko ngayon. isang milyong patak na sapat na para agusin lahat ng bahid ng pagkakakilala ko sa yo.

tubig. para malinisan ang isip ko at pawiin ang uhaw sa pagod na dulot ng walang katapusang sagutan.

salamat, ulan.

2006-09-02T18:26:00.000+02:00

I'M WITH YOU, GORGEOUS

Hey, you'll always have a friend in me. I'm just clicks away.

2006-08-15T09:55:00.000+02:00

ME? SEXY?

I just found out today that my other blog was listed as part of the Sexiest Filipino Bloggers. I haven't been updating that particular blog for some time now. Is this a sign for me to start sleeping around again? Hahaha!

2006-07-29T15:35:00.000+02:00

TEN PESOS

Ten pesos. That's all it took for the little girl, no more than ten years old, to finally go home after hours of peddling pamunas.

On our way to PGH last Thursday night, my wife asked me for ten pesos to pay a streetkid selling pamunas, those scraps of cloth sewn together to make a small rag. And being the bad me, at first I just made an excuse that I couldn't find any coins. Reluctantly, I handed her a handful of coins. After getting the ten pesos, she asked for this small girl to come over and she bought her ten pesos worth of rags.

What happened next struck me speechless.

The small girl got her ragged bag from the curb, turned to smile at us, then walked away. We knew then she was going home already. It was close to 10:30 in the evening. Slightly drizzling. All she needed was ten pesos more to finally dispose of her rags.

2006-07-26T10:49:00.000+02:00

BABY I'M PERFECT FOR YOU

Wow, six years. That's how long we've been together as a married couple. There are so many things I want to tell you but I don't know where to start. Being the engineer that I am, I'll do what I do best... the list...

Sorry for...
... raising my voice sometimes. No excuses.
... sneaking up inside the house when I come home late. I just don't want to wake you up, even though I know how lightly you sleep whenever I'm not home and you end up getting up scared in the middle of the night by the sound of my footsteps.
... the toxic travel schedule. I didn't know it was gonna be like this when I took on the job. Don't worry, I'm doing something about it. Fancy living in Hong Kong? :-)
... leaving the dining area such a mess when I make it my work table. Hey, I'm a guy.
... not taking good care of my health. I want to quit, you know that. But not right now.

Looking forward to...
... our next vacation. You always make all of our trips memorable.
... buying you your own camera. I'm sorry you weren't able to get your pics together with the Fab Five when you shared the plane trip with them to Manila.
... buying you your "wow" cellphone. You're a manager. Look the part, please, and that includes your gadgets. ;-)
... the rest of the lifetime with you. And yes, we'll work on the little one once we our schedules permit.

I love you.

2006-07-19T10:39:00.000+02:00

ONE HOT MAMA

You gotta hand it to the Middle East folks when it comes to waging war. These guys really know their shit. Even grandma has got something to say to the Jews!!

At last, we have a real war brewing. Not some lopsided hoohah like what the USA did against Iraq and Afghanistan.

2006-07-17T11:52:00.000+02:00

ADDICTED

It was just installed this morning.

I haven't had lunch.

I haven't bathed.

I have forgotten I have a life.

And I'm enjoying every minute of it.

2006-05-17T05:15:00.000+02:00

I GOT PLENTY OF GAME

Just when I thought I was beginning to lose it, two events last Sunday made me realized na may asim pa pala ako. First was on the plane to Hong Kong. It was such a tiring day. I didn't have a lot of sleep the previous night and had to haul my ass to the airport for an 8:00 am flight. The line wasn't that bad and by 7am, I was already checked in. Then an announcement over the PA said something like Philippine Airlines was looking for volunteers on the 8am flight to be bumped off to a later flight in the afternoon. In return, volunteers will get a free round trip ticket to Hong Kong and three thousand pesos. Not bad, di ba? So I volunteered. After waiting for about about an hour, I got my free ticket, my three thousand pesos, and a lunch voucher. Yey!

The flight I was getting into was going to leave at 2pm and it was only about 9am. I don't mind waiting at airports provided I had a place to smoke and I can buy wireless internet access cards, both of which was available in NAIA 2. But you can only amuse yourself so much. So finally, when we boarded the plane, I had barely laid my back on the seat when POOF, I was out. I woke up only when we were up in the air and the flight attendants were handing out lunch trays.

Here's the game part... I was seated on an exit row, aisle seat. I looked to my left...

She's a half Hong Kong, half Pinay who just spent a week in Boracay, with the last couple of days holed up in the island because of the storm. We struck a conversation and I can tell, she was eager to get back home. I managed to get her phone number and her email address. She's on my friendster now. Let's see if I can get her to Lan Kwai Fong.

We landed finally in HKG and by this time I was dying for a smoke. My heart sank as I dug deep in my pockets. I'm missing my cigs and lighter. I must have left them in the coffeeshop in the airport. Good thing is that I always have a whole ream tucked inside my checked in luggage. The bad news? I use a plastic harness as a baggage lock (don't ask why) and I use my lighter to break it open. Luckily, there's this sweet looking lady who was glad to help. She lent me her lighter and when that didn't work in melting away the harness, handed me her lighted cigarette to burn the thing open.

She's born and raised in the US and her parents are from Laos. She was on a one month tour of Asia. Prior to getting into Hong Kong, she has visited China, Thailand, and Laos. The poor girl, she only had a single entry visa to China. From Laos, she planned on going back to China, spend a couple of more days there, then head back home to the States. When she flew in on a Saturday in Hong Kong, she found out that she had to wait until Monday to get her visa since the China visa issuing office was closed for the weekend. In other words, she had already spent one day and one night in the airport, and she had already surrendered to the fact that she's going to be there that night as well.

Not if I can help it. So I dropped the classic pick up line and a few minutes after, we were seated next to each other on the MTR on the way to my hotel. It was her first time in Hong Kong and since I was such a gracious host, I took her around town. We watched the Light Show on the island from Kowloon, took a Star Ferry to Central, went up and down the Victoria Peak in the tram, rode on the top deck of a double decker bus, had dinner in Lan Kwai Fong, and a couple of drinks in a reggae bar. We even shared an absinthe. God, that thing really burns your throat, huh. All the alcohol that night must've put us in a dancing mood because I totally forgot about the start of the working weekday the following morning and ended up dancing until the bar closed shop at 2am.

We went back to the hotel, and all I can say is she looks good on my bed. What can I say... Your lolo still got plenty of game.

2006-04-07T09:16:00.000+02:00

LAST SONG SYNDROME

Love Generation - Bob Sinclar

I can't get it out of my head!! Click on the pic and get your FREE copy!

2006-04-06T09:33:00.000+02:00

IT'S ONLY A MATTER OF TIME

The news this morning said something about the avian flu finally hitting the United Kingdom. Swans were found dead in Scotland and it's highly suspected that it's because of the H5N1 virus. Similarly, domestic chicken are being culled in a certain part of Germany after an outbreak of the virus in several farms.

So the virus decided to take an western route rather than hitting us directly here in the Philippines. After China, it swept through Africa and Eastern Europe. Now it's in Germany and the UK. Will it make the big jump across the Atlantic towards East Coast United States? From there, who knows how it will spread? Pretty soon it will be here.

Buti na lang libre ang facemask sa office namin.

2006-04-05T02:19:00.000+02:00

ME (tagged from nonvocabulum)

1. Grab the book nearest to you, turn to page 18 and find line 4.
I just realized something... I don't keep a single book in my cubicle!

2. Stretch your left arm out as far as you can, what do you find?
A box of coffee sachets.

3. What is the last thing you watched on TV?
Anthony Bourdain's No Reservation, on Asia Discovery Channel Travel and Living.

4. With the exception of the computer, what can you hear?
My two officemates chatting while having breakfast.

5. When did you last step outside? What were you doing?
30 minutes ago. I was smoking.

6. Before you started this survey, what did you look at?
Novocalum blog.

7. What are you wearing?
Flannel gray button shirt and jeans.

8. Did you dream last night?
I don't remember my dreams.

9. When did you last laugh?
Two nights ago, when I watched Ice Age 2.

10. What is on the walls of the room you are in?
Post it notes. I listed all the companies I plan to send my resume to in the next six months.

11. Seen anything weird lately?
I'm in the Philippines. Everything is weird.

12. What do you think of this quiz?
It helps me to get my creative juices going. I need to submit my travel plans to my boss and I have to justify why I'll be staying for two weeks in Hong Kong.

13. What is the last film you saw?
Ice Age 2 and Moments of Love. Kilig!

14. If you turned a multi-millionaire overnight, what would you buy?
A condo unit at One Roxas Triangle, and a Hummer H2.

15. Tell me something about you that I don’t know.
If I do that I'll have to kill you.

16. If you could change one thing about the world, regardless of guilt and politics, what would you do?
Give everybody free broadband internet.

17. Do you like to dance?
Yes.

18. George Bush.
Loser.

19. Imagine your first child is a girl, what do you call her?
Bianca.

20. Imagine your first child is a boy, what would you call him?
Agustin.

21. Would you ever consider living abroad?
Are you kidding?!

22. What would you want God to say to you when you reach the pearly gates?
"Why are you here?"

23. 4 people who must also do this meme.
Anybody. I don't know if anybody still reads this blog anyway.

2006-03-24T16:20:00.000+01:00

SAY THAT AGAIN?

So my officemate and I were horsing around in this hotel in Chang An city, in the Chinese province of Dongguan. Chang An isn't really like Shanghai, which is a well developed city. It's one of those satellite cities selected to host technoparks, which are sites for endless factory buildings churning fine merchandise worthy of the likes of Walmart. Anyway, so we're here at the only five star hotel in the area. It's 2 o'clock in the morning and we just came back from dinner and a massage. Nothing to talk about the massage, really. I didn't get any action.

It's a pretty big hotel. A LOT bigger than Shangrila Makati. It's really extravagant, with a lobby that leaves you breathless. But you see, you're still in China. And people here don't speak very good conversational English. It's like you're hearing something off from a textbook when you talk with them. And when they do try to say something they hear from Western TV, it doesn't sound quite right. Case in point: There's a karaoke/bar in the hotel. We know it closes at around 3am. So we come up to the receptionist and ask what else to do, aside from singing and drinks.

She says, "Oh, you just missed the song, dance, and sex."

WHOA?! SEX? Did she just say sex?

"What?" I asked. "There's song, dance, and what else?"

"Sex."

"Sex?"

"Yes." Then she proceeds to put both her hands in front, and wraps around an imaginary shaft. "Sex!"

"Really?"

Then she turns to the stage and points towards, of all things, a saxophone.

This country never ceases to amuse me.

And oh, just to let you know, this is typical fare for business lunch in this area.

2006-03-15T00:33:00.000+01:00

I'M SO INSENSITIVE

And just when you thought the world couldn't be any more stranger, or more unfair, than it already is, you run across this piece of news that leaves you not knowing whether to laugh or to sympathize.

2006-03-09T07:47:00.000+01:00

A TYPICAL DAY

5:00 I wake up
5:05 Start making breakfast. Usually coffee and a cup of oatmeal.
5:15 Sit down. Watch TV. Eat breakfast.
5:30 Watch TV.
6:00 Still watching TV.
6:30 Still watching.
7:00 Take a bath.
7:15 Get dressed.
7:30 Out of the house.
7:40 In the car. Off to work.
8:45 In the office.
9:00 Boot up computer. Work.
12:00 Lunch
1:30 Back from lunch.
1:35 Back to work.
7:00 Drive back home.
8:30 Back home.
8:35 Dinner
9:00 Take a bath.
9:15 Watch TV.
11:00 Sleep.

Today's a little different. I actually managed to take 15 minutes to remind everyone in Bloggerland I'm still alive.

How's your day?

2006-01-02T03:22:00.000+01:00

YOU'RE MY BOY, BLUE!

Patrick Cranshaw, who achieved cult-like status as fraternity brother "Blue" in the 2003 comedy "Old School," has died. He was 86.

I love you Blue. I will miss you.

2005-11-30T00:11:00.000+01:00

MIDLIFE CRISIS, MEDIA HARASSMENT, AMONG OTHER THINGS

When it rains, it pours. Depression is starting to sink in. Things have not progressed significantly at work. I still spend the better part of the day browsing from one website to another, and though this may not be totally bad, it gave me a chance to touch base with long lost email friends. Other than that, I feel I'm now totally up to date with what's going on with the world around me. I think I can join any online trivia contests and I'll leave you all eating dust in my wake. That's how good I am now. That's how much free time I have.

I wish I could just tell you about what's really eating me. But not just yet. I'm still hoping I'll get that phonecall which could possibly change my life forever. It's been almost a month since that meeting, but I feel like they've left me hanging. Nothing surprising really, considering that they've done this before, but now that it's happening on such a critical juncture, it's just so frustrating that they do this. I'm still hoping. I just don't know how I'll react if things don't go the way I want them.

So here, I'm trying to live life by the day. Waiting. Surfing. And getting my car crashed yet again. Happened last Friday. Terrible traffic on C5, at that U-turn slot in front of BMW Autohaus. I was making a left hand turn at the slot then wham, got hit up my Lancer's ass by a spanking new Nissan X-trail. There was the usual fanfare: traffic so bad the tail end must've reached Ortigas flyover; two irate drivers, of course I was the cooler one, but irate nonetheless. Things soured when we were Camp Karingal for the investigation. The other driver, it turned out, was driving his wife's company car, an issue from GMA Channel 7. You should've seen the wife! She was strutting up and down the police station, with her media ID pinned for everyone to see! Names were dropped and wallah!, poor Sisig was found to be at fault.

SPO2 Patulot! Hindi kita tatantanan, anak ka ng tipaklong!! Wala akong pakialam kung kumpare mo si Gus Abelgas pero sa pagkakataong ito, magpaliwanag ka!! How did you ever graduate from police school? Simpleng banggaan lang hindi mo malaman kung sino may kasalanan, ano pa kaya kung ma-rape ang misis mo? Hay... it's cops like you who make me feel so ashamed I'm Pinoy.

Anyway, that episode is done and over with. Unless you want me to get into the details of how the wife called me on a Sunday afternoon demanding she get a copy of my insurance policy. Ok. It's now with you. But let's just see how easy it will be for you to actually get anything out of it. Don't tell me I didn't offer to settle ha?

So much angst, so early in the day. Gotta stop. I need my yosi break.

2005-11-10T10:19:00.000+01:00

REGRET

I'm finally going to be honest with myself.

I think I made a wrong decision.

I'm not happy where I am.

The money's good but...

I'm not happy with this job.

2005-10-19T05:05:00.000+02:00

BLOND. JAMES BLOND.

Daniel Craig is officially the next James Bond. The first blond James Bond. Somehow, he doesn't really stand out as a Bond guy. Not like this one...

O! Yan ang James Bond!!

2005-09-29T09:51:00.000+02:00

OVERHEARD RECENTLY...

...on a flight from San Francisco to Japan. The flight attendant was serving breakfast prior to landing in Narita. She asked the Chinese guy, "Would you like omelette or fried rice?" The poor Chinese guy was confused. "Omelette or fried rice?", the flight attendant repeated.

"Cannot both?!"

Honga naman...

Moving on... I finally got an Ipod! My new baby's a 20gb, photo Ipod. Sobrang enjoy. A full charge lasted the whole trip from San Francisco all the way to Manila. I've used up a little over 6.7gb and that's all the mp3's I've collected for the past couple of years! Yey!! Now let's try what podcasting is all about...

And if anyone's interested, some pictures from the Boston and New York trips are posted on 10xzoom.

2005-09-02T10:57:00.000+02:00

REQUEST FROM ARA

As requested...

what are the things you enjoy doing even when there's no one around you?
smoke.
watch dvd's.
experiment with making different cocktails.
drink.
then smoke again.

what lowers your stress/blood pressure/anxiety level?
smoke.
drink.
smoke again.
drive around the city and waste 1/4 tank of gas (although i should really cut this habit down).
smoke. again.

7 things that scare you
rejection.
meeting my ex and her husband, who happens to be my best friend in college.
my dark past catching up on me.
losing my job.
losing my hair.
my children, if ever i do have children, doing the same bullshit i'm doing.
my wife doing the same bullshit i'm doing.

7 things you like most
the internet. isn't it wonderful being able to escape reality with a couple of keystrokes?
techno music.
a nice, fat cuban cigar.
the smell of a new car.
riding planes.
sizzling sisig and several cold bottles of cerveza negra.
a big, fat paycheck.

7 important things in your bedroom
my wife lying next to me.
a pillow underneath my feet.
alarm clock.
tv remote.
airline magazines i've collected over the months.
fhm and uno magazines i've collected over the years.
okamoto 0.03.

7 random facts about you
i listen to am radio. every morning.
my day is not complete without coffee.
i only wear g-shock watches.
i don't sleep on hotel beds. i sleep on the couch.
i love texting.
i keep receipts from significant occassions in my wallet.
i shave.

7 things you plan to do before you die
spend a week in ibiza.
go on a drinking spree with a movie/tv celebrity (preferably someone from viva hotbabes).
join politics.
put up a business.
take my mom, my brother, his girlfriend, my sister, and her husband on a shopping spree, buy anything you want, in rockwell.
take my wife for dinner at a five star hotel in manhattan.
say i love you to my wife.

7 things you can do
drive at 140kph and text at the same time.
be dj.
kiss without tongueplay.
figure out how to beat the company's internet firewall to view porn and download music.
cook a mean chicken and pork adobo.
make mangorita.
ignore streetkids.

7 things you can't do
drive at 140kph and take a call at the same time.
look at my ex straight in the eye.
lie properly.
accompany my wife to buy christmas presents.
go alcohol free on a weekend.
go nicotine free for a half day.
ignore streetkids and not feel guilty.

7 things that attract you to the opposite sex
butt.
boobs.
brain. should be a good conversationalist. otherwise the first two will be meaningless. really.
playful eyes.
a sense of humor.
must have something to say about anything and everything.
a flirty attitude.

7 things you say the most
"brilliant!"
"tokwa!"
"jesus christ!"
"oh god!"
"more. more. more."
"yes, right there."
"was it good for you, as it was for me?"

7 celeb crushes
angel locsin
anne curtis
jessica alba
elisha cuthbert
cindy kurleto
kelly misa
nicole hernandez

7 people you want to take this quiz
gma
president bush
rita
lia
trixy
sarah
ayah

2005-08-04T09:49:00.000+02:00

LUCKY BLOKE

If I were the student mentioned in this article, I wouldn't be pressing charges either!

And speaking of threesomes... . Hahaha. You'll have to know my other blog to find out!

2005-07-29T08:25:00.000+02:00

POSTSECRET

Really. I would.

2005-07-28T09:11:00.000+02:00

AKO AT SI BOK

"Chief! Tagal natin nawala ah."

"Oo nga eh. Di ko mayaya si misis dito nung umuwi eh. Baka mamaya ibenta mo ko."

"Sir naman... Syempre di ko gagawin yun. Anong atin? Yung dati?"

"Yup."

Habang inaantay ko yung inorder kong one liter mug ng draft, nagtingin-tingin ako sa paligid. Walang masyadong tao ngayon. Siguro kasi umulan nang malakas kanina. Baka nasa traffic pa. Iba talaga pag walking distance lang ang gimikan sa tinitirhan mo. Maya-maya pa'y nilapag na ni Bok ang beer sa harap ko.

"Sisig rice, sir?"

"Masyadong madami yung small nyo eh. Tsaka kumain na ko dyan sa McDo kanina. Walang masyadong tao, no?"

"Oo nga eh. Pero malamang bukas marami. Sweldo na eh. Friday pa. Daan ka bukas?"

"Ewan ko, bahala na."

Sa loob-loob ko, nag-inarte ka pa eh talaga namang dadaan ka. Ano naman gagawin ko sa bahay eh ako lang naman mag-isa dun? Tsk tsk tsk. Day one pa lang to. 29 days to go.

Postscript: Si Bok yung bartender ng Cable Car sa Eastwood. Pag nauubusan ng keg ng draft, sya rin yung nagkakarga ng pamalit galing sa taas. Okay si Bok. Kwela. Marunong manimpla ng tao. Hindi basta-basta makikipag-usap sa mga nasa bar kung sa tingin nya ayaw ng conversation nung customer. Si Bok ang best friend ko habang wala ang asawa ko for the next 29 days.

2005-07-21T11:58:00.000+02:00

REMEMBERING HER

"I'm getting married at the end of the month. Ninong si Doc." Okaay...

"Really? He's going to be my officemate in a couple of weeks. Hindi naman yata ako reporting sa kanya pero I suppose we're going to work on a couple of projects together. How's he doing?"

"Okay naman. He asked about you, actually. Ano daw nangyari sa inyo ni Aya..." Darn that irritating smile.

"Hehehe. Hanggang ngayon ba naman yan pa rin ang tanong ng lahat ng tao? Okay na yun. Tapos na yun."

"Hindi nga! Pucha, we're almost like brothers, pare, pero you never told me the lowdown between the two of you."

"Basta. Tapos na yun."

"Alam mo, sabi sa kin nung ibang taga-niners si Aya daw ang crush ng bayan ng college nung time nila. At ikaw daw, sobrang swerte na sobrang gago. Sobrang tanga mo daw at hinayaan mong maghiwalay kayo ni Aya." Ouch. Sandra, don't do this. You're going to be my best friend's wife so please don't give me a reason to hate you.

"Tanga na kung sa tanga pero ganun talaga. And in fairness, yes, crush ng bayan material talaga. Pero that doesn't mean she's perfect. She may be, pero hindi binibigay ng Diyos lahat-lahat sa isang tao."

"So... Anong nangyari?" Naman... Halos sabay pa kayo.

"Hindi kami para sa isa't isa. Yun ang nangyari."

"Ha?! Eh ang tagal nyo rin together. College, tapos nagwork ka. Nag-states ka pa nga diba, kayo pa rin nun?"

"Oo, pero... Alam mo yung pakiramdam na hindi ka gusto ng pamilya ng girlfriend mo? Yung parang kahit anong gawin mo to prove na worthy ka, wala pa rin? Yun."

"Bakit naman?"

"Hindi ako mayaman eh."

"Ah." Eh di natahimik din kayo.

2005-07-14T12:02:00.000+02:00

IN FAIRNESS, FUNNY TALAGA SYA

May pagka-pacute

May pagkabulaslas

Hala! Tawa!

Pacute na naman!

Hahaha!

Nag-wakeboarding pa!

Praise the... Lord?!

Since it seems that we can't get her out of Malacanang, we might as well just make fun of her. Eh di makakalimutan pa natin yung mga problema natin. In a few weeks time, when all the dust of chaos has settled down, when people are no longer clamoring for her impeachment, when the E-VAT strikes us down again, we can only do so much as laugh our worries away. All pics came from Google Images with a search string of Gloria Arroyo.

2005-07-11T12:53:00.000+02:00

SUDOKU!!!

This is getting addicting! Sudoku is the number placing game taking the world by storm. I don't know if this came from the Japanese or the Chinese, all I know is that it's addicting. Last night, this made for a very stimulating session between me and Cecil, trying to finish a puzzle while talking over the phone.

The rules of Sudoku are simple. Enter digits from 1 to 9 into the blank spaces. Every row must contain one of each digit. So must every column, as must every 3x3 square.Each Sudoku has a unique solution that can be reached logically without guessing.

Try the one above. If you've given up (hahaha! QUITTER!!), just click on the pic for the solution set.

2005-07-11T10:58:00.000+02:00

FROM THE HUMIDOR INTO MALACANANG

A somewhat disturbing article about former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos (FVR) staging a "coup" of sorts in the Malacanang over the weekend. Makes sense you know... You can almost sense that this guy has unfinished business as the country's leader. If bringing back smoking in public places is in the agenda, this guy has my vote!!

2005-07-08T03:19:00.000+02:00

TODAY WE ARE ALL BRITISH

This post is dedicated to the men and women who died in the 7/7 London tragedy and to the families they left behind.

2005-07-07T08:22:00.000+02:00

NOBODY DESERVES TO GO HUNGRY

Sign up now. Live8.

2005-07-04T04:10:00.000+02:00

BOX OF CRAYONS

We could learn a lot from crayons; some are sharp, some are pretty, some are dull, while others bright, some have weird names, but they all have learned to live together in the same box. - Copied shamelessly from Kwentong Tambay

After travelling in and out of Malaysia for the past two years, I've finally seen the dark side to this country. Malaysia is a hodgepodge mix of the following races: Malay, Chinese, Indian, Tamil, Pakistani/Bangladesh, and Middle Eastern. On the surface, everything seems to be okay. Only when you've spent some time people watching will you see how turbulent the waters are underneath the surface.

In Malaysia, the Muslim Malays reign supreme. They get priority in getting placed to public universities, they have subsidies when buying cars and properties, and they even have real estate auctions that are only open to bumiputras. The top government posts are held by Muslim Malays.

Everytime I talk to my Chinese and Indian friends, they always have something to say about this bumiputra policy. They say it's unfair for them getting so much help from the government when everybody is taxed the same rate. Some of them have so much as given up hope for their children ever getting into public universities that they work so hard just so that they could send their children overseas for college.

Some sectors in our government used to openly admire Malaysia, for the way their country has progressed since Independence in 1957. Since then, Malaysia has risen from a third world country to one of the top developed nations in the world. Kuala Lumpur is a testament to that, with its gleaming Petronas Twin Towers. Sepang is too, with the race track that hosts the annual F1 race. But they don't know that underneath it all, racial discrimation is dominant. Wow, can you imagine how much deeper into shit we would be if there was racial discrimination too in the Philippines? Something to think about...