Could’ve been 5 years
September 11, 2006Today is the 5th year anniversary of the 9.11 WTC bombing. Short silence to remember those who were part of that day - people who perished, survived, missed, or whatever.
Today marks my 5th year (and one day - unofficial orientation day didn't count.) anniversary as one of the many corporate slaves. Could've been 5 years there, could have that 5 year separation pay, could've gotten one of those wristwatches for the "loyalty" awardees.
Someone asked if there were any regrets, coz my YM stat for the day was "Could've been 5 yrs". (Do I smell a rat?). My answer - no regrets. I have lived a quarter century past learning, and succeding in living life without that word. But wishful thinking - yep there were lots. I was thinking - what would I be doing on my 5th year anniversary? Probably following up testing, and supporting the friendly users around. Miss them? Oh yeah. Kat mentioned I probably got sick because I wasn't doing anything. Probably. I miss my friends, my colleagues (those classified as persons not people - yes, there's a difference just like a house and a home….) and my work.
bored
September 5, 2006From where I sat on the 14th floor of the building enjoying my coffee, I looked at the busy street below. The way people went by the streets make them like small lego toys moving about. There were cars and people zigzaging the straight lines. Ants. I wonder, how many of them were worker ants, soldier ants and so on.
I really am getting bored. I have to notice stuff like these. Sigh.
mischarmed in the city
September 4, 2006I know that I haven't been blogging much, and you'll have to excuse me for that. It takes time to adjust to a different place. I have moved from my comfort zone of almost 5 years, and was thrown in the city. The city was and is still a wildnerness for me.
What's up with me?
25
August 9, 200625 years ago, in a small maternity clinic in Kalookan city, a little girl was born one month short of the nine months gestation period. Fragile, small and skin on the side of the dark red tint. Hence the name, Apple. No, it's not based on the fruit. It was a prettier name than the length Apolid, which was then a local word for an ugly dark creature. The parents are more than happy to take care of this little girl, as they have prayed not for a beautiful child but one kind, smart and good.
The Beginnning of HaPpy Days
August 1, 2006A welcome orientation in the morning for the new and experienced hires of Company B. It was held in the local HO in Makati. Nothing formal, nothing sazzy. It's a simple welcome. Friends from Company A texted me while I was in the orientation telling me that they missed me (Awwwwww). I didn't know how exactly I looked but a few guys were asking my contact details, asking me what school I graduated from, and where I'll be assigned. Like, what???
Come afternoon, I was asked to report to the group's office in Ortigas where I would be assigned. My manager personally escorted and toured me in the area, and introduced to the people who are in our team. I had a buddy who toured me as well, and was the designated new hire welcome committee - anything I need, she should be there to assist me. 
Again, the question, what school I graduated from, and how old I was. Of course, some time later, when I told her my age and my civil status, she exclaimed her shock - and the rest of the other people at our group. Oh well. Looks can be deceiving. I think it must have been credited to my angelic face 
Just like yesterday, it's still another day, but different in the sense that I am now a city girl. I have to travel 1-2 hrs to get here and another to get back. I'm expected to spend the first month getting onboarded with the department's work style, and meeting new and old friends, finishing the designated new hire trainings.
I guess for the rest of the week, this would be the protocol. I have started my one-month vacation
31st of July 2006
July 31, 2006I have spent a lot of July ends for the past years. For the past 4 years, they have been the same - providing support for the month end closing for the plant. Today, I expected more or less the same, nothing different except for the fact that today is my last day at my Company A.
.something.
July 29, 2006I know that I haven't been posting much lately. But I did not want to leave a month without any post. I just got to post something, ergo the title.
This is part of the non-bullshit mode, I guess? Or not. I really have been busy doing most of the turnover stuff. I didn't notice just how much I am covering at work that I felt much stressed out doing the transfer than when I was the one doing it. I guess that's just how I see it - it isn't work for me. Who was it that said "Get a career that you love and you won't be going to work forever" or something like that? He's right. For the past 41 days short of my 5th year anniversary in the company, I haven't considered the work as work per se. I enjoyed and relish each and every part of it.
in the end…
June 29, 2006I am here, again. Snglguy, I am doing my best in moving on. I actually thought that I have moved on considering that I have decided to let go, be the whatever person and let things be. I have accepted the decision, had no bitterness, and was moving on — when all these happened.
Perhaps it was my own doing as well. I don't know. Have I believed too much that people are innately good? Just? Good? Having this habit of seeing the good in people even if they keep on putting you down is a tough decision to make. When you come to face your worst nightmare come alive on a daily basis, it just maybe the thrill of the challenge of when the next volcano erruption would take place that makes it worth it. Imagine ~ being a seismologist!
What was it that I have done wrong? Being open? Being honest? Any regrets? I tell you one thing. In just as many mishaps that I have surpassed, I do not have any regrets. Each shout, each accusation, each "seemed" mistake has taught me how to be who I am now, and I will not exchange that for anything in the world. These things maybe fiction or hoax, it's your choice to see it from where you are sitting. I respect that. What matters is, in the end, I know what was real, and what was not. And I learned.
Truth is incovertible. Malice may attack it, ignorance may deride it, but in the end, there it is.~Winston Churchill
of building, burning and re-bulding bridges
June 28, 2006And I thought that my post last Sunday about my resignation is the final rant I could post while I am still here. Alas, unfortunate luck, here's another one.
Monday was a non-working day because it was the replacement for last Saturday's work. Yesterday, I wasn't feeling well, and had some things to do, so I called in sick (which is 80% accurate). Today, I came in time, got a leave form, went to the Clinic to get clearance, and attended the group's morning meeting. Since I came in just in time, it was only after the meeting that I was able to pull my laptop, plug it in the network and replicated previous days mails. I got mail from the support team, from the Project team, and from my Local manager. It took me a good 30-40 minutes to read through them. Here are the distinctive ones.
come back good bye
June 26, 2006Part 1: COME BACK
I knot that it's been a long time. For the first time ine my blogging life, some people actually felt the slight loss. Probably, no more work related rants here, huh? OMG!!! My first come back post is an emo… waaaah.
Okay, enough of that. I might puke. I have been really busy. Really. I was able to view my blog site for a while, but only up to that. I didn't have time even to log in and approve comments. Earlier, I approved all pending comments. Wow! You guys are really reading this… hahaha. Thank you, whoever you are, wherever you are (there, since appreciation). I really am grateful.
happy birthday, nanay!
June 1, 2006Today is the birtday of the world's greatest Nanay of all!!! Okay, I think I am a little bit biased - more than a bit, but can you help me? Come on. You have your own mothers, too. So make them your greatest on your own blog. Haha. Just kidding. I am happy because we got together one whole big family (with my brother's girlfriend in tow) even just for dinner. With each of us having his or her own busy schedule, coming up with one schedule together is a rare gift. My sister who's a nurse had to move her shift, I had to go home early from work, and my brother and his girlfriend who preferred living in their online gaming world had to give it up - for a while.
I can go the distance
May 31, 2006I started drafting this entry May 27th, but forced myself to finally post it today, the last day of the Month. I am still listening to the song that inspired me to write it down. I planned to make it poetic, romantic, dreamy. But there's no fairytale in this story. It's just another hard-ass pathetic story of my life at work. Maybe, soon, this kind of morbid tales will end.
*~*~*
I was searching for MP3's of Josh Groban. Seems like whoever opened this up put in the wrong singer. Josh Groban didn't sing "I Can Go the Distance." It was performed by Michael Bolton for the soundtrack of Hercules (Yes, I happen to love Disney cartoons). I've been playing it for a while now, while waiting for hubby to come home from his class, and typing up this entry in between cooking dinner and doing the laundry.
I have often dreamed, of a far off place
Where a hero's welcome, would be waiting for me
Where the crowds will cheer, when they see my face
And a voice keeps saying, this is where I'm meant to be
Each child dreams of something big when they are young. Honestly, I wanted to enter the convent then. I remember telling Nanay that I wanted to be a nun, and she really reacted. I didn't think that she didn't want a first-child to be entering that world. Although I seem to remember that it might have been a good choice when I became a teenager.
Going back, those dreams becomes the shining star to the path each takes. Any logical person would have seek that star, making slow but sure steps towards that goal. If they make some adjoining paths to make the travel longer or just for sheer fun, they may do so for some part of the journey. But their star is always there, shining. Just as my star is. It has always been there.
C&R: i love my job
May 30, 2006I had fun reading this. Somebody might have sensed my distraught and wanted me to laugh.
*~*~*
I love my job, I love the pay! I love it more and more each day.
I love my boss, he is the best! I love his boss, and all the rest.
I love my office and its location, I hate to have to go on vacation.
I love my furniture, drab and grey, And piles of paper that grow each day!
I think my job is really swell, There's nothing else I love so well.
I love to work among my peers, I love their leers, and jeers, and sneers.
I love my computer and its software; I hug it often though it won't care.
I love each program and every file. I'd love them more if they worked a while.
I'm happy to be here. I am. I am. I'm the happiest slave of the Firm, I am.
I love this work, I love these chores. I love the meetings with deadly bores.
I love my job - i'll say it again - I even love those friendly men.
Those friendly men who've come today, in clean white coats to take me away!!!
*~*~*
Nice! That's all i can say!!! ROFL.
C&R: The Myth of Love
May 29, 2006A friend of mine sent this, and well, I just wanted to share.
I'm not sure if below entry is rated, but well, I am not the person to censor it. I am not a big fan of the MTRCB.
*~*~*
Do you ever wonder if you really have a soulmate?
Do you ever wonder why there are gays and lesbians?
Don't you ever wonder why some people love their same sex?
Do you ever wonder why some people love their opposite sex?
And do you ever wonder why these love are indestructible?
Why do most people seem to cannot live without someone to love?
And finally, why is it that people do not know what they have until it is gone?
Let me tell you about the MYTH OF LOVE… (",)
It was said that before, in the origin of times, there were three sexes: male, female and androgene. Original humans do not look like how we humans look today. Humans before were said to be twice of each person now, with two heads, two pair of eyes, two pair of lips, four hands, four feet, two bodies, two hearts, and of course, two genitals.
Then, if the person has two vaginas, that is a female. If the person has two penis, that is a male person. If the person has both the two different organs, a vagina and a penis, then that person is an androgene.
They said that androgenes were the most beautiful people among all because they have mostly the best features and characteristics of both the male and the female.
Because these people dream of being in heaven, even if they already have the heavens in their selves, they want to experience it even for just a little while. And so they climbed to Mount Olympus. Zeus got furious upon seeing the people going up the mountain. He said, "How dare these immortals climb out wondrous world? And to think I'd let them experience it! Especially now that they do not cherish what they have!!!" He got so mad that he used his lightning bolts to cut each person in half to make them weaker enough so as not to continue on climbing.
The God of Healers healed the wounds of the people cut in half. And from then on, everyone started to look out for their pair the moment they got down from the mountains.
This is why there is the term "soulmates." Their bodies, in which their soulds rest, used to be one. Therefore, soulmates.
They said that this is also the reason why there are people who love their same sex, the gays and lesbians. They are the males and females before. And this also explains why gays are creative, because they are both males before, they tend to concentrate on what they lack. The same thing for lesbians. Because they are both females before, they tend to be strong as not to be underestimated.
Androgenes would be equal to male and female lovers. This is why nowadays these couples are the most acceptable, stronger, and the most beautiful among all partners, they have the strength of both males and females.
Lovers nowadays, whether gay, lesbian or male and female couples, are indestructable because they are the pairs before. They are really meant to be.
This myth also explains why it is natural for people to just realize the value of the people they love only when they are about to be gone or are already gone. Because this happened even before, and we become weaker without our pair. We realize that we need them, truly love them, and that together, we are stronger.
This is also why we kiss. We always try to find the lips wherein ours will fit well.
This is also why we like to hold hands with the one we love, to find out if the spaces between their fingers are the spaces where ours used to lay.
And finally, this is why we always find someone to love. We always want to complete ourselves… Because we need the strength of the one we love in order to go on with the hardships of life… We need to fill in a missing space, and most of all, because we used to have two hearts. We need to find the other one.
*~*~*
Hmmm…
typical day with canine & felines
May 28, 2006Kira dear, I know that since I've dropped the line about this item, you've been waiting for this. I've been planning on posting this event just in time for Mother's day, but I really have so much crammies on a very little space on my head. I think some people call it a brain. Nevertheless, here's the long delayed post….
Late last year, hubby and I bought two tzus, Tuffy and Champy. Tuffy: 2 yr old gold & white female tzu, had two litters already. Champy: 4 yr old, tricolor proven stud. We bought them from a breeder who's migrating to Canada. It was difficult house-breaking them, but we love them oh so much. Especially hubby. He's the designated vet, beautician, daddy and mommy all-around. Earlier the year, he was the one who assisted our cat (pusa-kal hehehe) , petpet to deliver three healthy kittens (Molly (F) whom we gave to my sister, Echo (M) & Charlie (M) who are still with us). Echo had a small health problem - his vet told him to ice his anus to push it back. I don't know where the vet got his education, but that method made it worse. If not for Hubby's sound logic, Echo would have died. Now look at him.
May 12 marked Hubby's 2nd delivery. Okay, he's not pregnant, and I wasn't near to that stage yet. But Tuffy is. Early morning, Tuffy's labor started. I was half-awake and called Hubby's attention. When he got up, I fell asleep again. As it was a working Friday, I woke up some minutes later and found him at the back with Tuffy on a box - one pup already squirming around. Tuffy's a mom again! Of course, that day, Hubby wasn't able to go to work. Nah, he didn't file for a paternity leave (though I suggested that). Tuffy would follow him if he leave her, so he really didn't have much of a choice. When I left for work, there's two pups already. At around 11am, he sent me an SMS telling that it finally stopped. Our tzus are proud of 5 new additions to the herd.
eggs murphy, anyone?
May 24, 2006Hubby and I woke up later than usual. We slept late after quality time of talking about our plans, and the result: a late wake up call. We rushed with the normal morning routine - took the dogs out, feed the herd, breakfast, washed and suit up, then hurried for work.
Along the way, I noticed a neighbor's orchids with egg shells covering their tips. I have seen this before in many Filipino gardens. The egg shells have this magical power that transcends the cholesterol-binge contents it has. They are normally used as organic fertilizer to help the plant grow healthier (or so they say. Let me leave that part for the plant to react on). I was trying to find a picture that could help describe what I saw to go along with the post, but I only found this. Maybe the frog needs some growing to do as well? I don't want to be around when it does — I'm afraid of FROGS!!!
I tried to race to work, but I got stuck at the last end of a funeral chain ( I didn't have the heart to cut through the chain), a traffic jam, and an accident. At the parking lot, I took the last spot and had to run from the lot to the time-in machine - 8:37 am. The machine said, REPORT TO ADMIN.
Psyched!!!
May 23, 2006I was psyched. I was hopping the blogosphere, when I saw familiar faces. DASHERS!!!! Yooohoooo!!!! Okay, so She didn't really tell the gory details of our college life. I guess, back then, blogging isn't a cheap hobby. It was still rock age of dial ups and web pages coded in HTML. I remember Cher made one - we had to scan our graduation pics and toddlers' photos. Where is that one Cher, btw?
If you ask these guys what they think of me, they'd probably say SILENT. (or maybe they wouldn't? hehehe). All I know is that I am the newbie in their group, and they welcomed me. Fun times? Oh many… Although when we were at the Uni, it wasn't a night out at the bar. Night outs would be those camping at the bedroom after building crooked homes, or staring at the stars at the top of the resort where my sis celebrated her debut only to be sneezing the next morn. Remember "Booba"? Hahaha. I will never forget a 2 hr movie, with the rice-bowl mix where we ended up laughing like crazy.
If there's one thing that I missed so much - friendship. I guess, right now I'm making up with the make friends and spend time with friends stuff. These people (these three gorgeous beach bums down here), Cindz, Mama Edda - are those friends whom u can call real friends. Okay, I haven't really been that social with them. I don't know who's She and Prell's latest boylets, Cher's career fantasies, or Cindz' lovelife for the matter. And where the hell is Mama Edda keeping herself? The last I saw them was graduation? For some, before graduation even. But I will never forget fun times spent with friends worth keeping.
Dashers frolicking in Galera 2k5: Dunkin Xis Cher, Charmed She & Babelicious Prell
enjoyed the view, and now i’m ready!
May 22, 2006May 18: You've worked hard to get here, so why not take time to experience it for a while? Too many people climb up the mountain only to turn around and climb up one another one — but not you! Today, tak ein the view of where you are, and spend a little time reflecting on how you got here. The effort will mean more if you actively appreciate it.
A time off. It was just what I needed. It was one of the reasons why I agreed to go with my family to Boracay. Honestly, it was such a very good break considering that I just came back from a successful workshop from Singapore, and was looking forward a pending change in my life. I have been working almost non-stop since I started 9.11.2001. I barely took a break except those times that I was required by the doctor to rest. Work was my life, my soul. People wonder how I can work from 8am to 8pm the following day, straight. I can. For me, work isn't work - I enjoy working that much.
Where is the Farts Engineering Department?
May 18, 2006I believe that companies ought to screen people who communicate directly to external parties. These people should be able to make the company proud - impress people.
When I went to Singapore last time, I was with a Thai colleague who asked how come Filipinos are good in English. Compared to the some countries in Asia, Filipinos are known to be able to converse in English as if it were our native tongue. I told him that perhaps it is because it is our second language. Unlike Thai, Japanese or Chinese, the Tagalog dialect have limited vocabulary. There is no direct translation of the term Computer in Tagalog. I remember, during the FILIRET course in college, we were taught the new Filipino - Computer is called Kompyuter. Our alphabet is adapted from the English alphabet as well. I don't know the real legit reason for our being good in English, but this is just from my own pov. It's easy to recognize English words, coming from a background with similar characters.
Going back, one of the things that companies should screen is the English competency. I think it's fine that we have different intonations and pronounciations. But working in a multinational company with people from different countries coming to visit, don't you jus tthink that it's proper that the person who can be heard across the plant can pronounce clearly and correctly?
A few minutes ago, the voice announced that visitors from another company would arrive today for a business meeting.
"Good morning. We are pleased to announced that very important guests, Mr. A1, Frocurement department, and Mr. A2, Farts Engineering Department, will visit our manufacturing area today at 9am. Flese welcome them with your warm greetings, and maintain 5S in your work areas, maintaining good quality in our froducts and our service will promote a good imfression in their visit. Thank you and have a nice day."
No doubt she's a female, with a lot of F's to spare. The voice spoke the same statement twice. Thank you, Ms. Voice, whoever you are. You just made quite an impression. Who ever Mr. A2 is, I am sure that I would not be applying for his department. Do they wear gas masks in the Farts Engineering Department?
