|missing_chuckie|
because i was in puerto galera for the weekend, i didn't get to go home to see my parents and chuck. i'll wait for the end of the week to get to see chuck. i miss our dog so much. any house will feel lonely if there is no dog running around like crazy, breaking stuff in the house and striking a pose along furniture pieces of the same color scheme.
���
|flickr.pro_worth_blogging_about|
for some time i've been mentioning about how i want to upgrade to a flickr pro account to get more bandwidth in uploading pictures. i would rave more about it if someone can give me a pro account for free. today, i checked my email and got a gift from astrid--my own pro account. this really made my day...my week even!
thanks so much astrid for the upgrade account. i really, really appreciate it.
i wanted so much to share this to the person sitting right next to my cubicle, but i know they'd not understand what i'm so ecstatic about. i'm a happy camper! woo-woo-woo!
***
puerto galera weekend pictures already uploaded. i was so happy about flickr (and believe me i'll blog about it in the days to come) that i ran out of pictures to upload.
|flickr_rules!|
i can't remember who's blog entry it was but he or she mentioned that the pro accounts of flickr had an increase in the alloted space every month for uploading pictures. when i checked mine, even the not-yet upgraded accounts can enjoy an increase in the allocation of space for pictures--the same priviledge! snaps for flickr! so-so happy about this.
what will make me happiest would be having my own pro account! woo-woo-woo! moving forward.
i uploaded more pictures to my flickr site and you can check 'em out here. more, more pictures!
***
i haven't had time to sort out my puerto galera pictures from last weekend. it was a long and tiring but fun weekend.and a very much long awaited vacation at that. allan, winnie, jp and shiela had a fab time as well. these plus other pictures will be uploaded soon. i'll work on it this week and accompanying blogs will follow.
|lifeless_ordinary|
i sometimes think of my life being so ordinary if not most of the time uneventful. nonetheless i' have no complaints since i like it this way.
today, as i started my usual morning walk to the office, i see the same faces and witness the same events everyday; the tricycle depot barker who's comfortably seated waiting for passengers; the mmda-inspired pink tricycles plying the reposo area that charges 10-pesos for a stretch that takes less that 5 minutes to walk; the bottle neck at the kalayaan - n.garcia intersection amidst a mapsa traffic enforcer who's supposed to have total control of the situation. i see the same traffic enforcers everyday stationed from the kalayaan, jupiter and the buendia intersections. the dirty white walls of the makati cemetery which looks awfully dirty due to the soot and dirt brought about by the pollution in the metro. i could never understand why paint it white in the first place it can't be maintained that way. so weird.
along tordesillas, the same group of household helpers serving the affluent tenants of the high-rise condos sit at the shaded corner of the perimeter walls as they catch up on their life stories-- perhaps from the happiest to the most tormenting lives they live. in one corner you'd see shitzus, pekinese and chow-chow bred dogs cooling off from the concrete sidewalk. a german sheppard sniffs around the park in search of whatever they're supposed to sniff with their handlers walking by their side. seeing from my hindsight is a white audi with an interesting commemorative plate that says, "medisina". it's the second time i've seen it this week. as i make the turn i see the another car dropping off his kid and a little boy being tugged along by his yaya to cross the street to the nearby montessori pre-school.
valero is always a busy strip as auv's and cabs painstakingly wait for riders out of busy makati. starbucks along valero is busy as ever with mixed coffee drinkers that just ended a long-night at work and those like me who are just about to start. at the open parking space near the building, i can't imagine how the carpark attendant can bear the heat of the morning sun as she's directly hit inside the booth. no air-conditioning nor a fan to fend off the heat whatsoever except for a piece of towel that doesn't help much. i undergo inspection of my lunch bag (that contain my pda, cell, ipod and digital camera instead of food) by the building security as i enter the premises. ride the escalator to the upper main lobby and take the lift to the office. the moment i step out and swipe my proximity card pass to the black box sensor located right of the door and making a loud beeping noise and accompanying unlocking of the door locks, another security personnel greets me a pleasant morning with a smile. i always reply back for acknowledging their earnest efforts to greet the employees which i find bewildering for most people that don't do the same. a simple nod or smile to acknowledge their greeting would have been enough. this is common courtesy no matter who the person is.
everything happens in less than half an hour everyday, five days a week. lifeless ordinary as it may seem, i am compelled to believe that my life have been made this way for a purpose. for me never to forget to appreciate things around me more and learn to share life's simple pleasures with the people around. it all lies on the itsy-bitsy details that you may or not want to take notice off day-by-day. that in itself makes my life extraordinary.
|friday_saturday_sunday_monday|
last friday gerry brought home a platter of cold cuts and cheese nested on lettuce leaves which she bought from santis for dinner. i have little understanding on the complexities of eating cheese and i'm picky on what variety i eat. the bowl-full assortment included Boursin, Emmental, Romano, and a pungent smelling cheese in small cubes which i didn't bother to know about.
***
friday movie night was a success. rodney and desiree came by shortly after dinner and brought food to munch on during the movie; chips, dips, chocolates and ice cream abound. there was so much food thinking that there were only four of us: me, gerry, rodney and desiree.
friday movie night lasted until the wee hours of the morning since we started late with the all-star cast of 'love actually' and carried on with 'under the tuscan sun'. these are all feel good movie favorites that i can't live without.
***
uneventful saturday, it being laundry day for me and had a haircut at bruno's. afterwhich i got some charlie chan take-out that my brother and i ate when i got back.
***
attended body combat classes at fifi on sunday which i haven't been to for the longest time. went back to makati in the evening where gerry had prepared twisted pasta with chili tuna flakes and stir fried veggies and grated romano cheese.
***
is it me or is that really scorching hot these days?
for that i checked on the weather forecast for the week ahead. temperatures will fall within the 76 to 94 degrees farenheight range. highs of 94 degrees?? youch! angat dam water level is low and if we don't get rains soon, for sure there'd ba a shortage of water again.
transport strike within the metro and other key cities in the country again. they are waging for the 1-peso increase in jeepney fares. gasoline prices increased by 75-centavos again last saturday for the nth time this year. a lot of people are unhappy these days. could it be also due to the extreme heat?
|what's_your_highschool_sterotype?|
as it turns out, i fall under the 'prep, jock or cheerleader' stereotype in highschool? really now...
what a day, i'm blogging and taking online quizzes. work load is light for today and it's expected to pick up during the coming days.
 |
| You scored as Prep/Jock/Cheerleader. |
What's Your High School Stereotype? created with QuizFarm.com |
|usapang_pera|
"...because making money is everyone's business."
-ces drillon (usapang business)
one of the perks working with my current company is that they offer various short courses from cooking to yoga to photography classes. these are self-betterment classes offered to any employee who�s interested. after charcoal sketching, this time i had myself signed up for a money management class. the resource speaker happened to be the chairman and ceo of businessmaker academy, mark frederick so accompanied by his wife joanna.
on my way to one of the big rooms of the office i kept on asking myself why i decided to take this class. there were so many reasons but i just had to think of the absolute one. shortly after it started, there went mark and popped the same question that i had before coming to class. this was his way of gathering expectations and then modifying his talk to suit the group's interests.
so when it was my turn to speak, i confidently introduced myself to the group and they responded to me with a greeting similar to what one would experience when attending an addicts support group for the first time. there went my turn then sat down and continued to sulk. i said something for the sake of responding and yet it still wasn't the real reason why i attended the class. so there i went on and gave it some more thought.
his startegy starts by having the right attitude in life. whether it's your own outlook on life itself, the economy or the world around you, positivism starts from within and having the 'can do' spirit. one should also assess, plan and set realistic goals by investing time and effort in learning everything that there is to learn about your vision. and last comes the execution to realize your goal and reap the fruits of your hard work. with that, he touched on fallacies about money, presented ways to responsibly allocate and spend, ways and means to earn decent, hard and honest money and practical tips on how to manage one's finances.
after three hours, i would say that i liked how the talk was presented. it was brief and concise but the points were vary well laid out. i came out of the room with a realization for signing up for the class. together with the rest, i can say that i wanted better management of finances, effective ways of increasing wealth through proper channeling of resources and achieving financial freedom. but most of all, i had a better understanding and respect for money where everything is based on.
|a_walk_in.the_park|
albeit my mind all cluttered today, let me share some highlights during the start of my day.
preparing food that i'll bring to work was fast: sliced rosemary-olive oil batard, corned beef hash and grapes. no rice, no time to cook.
walking from my apartment to work is always a good thing to start my day. i hope i never get tired of walking to work amidst the warm morning sun getting warmer. i like it with gusts of cold air blowing my face while walking. it makes me smile that passers by find it bewildering in me.
as i traverse the narrow streets of n. garcia (formerly reposo), i see grappas, l'incontro, cafe maestro and others still closed and wouldn't be open till late today. the design centers are not open for business as well though you can see through their windows of furnitures and other stuff for the home on display.
approaching jaime c. velasquez, you notice the high walls of the posh condos of makati. thick walls, bolted steel gates, surveillance cameras and lots of guards on duty. it seems like i'm describing a prison complex but i think the big fountain upfront will make the difference. right across would be the park which i couldn't remember the name. i used to call it the jaime c. velasquez park since i associate the park with the street right next to it. kids playfully going in to the spiral slide, see-saw and jungle gym, older kids playing soccer, joggers making their rounds and dogs of various breeds being walked by their owners or by the helpers. quite a busy tuesday morning i would say. so much activity going on.
right to alfaro and you see people getting their caffeine fix for the day from starbucks. kangs is the nearest convenience store in the block, it's a quaint korean store. i haven't been to it. but from the outside i can see it's packed with people. maybe tae-young kang from lover's from paris is inside tending the store. =)
i make my last turn then walk the last stretch straight to the office. all office buildings, nothing interesting there.
that was my 20-minute walk today and everyday going to work which doesn't seem to be twenty minutes at all. with my iPod queued to play songs while walking and all the interesting details i see along the way, it's a perfect way to perk me up to start my day.
what's playing in my iPod right now?
Recycle Deluxe Album by The Company
Recycle Deluxe II Album by The Company
Mahal Kong Radyo Album by The Company
|bits_&_pieces|
this is a blog of the things that transpired within the last few weeks cut into manageable bite sizes.
my brother managed to fracture his right foot bones into small pieces while biking this time so he underwent surgery at the new medical city. i have to blog about the hospital though...not his ordeal. the place is very spacious and the lobby reminded me of suntec city. perhaps it was the color scheme they used. there's a big fountain upfront and the main lobby of the complex divides the doctors' offices and the hospital itself. right in between is a quaint starbucks coffee shoppe. nice. that in itself i'd give them 5 stars with the mall-like food stalls they have upstairs (subway, kitaro, etc.) and so much more.
about mark, my brother, he'll have to stay home for weeks before he goes on therapy and have the titanium screws removed. this is more like dejavu-wish for all of us as he also broke his left leg a couple of years back while playing basketball and had a titanium screw fitted right below his knee.
my nieces had a grand time dippin' into the kiddie pool that we had set up at the front porch. what a fun way of coolin' off the summer heat. it looked like they were having a helluva fun that the tito almost wanted to join them. =)
i spent the weekend at my parent's home and had time to upload more old pictures to flickr. spent quality time with chuckie who spends most of his time snuggled near the airconditioner at my parent's room. re-organized my iPod songs and had more songs uploaded and the playlists fixed all together. watched cable tv and dvds which i missed as well ever since i moved out not so long ago.
i miss hanging out with sophia and tom, lester, larissa, nikki, emma, jillian, and the whole gang since we've been busy lately and schedules don't match for a convenient time and place to meet up. hopefully on sophia's birhtday, we'll be all there. nikki's been working up to 17 hours everyday and all! =( lester has been working his *ss off as he contemplates on leaving in search for greener pastures.
***
what's palying in my iPod now?
Gigolo Aunts - Everyone Can Fly
Jennifer Lopez - Get Right
Mariah Carey feat. JD Fatman Scoop - It's Like That
Tori Amos - Sleeps With Butterflies
Kylie Minogue - Better Than The Devil With You
|one_for_the_road|
it's the end of the week again. how fast time flies when you're having fun. time in the office flies by so quickly being swampped with work and all. so as the week coming and going by like a breeze since i'm having so much fun living on my own and away from my family. i'm always excited to go home after work! =)
independent living can be both fun and challenging rolled into one. for one, i've always wanted to leave near where i work. in that way i get to walk everyday. that's healthy and economical. there are still a lot of things to do and things are taking shape little by little. all of us in the apartment work otgether in making our humble abode a liveable home: sweeping, waxing and polishing the floor, cleaning the bathroom, doing the dishes, cooking food, etc.
since we all share the same sentiment that we rather stay home than go out after work than go elsewhere, we all get to gel more and spend quality time. what a life!
i'll be going home tomorrow to see my family and our dog chuckie whom i miss the most and so much more.
for now, i think this can definitely work.
|so_many_things_to_blog_about.so_little_time|
the weekend that came by was a very busy one. it didn't feel like i rested even a bit. but things will get better as we go along. i moved stuff from our home in antipolo to the apartment in makati that we're renting out. it wasn't much though; clothes, tons of dvds, magazines, books, shoes, my electronic toys and their accompanying accessories, and fluffy pillows were all stuffed in the car trunk as my brother drove me there. allan, liz and i were excited moving in though we barely had time to clean the house. anyway we decided to move in and work things out. the terribly hot weather made moving even more difficult. the littlest movements that i make would result sweat to trickle down my arms, legs, face, chest-- all over! i was drenched in sweat the whole afternoon.
first thing on my list was to wax the floors and vaccuum the wooden slats of the bedroom where dirt got easily stuck. we bought stuff for the house later that evening that included an electric fan to fight off the unbearable summer heat. sorry, no airconditioning for me. it's a luxury that cannot be obtained as of this time though the apartment has a provision for it in case. shower curtains, cleaning materials, water containers, light bulbs and lots of food were the first few things we had to buy.
so many things to work on in the days or weeks to come. but i'll make time for it.
|moving_out.|
a few weeks before i turned 26, i considered moving out of our humble abode and to live on my own. i wanted to do it for several reasons but the top on my list was the horrible traffic i had to endure everyday going to work. it wasn't always like this though. i can even recall being ecstatic when i started with this company last january due to the regular work hours and i get to be stuck in hardcore traffic which i never did happen to me within the three years that i had erratic work schedules with my previous job.
now traffic is my number one enemy. it sucks the productive juices out of me and i end up miserable after a gruelling 1 1/2 hour trip to the office that should take only around 40 minutes.
though i don't like harboring enemies, i decided a work around to avoid this situation. after crunching some numbers and making tons of calculations, i ended up deciding to rent out an apartment with a group of friends. with that, i'm moving out by tomorrow.
i have mixed feelings about all this. questions lurk in my head as to who will cook for me, do my laundry, fix my room and the questions go on and on. for one, i'll definitely miss the perks of living with my parents: the big tv, overflowing food supply, our dog chuckie whom i'll miss the most, and my comfy bed. all i know is that i'm both excited to be on my own and scared of what will happen next.