* Sleep right.
* Eat real food, not food out of the box nor food from over the fastfood counter.
* Not eat at my desk.
* Clean my room.
* Be punctual. Always.
What’s the deal with me and phones?
I guess some things are just not meant to be. Yep, you guessed it right. In less than a month, I lost yet another cellphone. This September ’08 loss was brought to you by SMB Oktoberfest — mahaba-haba nga yung inuman pagkatapos.
To be honest, I lost count of how many phones I’ve said goodbye to (or rather, how many phones never bothered to tell me goodbye… sniff.). Must be around 10? (Bugsy, how many times did you receive ‘Hi-I-lost-my-phone’ messages?) I can only remember the highlights. Like my first phone — it was a Nokia 5110, lost in MegaMall’s Surplus Shop. I left it in the dressing room, and it was gone when I came back for it. I was crying so hard (in public! Eeeep!). I almost told Tidoy I couldn’t go to her debut because I was too sad. Emo much? Haha!
I’ve been trying to rack my brain, but I can’t remember what phone came after that. I do remember that I had a Nokia 3330, 8250 (I loved this one!), 7250i, 3310, Motorola Slvr L7, Razr… sheesh. I had to look for a visual poster on the evolution of Nokia phone models to remind me. Can’t remember if I ever owned an Ericsson. I do know I had a Samsung something — I was the only one who knew how to send messages with it. Haha.
After going through so many losses, you’d think I’d be more wary. At least I’ve stuck to keeping my phones on a cord, as my sister always reminds me to get one after each ‘na-Ish-nanaman-ako’ moment. It’s happened so many times that no one really in my family really gets shocked anymore when I tell them I lost another one. It’s more like, ‘O, talaga? Text mo, baka isoli. Hanap ka ng lumang di ginagamit. O eto uli number ko.’
Most of the time, I’ve accepted that it’s just this thing with me. Like how some people forget their keys. The most recent loss was the only one that really got me fuming mad. It was the first time that a phone was deliberately ripped off from my pocket. Hinayupak na Jumping Jolog yun; mabangga ka sana ng trak, mabalia’t mabugbog at manatiling buhay. I guess most of the time, it’s not really that I’m too careless; it’s just that I’m too naive that I really do believe that nobody really wishes to do you harm, or nobody really conceives of doing something mean to anyone else. Hay. Right now, I hate the fact that I get paranoid whenever I see groups of Jumping Jologs (or JJs for short). Yesterday, I didn’t know if it was just paranoia or if Sta. Lucia should officially be declared JJ-hotel. I’ve lost that good-old trust in people. Dammit.
Oh well, so friends, you know the drill. I’ll probably be getting around to getting my old number reactivated this afternoon, so send me your names & numbers tomorrow to replenish the phonebook. Thanks guys, and hopefully I can hold on to my new phone for at least the end of the year. 🙂
Detached and grateful
Someone once told me that if things don’t go according to plan, then your plan was wrong. From the depths of my heart, once again, thank you, Lord, for showing me that I was wrong.
I don’t know what I did right to deserve a second chance, but thank you, Lord, for giving me the wake-up calls of wake-up calls.
Thank you, Lord, for showing me the difference of passion and obligation.
Thank you, Lord, for showing me that instead of trying to outmatch the pace of other clueless zombies like me, I only actually had myself to compete with.
Thank you, Lord, for making me realize that accomplishing greats feats in all other things pale in comparison to the satisfaction I get whenever I finally get over a baby step for something I sincerely love to do. It’s the difference between contentment and pure, utter bliss.
Thank you, Lord, for showing me which things were actually worth losing sleep over. I still have a bit of trouble detaching from my old ‘programmed’ ways, but I’m getting there and frankly, I’m surprising myself every step of the way.
For all these, thank you, Lord — thank you, thank you, thank you for saving my life.
The Eheads Reunion: An Ultraelectromagnetic Experience
(For the record, I’ve got a lot of unposted entries swimming in my head, but this one DEFINITELY deserves to be jotted down, remembered, and immortalized.)
It was a reunion concert, that was for sure, but not just for the Eraserheads. It was for all the 90s kiddos out there, for all the fans and vanguards loyal to OPM, and for all the friends who found a compelling reason to meet up again after a long lull.
Thanks to the fabulously-early Ethel, who was already there as early as 2 pm, we got a great spot at the front of the Patron area, conveniently near the McDo stall of the VIP area. By 8, we were complete and as giddy as eager groupies (maybe even more). Dana pointed out that this was our first time to see the EHeads perform live. Excitement as well as anxiety took over, as I was wondering what the catch would be for this much-anticipated event. Would they only be singing 3 songs? Where the heck were the instruments? Would we be only getting live video feed? I swear, if that happens, I’ll find a way to the SVIP section, just to give the organizer a good whack in the head.
Eight-thirty rolled along, and the 10-minute countdown began. Fellow EHeads groupies chanted down every last 10 seconds of each minute, and were cheering like hell for the last one minute. The ‘SA WAKAS!’ line that flashed on the screen practically summed it all up. Our eyes were glued to the montage of the group’s pics on the screen, as we were all wondering what would come next. Then, the familiar intro rifts hit the air, and everybody immediately knew it was Alapaap. Suddenly, something was rising out of the platform — the stage, instruments, killer sound system, and oh yeah, the EHeads appeared! I don’t think there was anyone who wasn’t shouting and jumping up and down at that moment. I swear, it was like it was U2 who came out of that stage. I myself was shrieking incessantly, and I could feel tears streaking down my face. It was really happening! Fireworks shooted from the top, the side and the bottom of the stage, sending an already-fired-up audience to a frenzy.
And it was like that for the next 12(?13?14) songs — everybody jumping up and down, everyone singing at the top of their lungs (never mind hitting the right tone), everyone just so glad to see that yes, miracles do happen. Even Buddy himself was all smiles (I swear, I was such a groupie — up to the 3rd song, I was shrieking, ‘Si Buddy!’ everytime the camera focused on him). I love them for singing With a Smile, Shake Yer Head and Toyang. I love them for making me miss lyrics that are at par with Ligaya, Kailan and Huwag Mo Nang Itanong. I love that they featured snapshots of UP while singing Sembreak. God, I love them so much that I even found myself singing to Fruitcake. Ethel was right in saying that there was so much love in there that evening, that friends were reunited and were just there to sincerely enjoy good music and all it stood for. The crowd never really needed any encouragement. It was like playing the National Anthem — everyone stood at attention and knew what to do by instinct (i.e. wave their hands, hoot loudly, sing ‘Do-doo-doo-dooooo!’ perfectly during With a Smile).
Of course, as everyone probably knows by now, the event was cut short, as Buddy, Marcus & Raymund, together with Ely’s sister, announced that Ely had to be rushed to the hospital and that they themselves were at a state of shock. Despite the obvious disappointment at going from such a great kickoff to a sudden halt, I don’t think I heard a jeer or a boo. Heck, Ely belted out a 15-song set, people; one would think that he just gave as much as his strength would permit, before plopping down and calling it quits. The crowd took the news in, understood, and gave the band the heartfelt applause that was due them. A minute of silence was given for prayers, before the crowd parted. Although, I think everyone still kept their tickets, just in case, and prayed for an equally-surreal Part Two. Heck, I would still pay for tickets if there was a Part Two. Frankly, I actually think we still owe them. More than sulit, I tell you. We went on for hours later on, for the most part wondering what songs they were actually planning to do next (Magasin? Para sa Masa? Pare Ko?).
The best part of it all was I got to spend this never-to-forget moment with my high school buddies, Team Bugsy (oo, high school kami nun kaya may pangalan). These were the songs we grew up with, the songs that would trigger memories at once for everyone (i.e. kanta ni Mace, Huwag Kang Matakot’s special message, etc.), the songs that were somehow made a part of us and who we were. Just think, how many groups out there were also going through the same thing? Love, miracles and magic went on this August 30th, I tell you. Here’s to long friendships, invincible bands, and the power of timeless music.
[nerdox post] Xobni: Friendster for your Outlook
My Outlook’s on steroids. Seriously.
If you’re like any other IT yuppie, then my guess is that the bulk of your time is spent writing emails, responding to emails, classifying your emails and yet later, still checking your email client if there’s anything you missed. If your work revolves around your Outlook, then this freeware will do you wonders. Or entertain you, at least.
What’s exactly so wonderful about Xobni, you ask? It’s not that it indexes your inbox and enables email searching at Google-pace. It’s not being able to draw stats about your email and email buddies, such as who are your top 10 correspondents, the top 10 people who respond to you the fastest, even your peak email hour/day/week/month [according to Xobni, 11 pm Tuesdays = hell for me]. It’s not the profile sidebar that enables you to see each contact, along with your common friends, his email time-habits, your threads and all the attached files in your emails. It’s actually the fact that no matter how shamelessly nerdy you get, it just hooks you in, making you visualize your stats over and over, and you just can’t wait to tell all your email-slaved friends about it.
One downside though — it’s only for Outlook. Well, never were friends with Notes anyway.
If this post wasn’t still as nerdy as hell for you, go check it out or view Xobni’s demo vid below:
Kaladkarin in Backpacker Mode Across Southeast Asia
7-14 July 2008
Kuala Lumpur (Malaysia), Siam Reap (Cambodia) and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam)
Marking my first overseas leisure trip. To say that this trip was life-changing is like saying that I have my mom to thank for bringing me into the world. Witnessing wonders such as the Angkor Wat is a blessing that I couldn’t fathom taking for granted. Cliche as it may be, words are definitely not enough to describe the experience; I’ll let the video do the talking. There are also links below the vid to prove our shameless camwhoring across SEA. 🙂 Continue reading Kaladkarin in Backpacker Mode Across Southeast Asia
hep. take a breather.
i find that life comes in phases. one time, you’ll find life so uneventful and boring that you begin to nitpick and question everything. next, you’ll find that life hurls everything but the kitchen sink at you that you just want to zone out. bored. nitpick. battered. zone out. chill. think of what’s next.
i’m somewhere in that zoning out part right now. recently, to say that things have been chaotic is to put it nicely. i’ve never thought of myself as that resistant to change, but when it haunts you at home, at work, when you’re with your friends, it can be a tad overwhelming. gawd, for crying out loud, i’ve got this 3 gigantic zits in my face (oo, mayabang na, but when i get zits, that’s a very bad sign.) i’ve already got them named — BEA, youtube and mike (oo mike, i’m holding you responsible for this. you owe me pond’s. =p) but i say, boo-hoo, have a cry over it, be a bratinella if you need to, but then move on. zone out and chill. speak in abbreviated sentences.
as with any muni-muni moment, i usually take a trip down nostalgia lane to calm myself down. i got reoriented with friendster and multiply, and retroed while reading all my past posts and testimonials. it was kind of funny, actually, when i got to reading the oldest testimonials — these were posts by my high school friends. if you were only getting to know me for the first time, you’ll get the impression that i was this patient, uber-nice and perky person who would never complain about anything. i could already hear my officemates’ eyebrows hitting the roof. “Si Ish?! Patient?? On what alternate universe?!”
i know i’ve changed my stance in a lot of ways, but it never really sinked in this much. i guess in challenging times, you get to know who you are, who you want to be, or at least who you were all along. for the record, i’ve never really believed that soul-searching for who you are would solve anything — what mattered was that you’re happy with whoever you are at a given time.
so that brings us to the question — am i happy with who i am now? the reborn brat who needs to put on the brakes and grow up? (fyi, i’m still debating with myself if that’s a need.) i found that i may be weaker and more vulnerable now than the disciplined thinker i was then. but there’s something with being a feeler that’s just draws you in; i guess any brand-new feeling is impossible to resist. well, one thing’s for sure — i’m happy that FINALLY i’m able to detach myself from my work (o SWAT, paki-baba uli ng kilay.) now i understand that work is just work. i finally got it through my thick head that work does not define me. big feat, trust me.
so there goes zone out; this is probably the chill phase. so, what’s next?
i’d rather
the problem about dancing is not having to deal with sore muscles and bruises every time. it’s that afterwards, you begin to question why you bother doing anything else.
teacher: back, flip, back, stand, back. got it?
kami: (…) sureeee.
how to be unproductive at work 101
i’m so in love with animoto right now. =p
Day 5 – Kaladkarin Invades India
It was bittersweet – I was taking my time rolling in the covers that morning, as I knew it would be the last day that I’ll be hugging these ultra-soft linens. Even harder to swallow was that we were about to take our last breakfast buffet in the hotel (pun intended). How would breakfast be without the most perfect muffins I’ve ever tasted? As if by fate, a man approached me and asked how my meal was. He turned out to be the hotel chef and like a starstruck teen, I gushed about how divine every meal was. He promised to whip up something extra special if ever we came back for another visit. Of course, I couldn’t let him go without a picture. =) Continue reading Day 5 – Kaladkarin Invades India
Day 4 – Kaladkarin Invades India
You could tell our instructor was in a hurry — we finished our class by noon. Of course, Lorena & I didn’t let him go without bombarding him with questions — and taking some pics, of course. We also took pictures of the whole class. Afterwards, we swung by the HP Main Office and we got to see Ajith’s workstation at the River block. The HP main office was divided into several blocks — Earth, River, Ocean, Time, Space. As I saw Ajith joke around with his teammates, I reminded of how light it was to be in an HP office. I mean, the work pinned you to your seat, but the crowd made it all worth it.
During the afternoon, we had a quick peek over at MG Road & Brigade Road. Shops lined the street, neons lit the place and pedestrians were everywhere, making the place resemble an Indian Hong Kong. We ended up only buying groceries & dinner instead, since the lines were so long everywhere. We retired to the hotel soon after.
Since it was our last night in the hotel, Lorena & I decided to make the most of our stay. As any tourist, we hoarded the shampoo bottles and what-nots, and asked the housekeeping guy for more of the sewing kits. He came back with six; he even brought along more stuff and insisted we keep everything! I asked him if they had a first aid kit. Some minutes later, another guy comes knocking at the door with a huge toolbox in hand. He said he came as soon as possible and asked if we were fine. They thought we had an emergency! The cut Lorena got the other day when she bumped her foot at the table turned out to be a lifesaver; our official excuse was we just needed band-aids. =p
A few moments later, Lorena & I went out to explore the facilities. I got decked in my shirt & shorts, looking forward to finally check out the gym. The first place we checked out was the hotel shop. Surprise, surprise — we always seem to gravitate towards saris, carpets, shawls! We instantly forged a friendship with the shop-owner Ali from Kashmir, who also exports textiles to Singapore and Delhi. I got to learn so much about quality & history of pashminas and carpets. Ali was such a character — just looking at person, he knew what that person fancied. He almost converted a non-shawl person like me! Ali also showed us another ‘magic carpet’, similar to the one we saw the other day. However, this one by was far STUNNING, and it was handwoven silk on silk. Silk on Silk = way expensive, but as something that qualifies as a work of art, I think it’s worth the price. By the end of the night, Lorena hauled away a treasure for her soon-to-own condo, plus 2 new gorgeous pashminas.
We checked out the business center next for a bit of emailing and Googling. It was getting late, so Lorena went ahead and got back to our room. I was in my shorts anyway, so I swung by the fitness center for a quick run. I finally retired to the room soon after, took a shower and after a lame attempt to get some packing done, called it a night.
Kaladkarin in India – Prologue
“You have less fear of strangers than most people and today brings you even farther out into the world! It’s a great day to strike up random conversations with strangers and see where they lead.” — My horoscope for the day. it wasn’t kidding.
It was Wednesday afternoon when they told me I was going to India for training. India. This coming Sunday. Eeep. My kalakadkarin-ness rose to another level. Before I knew it, Lorena and I were shuttling to and fro the HP offices & the Indian embassy, trying to pull up everything we need for the trip. Don’t even get me started on how hard it was to get to the embassy — whose brilliant idea was it anyway to put a government office right smack in the middle of Dasmarinas village, a.k.a. land of the ultra-paranoid security guards?
Somehow, everything fell into place (except maybe for my AMEX application) and we found ourselves in NAIA on Sunday afternoon. It wasn’t even sinking in yet that I was to go on my first trip outside Philippine soil. As if that wasn’t surreal enough, Jericho Rosales stepped out of the plane we were about to get on. Sweet!
We landed in the Kuala Lumpur airport for our connecting trip to Bangalore. Awesome, simply awesome. We even got on a train to get to the other side of the airport. I wish NAIA at least had a train that connected it to the rest of civilization. While waiting for the flight to board, Lorena and I spotted several people with HP backpacks – a dead giveaway for HP employees. Once we boarded the plane, we were right next to the HP backpack guys and it happened that they indeed were based in one of the HP India offices. Our new friends Sunil & Santosh gave us a lot of tips to prepare us for the city. A nifty treat was that the new India airport was just opened 2 days ago and we were all to see it for the first time.
During the trip, we also got a preview of the cuisine we were about to brace for the next few days — lamb curry & chutney were being served for dinner. I counted the hours, knowing that the next few days would bring about something even more interesting.
.: ishcapades 