BoobooStrider

Yesterday, I watched The Polar Express on IMAX. I tried to convince Ally and Vlad to watch it with me but Ally wanted to go ice skating and Vlad's date is waiting in Greenbelt. So I told Ally that I'll watch it alone and we can meet after.

The entire film was shown in 3D. I was SO amazed. The first time I watched in IMAX, they only showed a couple of boring films and I ended up watching the ridiculous T-Rex. Only for kids. So I was elated when I finally got the chance to watch a real movie in 3D.

At first, I thought I was just going to enjoy the IMAX experience. I've never seen The Polar Express but I don't remember wanting to watch it when it was in the theatres a few years ago. Surprisingly, I enjoyed the movie too. It kind of reminded me of myself.... yeah.

The story is simple. There's this young boy who didn't believe in Santa Claus. Then one night, he woke up and was surprised to see a train in front of their house. The conductor picked him up and said they were heading to the North Pole.

It reminded me of those fun years when I would hang socks by the door and wait patiently for Santa Claus to fill them with chocolates and candies. My parents would force me to sleep but I'd stay up all night waiting. I never got any of the toys I wished for but then again, my socks were always filled with goodies so I was happy.

It's ridiculous, I know, this stopped only when I was a junior in high school. It was Christmas eve and I was holding a new pair of socks when my dad asked what the socks were for.

'For Santa.' I said.

And my dad just said, 'Tigilan mo na yan ha. Malaki ka na!' (You have to stop, you're too old for that!)

And it was the only time that my dad admitted that he was THE Santa Claus I once believed in. That he was putting candies in my socks. That when I started doubting the existence of Santa because he sends me local chocolates, he decided to put US Dollars in my socks. That he buys them from the nearby 7-Eleven store.

The most annoying thing is that my sister knew about this and she just decided to play along, making me look like the most stupid geek in the family who believes in flying reindeers.

'How'd you find out?' I asked my sister.
'Remember when I wrote Santa a letter and he said wrote back?'
'Yeah?'
'I recognized Dad's handwriting. Didn't you?'

I guess I didn't because I was really hoping he was a real person.

And so from then on, I've been allergic to the idea of celebrating this one day in the entire 365 days of the year being nice and sweet to everyone around me. Oh, Christmas spirit died when Santa disappeared from my life.

I know people would tell me that there's someone else celebrating His birthday on Christmas. I'm sorry to tell you that I am a non-practicing member of the Church.

***

So how did I spend Christmas 2007? I was at work. And after that, we went to Mall of Asia to have lunch with my officemates and then went to the ice skating rink. The mall was packed! I was too afraid to fall in front of a bunch of people so I told them I'd skate with them the day after.

NOTE: Parts of this post appeared on the Christmas 2002 edition of Chalk Magazine.

While I'm burning 80 calories an hour sitting in my room, watching season 2 of Ugly Betty, the rest of the gang are in Antel Avenue Events Hall for the annual company Christmas party. Why am I not there? I have no idea. Maybe because I was so excited to go to this year's party but was sorely disappointed when I found out some dude named Von Arroyo was hosting and that old-timer Gino Padilla was one of the 'guests'.

I hate to compare, but in my previous company, I had the same reaction when they told me that the 90's band Tropical Depression was playing for us that night. I was totally wrong! They gave us a great show with the whole Jamaican theme and even the foreign guests were impressed with their performance.

So now I wonder if Von Arroyo and Gino Padilla is doing the same as I am writing this entry. Before I signed in, I got several text messages from my crew asking me to join them.

Barbs: Konti lang tao sir Pika.
Bambie: Hay naku nilangaw yung party sir. Sabi mo nga, that is so not sweet!

My apologies for being offline for so many days. My Smart Bro is quite a pain and I didn't have access to internet. It's weird because the messengers and Torrent download programs were working but the browsers were not. Both Mozilla and Internet Explorer won't open sites so I was out of touch.

GLOBAL FUN CARNIVAL

The launch of our new program went really well. I didn't get enough sleep because I was doing a dozen of tasks. See, this is something I should seriously work on or control at least. In order to impress my boss, I tend to ask for many tasks and end up screwing up one of them. But I was very happy that I didn't screw up this time. The little launch gathering we had at the pantry was a success; people did dress up for the event; folks were happy with their shirts; the food was excellent; and most importantly, we had a lot of fun.

As the emcee of the little program, I was nervous at first. I talked my colleagues into faking their laughs if I crack a joke or clap when I look like I need them to. They did cooperate so they made my job easier.

One thing that pissed me off is the fact that there were a lot of gatecrashers in the scene. There was this girl from another department who claimed that she was from Human Resources. She was waiting in line for the food. Ally told her we only have enough for the guests and she took off. But lo and behold, she came back this time she sneaked in with a friend and got her a big chunk of the food.

Two other women, whom I intentionally didn't send an invite to were there to eat. The fugly one didn't even say hi or thanks for the food it was great! They just took off after their bellies were full.

What can I say? You really cannot buy manners! I hope these ladies crapped like hell after eating!

+++

I lost my phone two days ago. No, it was taken away from me by some guys in the jeepney. I was tired and all but my mom asked me to pick up my li'l sister from school. I did and as I was in the jeepney, on my way to her school, a guy started pissing me off, putting his one leg between mine, pretending that he was trying to kill a bug on my foot. I yelled and asked what his problem was but he got off.

In an instant, I lost my phone. I got off and went home. I was still in shock. How could this happen to me here, a few blocks away from our house, when I've been to more dangerous places like Quiapo or Baclaran. Shit!

+++

I think I'm in love. I dunno.
Folks at work would notice that.
Will blog more about this later. For now,
I'll leave you with my favorite love song from 98 degrees.
This song makes me feel stupid
(and look stupid) when I'm in love.

I have this serious personal issue/disease. I tend to think that I need to be always busier when I've a lot on my plate right now. I keep saying, 'Yes, I'll do it' and end up thinking what I should do first. It's sick. Like for our program's launch, I've been extremely proactive, telling my boss that I'll take care of this and that. I hope I can pull it off. Launch will be this Monday and I'm not even done with half of the tasks on my list.

Speaking of Britney Spears, have you heard of her follow-up to the smash hit, Gimme More? It's called Piece of Me. The first time I heard it, I said... did she just say....

Remember I blogged about Britney's horrible VMA 07 performance? A video was posted on YouTube of what should have been the 'real' performance. It just says one thing, Britney really screwed up her performance! Watch this:



Compare it to this:

My good friend IJ told me about this book and video called Hidden Messages in the Water. We were sort of having the usual therapy session and she shared this to me. The experiment was done by Dr. Masaru Emoto. Basically, what she did was she collected water samples in different parts of the world and put words on each bottle/container such as love, hate, anger, Hilter, etc. When the samples were crystallized, the ones with good words on them had beautiful crystal formations and ones exposed to bad thoughts or words formed blurred images.

What this is trying to say is that if this is how powerful thoughts and words are, imagine what it can do to us since up to 60% [or something] of our body is water. (I'm not sure about the exact percentage forgive me)

Hay Buhay!

I just found out that right after the dimwits talked to me, they reveled inside the moving elevator, clapping their hands and were obviously elated at the fact that I'm out. Boo hoo. Office politics sucks but hey, at least I know I made that big of an impact.

The race for the Starbucks stickers is back and I am seriously going to get a planner this year! I've promised to collect these stickers since 2003 but I never really completed the 24-stamp/sticker requirement. I ended up giving away my stickers and just enjoy my frap. So far I've got four stickers.. whew! Long way to go...

Drank 5 margaritas last night. I'm actually enjoying my job now. Of course, we still haven't started the 'real work' but we're getting there. I'm delighted that I've been blessed with colleagues who have a good sense of humor and love for alcohol. I feel better now.

In other news:

Whew! What a week! So many things happened the past few days, I'm thankful that I didn't lose my sanity.

-Dad was admitted in the hospital due to extreme neck and back pains. They ruled out stroke and had an MRI. Thank heavens I had them as my dependents for my HMO. Do you know how much this fucking MRI costs? 10 grand! He's now out of the hospital after staying there for five days.

-I think I've blogged about it. I almost got fired but now I'm with a new department. To prevent adding more fuel to the fire, they just moved me (of course with my consent). But I just felt that the case needed closure, I needed closure. So I talked to the client directly and learned that he wasn't even aware that I moved to another program. I was appalled and was even more infuriated because they set my expectations earlier that my stay will be dependent on the client.

My [now former] manager and I talked yesterday and he explained everything. He said he didn't want to burn any bridges and told me everything that happened which I wasn't aware of. He said he worked double time for me not to get fired and that he wanted to apologize for anything he needs to apologize for.

I told him:

1. You mismanaged my expectations
2. I felt like no one supported me in this case.
3. I still feel that it could have been handled differently.
4. You completely disregarded my contributions to the success of our program.
5. I felt like you pushed for my termination.

Anyway, what's done is done. I just hope that I'll find success in this new program. I like challenges and so far, I've never failed in any of the programs I joined. So I truly believe I can still do it.

-IRENE JOY IS IN MANILA! Joy and I met in 2003. We worked together in a BPO company. We used to go to lunch together (and by lunch I am referring to the one hour break that usually happens at 12 midnight) and buy at the Binggo convenience store (which was bought by 7-eleven a few years ago). We went to Trinoma and had our usual long talk and took some photos....

It's been quite a while since I was invited to join the highest paying bloggers in PayPerPost. I finally got approved! And now I am ready to get started and have more things to blog about. Oh, did I mention that I can earn money while doing that? It's fun!

This is actually the main reason why I moved to Blogger. With their more customisable format, I can easily monetize my blog. Fortunately, there are companies like PayPerPost that really pay well! I've heard of so many success stories from other blogs I've read. I personally like Kirby's blog. It helped me decide which affiliate programs to choose and which ones to avoid. I also like Mike's Money Making Mission.

With a single post, they can pay you as much as $20 a post! Not bad! I can imagine more gimmicks, more shopping, more movies! That's a lot of things to do when I start earning! So why not join me and the rest of the blogosphere?

You can start by reviewing the blog ethics.

Tara na!

Sorry for borrowing the title from another blogger. But that's how I'd like to describe what my situation is right now. The corporate world is such a mess that everywhere you go, whether it be a new department or branch of the company, you'll end up picking up the pieces.

A few things I don't like about my current situation:

-I'm with a bunch of delinquent employees who are--if they were cats--on their ninth and final string of life
-Being that kind of employees, some would consider them as 'recycled' ones who have grown huge branches of horns on their heads--it would take a bulldozer to crush 'em.
-I was not emotionally and mentally prepared a new challenge

The things I like about it:

-New challenges are always good
-I have the trust and confidence of my new boss (my immediate boss at least)
-They're a crazy bunch and I love that!

Oh well, we'll see what happens. Wait, I think I have to say: I hope something DOES happen this time.

Wow. What a week...

Last Tuesday, I was greeted with the possibility of losing my job just because of one freaking mistake. It wasn't my mistake though. It was due to somebody else's negligence but I came out as the sacrificial lamb to cover their asses for fear of losing THEIR jobs. What a total ass. I don't blame them. They're not knowledgeable enough on how to manage the department, let alone manage a single employee.

Sometimes, bad managers happen to good employees. Very sad.

Oh yeah, fine, throw that bullshit one more time and tell me that 'you did try your best to save me' and that I am a valuable asset in this company. Yeah wow. Very touching.

To top it all, my dad's in the hospital because of some pain and the doctors still cannot determine the cause. I'm always afraid of hospitals and people getting sick. The fear is probably from watching too much 'House' episodes. I hope my dad is okay.

So imagine the personal and work stress bombarding me since Tuesday. I was almost suicidal. I can't blame myself for taking Valium to calm my nerves. I am as angry as hell and I know just how to take it out on the person. Just you wait and see.

I hate blogging about work. I think it's so unprofessional.

But since the motherfucker is on top of the unprofessionals' list. Hell, fuck it! Fuck y'all!

I must admit that somehow, I believe the Spice Girls reunion was well planned all these years. I know they had babies and had their fair share of shit but you remember when red-head Geri left? There were speculations that the girls just wanted attention and attention they did get after they released the album minus Ginger Spice.

But as proven by a lot of British music groups, Five minus One isn't always equal to SUCCESS. (Think 'Take that' my friends). But I have a question: did you ever like the Spice Girls?



I thought 'Holler' was a nice song... more mature than, say, Stop or Spice up Your Ass.

Can you effin' believe it? Tickets were sold out in 30 seconds or thereabouts! Geez, I thought my generation has moved on to the likes of the Pussycat Dolls but guess what, the girls are definitely back...



TAENA. Good luck na lang. I hope they don't lipsynch all their songs no. Mahal ng tix tapos prerecorded vocals pala ala Mariah in Manila.

In one of our journalism classes, we had an interesting discussion about piracy. When does a person become a pirate? My professor told us that according to some law (which of course I've already forgotten), one can download a song or a movie or photocopy a book as long as it's for 'personal usage'. This means as long as you don't sell a collection of songs or a photocopy of the entire book of '7 Habits', you're still in the safe zone.

And the reason why I want to write about this is because I've been downloading a lot of movies lately. Since my schedule wouldn't permit me to go to the prestigious Spanish Film Festival, I just resorted to torrent downloading sites. I am currently downloading two Spanish and two English films. (Geez, I miss my spanish class!)

Anyway, I finally watched AzulOscuroCasiNegro:

Yesterday, I asked Wowie if she wanted to grab some lunch. At around 11am, we ate at Chef D'Angelo in Glorietta 2. We stayed there for about an hour of exchanging office gossip. We left arounf 11:50AM to buy shoes for her daughter at this Barbie store, still in Glorietta 2. I asked if I can take a pee while she decides on which shoes to buy. I went to the nearest men's room which is near Toy Town, a few steps away from the bridgeway between Glorietta 2 and Park Square 2.

At 1230PM, I told Wowie that we should probably go home because we're both tired and all. But since I ate an equivalent of two meals, I told her I'm going to take a walk. I spent about 15 minutes walking in Glorietta, without knowing that the bombs were about to go off.

Thank God, I decided to just walk in Greenbelt. So approximately 1:20PM, I was buying ice cream at BTIC in GBelt 1. Whew!

+++

Can I just say? I think I'm a bomb magnet... which is not exactly a good thing. Remember when the SM Megamall was bombed in 2001 or 2000? I was there too. It was my birthday. I usually spend my birthday alone. I was playing Bingo when it happened. After I lost some money from the game, my mom called me, berating me for not answering her phone calls. Then she informed me that there was an explosion and that I need to get home as fast as I could.

+++

Thinking that something this bad won't happen twice (at least not consecutively), Wowie and I went back to Glorietta today. As expected, a lot of stalls were closed. We saw a bunch of people at the activity center. We initially thought it was a mass but it turned out to be a press conference.

Attention: Men who get blowjobs from women (and yes, some men too).

Let your partners take a few lessons on blowjobs 101 from this crazee woman:

I got this from Jeri's Multiply account. First of all, I used my defective mouse for my sample so this MIGHT not be as accurate as it looks:

The results of your analysis say:

You like to be surrounded by four solid walls. - NOT TRUE!
You are a shy, idealistic person who does not find it easy to have relationships, especially intimate ones. - Fuck off! haha
You are diplomatic, objective, and live in the present.
You are not very reserved, impatient, self-confident and fond of action.
You enjoy life in your own way and do not depend on the opinions of others.

Okay, firstly, this is The Daily Show... on COMEDY CENTRAL. So before you start packing some heat, I suggest you watch the entire thing first then share a booboo!

In this video, the 'reporter' Samanta Bee praises Corazon Aquino for throwing off a dictator yet the visual shows three women in power bashed in a website which I believe to be Perez Hilton's. If you don't know who Perez is and what he does to Hollywood celebs, then click here. You just might find the humor in this.

Can't wait? Go to 3:26 and find our First Woman President get called a 'slut' on Perez Hilton's website.



I seriously believe that Pinoys shouldn't fret and make another round of online rampage. Again, I encourage you to find the humor in the video, check out Perez Hilton's site and try to understand: the video was meant to praise the three powerful women for being great leaders, which will supposedly support America's readiness for a woman president. But since it's a comedy show, the visual was meant to inject humor in this serious topic.

Listen to what the Examiner reporter said, it's pretty interesting.

PS: This video, although it's a bit 'controversial' and uber hilarious, raises an important question for all.

Oh God... here she comes... with her new video... that shows not much but the loss of her talent in electrified dancing:



I can't decide if it's worse that the 'original' :

In my last post, I added the clip from the latest season of Desperate Housewives where Susan Mayer (played by Teri Hatcher) insults Filipinos doctors (or Pinoys who work in any hospital for that matter). Be the judge, scroll down, and watch the clip yourself and tell me what you think.

I admit that yesterday, while watching the clip, I did find it funny for several reasons:

1. The show is obviously under the Emmys' Comedy category.
2. We make a lot of jokes about Indians yet they never blasted us.
3. Americans have branded every single Arab in the country a terrorist yet we still buy that Republican crap.
4. We make fun of Chinese products saying they're all knock-off when we all know all major industries are going there.
5. Maybe what Susan Mayer meant was that maybe it just came from Quiapo or Recto that's why she wanted to check. (Bakit? Madali naman talaga gumawa ng fake ha)

This was the topic of discussion during my lunch with Wowie today.

'I don't find it offensive! Don't you see the humor in it?'
'It's so racist!'
'We laugh about Indians all the time yet they don't get mad..'
'But this is different.. they were pertaining to a certain race. Anything that says something bad about a certain race is racist.'

She does have a point. My bestfriend Toyomansi adds:

Okay, that joke isn't original. I saw it on YouTube while watching GMA's latest fantasy flick, Zaido. I just have one question: Are Pinoys becoming too ambitious? We copied Marimar and now Shaider? One thing is for sure--in any remake, you should NEVER piss off the audience. There's a lot of ways to do it. The first one is by not being faithful to the story of the original series. Second, failure to create a mirror image which, lastly, destroys the whole image of the original character.

I love what they did to Marimar. But with Zaido? I have to think twice. While they continued the story of Shaider, I hate the fact that in this one they made him look like the biggest failure in the world of metal heroes. The story continues after Shaider killed the enemy, the Kuuma Empire, who--sadly--managed to survive. How? We don't really know. And it's now up to the Zaidos to finish him and his gang.





So was I disappointed? With the costumes = Yes. But they seem to have done so well with the special effects. I bet they paid a ginormous amount to make it look soo damn good. I've only seen some parts of the first episode. Who knows? They might have something better in store for us.


Verdict: F for eFFort!

For the past few days, I've seen: