It's Been Awhile...

Since I started working, there are a lot of things that I missed out.... so here I am, listing all of my "It's Been Awhiles" here in my blog...

It's Been Awhile... since I...

• tried going to the gym on a weekday... after work, all I would think of is go home early to beat the rush hour traffic...
• joined any singing engagements with the choir during the weekdays
• went on a vacation *sigh*
• window shopped in any malls that I frequent to when I was still studying web design
• updated my personal website
• talked to some of my friends... heck, I haven't even seen them for months now!
• downloaded new songs ^_^;
• watched a movie
• played the piano
• visited some of my cousins for some bonding time
• saw my bestfriend... I really miss her
• wrote to someone abroad
• cleaned my room
• had a date with my mom
• posted a new blog!

Hopefully, once I apply for a new internet provider, I can have the opportunity to write something about what's been happening to me lately. Again, don't hold your breath... I won't be making any promises but I'll try to write something insightful about myself. :P

A Salute to our Former President Corazon C. Aquino

Yesterday, our former late President Corazon C. Aquino was laid to rest beside her late husband, Benigno "Ninoy" Aquino at the Manila Memorial Park.

Her funeral march was described to be the longest funeral march in the country. It just reflects that the whole country is mourning of the death of someone who was described as the "mother of Philippine Democracy". Though the weather has been bipolar lately, people still went to the Manila Cathedral to pay their last respects. For me, it also shows that the people hasn't forgotten the sacrifices that she has made for the country.

She is the first president that I grew up with. And I am lucky enough to experience the gift that she has given to the whole country: freedom and democracy.

I am also fortunate enough to see her in person. When I was in grade 5 at St. Theresa's College, QC, she visited our school in commemoration of the EDSA Revolution. I can still envision what she was back then: she was not wearing her usual yellow attire that we used to see on television. Rather, she was wearing a black blouse with red rose prints and a black skirt. She has this aura of being a leader. While walking towards the stage of our "Social Hall", she greeted each student warmly. I envy my batch mates back then who were seated by the aisle lol.

She openly discussed the struggles during the reign of our former President Ferdinand Marcos. I admire her bravery and support for her husband until the end. As a President, she was able to face all the crisis that the country faced back then. One of my classmates are lucky enough to get a book from her... and I think it's about the EDSA Revolution.

The other day, I was able to go to work too early for my own good. When I reached for the doorknob of our small office, I had to smile and almost cried at the same time. There was a yellow ribbon tied on the knob... symbolizing our respect for her. Though we were not able to participate in the funeral march... we always carry it in our hearts.

Tita Cory, we love you and you will always be forever in the hearts of the Filipino people.

Let Me Explain....

I know, I know... I haven't written ANYTHING at all since May (I think). As much as I could've, I can't seem to find any inspiration to write anything at all.

Ironic that I am writing about it is all. lol

Hopefully, I will write something more meaningful, or memorable here in my blog.

Just don't hold your breath though lol

Contract Worker...

Ever since I got hired in the company that I am working right now, I dubbed myself as a "Contract Worker." Why? Well literally, I am not on probation nor on temporary status... but it states in my contract that I am employed in that company for 3 months, hence dubbing myself as such.

Sad to say, my contract ends this Tuesday, June 30th.

Our previous supervisor who happens to own a company is encouraging us to work with him. His offer is quite convincing actually. But for me, it means getting to know people again, getting familiar with the workplace and how thing are done in the company. I can just describe it as "going back to square one." We've put off the contract signing till this week so that we can check or see if the company I am working right now will consider renewing our contract and changing our status as regular employees.

Actually, thinking about the pros and cons on both companies always makes my head hurt. For me, it is a big decision especially in terms of my career growth. I am actually torn between the two opportunities, especially right now that one member of our team (team of 3 web designers) got accepted in a decent company with a much more better offer. Too bad for us remaining 2, she told us that the company is just looking for 1 web designer in the meantime.

It just made me realize what my former colleague once told me... I can't easily step out of my "comfort zone." Right now, I'm actually scared... with zero-visibility in what's in store for me in my chosen career. Inside, I am already panicking. Our company is waiting for the CEO's responce regarding our renewal of contract if they plan to do so... on the other side, my former supervisor is just waiting for us to be part of his company.

All I want is to be a part of a company who will consider me as a regular employee with benefits that is required by law. Having friendly co-workers would be an added bonus that I am willing to accept as well.

I know this entry is quite confusing... as I am confused as this moment. I am just praying that things will work out for me and hopefully will be better than I expected.

I just made a promise to myself right now: if our CEO of the company that I'm working right now doesn't have any word regarding the renewal of our contract, I will send out my resignation letter to my supervisor and will give a go signal to the other company to prepare our contract.

I hope and pray that the decision that I will make regarding my career is right for me. I also pray that I will learn a lot and will have career growth as well.

"Lord, give me strength."

Dear Diary...

Yesterday morning, I was rummaging through the things in my room for a bag that I'll be using for my trip to Bohol tomorrow. I opened an old box wherein some of my things from high school are kept.

That is when I found my old diary.

It's such a cliche that I rarely own a Hello Kitty product and there it was... a red Hello Kitty diary complete with a Hello Kitty lock and key. From what I remember, the diary was given to me by an aunt as a grade school graduation gift... I just started using it when I was a sophomore in high school.

Since I have time to spare before leaving for work, I decided to unlock the proverbial journal. It's like a time capsule that was waiting for me to open after all these years. Then, I began to flip through the pages of my past... especifically my high school years. I had to laugh at how sloppy and doodley my handwriting back then. Well, my handwriting was actually good depending on my mood and what kind of pen I use. Well, it seems that I don't have a good pen back then. :P

Honestly, I enjoyed my college life more than my high school years. Back in STC, I was not really in the popular group nor in any other group for that matter. I had friends... I get along with some, if not most of my batchmates... I think I was just a mediocre student then.

While reading my diary, I realized that the entries written there are definitely from my past "me" - someone who is still trying to figure out what I want as a teenager and how to cope up with it... Someone who wants to try/experience something new... Someone who dreams (and keeps on dreaming). I must say, I am really not proud of some of my past experiences but hey, I survived, and it molded me to who I am today.

As I leaf through the pages, I noticed that I wasn't able to consume all the pages in my diary. It is kinda sad that I wasn't able to write more often when I was a senior student. Maybe it was when I became busy... got serious in my studies... who knows? My diary wasn't able to tell much about that time.

With a sigh, I locked my past back in its hiding place. I enjoyed reading it, even for a short time. I would definitely read it again if I find time. After all, I still have the key.

Rainy Summer Day

Just last week, I was one of the many people here in Manila who kept on complaining about the sweltering heat here in the big city. It was so hot that you have to keep yourself rehydrated by drinking lots of fluids and keeping yourself indoors with the airconditioner turned on. It all changed this week...

Monday morning while I stepped out of the front gate of our house, I looked up at the sky. It seems to be cloudy today... oh well, at least it won't be hot going to work. It was a usual weekday afternoon, until I went out of our building to take my usual afternoon break. Uh oh.

It was raining cats and dogs. I should've brought an umbrella with me.

By the time our shift ends, my friends and I took our usual walk to the bus stop. We were not different to those people who wasn't able to bring an umbrella that time. Thank God for the underpass here in Makati.

The crowd was in a hurry to get in the nearest bus available in the stop. My friends and I decided to push our way to the bus available to be able to go home as soon as possible. The ride going to Buendia/LRT seemed long because of the impending traffic. I was lucky enough that my jeepney ride from Buendia to our home seems bearable.

As always, my mom scolded me for not bringing an umbrella. ^_^; I changed clothes, ate dinner and went on my way to our choir practice. I think it was my longest Monday for this month.

My friends and I learned our lesson. Yesterday, we brought an umbrella and true enough, it rained yet again.

Internet Dilemma

I haven't been online during the Holy Week. I am very much disappointed in the company I have an internet subscription with. It did gave me some headache...and I wasn't able to do the following:

1. I wasn't able to check my email... on both yahoo and hotmail accounts


2. I miss logging in on Facebook... Multiply... Friendster... Myspace :P


3. I wasn't able to talk to some of my friends online


4. I wasn't able to upload some of the photos taken recently


5. I miss playing online games ^_^;


6. and to top it all off, I wasn't able to update my blog

My friends are now telling me to switch to a more reliable internet company. I'm thinking of getting those pre-paid internet kits... but I thought that it would be inconvenient if I don't have enough credits. But then again, I'm thinking that since I'll be at work most of the day, it would be cheaper than paying the full amount of unlimited internet time. Then again (again...), I have to check if the signal within the area of our home is excellent to have a fast internet connection.

This is such a pain I tell you...

Wedding Singers

Today, our choir was scheduled to sing in a wedding at the Shrine of Jesus near Mall of Asia. I arrived at our scheduled call time and waited for the others then headed at the choir loft which is overlooking the altar. Today seems a good day for the soon-to-be wed couple, as it rained this morning but stopped at noon. The wedding was scheduled to start at 3pm.

Whenever I sing with the choir during weddings, I can't help but be in awe in checking out the ladies' gowns and how many guests would attend. Today is no exception. The couple chose a variety of colors for their motif (e.g. blue - primary sponsors, red - maid of honor, purple - bridesmaids, yellow - flower girls) and it seems that our gown is also fit for the occasion. I observed that the wedding is well planned and well thought of by the couple.

We sang different love songs after the mass during the pictorial of the couple with their family and friends. We are fortunate that we had an opportunity to congratulate the groom and give our best wishes to the bride. We also had our picture taken with them. :P

It's fun to sing at weddings. Not just because it is an opportunity for me and the choir to show our talents, but we get to witness a celebration of love and happiness for the couple. Also, I think it's nice to acknowledge the fact that we became a part of the wedding that they dreamed of.

...and the Job Hunt continues

It's been two weeks since I took a psychological/personality test for a company that I would like to work with someday. After my gym class and took a shower a couple of hours ago, one missed call was reflected on my cellphone.

It was an unregistered number.

Tin (my gym buddy and classmate in my web design class) received a text message from her mom informing her that the company called their house regarding an exam. I informed her that I received a missed call, and luckily, it matched the number that was given to her by her mom. We were ecstatic about the news. I scheduled my exam today and she on Friday.

Due to the traffic, I arrived a couple of minutes late in the company's office. ^_^;

The receptionist greeted me warmly and lead the way to where I'll be taking my exam. The room is not what I really imagined. It has a cozy atmosphere wherein there are no partitions in between an employee's station. Basically, it gives some sort of feel that you could interact to anybody at anytime. Every station reflects the user's personality. It is cluttered yet organized at the same time... an organized mess, and I liked it. :P

I was greeted by yet another employee and lead me to a station where I will be taking my exam. She instructed me to log-in to Yahoo Messenger and asked me to add her in my contacts. After doing so, she sent me the instructions and the pictures that I will be using. The duration of the exam will be approximately 2 hours and she informed me to finish what I could do in that time.

I could've been confident that I could finish the whole exam on time. Much to my dismay and horror, the program that I'm going to use in the exam is an outdated version of the web program that I'm used to using. o.0

Oh crap... *breathes deeply*

It took me almost 30mins to get used to the version of the program. I used "hardcore encoding"... meaning, I used Notepad as a backup for the exam. I had a mental block most of the time while encoding the file... the employee then went to the station where I'm at to check my progress. I admitted that I am not familiar with the program version. She told me that it's okay, she wanted to check if I could encode HTML and CSS.

After 2 hours, she informed me that time's up for the exam and double checked if I saved it in a file with my name in the computer's desktop. I smiled and said goodbye then headed home.

To be honest, I am not really satisfied with my exam. I began thinking if I rushed things to get that exam over and done with or I should've rescheduled it for another day, say tomorrow or with Tin on Friday.

Cheska, one of my childhood friends texted me and asked how did my exam ko. If only she could hear my text reply, I practically wailed while texting on my way home... saying that it gave me a headache, the test was hard blahblah... She told me that it's gonna be fine, just keep on praying, if the job is for me then I will get it. She told me not to keep my hopes up too much that I will get disappointed in the end.

She's right. All I have to do now is wait. I want to be optimistic that I have done what I could in the exam... praying that I will be given the job that is for me... hoping that I get a job soon...

25 Things About Me

Whenever I visit my Facebook account, I would always see an update to some of my friends' profiles. 25 Things about me... Basically, the catch is that once you've been tagged on the note, you are to write 25 random things, goals, habits about you and then chose 25 of your friends to be tagged. Since I'm already 25 years old, I think it's just appropriate that I should try to write a list here as well.

1. I am an only child
2. I love watching cartoons until now :P
3. When I was a kid, I wanted to be a vet... sad to say, I'm allergic to cats ^_^;
4. I love music... but I sometimes suck at remembering the singer or the title of the song... I just know the song. period.
5. When I was in high school, I always bring my camera with me whenever we have field trips. I also participated in photography contests for 2 years.
6. I'm a crybaby... in short, mababaw ang luha ko
7. I am a fan of Pugad Baboy comics
8. I've dreamed of performing/singing at CCP... that came true last year, on my birthday. Met Mr. Ryan C, and had my picture taken with Lea Salonga :D
9. Sta. Teresita Parish Chorale (STPC) is my second family :P
10. I almost had my black belt in taekwondo when I was in high school
11. I love coffee... but I don't drink coffee in the morning for breakfast
12. I love playing video games... especially RPG games
13. I am more used to swimming in the sea than in a pool
14. I learned how to speak the Ilocano dialect the hard way: when I was a kid, my cousins dared me to speak in Ilocano or else they'd ignore me ^_^; well, no regrets because I think I'm more fluent in understanding/speaking in Ilocano than most of my cousins who live here in Manila lol
15. I would like to travel to Europe someday, maybe on 2011 in Spain ;)
16. First impression of me: mataray
17. I don't like okra
18. I never experienced a hangover when I drink... and I don't intend to :P
19. I met Quentin Tarantino (director of Kill Bill) at Malacañan Palace
20. I love travelling
21. I think some women that I know wanted to be a nun when they were kids, and I am not an exception. Good thing I was able to realize early on that I am not a "nun material" lol
22. I love drawing. Back in our old house, I used to draw on the walls using felt-tipped pens, and wrote the alphabet using crayons on a wall while climbing down the stairs
23. I want to learn different languages, especially Japanese, and French.
24. I want to own a professional SLR camera someday :)
25. I am now trying different activities like yoga, tai chi, pilates to challenge my mind and body

My 25th Birthday

February 15, 2009 11:30pm

This is the time that I started to write this blog. Thirty minutes more and my birthday is finally over.

At 1:00am in the morning, I was still awake. My mom called me via cellphone. Now why the hell will mom call me when she's just downstairs? Curiously, I left my bedroom, climbed down the stairs and asked if there's something wrong.

My mom greeted me happy birthday and ordered pizza...Hawaiian pizza to be exact lol. We feasted on the simple midnight snack and watched tv. I could never ask for a better start for my birthday.

I woke up around 9am, prepared myself to go to church. After the mass, the commentator in front informed the crowd that it's also the priest's birthday. I approaced the priest, greeted him a happy birthday, and asked for blessing.

Around 3pm in the afternoon, I prepared for another singing engagement for our choir. This is the third time this weekend. I'm not complaining, at least that will keep me busy for the weekend. We were invited to a home wherein our contact wanted to surprise their parents by having us to their home and sing love songs as a post-valentine's gift. We were welcomed warmly and I am happy to see that they enjoyed the singing. :)

After our singing engagement, I invited the choir to have coffee at Starbucks. Sad to say, Banawe branch doesn't accept credit cards as of the moment because they were offline. Though disappointed, we opted to have pizza over Kuya Raz's house.

Overall. I am happy my birthday turned out great. I felt like crying because I was touched by my friends' gesture when they placed a small pink candle in the middle of the pizza. They sang happy birthday and asked me to make a wish. I have the pink candle inside my bag as a souvenir.

12:25 am... my birthday has finally come to an end. Another memorable birthday for me. Though not extravagant, it was heart-warming. :)

My Silver Year

February 15, 2009 12:43pm

My birthday.

I am now officially 25 years old.

I am blessed that I have lived on this earth for 25 years. And I am praying that I live for 25 or more years.

Hearts Day 2009

I woke up late as usual. As I grabbed for my phone beside my pillow, I saw that I received 10 new messages. Groggily, I thought if there is something urgent for people to send me a message today...

Oh yeah, it's Valentine's Day.

This year, it's a busy weekend for our choir. Today, we were asked by a friend to sing in a company party in Quezon City for their Valentine's Day celebration. To lighten the mood, one of our members joked that this will be our group date. I really don't mind, we enjoyed singing and we are happy that the people in the party enjoyed the songs that we sang.

Even though I don't have an exclusive date today, I don't mind. I have my friends as a date today and I think that they have made my valentine's day happy. :)

Rainy Fridays...

It's Friday. I woke up late... again.

I packed my gym bag in a hurry then went out of the house. When I gazed up to the sky, I wondered if it would rain and if I should go back home and get my umbrella. Nah, hindi naman siguro... then I trodded my way to Dapitan Street to wait for a jeep en route to Buendia.

Unfortunately for me, it did rain by the time I reached Dapitan. Good thing I was able to ride a jeep by the time the heavens cried its eyes out.

I was able to get to the gym before the Body Jam class started. As usual, R.A. is being his funny self as he taught us some advanced moves that were added in the tracks. By the time we were finished, my legs were numb but was laughing at the same time. Yeah, I know its crazy, but I don't care... I had fun. :P

After taking a shower, we headed out... I groaned. It's still raining. And yes, Friday traffic is still unbearable. I got home in record time... got a scolding from my mom for not bringing my umbrella as an added bonus.

Lesson of the story: always bring an umbrella even if you think it's not gonna rain ^_^

Starbucks Album

January 30, 2009

I went to the gym with 2 of my friends in SM Mall of Asia. After attending the Body Jam class, we met up with another friend at one of the Starbucks branches in the Mall (there are actually 3 branches in that mall to choose from O_o ). And with that, our picture taking adventures started. One of my friends used photoshop and the pictures turned out like this:

Job Hunting

Every morning when I wake up, what I usually do is to turn on my computer and check the updates for my online application. This morning is no different from the previous mornings since I started applying online.

Applications: 2... New/ No Update

My friend logged in Yahoo Messenger and asked me about my applications. I told her the usual no update thingy. She informed me that 2 of her applications are already in process. When I saw her message, I can't help but feel happy, troubled, panicky all at the same time. Happy that there is progress in her application... Troubled because it made me feel that I am not competent enough... and Panicky because I have set goals for this year and I want it to happen.

Looking back when I was fresh out of the university and looked for a job, I didn't have the hard time nor lacked confidence in looking for a job online or just simply handing out resumes in different companies. Why is it so hard this time? Maybe because this is a new field of work that I am not familiar with yet... Argh!

Right now, I am looking for different job search sites. To others, it sounds desperate. For me, I'm just covering my bases so that I won't keep my hopes up in waiting for my other online applications. Don't get me wrong, I am not THAT desperate to just simply click on the Apply button before reading the requirements. I know the level of my skills and that's where I base my applications on.

12:19pm - My phone rang. Unlisted number... who could this be?

Me: Hello?
Lady: Hi, This is C from XXX Inc.
Me: Yes, speaking...? But I just applied online to your job posting a couple of minutes ago O.0
Lady: I was just wondering if we could set you up for an interview tomorrow?
Me: *Looked at my telephone... slack jawed* I'm sorry but I have plans for tomorrow... can we schedule it maybe on Monday? Please say yes... pleasepleaseplease
Lady: Sure, I will text you the address and you can come here in the office between 8am - 3pm (end of call)

As I am writing this blog right now... I dunno what to say... I don't want to keep my hopes up however, I just want to prove to myself that I am competent enough that a company that I applied to will hire me as an employee.

Now, I am hoping that I get a job that is suitable for me.

Teeth Fences... The Second Time Around

Teeth fences... that's what I call orthodontic braces as a joke. When I was in high school, I wore them to correct the position of my upper two front teeth. I endured it during my entire high school days and I can say that I have suffered all the discomfort known for wearing braces during those times. Back then, I thanked God that my lower teeth turned out okay.

At the age of 20, the dreaded wisdom teeth began to grow... I experienced having a fever, headache, and numbing pain on my jaw a couple of times because as people would joke around and say, im growing "wisdom" in me (and I am still waiting for 2 wisdom teeth to fully sprout out of my gums yet... so that does mean im not wise yet? Heck no!). Geez, I hope that being wise with age doesn't have to be this painful a process I have to (and will still) endure.

December '08 when I noticed that one of my teeth on my lower jaw is out of its neat, aligned place. In my mind I thought Uh oh better get this checked after the Christmas Season. I had my dental appointment yesterday, the dentist confirmed my suspicions - I need to wear braces... again. The dentist scheduled an immediate appointment for today where my mother agreed. I promised to pay half of the expenses once my monthly checkup starts. Time for me to look for a job... fast lol.

A couple of hours ago at exactly 11:00am, I went to the dentist to have my braces fitted. It was a short procedure that I went home after an hour. From what I can remember back then, the process was longer and painful at the same time. Maybe when I was younger, my level of tolerance to pain is not that high yet compared today. I was able to each congee from North Park Banawe branch after an hour.

Some people think that having orthodontic braces is being "sosyal" or feeding someone's vanity at times. For me, after enduring the pain, monthly dental checkups, expences, it will give a person a boost of self-confidence especially when they smile. :)

Teeth fences? I have endured it and is willing to endure it again... this time, I know that after this, I will smile more brightly than before. ;)